...from the shackles of colonialism to democracy
Published: Thursday, June 26, 2008-06-27
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
51years after gaining independence from the shackles of colonialism, the Executive Director of Imani, the Centre for Human Education, Franklin Cudjoe believes Ghana still has a few more hurdles to cross.
In an interview with The Chronicle, he did a cursory analysis of the transformation processes that Ghana has undergone over the years till date, recollecting how the very leaders who promised paradise during the struggle for independence with chants of ‘we prefer self-government in danger to servitude in tranquillity’ decided to throw overboard all-inclusive approach to managing our resources.
According to him, the various reform programmes, from the citadel of Harvard through the Bretton Woods Institutions (International Monetary Fund and the World Bank) were all flung on faces of Ghanaians.
“From Structural Adjustment Programmes, Programmes of Action to Mitigate the Social Cost of Adjustment, heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative to a host of poverty alleviation garb made the rounds in the country’s economics books”, he said.
For him, all these reform programmes achieved little by themselves, stressing that “the aid attached to them were mere government-to-government transfers, ending up in the pockets of politicians because they were not centred on the common man in the streets.”
That notwithstanding, he noted that a good effect of these reforms was to help open Ghana’s economy to the rest of the world since the conditions for receiving foreign aid was to democratise and liberalise.
Although in fits and starts Ghana’s liberalisation efforts has been boosted by information technology through the use of Information Technology (IT), Mr. Cudjoe said Ghana could improve its economy’s mainstay-agriculture.
“Should excessive tax compliance rules be relaxed, the importation of advanced and superior agricultural technology could boost buffer stocks in maize and rice”, he noted.
Whilst appreciating the fact that technology was being employed to compile a database of lands to establish true ownership and the same technology was helping to computerise the court system to dispense over 60,000 land cases which stand in the way of development, he noted that Ghana’s efforts in the banking industry have been rewarded with a cautious entry of international banks, mostly Nigerian.
Juxtaposing Ghana’s current challenges with what exists in the rich west, according to him leaves the country without any doubt as to which path to follow.
Considering the fact that potential can only unleashed when Ghanaians are allowed to think freely, he emphasised that qualitative nurturing of the mind is important to achieve this progress.
For this reason, Mr. Cudjoe was of the conviction that Capitation Grant purported to achieve higher enrolment numbers in primary schools defeats this important resources since according to him “the cacophonous chaos in the classrooms is a sure recipe for mediocre development of the mind of our young ones.”
In order for Ghana as a country and Africa as a continent to achieve their goals, Imani’s Executive Director noted that incidents of corruption, which accounts for almost 25% of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) needs to be uprooted from the system.
“Perhaps the booty from grand corruption could buy a used computer and printer each for our police stations to keep records of complaints instead of using cheap log papers that tire under wear and tear.”
He further stated that the energy situation in the country could get Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah turning in his grave, considering the fact that not a single mega watt of power have been added to what we already had.
He could also not fathom why access to quality water remains a dream for many Ghanaians whilst diseases of poverty still afflict people.
Mr. Cudjoe could not ask rhetorically “what then are the pillars for a modern economy to take off?”
“Perhaps comparing ourselves to the United States is unfair. But wouldn’t it be laughable to compare ourselves to the very countries we started independent life with-South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia”, he stressed.
At 51, he said, “we need government to stop pretending to be everybody’s keeper and focus on its role of providing protection for privately created wealth while enforcing the rules of just conduct.”
He thus stressed the need for government to leave wealth and job creation to Ghanaians and instead encourage individual efforts at providing superior goods to Ghanaians under humane tax laws.
Above all, he emphasised that government must translate its theoretical understanding of decentralisation into practice and give back economic and political freedom to those who employed it, the masses.
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Friday, June 27, 2008
Expert blames successive gov’ts
…for Ghana’s energy problems
Published: Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
A Senior Lecturer at the Central University College and former Managing Director of Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST), Dr. Kwabena Donkor, has blamed successive governments, for not having the political will to implement policies, to protect the country’s energy sources.
He believes the inability of most of these past and the present government’s, to impose sanctions on the importation of used electrical and electronic appliances, has immensely contributed to the current challenges, the country was facing in the energy sector.
He has thus called for total ban on the importation of used electrical and electronic appliances.
Dr. Donkor was speaking, at the ongoing Students and Young Professionals Liberty Academy (SYPALA), put together by Imani, the Centre for Policy and Education Advancing Freedom and Prosperity, at the Ashesi University in Accra.
He has thus asked the current government, to muster courage and impose a ban on the importation of such products, since it was having a telling effect on Ghana’s energy needs.
This, he said, was evident in the fact the consumption levels of used products, were relatively higher than new ones.
Speaking on the theme ‘Energy Security and the so-called Resource Curse,’ the former Director of the Ghana’s largest petroleum logistics company, BOST, identified used-fridges, stoves, televisions and stereo systems, among products which were energy inefficient.
According to him, this had resulted in a situation where most of these European countries, use Ghana and other developing countries, as dumping grounds to dispose off their waste, asking rhetorically, “they have a problem with disposal, so why should we burden ourselves with the disposal problems of another economy?”
He emphasised that increasingly, energy efficiency had become a major issue in manufacturing, stressing that the newer generation of most electrical gadgets being produced, are more energy efficient than the older ones.
“In the era of high energy prices, efficiency should be our driving word,” Dr. Donkor prescribed.
The seminar, in keeping with the scope of its ambitions, as this year’s biggest educational event, and its objective as a transformative experience in the intellectual life of Africa’s emerging leaders, has sought to assemble some of Ghana’s most renowned thinkers, to deliver a series of lectures, participate in a range of round-table and panel discussions, and lead a number of workshops, and tutorials at Ashesi and the Alisa hotel.
Concerned about the seeming lowering of discourse in recent times, especially with regards to those accessible to emerging leaders, the programme which runs till June 27, 2008 is hosting a residential academy at Ashesi University for students and young professionals across the African continent.
This is in partnership with the London-based International Policy Network (IPN), the Washington-based CATO Institute and the Brussels-based European Enterprise Institute (EEI).
It brought together students and professionals from all walks of life to listen to carefully selected resource fellows.
Executive Director of Imani, Franklin Cudjoe was short of words to describe the depth of knowledge being imparted by the carefully selected resource persons on participants.
He is confidence that the programme would achieve its target considering the level of intellectual discourse since it started on Sunday.
Published: Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
A Senior Lecturer at the Central University College and former Managing Director of Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST), Dr. Kwabena Donkor, has blamed successive governments, for not having the political will to implement policies, to protect the country’s energy sources.
He believes the inability of most of these past and the present government’s, to impose sanctions on the importation of used electrical and electronic appliances, has immensely contributed to the current challenges, the country was facing in the energy sector.
He has thus called for total ban on the importation of used electrical and electronic appliances.
Dr. Donkor was speaking, at the ongoing Students and Young Professionals Liberty Academy (SYPALA), put together by Imani, the Centre for Policy and Education Advancing Freedom and Prosperity, at the Ashesi University in Accra.
He has thus asked the current government, to muster courage and impose a ban on the importation of such products, since it was having a telling effect on Ghana’s energy needs.
This, he said, was evident in the fact the consumption levels of used products, were relatively higher than new ones.
Speaking on the theme ‘Energy Security and the so-called Resource Curse,’ the former Director of the Ghana’s largest petroleum logistics company, BOST, identified used-fridges, stoves, televisions and stereo systems, among products which were energy inefficient.
According to him, this had resulted in a situation where most of these European countries, use Ghana and other developing countries, as dumping grounds to dispose off their waste, asking rhetorically, “they have a problem with disposal, so why should we burden ourselves with the disposal problems of another economy?”
He emphasised that increasingly, energy efficiency had become a major issue in manufacturing, stressing that the newer generation of most electrical gadgets being produced, are more energy efficient than the older ones.
“In the era of high energy prices, efficiency should be our driving word,” Dr. Donkor prescribed.
The seminar, in keeping with the scope of its ambitions, as this year’s biggest educational event, and its objective as a transformative experience in the intellectual life of Africa’s emerging leaders, has sought to assemble some of Ghana’s most renowned thinkers, to deliver a series of lectures, participate in a range of round-table and panel discussions, and lead a number of workshops, and tutorials at Ashesi and the Alisa hotel.
Concerned about the seeming lowering of discourse in recent times, especially with regards to those accessible to emerging leaders, the programme which runs till June 27, 2008 is hosting a residential academy at Ashesi University for students and young professionals across the African continent.
This is in partnership with the London-based International Policy Network (IPN), the Washington-based CATO Institute and the Brussels-based European Enterprise Institute (EEI).
It brought together students and professionals from all walks of life to listen to carefully selected resource fellows.
Executive Director of Imani, Franklin Cudjoe was short of words to describe the depth of knowledge being imparted by the carefully selected resource persons on participants.
He is confidence that the programme would achieve its target considering the level of intellectual discourse since it started on Sunday.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
KOJO TSIKATA SNUBS AWARD
...Says he will not accept any honours from Prez Kufuor
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Hours after his name popped up among the list of persons slated to receive national honours, former Security Coordinator of ex-President Rawlings, Captain (Rtd) Kojo Tsikata has issued a statement rejecting his nomination.
He vowed not to accept any such award from President Kufuor and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, since he could not fathom the processes that led to his name being put on the list of nominees.
In a statement issued and signed by Mr. Tsikata, he noted that “I have now learnt that my name is on the list of persons on whom national honours are to be conferred. Let me put it beyond doubt that I will not accept any honours from Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor or any of his cronies who have blatantly and cynically engaged in a systematic manipulation of the judicial process.”
While abroad, Mr. Tsikata noted that he learnt of what he described as the ‘bizarre’ proceedings in the High Court before Justice Mrs. Henrietta Abban on Wednesday, June 18, 2008, which led to the incarceration of his cousin and former boss of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Tsatsu Tsikata. Immediately the list of nominees was made public, some members of the public subjected the list to a critical analysis, raising questions about the processes that led to the selection of some of the nominees, since in their opinion they do not deserve such national honours.
Some questioned what contributions some of the nominees had made to the nation and how they have positively impacted on the lives of Ghanaians.
Others described the entire exercise as a joke, considering some of the names that had been put out in the tall list of nominees.
The inclusion of President Kufuor’s name on the list has also sparked heated debate, since some consider it to be self-acclaimed.
The name of former President Jerry John Rawlings is also being paraded as a likely recipient of an award among distinguished Ghanaians and foreigners who will be awarded on July 3, 2008.
Though the two, current President Kufuor and former President Rawlings, are expected to be honoured with the newly created highest state award, the Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana, Mr. Rawlings has given indication that he will not accept the honour, since according to his Spokesman, Kofi Adams, he is not ready for any such award from President Kufuor and his NPP government.
Though it not clear whether or not the former President has indeed been nominated for the award, Mr Adams who spoke on various radio stations yesterday, said his boss does not take delight in the award and for that matter will not take it.
He recalled how Mr. Rawlings was virtually subjected to an embarrassment when the University of Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale, nominated him for a similar award.
After a heated debate on whether or not he indeed deserved the award he had been nominated for, he noted that the University finally decided to cancel the nomination, thereby causing an embarrassment to Mr. Rawlings.
For this reason, the Spokesman noted that even if he is nominated this time again for a national award, the former President will not be there to receive it. The new award was instituted by President Kufuor, in accordance with the National Honours Warrant of the Republic of Ghana (1960).
Meanwhile, the ‘Ghanaian Times’ newspaper has quoted Information and National Orientation Minister, Steve Asamoah Boateng as saying that “from what I am privy to, the two will be awarded on July 3, barring any future changes.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Hours after his name popped up among the list of persons slated to receive national honours, former Security Coordinator of ex-President Rawlings, Captain (Rtd) Kojo Tsikata has issued a statement rejecting his nomination.
He vowed not to accept any such award from President Kufuor and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, since he could not fathom the processes that led to his name being put on the list of nominees.
In a statement issued and signed by Mr. Tsikata, he noted that “I have now learnt that my name is on the list of persons on whom national honours are to be conferred. Let me put it beyond doubt that I will not accept any honours from Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor or any of his cronies who have blatantly and cynically engaged in a systematic manipulation of the judicial process.”
While abroad, Mr. Tsikata noted that he learnt of what he described as the ‘bizarre’ proceedings in the High Court before Justice Mrs. Henrietta Abban on Wednesday, June 18, 2008, which led to the incarceration of his cousin and former boss of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Tsatsu Tsikata. Immediately the list of nominees was made public, some members of the public subjected the list to a critical analysis, raising questions about the processes that led to the selection of some of the nominees, since in their opinion they do not deserve such national honours.
Some questioned what contributions some of the nominees had made to the nation and how they have positively impacted on the lives of Ghanaians.
Others described the entire exercise as a joke, considering some of the names that had been put out in the tall list of nominees.
The inclusion of President Kufuor’s name on the list has also sparked heated debate, since some consider it to be self-acclaimed.
The name of former President Jerry John Rawlings is also being paraded as a likely recipient of an award among distinguished Ghanaians and foreigners who will be awarded on July 3, 2008.
Though the two, current President Kufuor and former President Rawlings, are expected to be honoured with the newly created highest state award, the Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana, Mr. Rawlings has given indication that he will not accept the honour, since according to his Spokesman, Kofi Adams, he is not ready for any such award from President Kufuor and his NPP government.
Though it not clear whether or not the former President has indeed been nominated for the award, Mr Adams who spoke on various radio stations yesterday, said his boss does not take delight in the award and for that matter will not take it.
He recalled how Mr. Rawlings was virtually subjected to an embarrassment when the University of Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale, nominated him for a similar award.
After a heated debate on whether or not he indeed deserved the award he had been nominated for, he noted that the University finally decided to cancel the nomination, thereby causing an embarrassment to Mr. Rawlings.
For this reason, the Spokesman noted that even if he is nominated this time again for a national award, the former President will not be there to receive it. The new award was instituted by President Kufuor, in accordance with the National Honours Warrant of the Republic of Ghana (1960).
Meanwhile, the ‘Ghanaian Times’ newspaper has quoted Information and National Orientation Minister, Steve Asamoah Boateng as saying that “from what I am privy to, the two will be awarded on July 3, barring any future changes.”
Friday, June 20, 2008
Mills sees Ghana`s future
…through Nkrumah`s vision
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Friday, June 20, 2008
Though the Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills is not a member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), there is one thing that he seems to love about the party, that is the vision of its founder, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
When Prof. Mills took his turn at the Institution of Economic Affairs (IEA) encounter, he was full of praise for the late President for the legacy he bequeathed to Ghanaians.
He thus promised to chart the cause of Ghana’s first President when given the opportunity to rule Ghana in the upcoming elections. He described Nkrumah as a visionary with great ideas.
He took his time to answer questions put to him by the audience and Joy FM’s Matilda Asante, who had the opportunity to moderate the programme.
Professor Mills, who spoke on a wide range of issues including good governance, economy, agriculture, education, health, energy, law and order and the much talked-about drug trade promised to give Ghanaians a government which would be sensitive to the needs of all citizens.
In his opening remarks, the NDC Flagbearer expressed grave concern about the deplorable conditions under which some Ghanaians live saying, “these are matters of great concern to Ghanaians and I fully share these concerns.”
He made a cursory analysis of Ghana’s economy and deplored how President Kufuor and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government are handling affairs of the country.
According to him, most of the targets set by the government are not being realised, indicating that this was the case for the year 2007 as it was for 2006.
“In these past two years, when you look at the Domestic Primary Balance (DPB), which matches current revenues against current expenditures, so as to assess the ability of a government to live within its means, we see significant negatives– minus 4.60 % of GDP in 2006 and minus 6.70% in 2007,” he emphasised.
For this reason, Prof. Mills said, “I shudder to think what the figures for 2008 are going to look like!”
During his days as vice-President and Chairman of the Economic Management Team, Prof. Mills said “this balance was very positive, registering surpluses– positive 3.21% of GDP in 1997, positive 3.81% of GDP in 1998, positive 2.39% of GDP in 1999 and even in the difficult year, 2000, still registered positive result of 2.30% of GDP.” With confidence, he said, “this was the measure of prudent fiscal management which we shall resume, come January 2009.”
He wondered why the debt of Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) stands over US$1.25 billion and still rising.
This alone, according to him gives an indication that there is no sign of measure being taken to address these economic imbalances, stressing that they rather get worse by the day.
The NDC Flagbearer raised issues with the government saying that the economy is doing well, asking rhetorically “what manner of self-deception is this?”
“We want Ghanaians to judge for themselves which party and which Presidential candidate has more convincing and practical programmes to address the problems that we are confronted with”, Prof. Mills stated.
“I want a better Ghana where no region is left behind in development and where all, regardless of ethnic background feel a sense of belonging.
I promise a government which is responsive to the urgent needs of the vulnerable segments of the society”, he emphasised.
Whilst he recognises poverty as the number one challenge facing this country, he pledged to redefine national priorities, redirect resources to tackle poverty and restore those he described as able-bodied Ghanaians to dignity and employment.
Prof. Mills said he wants to claim the future for the people of this country and like Nkrumah, he stressed that “I am looking ahead, not looking back because I want to leave an enduring legacy of a peaceful and united country, where there is opportunity and prosperity for all. And I want to be remembered as the President who restored honesty, truth and sincerity to government.”
He promised that the NDC’s manifesto for the 2008 elections will be an inspiring one.
Describing some its ideas as big, simple but innovative, the learned professor noted “they are all attainable goals. They will make Ghana a better place for all.”
On how the NDC will fund its plans, the NDC Flagbearer had this to say, “we will begin by cutting out the greed and extravagance of government.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Friday, June 20, 2008
Though the Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills is not a member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), there is one thing that he seems to love about the party, that is the vision of its founder, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
When Prof. Mills took his turn at the Institution of Economic Affairs (IEA) encounter, he was full of praise for the late President for the legacy he bequeathed to Ghanaians.
