THE credentials of our young democracy will be put to another severe test tomorrow when the people of the Atiwa Constituency in the Eastern Region go to the polls to elect a new member to represent them in Parliament.
The seat was declared vacant following the sudden demise of the incumbent MP, Kwasi Annoh Ankamah, on July 1, this year.
Not surprisingly, the front runners in tomorrow’s race are NPP’s Kwasi Amoako-Attah and Emmanuel Atta Twum of the NDC.
For many election watchers, however, worrying signs began to emerge barely a week ago when the two parties started trading accusations of vote buying and rigging ahead of the D-Day.
Officials of the NPP, on one hand, alleged that the NDC had bussed a number of macho men (known as Azoka boys) into the constituency to intimidate the electorate from turning up in their numbers to exercise their franchise on the voting day while the NDC, on the other, rebutted the accusations, saying that because of the fear of losing the by-election, top officials of the NPP were moving from house to house to register the names of deceased persons and give their particulars to their sympathisers to vote.
Certainly, such unguarded utterances have the tendency to inflame passions and this is why the DAILY GRAPHIC is worried about the safety and security of the people during and after the election.
We recount that some level of violence characterised the Akwatia election and the Chereponi by-election and we, therefore, appeal to the government, Electoral Commission, security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that the Atiwa election is conducted in a violent-free atmosphere.
Fortunately, the Eastern Regional Security Council has held an emergency meeting to discuss security arrangements during the election, and, according to the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Ampofo, a number of security personnel will be detached to all the 113 polling stations in the Atiwa Constituency, pointing out that “with the maximum security presence, the violent and lawless attitudes of any group of individuals will not be countenanced”.
Furthermore, he assured the electorate that the security would do everything possible to create a congenial atmosphere for them to exercise their franchise, since “our security personnel will live up to expectation”.
These are very reassuring words and the DAILY GRAPHIC expects that nothing will be done by any of the contesting parties to torpedo the mandate of the Electoral Commission in ensuring a free, fair and transparent election.
When the nation came out successfully from a nail-biter of an election in 2008, the whole world saluted us for our fortitude.
Indeed, some observers even said that the simple fact that the country’s institutions, especially its Electoral Commission, were able to cope with such a tense, tight race and ensure both sides respected the results, was proof of the deep roots democracy had in Ghana.
That has been a point of pride for many Ghanaians aware of their country’s history as the first sub-Saharan colony to achieve independence and one of the first to adopt democratic politics.
Yet, there were other analysts who were not sure whether Ghana could rise again after coming so close to that abyss of no return.
So the point really is: Shall we allow the bitter wrangling between the two main parties to cast a slur on our democratic credentials?
No, we dare not!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
GIVE CSSPS HUMAN FACE (AUGUST 28, 2010)
Headache time is here again for parents seeking admission for their children to various senior high schools (SHS) across the country.
It was anticipated that the introduction of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) would end this phase of antagonism between parents and headmasters and headmistresses at the beginning of every academic year.
Hitherto, headmasters used to gather at regional centres to select candidates for admission to SHS.
This centralised system at the regional level was introduced as a way of ensuring openness in the system and yet there were loopholes that some school heads exploited to the dissatisfaction of parents.
To many parents, the heads become unapproachable during the period of admission, hence their sigh of relief when the selection process was computerised.
The CSSPS has, however, not reduced completely the pain that parents and even headmasters have to go through during this time of the year.
Sometimes all the parties forget that human beings provide the input for the computerisation exercise and, since, as it is said, “garbage in, garbage out” is one of the characteristics of the computerisation process, whatever is fed into the computer is reproduced for the schools.
Admittedly, the CSSPS was introduced for good reasons and meant to remove any manipulation by education administrators.
We think that as any human endeavour we have a long way to go to reach a stage where, at least, majority of parents will be satisfied with the selection process.
Ideally parents will have expected that their children who performed creditably will receive admission letters just as was the case in the past without having to go through the hassle of accessing the Internet for their slips and waiting anxiously for the CSSPS.
Even after the CSSPS, many students will not know their fate after schools have reopened and if they are lucky they are either admitted to their first choice schools or other places where vacancies are declared by such schools.
The major challenge, however, may not be with the CSSPS but what to do with the about 51 per cent of the candidates who wrote the 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to the Ghana Education Service (GES), about 49 per cent of the total of 350,888 candidates who wrote the 2010 BECE qualified for placement into SHS and technical institutes (TIs).
According to the criteria used by the CSSPS, 178,529 failed to qualify for placement into SHS and TIs.
As a nation, we have to be worried that more than 50 per cent of our children are not going to attain secondary education because it is an open secret that anyone whose level of education is junior high school (that is, BECE) would find it difficult coping with today’s ever-changing information world.
We are wondering whether to such young people the 2010 BECE marked the end of their academic pursuits or there are any avenues open to them to pursue skills training to improve themselves and contribute to nation building?
The Daily Graphic is of the view that something must be done to open up the opportunities in our educational system to ensure that there is a reduction in the drop-out rate.
We concede that the government is already spending a chunk of its budget on education but if we all accept that education or investment in people holds the key to prosperity of any nation, then no price is too heavy to pay to ensure that majority of our youth get opportunities to improve themselves by attaining at least secondary education, which is ideal for them to decide the career they would like to pursue.
This year may be lost but the Daily Graphic calls on the government to put in place the necessary structures to avoid a repetition of the calamity that has befallen this group of basic school leavers.
We are encouraged, however, by the decision of the government to channel a major portion of GETFund into the development of infrastructure in basic and senior high schools.
This move, we pray, should help to open more opportunities for investment in our people, particularly the youth, on whom the country’s future survival depends.
It was anticipated that the introduction of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) would end this phase of antagonism between parents and headmasters and headmistresses at the beginning of every academic year.
Hitherto, headmasters used to gather at regional centres to select candidates for admission to SHS.
This centralised system at the regional level was introduced as a way of ensuring openness in the system and yet there were loopholes that some school heads exploited to the dissatisfaction of parents.
To many parents, the heads become unapproachable during the period of admission, hence their sigh of relief when the selection process was computerised.
The CSSPS has, however, not reduced completely the pain that parents and even headmasters have to go through during this time of the year.
Sometimes all the parties forget that human beings provide the input for the computerisation exercise and, since, as it is said, “garbage in, garbage out” is one of the characteristics of the computerisation process, whatever is fed into the computer is reproduced for the schools.
Admittedly, the CSSPS was introduced for good reasons and meant to remove any manipulation by education administrators.
We think that as any human endeavour we have a long way to go to reach a stage where, at least, majority of parents will be satisfied with the selection process.
Ideally parents will have expected that their children who performed creditably will receive admission letters just as was the case in the past without having to go through the hassle of accessing the Internet for their slips and waiting anxiously for the CSSPS.
Even after the CSSPS, many students will not know their fate after schools have reopened and if they are lucky they are either admitted to their first choice schools or other places where vacancies are declared by such schools.
The major challenge, however, may not be with the CSSPS but what to do with the about 51 per cent of the candidates who wrote the 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to the Ghana Education Service (GES), about 49 per cent of the total of 350,888 candidates who wrote the 2010 BECE qualified for placement into SHS and technical institutes (TIs).
According to the criteria used by the CSSPS, 178,529 failed to qualify for placement into SHS and TIs.
As a nation, we have to be worried that more than 50 per cent of our children are not going to attain secondary education because it is an open secret that anyone whose level of education is junior high school (that is, BECE) would find it difficult coping with today’s ever-changing information world.
We are wondering whether to such young people the 2010 BECE marked the end of their academic pursuits or there are any avenues open to them to pursue skills training to improve themselves and contribute to nation building?
The Daily Graphic is of the view that something must be done to open up the opportunities in our educational system to ensure that there is a reduction in the drop-out rate.
We concede that the government is already spending a chunk of its budget on education but if we all accept that education or investment in people holds the key to prosperity of any nation, then no price is too heavy to pay to ensure that majority of our youth get opportunities to improve themselves by attaining at least secondary education, which is ideal for them to decide the career they would like to pursue.
This year may be lost but the Daily Graphic calls on the government to put in place the necessary structures to avoid a repetition of the calamity that has befallen this group of basic school leavers.
We are encouraged, however, by the decision of the government to channel a major portion of GETFund into the development of infrastructure in basic and senior high schools.
This move, we pray, should help to open more opportunities for investment in our people, particularly the youth, on whom the country’s future survival depends.
HEED THIS CALL (AUGUST 27, 2010)
THE Wa Regional Hospital has sent a save our souls (SOS) message for urgent measures to be taken to avert a catastrophe in healthcare delivery in the Upper West Region following the departure of five Cuban doctors who have been complementing the efforts of the only two Ghanaian doctors at post.
The tenure of the five Cuban doctors with the Ghana Health Service is expected to expire at the end of this month and this call must be heeded and given an urgent attention in view of the fact that the hospital is supposed to operate with 25 doctors.
The scenario given means that the hospital is seriously understaffed in terms of the doctor-patient ratio. Also of grave concern is the inadequate number of nurses at the same hospital and the fact that all the nurses are ageing. There is, therefore, the need to attract and retain younger ones.
That seems to be one of the major challenges facing our health service, which demand that some innovations are put in place to confront the problem head-on.
It is for this reason that the DAILY GRAPHIC has always lauded the sacrifices that doctors of the Cuban Brigade have made to provide health care services to our people even in areas where Ghanaian doctors would not want to go.
The Upper West Regional Director of Health, Dr Alexis Nang Beifubah, described the situation as “getting out of hand” and pleaded with the authorities to treat it as a matter of urgency when he briefed the Regional Minister, Alhaji Issahaku Salia, and his deputy, Mr Caesar Kale, during a visit to the hospital.
Health, it is said, is wealth and a healthy mind in a healthy body is what is required for every national development effort. It is for this reason that over the years, governments the world over have continued to spend huge sums of money and resources to improve the health status of their people.
It is thus the responsibility of the government to ensure the provision of basic health facilities. At a certain stage in our history, particularly in the 1980s, the concept of primary health care was introduced as a UN initiative and adopted by Ghana so that health facilities could be provided within a certain radius.
The idea behind the initiative was to reduce the hustle and bustle and travels over long distances in seeking healthcare. Several years on and after 53 years of independence, we should not be having challenges in our healthcare system, all things being equal.
Our peculiar situation of inadequate number of health professionals has been aggravated by the exodus of health professionals, especially doctors and nurses, seeking greener pastures abroad.
Whatever the challenges have been, successive governments have done their best to contain the situation by training more health professionals and motivating them to stay and contribute their quota to the country's development.
The additional duty allowance, for instance, was an intervention by the government to motivate health professionals and make them more committed to their work, as well as the Hippocratic Oath, to always endeavour to save lives.
It is our hope that the single spine salary scheme will further improve the conditions of service of all public sector workers, including those in the health sector.
We, therefore, make a humble plea on behalf of our compatriots in the Upper West Region for their call to be heeded.
The tenure of the five Cuban doctors with the Ghana Health Service is expected to expire at the end of this month and this call must be heeded and given an urgent attention in view of the fact that the hospital is supposed to operate with 25 doctors.
The scenario given means that the hospital is seriously understaffed in terms of the doctor-patient ratio. Also of grave concern is the inadequate number of nurses at the same hospital and the fact that all the nurses are ageing. There is, therefore, the need to attract and retain younger ones.
That seems to be one of the major challenges facing our health service, which demand that some innovations are put in place to confront the problem head-on.
It is for this reason that the DAILY GRAPHIC has always lauded the sacrifices that doctors of the Cuban Brigade have made to provide health care services to our people even in areas where Ghanaian doctors would not want to go.
The Upper West Regional Director of Health, Dr Alexis Nang Beifubah, described the situation as “getting out of hand” and pleaded with the authorities to treat it as a matter of urgency when he briefed the Regional Minister, Alhaji Issahaku Salia, and his deputy, Mr Caesar Kale, during a visit to the hospital.
Health, it is said, is wealth and a healthy mind in a healthy body is what is required for every national development effort. It is for this reason that over the years, governments the world over have continued to spend huge sums of money and resources to improve the health status of their people.
It is thus the responsibility of the government to ensure the provision of basic health facilities. At a certain stage in our history, particularly in the 1980s, the concept of primary health care was introduced as a UN initiative and adopted by Ghana so that health facilities could be provided within a certain radius.
The idea behind the initiative was to reduce the hustle and bustle and travels over long distances in seeking healthcare. Several years on and after 53 years of independence, we should not be having challenges in our healthcare system, all things being equal.
Our peculiar situation of inadequate number of health professionals has been aggravated by the exodus of health professionals, especially doctors and nurses, seeking greener pastures abroad.
Whatever the challenges have been, successive governments have done their best to contain the situation by training more health professionals and motivating them to stay and contribute their quota to the country's development.
The additional duty allowance, for instance, was an intervention by the government to motivate health professionals and make them more committed to their work, as well as the Hippocratic Oath, to always endeavour to save lives.
It is our hope that the single spine salary scheme will further improve the conditions of service of all public sector workers, including those in the health sector.
We, therefore, make a humble plea on behalf of our compatriots in the Upper West Region for their call to be heeded.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
USE HOMOWO TO FOSTER PEACE (AUGUST 26, 2010)
THE chiefs and people of Ga-Dangme have been ushered into their annual festival, Homowo, which marks the celebration of their fortitude against hunger and external aggression centuries ago.
Homowo, which literally means hooting at hunger, is, therefore, a unique occasion that brings together Ga-Dangmes across the country and their kinsmen beyond the shores of Ghana, stretching as far as Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Congo.
The customs and traditions displayed during the festival, as well as the special festive food, 'kpokpoi', prepared on the occasion, have provided some basis for linking the history of the Gas to the biblical exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
Indeed, over the years, Homowo has become one of the most enduring and famous festivals celebrated in the country and attracts thousands of non-Gas to witness and partake in it.
It is, however, sad that for the past few decades, the annual celebration of Homowo has been largely characterised by rivalry and conflict among rival claimants to chieftaincy titles.
This has resulted from the numerous chieftaincy disputes that have plagued Gas, thereby tainting the sanctity, significance, beauty and aura of unity that the festival evokes.
In some instances, the chieftaincy disputes have resulted in bloody clashes between various factions during the celebration of Homowo and the animosity has often been harboured throughout the rest of the year.
There is no doubt that these chieftaincy disputes have had a huge negative impact on the development of the Ga State and, to some extent, the progress of the people. The chieftaincy institution in the Ga State has also lost a great deal of its respect and dignity in the eyes of the local and the international community.
It is to restore the respect and dignity of the Ga State that the DAILY GRAPHIC calls on the chiefs and people to use this year's celebration of Homowo to reflect soberly on the cost of these conflicts, bury their differences and endeavour to resolve all chieftaincy disputes.
We believe that the chieftaincy disputes in the Ga State are not intractable and that it is possible for the people, as one big family, to sit down at a common table, as enjoined by Homowo, to iron out their differences.
Homowo is an occasion to foster peace, unity and tranquillity, while invoking divine blessings and prosperity on the land and the people in the years ahead.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, wishes to take this opportunity to admonish the chiefs and people of the Ga State to give true meaning to the significance of Homowo by smoking the peace pipe and giving peace a chance.
The elders of the Ga State, particularly those who have taken entrenched positions and/or continually stoke the fire, must bear in mind that the collective interest of the people in respect of development is paramount over their individual parochial interests.
Again, they must also reckon that as elders of the state, they owe a great deal of responsibility to the children of today and posterity for which singular reason they must bury their differences.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks the people of the Ga State and, indeed, all Ghanaians, have had enough of the chieftaincy disputes, and strongly believes that the celebration of Homowo should be the rallying point for them to surrender to peace.
Homowo, which literally means hooting at hunger, is, therefore, a unique occasion that brings together Ga-Dangmes across the country and their kinsmen beyond the shores of Ghana, stretching as far as Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Congo.
The customs and traditions displayed during the festival, as well as the special festive food, 'kpokpoi', prepared on the occasion, have provided some basis for linking the history of the Gas to the biblical exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
Indeed, over the years, Homowo has become one of the most enduring and famous festivals celebrated in the country and attracts thousands of non-Gas to witness and partake in it.
It is, however, sad that for the past few decades, the annual celebration of Homowo has been largely characterised by rivalry and conflict among rival claimants to chieftaincy titles.
This has resulted from the numerous chieftaincy disputes that have plagued Gas, thereby tainting the sanctity, significance, beauty and aura of unity that the festival evokes.
In some instances, the chieftaincy disputes have resulted in bloody clashes between various factions during the celebration of Homowo and the animosity has often been harboured throughout the rest of the year.
There is no doubt that these chieftaincy disputes have had a huge negative impact on the development of the Ga State and, to some extent, the progress of the people. The chieftaincy institution in the Ga State has also lost a great deal of its respect and dignity in the eyes of the local and the international community.
It is to restore the respect and dignity of the Ga State that the DAILY GRAPHIC calls on the chiefs and people to use this year's celebration of Homowo to reflect soberly on the cost of these conflicts, bury their differences and endeavour to resolve all chieftaincy disputes.
We believe that the chieftaincy disputes in the Ga State are not intractable and that it is possible for the people, as one big family, to sit down at a common table, as enjoined by Homowo, to iron out their differences.
Homowo is an occasion to foster peace, unity and tranquillity, while invoking divine blessings and prosperity on the land and the people in the years ahead.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, wishes to take this opportunity to admonish the chiefs and people of the Ga State to give true meaning to the significance of Homowo by smoking the peace pipe and giving peace a chance.
The elders of the Ga State, particularly those who have taken entrenched positions and/or continually stoke the fire, must bear in mind that the collective interest of the people in respect of development is paramount over their individual parochial interests.
Again, they must also reckon that as elders of the state, they owe a great deal of responsibility to the children of today and posterity for which singular reason they must bury their differences.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks the people of the Ga State and, indeed, all Ghanaians, have had enough of the chieftaincy disputes, and strongly believes that the celebration of Homowo should be the rallying point for them to surrender to peace.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
MANAGING OUR OIL REVENUE (AUGUST 25, 2010)
OVER the years, Ghana has made some strides in the practice of democracy, sporting activities and other areas of human endeavour thus making her a showpiece and worthy of emulation by other countries on the continent.
However, Ghana’s emerging oil industry serves as a test case for her achievements — a test she must pass if the industry is properly harnessed and managed.
Already, there are very high expectations that the moment the first “black gold” is poured out from the ground, many of the numerous problems confronting the nation will be a thing of the past.
But this feat cannot be achieved in isolation and calls for all hands on deck. It is about time all the stakeholders in the oil industry began to make available to the entire population relevant information about what exactly to expect from the oil find.
Compared to other oil-producing countries in the world, Ghana’s resource base does not appear to be big but if properly managed, it can go a long way to address some of the challenges that confront the country.
First of all, the government must take steps to manage the high expectations of the people otherwise these expectations, if not properly managed, will lead to frustration among the large army of the unemployed youth.
It is, thus, refreshing that a Ghana Petroleum Account and a Ghana Petroleum Fund are to be set up by the government to respectively serve as a single destination collection account for all petroleum revenues due and collected on behalf of the state and also to smoothen government spending and preserve part of the value of the oil capital while living on the interest.
The proposals, according to the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, when he spoke at the Graphic Business Roundtable in Accra yesterday is captured under the draft Oil Revenue Management Bill and will make it easier to monitor the inflows and outflows of petroleum revenues and ensure transparency and accountability of oil resources.
Quite apart from that, there is also another issue of security in the communities where the oil reserve is located. We know that the government has already procured two vessels for the Ghana Navy to assist them patrol the high seas, including the area where the oil has been found, to make sure that saboteurs do not take over the oil industry and ruin it.
This calls for capacity building of our people in the area of skills training to enable them not only to be gainfully employed but to see the whole oil industry as a very crucial national asset.
The DAILY GRAPHIC considers this pertinent in view of the useful lessons that we can draw from our next door neighbour, Nigeria, where residents from the Niger Delta have persistently taken over some of that country’s oil resources amidst violence.
It is also important to learn relevant lessons from the oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico where the activities of oil companies have caused extensive damage to the environment. It will also be worthwhile to adopt the polluter pays policy in managing the environment so that those who cause damage to our marine resources are made to pay for it.
Our oil resource should be used for the benefit of the people in such areas as healthcare delivery, education, and agricultural activities so that Ghana can derive the maximum benefit from the oil find.
The DAILY GRAPHIC advises that there should be no limited disclosure when it comes to the oil revenue and that all facts and data should be made available to the people so that they can hold the leaders accountable for the use of the oil revenue.
Surely, Ghanaians do not expect the oil to be a curse but rather a huge benefit to our people.
However, Ghana’s emerging oil industry serves as a test case for her achievements — a test she must pass if the industry is properly harnessed and managed.
Already, there are very high expectations that the moment the first “black gold” is poured out from the ground, many of the numerous problems confronting the nation will be a thing of the past.
But this feat cannot be achieved in isolation and calls for all hands on deck. It is about time all the stakeholders in the oil industry began to make available to the entire population relevant information about what exactly to expect from the oil find.
Compared to other oil-producing countries in the world, Ghana’s resource base does not appear to be big but if properly managed, it can go a long way to address some of the challenges that confront the country.
First of all, the government must take steps to manage the high expectations of the people otherwise these expectations, if not properly managed, will lead to frustration among the large army of the unemployed youth.
It is, thus, refreshing that a Ghana Petroleum Account and a Ghana Petroleum Fund are to be set up by the government to respectively serve as a single destination collection account for all petroleum revenues due and collected on behalf of the state and also to smoothen government spending and preserve part of the value of the oil capital while living on the interest.
The proposals, according to the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, when he spoke at the Graphic Business Roundtable in Accra yesterday is captured under the draft Oil Revenue Management Bill and will make it easier to monitor the inflows and outflows of petroleum revenues and ensure transparency and accountability of oil resources.
Quite apart from that, there is also another issue of security in the communities where the oil reserve is located. We know that the government has already procured two vessels for the Ghana Navy to assist them patrol the high seas, including the area where the oil has been found, to make sure that saboteurs do not take over the oil industry and ruin it.
This calls for capacity building of our people in the area of skills training to enable them not only to be gainfully employed but to see the whole oil industry as a very crucial national asset.
The DAILY GRAPHIC considers this pertinent in view of the useful lessons that we can draw from our next door neighbour, Nigeria, where residents from the Niger Delta have persistently taken over some of that country’s oil resources amidst violence.
It is also important to learn relevant lessons from the oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico where the activities of oil companies have caused extensive damage to the environment. It will also be worthwhile to adopt the polluter pays policy in managing the environment so that those who cause damage to our marine resources are made to pay for it.
Our oil resource should be used for the benefit of the people in such areas as healthcare delivery, education, and agricultural activities so that Ghana can derive the maximum benefit from the oil find.
The DAILY GRAPHIC advises that there should be no limited disclosure when it comes to the oil revenue and that all facts and data should be made available to the people so that they can hold the leaders accountable for the use of the oil revenue.
Surely, Ghanaians do not expect the oil to be a curse but rather a huge benefit to our people.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
REGULATING ARMS TRADE (AUGUST 24, 2010)
PEACE is an essential building block for the development of every country, hence its absence retards overall national development.
The lack of peace is a stimulus for anti-social activities such as armed robbery, drug abuse and trafficking, thus fuelling armed violence that affects the society.
In the not-too-distant past, armed violence had a serious charge in the sub-region, where many lives were lost and large amounts of resources spent in restoring order.
However, while attempts are being made to restore order to many of the ravaged communities in the sub-region, one nagging issue that needs solution is the proliferation of small arms and trafficking of light weapons across borders in Africa, which continues to pose a serious threat to the security and peace of the continent.
What makes the problem alarming is the unregulated use of arms by people. The fact is that various governments in West Africa lack data on arms production and use, including which weapons are in circulation at any given period.
It is laudable that there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel with the news that the importation of weapons by member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) now needs the approval of the ECOWAS Commission.
The move, it is said, is to ensure transparency and also ensure that each state is aware of the arms brought into the sub-region and the purpose for which they were procured. This initiative must be all-embracing if the sub-region is to see peace for its development to better the lot of the people.
There has always been suspicion that people carry all manner of weapons, especially to conflict areas in the sub-region, and this ultimately affects the free movement of people and defeats the ECOWAS protocol on the free movement of people.
Producers of arms in the European Union ( EU) have agreed that due to the numerous conflicts and the proliferation of small arms in the West African sub-region, no arms should be imported without a “Certificate of Exemption” from the ECOWAS Commission.
Besides these supporting initiatives, the DAILY GRAPHIC suggests that member states of the sub-region should take concrete steps to take stock of the small arms, which are currently in the system and make sure that the users register them.
This will let the various governments know, at firsthand, which weapons are in the system and for which reasons they are being held and thus allay the fears of the people.
The DAILY GRAPHIC also believes that because of the dangers that small arms pose to the society, it is about time the production of small arms in the country was regularised and a data base established on the activities of importers of arms.
We, therefore, support the call made at the Third Regional Civil Society Forum on Peace and Security in West Africa held in Accra yesterday by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Martin Amidu, for closer collaboration among African leaders to implement far-reaching border management strategies to combat and eradicate the illicit arms trade.
It is our hope that the participants who are from the sub-region will go home to their various countries well equipped with workable strategies to confront the menace.
The lack of peace is a stimulus for anti-social activities such as armed robbery, drug abuse and trafficking, thus fuelling armed violence that affects the society.
In the not-too-distant past, armed violence had a serious charge in the sub-region, where many lives were lost and large amounts of resources spent in restoring order.
However, while attempts are being made to restore order to many of the ravaged communities in the sub-region, one nagging issue that needs solution is the proliferation of small arms and trafficking of light weapons across borders in Africa, which continues to pose a serious threat to the security and peace of the continent.
What makes the problem alarming is the unregulated use of arms by people. The fact is that various governments in West Africa lack data on arms production and use, including which weapons are in circulation at any given period.
It is laudable that there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel with the news that the importation of weapons by member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) now needs the approval of the ECOWAS Commission.
The move, it is said, is to ensure transparency and also ensure that each state is aware of the arms brought into the sub-region and the purpose for which they were procured. This initiative must be all-embracing if the sub-region is to see peace for its development to better the lot of the people.
There has always been suspicion that people carry all manner of weapons, especially to conflict areas in the sub-region, and this ultimately affects the free movement of people and defeats the ECOWAS protocol on the free movement of people.
Producers of arms in the European Union ( EU) have agreed that due to the numerous conflicts and the proliferation of small arms in the West African sub-region, no arms should be imported without a “Certificate of Exemption” from the ECOWAS Commission.
Besides these supporting initiatives, the DAILY GRAPHIC suggests that member states of the sub-region should take concrete steps to take stock of the small arms, which are currently in the system and make sure that the users register them.
This will let the various governments know, at firsthand, which weapons are in the system and for which reasons they are being held and thus allay the fears of the people.
The DAILY GRAPHIC also believes that because of the dangers that small arms pose to the society, it is about time the production of small arms in the country was regularised and a data base established on the activities of importers of arms.
We, therefore, support the call made at the Third Regional Civil Society Forum on Peace and Security in West Africa held in Accra yesterday by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Martin Amidu, for closer collaboration among African leaders to implement far-reaching border management strategies to combat and eradicate the illicit arms trade.
It is our hope that the participants who are from the sub-region will go home to their various countries well equipped with workable strategies to confront the menace.
Monday, August 23, 2010
AWAY WITH CHARLATANS (AUGUST 23, 2010)
THERE appears to be a consensus on the critical role of the media in any democratic process. True democracy, it is generally agreed, cannot endure where the people are denied the right to participate in the decision-making process.
It is also argued that if democracy is a government by the people, then the electorate or, at least, majority of them, must dictate the way they want to be governed.
Democratic governance is also said to be about choices or alternatives, hence the need for the free flow of information to all segments of society so that they can make informed choices.
Indeed, it is against this background that freedom of speech is guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution, thereby preventing a restriction on free flow of information and a criminalisation of free speech.
Since 1992, successive governments have taken steps to expand the frontiers of free speech by initiating some pieces of legislation. It is heart-warming that despite the challenges, Ghana has become a beacon for the rest of the continent, having being ranked the best on the continent by Reporters Without Frontiers.
However, certain negative practices by media practitioners tend to derail the gains chalked up by the media on the continent.
The DAILY GRAPHIC daresays that the threat to media freedom may be from some media practitioners who breach the ethical standards with impunity forgetting that the independence and freedom guaranteed by the constitution is not absolute.
It is important to remind ourselves that the same constitution says explicitly that the freedoms it guarantees are subject to the laws that are reasonably required in the interest of national security, public order, public morality and for the purpose of protecting the reputations, rights and freedoms of other persons.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, urges all practitioners to exercise the freedom guaranteed by the constitution with responsibility so that they can have the moral courage to question or hold public office holders accountable for their actions.
It is for this reason that we salute the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for choosing the theme: “Unethical Journalism and Corruption in the Media: A Danger to Democracy” for its 15th Awards Night to offer the platform to interrogate the threats to media freedom.
In recent times, a section of the public has expressed outrage about the seeming media tyranny, where journalists run down personalities, including our President, without just cause.
It is difficult to assign reasons for the blatant disregard for the norms of responsible journalism except to conjecture that such characters can only be motivated by gutter journalism or pay cheque journalism.
These are the characters that the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, spoke about at the awards night on Saturday when he charged the GJA “to purge its ranks of charlatans and non-professionals”.