He thus promised to chart the cause of Ghana’s first President when given the opportunity to rule Ghana in the upcoming elections. He described Nkrumah as a visionary with great ideas.
He took his time to answer questions put to him by the audience and Joy FM’s Matilda Asante, who had the opportunity to moderate the programme.
Professor Mills, who spoke on a wide range of issues including good governance, economy, agriculture, education, health, energy, law and order and the much talked-about drug trade promised to give Ghanaians a government which would be sensitive to the needs of all citizens.
In his opening remarks, the NDC Flagbearer expressed grave concern about the deplorable conditions under which some Ghanaians live saying, “these are matters of great concern to Ghanaians and I fully share these concerns.”
He made a cursory analysis of Ghana’s economy and deplored how President Kufuor and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government are handling affairs of the country.
According to him, most of the targets set by the government are not being realised, indicating that this was the case for the year 2007 as it was for 2006.
“In these past two years, when you look at the Domestic Primary Balance (DPB), which matches current revenues against current expenditures, so as to assess the ability of a government to live within its means, we see significant negatives– minus 4.60 % of GDP in 2006 and minus 6.70% in 2007,” he emphasised.
For this reason, Prof. Mills said, “I shudder to think what the figures for 2008 are going to look like!”
During his days as vice-President and Chairman of the Economic Management Team, Prof. Mills said “this balance was very positive, registering surpluses– positive 3.21% of GDP in 1997, positive 3.81% of GDP in 1998, positive 2.39% of GDP in 1999 and even in the difficult year, 2000, still registered positive result of 2.30% of GDP.” With confidence, he said, “this was the measure of prudent fiscal management which we shall resume, come January 2009.”
He wondered why the debt of Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) stands over US$1.25 billion and still rising.
This alone, according to him gives an indication that there is no sign of measure being taken to address these economic imbalances, stressing that they rather get worse by the day.
The NDC Flagbearer raised issues with the government saying that the economy is doing well, asking rhetorically “what manner of self-deception is this?”
“We want Ghanaians to judge for themselves which party and which Presidential candidate has more convincing and practical programmes to address the problems that we are confronted with”, Prof. Mills stated.
“I want a better Ghana where no region is left behind in development and where all, regardless of ethnic background feel a sense of belonging.
I promise a government which is responsive to the urgent needs of the vulnerable segments of the society”, he emphasised.
Whilst he recognises poverty as the number one challenge facing this country, he pledged to redefine national priorities, redirect resources to tackle poverty and restore those he described as able-bodied Ghanaians to dignity and employment.
Prof. Mills said he wants to claim the future for the people of this country and like Nkrumah, he stressed that “I am looking ahead, not looking back because I want to leave an enduring legacy of a peaceful and united country, where there is opportunity and prosperity for all. And I want to be remembered as the President who restored honesty, truth and sincerity to government.”
He promised that the NDC’s manifesto for the 2008 elections will be an inspiring one.
Describing some its ideas as big, simple but innovative, the learned professor noted “they are all attainable goals. They will make Ghana a better place for all.”
On how the NDC will fund its plans, the NDC Flagbearer had this to say, “we will begin by cutting out the greed and extravagance of government.”
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Payments made easier
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Thursday, June 19, 2008
The management of eTranzact, a customised multi-channel and application electronic and mobile payment platform that enables card holders to conveniently pay for goods and services via the internet, mobile phone, banks’ outlets, ATMs and POS has introduced a wide range of products and services to the Ghanaian market.
The company, which started full operations in the country somewhere last year, seeks to compliment the introduction of eZwich by the Bank of Ghana (BoG). Currently, eTranzact which partners a number of banks including Unibank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Intercontinental Bank, Zenith Bank, Amalgamated Bank and GT Bank has secured connectivity to all the mobile networks in the country, for the development of services to its customers and the general public.
This, according to the company’s Head of Operations, George Babafemi means that all mobile phone users are enabled on its platform.
“We are highly committed to contributing our quota to creating a cashless economy in Ghana, with a solution which is convenient and safe for all persons who make transactions”, he said.
It is pioneering a real time online payment solution for merchants such as organisations, schools, corporate entities and other related services.
Babafemi thus noted that they are highly committed to contributing to creating a cashless economy in Ghana, with a solution that is convenient and safe for all persons who make transactions. He also stressed, “our strength lies in our ability to customise to suit the needs of our numerous merchants. We do not claim to have a perfect solution, but we do have one of the best payment systems in the world.” e
Tranzact’s products include mobile phone top-ups for self and third parties, web payment and e-commerce payment gateway, bill presentation and payment via mobile phone and internet, payment of subscription via mobile phone and internet, mobile banking (mini statement, balance enquiry, mobile money transfers, payments such as salary, wages, revenue collections, insurance premium collections and online and mobile ordering and payment.
eTranzact currently operates in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, United Kingdom and Ghana whilst ground work has almost been completed for a take off in South Africa, Cote D’Ivoire, Uganda, Zambia and Sierra Leone. This Africa coverage is to pave way for eventual travelling by clients without carrying cash across Africa.
The management of eTranzact, a customised multi-channel and application electronic and mobile payment platform that enables card holders to conveniently pay for goods and services via the internet, mobile phone, banks’ outlets, ATMs and POS has introduced a wide range of products and services to the Ghanaian market.
The company, which started full operations in the country somewhere last year, seeks to compliment the introduction of eZwich by the Bank of Ghana (BoG). Currently, eTranzact which partners a number of banks including Unibank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Intercontinental Bank, Zenith Bank, Amalgamated Bank and GT Bank has secured connectivity to all the mobile networks in the country, for the development of services to its customers and the general public.
This, according to the company’s Head of Operations, George Babafemi means that all mobile phone users are enabled on its platform.
“We are highly committed to contributing our quota to creating a cashless economy in Ghana, with a solution which is convenient and safe for all persons who make transactions”, he said.
It is pioneering a real time online payment solution for merchants such as organisations, schools, corporate entities and other related services.
Babafemi thus noted that they are highly committed to contributing to creating a cashless economy in Ghana, with a solution that is convenient and safe for all persons who make transactions. He also stressed, “our strength lies in our ability to customise to suit the needs of our numerous merchants. We do not claim to have a perfect solution, but we do have one of the best payment systems in the world.” e
Tranzact’s products include mobile phone top-ups for self and third parties, web payment and e-commerce payment gateway, bill presentation and payment via mobile phone and internet, payment of subscription via mobile phone and internet, mobile banking (mini statement, balance enquiry, mobile money transfers, payments such as salary, wages, revenue collections, insurance premium collections and online and mobile ordering and payment.
eTranzact currently operates in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, United Kingdom and Ghana whilst ground work has almost been completed for a take off in South Africa, Cote D’Ivoire, Uganda, Zambia and Sierra Leone. This Africa coverage is to pave way for eventual travelling by clients without carrying cash across Africa.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Korle Bu gets new stabilizer
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The nation’s premier Hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has got a replacement for its stabiliser, which broke down barely a year ago at the MRI/CT scan centre.
The newly acquired 422kva stabiliser which was purchased alongside two other automatic voltage regulators is estimated to have cost the Hospital GH ¢112, 000 (¢1.2billion old cedis).
It would power the Hospital’s Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and the Computed Tomography scan machine.
The stabilisers were supplied by Ansa systems, authorised local distributors of Watford Control.
The MRI/CT scan machine was commissioned in the year 2006 at a cost of ¢27.5 billion (GH ¢2.7million).
The machine, however, broke down in May 2007 due to power instability.
The Hospital therefore made arrangements to have voltage regulators installed to ensure stable power supply.
The stabiliser was outdoored by the Hospital’s new Chief Administrator, Professor Nii Otu Nartey and supported by the Director of Medical Affairs, Dr Anang, Director of Administration, Chris Nartey and the Acting Head of the MRI/CT scan centre, Kwaku Hewlett.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging primarily used in Radiology to visualize the structure and function of the body.
It provides detailed images of the body in any plane. MRI provides much greater contrast between the different soft tissues of the body than does Computed Tomography (CT), making it especially useful in neurological (brain), musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and oncological (cancer) imaging.
Unlike CT, it uses no ionising radiation, but uses a powerful magnetic field to align the nuclear magnetisation of (usually) hydrogen atoms in water in the body.
The nation’s premier Hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has got a replacement for its stabiliser, which broke down barely a year ago at the MRI/CT scan centre.
The newly acquired 422kva stabiliser which was purchased alongside two other automatic voltage regulators is estimated to have cost the Hospital GH ¢112, 000 (¢1.2billion old cedis).
It would power the Hospital’s Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and the Computed Tomography scan machine.
The stabilisers were supplied by Ansa systems, authorised local distributors of Watford Control.
The MRI/CT scan machine was commissioned in the year 2006 at a cost of ¢27.5 billion (GH ¢2.7million).
The machine, however, broke down in May 2007 due to power instability.
The Hospital therefore made arrangements to have voltage regulators installed to ensure stable power supply.
The stabiliser was outdoored by the Hospital’s new Chief Administrator, Professor Nii Otu Nartey and supported by the Director of Medical Affairs, Dr Anang, Director of Administration, Chris Nartey and the Acting Head of the MRI/CT scan centre, Kwaku Hewlett.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging primarily used in Radiology to visualize the structure and function of the body.
It provides detailed images of the body in any plane. MRI provides much greater contrast between the different soft tissues of the body than does Computed Tomography (CT), making it especially useful in neurological (brain), musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and oncological (cancer) imaging.
Unlike CT, it uses no ionising radiation, but uses a powerful magnetic field to align the nuclear magnetisation of (usually) hydrogen atoms in water in the body.
CPP to extend parliament abroad
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The leadership of Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP) are divided over certain proposals being considered for inclusion in its yet to be outdoored manifesto. Credible information picked up by the paper has it that certain high-ranking members of the party have proposed that the CPP should insert in its manifesto, a clause that would enable Ghanaians living abroad to have direct representation in the country’s Parliament.
The proposal, which has generated heated arguments among the leadership of the party, according to sources, has largely contributed to the delay in outdooring of its manifesto.
The debate has risen out of the fact that some high ranking members of the party have questioned why the CPP would reject the Representation of the People’s
Amendment Law (ROPAL) in principle and yet turn round to introduce such a proposition in its manifesto. There are those who think it is too generous to Ghanaians living abroad whilst others think it will play to their political advantage.
Some also believe it is the right thing to do in this age of globalization.
One of the key supporters of the proposal is the Chairman of the Research Committee of the Party, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, but the old guards of the party are strongly opposed to it.
Chairman of the party’s Publicity Committee, Kosi Dedey told this reporter in a telephone interview that the subject is a proposal that might not be incorporated in the final manifesto.
Under the tenets of the proposal, Ghanaian groups abroad would be zoned so that each zone would elect one person to represent them in Parliament at their own expense.
The party intends to have in its manifesto representative each from Ghanaian associations from geographic areas namely the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
It is also not clear whether the proposal would mean an increase in the number of seats in Parliament and whether the Electoral Commission (EC) would play a role in the election of the representatives in the various global zones.
Proponents say the proposal is a win-win proposition that would give Ghanaians living abroad the opportunity to raise issues of interest through the representatives they would elect to Parliament, while at the same time contributing to the development of the land of their birth.
The leadership of Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP) are divided over certain proposals being considered for inclusion in its yet to be outdoored manifesto. Credible information picked up by the paper has it that certain high-ranking members of the party have proposed that the CPP should insert in its manifesto, a clause that would enable Ghanaians living abroad to have direct representation in the country’s Parliament.
The proposal, which has generated heated arguments among the leadership of the party, according to sources, has largely contributed to the delay in outdooring of its manifesto.
The debate has risen out of the fact that some high ranking members of the party have questioned why the CPP would reject the Representation of the People’s
Amendment Law (ROPAL) in principle and yet turn round to introduce such a proposition in its manifesto. There are those who think it is too generous to Ghanaians living abroad whilst others think it will play to their political advantage.
Some also believe it is the right thing to do in this age of globalization.
One of the key supporters of the proposal is the Chairman of the Research Committee of the Party, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, but the old guards of the party are strongly opposed to it.
Chairman of the party’s Publicity Committee, Kosi Dedey told this reporter in a telephone interview that the subject is a proposal that might not be incorporated in the final manifesto.
Under the tenets of the proposal, Ghanaian groups abroad would be zoned so that each zone would elect one person to represent them in Parliament at their own expense.
The party intends to have in its manifesto representative each from Ghanaian associations from geographic areas namely the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
It is also not clear whether the proposal would mean an increase in the number of seats in Parliament and whether the Electoral Commission (EC) would play a role in the election of the representatives in the various global zones.
Proponents say the proposal is a win-win proposition that would give Ghanaians living abroad the opportunity to raise issues of interest through the representatives they would elect to Parliament, while at the same time contributing to the development of the land of their birth.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Ghana: Chief Regrets Not Writing a Book
Posted to the web July 5, 2006
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
SEVERAL YEARS after leaving the teaching profession, Nana Yeboah AfariObuogyan II, chief of Obo Traditional Area in Kwahu, Eastern Region,has regretted not releasing a publication.He regrets that after 40 years of extensive teaching, he does not havea single publication to his credit."Having taught for 40 long years, I am ashamed I have not written asingle book," he said.Having been the principal and head of several educationalinstitutions, he believes he could have written a couple of books todevelop education in the country.He has therefore stressed the need to inculcate the habit of writingand reading into all children of school-going age to develop andmaximize their potentials in education.Speaking at the launch of 'Octagon', a book on vocabulary to provide amulti-lingua guide for schools and beginners in English, French,Arabic, Hausa, Twi, or Akan, Ga, Ewe and Dagbani, the Chief noted thatit was about time Ghanaians took up the challenge to develop ourlanguages to be accepted by the international community.According to him, there was an urgent need for Ghanaians to committhemselves into studying our local languages and develop them to beaccepted as the English and French languages that have been acclaimedby the international community with most annexing them as their secondlanguages.This, he said, would make teaching and learning much easier sinceGhanaians would feel better and comfortable using their own languagesduring examination periods.Malaysia is one of such countries that have developed its locallanguages to an extent that it translates foreign languages andexamination questions into their local language for better understanding.This is said to be one of the reasons why that country is highlyranked in the Association of Chartered Accountants (ACA) examinationin which they score high marks because they better understand and givemore accurate answers.On her part, Mrs. Rosemond Asiamah Nkansah, author of Octagon,reiterated the need for Ghanaians to adopt their own mother languages.According to her, the speaking of 'pidgin English' by Ghanaianstudents was gradually affecting the level of written and spokenlanguage in the country.She said it was evident in the poor writing skills exhibited bystudents of this country lately and also spoke against the poorreading habit of Ghanaian students."The sort of language that people speak nowadays, I don't even know,"she bemoaned. "We want to see our language grow to be acceptedinternationally".
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
SEVERAL YEARS after leaving the teaching profession, Nana Yeboah AfariObuogyan II, chief of Obo Traditional Area in Kwahu, Eastern Region,has regretted not releasing a publication.He regrets that after 40 years of extensive teaching, he does not havea single publication to his credit."Having taught for 40 long years, I am ashamed I have not written asingle book," he said.Having been the principal and head of several educationalinstitutions, he believes he could have written a couple of books todevelop education in the country.He has therefore stressed the need to inculcate the habit of writingand reading into all children of school-going age to develop andmaximize their potentials in education.Speaking at the launch of 'Octagon', a book on vocabulary to provide amulti-lingua guide for schools and beginners in English, French,Arabic, Hausa, Twi, or Akan, Ga, Ewe and Dagbani, the Chief noted thatit was about time Ghanaians took up the challenge to develop ourlanguages to be accepted by the international community.According to him, there was an urgent need for Ghanaians to committhemselves into studying our local languages and develop them to beaccepted as the English and French languages that have been acclaimedby the international community with most annexing them as their secondlanguages.This, he said, would make teaching and learning much easier sinceGhanaians would feel better and comfortable using their own languagesduring examination periods.Malaysia is one of such countries that have developed its locallanguages to an extent that it translates foreign languages andexamination questions into their local language for better understanding.This is said to be one of the reasons why that country is highlyranked in the Association of Chartered Accountants (ACA) examinationin which they score high marks because they better understand and givemore accurate answers.On her part, Mrs. Rosemond Asiamah Nkansah, author of Octagon,reiterated the need for Ghanaians to adopt their own mother languages.According to her, the speaking of 'pidgin English' by Ghanaianstudents was gradually affecting the level of written and spokenlanguage in the country.She said it was evident in the poor writing skills exhibited bystudents of this country lately and also spoke against the poorreading habit of Ghanaian students."The sort of language that people speak nowadays, I don't even know,"she bemoaned. "We want to see our language grow to be acceptedinternationally".
Ghana: Tussle over VP slot in ruling party underway
story by Charles Takyi-Boadu.
Though talks between the National Executive Council of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen have not yet ended to determine whether or not the latter would rescind his earlier decision and stage a comeback to the party, there are, indications of intense lobbying for him to be made the Running Mate of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the party’s Flag bearer.
Party sources have hinted that handlers and supporters of ‘Alan Cash’, the man who resigned from the party a couple of weeks ago have started intense lobbying for him to be given the position of running mate to pacify the soul of the aggrieved defeated Presidential hopeful. Sources close to the NPP have told The Chronicle that this is what has compelled President Kufuor to wade into the affair, since they believe that the exit of Alan, considering the votes he polled at the party’s December congress, has a tendency of affecting its fortunes in the upcoming general elections.
The setting up of a committee to look into his concerns is thus considered an opportunity for Alan to give some conditions for the party’s consideration before he finally rescinds his decision. The lobbying for Alan begun during his supposed ‘thank you’ tour to parts of the Volta region, when some polling station executives in Sogakope, Ho and Hohoe rooted for him to be considered for the position. This, they said was in view of Alan’s overwhelming popularity and ability to attract votes, a quality that cuts across party lines.
Their reason was that this would boost the party’s chances of securing total victory in the 2008 presidential elections in view of his charisma, popularity and vote-winning qualities. For that matter, some of his supporters and handlers are said to have gone to the extent of pushing Alan to ask the leadership of the party to make him Nana Addo’s Running Mate, as a pre-condition for his comeback to the party.Meanwhile, big wigs in the party who the paper spoke to on condition of anonymity have discarded the suggestion, since in their opinions it would be more than a suicide mission for the party to make such a choice.
For them it would be a dangerous precedence and should not be considered. For having resigned from the party when efforts were made to address his concerns, they noted that Alan has proven not to be a thorough bred politician since according to them; he cannot withstand the tests of time. This is what the likes of party big wigs, B. J Da Rocha and Hackman Owusu Agyemang greatly detest and protest against; for an individual to hold the entire Dankwa-Busia tradition to ransom.
When news of Alan’s resignation broke, Hackman was one of the people who was accused of having frustrated the efforts of one of Alan’s supporters who was contesting him in the New Juaben constituency’s Parliamentary primary. Though he expressed regret at Alan’s decision to quit the party, he asked him to stop the blame game and leave the rest of them to work. He did not mince words when he said Alan’s resignation would not in anyway affect the chances of Nana Addo or the party in the upcoming elections.
Just last Friday, another old horse, Mr. B.J Da Rocha who was earlier tasked to mediate the process of bringing Alan Kyerematen back to the party after his infamous resignation, called off Alan’s bluff.For him, it would not only be bad but also a dangerous precedence for the NPP to allow any member to dictate to the party the terms on which he will continue to be a member. In a statement, Mr. Da Rocha noted “I think Mr. Kyerematen is bluffing the party.” For this reason, he asked the party not to tolerate such a bluff.
In his considered view, it would not be in the best interest of the NPP to receive Alan back into the party, since according to him “he will become a disruptive factor in the party, a stumbling block, a loose canon.”Mr. Da Rocha noted with surprise the statement issued by Alan for the reason that he had written to party Chairman, Peter Mac Manu resigning his membership.
Though talks between the National Executive Council of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen have not yet ended to determine whether or not the latter would rescind his earlier decision and stage a comeback to the party, there are, indications of intense lobbying for him to be made the Running Mate of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the party’s Flag bearer.
Party sources have hinted that handlers and supporters of ‘Alan Cash’, the man who resigned from the party a couple of weeks ago have started intense lobbying for him to be given the position of running mate to pacify the soul of the aggrieved defeated Presidential hopeful. Sources close to the NPP have told The Chronicle that this is what has compelled President Kufuor to wade into the affair, since they believe that the exit of Alan, considering the votes he polled at the party’s December congress, has a tendency of affecting its fortunes in the upcoming general elections.
The setting up of a committee to look into his concerns is thus considered an opportunity for Alan to give some conditions for the party’s consideration before he finally rescinds his decision. The lobbying for Alan begun during his supposed ‘thank you’ tour to parts of the Volta region, when some polling station executives in Sogakope, Ho and Hohoe rooted for him to be considered for the position. This, they said was in view of Alan’s overwhelming popularity and ability to attract votes, a quality that cuts across party lines.
Their reason was that this would boost the party’s chances of securing total victory in the 2008 presidential elections in view of his charisma, popularity and vote-winning qualities. For that matter, some of his supporters and handlers are said to have gone to the extent of pushing Alan to ask the leadership of the party to make him Nana Addo’s Running Mate, as a pre-condition for his comeback to the party.Meanwhile, big wigs in the party who the paper spoke to on condition of anonymity have discarded the suggestion, since in their opinions it would be more than a suicide mission for the party to make such a choice.
For them it would be a dangerous precedence and should not be considered. For having resigned from the party when efforts were made to address his concerns, they noted that Alan has proven not to be a thorough bred politician since according to them; he cannot withstand the tests of time. This is what the likes of party big wigs, B. J Da Rocha and Hackman Owusu Agyemang greatly detest and protest against; for an individual to hold the entire Dankwa-Busia tradition to ransom.
When news of Alan’s resignation broke, Hackman was one of the people who was accused of having frustrated the efforts of one of Alan’s supporters who was contesting him in the New Juaben constituency’s Parliamentary primary. Though he expressed regret at Alan’s decision to quit the party, he asked him to stop the blame game and leave the rest of them to work. He did not mince words when he said Alan’s resignation would not in anyway affect the chances of Nana Addo or the party in the upcoming elections.
Just last Friday, another old horse, Mr. B.J Da Rocha who was earlier tasked to mediate the process of bringing Alan Kyerematen back to the party after his infamous resignation, called off Alan’s bluff.For him, it would not only be bad but also a dangerous precedence for the NPP to allow any member to dictate to the party the terms on which he will continue to be a member. In a statement, Mr. Da Rocha noted “I think Mr. Kyerematen is bluffing the party.” For this reason, he asked the party not to tolerate such a bluff.
In his considered view, it would not be in the best interest of the NPP to receive Alan back into the party, since according to him “he will become a disruptive factor in the party, a stumbling block, a loose canon.”Mr. Da Rocha noted with surprise the statement issued by Alan for the reason that he had written to party Chairman, Peter Mac Manu resigning his membership.
Ghana: Retail trade under siege
Information gathered by The Chronicle points to a looming threat in the country, as the executive and members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) are gearing up for a massive demonstration to hit the streets of Accra in the next couple of weeks.By Ghanaian Chronicle (Ghana), by Charles Takyi-Boadu 11.09.2005
Indications are that members of the association have girded up their loins long ago, for what insiders consider to be probably the worst demonstration ever to hit the capital city over their dissatisfaction with foreigners' invasion into areas of the retail sector of businesses, stipulated under our laws to be the preserve of indigenous Ghanaians.
Though the leadership of the association has refused to either confirm or deny this information through the paper's fact-finding mission, reliable sources close to the leadership have hinted that though the leadership has so far restrained members, they may not be able to contain them for long.
Some shop owners of the association told the paper last week that should the authorities fail to take positive steps in forestalling the unrestrained invasion, nothing can hold them back from taking to the streets.
Sources, hinted that notwithstanding the several attempts by the association and other equally concerned bodies to draw the attention of government and other stakeholders of the dangers indigenous businesses are exposed to, little or virtually nothing has been done to forestall what is predicted to be a doom for the economy.
The influx of these foreigners, mostly from the sub-region and China, into the retail area, according to observers, does not only threaten indigenous businesses but also result in a massive evasion of the country's tax system as well as pose security problems, since most of these foreigners are said not to have valid traveling and working documents to enable monitoring of their activities.
Some of the traders believed that all these activities are being allowed to go on under the pretext of ECOWAS protocols, which contravene our sovereign laws on investment.
The situation has prompted many to raise doubts about the vigilance of government and other security agencies in regulating the activities of foreigners in this country, leading to a feeling of insecurity among traders in none than their own country.
Some traders the paper spoke to, expressed grave concern about the strict security checks and at times abuses that they are taken through anytime they were on business trips to countries like Nigeria and Togo, also ECOWAS member countries.
According to most of them, one was not even allowed to sell products from the Ghanaian market in those countries, let alone go into competition with their indigenous businesses and products, as we allowed them to do in this country, as if there are virtually no laws and statutes protecting indigenous businesses.
"Master, just think of the recent action of the Nigerian government to ban the importation of Ghanaian products into that country, what do you think it was about? Nothing, but to protect national sovereignty and indigenous businesses," said the President of the Ghana Electrical Dealers' Association (GEDA), Mr. J. K. Obeng.
He wondered why the Ghanaian government could, like our neighbours do, enforce the provisions of the investment code, in the interest of local traders, as these activities compound the problem of capital flight we are all complaining about.
Mr. Obeng further indicated that they were not against foreigners trading in Ghana, but that they must find their levels. He said the scale envisaged under our laws for them is as demonstrated by Melcom, Max Mart and a few others, and appealed to the authorities to ensure that others got into that scale of trading, but not to displace the indigenous retailer.
Some of the traders questioned whether the Ghanaian government gives credence to national sovereignty and constitutional provisions or kowtow to unfavorable international protocols, which have severe implications for the economy.
Indications are that members of the association have girded up their loins long ago, for what insiders consider to be probably the worst demonstration ever to hit the capital city over their dissatisfaction with foreigners' invasion into areas of the retail sector of businesses, stipulated under our laws to be the preserve of indigenous Ghanaians.
Though the leadership of the association has refused to either confirm or deny this information through the paper's fact-finding mission, reliable sources close to the leadership have hinted that though the leadership has so far restrained members, they may not be able to contain them for long.
Some shop owners of the association told the paper last week that should the authorities fail to take positive steps in forestalling the unrestrained invasion, nothing can hold them back from taking to the streets.
Sources, hinted that notwithstanding the several attempts by the association and other equally concerned bodies to draw the attention of government and other stakeholders of the dangers indigenous businesses are exposed to, little or virtually nothing has been done to forestall what is predicted to be a doom for the economy.
The influx of these foreigners, mostly from the sub-region and China, into the retail area, according to observers, does not only threaten indigenous businesses but also result in a massive evasion of the country's tax system as well as pose security problems, since most of these foreigners are said not to have valid traveling and working documents to enable monitoring of their activities.
Some of the traders believed that all these activities are being allowed to go on under the pretext of ECOWAS protocols, which contravene our sovereign laws on investment.
The situation has prompted many to raise doubts about the vigilance of government and other security agencies in regulating the activities of foreigners in this country, leading to a feeling of insecurity among traders in none than their own country.
Some traders the paper spoke to, expressed grave concern about the strict security checks and at times abuses that they are taken through anytime they were on business trips to countries like Nigeria and Togo, also ECOWAS member countries.
According to most of them, one was not even allowed to sell products from the Ghanaian market in those countries, let alone go into competition with their indigenous businesses and products, as we allowed them to do in this country, as if there are virtually no laws and statutes protecting indigenous businesses.
"Master, just think of the recent action of the Nigerian government to ban the importation of Ghanaian products into that country, what do you think it was about? Nothing, but to protect national sovereignty and indigenous businesses," said the President of the Ghana Electrical Dealers' Association (GEDA), Mr. J. K. Obeng.
He wondered why the Ghanaian government could, like our neighbours do, enforce the provisions of the investment code, in the interest of local traders, as these activities compound the problem of capital flight we are all complaining about.
Mr. Obeng further indicated that they were not against foreigners trading in Ghana, but that they must find their levels. He said the scale envisaged under our laws for them is as demonstrated by Melcom, Max Mart and a few others, and appealed to the authorities to ensure that others got into that scale of trading, but not to displace the indigenous retailer.
Some of the traders questioned whether the Ghanaian government gives credence to national sovereignty and constitutional provisions or kowtow to unfavorable international protocols, which have severe implications for the economy.
Ghana: Corruption rife in health sector
By Charles Takyi-Boadu and Lisa Boeckers 02.02.2006
Transparency International’s 2006 Global Corruption report has identified the health sector as a corruption prone area with evidence of bribery and fraud across the breadth of medical services.
This is said to have emanated from petty thievery and extortion, to massive distortions of health policy and funding, fed by payoffs to officials in the sector.
The report shines a strong light on the US$3trillion global industry, exposing a maze of complex and opaque systems that are a fertile field for corruption.
The global anti-corruption institution also identified certain characteristics that make all health systems, whether public or private funded and whether located in rich or poor countries, vulnerable to corruption.
In Ghana, for instance, it noted that there is corruption at various stages of the health care process, which is manifested in delivery and access to proper healthcare.
Mr. Daniel Batidam, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a local chapter of Transparency Internal, who outdoored the report in Accra, wondered why health officials sometimes give patients wrong information in order to line their pockets.
According to him, the situation has led to instances where it has become easy for a patient to be told there are no drugs at a hospitals dispensary, but upon payment of informal fees (bribes), drugs are provided.
He noted that at other times, patients are referred to dispensary of pharmaceutical shops owned by the same doctors and pharmacists who refer them.
Also, he identified the poor management; supervision and fraudulent manipulation of excess hours of work payment, which he said, end up causing huge financial losses to the hospital or public purse.
He cited the instance of health workers registering the time they wait at the hospital to be picked home as extra hours for overtime payment, and that of some workers dodging regular working hours, with excuses, for their personal assignments outside the clinic or hospital and yet registering extra working hours for overtime payments, as typical examples.
He further indicated that top officials overemphasize and over-indulge in construction works in order to generate opportunities to attract contractors, often resulting in kickbacks, praises and favours at the expense of providing optimum hospital requirements and facilities for efficient and effective maintenance of health service delivery.
Often, he noted, a couple of corrupt health suppliers bribe public authorities, such as the Standards Board and the Food and Drugs Board, to enable them to sell fake drugs to hospitals and unsuspecting consumers.
As TI Chief Executive David Nussbaum rightly pointed, “Corruption eats away the public trust in medical community. People have a right to expect that the drugs they depend on are real; they have the right to think that the doctors place a patient’s interests above profits; and most of all, they have the right to believe that the health care industry is there to cure and not to kill”
Batidam however acknowledged mechanisms being put in place by government and other stakeholders to address the problem of corruption, which cuts across all edges in society through strengthening the internal audit system across all ministries and departments that he said are necessary safeguards.
He also acknowledged efforts being made by the Public Procurement Board to help address the problem of corruption in public procurement, stressing that these efforts appear to be yielding modest results.
The procurement law, he said has alerted public servants to realize that flouting it is punishable by a term of imprisonment.
In this regard, Batidam stressed the need for more transparency in the healthcare system, urging government to grant easy access to information on key aspects of health related projects, budgets and policies.
To forestall corrupt practices in the health sector, he said Ghanaians must adopt and enforce codes of conducts for health workers and private sector companies, and provide on-going anti-corruption training.
He also called for the strict enforcement of laws and rules of conflict of interest to ban companies that indulge in corrupt practices from future bidding.
On an even more serious note, recommended the transfer of directors of procurement in MDA’s every two years, not necessarily out of the region but to a different MDA, to minimize the incidence of internal collusion.
To facilitate the prosecution of health workers who engage in corrupt practices, he noted that there must be a robust whistleblower protection for both government employees and private sector employees.
With this, he noted, every body could have confidence in the country’s health delivery system and a value for one’s money.
Transparency International’s 2006 Global Corruption report has identified the health sector as a corruption prone area with evidence of bribery and fraud across the breadth of medical services.
This is said to have emanated from petty thievery and extortion, to massive distortions of health policy and funding, fed by payoffs to officials in the sector.
The report shines a strong light on the US$3trillion global industry, exposing a maze of complex and opaque systems that are a fertile field for corruption.
The global anti-corruption institution also identified certain characteristics that make all health systems, whether public or private funded and whether located in rich or poor countries, vulnerable to corruption.
In Ghana, for instance, it noted that there is corruption at various stages of the health care process, which is manifested in delivery and access to proper healthcare.
Mr. Daniel Batidam, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a local chapter of Transparency Internal, who outdoored the report in Accra, wondered why health officials sometimes give patients wrong information in order to line their pockets.
According to him, the situation has led to instances where it has become easy for a patient to be told there are no drugs at a hospitals dispensary, but upon payment of informal fees (bribes), drugs are provided.
He noted that at other times, patients are referred to dispensary of pharmaceutical shops owned by the same doctors and pharmacists who refer them.
Also, he identified the poor management; supervision and fraudulent manipulation of excess hours of work payment, which he said, end up causing huge financial losses to the hospital or public purse.
He cited the instance of health workers registering the time they wait at the hospital to be picked home as extra hours for overtime payment, and that of some workers dodging regular working hours, with excuses, for their personal assignments outside the clinic or hospital and yet registering extra working hours for overtime payments, as typical examples.
He further indicated that top officials overemphasize and over-indulge in construction works in order to generate opportunities to attract contractors, often resulting in kickbacks, praises and favours at the expense of providing optimum hospital requirements and facilities for efficient and effective maintenance of health service delivery.
Often, he noted, a couple of corrupt health suppliers bribe public authorities, such as the Standards Board and the Food and Drugs Board, to enable them to sell fake drugs to hospitals and unsuspecting consumers.
As TI Chief Executive David Nussbaum rightly pointed, “Corruption eats away the public trust in medical community. People have a right to expect that the drugs they depend on are real; they have the right to think that the doctors place a patient’s interests above profits; and most of all, they have the right to believe that the health care industry is there to cure and not to kill”
Batidam however acknowledged mechanisms being put in place by government and other stakeholders to address the problem of corruption, which cuts across all edges in society through strengthening the internal audit system across all ministries and departments that he said are necessary safeguards.
He also acknowledged efforts being made by the Public Procurement Board to help address the problem of corruption in public procurement, stressing that these efforts appear to be yielding modest results.
The procurement law, he said has alerted public servants to realize that flouting it is punishable by a term of imprisonment.
In this regard, Batidam stressed the need for more transparency in the healthcare system, urging government to grant easy access to information on key aspects of health related projects, budgets and policies.
To forestall corrupt practices in the health sector, he said Ghanaians must adopt and enforce codes of conducts for health workers and private sector companies, and provide on-going anti-corruption training.
He also called for the strict enforcement of laws and rules of conflict of interest to ban companies that indulge in corrupt practices from future bidding.
On an even more serious note, recommended the transfer of directors of procurement in MDA’s every two years, not necessarily out of the region but to a different MDA, to minimize the incidence of internal collusion.
To facilitate the prosecution of health workers who engage in corrupt practices, he noted that there must be a robust whistleblower protection for both government employees and private sector employees.
With this, he noted, every body could have confidence in the country’s health delivery system and a value for one’s money.