Mr Mahama said although the association had the responsibility to regulate the media, that had not been possible as in other professions because its ethics was not legally binding on members.
That, he stressed, had resulted in the witnessing of mercenary journalism while others were paid to run down other people for parochial gains.
The DAILY GRAPHIC agrees totally that these are very serious concerns and the ball is clearly in the court of all true professionals in the media to muster courage and nip the canker in the bud if journalists must regain their respectability.
The third President of the United States, Mr Thomas Jefferson, once said: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter”.
Need we add anything more?
It is also argued that if democracy is a government by the people, then the electorate or, at least, majority of them, must dictate the way they want to be governed.
Democratic governance is also said to be about choices or alternatives, hence the need for the free flow of information to all segments of society so that they can make informed choices.
Indeed, it is against this background that freedom of speech is guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution, thereby preventing a restriction on free flow of information and a criminalisation of free speech.
Since 1992, successive governments have taken steps to expand the frontiers of free speech by initiating some pieces of legislation. It is heart-warming that despite the challenges, Ghana has become a beacon for the rest of the continent, having being ranked the best on the continent by Reporters Without Frontiers.
However, certain negative practices by media practitioners tend to derail the gains chalked up by the media on the continent.
The DAILY GRAPHIC daresays that the threat to media freedom may be from some media practitioners who breach the ethical standards with impunity forgetting that the independence and freedom guaranteed by the constitution is not absolute.
It is important to remind ourselves that the same constitution says explicitly that the freedoms it guarantees are subject to the laws that are reasonably required in the interest of national security, public order, public morality and for the purpose of protecting the reputations, rights and freedoms of other persons.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, urges all practitioners to exercise the freedom guaranteed by the constitution with responsibility so that they can have the moral courage to question or hold public office holders accountable for their actions.
It is for this reason that we salute the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for choosing the theme: “Unethical Journalism and Corruption in the Media: A Danger to Democracy” for its 15th Awards Night to offer the platform to interrogate the threats to media freedom.
In recent times, a section of the public has expressed outrage about the seeming media tyranny, where journalists run down personalities, including our President, without just cause.
It is difficult to assign reasons for the blatant disregard for the norms of responsible journalism except to conjecture that such characters can only be motivated by gutter journalism or pay cheque journalism.
These are the characters that the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, spoke about at the awards night on Saturday when he charged the GJA “to purge its ranks of charlatans and non-professionals”.
Mr Mahama said although the association had the responsibility to regulate the media, that had not been possible as in other professions because its ethics was not legally binding on members.
That, he stressed, had resulted in the witnessing of mercenary journalism while others were paid to run down other people for parochial gains.
The DAILY GRAPHIC agrees totally that these are very serious concerns and the ball is clearly in the court of all true professionals in the media to muster courage and nip the canker in the bud if journalists must regain their respectability.
The third President of the United States, Mr Thomas Jefferson, once said: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter”.
Need we add anything more?
Sunday, August 22, 2010
AVOID BAGRE DAM DISASTER (AUGUST 21, 2010)
IT is here again. The annual ritual of spillage of the Bagre Dam was finally carried out by our brothers in Burkina Faso yesterday.
Some 24 hours later — that is by today or early tomorrow — the spillage of the dam would lead to the spillover of the White Volta Basin and its tributaries, which could cause flooding of communities that are located in the catchment areas of these rivers.
The communities that are likely to be affected are in the West Mamprusi, Central Gonja, Tolon/Kumbungu and Saboba districts in the Northern Region and the Bawku West and Builsa districts in the Upper East Region.
We recall that when a similar exercise was undertaken barely three years ago, it led to major floods that devastated the Upper East Region and some parts of the Northern Region.
The destruction and human misery was shocking. Indeed, so devastating was the situation that the government declared all three northern regions disaster zones.
Figures released by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ministry of the Interior at the time indicated that 227,812 people in the Northern Region, 37,429 in the Upper East Region, 7,811 and 473 in the Upper West Region were all severely hit.
It is, therefore, heart-warming that the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, upon receiving the notice from the electricity company SONABEL through the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, subsequently warned communities along the White Volta Basin in the region to relocate to higher ground to avoid any eventuality.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is also enthused that NADMO has positioned itself strategically to protect the people in the face of any disaster.
Given the wise saying that “prevention is better than cure”, we would like to add our voice to the call on inhabitants in the White Volta Basin to take a cue from the disaster caused by the previous spillage and adhere to all the early warning signals by moving from the area for their own sake. This way things will not get out of hand for the people to call for emergency attention.
By all means, let us avoid the massive loss of lives, livestock and farm produce, untold hardship and the extensive damage to property and infrastructure which were encountered in the wake of the 2007 spillage.
But shall we, as a people and a nation, live with this annual ritual perpetually? Must we be on the receiving end anytime the Burkinabes open the floodgates of their dam?
To the Upper East Regional Minister, the answer is a BIG NO. He has, therefore, observed that the solution to the annual ritual of spillage from the Burkinabe dam is to construct a dam to harvest the spillage for conservation, which could be used as a source of hydropower and irrigation in his region.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the government to critically examine the submission made by the minister with the view to bringing this annual ritual to an end.
Our 'fire service' approach to solving the problem does not seem to be working, as we continue to suffer destruction to properties and loss of lives.
Much as residents living downstream are advised to evacuate before the approach of the flood waters to avoid imminent dangers, destruction to lives and properties still occur. What is also disastrous is the damage to farmlands, which threatens food security in the country.
We, therefore, call for a multi-sectoral approach to solving the flooding problem once and for all.
Some 24 hours later — that is by today or early tomorrow — the spillage of the dam would lead to the spillover of the White Volta Basin and its tributaries, which could cause flooding of communities that are located in the catchment areas of these rivers.
The communities that are likely to be affected are in the West Mamprusi, Central Gonja, Tolon/Kumbungu and Saboba districts in the Northern Region and the Bawku West and Builsa districts in the Upper East Region.
We recall that when a similar exercise was undertaken barely three years ago, it led to major floods that devastated the Upper East Region and some parts of the Northern Region.
The destruction and human misery was shocking. Indeed, so devastating was the situation that the government declared all three northern regions disaster zones.
Figures released by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ministry of the Interior at the time indicated that 227,812 people in the Northern Region, 37,429 in the Upper East Region, 7,811 and 473 in the Upper West Region were all severely hit.
It is, therefore, heart-warming that the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, upon receiving the notice from the electricity company SONABEL through the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, subsequently warned communities along the White Volta Basin in the region to relocate to higher ground to avoid any eventuality.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is also enthused that NADMO has positioned itself strategically to protect the people in the face of any disaster.
Given the wise saying that “prevention is better than cure”, we would like to add our voice to the call on inhabitants in the White Volta Basin to take a cue from the disaster caused by the previous spillage and adhere to all the early warning signals by moving from the area for their own sake. This way things will not get out of hand for the people to call for emergency attention.
By all means, let us avoid the massive loss of lives, livestock and farm produce, untold hardship and the extensive damage to property and infrastructure which were encountered in the wake of the 2007 spillage.
But shall we, as a people and a nation, live with this annual ritual perpetually? Must we be on the receiving end anytime the Burkinabes open the floodgates of their dam?
To the Upper East Regional Minister, the answer is a BIG NO. He has, therefore, observed that the solution to the annual ritual of spillage from the Burkinabe dam is to construct a dam to harvest the spillage for conservation, which could be used as a source of hydropower and irrigation in his region.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the government to critically examine the submission made by the minister with the view to bringing this annual ritual to an end.
Our 'fire service' approach to solving the problem does not seem to be working, as we continue to suffer destruction to properties and loss of lives.
Much as residents living downstream are advised to evacuate before the approach of the flood waters to avoid imminent dangers, destruction to lives and properties still occur. What is also disastrous is the damage to farmlands, which threatens food security in the country.
We, therefore, call for a multi-sectoral approach to solving the flooding problem once and for all.
Friday, August 20, 2010
ADA DESERVES BETTER (AUGUST 20, 2010)
THE havoc caused by sea erosion in Ada is assuming an alarming proportion, as the sea waves continuously ravage human settlements, causing indigenes to be scattered and left with a few options.
In Ada, the mention of a sea defence project may not generate good response. This is because the people have been left without any clues as to what has hampered a project that for years has only existed in name.
For more than a decade, the promise of building the ‘Ada Sea Defence Wall’ has never materialised. Certainly, the people of Ada have cause to complain.
Today, the DAILY GRAPHIC uses its centre spread to throw some spotlight on a coastal village in Azizanya near Ada Foah in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region.
Azizanya has virtually been “eaten up” by the consuming sea waves which appear unstoppable without a fortress in the form of a sea wall.
Azizanya is located on the edge of a land which is along the Ada Peninsula and is one of 25 coastal settlements in Ghana that some experts believe will be swallowed by the ocean within decades.
Indeed, by the day, Azizanya is becoming a ghost town.
Governments over the years had expressed a strong commitment to building the sea defence wall. However, that commitment has not been given any practical expression.
The issue of high tidal waves along Ghana’s coastal area is troubling. Many coastal communities in the country have been submerged by high tidal waves and one study predicts that even the seat of government, the Osu Castle, may not be spared by the rising sea levels in the not too distant future.
According to the study by the Oceanography and Fisheries Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, the current rate of climate change has made coastal erosion a pressing issue that must be effectively addressed.
Indeed, global warming is generally acknowledged in Ghana as a threat that must be addressed to save the environment. Yet, there are many questions about the efforts to bring practical meaning to that commitment, especially when human activities that fester its intensity are being carelessly held onto.
While the contribution of global warming to rising sea levels and also sea erosion has been well-documented, one cannot discount activities such as sand-winning that tend to make coastal areas more vulnerable to rampaging sea waves.
At Ada, the threat of sand-winning has not been effectively dealt with over the years and that, no doubt, accounts for some of the woes of settlers along coastal communities in the area.
The issue of sand-winning has been a thorny one for decades as efforts to address the situation have been very difficult. Private individuals working in the construction industry have found sand-winning along the coast a profitable venture.
It is sad that a country that has consistently emphasised the need to check the activities of those who degrade the environment and even gone further to institute measures to address that threat is finding it difficult to control those activities.
It appears beyond expressing commitments, institutions tasked to address such issues have failed to discharge their duties as expected.
While urging such institutions to be up and doing, the DAILY GRAPHIC also believes that the responsibility of checking such activities must be actively taken up by every Ghanaian.
In Ada, the mention of a sea defence project may not generate good response. This is because the people have been left without any clues as to what has hampered a project that for years has only existed in name.
For more than a decade, the promise of building the ‘Ada Sea Defence Wall’ has never materialised. Certainly, the people of Ada have cause to complain.
Today, the DAILY GRAPHIC uses its centre spread to throw some spotlight on a coastal village in Azizanya near Ada Foah in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region.
Azizanya has virtually been “eaten up” by the consuming sea waves which appear unstoppable without a fortress in the form of a sea wall.
Azizanya is located on the edge of a land which is along the Ada Peninsula and is one of 25 coastal settlements in Ghana that some experts believe will be swallowed by the ocean within decades.
Indeed, by the day, Azizanya is becoming a ghost town.
Governments over the years had expressed a strong commitment to building the sea defence wall. However, that commitment has not been given any practical expression.
The issue of high tidal waves along Ghana’s coastal area is troubling. Many coastal communities in the country have been submerged by high tidal waves and one study predicts that even the seat of government, the Osu Castle, may not be spared by the rising sea levels in the not too distant future.
According to the study by the Oceanography and Fisheries Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, the current rate of climate change has made coastal erosion a pressing issue that must be effectively addressed.
Indeed, global warming is generally acknowledged in Ghana as a threat that must be addressed to save the environment. Yet, there are many questions about the efforts to bring practical meaning to that commitment, especially when human activities that fester its intensity are being carelessly held onto.
While the contribution of global warming to rising sea levels and also sea erosion has been well-documented, one cannot discount activities such as sand-winning that tend to make coastal areas more vulnerable to rampaging sea waves.
At Ada, the threat of sand-winning has not been effectively dealt with over the years and that, no doubt, accounts for some of the woes of settlers along coastal communities in the area.
The issue of sand-winning has been a thorny one for decades as efforts to address the situation have been very difficult. Private individuals working in the construction industry have found sand-winning along the coast a profitable venture.
It is sad that a country that has consistently emphasised the need to check the activities of those who degrade the environment and even gone further to institute measures to address that threat is finding it difficult to control those activities.
It appears beyond expressing commitments, institutions tasked to address such issues have failed to discharge their duties as expected.
While urging such institutions to be up and doing, the DAILY GRAPHIC also believes that the responsibility of checking such activities must be actively taken up by every Ghanaian.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
THE CARNAGE MUST STOP (AUGUST 18, 2010)
IN the past few days, some roads in the country have been rocked by motor accidents which have claimed the lives of more than 20 people.
The spate of road accidents gets even more worrying when it becomes obvious that some of the rather gory accidents could have been prevented by observing simple road traffic regulations.
Ghana’s road safety record is gradually attaining legendary status for the wrong reasons; increasingly, road accident is becoming a major cause of death in the country and that is, indeed, very alarming.
According to data from the National Road Safety Commission, between 2000 and 2007, Ghana recorded 91,562 vehicle crashes that claimed 14,489 lives — an average of 1,811 deaths a year.
Apart from deaths related to road accidents, reports indicate that doctors are devoting more attention to road accidents at the expense of other areas of medical care.
Not surprisingly, a report by IRIN, a humanitarian news and analysis project by the UN Office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs, confirmed that road crash casualties were taking so much time of health workers in the country, as well as the scarce resources in the country’s hospitals.
The economic price that is paid is also significant as statistics indicate that the country loses 1.6 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product every year through road accidents.
Going by the statistics and media reports, there is overwhelming evidence that road accidents have become a serious threat that must be addressed in a very comprehensive manner.
In addressing the issue, it is very important to focus on the major causes of road accidents, which, according to the National Road Safety Commission, are attributable to human errors more than anything else.
Poor vision, speeding, inexperience, wrong overtaking, drink driving, loss of concentration through the use of mobile phones, mechanical failure and poor lightening, have all been identified as other causes of road accidents in the country.
While there has always been an emphasis on the need to intensify road safety education campaigns, the institution of strong enforcement systems must also be pursued vigorously.
It is well known that one of the key enforcement institutions, the Police Service, has not operated at an optimal level as a result of some daunting challenges the service has faced over the years.
Aside from the usually cited issue of resource constraint, poorly motivated personnel of the service are sometimes at the mercy of a corrupt-prone system and offending motorists.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the spate of road accidents in the country is a hydra-headed problem that requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice from all the stakeholders, including the police and the judiciary.
We believe that although the police have some operational challenges, they can do more to address the carnage on our roads. It is also important to detail more traffic cops on our roads with the right equipment to monitor the activities of motorists on our roads and prevent avoidable motor accidents.