Keep your eagle eyes on Ghana`s elections
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2008
Professor John Evans Atta Mills, the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) flag bearer aspirant has reiterated his position that no attempt should be made to rig this year’s elections, because he can no more control the emotions of the people should that happen.
He gave the warning when officials of the United States Department of State called on him at his Kuku Hill office in Osu, Accra.
The NDC flag bearer condemned what happened in the year 2004, when the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) called the elections even before the Electoral Commission (EC) finally came out with its verdict and therefore called for a level playing field in the upcoming elections.
Though he assured them of his preparedness to do everything within his mandate to maintain peace before and after the elections, Professor Mills said, “however, it would be difficult to prevail on aggrieved persons this time around if what happened in 2004, by way of the NPP declaring itself winner, repeats itself.”
Prof. Mills, however, assured the State Department that he and his party are committed to fully respect the democratic terrain of Ghana, and would do everything within their power to ensure a non-violent election.
The NDC leader did not hide his misgivings about some happenings regarding the build up to this year’s election, and therefore asked the United States and the International Community to continuously keep an eye on Ghana.
Prof. Mills specifically mentioned the issue of the over 100% growth in voter population between 2004 and 2006 in 13 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
Explaining his reasons in requesting for international observers to be part of this year’s electoral process, he said it was not for the lack of faith in local observers, but because of the need for all to be on board to make sure Ghana does not go down the slippery path of post election disturbances elsewhere.
“It is a matter of fact that America upholds the tenets of true democracy and it is my hope that you will do whatever it takes to ensure that Ghana’s nascent democracy finds a solid feet to walk on,” he said.
“I have had occasion to ask the Carter Center and other international bodies to keep their focus on Ghana throughout this year, because it is important to closely monitor the whole process and not only what happens on election day” he added.
When given the opportunity to govern this country, the NDC’s flag bearer aspirant said he would be President for Ghana and not President for the NDC and would make sure that opportunities abound for all, and not for a selected few.
With the benefit of lessons learnt elsewhere, he pledged that his government would make sure that Ghana’s oil discovery remains a blessing and not a curse.
On behalf of the United States government, Mr. Thomas Dougherty, the Director of West African Affairs of the United States Department of State, pledged that Washington would support only one group – which is the people of Ghana, and not any political party.
“We will pay attention to what happens in Ghana, but we will stay neutral. Washington will not take sides” said Mr. Dougherty.
Mr. Dougherty also expressed his appreciation to Professor Mills for his commitment to a non-violent election and said his government will do everything it can to impress upon all those who matter in the electoral process, to make sure that there is an even playing field for all parties.
With Professor Mills, was, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, NDC running mate in the last general election.
Mr. Brian W. Shukan, First Secretary and Chief of Political Section, U.S Embassy, Accra accompanied Mr. Dougherty.
Professor John Evans Atta Mills, the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) flag bearer aspirant has reiterated his position that no attempt should be made to rig this year’s elections, because he can no more control the emotions of the people should that happen.
He gave the warning when officials of the United States Department of State called on him at his Kuku Hill office in Osu, Accra.
The NDC flag bearer condemned what happened in the year 2004, when the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) called the elections even before the Electoral Commission (EC) finally came out with its verdict and therefore called for a level playing field in the upcoming elections.
Though he assured them of his preparedness to do everything within his mandate to maintain peace before and after the elections, Professor Mills said, “however, it would be difficult to prevail on aggrieved persons this time around if what happened in 2004, by way of the NPP declaring itself winner, repeats itself.”
Prof. Mills, however, assured the State Department that he and his party are committed to fully respect the democratic terrain of Ghana, and would do everything within their power to ensure a non-violent election.
The NDC leader did not hide his misgivings about some happenings regarding the build up to this year’s election, and therefore asked the United States and the International Community to continuously keep an eye on Ghana.
Prof. Mills specifically mentioned the issue of the over 100% growth in voter population between 2004 and 2006 in 13 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
Explaining his reasons in requesting for international observers to be part of this year’s electoral process, he said it was not for the lack of faith in local observers, but because of the need for all to be on board to make sure Ghana does not go down the slippery path of post election disturbances elsewhere.
“It is a matter of fact that America upholds the tenets of true democracy and it is my hope that you will do whatever it takes to ensure that Ghana’s nascent democracy finds a solid feet to walk on,” he said.
“I have had occasion to ask the Carter Center and other international bodies to keep their focus on Ghana throughout this year, because it is important to closely monitor the whole process and not only what happens on election day” he added.
When given the opportunity to govern this country, the NDC’s flag bearer aspirant said he would be President for Ghana and not President for the NDC and would make sure that opportunities abound for all, and not for a selected few.
With the benefit of lessons learnt elsewhere, he pledged that his government would make sure that Ghana’s oil discovery remains a blessing and not a curse.
On behalf of the United States government, Mr. Thomas Dougherty, the Director of West African Affairs of the United States Department of State, pledged that Washington would support only one group – which is the people of Ghana, and not any political party.
“We will pay attention to what happens in Ghana, but we will stay neutral. Washington will not take sides” said Mr. Dougherty.
Mr. Dougherty also expressed his appreciation to Professor Mills for his commitment to a non-violent election and said his government will do everything it can to impress upon all those who matter in the electoral process, to make sure that there is an even playing field for all parties.
With Professor Mills, was, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, NDC running mate in the last general election.
Mr. Brian W. Shukan, First Secretary and Chief of Political Section, U.S Embassy, Accra accompanied Mr. Dougherty.
MP mounts pulpit to pray for country`s salvation
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Thursday, April 19, 2007
Mr. Samuel Nii Ayitey Attoh, MP for Trebu AmasamanA MEMBER of Parliament over the weekend mounted the pulpit, praying to God to intervene in the numerous problems that have bedeviled the nation in recent times.
Mr. S.N.A Attoh, The Member of Parliament for Trebu Amasaman was speaking at the dedication of a ¢600 million church complex for the New Life Historic Adventist church at Osofoiman in the Ga West district.
For him, the challenges of Ghana call for rededication of our individual and collective lives to God for redirection.
He premised his statement on the belief that “no nation would be able to succeed without God’s blessing”.
The Legislator thus says if Ghanaians want progress and advancement, they must purify themselves and abhor evil that militates against the nation.
He prayed to God for his intervention and to also let his face shine upon Ghana as a country.
Mr. Attoh took the opportunity to urge Christians to be catalysts and change the lives of people who have not surrendered themselves to Jesus Christ and wallow in sin.
On his part, Pastor Joseph Class-Peters, the Area Pastor of the New Life Historic Adventist church noted that since corruption, fraud, envy and hatred still prevail in the country, it would be extremely difficult for Ghana to develop.
He said this was affecting the fortunes of the country, with resultant development retardation. He noted that it was incumbent on all Ghanaians, especially those in high places and at decision-making levels, to move the country forward.
“It is a pity that despite what the Bible teaches us against stealing, murder, adultery, hatred and envy, some Ghanaians are deeply involved in murdering their brothers and sisters for money,” he said.
He emphasized that most of these acts were committed by some influential people who he accused of stealing monies meant for the development of the country.
Though the country has attained a level of development after 50years of independence, he stressed that there was still more to be done for Ghanaians to live up to the relevance of our independence.
He therefore stated that, it was high time Ghanaians put their efforts together to move the country forward by leaving the past behind them saying, “the time to build this nation is now”.
If Ghanaians unite and work harder than before, he emphasized that the country could become as great as the United States, Britain, Germany and France.
The District Chief Executive for Ga West District, Mr. Quartey Papafio called for a new generation of youth who would lead a crusade to bring discipline to the nation.
For him, what Ghana lacks is the fear of God and discipline hence appealed to church leaders, youth groups and Non Governmental Organizations to rise up to help break the chain of indiscipline and immorality in the country.
Mr. Samuel Nii Ayitey Attoh, MP for Trebu AmasamanA MEMBER of Parliament over the weekend mounted the pulpit, praying to God to intervene in the numerous problems that have bedeviled the nation in recent times.
Mr. S.N.A Attoh, The Member of Parliament for Trebu Amasaman was speaking at the dedication of a ¢600 million church complex for the New Life Historic Adventist church at Osofoiman in the Ga West district.
For him, the challenges of Ghana call for rededication of our individual and collective lives to God for redirection.
He premised his statement on the belief that “no nation would be able to succeed without God’s blessing”.
The Legislator thus says if Ghanaians want progress and advancement, they must purify themselves and abhor evil that militates against the nation.
He prayed to God for his intervention and to also let his face shine upon Ghana as a country.
Mr. Attoh took the opportunity to urge Christians to be catalysts and change the lives of people who have not surrendered themselves to Jesus Christ and wallow in sin.
On his part, Pastor Joseph Class-Peters, the Area Pastor of the New Life Historic Adventist church noted that since corruption, fraud, envy and hatred still prevail in the country, it would be extremely difficult for Ghana to develop.
He said this was affecting the fortunes of the country, with resultant development retardation. He noted that it was incumbent on all Ghanaians, especially those in high places and at decision-making levels, to move the country forward.
“It is a pity that despite what the Bible teaches us against stealing, murder, adultery, hatred and envy, some Ghanaians are deeply involved in murdering their brothers and sisters for money,” he said.
He emphasized that most of these acts were committed by some influential people who he accused of stealing monies meant for the development of the country.
Though the country has attained a level of development after 50years of independence, he stressed that there was still more to be done for Ghanaians to live up to the relevance of our independence.
He therefore stated that, it was high time Ghanaians put their efforts together to move the country forward by leaving the past behind them saying, “the time to build this nation is now”.
If Ghanaians unite and work harder than before, he emphasized that the country could become as great as the United States, Britain, Germany and France.
The District Chief Executive for Ga West District, Mr. Quartey Papafio called for a new generation of youth who would lead a crusade to bring discipline to the nation.
For him, what Ghana lacks is the fear of God and discipline hence appealed to church leaders, youth groups and Non Governmental Organizations to rise up to help break the chain of indiscipline and immorality in the country.
Asamoah to the rescue
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Germany-based Ghanaian footballer, Gerald Asamoah has offered to support Ghanaian children with heart diseases, whose parents cannot afford to foot their medical bills.
In the interim, he has opted to fly such patients out of the country to receive treatment in Germany, free of charge.
He has thus made a passionate appeal to members of the general public and other philanthropists who are touched by the plight of these innocent children to donate to the Gerald Asamoah Foundation.
Asamoah, who plies his trade with the German Bundesliga side, Schalke 04, made this known when he and his Financial Advisor, Stephan Muller visited the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu, in Accra, to have a first hand information of its operations.
His decision to establish the Foundation stemmed from the fact that Asamoah’s football career was nearly jeopardised by a similar heart disease
The medium and long-term objective of the Gerald Asamoah Foundation is to establish a Heart Centre in Ghana.
The visit to the centre was to enable him access whether or not there is indeed the need to establish the Heart Centre or complement the efforts of the Cardio centre. Professor Dr. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Director of the centre thanked Asamoah for his thoughtful vision.
To donate to the Foundation, one needs to go to any bank in the country and pay the amount involved into the Deutsche Bank account number-696969500 under the code 50070010.
Germany-based Ghanaian footballer, Gerald Asamoah has offered to support Ghanaian children with heart diseases, whose parents cannot afford to foot their medical bills.
In the interim, he has opted to fly such patients out of the country to receive treatment in Germany, free of charge.
He has thus made a passionate appeal to members of the general public and other philanthropists who are touched by the plight of these innocent children to donate to the Gerald Asamoah Foundation.
Asamoah, who plies his trade with the German Bundesliga side, Schalke 04, made this known when he and his Financial Advisor, Stephan Muller visited the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu, in Accra, to have a first hand information of its operations.
His decision to establish the Foundation stemmed from the fact that Asamoah’s football career was nearly jeopardised by a similar heart disease
The medium and long-term objective of the Gerald Asamoah Foundation is to establish a Heart Centre in Ghana.
The visit to the centre was to enable him access whether or not there is indeed the need to establish the Heart Centre or complement the efforts of the Cardio centre. Professor Dr. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Director of the centre thanked Asamoah for his thoughtful vision.
To donate to the Foundation, one needs to go to any bank in the country and pay the amount involved into the Deutsche Bank account number-696969500 under the code 50070010.
Making finance work for Ghana/Africa
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP), Dr Sam Mensah has stressed the urgent need to update the country’s company code and bankruptcy laws.
He believes this has the tendency of making finance work for Ghana as a corporate country.
His concern has emanated out of the fact that these laws have not been subjected to a review for a long period.
Dr Mensah made the call at a partnership forum in Accra under the theme- ‘Making Finance work for Ghana’.
The forum precedes the ‘Making Finance work for Africa’ conference, which begins, today at the La-Palm Royal Beach hotel in Accra.
It brings together more than 250 senior-level financial sector experts from over 30 countries.
At the partnership forum, leaders of Africa and International Institutions, government officials, central banks, prominent researchers and international experts will discuss the priorities for developing African financial sectors.
Among the key issues to be discussed are how to develop the Ghanaian micro-finance and micro-insurance sector, reduce lending risks and develop effective consumer education and financial literacy.
Opening the forum here in Accra, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor Gyan-Baffour conceded that while reforms in the financial sector have resulted in expansion and increasing competition in the commercial banking system, it has also been attributed to the fact that the services of Rural and Micro-Finance Institutions (RMFIs) and Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) have not been well suited to the needs and risk profiles of farmers and operators along the agricultural value chain.
“We recognise that while agricultural finance has been problematic worldwide and very few agricultural development banks have succeeded over time in servicing the agricultural sector and becoming self-sustaining, recent years have seen considerable growth in experience and diversification of methodologies”, he emphasised.
In Africa, as in other regions, countries with higher levels of financial development experience better resource allocation, higher GDP per capita growth and faster rate of poverty reduction.
Despite recent growth, African financial systems remain shallow and lack of access to finance by households and firms is a major barrier to business activities, particularly for small enterprises
Ralf Schroeder, Director of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development which champions the partnership for making finance work for Africa emphasised “financial sector development is a strategic driver of growth and employment in Africa. Access and cost of finance are bigger problem for firms in Africa than any other region in the world.”
Available information has it that only 20% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa hold a bank account at a formal or semi-formal institution.
“Poor people need access to financial services to invest in economic activities, in health, education and reduce their vulnerability to household emergencies”, noted the Vice President of the African Development Bank (ADB).
Architects of the effort emphasised that African financial institutions enjoy considerable liquidity.
Thus, strategies to strengthen the financial sector should help to unleash the current potential of African banks and other financial institutions.
Currently, total credit for enterprise and household is estimated to be within the region of 14% of the collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa, insufficient to ignite accelerated growth and poverty reduction.
An increase to 25% of GDP-a level achieved by many other low-income Countries would translate to more than $70billion of additional investment resources for households and firms.
‘Making finance work for Africa is an increasingly widely shared goal among policy makers on the continent.
Various African governments and development partners recognise that they’re a need to move beyond ‘business-as-usual’ in developing African financial sectors as drivers of private sector development, employment and growth.
Economic growth in Africa appears to be critical to job creation and poverty reduction since it requires stronger and innovative financial institutions.
A Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP), Dr Sam Mensah has stressed the urgent need to update the country’s company code and bankruptcy laws.
He believes this has the tendency of making finance work for Ghana as a corporate country.
His concern has emanated out of the fact that these laws have not been subjected to a review for a long period.
Dr Mensah made the call at a partnership forum in Accra under the theme- ‘Making Finance work for Ghana’.
The forum precedes the ‘Making Finance work for Africa’ conference, which begins, today at the La-Palm Royal Beach hotel in Accra.
It brings together more than 250 senior-level financial sector experts from over 30 countries.
At the partnership forum, leaders of Africa and International Institutions, government officials, central banks, prominent researchers and international experts will discuss the priorities for developing African financial sectors.
Among the key issues to be discussed are how to develop the Ghanaian micro-finance and micro-insurance sector, reduce lending risks and develop effective consumer education and financial literacy.
Opening the forum here in Accra, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor Gyan-Baffour conceded that while reforms in the financial sector have resulted in expansion and increasing competition in the commercial banking system, it has also been attributed to the fact that the services of Rural and Micro-Finance Institutions (RMFIs) and Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) have not been well suited to the needs and risk profiles of farmers and operators along the agricultural value chain.
“We recognise that while agricultural finance has been problematic worldwide and very few agricultural development banks have succeeded over time in servicing the agricultural sector and becoming self-sustaining, recent years have seen considerable growth in experience and diversification of methodologies”, he emphasised.
In Africa, as in other regions, countries with higher levels of financial development experience better resource allocation, higher GDP per capita growth and faster rate of poverty reduction.
Despite recent growth, African financial systems remain shallow and lack of access to finance by households and firms is a major barrier to business activities, particularly for small enterprises
Ralf Schroeder, Director of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development which champions the partnership for making finance work for Africa emphasised “financial sector development is a strategic driver of growth and employment in Africa. Access and cost of finance are bigger problem for firms in Africa than any other region in the world.”
Available information has it that only 20% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa hold a bank account at a formal or semi-formal institution.
“Poor people need access to financial services to invest in economic activities, in health, education and reduce their vulnerability to household emergencies”, noted the Vice President of the African Development Bank (ADB).
Architects of the effort emphasised that African financial institutions enjoy considerable liquidity.
Thus, strategies to strengthen the financial sector should help to unleash the current potential of African banks and other financial institutions.
Currently, total credit for enterprise and household is estimated to be within the region of 14% of the collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa, insufficient to ignite accelerated growth and poverty reduction.
An increase to 25% of GDP-a level achieved by many other low-income Countries would translate to more than $70billion of additional investment resources for households and firms.
‘Making finance work for Africa is an increasingly widely shared goal among policy makers on the continent.
Various African governments and development partners recognise that they’re a need to move beyond ‘business-as-usual’ in developing African financial sectors as drivers of private sector development, employment and growth.
Economic growth in Africa appears to be critical to job creation and poverty reduction since it requires stronger and innovative financial institutions.
PAUL ANSAH’S MEMORY INVOKE PASSIONS
Saturday, June 14, 2008
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
If there is anything that academicians, professional journalists and Ghanaians alike remembers the late Professor Paul Archibald Vienney Ansah (PAVA) for, it would obviously not only be his style and penchant for writing but also his advocacy for quality journalism standards in the country.
This call was re-echoed at the Christ the King hall in Accra on Thursday during the 15th anniversary celebration of the man who has severally been described as the ‘uncommon man’.
Speaker after speaker stressed the urgent need for an improvement in falling standards in both the theory and practice of journalism in Ghana.
The likes of Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle, Professor Ivan Adae-Mensah, Ebow Daniels, Dr Doris Dartey and George Woode all emphasised that if he were to be alive, PAVA would have indeed frowned at the standard of journalism in the country since he had always had cause to complain about the theory and practice of journalism in the country.
This was indeed evident in some of his numerous articles in which he launched blistering attacks on the crop and style of journalism in Ghana.
In one of such articles titled ‘the mass media, yesterday, today and tomorrow’, he remarked “the quality was uneven, presentation was poor, there was more gossip and speculation than straight reporting or analysis, the language continued to be inelegant and dramatically offensive, headlines and pictures bore no relation to the accompanying story. Sometimes one saw a categorical and affirmative statement in a headline, while there was only speculation or a guessing game. Logic was stood on its head and it looked as if the editors had declared war on journalistic ethics or decorum.”
Considering the fact that the trend have not changed for the better in modern day journalism practice, various speakers at the forum thus called on the all stakeholders, including the Accreditation Board and journalism institutions to fashion out mechanisms to make amends.
They also talked of the need for specialisation in journalism study and practice.
Present at the forum, were academicians from all walks of life who thronged the event venue to join in the celebration.
Also present was the wife of PAVA, Mrs. Stella Ansah, who by virtue of her relation with him, he preferred to describe as ‘the resident dictator’, ‘my mother in-laws daughter’ and ‘the resident Kwesi Botchwey’.
The late Paul Ansah’s last daughter, Dr Esi Ansah was also there to eulogise the one and only persons whose influence she said had a bearing on the lives of not only members of his family but those who shared his lofty thoughts in principle.
The close bond between the late former President Dr. Hilla Limann also drew his surviving wife and former first lady, Fulera Limann to the occasion.
Many of those who underwent Paul Ansah’s tutelage during his days at the School of Communication were also present to share fond memories of his hay days.
Considering his achievements in life, each and every one of the speakers stressed the need to immortalise the late Paul Ansah with something significant.
There were wide suggestions for a memorial lecture to be held in his honour annually whilst others thought of a Foundation in his stead.
In the end, ace journalist, Kwaku Sakyi-Addo saw the need to name an institution after PAVA, and with his contributions to the University of Ghana’s School of Communication suggested that the school be named after him.
Instead of merely calling it the School of Communication, he proposed that the school be called Paul Ansah School of Communication.
The current Director of the School of Communication, Dr Audrey Gadzekpo took the proposal in good faith and emphasised that she would communicate it to the Vice Chancellor and University Council for consideration, with the hope that it would be accepted.
The late Paul Ansah was born on February 20, 1938 and died on June 14, 1993 after battling with his health for a long but short time.
He became known for the brunt opinions he expressed in most of writings and articles in especially The Ghanaian Times and The Ghanaian Chronicle.
PAVA was described in various terms as a reputed scholar, communicator, journalist, critic, devout Christian, an uncompromising advocate of democracy, freedom and justice, generous, humorous, pedantic, but also defiant and choleric.
His death in 1993 created a big void in journalism and dented the writer’s crusade against oppression and dictatorship in Africa.
From 1968 when he assumed the editorial seat of the ‘Legon Observer’ until his death, the name Paul Ansah became perhaps the most revered epitome of incisive journalism in Ghana.
By June 14, 1993 when he died, PAVA, over a quarter of a century had succeeded in perfecting a paradigm in Ghana’s journalistic tradition. Write-and-be damned was its hallmark, and ‘Going-to-Town’ its colloquial shibboleth.
Avid readers of his column in the then Ghanaian Chronicle for which he wrote in his last years eventually got used to the ominous prelude of his weekly sojourns to town, the following being a typical example: “I am hereby serving notice that I am going to town. What this means is that those who have a weak heart or a weak stomach are forewarned not to read beyond this point. Notice is hereby also served that those who think they need standby dictionary should reach for it, because I shall be going to my repertoire or arsenal…
There were two things that the ‘Monday Morning Terror’ as he was popularly referred to liked passionately but vowed never to participate in and as rightly put it “I will always sing, but will never join a choir, and I will always talk and write politics but will never join a political party.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
If there is anything that academicians, professional journalists and Ghanaians alike remembers the late Professor Paul Archibald Vienney Ansah (PAVA) for, it would obviously not only be his style and penchant for writing but also his advocacy for quality journalism standards in the country.
This call was re-echoed at the Christ the King hall in Accra on Thursday during the 15th anniversary celebration of the man who has severally been described as the ‘uncommon man’.
Speaker after speaker stressed the urgent need for an improvement in falling standards in both the theory and practice of journalism in Ghana.
The likes of Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle, Professor Ivan Adae-Mensah, Ebow Daniels, Dr Doris Dartey and George Woode all emphasised that if he were to be alive, PAVA would have indeed frowned at the standard of journalism in the country since he had always had cause to complain about the theory and practice of journalism in the country.
This was indeed evident in some of his numerous articles in which he launched blistering attacks on the crop and style of journalism in Ghana.
In one of such articles titled ‘the mass media, yesterday, today and tomorrow’, he remarked “the quality was uneven, presentation was poor, there was more gossip and speculation than straight reporting or analysis, the language continued to be inelegant and dramatically offensive, headlines and pictures bore no relation to the accompanying story. Sometimes one saw a categorical and affirmative statement in a headline, while there was only speculation or a guessing game. Logic was stood on its head and it looked as if the editors had declared war on journalistic ethics or decorum.”
Considering the fact that the trend have not changed for the better in modern day journalism practice, various speakers at the forum thus called on the all stakeholders, including the Accreditation Board and journalism institutions to fashion out mechanisms to make amends.
They also talked of the need for specialisation in journalism study and practice.
Present at the forum, were academicians from all walks of life who thronged the event venue to join in the celebration.
Also present was the wife of PAVA, Mrs. Stella Ansah, who by virtue of her relation with him, he preferred to describe as ‘the resident dictator’, ‘my mother in-laws daughter’ and ‘the resident Kwesi Botchwey’.
The late Paul Ansah’s last daughter, Dr Esi Ansah was also there to eulogise the one and only persons whose influence she said had a bearing on the lives of not only members of his family but those who shared his lofty thoughts in principle.
The close bond between the late former President Dr. Hilla Limann also drew his surviving wife and former first lady, Fulera Limann to the occasion.
Many of those who underwent Paul Ansah’s tutelage during his days at the School of Communication were also present to share fond memories of his hay days.
Considering his achievements in life, each and every one of the speakers stressed the need to immortalise the late Paul Ansah with something significant.
There were wide suggestions for a memorial lecture to be held in his honour annually whilst others thought of a Foundation in his stead.
In the end, ace journalist, Kwaku Sakyi-Addo saw the need to name an institution after PAVA, and with his contributions to the University of Ghana’s School of Communication suggested that the school be named after him.
Instead of merely calling it the School of Communication, he proposed that the school be called Paul Ansah School of Communication.
The current Director of the School of Communication, Dr Audrey Gadzekpo took the proposal in good faith and emphasised that she would communicate it to the Vice Chancellor and University Council for consideration, with the hope that it would be accepted.
The late Paul Ansah was born on February 20, 1938 and died on June 14, 1993 after battling with his health for a long but short time.
He became known for the brunt opinions he expressed in most of writings and articles in especially The Ghanaian Times and The Ghanaian Chronicle.
PAVA was described in various terms as a reputed scholar, communicator, journalist, critic, devout Christian, an uncompromising advocate of democracy, freedom and justice, generous, humorous, pedantic, but also defiant and choleric.
His death in 1993 created a big void in journalism and dented the writer’s crusade against oppression and dictatorship in Africa.
From 1968 when he assumed the editorial seat of the ‘Legon Observer’ until his death, the name Paul Ansah became perhaps the most revered epitome of incisive journalism in Ghana.
By June 14, 1993 when he died, PAVA, over a quarter of a century had succeeded in perfecting a paradigm in Ghana’s journalistic tradition. Write-and-be damned was its hallmark, and ‘Going-to-Town’ its colloquial shibboleth.
Avid readers of his column in the then Ghanaian Chronicle for which he wrote in his last years eventually got used to the ominous prelude of his weekly sojourns to town, the following being a typical example: “I am hereby serving notice that I am going to town. What this means is that those who have a weak heart or a weak stomach are forewarned not to read beyond this point. Notice is hereby also served that those who think they need standby dictionary should reach for it, because I shall be going to my repertoire or arsenal…
There were two things that the ‘Monday Morning Terror’ as he was popularly referred to liked passionately but vowed never to participate in and as rightly put it “I will always sing, but will never join a choir, and I will always talk and write politics but will never join a political party.”
Friday, June 13, 2008
Golden Gate & ¢28b Tax Evasion
Posted to the web 16 April 2008
Charles Takyi-Boadu
Months of investigations into the activities and operations of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has revealed underhand dealings and deliberate cover-up of a massive tax evasion by high-ranking officials of the revenue-collecting agency.
At the centre of the raging controversy is the Commissioner himself, Major Daniel Ablorh-Quarcoo (Rtd), at whose 'discretion' the nation is losing several billions of cedis.
An audit report commissioned by the Commissioner, covering the period of December 31st 2002-2006, into the books of Golden Gate Services limited, a private Stevedoring company, based in Tema, has revealed that the company owed the state to the tune of approximately ¢29billion in tax and penalty liabilities.
A copy of the audit report dated December 23rd 2007, and signed by the Deputy Commissioner In-Charge of Special Duties, D.T Acquaye, for the Commissioner, which is in the possession of The Chronicle, reveals massive tax evasion.
The audit report revealed that the company had underestimated its income to the IRS by a whooping amount of ¢42billion.
It therefore decided to include it in its revised tax computation for the respective years.
For the same period, the IRS noted differences in the company's Direct Cost in the areas of stevedore gear, plant hire expenses, repairs and maintenance, and miscellaneous, whilst it added back items under-listed under General and Administrative expenses which amounted to over ¢17billion.
This included foreign travels, telephone, marketing research, post and telecommunications, software expenses, safety and security.
The rest were in the areas of fuel and lubricants, travel and transport, electricity and water, bank charges, interest, fines and penalty.
In the case of Deferred Liabilities, the IRS said it was not provided with documentary evidence in support of the company's indebtedness to its Directors.
Though the money was supposed to have been paid to the Directors of the company, the Chronicle investigations revealed that there was no evidence to show that any of the Directors received the money. Sources have indicated that the company did not owe any of the Directors as the impression is being created.
The IRS was therefore unable to accept the liabilities of an amount of over ¢24billion as stated in the financial statements for the years under review. For this reason, it resolved to adjust and include it in its tax computation.
Much as the IRS agreed to the fact that in every business operations, there are some public relations, it noted in its report that "we are uncomfortable with the practice whereby at the end of the year, a huge portion of the expenditure is written-off to Suspense Account, and only relatively small portion is shown in the financial statements."
It was therefore compelled by prevailing circumstance to add back to profit, the write-offs in the years 2005-2006, which amounted to over ¢2billion.
Though the revenue collecting agency had no evidence of the company's Directors recommending the payment of Dividend in 2005 and 2006, available records indicated that the payments were made as Dividend to the tune of over ¢2billion.
The IRS thus imposed a 300% penalty for non-disclosure with a 10% tax, all amounting to over ¢1billion.
Further, the IRS detected an overstatement of the company's Salaries and Wages account in 2005, by over ¢373million and included it in its tax computation. Since the said account did not suffer tax, the IRS decided to subject same to tax at a marginal rate of 5%.
Contrary to the provisions of sections 3 and 83 of the Internal Revenue Act 2000, Act 592 as amended, Golden Gate Services limited failed to withhold taxes on payment for services rendered by third parties.
For that matter, the IRS computed the appropriate withholding taxes amounting to over ¢229million and added same to the company's tax liability in accordance with Section 88 of the Internal Revenue Act 2000, Act 519 as amended.
After the auditing, Golden Gate Services' total tax and penalty liability payable stood at approximately ¢29billion.
An interim audit report cited by The Chronicle and dated November 9th 2007, indicated that the company's tax and penalty liability was over ¢41billion but was later scaled down after final report.
In order to have its operational license renewed, the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA) asked the company to settle the indebtedness of its tax liability for the years under review.
Charles Takyi-Boadu
Months of investigations into the activities and operations of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has revealed underhand dealings and deliberate cover-up of a massive tax evasion by high-ranking officials of the revenue-collecting agency.
At the centre of the raging controversy is the Commissioner himself, Major Daniel Ablorh-Quarcoo (Rtd), at whose 'discretion' the nation is losing several billions of cedis.
An audit report commissioned by the Commissioner, covering the period of December 31st 2002-2006, into the books of Golden Gate Services limited, a private Stevedoring company, based in Tema, has revealed that the company owed the state to the tune of approximately ¢29billion in tax and penalty liabilities.
A copy of the audit report dated December 23rd 2007, and signed by the Deputy Commissioner In-Charge of Special Duties, D.T Acquaye, for the Commissioner, which is in the possession of The Chronicle, reveals massive tax evasion.
The audit report revealed that the company had underestimated its income to the IRS by a whooping amount of ¢42billion.
It therefore decided to include it in its revised tax computation for the respective years.
For the same period, the IRS noted differences in the company's Direct Cost in the areas of stevedore gear, plant hire expenses, repairs and maintenance, and miscellaneous, whilst it added back items under-listed under General and Administrative expenses which amounted to over ¢17billion.
This included foreign travels, telephone, marketing research, post and telecommunications, software expenses, safety and security.
The rest were in the areas of fuel and lubricants, travel and transport, electricity and water, bank charges, interest, fines and penalty.
In the case of Deferred Liabilities, the IRS said it was not provided with documentary evidence in support of the company's indebtedness to its Directors.
Though the money was supposed to have been paid to the Directors of the company, the Chronicle investigations revealed that there was no evidence to show that any of the Directors received the money. Sources have indicated that the company did not owe any of the Directors as the impression is being created.
The IRS was therefore unable to accept the liabilities of an amount of over ¢24billion as stated in the financial statements for the years under review. For this reason, it resolved to adjust and include it in its tax computation.
Much as the IRS agreed to the fact that in every business operations, there are some public relations, it noted in its report that "we are uncomfortable with the practice whereby at the end of the year, a huge portion of the expenditure is written-off to Suspense Account, and only relatively small portion is shown in the financial statements."
It was therefore compelled by prevailing circumstance to add back to profit, the write-offs in the years 2005-2006, which amounted to over ¢2billion.
Though the revenue collecting agency had no evidence of the company's Directors recommending the payment of Dividend in 2005 and 2006, available records indicated that the payments were made as Dividend to the tune of over ¢2billion.
The IRS thus imposed a 300% penalty for non-disclosure with a 10% tax, all amounting to over ¢1billion.
Further, the IRS detected an overstatement of the company's Salaries and Wages account in 2005, by over ¢373million and included it in its tax computation. Since the said account did not suffer tax, the IRS decided to subject same to tax at a marginal rate of 5%.
Contrary to the provisions of sections 3 and 83 of the Internal Revenue Act 2000, Act 592 as amended, Golden Gate Services limited failed to withhold taxes on payment for services rendered by third parties.
For that matter, the IRS computed the appropriate withholding taxes amounting to over ¢229million and added same to the company's tax liability in accordance with Section 88 of the Internal Revenue Act 2000, Act 519 as amended.
After the auditing, Golden Gate Services' total tax and penalty liability payable stood at approximately ¢29billion.
An interim audit report cited by The Chronicle and dated November 9th 2007, indicated that the company's tax and penalty liability was over ¢41billion but was later scaled down after final report.
In order to have its operational license renewed, the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA) asked the company to settle the indebtedness of its tax liability for the years under review.
Shh! Mills Has Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Posted to the web 31 March 2008
Charles Takyi-Boadu
A doctor contracted by The Chronicle to diagnose Professor John Atta Mills has tearfully pleaded with Ghanaians to pray for the gentleman because he is undergoing extensive radiotherapy for the dreaded 'nasopharnygeal carcinoma'.
The diagnosis for this illness is very unpleasant.
The shattering peace of news has generated heated debate within The Chronicle newsroom necessitating a call to our veteran journalist who owns this title to discuss how The Chronicle should handle the news.
His take is that the Ghanaian electorate have the right to know what the health status of their potential President is, especially since the public interest consideration in a democratic system outweigh the need to keep such information under wraps. It overrides what his personal interest is.
'He is a lawyer, he will know and appreciate this. Its how you present it, by all means go ahead but present it in a sympathetic caring way,' counselled Kofi Coomson.
Not unexpectedly, the director of Communications of candidate Mills dismissed this reporter's enquiry about Mills, waving off any suggestion that Professor Mills is sick. He insisted that he is 'in the best of health.
But Mr Anyidoho's remarks is a far cry from the Professor's own admission that 'Yes, Atta Mills is suffering from the nose, Yes, Atta Mills is receiving medical attention for his eyes.'
Additionally, the NDC flagbearer has gone on record to say that he has gone to China and South Africa to seek treatment for his illnesss, an indication of the extent he has travelled to keep the nature of his illness from public gawking.