Sometimes, one cannot help but wonder how some very rickety cars plying roads in the country passed their roadworthiness tests. Definitely, this and other issues related to driver and vehicle licensing also need to be addressed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
We also urge the various agencies responsible for ensuring that our roads are well lit in the night to do so. The country cannot afford to lose any more lives through road accidents and urgent action is required to address this canker.
The spate of road accidents gets even more worrying when it becomes obvious that some of the rather gory accidents could have been prevented by observing simple road traffic regulations.
Ghana’s road safety record is gradually attaining legendary status for the wrong reasons; increasingly, road accident is becoming a major cause of death in the country and that is, indeed, very alarming.
According to data from the National Road Safety Commission, between 2000 and 2007, Ghana recorded 91,562 vehicle crashes that claimed 14,489 lives — an average of 1,811 deaths a year.
Apart from deaths related to road accidents, reports indicate that doctors are devoting more attention to road accidents at the expense of other areas of medical care.
Not surprisingly, a report by IRIN, a humanitarian news and analysis project by the UN Office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs, confirmed that road crash casualties were taking so much time of health workers in the country, as well as the scarce resources in the country’s hospitals.
The economic price that is paid is also significant as statistics indicate that the country loses 1.6 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product every year through road accidents.
Going by the statistics and media reports, there is overwhelming evidence that road accidents have become a serious threat that must be addressed in a very comprehensive manner.
In addressing the issue, it is very important to focus on the major causes of road accidents, which, according to the National Road Safety Commission, are attributable to human errors more than anything else.
Poor vision, speeding, inexperience, wrong overtaking, drink driving, loss of concentration through the use of mobile phones, mechanical failure and poor lightening, have all been identified as other causes of road accidents in the country.
While there has always been an emphasis on the need to intensify road safety education campaigns, the institution of strong enforcement systems must also be pursued vigorously.
It is well known that one of the key enforcement institutions, the Police Service, has not operated at an optimal level as a result of some daunting challenges the service has faced over the years.
Aside from the usually cited issue of resource constraint, poorly motivated personnel of the service are sometimes at the mercy of a corrupt-prone system and offending motorists.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the spate of road accidents in the country is a hydra-headed problem that requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice from all the stakeholders, including the police and the judiciary.
We believe that although the police have some operational challenges, they can do more to address the carnage on our roads. It is also important to detail more traffic cops on our roads with the right equipment to monitor the activities of motorists on our roads and prevent avoidable motor accidents.
Sometimes, one cannot help but wonder how some very rickety cars plying roads in the country passed their roadworthiness tests. Definitely, this and other issues related to driver and vehicle licensing also need to be addressed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
We also urge the various agencies responsible for ensuring that our roads are well lit in the night to do so. The country cannot afford to lose any more lives through road accidents and urgent action is required to address this canker.
POSITIVE DEAL FOR FARMERS (AUGUST 19, 2010)
FOR all these years, agriculture has been the mainstay of the Ghanaian economy, with more than 50 per cent of Ghanaians believed to be engaged in it.
Although many farmers engage in agriculture at the level of subsistence farming, the contribution of agriculture to the growth of the Ghanaian economy has been phenomenal.
For instance, cocoa is rated as a major foreign exchange earner for the country and the country’s cocoa beans are reputed to be of a very high quality.
For many years, Ghana was the leading producer of cocoa in the world and although we have now slumped to second, our cocoa beans continue to be one of the most preferred in the world.
Yet, some experts believe that the country can maximise gains from agriculture and in that regard, reference has been made to the need to institute measures to improve mechanisation of agriculture and also increase production levels through the appropriate application of pesticides and fertilisers.
Such calls have become even more relevant against the background of the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the country and the scheduled production of crude oil later in the year.
Development experts and also experts in the oil industry have cautioned the country to be wary of the ‘Dutch Disease’, which apparently refers to the temptation to neglect other sectors of the economy such as agriculture once oil is discovered.
Thus, the setting aside of GH¢15 million by the government to support housing and social security schemes for cocoa farmers is a very positive move.
The package, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, is aimed at boosting agricultural production and also making the sector attractive to the youth.
The DAILY GRAPHIC strongly believes that for a country with a chunk of its population involved in agriculture, efforts aimed at self-sufficiency in food production must be vigorously pursued.
We are sure that with the right interventions, the country can increase production levels to not only help the country attain self-sufficiency in food production but also export to other countries.
It is worthy to note that after introducing some measures, the country has been able to increase rice production, notwithstanding the fact that there is still a lot to be done to reduce rice imports into the country.
Given the rich resources that the country boasts of by way of good agricultural land, we have no excuse to remain largely a subsistence agricultural country.
Also, the excuse that lack of water or rainfall all-year round is a challenge to raising the levels of agricultural production in the country must not be entertained.
Many countries faced with the same challenge have effectively resorted to irrigation farming with tremendous success and that is one area the country must continue to pursue in an innovative manner as there is still room to maximise the gains from irrigation farming.
The DAILY GRAPHIC also urges the government to institute measures to promote non-traditional exports to broaden the country’s agricultural export base.
Crops such as pineapple, mango, banana and pawpaw all have the potential to generate good revenue for farmers who venture into such plantations.
It is also worthy to note that the government has expressed a commitment to motivate more young people to venture into agriculture.
This is also crucial, not only because of the potential benefit of increased food production but also as it would help reduce the rate of unemployment and provide the youth a very laudable avenue to contribute to national development.
Although many farmers engage in agriculture at the level of subsistence farming, the contribution of agriculture to the growth of the Ghanaian economy has been phenomenal.
For instance, cocoa is rated as a major foreign exchange earner for the country and the country’s cocoa beans are reputed to be of a very high quality.
For many years, Ghana was the leading producer of cocoa in the world and although we have now slumped to second, our cocoa beans continue to be one of the most preferred in the world.
Yet, some experts believe that the country can maximise gains from agriculture and in that regard, reference has been made to the need to institute measures to improve mechanisation of agriculture and also increase production levels through the appropriate application of pesticides and fertilisers.
Such calls have become even more relevant against the background of the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the country and the scheduled production of crude oil later in the year.
Development experts and also experts in the oil industry have cautioned the country to be wary of the ‘Dutch Disease’, which apparently refers to the temptation to neglect other sectors of the economy such as agriculture once oil is discovered.
Thus, the setting aside of GH¢15 million by the government to support housing and social security schemes for cocoa farmers is a very positive move.
The package, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, is aimed at boosting agricultural production and also making the sector attractive to the youth.
The DAILY GRAPHIC strongly believes that for a country with a chunk of its population involved in agriculture, efforts aimed at self-sufficiency in food production must be vigorously pursued.
We are sure that with the right interventions, the country can increase production levels to not only help the country attain self-sufficiency in food production but also export to other countries.
It is worthy to note that after introducing some measures, the country has been able to increase rice production, notwithstanding the fact that there is still a lot to be done to reduce rice imports into the country.
Given the rich resources that the country boasts of by way of good agricultural land, we have no excuse to remain largely a subsistence agricultural country.
Also, the excuse that lack of water or rainfall all-year round is a challenge to raising the levels of agricultural production in the country must not be entertained.
Many countries faced with the same challenge have effectively resorted to irrigation farming with tremendous success and that is one area the country must continue to pursue in an innovative manner as there is still room to maximise the gains from irrigation farming.
The DAILY GRAPHIC also urges the government to institute measures to promote non-traditional exports to broaden the country’s agricultural export base.
Crops such as pineapple, mango, banana and pawpaw all have the potential to generate good revenue for farmers who venture into such plantations.
It is also worthy to note that the government has expressed a commitment to motivate more young people to venture into agriculture.
This is also crucial, not only because of the potential benefit of increased food production but also as it would help reduce the rate of unemployment and provide the youth a very laudable avenue to contribute to national development.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER (AUGUST 17, 2010)
NOT too long ago, in this very column, we had reason to lament the fact that we thought the future of our youth was being toyed with through the frequent interference with our educational policies. That concern had been occasioned by the desire on the part of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration to change the duration of the senior high school (SHS) programme from four years to three.
At that time, we had called for a consensus among our political parties to fashion out an educational policy that would be allowed to work for a considerable period of time before being tampered with by any party that came into power.
Today, we are very happy to hear that the government intends to broach such a consensus with the other political parties along the lines that we had suggested.
While opening the 13th annual congress of the Ashanti Regional Students Representative Council (SRC) in Kumasi, the Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, hinted that the political parties were to sign a pact to allow the educational system to work for the next 25 years without any major interference.
Giving the rationale behind that move by the government, the Deputy Minister said it was one sure way of addressing interference that tended to dislocate the educational system.
The Daily Graphic thinks this is a very laudable move which should be supported by all, including the political parties and other stakeholders in education such as parents, the religious bodies and teachers.
Our only regret is that we think the government should have mooted this idea when it set out to change the SHS duration from four years to three.
The education of our youth, who are the future of our country, is an important issue and all must get involved in getting the best for our country. That is why we think the idea of signing such a pact on the educational system should have been brought up as the government deliberated on whether or not to reduce the SHS duration.
As they say, it is better late than never, and so we call on all to embrace this idea of all the political parties coming together to sign a pact on our educational system.
We even think it should not be only on the educational system that such a pact should be signed. There are other equally important national policies which must be brought on board so that Ghanaians can rest assured that no matter the political party in power, good policies such as the National Health Insurance Scheme, the school feeding programme, the youth in agriculture programme, the National Youth Employment Programme and others will be continued to bring relief to the people.
We pray that after the pact has been signed, no party, when it comes to power, will find the excuse to go back on it as a way of paying the NDC back in its own coin. That, surely, will breed bad blood which, at this point in our history, we must guard against.
The Daily Graphic thinks that as a people, we must let history guide us, so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.
As the late Emperor Haile Selasie of Ethiopia put it: “Any nation that does not learn from its past is doomed.”
Let us leave whatever has gone on in the past behind us and forge a common platform to develop our dear country. That way, we can pat one another on the back for building a better Ghana and say, “Ayekoo!”
At that time, we had called for a consensus among our political parties to fashion out an educational policy that would be allowed to work for a considerable period of time before being tampered with by any party that came into power.
Today, we are very happy to hear that the government intends to broach such a consensus with the other political parties along the lines that we had suggested.
While opening the 13th annual congress of the Ashanti Regional Students Representative Council (SRC) in Kumasi, the Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, hinted that the political parties were to sign a pact to allow the educational system to work for the next 25 years without any major interference.
Giving the rationale behind that move by the government, the Deputy Minister said it was one sure way of addressing interference that tended to dislocate the educational system.
The Daily Graphic thinks this is a very laudable move which should be supported by all, including the political parties and other stakeholders in education such as parents, the religious bodies and teachers.
Our only regret is that we think the government should have mooted this idea when it set out to change the SHS duration from four years to three.
The education of our youth, who are the future of our country, is an important issue and all must get involved in getting the best for our country. That is why we think the idea of signing such a pact on the educational system should have been brought up as the government deliberated on whether or not to reduce the SHS duration.
As they say, it is better late than never, and so we call on all to embrace this idea of all the political parties coming together to sign a pact on our educational system.
We even think it should not be only on the educational system that such a pact should be signed. There are other equally important national policies which must be brought on board so that Ghanaians can rest assured that no matter the political party in power, good policies such as the National Health Insurance Scheme, the school feeding programme, the youth in agriculture programme, the National Youth Employment Programme and others will be continued to bring relief to the people.
We pray that after the pact has been signed, no party, when it comes to power, will find the excuse to go back on it as a way of paying the NDC back in its own coin. That, surely, will breed bad blood which, at this point in our history, we must guard against.
The Daily Graphic thinks that as a people, we must let history guide us, so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.
As the late Emperor Haile Selasie of Ethiopia put it: “Any nation that does not learn from its past is doomed.”
Let us leave whatever has gone on in the past behind us and forge a common platform to develop our dear country. That way, we can pat one another on the back for building a better Ghana and say, “Ayekoo!”
Monday, August 16, 2010
SAVE O'REILLY HIGH SCHOOL (AUGUST 16, 2010)
THE importance of providing Ghanaians access to quality education has consistently been emphasised, especially against the background that there is a pressing need to improve the country’s human resource.
Ever since the time of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, government after government has prioritised education and instituted measures and policies with the intention of improving the quality of education and access to quality education.
While many educational institutions have faced challenges in the provision of quality education over the years, efforts have been made to ensure that the challenges facing the educational sector receive the due attention to enhance the development prospects of the country.
It is against this background that the planned phasing out of the O’Reilly Senior High School (SHS) comes as a disturbing piece of news.
At a time when the country is seeking to improve access to quality education for its teeming youth, this development has really come as a jolt not only to the students and teachers of O'Reilly but also advocates of universal access to quality education.
After 85 years of existence, O'Reilly is faced with the stark truth that the building that has housed it for many years is being demanded by its owners.
Now it appears SHS Two students of the school are bound to be redistributed to other SHSs, while the academic staff are also to be reposted.
The DAILY GRAPHIC appreciates the right of the owners to their facility, but it is important to critically assess the implications of the decisions to be implemented to ensure that, ultimately, there is mutual benefit for all the interested parties.
In that regard, the DAILY GRAPHIC urges all the stakeholders to dispassionately discuss the issue to amicably settle the matter, especially considering the posture of the parent-teacher association (PTA) of the school on the matter.
The PTA Chairman, Alhaji Baba Iddrisu, has served notice that it will proceed to court to prevent any move to implement the decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to phase out the school.
While we appreciate the frustration of the PTA on the matter, the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to caution against any confrontational posture that can also have implications for academic work in the school.
Some teaching and non-teaching staff of the school have already expressed some concern as to why the educational authorities, all these years, have failed to re-locate the school but waited till this time.
These concerns are not misplaced and there is evidence of the viability of such relocation if the example of the re-location of the Christian Methodist SHS from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to New Aplaku in the Ga South municipality is anything to go by.
As noted by the O’Reilly PTA Chairman, students are national assets whose future must be carefully managed to ensure that they did not unduly go through troubling times through no fault of theirs.
As dicey as the issue may seem, the DAILY GRAPHIC believes all is not lost. We sincerely believe that there is still room for effective discussions to come up with solutions that will be acceptable to all the parties.
Let us not throw up our arms in despair; we must do everything to save O’Reilly SHS.
Yes, we must!
Ever since the time of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, government after government has prioritised education and instituted measures and policies with the intention of improving the quality of education and access to quality education.
While many educational institutions have faced challenges in the provision of quality education over the years, efforts have been made to ensure that the challenges facing the educational sector receive the due attention to enhance the development prospects of the country.
It is against this background that the planned phasing out of the O’Reilly Senior High School (SHS) comes as a disturbing piece of news.
At a time when the country is seeking to improve access to quality education for its teeming youth, this development has really come as a jolt not only to the students and teachers of O'Reilly but also advocates of universal access to quality education.