The caution that The Chronicle doctor is raising is to keep the usually teetotal celibate Mills from the punishing schedule of a nationwide campaign which could exacerbate his medical condition, especially in July, when the full panoply of the NPP swings into action, with all 16 presidential candidates' metal brigade combining to take the entire country in one bomb fire of a campaign.
'His left eye is dropping now, symptomatic of the effect of the radio therapy on the rather aggressive cells that are attacking the left eye lobe,' suggested the doctor. WORSENING
It is now official that the health condition of the Presidential Candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills keeps growing from bad to worse.
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, is a type of cancer originating in the nasopharynx, the uppermost region of the pharynx or "throat", where the nasal passages and auditory tubes join the remainder of the upper respiratory tract.
On his recent tour of the Eastern Region, it emerged that Mills was so far gone that he could not clearly identify Hon. Nyaunu, though he was close to him until Nyaunu mentioned his name to him.
Mills' illness differs significantly from other cancers of the head and neck in its occurrence, causes, clinical behavior, and treatment.
The worsening condition of his health, coupled with the problem of finding resources to run the NDC campaign machine is why Mills has been frequently visiting his 40 year old nephew, Kojo Mills, who happens to be the Chief Executive of the multi-billion-rand Shanduka Group, a gargantuan money black empowerment vehicle.
This goes to confirm the fear of the NDC MP for Lower Manya Krobo, Micheal Teye Nyaunu, who had earlier raised concerns about his flagbearer's health. There was near exchange of blows among some NDC MPs in Parliament when the MP suggested that the party's flagbearer be removed on account of his alleged poor health.
According to Hon Nyaunu, The NDC presidential candidate needed no medical officer to pronounce that he was terribly sick; pointing out that Prof Mills could not withstand the rigours of the campaign.
"Whether we like it or not, we are going into the race like wounded tigers, and we cannot allow a sheep to lead lions into such a battle. I'm afraid for my party," he warned.
The revelation incurred the wrath of other NDC parliamentarians around, including Enoch Tei Mensah (Ningo/Prampram), Moses Asaga (Nabdam) and Abukari Sumani (Tamale North), who virtually traded insults with Nyaunu for daring to speak his mind.
Nyaunu's bombshell immediately sparked off controversy in the party, with the leadership calling for a crisis meeting to douse the raging inferno which if not well managed, could further polarize the party.
But for the intervention of Richard Quarshigah, an ardent NDC member, the verbal scuffle that ensued could have degenerated into a brawl.
A statement issued after a meeting held later in the evening condemned the MP for his comments.
Charles Takyi-Boadu
A doctor contracted by The Chronicle to diagnose Professor John Atta Mills has tearfully pleaded with Ghanaians to pray for the gentleman because he is undergoing extensive radiotherapy for the dreaded 'nasopharnygeal carcinoma'.
The diagnosis for this illness is very unpleasant.
The shattering peace of news has generated heated debate within The Chronicle newsroom necessitating a call to our veteran journalist who owns this title to discuss how The Chronicle should handle the news.
His take is that the Ghanaian electorate have the right to know what the health status of their potential President is, especially since the public interest consideration in a democratic system outweigh the need to keep such information under wraps. It overrides what his personal interest is.
'He is a lawyer, he will know and appreciate this. Its how you present it, by all means go ahead but present it in a sympathetic caring way,' counselled Kofi Coomson.
Not unexpectedly, the director of Communications of candidate Mills dismissed this reporter's enquiry about Mills, waving off any suggestion that Professor Mills is sick. He insisted that he is 'in the best of health.
But Mr Anyidoho's remarks is a far cry from the Professor's own admission that 'Yes, Atta Mills is suffering from the nose, Yes, Atta Mills is receiving medical attention for his eyes.'
Additionally, the NDC flagbearer has gone on record to say that he has gone to China and South Africa to seek treatment for his illnesss, an indication of the extent he has travelled to keep the nature of his illness from public gawking.
The caution that The Chronicle doctor is raising is to keep the usually teetotal celibate Mills from the punishing schedule of a nationwide campaign which could exacerbate his medical condition, especially in July, when the full panoply of the NPP swings into action, with all 16 presidential candidates' metal brigade combining to take the entire country in one bomb fire of a campaign.
'His left eye is dropping now, symptomatic of the effect of the radio therapy on the rather aggressive cells that are attacking the left eye lobe,' suggested the doctor. WORSENING
It is now official that the health condition of the Presidential Candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills keeps growing from bad to worse.
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, is a type of cancer originating in the nasopharynx, the uppermost region of the pharynx or "throat", where the nasal passages and auditory tubes join the remainder of the upper respiratory tract.
On his recent tour of the Eastern Region, it emerged that Mills was so far gone that he could not clearly identify Hon. Nyaunu, though he was close to him until Nyaunu mentioned his name to him.
Mills' illness differs significantly from other cancers of the head and neck in its occurrence, causes, clinical behavior, and treatment.
The worsening condition of his health, coupled with the problem of finding resources to run the NDC campaign machine is why Mills has been frequently visiting his 40 year old nephew, Kojo Mills, who happens to be the Chief Executive of the multi-billion-rand Shanduka Group, a gargantuan money black empowerment vehicle.
This goes to confirm the fear of the NDC MP for Lower Manya Krobo, Micheal Teye Nyaunu, who had earlier raised concerns about his flagbearer's health. There was near exchange of blows among some NDC MPs in Parliament when the MP suggested that the party's flagbearer be removed on account of his alleged poor health.
According to Hon Nyaunu, The NDC presidential candidate needed no medical officer to pronounce that he was terribly sick; pointing out that Prof Mills could not withstand the rigours of the campaign.
"Whether we like it or not, we are going into the race like wounded tigers, and we cannot allow a sheep to lead lions into such a battle. I'm afraid for my party," he warned.
The revelation incurred the wrath of other NDC parliamentarians around, including Enoch Tei Mensah (Ningo/Prampram), Moses Asaga (Nabdam) and Abukari Sumani (Tamale North), who virtually traded insults with Nyaunu for daring to speak his mind.
Nyaunu's bombshell immediately sparked off controversy in the party, with the leadership calling for a crisis meeting to douse the raging inferno which if not well managed, could further polarize the party.
But for the intervention of Richard Quarshigah, an ardent NDC member, the verbal scuffle that ensued could have degenerated into a brawl.
A statement issued after a meeting held later in the evening condemned the MP for his comments.
POLICE VOW TO HALT BRIBERY
By Charles Takyi-Boadu Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Police Administration and the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service are strategising to take a firm action to redeem its image of the perception as a corrupt Institution. It has promised to arrest and prosecute bribe givers and takers alike, since it directly contravenes the constitution of the Republic.
In an exclusive interview with The Chronicle in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Commander of the MTTU, Superintendent Addison Campbell said “if any policeman is caught in the act of extortion, he or she will be dealt with as per the Police service Act.” The offender would also be prosecuted at the law court.
According to her, it is high time Ghanaians came to the realisation that both the giver and the taker of bribe are equally guilty before the law, hence the need to put a stop to such practices.
This was in reaction to series of allegations against some officers and men of the Police, especially those personnel in the MTTU who engage in corrupt practices such as taking bribes from defaulting drivers and suspects to let them off from the courts and the full rigours of the law.
Though some of the officers and men of the Police Service are trying strenuously to safeguard and redeem the image of the service, a few unscrupulous ones are still engaged in unwholesome practices which continue to be a border to several other Ghanaians and the Police service itself.
After months of investigations, The Chronicle discovered that some Policemen, especially those in the MTTU had devised new methods to arrest and impound vehicles which flout traffic regulations. These policemen hide behind shops for drivers and vehicles to either park or offload passengers at spots marked as ‘no parking’ areas in order to affect their arrest.
Instead of making their presence felt by the roadside to ward off recalcitrant drivers, the policemen choose to hide and allow them to flout the law and then arrest them.
However, some uniformed policemen who threaten to process and arraign offending drivers before court; such drivers are seen back on the road a few minutes later. Some of the police personnel operate on the Achimota-Mallam highway, Kwame Nkrumah circle and in the Central Business area of Accra.
From the accounts of some of these drivers, the police sometimes arrest them and their mates, only to collect money from them and then release their impounded vehicles.
But Superintendent Campbell says the practice is unprofessional since it does not conform to the basic tenets of policing. To her, since the mere sighting of a policeman in uniform would prevent people from flouting the traffic laws, there was no need for the police to adopt unprofessional methods in their policing duties. She asked police personnel involved in such practices to put a stop the habit, since anybody found in such an act is likely to face service enquiry. Though the police have been asked to refrain from conducting road checks, she noted that there are some ‘black spots’ where they cannot leave unattended to, since lots of accidents happen in these areas.
The Police Administration and the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service are strategising to take a firm action to redeem its image of the perception as a corrupt Institution. It has promised to arrest and prosecute bribe givers and takers alike, since it directly contravenes the constitution of the Republic.
In an exclusive interview with The Chronicle in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Commander of the MTTU, Superintendent Addison Campbell said “if any policeman is caught in the act of extortion, he or she will be dealt with as per the Police service Act.” The offender would also be prosecuted at the law court.
According to her, it is high time Ghanaians came to the realisation that both the giver and the taker of bribe are equally guilty before the law, hence the need to put a stop to such practices.
This was in reaction to series of allegations against some officers and men of the Police, especially those personnel in the MTTU who engage in corrupt practices such as taking bribes from defaulting drivers and suspects to let them off from the courts and the full rigours of the law.
Though some of the officers and men of the Police Service are trying strenuously to safeguard and redeem the image of the service, a few unscrupulous ones are still engaged in unwholesome practices which continue to be a border to several other Ghanaians and the Police service itself.
After months of investigations, The Chronicle discovered that some Policemen, especially those in the MTTU had devised new methods to arrest and impound vehicles which flout traffic regulations. These policemen hide behind shops for drivers and vehicles to either park or offload passengers at spots marked as ‘no parking’ areas in order to affect their arrest.
Instead of making their presence felt by the roadside to ward off recalcitrant drivers, the policemen choose to hide and allow them to flout the law and then arrest them.
However, some uniformed policemen who threaten to process and arraign offending drivers before court; such drivers are seen back on the road a few minutes later. Some of the police personnel operate on the Achimota-Mallam highway, Kwame Nkrumah circle and in the Central Business area of Accra.
From the accounts of some of these drivers, the police sometimes arrest them and their mates, only to collect money from them and then release their impounded vehicles.
But Superintendent Campbell says the practice is unprofessional since it does not conform to the basic tenets of policing. To her, since the mere sighting of a policeman in uniform would prevent people from flouting the traffic laws, there was no need for the police to adopt unprofessional methods in their policing duties. She asked police personnel involved in such practices to put a stop the habit, since anybody found in such an act is likely to face service enquiry. Though the police have been asked to refrain from conducting road checks, she noted that there are some ‘black spots’ where they cannot leave unattended to, since lots of accidents happen in these areas.
Court remands whistle blower
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
An Accra district magistrate court has remanded ‘whistle blower’ Paul Nimako in custody for allegedly issuing a death threat on the life of his one-time business partner, Kwame Owusu Afriyie, owner and organizer of Ghana Expo.
An Accra district magistrate court has remanded ‘whistle blower’ Paul Nimako in custody for allegedly issuing a death threat on the life of his one-time business partner, Kwame Owusu Afriyie, owner and organizer of Ghana Expo.Nimako was charged, following a complaint by Owusu Afriyie to the Dansoman police that the accused has threatened to eliminate him.He pleaded not guilty to the charge and is scheduled to reappear on September 5, this year, pending further investigations into the matter.A request for bail by Mr. Addo Attuah, counsel for the accused was turned down by the presiding judge.Defense counsel expressed surprise at the court’s decision not to grant his client bail, since, according to him, it is a charge of which one could be granted bail.Stunned by the court’s decision, counsel for the accused noted, “I was indeed surprise at the courts decision not to grant my client bail.”He however indicated that he would file an application for bail at the high court.It would be recalled that the Chronicle published the allegations by Nimako that Owusu Afriyie was involved in a massive visa racketeering deals, copies of which he sent to the US embassy, SFO and other international agencies, including the FBI.Nimako claimed to have fallen prey to Owusu Afriyie’s alleged fraudulent deals previously petitioned the President, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, through the former presidential staffer, Dr Amoako Tuffuor, to use his offices to cause thorough investigations into his activities, as he deemed it demeaning to the image of the country.
An Accra district magistrate court has remanded ‘whistle blower’ Paul Nimako in custody for allegedly issuing a death threat on the life of his one-time business partner, Kwame Owusu Afriyie, owner and organizer of Ghana Expo.
An Accra district magistrate court has remanded ‘whistle blower’ Paul Nimako in custody for allegedly issuing a death threat on the life of his one-time business partner, Kwame Owusu Afriyie, owner and organizer of Ghana Expo.Nimako was charged, following a complaint by Owusu Afriyie to the Dansoman police that the accused has threatened to eliminate him.He pleaded not guilty to the charge and is scheduled to reappear on September 5, this year, pending further investigations into the matter.A request for bail by Mr. Addo Attuah, counsel for the accused was turned down by the presiding judge.Defense counsel expressed surprise at the court’s decision not to grant his client bail, since, according to him, it is a charge of which one could be granted bail.Stunned by the court’s decision, counsel for the accused noted, “I was indeed surprise at the courts decision not to grant my client bail.”He however indicated that he would file an application for bail at the high court.It would be recalled that the Chronicle published the allegations by Nimako that Owusu Afriyie was involved in a massive visa racketeering deals, copies of which he sent to the US embassy, SFO and other international agencies, including the FBI.Nimako claimed to have fallen prey to Owusu Afriyie’s alleged fraudulent deals previously petitioned the President, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, through the former presidential staffer, Dr Amoako Tuffuor, to use his offices to cause thorough investigations into his activities, as he deemed it demeaning to the image of the country.
Expo Ghana Exposure: Revelations Galore
... Owusu Afriyie is president of dodgy Millennium Africa Fund, accused of defaulting Exim Bank with implications for Ghana
Accra, Sept. 6 (Chronicle) -- WHISTLEBLOWER Mr. Paul Nimako has repeated his charge against Mr. Kwame Owusu Afriyie(pictured) and demanded investigation into his activities and possible prosecution.Nimako, who used to be the president of a US-based company, Rainbow Foods International Corporation, undaunted by his shocking incarceration, reminiscent of the NDC era?s Republic v Tommy Thompson and 3 others case, insists on his allegations against Owusu Afriyie, who is the chairman of Allied Savings and Loans in Kumasi.Mr. Owusu Afriyie, who is the Managing Director of Goldlink Travel and Tours also, is at the receiving end of the whistleblower?s spirited charges of using national resources to organize ?Expos? in both the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which have not posted any tangible returns to the country. One of these resources is a service passport, which Afriyie admits he has procured.Incidentally, Mr. Owusu Afriyie is involved in another enterprise, Millennium Africa Fund, which has been scoffed at by Ghanaians in the US as a dodgy enterprise. The Ghana address of the MAF is listed as P.O. Box KNUST 663, Kumasi.Speaking to this reporter inside the James Fort Prison, Nimako said he would follow the case to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost.In follow-up telephone cross verifications, siblings of Nimako in US confirmed that they were aware that Owusu Afriyie was indebted to Nimako and wondered what kind of justice was operating in Ghana where a victim of fraud rather ended up in jail while the real offender walked. This, they contended was effectively gagging Nimako.At the Dansoman police station, policemen who were interviewed by this reporter could not show any evidence of threats, which formed the basis of the prosecution and subsequent confinement by Mrs. Aikins of the Magistrate Court at Mantse Agbonaa.The police had told this reporter that they were investigating a case of threat against Nimako, made by Owusu Afriyie and that Nimako had duly reported to the police station and leveled accusations against Afriyie.Mr. Afriyie denied the accusation that his deliberate default in paying the sum of over $1 million facility from Exim Bank, had jeopardized the American credit bank?s relations with Ghana.?Nimako knows that I have money and so he wants to siphon some money out of me, that is why he is doing all this,? was his reaction to the accusation.In earlier petitions to the President, Nimako gave a carefully worded chronology of events leading to a long list of debts incurred by Owusu Afriyie and his ?business cronies? including sums in excess of $1.5 million to American Insurance giant CAN Insurance Company (USA) and a US credit guarantee bank, Exim-import bank.Documents made available to The Chronicle show that the Afriyie-owned company, Goldlink Travel and Tours Ltd of Accra, borrowed $1,155,044 from the bank through an application made through All First Banks in Baltimore and guaranteed by the same Kwame Owusu Afriyie of Kumasi, Ghana. The loan was used for the purchase of buses. Exim Bank officials in Washington would not comment on the status of the loan when reached by phone nor confirm whether the loan that was granted some five years ago had been retired or not.Nimako explained in his deposition that he had an agency agreement with Afriyie in which he brought twenty Ghanaian businesses for trade financing opportunity, using his connection in the US, built over the years.?They were also to submit to be qualified for a 100 percent international trade financing and revolving line of credit ranging from $50,000 to $300,000.00 each.? The qualified exporters would use the facility to import any lawful goods of their choice with all expenses paid by Rainbow Foods (Nimako?s company).Mr. Nimako claimed that after shipping goods ordered by the agents who were sent to Ghana, he requested shipping documents. ?On payment due date, Mr. Kwame Owusu Afriyie and Daniel Kofi Duku were contacted. They never sent the payment after several demand notices.? Mr. Nimako said at the time he came to Ghana, investigations established that the goods were never shipped, hence never in Ghana at any bonded warehouse as was ?fraudulently represented by my agents, the suppliers and the importers.??They charged my company a fee of $50,000 for agency, with $25,000 up-front (which I paid) and the balance to be paid after full payment had been received from their clients,? Nimako charged.On his part, Nimako noted that he had triggered a first shipment valued at about $3 million to the various importers, including a shipload of sugar, with all documents routed through his agents, Owusu Afriyie and Duku.Afriyie, who was initially responding to the allegations, later paused and called for the help of Mr. Paul Adom Otchere, a media practitioner of Citi FM morning show and Metro TV?s Good Evening Ghana fame, who admitted that he was the Public Relations officer of Owusu Afriyie.Mr. Adom-Otchere helped him deny all the allegations, claiming they were being made by a frustrated and destitute person, who had sworn heaven and earth to puncture the credibility of the Expo and Owusu Afriyie.In the presence of Mr. Otchere, he noted that Nimako was only peeved after several attempts to extort $200,000 from him had backfired.According to him, he had lodged a formal complaint with the police CID for Nimako?s arrest since he had called and threatened him.Meanwhile, though Owusu Afriyie has admitted being invited by Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor to the president?s office with regard to the same allegations, following a copy of the petition sent to the Presidents? office, when reached for confirmation, he did not confirm or deny whether the petition had been received by the president though Nimako insisted that he did send the petition across.
Accra, Sept. 6 (Chronicle) -- WHISTLEBLOWER Mr. Paul Nimako has repeated his charge against Mr. Kwame Owusu Afriyie(pictured) and demanded investigation into his activities and possible prosecution.Nimako, who used to be the president of a US-based company, Rainbow Foods International Corporation, undaunted by his shocking incarceration, reminiscent of the NDC era?s Republic v Tommy Thompson and 3 others case, insists on his allegations against Owusu Afriyie, who is the chairman of Allied Savings and Loans in Kumasi.Mr. Owusu Afriyie, who is the Managing Director of Goldlink Travel and Tours also, is at the receiving end of the whistleblower?s spirited charges of using national resources to organize ?Expos? in both the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which have not posted any tangible returns to the country. One of these resources is a service passport, which Afriyie admits he has procured.Incidentally, Mr. Owusu Afriyie is involved in another enterprise, Millennium Africa Fund, which has been scoffed at by Ghanaians in the US as a dodgy enterprise. The Ghana address of the MAF is listed as P.O. Box KNUST 663, Kumasi.Speaking to this reporter inside the James Fort Prison, Nimako said he would follow the case to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost.In follow-up telephone cross verifications, siblings of Nimako in US confirmed that they were aware that Owusu Afriyie was indebted to Nimako and wondered what kind of justice was operating in Ghana where a victim of fraud rather ended up in jail while the real offender walked. This, they contended was effectively gagging Nimako.At the Dansoman police station, policemen who were interviewed by this reporter could not show any evidence of threats, which formed the basis of the prosecution and subsequent confinement by Mrs. Aikins of the Magistrate Court at Mantse Agbonaa.The police had told this reporter that they were investigating a case of threat against Nimako, made by Owusu Afriyie and that Nimako had duly reported to the police station and leveled accusations against Afriyie.Mr. Afriyie denied the accusation that his deliberate default in paying the sum of over $1 million facility from Exim Bank, had jeopardized the American credit bank?s relations with Ghana.?Nimako knows that I have money and so he wants to siphon some money out of me, that is why he is doing all this,? was his reaction to the accusation.In earlier petitions to the President, Nimako gave a carefully worded chronology of events leading to a long list of debts incurred by Owusu Afriyie and his ?business cronies? including sums in excess of $1.5 million to American Insurance giant CAN Insurance Company (USA) and a US credit guarantee bank, Exim-import bank.Documents made available to The Chronicle show that the Afriyie-owned company, Goldlink Travel and Tours Ltd of Accra, borrowed $1,155,044 from the bank through an application made through All First Banks in Baltimore and guaranteed by the same Kwame Owusu Afriyie of Kumasi, Ghana. The loan was used for the purchase of buses. Exim Bank officials in Washington would not comment on the status of the loan when reached by phone nor confirm whether the loan that was granted some five years ago had been retired or not.Nimako explained in his deposition that he had an agency agreement with Afriyie in which he brought twenty Ghanaian businesses for trade financing opportunity, using his connection in the US, built over the years.?They were also to submit to be qualified for a 100 percent international trade financing and revolving line of credit ranging from $50,000 to $300,000.00 each.? The qualified exporters would use the facility to import any lawful goods of their choice with all expenses paid by Rainbow Foods (Nimako?s company).Mr. Nimako claimed that after shipping goods ordered by the agents who were sent to Ghana, he requested shipping documents. ?On payment due date, Mr. Kwame Owusu Afriyie and Daniel Kofi Duku were contacted. They never sent the payment after several demand notices.? Mr. Nimako said at the time he came to Ghana, investigations established that the goods were never shipped, hence never in Ghana at any bonded warehouse as was ?fraudulently represented by my agents, the suppliers and the importers.??They charged my company a fee of $50,000 for agency, with $25,000 up-front (which I paid) and the balance to be paid after full payment had been received from their clients,? Nimako charged.On his part, Nimako noted that he had triggered a first shipment valued at about $3 million to the various importers, including a shipload of sugar, with all documents routed through his agents, Owusu Afriyie and Duku.Afriyie, who was initially responding to the allegations, later paused and called for the help of Mr. Paul Adom Otchere, a media practitioner of Citi FM morning show and Metro TV?s Good Evening Ghana fame, who admitted that he was the Public Relations officer of Owusu Afriyie.Mr. Adom-Otchere helped him deny all the allegations, claiming they were being made by a frustrated and destitute person, who had sworn heaven and earth to puncture the credibility of the Expo and Owusu Afriyie.In the presence of Mr. Otchere, he noted that Nimako was only peeved after several attempts to extort $200,000 from him had backfired.According to him, he had lodged a formal complaint with the police CID for Nimako?s arrest since he had called and threatened him.Meanwhile, though Owusu Afriyie has admitted being invited by Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor to the president?s office with regard to the same allegations, following a copy of the petition sent to the Presidents? office, when reached for confirmation, he did not confirm or deny whether the petition had been received by the president though Nimako insisted that he did send the petition across.
WHISTLEBLOWER PAUL’S CRUSHING EXPOSÈ
By Charles TAKYI-Boadu
A MAGISTRATE of the inferior court at the Mantse Agbonna’s Palace around the James town area of Accra is this morning scheduled to sit on a case of an alleged threat to the life of Mr. Kwame Owusu Afriyie of Ghana Expo, the man accused of an elaborate scam, massive visa racketeering and elements of fraud. Mr. Paul Nimako, a Ghanaian businessman recently deported from the US for overstaying his visa, blew the whistle on Kwame Owusu Afriyie’s much publicized Ghana/Africa Expo, charging, in written submissions to the US Embassy, the US Secretary of State, Ms. Condelleza Rice, The British High Commission and some media houses, that the whole scheme is a sham designed to fleece Ghanaians anxious to enter the US and Britain.Mr. Nimako has previously petitioned the President through the former Presidential staffer, Dr. Amoako Tufuor, but now suspects Mr. Afriyie is now becoming bolder and because he thinks he has the backing of powerful and influential leaders of this country, including the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, and the monarch of the great Ashanti kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.With barely a month for yet another such Expo to come on in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, the event organizer, Kwame Owusu Afriyie, alerted the Dansoman police last week of threats to his life by Mr. Nimako, the whistleblower, who denied the charge and gave copies of his petition and accusation of criminal deception against Owusu Afriyie.This reporter contacted the Dansoman police station, which confirmed that they had interviewed Nimako over the threat and were still investigating.The sudden summons to the ‘Mantse Agbonna’ court today may reveal whether there was ‘an element of threat’ or not.But Nimako insists and states categorically and emphatically that he stands by everything he has written in his petitions and submitted other documentation and clippings and web sites to back his charges.Paul Nimako, who claims to have fallen prey to Owusu Afriyie’s alleged ‘fraudulent’ deals, approached this paper as a last resort after his petitions ‘fell on deaf ears’ and has now tasked the United States Embassy to institute thorough and comprehensive investigations into his organized Expos.In his current petition to the Embassy, Nimako noted that Owusu Afriyie has prepared ‘fraudulent’ documents to would-be participants in the yet to be hosted Expo scheduled for Atlanta next month to defraud the American Embassy in issuing its visas at a whopping fee of $5,000 for the over 300 participants In the said same pattern, he is said to have defrauded three companies in the United States by charging $5,000 per company for well over 20 Ghanaian companies and fraudulently duped them to the tune of $3million.The Ghana Expo last year came under a cloud of suspicion since its debut in UK as media houses, like Joy FM and Chronicle, reported over a year ago about the plight of Ghanaians who were drawn into the Expo and were left stranded in North London, the venue of the Expo.Though the presence of respected personalities like the Otumfuo and the highly regarded High Commissioner to UK, Hon. Isaac Osei, gave some credibility to the event, Nimako, a friend and business partner of Owusu Afriyie insists that it is a fraudulent racket.Nimako revealed that Owusu Afriyie, an ordinary Ghanaian, has been given a diplomatic passport to further his dubious enterprises because he managed to hookwink relevant government department to issue him with one.He revealed names of members who help Afriyie put together his international network. (Chronicle is withholding the names till we make contact with them).Illustrating, Nimako carefully told of how three individuals received imported goods worth over $2.5million from another Ghanaian businessman in the US, whom they succeeded in defrauding.Nimako stated in his petition, copies over which this reporter subjected him to rigorous interviews and examination, that he was swayed by Owusu Afriyie and his network into shipping sugar worth $300, 000 into the country, but Afriyie with his importer clients sold and pocketed the proceeds without the least consideration to him.Nimako noted that he paid Owusu Afriyie and one Duku an amount of $25,000 as agency fee for which they did not perform the required job per the agreement with none of their clients paying back the various sums extended to them as credit facilities for the importation of the goods.Meanwhile, Owusu Afriyie has denied any fraudulent deal in his business deals in organizing these Expos.He categorically denied as untrue the allegation that he charges a fee of $5,000 per a participant to the Expo as visa fee.According to him, since he was neither working nor had anything to do with the issuance of US visas at the Embassy, it would be difficult to charge anybody a fee, stressing that each and every participant goes through the normal process at the embassy, some of whom, he said, are even denied visas.Also, he indicated that the only fee he charges individuals and organizations is that of $200 as registration at a cedi rate of ¢9,300, $2,300 for the exhibition stand and $50 for the insurance.Further, he noted that he charges a fee of $500.00 per participant for hotel accommodation and an option of $1,000 for a seminar the participant expresses interest in.“Why, do you think the US embassy is foolish to sit unconcerned when these things are going on and allow me to go and come to and from the US as I want?My brother, they would have now banged me into jail,” he said furiously.According to him, the American Embassy has rejected a number of participants in the yet to be stage Expo come September. This, he said, was an indication that he cannot beat or cheat the security or immigration of America.He denied the assertion that he had been issued a diplomatic passport by state officials.However, he noted that all he has is a service passport, which he claims he rarely uses.Source: Chronicle
A MAGISTRATE of the inferior court at the Mantse Agbonna’s Palace around the James town area of Accra is this morning scheduled to sit on a case of an alleged threat to the life of Mr. Kwame Owusu Afriyie of Ghana Expo, the man accused of an elaborate scam, massive visa racketeering and elements of fraud. Mr. Paul Nimako, a Ghanaian businessman recently deported from the US for overstaying his visa, blew the whistle on Kwame Owusu Afriyie’s much publicized Ghana/Africa Expo, charging, in written submissions to the US Embassy, the US Secretary of State, Ms. Condelleza Rice, The British High Commission and some media houses, that the whole scheme is a sham designed to fleece Ghanaians anxious to enter the US and Britain.Mr. Nimako has previously petitioned the President through the former Presidential staffer, Dr. Amoako Tufuor, but now suspects Mr. Afriyie is now becoming bolder and because he thinks he has the backing of powerful and influential leaders of this country, including the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, and the monarch of the great Ashanti kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.With barely a month for yet another such Expo to come on in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, the event organizer, Kwame Owusu Afriyie, alerted the Dansoman police last week of threats to his life by Mr. Nimako, the whistleblower, who denied the charge and gave copies of his petition and accusation of criminal deception against Owusu Afriyie.This reporter contacted the Dansoman police station, which confirmed that they had interviewed Nimako over the threat and were still investigating.The sudden summons to the ‘Mantse Agbonna’ court today may reveal whether there was ‘an element of threat’ or not.But Nimako insists and states categorically and emphatically that he stands by everything he has written in his petitions and submitted other documentation and clippings and web sites to back his charges.Paul Nimako, who claims to have fallen prey to Owusu Afriyie’s alleged ‘fraudulent’ deals, approached this paper as a last resort after his petitions ‘fell on deaf ears’ and has now tasked the United States Embassy to institute thorough and comprehensive investigations into his organized Expos.In his current petition to the Embassy, Nimako noted that Owusu Afriyie has prepared ‘fraudulent’ documents to would-be participants in the yet to be hosted Expo scheduled for Atlanta next month to defraud the American Embassy in issuing its visas at a whopping fee of $5,000 for the over 300 participants In the said same pattern, he is said to have defrauded three companies in the United States by charging $5,000 per company for well over 20 Ghanaian companies and fraudulently duped them to the tune of $3million.The Ghana Expo last year came under a cloud of suspicion since its debut in UK as media houses, like Joy FM and Chronicle, reported over a year ago about the plight of Ghanaians who were drawn into the Expo and were left stranded in North London, the venue of the Expo.Though the presence of respected personalities like the Otumfuo and the highly regarded High Commissioner to UK, Hon. Isaac Osei, gave some credibility to the event, Nimako, a friend and business partner of Owusu Afriyie insists that it is a fraudulent racket.Nimako revealed that Owusu Afriyie, an ordinary Ghanaian, has been given a diplomatic passport to further his dubious enterprises because he managed to hookwink relevant government department to issue him with one.He revealed names of members who help Afriyie put together his international network. (Chronicle is withholding the names till we make contact with them).Illustrating, Nimako carefully told of how three individuals received imported goods worth over $2.5million from another Ghanaian businessman in the US, whom they succeeded in defrauding.Nimako stated in his petition, copies over which this reporter subjected him to rigorous interviews and examination, that he was swayed by Owusu Afriyie and his network into shipping sugar worth $300, 000 into the country, but Afriyie with his importer clients sold and pocketed the proceeds without the least consideration to him.Nimako noted that he paid Owusu Afriyie and one Duku an amount of $25,000 as agency fee for which they did not perform the required job per the agreement with none of their clients paying back the various sums extended to them as credit facilities for the importation of the goods.Meanwhile, Owusu Afriyie has denied any fraudulent deal in his business deals in organizing these Expos.He categorically denied as untrue the allegation that he charges a fee of $5,000 per a participant to the Expo as visa fee.According to him, since he was neither working nor had anything to do with the issuance of US visas at the Embassy, it would be difficult to charge anybody a fee, stressing that each and every participant goes through the normal process at the embassy, some of whom, he said, are even denied visas.Also, he indicated that the only fee he charges individuals and organizations is that of $200 as registration at a cedi rate of ¢9,300, $2,300 for the exhibition stand and $50 for the insurance.Further, he noted that he charges a fee of $500.00 per participant for hotel accommodation and an option of $1,000 for a seminar the participant expresses interest in.“Why, do you think the US embassy is foolish to sit unconcerned when these things are going on and allow me to go and come to and from the US as I want?My brother, they would have now banged me into jail,” he said furiously.According to him, the American Embassy has rejected a number of participants in the yet to be stage Expo come September. This, he said, was an indication that he cannot beat or cheat the security or immigration of America.He denied the assertion that he had been issued a diplomatic passport by state officials.However, he noted that all he has is a service passport, which he claims he rarely uses.Source: Chronicle
DFP Opens Nominations
Posted to the web 17 March 2008
Charles Takyi-Boadu
All is set for the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) to go to congress to elect a Flagbearer and National Executives to lead the party in the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, at its meeting on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, decided to hold its national delegates congress from Friday 4th to Saturday 5th April 2008.
A statement issued and signed by the party's Deputy General Secretary, in charge of Finance and Administration, John Amekah, said the decision was arrived at after the party's earlier decision to hold the national delegate's congress on March 14, 2008, was affected by the 26th MTN CAN 2008 football tournament.
Scheduled to take place at the assembly hall of the Accra Polytechnic, the national delegates congress would be under the theme 'restoring national hope and confidence'. In that regard, nominations would be open for contestants for both the Flagbearership and National Executives positions on Monday, March 17, 2008, and close on Monday, March 31, 2008.
The nomination forms for the Flagbearership contest would only be available at the National Secretariat whilst that for National Executives would be available at the National Secretariat and all regional offices of the party spread across the length and breadth of the country.
Some 1,600 delegates are expected to vote to determine the future of the party at the scheduled congress. Meanwhile, the Founder and Leader of the DFP, who happens to be former Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah has totally ruled out the possibility of contesting for any position at stake. He appears to be comfortable with his role as a Founder of the party.
As a party founded on democratic principles and ideologies, the DFP has assured all Ghanaians and its teeming supporters in particular, that the party is as vibrant as ever and poised not only to contest the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary elections but to make a huge impact on the Ghanaian political scene.
According to the statement, the DFP's plan to hold the congress as originally scheduled for March 14, 2008, was affected by the just ended African Cup of Nations, which in turn affected the academic calendar of most tertiary institutions in the country.
This necessitated a postponement of the event to enable the party to find other alternative and suitable arrangements for both the venue of the congress and accommodation for the delegates who would be attending.Though party leaders are not forthcoming with information about which individuals are likely to contest, sources have it that the race for the Flagbearership is likely to attract serious attention, considering where the DFP is coming from.
Sources close to the top brass of the party have indicated that the DFP would endeavour to elect a new generation type of leadership to lead it into the upcoming elections.It is, however, not clear whether former Finance Minister in the (P)NDC regime, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey would contest for the Flagbearership, after an open denial to that effect. DFP has promised to pull a surprise in the upcoming Presidential and Parliament elections slated for December 2008.