After 85 years of existence, O'Reilly is faced with the stark truth that the building that has housed it for many years is being demanded by its owners.
Now it appears SHS Two students of the school are bound to be redistributed to other SHSs, while the academic staff are also to be reposted.
The DAILY GRAPHIC appreciates the right of the owners to their facility, but it is important to critically assess the implications of the decisions to be implemented to ensure that, ultimately, there is mutual benefit for all the interested parties.
In that regard, the DAILY GRAPHIC urges all the stakeholders to dispassionately discuss the issue to amicably settle the matter, especially considering the posture of the parent-teacher association (PTA) of the school on the matter.
The PTA Chairman, Alhaji Baba Iddrisu, has served notice that it will proceed to court to prevent any move to implement the decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to phase out the school.
While we appreciate the frustration of the PTA on the matter, the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to caution against any confrontational posture that can also have implications for academic work in the school.
Some teaching and non-teaching staff of the school have already expressed some concern as to why the educational authorities, all these years, have failed to re-locate the school but waited till this time.
These concerns are not misplaced and there is evidence of the viability of such relocation if the example of the re-location of the Christian Methodist SHS from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to New Aplaku in the Ga South municipality is anything to go by.
As noted by the O’Reilly PTA Chairman, students are national assets whose future must be carefully managed to ensure that they did not unduly go through troubling times through no fault of theirs.
As dicey as the issue may seem, the DAILY GRAPHIC believes all is not lost. We sincerely believe that there is still room for effective discussions to come up with solutions that will be acceptable to all the parties.
Let us not throw up our arms in despair; we must do everything to save O’Reilly SHS.
Yes, we must!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
BEWARE OF 'MERCHANTS' OF GOD (AUGUST 14, 2010)
THE First Lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills, has taken exception to the increasing trend of exploitation of the vulnerable in society by some unscrupulous ministers of the Gospel.
Her greatest worry concerns the attitude of exploiting the vulnerable in society with all kinds of teachings and interpretations by these so-called men of God who have forgotten about the task embodied in the Great Commission of preaching and teaching that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ taught mankind.
Mrs Mills's lamentations were let out when she addressed the conference of National Baptist Ministers’ Wives Fellowship at Ejura in the Ashanti Region.
The First Lady hit the nail right on the head when she said such men of God had erroneously given the impression that besides the Word of God, something else must be done.
Instead of preaching salvation, these so-called men of God have thrown overboard the church's dogma and the church which is supposed to be the exclusive platform for high moral standards no longer remains so.
The media are replete with some of the dubious activities of such so-called men of God and yet their prayer camps and churches continue to be flocked by people as if the people had been hypnotised.
Nowadays, the most dubious characters cannot only be found in the churches but are also made to occupy very high positions because they affluently assist the church in diverse ways and it is for this reason that the Daily Graphic calls on the charlatans to mend their ways and show the people the path to God or liberate them from so-called evil spirits and challenges.
It is now common knowledge that some of the charismatic and Pentecostal churches are engaged in the sale of all kinds of special healing merchandise, such as olive oil, salt, perfume, sea water, soap, handkerchiefs, among other items, at very exorbitant prices, all in the hope that the use of these worldly things will open the way for those who use them.
We remind our compatriots, particularly the vulnerable, to be wary of these so-called men of God in order not to fall prey to their false doctrines.
It is true that the difficult times that face mankind will drive people to seek solace in the church and other places of worship, but it equally behoves the flock to be more discerning to look for only people who make the Bible and other worship materials the basis of their teachings.
We know that everybody under the cloak of financial burden, crisis in business, marriage and other challenges will turn to men of God, especially when the State is overburdened in providing the safety net.
But, in all these and for Christ's sake, Ghanaians should not put all their hopes in men of God, some of whom have no integrity and have made it their preoccupation to commercialise the Word of God for their selfish gain.
Indeed, the Bible contains testimonies of people and accounts of miracles performed by Jesus Christ, but what some present-day men of God claim to do is an affront to the teachings of the Bible and people should not allow themselves to be influenced and polluted by such miracles, to say the least.
Her greatest worry concerns the attitude of exploiting the vulnerable in society with all kinds of teachings and interpretations by these so-called men of God who have forgotten about the task embodied in the Great Commission of preaching and teaching that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ taught mankind.
Mrs Mills's lamentations were let out when she addressed the conference of National Baptist Ministers’ Wives Fellowship at Ejura in the Ashanti Region.
The First Lady hit the nail right on the head when she said such men of God had erroneously given the impression that besides the Word of God, something else must be done.
Instead of preaching salvation, these so-called men of God have thrown overboard the church's dogma and the church which is supposed to be the exclusive platform for high moral standards no longer remains so.
The media are replete with some of the dubious activities of such so-called men of God and yet their prayer camps and churches continue to be flocked by people as if the people had been hypnotised.
Nowadays, the most dubious characters cannot only be found in the churches but are also made to occupy very high positions because they affluently assist the church in diverse ways and it is for this reason that the Daily Graphic calls on the charlatans to mend their ways and show the people the path to God or liberate them from so-called evil spirits and challenges.
It is now common knowledge that some of the charismatic and Pentecostal churches are engaged in the sale of all kinds of special healing merchandise, such as olive oil, salt, perfume, sea water, soap, handkerchiefs, among other items, at very exorbitant prices, all in the hope that the use of these worldly things will open the way for those who use them.
We remind our compatriots, particularly the vulnerable, to be wary of these so-called men of God in order not to fall prey to their false doctrines.
It is true that the difficult times that face mankind will drive people to seek solace in the church and other places of worship, but it equally behoves the flock to be more discerning to look for only people who make the Bible and other worship materials the basis of their teachings.
We know that everybody under the cloak of financial burden, crisis in business, marriage and other challenges will turn to men of God, especially when the State is overburdened in providing the safety net.
But, in all these and for Christ's sake, Ghanaians should not put all their hopes in men of God, some of whom have no integrity and have made it their preoccupation to commercialise the Word of God for their selfish gain.
Indeed, the Bible contains testimonies of people and accounts of miracles performed by Jesus Christ, but what some present-day men of God claim to do is an affront to the teachings of the Bible and people should not allow themselves to be influenced and polluted by such miracles, to say the least.
Friday, August 13, 2010
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR YOUTH (AUGUST 13, 2010)
A COUNTRY’S ability to marshal its human resource to attain set targets is, no doubt, a core component of any development framework.
More often than not, reference is made to the need to provide a sound foundation for the youth to develop their potential to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to the progress of their countries.
Many development experts are quick to point out that given the energies the youth exude, any development initiative that does not accommodate their input may not achieve the desired impact.
Beyond that, peace and security experts also identify the youth as a critical mass who need to be targeted when pursuing initiatives intended to foster peace and security.
The youth constitute a phenomenal force in the social, economic and political workings of any nation, hence any initiative that seeks to empower them in a very positive sense must be lauded.
Thus, the launch of a National Youth Policy by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, yesterday is a very important step in the quest to provide the right conditions to develop Ghanaian youth.
The policy comes at a time when the country is taking bold and calculated steps to bring development to every nook and cranny of the country.
The issue of a National Youth Policy has been thrown forth and backwards many times and while there appears to be unanimity over its relevance to address the challenges of the time, its birth has been a difficult one.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the launch of the policy should not only serve to guide the path of the youth but also unite them.
In a few parts of the country, the youth have become targets of feuding factions, whether in religious, political on chieftaincy conflicts, and have visited mayhem on one another, just to appease their sponsors and serve the sometimes very selfish and parochial interests of those sponsors.
All over the country, the youth are faced with some daunting challenges, including access to quality education, health, and the troubling problem of unemployment.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the youth to find inspiration in the document and take keen interest in the policy directives it offers to be able to effectively monitor their implementation.
It has been argued that many of the woes of the youth stem from the lack of a guiding document to appropriately inform initiatives aimed at developing their potential to ensure that they become agents of development and not of conflict and anarchy.
We also wish to echo the sentiments expressed by the Vice-President who, at the launch of the document, declared that the youth constituted the true wealth and future of the country and so addressing their hopes and aspirations should be an integral part of the nation’s socio-economic development.
He also touched on a very important issue when he advised the youth to always put the nation’s interest above their political interests.
A united, peace-loving and educated youth are what the country needs and as Ghanaians celebrate the launch of the National Youth Policy, it is our hope that this new dawn will mark a turning point in the proper formation of the character of our youth.
The DAILY GRAPHIC commends the government for introducing the policy and cautions against making it another document only fit for the shelves, without any rigorous efforts at making it practically meaningful.
As a policy, it should provide the blueprint for the empowerment of Ghanaian youth and be continuously subjected to critical evaluation to assess its impact and review it if ever the need arises.
More often than not, reference is made to the need to provide a sound foundation for the youth to develop their potential to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to the progress of their countries.
Many development experts are quick to point out that given the energies the youth exude, any development initiative that does not accommodate their input may not achieve the desired impact.
Beyond that, peace and security experts also identify the youth as a critical mass who need to be targeted when pursuing initiatives intended to foster peace and security.
The youth constitute a phenomenal force in the social, economic and political workings of any nation, hence any initiative that seeks to empower them in a very positive sense must be lauded.
Thus, the launch of a National Youth Policy by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, yesterday is a very important step in the quest to provide the right conditions to develop Ghanaian youth.
The policy comes at a time when the country is taking bold and calculated steps to bring development to every nook and cranny of the country.
The issue of a National Youth Policy has been thrown forth and backwards many times and while there appears to be unanimity over its relevance to address the challenges of the time, its birth has been a difficult one.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the launch of the policy should not only serve to guide the path of the youth but also unite them.
In a few parts of the country, the youth have become targets of feuding factions, whether in religious, political on chieftaincy conflicts, and have visited mayhem on one another, just to appease their sponsors and serve the sometimes very selfish and parochial interests of those sponsors.
All over the country, the youth are faced with some daunting challenges, including access to quality education, health, and the troubling problem of unemployment.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the youth to find inspiration in the document and take keen interest in the policy directives it offers to be able to effectively monitor their implementation.
It has been argued that many of the woes of the youth stem from the lack of a guiding document to appropriately inform initiatives aimed at developing their potential to ensure that they become agents of development and not of conflict and anarchy.
We also wish to echo the sentiments expressed by the Vice-President who, at the launch of the document, declared that the youth constituted the true wealth and future of the country and so addressing their hopes and aspirations should be an integral part of the nation’s socio-economic development.
He also touched on a very important issue when he advised the youth to always put the nation’s interest above their political interests.
A united, peace-loving and educated youth are what the country needs and as Ghanaians celebrate the launch of the National Youth Policy, it is our hope that this new dawn will mark a turning point in the proper formation of the character of our youth.
The DAILY GRAPHIC commends the government for introducing the policy and cautions against making it another document only fit for the shelves, without any rigorous efforts at making it practically meaningful.
As a policy, it should provide the blueprint for the empowerment of Ghanaian youth and be continuously subjected to critical evaluation to assess its impact and review it if ever the need arises.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
TOURISM BILL LONG OVERDUE (AUGUST 12, 2010)
IN many parts of the world, tourism is becoming serious business and countries which have committed resources to its development are reaping immense benefits.
Increasingly, the era when tourism was considered a form of entertaining travel or tour, with no commercial input, is gradually fading away.
Now it has attained the status of a commercial colossus, with countries such as the United States and Spain recording international tourism receipts of $94.2 billion and $53.2 billion, respectively, in 2009.
In many countries, well-crafted policies have driven revenue from tourism to record highs. Other countries such as China, Malaysia, The Gambia, Kenya and Mexico have made some phenomenal gains from tourism and many more countries are beginning to recognise the immense economic benefits the sector can offer.
Today, tourism has attained some level of sophistication, with some people embarking on medical tourism, educational tourism, sports tourism, among other forms.
In Ghana, efforts to make tourism more economically vibrant are continuously being made and in the past few years the country has recorded an increase in the number of visits and an increase in revenue.
Currently, tourism is the fourth highest foreign exchange earner in the country and contributes 6.2 per cent of the country’s GDP.
According to statistics, revenue generated from tourism increased from $1,403.1 million in 2008 to $1,615.2 million in 2009. During that same period, tourist arrivals in the country increased from 698,069 to 802,779.
With the approval by the Cabinet of the first ever Tourism Bill, tourism in the country is going to receive a further boost to help the country rake in more revenue from the sector.
The new bill spells out the government’s vision for and direction on the development and utilisation of the tourism industry to enhance national socio-economic transformation.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that this is a step in the right direction, considering the increasing relevance of tourism to modern economies across the world.
Indeed, this is a bill which is long overdue and it is hoped that once it is laid before Parliament when it resumes in October, it will be dealt with expeditiously.
The country has immense tourism potential and although the Ghana Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism have contributed a lot over the years to improve tourism in the country, there is still a lot that needs to be done.
According to the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Zita Okaikoi, the new bill seeks to address the discrepancies in the industry, including the control and management of tourist sites in the country.
Certainly, this is a move that will help improve revenue mobilisation in the industry and ensure that money from tourism goes into the right agencies.
Additionally, the bill will seek to change the Ghana Tourist Board from its present state to the National Tourism Authority, with additional powers and responsibilities.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the government to improve budgetary support to the ministry, especially against the background of concerns raised by the minister in respect of the fact that the ministry is the sector that receives the lowest budgetary allocation.
It is also our hope that the establishment of a Tourism Fund, as proposed in the bill, will serve a very useful purpose to help develop tourism sites in the country and to increase revenue from the sector.
Increasingly, the era when tourism was considered a form of entertaining travel or tour, with no commercial input, is gradually fading away.
Now it has attained the status of a commercial colossus, with countries such as the United States and Spain recording international tourism receipts of $94.2 billion and $53.2 billion, respectively, in 2009.
In many countries, well-crafted policies have driven revenue from tourism to record highs. Other countries such as China, Malaysia, The Gambia, Kenya and Mexico have made some phenomenal gains from tourism and many more countries are beginning to recognise the immense economic benefits the sector can offer.
Today, tourism has attained some level of sophistication, with some people embarking on medical tourism, educational tourism, sports tourism, among other forms.
In Ghana, efforts to make tourism more economically vibrant are continuously being made and in the past few years the country has recorded an increase in the number of visits and an increase in revenue.
Currently, tourism is the fourth highest foreign exchange earner in the country and contributes 6.2 per cent of the country’s GDP.
According to statistics, revenue generated from tourism increased from $1,403.1 million in 2008 to $1,615.2 million in 2009. During that same period, tourist arrivals in the country increased from 698,069 to 802,779.
With the approval by the Cabinet of the first ever Tourism Bill, tourism in the country is going to receive a further boost to help the country rake in more revenue from the sector.
The new bill spells out the government’s vision for and direction on the development and utilisation of the tourism industry to enhance national socio-economic transformation.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that this is a step in the right direction, considering the increasing relevance of tourism to modern economies across the world.
Indeed, this is a bill which is long overdue and it is hoped that once it is laid before Parliament when it resumes in October, it will be dealt with expeditiously.
The country has immense tourism potential and although the Ghana Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism have contributed a lot over the years to improve tourism in the country, there is still a lot that needs to be done.
According to the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Zita Okaikoi, the new bill seeks to address the discrepancies in the industry, including the control and management of tourist sites in the country.
Certainly, this is a move that will help improve revenue mobilisation in the industry and ensure that money from tourism goes into the right agencies.
Additionally, the bill will seek to change the Ghana Tourist Board from its present state to the National Tourism Authority, with additional powers and responsibilities.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the government to improve budgetary support to the ministry, especially against the background of concerns raised by the minister in respect of the fact that the ministry is the sector that receives the lowest budgetary allocation.
It is also our hope that the establishment of a Tourism Fund, as proposed in the bill, will serve a very useful purpose to help develop tourism sites in the country and to increase revenue from the sector.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A WORTHY INITIATIVE (AUGUST 11, 2010)
THE transport sector remains critical to the economic fortunes of any country and governments all over the world contribute significant resources to develop that sector.
Many economic activities thrive better when there is an effective transport system and good transport facilities to ferry goods and services from one place to another.
The importance of transportation to enhanced productivity can also not be glossed over. In many parts of the country, particularly the capital city, commuters eager to get to work on time have to endure intense bouts of heckling as they fight for places on public transport, popularly known as ‘trotro’.
Most workers strive to own private vehicles because of the ineffective public transportation system, and that in turn contributes to the build-up of the bumper-to-bumper traffic on our major inner-city roads.
Models of effective public transport systems have been replicated in many developed countries and the result is that the institution of reliable public transport systems provides incentives for some commuters to join public transport, instead of riding in their private vehicles.
In Ghana, there is a history of public transport services, and while there is the potential to provide quality public transportation for the citizenry, there are still some bottlenecks that need to be addressed.
For instance, ever since the introduction of the Metro Mass Transit Service, patronage has been remarkable. However, there is no doubt that whereas there is a great demand for public transport services, the number of buses has simply been inadequate.
The launch of 490 Yutong buses by the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, again demonstrates a commitment by all the key stakeholders that with the right attitude and investment, the country’s transportation challenges can be addressed.
The Vice-President could not have put it any better when he stated that the transport sub-sector formed a crucial part of the SME sector and was considered strategic to the growth of the Ghanaian economy.
While the DAILY GRAPHIC lauds the initiative by J. A. Plant Pool, with support from the government, the Stanbic Bank and other partners, we need to emphasise that without proper maintenance of the buses, the country cannot derive maximum benefits from them.
In that regard, it is refreshing to note that Yutong is working to establish its West African spare parts centre and assembly workshop in Ghana and the Vice-President has indicated that the government will support it in its efforts.
The DAILY GRAPHIC cannot hide its admiration for the role J. A. Plant Pool Limited has been playing in importing new buses with the view to improving commercial transportation in the country.
We also wish to implore the drivers who will be tasked to drive the buses to handle them with care and professionalism to help keep them on the road.
It may also be useful to introduce more training programmes for the drivers to ensure that they keep abreast of the electrical and mechanical workings of the buses in order to minimise vehicular breakdown as they transport passengers across the length and breadth of the country.
This is a worthy initiative and as much as possible efforts should be made to ensure that the buses operate at optimum levels to help ease the burden on commuters in the country.
Many economic activities thrive better when there is an effective transport system and good transport facilities to ferry goods and services from one place to another.
The importance of transportation to enhanced productivity can also not be glossed over. In many parts of the country, particularly the capital city, commuters eager to get to work on time have to endure intense bouts of heckling as they fight for places on public transport, popularly known as ‘trotro’.
Most workers strive to own private vehicles because of the ineffective public transportation system, and that in turn contributes to the build-up of the bumper-to-bumper traffic on our major inner-city roads.
Models of effective public transport systems have been replicated in many developed countries and the result is that the institution of reliable public transport systems provides incentives for some commuters to join public transport, instead of riding in their private vehicles.
In Ghana, there is a history of public transport services, and while there is the potential to provide quality public transportation for the citizenry, there are still some bottlenecks that need to be addressed.
For instance, ever since the introduction of the Metro Mass Transit Service, patronage has been remarkable. However, there is no doubt that whereas there is a great demand for public transport services, the number of buses has simply been inadequate.
The launch of 490 Yutong buses by the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, again demonstrates a commitment by all the key stakeholders that with the right attitude and investment, the country’s transportation challenges can be addressed.
The Vice-President could not have put it any better when he stated that the transport sub-sector formed a crucial part of the SME sector and was considered strategic to the growth of the Ghanaian economy.
While the DAILY GRAPHIC lauds the initiative by J. A. Plant Pool, with support from the government, the Stanbic Bank and other partners, we need to emphasise that without proper maintenance of the buses, the country cannot derive maximum benefits from them.
In that regard, it is refreshing to note that Yutong is working to establish its West African spare parts centre and assembly workshop in Ghana and the Vice-President has indicated that the government will support it in its efforts.
The DAILY GRAPHIC cannot hide its admiration for the role J. A. Plant Pool Limited has been playing in importing new buses with the view to improving commercial transportation in the country.
We also wish to implore the drivers who will be tasked to drive the buses to handle them with care and professionalism to help keep them on the road.
It may also be useful to introduce more training programmes for the drivers to ensure that they keep abreast of the electrical and mechanical workings of the buses in order to minimise vehicular breakdown as they transport passengers across the length and breadth of the country.
This is a worthy initiative and as much as possible efforts should be made to ensure that the buses operate at optimum levels to help ease the burden on commuters in the country.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
YOUTH POLICY MUST SUCCEED (AUGUST 10, 2010)
IT is refreshing to hear that at long last a National Youth Policy (NYP) to spell out the government’s vision on the development of and direction for the youth and their place in national socio-economic transformation has been approved by Cabinet.
The policy is expected to be launched in Cape Coast on Thursday, August 12, 2010 to coincide with this year's International Youth Day to be celebrated on the theme, "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding".
That the youth of every country hold the key to its future is no mean statement because the youth are imbued with immense talents and skills which can be tapped for national development if properly harnessed.
Although the National Youth Council (NYC) exists as an umbrella body in the country to oversee the activities of the youth, there seems to be no proper co-ordination of the activities of our youth because of the lack of a proper youth policy over the years.
These unco-ordinated efforts have posed many problems for our country and staved off our national development agenda, thereby bolstering the saying that any society that does not take care of its youth does not have any future and is on the brink of extinction.
Even though the country has not had a national census for a long time, it is apparent that the youth make up the mass of our population, having with it its associated problems: The mushrooming of various youth groups in society for the purposes of trade, academic, training, sports and other activities.
Another sad aspect of this problem is the generally loose definition associated with or used to refer to the term ‘youth’. We hope this will be addressed as well.
It is the hope of the DAILY GRAPHIC that this new youth policy will co-ordinate the activities of our youth to cater for their professional training and development in such areas as ICT, education, skills training, sports and so on, so that an environment will be engendered to enable them to develop their capabilities.
We also believe that there should be proper linkages between the training institutions and industry so that the youth can easily fit into the job market after having undergone thorough training.
The DAILY GRAPHIC hopes that the policy will minimise, if not curtail, the huge rural-urban drift and its associated backlash in the rural areas, as well as the urban areas, in order to rid urban streets of street sellers, prostitution, drug use and other anti-social activities.
In the same manner, our hitherto vibrant rural communities have become dead and devoid of any meaningful activities because of the massive urban drift by the youthful and productive segment of the population, all in the name of seeking greener pastures.
This policy, it is our hope, will regenerate activities in the rural areas so that the drifting youth will be motivated to stay at home and support activities in the rural areas.
We are, indeed, happy to learn that the draft policy is national in character, as it contains views from youth activists and civil society organisations, thereby representing the aspirations of the youth.
Happily, the President has, by some of his ministerial appointments, clearly demonstrated that the youth are an integral part of his policy and the government’s ‘Better Ghana’ agenda.
Given that scenario, we do not hesitate in predicting that the youth policy will succeed.
The policy is expected to be launched in Cape Coast on Thursday, August 12, 2010 to coincide with this year's International Youth Day to be celebrated on the theme, "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding".
That the youth of every country hold the key to its future is no mean statement because the youth are imbued with immense talents and skills which can be tapped for national development if properly harnessed.
Although the National Youth Council (NYC) exists as an umbrella body in the country to oversee the activities of the youth, there seems to be no proper co-ordination of the activities of our youth because of the lack of a proper youth policy over the years.
These unco-ordinated efforts have posed many problems for our country and staved off our national development agenda, thereby bolstering the saying that any society that does not take care of its youth does not have any future and is on the brink of extinction.
Even though the country has not had a national census for a long time, it is apparent that the youth make up the mass of our population, having with it its associated problems: The mushrooming of various youth groups in society for the purposes of trade, academic, training, sports and other activities.
Another sad aspect of this problem is the generally loose definition associated with or used to refer to the term ‘youth’. We hope this will be addressed as well.
It is the hope of the DAILY GRAPHIC that this new youth policy will co-ordinate the activities of our youth to cater for their professional training and development in such areas as ICT, education, skills training, sports and so on, so that an environment will be engendered to enable them to develop their capabilities.
We also believe that there should be proper linkages between the training institutions and industry so that the youth can easily fit into the job market after having undergone thorough training.
The DAILY GRAPHIC hopes that the policy will minimise, if not curtail, the huge rural-urban drift and its associated backlash in the rural areas, as well as the urban areas, in order to rid urban streets of street sellers, prostitution, drug use and other anti-social activities.
In the same manner, our hitherto vibrant rural communities have become dead and devoid of any meaningful activities because of the massive urban drift by the youthful and productive segment of the population, all in the name of seeking greener pastures.
This policy, it is our hope, will regenerate activities in the rural areas so that the drifting youth will be motivated to stay at home and support activities in the rural areas.
We are, indeed, happy to learn that the draft policy is national in character, as it contains views from youth activists and civil society organisations, thereby representing the aspirations of the youth.
Happily, the President has, by some of his ministerial appointments, clearly demonstrated that the youth are an integral part of his policy and the government’s ‘Better Ghana’ agenda.
Given that scenario, we do not hesitate in predicting that the youth policy will succeed.
Monday, August 9, 2010
MAXIMISE GAINS FROM CENSUS (AUGUST 9, 2010)
AS the government intensifies its efforts to achieve the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda, the importance of introducing appropriate policies and development initiatives cannot be downplayed.
It is well known that one bane of development in developing countries is the lack of credible data to effectively inform the formulation of policies and development initiatives.
In many instances, well-intended development initiatives or policies do not make the desired impact because they are not inspired by appropriate data usually leading to the introduction of policies that do not reflect the realities on the ground.
Thus, the Housing and Population Census is intended to make development policies and initiatives more relevant by providing sound, credible and pertinent information to drive the country’s development initiatives.
As the country prepares for the 2010 Population and Housing Census, it is important to emphasise the need to ensure diligence and accuracy in the data collection process.
Last Friday, efforts towards the 2010 census were taken a step further when the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, declared Sunday, September 26, 2010, as the date for the 2010 Housing and Population Census Night.
While a census has been defined as “the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population”, the Census Night is considered to be the reference point around which the entire enumeration process revolves.
In other words, every activity of the exercise such as the administration of questionnaires to elicit demographic data will be referenced to the Census Night.
The last time the country had a Housing and Population Census was in 2000 and by organising one this year, the country will be keeping with the recommendation of the United Nations that a census be held at least once every ten years.
Indeed, ever since 1891, population censuses have been conducted in the country at approximately every ten years with the exception of 1941 when it was interrupted as a result of the Second World War.
The high cost involved in the organisation of a census makes it imperative that all efforts possible are made to ensure that data and information gathered are credible and truly reflect the realities of the time.
This year’s census is estimated at GH¢64 million and already the government has released half of that amount with the remaining half expected to be provided by local and international donor agencies and partners.
Given the cost involved, it is important to ensure that the citizenry is well educated on the importance of the census and also the need to provide true and credible information.
In a country with a not-too-impressive literacy rate, it will be very helpful for the Ghana Statistical Service to act proactively to ensure that any misinformation about the purpose of the census is quelled in a very swift manner.
It is worthy to note that the service has already partnered the media to ensure that the appropriate messages are sent out to the citizenry.
While the DAILY GRAPHIC lauds this move, we also urge Ghanaians to show interest in the issues related to census and support it with a very positive attitude in our quest to build a better Ghana.
It is well known that one bane of development in developing countries is the lack of credible data to effectively inform the formulation of policies and development initiatives.
In many instances, well-intended development initiatives or policies do not make the desired impact because they are not inspired by appropriate data usually leading to the introduction of policies that do not reflect the realities on the ground.
Thus, the Housing and Population Census is intended to make development policies and initiatives more relevant by providing sound, credible and pertinent information to drive the country’s development initiatives.
As the country prepares for the 2010 Population and Housing Census, it is important to emphasise the need to ensure diligence and accuracy in the data collection process.
Last Friday, efforts towards the 2010 census were taken a step further when the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, declared Sunday, September 26, 2010, as the date for the 2010 Housing and Population Census Night.
While a census has been defined as “the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population”, the Census Night is considered to be the reference point around which the entire enumeration process revolves.
In other words, every activity of the exercise such as the administration of questionnaires to elicit demographic data will be referenced to the Census Night.
The last time the country had a Housing and Population Census was in 2000 and by organising one this year, the country will be keeping with the recommendation of the United Nations that a census be held at least once every ten years.
Indeed, ever since 1891, population censuses have been conducted in the country at approximately every ten years with the exception of 1941 when it was interrupted as a result of the Second World War.
The high cost involved in the organisation of a census makes it imperative that all efforts possible are made to ensure that data and information gathered are credible and truly reflect the realities of the time.
This year’s census is estimated at GH¢64 million and already the government has released half of that amount with the remaining half expected to be provided by local and international donor agencies and partners.
Given the cost involved, it is important to ensure that the citizenry is well educated on the importance of the census and also the need to provide true and credible information.
In a country with a not-too-impressive literacy rate, it will be very helpful for the Ghana Statistical Service to act proactively to ensure that any misinformation about the purpose of the census is quelled in a very swift manner.
It is worthy to note that the service has already partnered the media to ensure that the appropriate messages are sent out to the citizenry.
While the DAILY GRAPHIC lauds this move, we also urge Ghanaians to show interest in the issues related to census and support it with a very positive attitude in our quest to build a better Ghana.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
DEEPENING OUR DEMOCRACY (AUGUST 7, 2010)
THE nation’s largest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is on the threshold of making history today as it conducts primaries to elect a flag bearer for the 2012 general election.
Unlike previous congresses where about 2,000 delegates decided on the person to be given the mantle of leadership, this time around, the electoral college has been expanded to 115,000 delegates, including constituency executives from all the 230 constituencies.
The decision to expand the electoral college to 115,000, making it the largest electoral college on the continent has been widely welcomed by supporters of the party and other observers because of its potential of improving upon the democratic credentials of the country and the continent at large.
Most of NPP executives voted for the expansion because they believed the time was ripe for grassroot supporters of the party to also take part in the decision-making process of the party and, more importantly, to determine who becomes their flag bearer.
Except for the delegates from the Ablekuma North and South constituencies, who are settling some issues in court, as many as 113,000 delegates from 228 constituencies across the country will be involved in today’s event, which begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.
In every human endeavour, there are bound to be some hitches, particularly so when a new process is being introduced. But this being purely an intra-party affair, the DAILY GRAPHIC expects all those taking part in this important exercise to demonstrate self-restraint and ensure that the event passes off successfully.
Without doubt, all the five candidates vying for the high office of flag bearer — Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan Kyerematen, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, Isaac Osei and Kwame Koduah — are fine gentlemen in their own right and we wish them all the best in their quest to assume the leadership of the Danquah-Busia tradition.
What is important is that everybody will be watching with keen interest not so much for the eventual winner but for the success or otherwise of the novelty the NPP has introduced into our body politic and to what extent it will improve governance.
Today's exercise may be seen as an internal arrangement by the rank and file of the party but internal democracy enhances good governance. If political parties fail to adhere to the democratic principles and allow a few influential persons to dictate the way things should be done, we may breed dictators in institutions meant to promote democratic principles.
As the delegates cast their votes today, the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to remind all true democrats that political parties are not only for elections but are also veritable nurturing grounds for leadership. May the best candidate emerge victorious.
Unlike previous congresses where about 2,000 delegates decided on the person to be given the mantle of leadership, this time around, the electoral college has been expanded to 115,000 delegates, including constituency executives from all the 230 constituencies.
The decision to expand the electoral college to 115,000, making it the largest electoral college on the continent has been widely welcomed by supporters of the party and other observers because of its potential of improving upon the democratic credentials of the country and the continent at large.
Most of NPP executives voted for the expansion because they believed the time was ripe for grassroot supporters of the party to also take part in the decision-making process of the party and, more importantly, to determine who becomes their flag bearer.
Except for the delegates from the Ablekuma North and South constituencies, who are settling some issues in court, as many as 113,000 delegates from 228 constituencies across the country will be involved in today’s event, which begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.
In every human endeavour, there are bound to be some hitches, particularly so when a new process is being introduced. But this being purely an intra-party affair, the DAILY GRAPHIC expects all those taking part in this important exercise to demonstrate self-restraint and ensure that the event passes off successfully.
Without doubt, all the five candidates vying for the high office of flag bearer — Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan Kyerematen, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, Isaac Osei and Kwame Koduah — are fine gentlemen in their own right and we wish them all the best in their quest to assume the leadership of the Danquah-Busia tradition.
What is important is that everybody will be watching with keen interest not so much for the eventual winner but for the success or otherwise of the novelty the NPP has introduced into our body politic and to what extent it will improve governance.
Today's exercise may be seen as an internal arrangement by the rank and file of the party but internal democracy enhances good governance. If political parties fail to adhere to the democratic principles and allow a few influential persons to dictate the way things should be done, we may breed dictators in institutions meant to promote democratic principles.
As the delegates cast their votes today, the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to remind all true democrats that political parties are not only for elections but are also veritable nurturing grounds for leadership. May the best candidate emerge victorious.
Friday, August 6, 2010
MANAGING OUR WASTE (AUGUST 6, 2010)
WASTE management continues to bedevil the country, especially in the capital city and other urban settlements. And this problem will continue to plague our economy if concrete measures are not taken to nip it in the bud.
Day in day out Accra is particularly engulfed in tonnes of garbage and filth, while the city authorities seem to be helpless and overwhelmed, despite the millions of cedis spent every month to address the situation.
The problem seems to be compounded by the attitude of the people by way of the haphazard and indiscriminate waste disposal culture which cannot be tackled by anybody except ourselves with a positive attitude to life.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that this bad attitude can be discarded with a strong will, otherwise we shall all be at risk should a major catastrophe strike.
It is pathetic to learn that a new waste management system introduced by the AMA to ameliorate the situation is getting overboard because of our entrenched negative attitude to handling waste.
Under the new system, residents are required to register with the waste management company that has been assigned to their communities to whom they will pay a fee approved by the AMA.
However, some residents that the DAILY GRAPHIC spoke to randomly said no company had so far visited their communities to register them, although they believed the new system was good if the contractors would stick to their schedule of lifting their litter bins.
Whatever it is, the DAILY GRAPHIC would like to stress that times have changed and so people should be able to bear with the authorities and pay for the waste generated.
Some solid waste experts have indicated that the nation’s environmental sanitation challenges can best be managed with the introduction of a sanitation fund.
It is against this background that the DAILY GRAPHIC is once again drumming home the need to introduce a polluter pay policy which will make it mandatory for the producers of garbage to pay appropriate levies.
All stakeholders must be brought on board to fashion the policy, especially producers of plastic materials whose activities are an eyesore in every nook and cranny of the country.
But we think it is high time we moved away from the use of plastic materials to more environmentally friendly and highly decomposable materials to save our environment and prevent the looming catastrophe or time bomb.
Barely two months into the introduction of the new system under which the AMA has contracted waste management companies to work in specific areas, some of the contractors are complaining that the shift is too harsh, unsustainable and not conducive for business.
The cry by the waste management companies, therefore, drives home the point that something needs to be done about the scheme. Happily, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, has conceded that there are some challenges with solid waste management and that the AMA is doing its best to improve on the situation.
The time to act is now and all hands must be on deck to save our country and our own lives.
Day in day out Accra is particularly engulfed in tonnes of garbage and filth, while the city authorities seem to be helpless and overwhelmed, despite the millions of cedis spent every month to address the situation.
The problem seems to be compounded by the attitude of the people by way of the haphazard and indiscriminate waste disposal culture which cannot be tackled by anybody except ourselves with a positive attitude to life.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that this bad attitude can be discarded with a strong will, otherwise we shall all be at risk should a major catastrophe strike.
It is pathetic to learn that a new waste management system introduced by the AMA to ameliorate the situation is getting overboard because of our entrenched negative attitude to handling waste.
Under the new system, residents are required to register with the waste management company that has been assigned to their communities to whom they will pay a fee approved by the AMA.
However, some residents that the DAILY GRAPHIC spoke to randomly said no company had so far visited their communities to register them, although they believed the new system was good if the contractors would stick to their schedule of lifting their litter bins.
Whatever it is, the DAILY GRAPHIC would like to stress that times have changed and so people should be able to bear with the authorities and pay for the waste generated.
Some solid waste experts have indicated that the nation’s environmental sanitation challenges can best be managed with the introduction of a sanitation fund.
It is against this background that the DAILY GRAPHIC is once again drumming home the need to introduce a polluter pay policy which will make it mandatory for the producers of garbage to pay appropriate levies.
All stakeholders must be brought on board to fashion the policy, especially producers of plastic materials whose activities are an eyesore in every nook and cranny of the country.
But we think it is high time we moved away from the use of plastic materials to more environmentally friendly and highly decomposable materials to save our environment and prevent the looming catastrophe or time bomb.
Barely two months into the introduction of the new system under which the AMA has contracted waste management companies to work in specific areas, some of the contractors are complaining that the shift is too harsh, unsustainable and not conducive for business.
The cry by the waste management companies, therefore, drives home the point that something needs to be done about the scheme. Happily, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, has conceded that there are some challenges with solid waste management and that the AMA is doing its best to improve on the situation.
The time to act is now and all hands must be on deck to save our country and our own lives.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
CHANGING THE HOUSING LANDSCAPE (AUGUST 5, 2010)
SHELTER is a basic necessity of life, just as food and clothing are required for the upkeep of any human being. That is why the government has decided to commit huge resources into the provision of decent and affordable housing for the people.
Ghana is said to have a housing deficit of one million housing units, which makes it a very Herculean challenge facing the government and the people. Therefore, the decision to introduce the Ghana Housing Project with support from STX Korea has come as a big relief to majority of the people.
In spite of the partisan posture that characterised the debate, we recognise that both sides of the House agreed in principle that the project was necessary to help reduce the current housing deficit in the country.
The deal appears very attractive, especially when it proposes about 30,000 housing units for the security agencies. Any person who has visited the barracks of the security agencies will weep over the deplorable conditions in which our security personnel live.
What saddens the DAILY GRAPHIC, however, is the blame game that debates on very crucial national development issues assume, for which reason we tend to miss the point and focus on political expediency instead of the public good.
We think that the time has come for the government to begin the process towards crafting a national vision that captures inputs from all stakeholders, including political parties.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is conscious of the fact that the country runs a democratic system in which political parties play a very dominant role and, therefore, a certain amount of partisanship is expected. But, in the national interest, this sectarian interest can be suppressed for the sake of achieving unity, peace and stability.
For this reason, the DAILY GRAPHIC considers the action of the walkout by the Minority during the debate on the STX deal, described as the single biggest investment in the country’s history, as very unfortunate, to say the least.
Our honourable Members of Parliament (MPs) have taught us that in a multi-party democracy, the Minority will have their say, while the Majority will have their way.
They should have stayed in the House to express their opinion on the deal and leave the judgement to the good people of Ghana who have the right to determine the fate of any government through the ballot box.
The DAILY GRAPHIC bears the Minority no grudge for manifesting their democratic expression through a boycott, but, as they kept reminding the good people of Ghana that they were not against the deal in principle and that their concerns were only to ensure that Ghanaians had value for money, they should have stayed in the House on Monday night just to argue their case and ensure that Ghanaians truly had value for their money.
That opportunity is now lost but we believe it can serve as a useful lesson for the future. Since there is more work to be done before the STX deal takes off, we appeal to the government to take on board the genuine concerns expressed by all stakeholders on the deal so that the project will mark a turning point in housing delivery in the country.
Ghana is said to have a housing deficit of one million housing units, which makes it a very Herculean challenge facing the government and the people. Therefore, the decision to introduce the Ghana Housing Project with support from STX Korea has come as a big relief to majority of the people.
In spite of the partisan posture that characterised the debate, we recognise that both sides of the House agreed in principle that the project was necessary to help reduce the current housing deficit in the country.
The deal appears very attractive, especially when it proposes about 30,000 housing units for the security agencies. Any person who has visited the barracks of the security agencies will weep over the deplorable conditions in which our security personnel live.
What saddens the DAILY GRAPHIC, however, is the blame game that debates on very crucial national development issues assume, for which reason we tend to miss the point and focus on political expediency instead of the public good.
We think that the time has come for the government to begin the process towards crafting a national vision that captures inputs from all stakeholders, including political parties.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is conscious of the fact that the country runs a democratic system in which political parties play a very dominant role and, therefore, a certain amount of partisanship is expected. But, in the national interest, this sectarian interest can be suppressed for the sake of achieving unity, peace and stability.
For this reason, the DAILY GRAPHIC considers the action of the walkout by the Minority during the debate on the STX deal, described as the single biggest investment in the country’s history, as very unfortunate, to say the least.
Our honourable Members of Parliament (MPs) have taught us that in a multi-party democracy, the Minority will have their say, while the Majority will have their way.
They should have stayed in the House to express their opinion on the deal and leave the judgement to the good people of Ghana who have the right to determine the fate of any government through the ballot box.
The DAILY GRAPHIC bears the Minority no grudge for manifesting their democratic expression through a boycott, but, as they kept reminding the good people of Ghana that they were not against the deal in principle and that their concerns were only to ensure that Ghanaians had value for money, they should have stayed in the House on Monday night just to argue their case and ensure that Ghanaians truly had value for their money.
That opportunity is now lost but we believe it can serve as a useful lesson for the future. Since there is more work to be done before the STX deal takes off, we appeal to the government to take on board the genuine concerns expressed by all stakeholders on the deal so that the project will mark a turning point in housing delivery in the country.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
HOUSING SHS FRESHMEN (AUGUST 4, 2010)
WE are compelled by prevailing circumstances to revisit the issue of providing infrastructure facilities for senior high schools (SHS) to facilitate the successful phasing out of the four-year SHS duration.
We do so based on the fact that we appreciate the worth of education, especially where the youth of the country are concerned.
Since the issue of the provision of facilities in our SHSs came up, we have had cause to express concern over the ability of the State to provide those facilities within the time frame which they are to be provided and against the backdrop that government resources are not limitless.
It appears that our worst fears have been realised, which, in turn, will seem to confirm the fear both Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates and their parents harbour that admissions to SHS 1 in September will face challenges.
While opening the annual educational sector review meeting in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, announced that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) had been requested to stand by with tents to provide temporary shelter for SHSs which would not be able to complete structures for usage by fresh students when the schools reopened next month.
He explained that the measure had become necessary because not all the blocks being constructed would be ready for the intake of first-year SHS students who were due to begin the SHS programme in September.
If we read meaning into what the minister said, we realise that the Ministry of Education is conceding the fact that it cannot provide all the needed facilities — that is, classrooms and dormitories — for all the SHSs in the country, for which reason it is asking the GAF to be on standby to provide the tents as a temporary measure.
This state of affairs may have arisen because of the late realisation of the enormous burden on the ministry to provide those facilities. That was why the DAILY GRAPHIC, since the beginning of the last academic year, had drummed home the need for resources to be made available for the educational sector to cater for SHSs which needed new classroom blocks and dormitories.
Only last week, we had reason to complain about the fact that the needed facilities were being provided in some selected schools, while the majority of SHSs were left out, even though ALL SHSs needed them.
We wish the annoucement by the Minister of Education would assuage the fears of BECE candidates and their parents, now that BECE results have been released.
In the face of all this, we ask the government to continue to explore all the available avenues to be able to meet the exigencies of the time so that we, as a nation, do not jeopardise the future of our teeming youth who have successfully gone through basic education.
If we fail to rein in the present situation, the consequences will be with us for a long while and a whole generation of our youth will be lost forever.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is still hopeful that we can turn the situation around and rescue our children, nephews, nieces, cousins, brothers, sisters and grandchildren from despair.
We do so based on the fact that we appreciate the worth of education, especially where the youth of the country are concerned.
Since the issue of the provision of facilities in our SHSs came up, we have had cause to express concern over the ability of the State to provide those facilities within the time frame which they are to be provided and against the backdrop that government resources are not limitless.
It appears that our worst fears have been realised, which, in turn, will seem to confirm the fear both Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates and their parents harbour that admissions to SHS 1 in September will face challenges.
While opening the annual educational sector review meeting in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, announced that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) had been requested to stand by with tents to provide temporary shelter for SHSs which would not be able to complete structures for usage by fresh students when the schools reopened next month.
He explained that the measure had become necessary because not all the blocks being constructed would be ready for the intake of first-year SHS students who were due to begin the SHS programme in September.
If we read meaning into what the minister said, we realise that the Ministry of Education is conceding the fact that it cannot provide all the needed facilities — that is, classrooms and dormitories — for all the SHSs in the country, for which reason it is asking the GAF to be on standby to provide the tents as a temporary measure.
This state of affairs may have arisen because of the late realisation of the enormous burden on the ministry to provide those facilities. That was why the DAILY GRAPHIC, since the beginning of the last academic year, had drummed home the need for resources to be made available for the educational sector to cater for SHSs which needed new classroom blocks and dormitories.
Only last week, we had reason to complain about the fact that the needed facilities were being provided in some selected schools, while the majority of SHSs were left out, even though ALL SHSs needed them.
We wish the annoucement by the Minister of Education would assuage the fears of BECE candidates and their parents, now that BECE results have been released.
In the face of all this, we ask the government to continue to explore all the available avenues to be able to meet the exigencies of the time so that we, as a nation, do not jeopardise the future of our teeming youth who have successfully gone through basic education.
If we fail to rein in the present situation, the consequences will be with us for a long while and a whole generation of our youth will be lost forever.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is still hopeful that we can turn the situation around and rescue our children, nephews, nieces, cousins, brothers, sisters and grandchildren from despair.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
THIS IS REFRESHING (AUGUST 3, 2010)
THERE is good news in the air. The Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), which was shut down some two years ago due to power problems, is to bounce back.
According to Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, a Deputy Minister of Energy, stakeholders in the company had already met to consider critical issues and work out the technical details to bring the company back on stream.
Key among the issues, we are told, are whether or not the current level of electricity supply in the country can support VALCO, as well as the tariff regime to ensure that the company can make profit should it start operations.
There is no doubt that after nearly 40 years of combined operations in the country, VALCO continues to dominate industrial, as well as private, sector aspirations.
We recall that when the Trade and Industry Minister, Ms Hannah Tetteh, appeared before Parliament a few months ago to respond to a question on the closure of VALCO, she hit the nail right on the head when she said, “A properly positioned VALCO holds a significant place in Ghana’s economic transformation agenda.”
But the DAILY GRAPHIC is particularly delighted that the re-opening of VALCO will bring the smiles back on the faces of the more than 500 workers of the company who, through no fault of theirs, had had to stay at home for the past two years due to inadequate supply of power.
VALCO’s history of shutdowns — the 11th since the establishment of the company in 1964 — is nothing to write home about. As we are aware, the smelting of alumina into aluminium consumes a huge amount of energy, for which reason attempts are made all over the world to undertake the process via hydroelectric power, as opposed to thermal.
It is, therefore, unfortunate that lack of rainfall had rendered the Volta River Authority (VRA) incapable of supplying the required amount of power to VALCO, resulting in the plant being temporarily shut down.
However, with the upcoming gas line to Ghana via Nigeria, Togo and Benin and the build up of water in the catchment area of the Akosombo Dam, things should turn out for the better in due course.
VALCO is a world-class entity with good corporate governance practices — engineering, management, occupational health and safety, medical facility, training, infrastructure, logistics, work ethics, quality assurance, discipline, security and performance measures.
Now that Ghana owns 90 per cent shares in the company, the DAILY GRAPHIC expects those who will be hired to maintain the high standards put in place and create an integrated aluminium industry in the country.
We also hope the new investors, the Russian giant, RUSAL, and ALCOA, will go back to the drawing board on the whole project and exploit the huge bauxite deposits in the Akyem area, not only to create employment for the people but also provide an economic backbone for the company.
According to Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, a Deputy Minister of Energy, stakeholders in the company had already met to consider critical issues and work out the technical details to bring the company back on stream.
Key among the issues, we are told, are whether or not the current level of electricity supply in the country can support VALCO, as well as the tariff regime to ensure that the company can make profit should it start operations.
There is no doubt that after nearly 40 years of combined operations in the country, VALCO continues to dominate industrial, as well as private, sector aspirations.
We recall that when the Trade and Industry Minister, Ms Hannah Tetteh, appeared before Parliament a few months ago to respond to a question on the closure of VALCO, she hit the nail right on the head when she said, “A properly positioned VALCO holds a significant place in Ghana’s economic transformation agenda.”
But the DAILY GRAPHIC is particularly delighted that the re-opening of VALCO will bring the smiles back on the faces of the more than 500 workers of the company who, through no fault of theirs, had had to stay at home for the past two years due to inadequate supply of power.
VALCO’s history of shutdowns — the 11th since the establishment of the company in 1964 — is nothing to write home about. As we are aware, the smelting of alumina into aluminium consumes a huge amount of energy, for which reason attempts are made all over the world to undertake the process via hydroelectric power, as opposed to thermal.
It is, therefore, unfortunate that lack of rainfall had rendered the Volta River Authority (VRA) incapable of supplying the required amount of power to VALCO, resulting in the plant being temporarily shut down.
However, with the upcoming gas line to Ghana via Nigeria, Togo and Benin and the build up of water in the catchment area of the Akosombo Dam, things should turn out for the better in due course.
VALCO is a world-class entity with good corporate governance practices — engineering, management, occupational health and safety, medical facility, training, infrastructure, logistics, work ethics, quality assurance, discipline, security and performance measures.
Now that Ghana owns 90 per cent shares in the company, the DAILY GRAPHIC expects those who will be hired to maintain the high standards put in place and create an integrated aluminium industry in the country.
We also hope the new investors, the Russian giant, RUSAL, and ALCOA, will go back to the drawing board on the whole project and exploit the huge bauxite deposits in the Akyem area, not only to create employment for the people but also provide an economic backbone for the company.
Monday, August 2, 2010
SAVE THESE INDUSTRIES (AUGUST 2, 2010)
THE growth of local industries is an important prerequisite for the enhancement of a country's economy and naturally represents a critical area in the formulation of national development policies.
All over the world, countries determined to ensure sustainable growth of their economies put in place measures that will guarantee a smooth path of growth for indigenous industries.
This is not only essential to provide the people with affordable goods and services but also strengthen the export base of indigenous industries, reduce imports and provide jobs for the people.
Thus, some developed economies have put in place policies that insulate local industries from unfair competition usually generated by cheap imports.
There is usually the recognition that governments need to protect their own, especially in a very globalised village where boundaries are becoming very porous and goods seep in and out of a country with so much ease, sometimes through illegal means.
In Ghana, the woes of the poultry and textile industries have been the subject of many discussions and, while there is the general recognition that cheap textile and poultry imports into the country have virtually brought those two local industries to their knees, very little appears to have been done to address the threat posed by those imports.
Indeed, many local companies in both the poultry and textile industries have folded up after suffering the debilitating effect of the cheap imports that virtually drowned their products.
The recent concern expressed by the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers again throws the issue into public spotlight.
At the end of a three-day workshop held in Accra, the National Chairman of the association, Mr Kwadwo Asante, appealed to the government to discourage the “dumping of cheap imported poultry into the country”.
While poultry has become a favourite source of animal protein for many Ghanaians, the local industry has not benefited from this increased patronage. Instead, today cheap imports have taken the place of the locally produced products.
The DAILY GRAPHIC shares the concern of the local poultry farmers and impresses on the government to consider their plea and ensure that they are insulated against the cheap imports.
There have been suggestions that by way of policy intervention, the government should, as a way of ensuring equity in the prices of the imports and the locally produced birds, increase duties on the imports and also introduce subsidies to local farmers to help them boost their production levels.
The statistics paint a very gloomy picture and make a strong case for urgent intervention from the government.
It is estimated that while in 1992 about 95 per cent of the country’s poultry’s requirements was supplied by the local industry, the figure decreased to a paltry 11 per cent in 2002 and, presently, it is believed to be a single digit.
The revelation by Mr Asante that the local poultry industry has become seasonal, blossoming only during the Christmas, the Ramadan and the Easter festivities, should be a source of concern to a country whose economy has agriculture as its backbone.
The DAILY GRAPHIC has no doubt whatsoever that urgent intervention by the government will save the poultry and textile industries. We, therefore, urge it to deal decisively with the issue.
All over the world, countries determined to ensure sustainable growth of their economies put in place measures that will guarantee a smooth path of growth for indigenous industries.
This is not only essential to provide the people with affordable goods and services but also strengthen the export base of indigenous industries, reduce imports and provide jobs for the people.
Thus, some developed economies have put in place policies that insulate local industries from unfair competition usually generated by cheap imports.
There is usually the recognition that governments need to protect their own, especially in a very globalised village where boundaries are becoming very porous and goods seep in and out of a country with so much ease, sometimes through illegal means.
In Ghana, the woes of the poultry and textile industries have been the subject of many discussions and, while there is the general recognition that cheap textile and poultry imports into the country have virtually brought those two local industries to their knees, very little appears to have been done to address the threat posed by those imports.
Indeed, many local companies in both the poultry and textile industries have folded up after suffering the debilitating effect of the cheap imports that virtually drowned their products.
The recent concern expressed by the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers again throws the issue into public spotlight.
At the end of a three-day workshop held in Accra, the National Chairman of the association, Mr Kwadwo Asante, appealed to the government to discourage the “dumping of cheap imported poultry into the country”.
While poultry has become a favourite source of animal protein for many Ghanaians, the local industry has not benefited from this increased patronage. Instead, today cheap imports have taken the place of the locally produced products.
The DAILY GRAPHIC shares the concern of the local poultry farmers and impresses on the government to consider their plea and ensure that they are insulated against the cheap imports.
There have been suggestions that by way of policy intervention, the government should, as a way of ensuring equity in the prices of the imports and the locally produced birds, increase duties on the imports and also introduce subsidies to local farmers to help them boost their production levels.
The statistics paint a very gloomy picture and make a strong case for urgent intervention from the government.
It is estimated that while in 1992 about 95 per cent of the country’s poultry’s requirements was supplied by the local industry, the figure decreased to a paltry 11 per cent in 2002 and, presently, it is believed to be a single digit.
The revelation by Mr Asante that the local poultry industry has become seasonal, blossoming only during the Christmas, the Ramadan and the Easter festivities, should be a source of concern to a country whose economy has agriculture as its backbone.
The DAILY GRAPHIC has no doubt whatsoever that urgent intervention by the government will save the poultry and textile industries. We, therefore, urge it to deal decisively with the issue.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
LET"S HAVE A BREAKTHROUGH (JULY 31, 2010)
EVER since the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) announced upward adjustments in tariffs of 89 per cent and 36 per cent for electricity and water, respectively, there has been public outcry. Industry players, including the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and organised labour, have been unanimous in calling for a downward review or the total suspension of the new tariffs.
They argued, among other things, that if the tariffs were not reviewed, it would compel some industries such as the textile, plastic, steel and cement industries to fold up, resulting in layoffs.
In addition, they said industries were already battling with the high cost of doing business in Ghana in respect of high interest rates, the multiplicity of taxes and the level of taxation and indicated that the increases would exacerbate the situation, rendering industries in Ghana less competitive.
The Ghana Timber Millers Organisation (GTMO) later joined the chorus, threatening to send home some 50,000 employees by the end of the year as a result of the upward adjustment in the utility tariffs.
It said it was not possible for the industry, the nation’s fourth foreign exchange earner, with receipts averaging 180 million Euros annually, to survive the upward adjustment in tariffs.
Then, on Thursday, the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) also staged a nation-wide demonstration to demand a reduction in the tariffs.
In its petition to the government, the ICU noted with great concern the adverse effects that the astronomical increases in tariffs announced by the PURC would have on industry and commerce, adding that the purported increases were misleading and that the real increases ranged from 198 per cent to 235 per cent.
At the time the ICU members were on the streets, the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, was in a high-level meeting with the leadership of organised labour and industry over the tariffs, with the view to finding a common ground to deal with the problem.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is happy that at the end of the day, it was agreed that a technical committee be put in place to debate how much adjustment in the tariffs would be reasonable.
The proposals considered at the meeting included the provision of subsidies by asking the PURC to reduce the tariffs, a re-look at the criteria for calculating the tariffs and periodic increases in place of the one-time increment.
Even though the government maintained that due to the independence of the PURC the commission could not be forced to implement those proposals, it gave the assurance that there was room for negotiations to consider the options.
Certainly nothing is conclusive yet, but the DAILY GRAPHIC is delighted at the openness that has characterised the deliberations so far. We are hopeful that if things continue in this healthy manner, there will be a significant breakthrough in the not-too-distant future.
Our national development is basically dependent on the performance of our private sector, considered the engine of growth. Indeed, the private sector remains the fulcrum of our national economy and growth and, therefore, the concerns of the sector should be considered in determining policy interventions.
Let us break the deadlock.
They argued, among other things, that if the tariffs were not reviewed, it would compel some industries such as the textile, plastic, steel and cement industries to fold up, resulting in layoffs.
In addition, they said industries were already battling with the high cost of doing business in Ghana in respect of high interest rates, the multiplicity of taxes and the level of taxation and indicated that the increases would exacerbate the situation, rendering industries in Ghana less competitive.
The Ghana Timber Millers Organisation (GTMO) later joined the chorus, threatening to send home some 50,000 employees by the end of the year as a result of the upward adjustment in the utility tariffs.
It said it was not possible for the industry, the nation’s fourth foreign exchange earner, with receipts averaging 180 million Euros annually, to survive the upward adjustment in tariffs.
Then, on Thursday, the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) also staged a nation-wide demonstration to demand a reduction in the tariffs.
In its petition to the government, the ICU noted with great concern the adverse effects that the astronomical increases in tariffs announced by the PURC would have on industry and commerce, adding that the purported increases were misleading and that the real increases ranged from 198 per cent to 235 per cent.
At the time the ICU members were on the streets, the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, was in a high-level meeting with the leadership of organised labour and industry over the tariffs, with the view to finding a common ground to deal with the problem.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is happy that at the end of the day, it was agreed that a technical committee be put in place to debate how much adjustment in the tariffs would be reasonable.
The proposals considered at the meeting included the provision of subsidies by asking the PURC to reduce the tariffs, a re-look at the criteria for calculating the tariffs and periodic increases in place of the one-time increment.
Even though the government maintained that due to the independence of the PURC the commission could not be forced to implement those proposals, it gave the assurance that there was room for negotiations to consider the options.
Certainly nothing is conclusive yet, but the DAILY GRAPHIC is delighted at the openness that has characterised the deliberations so far. We are hopeful that if things continue in this healthy manner, there will be a significant breakthrough in the not-too-distant future.
Our national development is basically dependent on the performance of our private sector, considered the engine of growth. Indeed, the private sector remains the fulcrum of our national economy and growth and, therefore, the concerns of the sector should be considered in determining policy interventions.
Let us break the deadlock.
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