Barely a year after it was founded, the leadership of the party has managed to strengthen the party's base in all the 10 regional capitals and the 230 constituencies across the length and breadth of the country.Unlike some existing political parties, which do not have physical structures and executives in all the 10 regions, let alone the 230 constituencies, the DFP has offices in two-thirds of the 230 constituencies.
At the remaining one-third of those constituencies without physical presence, the party has executives and registered members who hold meetings within time.The leadership of the party has thus intensified their efforts to strengthen the base of the party in those constituencies in order to increase its support base.Considering the work done so far, Dr. Obed Asamoah has said that the party was leaving no stone unturned to realise its dream of winning the upcoming elections.
Charles Takyi-Boadu
All is set for the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) to go to congress to elect a Flagbearer and National Executives to lead the party in the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, at its meeting on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, decided to hold its national delegates congress from Friday 4th to Saturday 5th April 2008.
A statement issued and signed by the party's Deputy General Secretary, in charge of Finance and Administration, John Amekah, said the decision was arrived at after the party's earlier decision to hold the national delegate's congress on March 14, 2008, was affected by the 26th MTN CAN 2008 football tournament.
Scheduled to take place at the assembly hall of the Accra Polytechnic, the national delegates congress would be under the theme 'restoring national hope and confidence'. In that regard, nominations would be open for contestants for both the Flagbearership and National Executives positions on Monday, March 17, 2008, and close on Monday, March 31, 2008.
The nomination forms for the Flagbearership contest would only be available at the National Secretariat whilst that for National Executives would be available at the National Secretariat and all regional offices of the party spread across the length and breadth of the country.
Some 1,600 delegates are expected to vote to determine the future of the party at the scheduled congress. Meanwhile, the Founder and Leader of the DFP, who happens to be former Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah has totally ruled out the possibility of contesting for any position at stake. He appears to be comfortable with his role as a Founder of the party.
As a party founded on democratic principles and ideologies, the DFP has assured all Ghanaians and its teeming supporters in particular, that the party is as vibrant as ever and poised not only to contest the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary elections but to make a huge impact on the Ghanaian political scene.
According to the statement, the DFP's plan to hold the congress as originally scheduled for March 14, 2008, was affected by the just ended African Cup of Nations, which in turn affected the academic calendar of most tertiary institutions in the country.
This necessitated a postponement of the event to enable the party to find other alternative and suitable arrangements for both the venue of the congress and accommodation for the delegates who would be attending.Though party leaders are not forthcoming with information about which individuals are likely to contest, sources have it that the race for the Flagbearership is likely to attract serious attention, considering where the DFP is coming from.
Sources close to the top brass of the party have indicated that the DFP would endeavour to elect a new generation type of leadership to lead it into the upcoming elections.It is, however, not clear whether former Finance Minister in the (P)NDC regime, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey would contest for the Flagbearership, after an open denial to that effect. DFP has promised to pull a surprise in the upcoming Presidential and Parliament elections slated for December 2008.
Barely a year after it was founded, the leadership of the party has managed to strengthen the party's base in all the 10 regional capitals and the 230 constituencies across the length and breadth of the country.Unlike some existing political parties, which do not have physical structures and executives in all the 10 regions, let alone the 230 constituencies, the DFP has offices in two-thirds of the 230 constituencies.
At the remaining one-third of those constituencies without physical presence, the party has executives and registered members who hold meetings within time.The leadership of the party has thus intensified their efforts to strengthen the base of the party in those constituencies in order to increase its support base.Considering the work done so far, Dr. Obed Asamoah has said that the party was leaving no stone unturned to realise its dream of winning the upcoming elections.
Why Accra is Still Stinking
Posted to the web 6 May 2008
Charles Takyi-Boadu
The problem of increasing levels of filth, which has engulfed the nation's capital, Accra, is far from ending, as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), and central government keep engaging in, what appears to be, an unnecessary blame-game.
Whilst the AMA blames central government, the latter is also putting the blame on the door step of the Assembly, for its inability to settle its indebtedness, of well-over ¢120 million (¢12,000), to solid waste contractors, whom they have engaged to collect refuse from various parts of the city.
The amount is a debt that has accumulated over several months.
Speaking on Peace FM's Kokrokoo Morning Show yesterday, a representative of the 17 or so solid waste contractors in Accra, a certain Mr. Asadu, attributed the increasing levels of filth in the capital city, to internal bickering between the Assembly and central government, over who is responsible for the payment of the outstanding debt.
This, he said, had affected the operations of the companies involved, since there was no money to run their individual businesses.
He emphasised that most of the contractors, are not able to meet their targets, since operations are gradually grinding to a halt, as a result of the lack of funds.
According to him, most of the companies have several of their trucks brokendown, whilst the few remaining ones are not able to work, because there was no money to buy fuel.
Though some of them are compelled, by circumstances, to purchase fuel on a credit basis, the filling stations have now resolved not to offer such credit to them anymore, because of their inability to pay them on schedule.
Using his case as an example, he said the AMA or government owed him well over ¢2 billon in arrears.
The situation, he indicated, was what had resulted in the increasing levels of filth in the country.
He noted that the continuous in-fighting between central government and the AMA, would not solve the problem, but instead deepen the woes of Accra residents, who are at the receiving end of the abhorrent stench pervading all over the place.
Mr. Asadu, therefore, urged government, and other stakeholders in the industry, to take steps to make amends, or else the situation would continue to grow, from bad to worse, as the days go by.
In spite of numerous assurances made to them, by Mr. Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson's outfit to settle the outstanding debt, the waste contractors say what they have done over the period, is to pay them lip service.
As a result, most these companies have adopted a lackadaisical attitude towards refuse collection in Accra.
The situation has resulted in the generating of mountains of filth, all over the capital city, especially in third and fourth class residential areas, such as Nima, Korle-Gonno Mamprobi, Bukom and James Town in central Accra.
Some of the affected contractors, say the situation is gradually getting out of hand, since it has gotten to a stage, where they sometimes cannot afford to fuel their trucks.
Information has it that the cost of maintaining each of these trucks is estimated to be running into millions of cedis.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that companies running about 12-15 fleet of trucks purchase over ¢50 million (GH¢5,000) a week.
Somewhere last year, Mr. Samuel Kpodo, a Principal Environmental Technologist in solid waste collection, at the AMA Waste Department, admitted in an interview with The Chronicle, that the situation was crippling the activities and operations of these waste contractors.
He traced the Assembly's predicament back to the year 2005, when as a result of fuel price increases, it was compelled by circumstances, to increase the cost per tonne of refuse, from the initial ¢60,000 (GH¢6) to ¢100,000 (GH¢10).
Since then, he says, the Assembly has been struggling to pay these contractors, resulting in inefficiency.
Though the Assembly collects taxes and property rates, among others, he noted it was still not sufficient to surmount the tonnes of solid waste generated in Accra.
Mr. Kpodo noted that the Assembly spent about 60% of its annual revenue, on solid waste management alone, not to even talk about liquid waste.
He, therefore, made a proposal that every household be made to pay for refuse collected at the end of each month, as is the case of first and second class residential areas. "We, therefore, have to adopt and apply 'the polluter pays policy' in Accra, to support the AMA in paying these contractors," he said.
Charles Takyi-Boadu
The problem of increasing levels of filth, which has engulfed the nation's capital, Accra, is far from ending, as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), and central government keep engaging in, what appears to be, an unnecessary blame-game.
Whilst the AMA blames central government, the latter is also putting the blame on the door step of the Assembly, for its inability to settle its indebtedness, of well-over ¢120 million (¢12,000), to solid waste contractors, whom they have engaged to collect refuse from various parts of the city.
The amount is a debt that has accumulated over several months.
Speaking on Peace FM's Kokrokoo Morning Show yesterday, a representative of the 17 or so solid waste contractors in Accra, a certain Mr. Asadu, attributed the increasing levels of filth in the capital city, to internal bickering between the Assembly and central government, over who is responsible for the payment of the outstanding debt.
This, he said, had affected the operations of the companies involved, since there was no money to run their individual businesses.
He emphasised that most of the contractors, are not able to meet their targets, since operations are gradually grinding to a halt, as a result of the lack of funds.
According to him, most of the companies have several of their trucks brokendown, whilst the few remaining ones are not able to work, because there was no money to buy fuel.
Though some of them are compelled, by circumstances, to purchase fuel on a credit basis, the filling stations have now resolved not to offer such credit to them anymore, because of their inability to pay them on schedule.
Using his case as an example, he said the AMA or government owed him well over ¢2 billon in arrears.
The situation, he indicated, was what had resulted in the increasing levels of filth in the country.
He noted that the continuous in-fighting between central government and the AMA, would not solve the problem, but instead deepen the woes of Accra residents, who are at the receiving end of the abhorrent stench pervading all over the place.
Mr. Asadu, therefore, urged government, and other stakeholders in the industry, to take steps to make amends, or else the situation would continue to grow, from bad to worse, as the days go by.
In spite of numerous assurances made to them, by Mr. Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson's outfit to settle the outstanding debt, the waste contractors say what they have done over the period, is to pay them lip service.
As a result, most these companies have adopted a lackadaisical attitude towards refuse collection in Accra.
The situation has resulted in the generating of mountains of filth, all over the capital city, especially in third and fourth class residential areas, such as Nima, Korle-Gonno Mamprobi, Bukom and James Town in central Accra.
Some of the affected contractors, say the situation is gradually getting out of hand, since it has gotten to a stage, where they sometimes cannot afford to fuel their trucks.
Information has it that the cost of maintaining each of these trucks is estimated to be running into millions of cedis.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that companies running about 12-15 fleet of trucks purchase over ¢50 million (GH¢5,000) a week.
Somewhere last year, Mr. Samuel Kpodo, a Principal Environmental Technologist in solid waste collection, at the AMA Waste Department, admitted in an interview with The Chronicle, that the situation was crippling the activities and operations of these waste contractors.
He traced the Assembly's predicament back to the year 2005, when as a result of fuel price increases, it was compelled by circumstances, to increase the cost per tonne of refuse, from the initial ¢60,000 (GH¢6) to ¢100,000 (GH¢10).
Since then, he says, the Assembly has been struggling to pay these contractors, resulting in inefficiency.
Though the Assembly collects taxes and property rates, among others, he noted it was still not sufficient to surmount the tonnes of solid waste generated in Accra.
Mr. Kpodo noted that the Assembly spent about 60% of its annual revenue, on solid waste management alone, not to even talk about liquid waste.
He, therefore, made a proposal that every household be made to pay for refuse collected at the end of each month, as is the case of first and second class residential areas. "We, therefore, have to adopt and apply 'the polluter pays policy' in Accra, to support the AMA in paying these contractors," he said.
Gay, Lesbian Adventure Catches Fire
Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra), September 5, 2006Charles Takyi-BoaduThe activities and operations of a group calling itself the gay and lesbian association of Ghana, coupled with their intention to play host to an international conference in Ghana, has met fierce condemnation and opposition from the Christian community.In the heat of events, the Christian Council of Ghana, mother of several Christian denominations in the country, has added its voice to that of the several condemnations by government and equally concerned citizens.At a press conference in Accra yesterday to state its position on the raging controversy, Right Reverend Dr. Paul Fynn, Chairman of the all-powerful council, condemned in no uncertain terms the activities and operations of the gays and lesbians."The Christian Council of Ghana vehemently condemns without reservations the formation of such an association in our beautiful and peaceful country," he said.He noted that the said conference would not have been in the interest of the nation, as it would rather have brought disgrace to many people in the country if not the entire population.According to him, the fact that the constitution of the country guaranteed freedom of association, movement, speech, expression and worship did not mean it should provide the license and authority for people to misbehave and satanise the country, as that of the infamous Sodom and Gomorrah incident in the bible.As the bible prescribes, he indicated, "God did not create man to marry man and woman to marry woman, but created man to cohabit with woman and to bear children".For this reason, he mentioned that it does not augur well for man to marry man and woman to marry woman and have their marriage blessed.Dr Paul Fynn has thus called on all Ghanaians, especially religious bodies, to rise up and nip in the bud the emergence of the practice he described as "despicable and dangerous phenomena" in the Ghanaian society.For him, homosexuality, lesbianism, occultism and the raging cocaine issues that have beset this nation within the last couple of months are all signs of the bad seed sown by the devil amongst us; hence the need to uproot such acts without further delay.The council thus advised all parents, teachers and guardians to keep an eye on their children and advise them to steer clear of such immoral and sinful practices.This he said was because these practices only bring untold hardships to individuals, the community and the nation in the long run.It congratulated government for its swift response to the issue, knowing very well its consequential effects on the nation and the people, commending it for not only condemning but also disallowing the proposed international conference to would have been held in Ghana."We further congratulate the government for recognizing the cherished traditional and religious values of our country and for listening to the Ghanaian public," said the chairman.According to him, the Council was solidly behind the government in its decision to take disciplinary actions against them if they were found to have acted in contradiction of the country's laws.Over a week ago, the president of the gays and lesbians association of Ghana, one Prince MacDonalds, came under immense attack from Ghanaians when he stormed the studious of Joy FM, an Accra-based private radio station, to justify their activities.Apostle Dr. Michael Ntumy, who could not fathom any kind of justification for such ungodly practices, said, "Homosexuality is an offence against God", quoting Leviticus 20:13 in the Holy Scriptures, "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death".This in itself, he said, must inform all persons of how God despises such practices.He noted that Christians consider homosexuality and lesbianism as contrary to the ways the Bible teaches and part of what the Scripture condemns, including fornication and stealing.He said the only way out for such persons would be to seek accord with God and accept to repent their ways."It is unfortunate all over the world homosexuals are coming out of their closets," he bemoaned.Although many people feel uneasy to talk about it in public, he wondered why and how others felt proud of this orientation and were telling the entire world that it was an alternate sexual course.Meanwhile, the Bible prescribe in Leviticus 18:22 that a man "shall not lie with a male as with a woman", emphasizing that "it is an abomination".
Alleged Visa Deals - Afeku's Woes Deepen
Posted to the web 17 April 2008
Charles Takyi-Boadu
The allegation of visa racketeering, which stalled the vetting of Mrs. Catherine Afeku, Government Spokesperson on Social Services and Infrastructure, from the Evalue-Gwira primary on the ticket of her party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is far from ending as more evidence pops up against her.
Latest, is the sudden outburst of one Matilda Agyemang, a Ghanaian-based in the United States (US), who has jumped into the fray, to buttress the allegations made by Habakkuk Baffoe, of the University of Education, Winneba, who has launched a crushing exposé on the activities of the NPP stalwart.
Speaking to 'Radio Gold' morning show host, yesterday, Matilda narrated how she came into contact with Catherine, in the year 2005, when she (Catherine) was resident in the US.
According to Matilda, what made her enter into a deal with Catherine was when she convinced her that she could assist to procure the necessary documents for two of her siblings, to travel and join her in the US.
She noted that Catherine made her understand that she had connections with the US Embassy in Ghana hence it would be easy for her to procure visas for the two siblings.
After extensive discussions, she noted that they reached an agreement when Catherine asked her to pay an amount of $14,000, to enable her process the necessary documents, including visas.
The said the amount was to cover the entire traveling expenses for Matilda's brother and sister - a $7,000 fee for each person.
That notwithstanding, she said Catherine gave her only two hours to effect payment, which was done through the issuance of cheques, of which she claimed to be having copies.
Asked what made her have so much confidence in Catherine, to believe that she could help her bring her siblings to the US, Matilda said Catherine made her believe that she had been doing this for a long time, hence could do whatever it takes to get the two to the States.
According to Matilda, Catherine, thus gave her a time lapse of 6 months within which she would have completed all the necessary documents for her siblings to travel.
This, however, turned out to be a hoax, when after the stipulated time, Catherine could not deliver on her promise, and moved from the US to Ghana, with her husband.
Since then, she indicated, she had made several attempts to reclaim her money, but Catherine has not been forthcoming but rather dodgy.
Whenever she put a call through to Catherine's phone, she said, Catherine would promise to call her back, but not do so.
For now, all Matilda said she wanted was a refund of her $14,000, and nothing more.
She described Catherine Afeku as a liar, for denying owing her, let alone engage in any shady visa deals as being alleged.
"I'm not the only person; she took people's money, that's why she has run away to Ghana. As soon as I finish with mine, I will let the others come forward," she assured.
Matilda said she had documents to back her claims, since she kept copies of each and every one of the cheques, she issued to Catherine for withdrawal.
Matilda said when she came to Ghana three years ago, she reported the incident to the Axim Police, who managed to arrest Catherine's husband, one Seth Afeku, but could not arrest the wife.
Considering the nature of the case, Matilda said, she was advised to take the issue to a court, in either Accra or Kumasi, for the necessary action to be taken, to retrieve the money.
By that time, she noted, she only had three days to leave the country for the US, hence had no option but to leave.
For Matilda, such a person does not qualify to be a political figure in Ghana. She, therefore, called on the NPP to disqualify her nomination.
But Catherine still sticks to her position, that she has not defrauded anyone, and has asked those making the allegations, to prove her guilt by producing documentary evidence, to back their claims, or go to court.
According to her, both Michael and Samuel Nokor, who were said to have fallen prey to her visa deals, have all denied the allegations, expressing disappointment.
The vetting of Catherine Afeku was put on hold, by her party's Vetting Committee sometime last week, following a petition tabled by Habakkuk Baffoe.
In the said petition, dated April 6, 2008, Baffoe, who happens to be in the same political party, NPP, with Catherine, sought to ask the party officials to disqualify her candidature, since in his view, she and her husband had dragged the party's name into disrepute, through their alleged deals as 'visa contractors'.
Charles Takyi-Boadu
The allegation of visa racketeering, which stalled the vetting of Mrs. Catherine Afeku, Government Spokesperson on Social Services and Infrastructure, from the Evalue-Gwira primary on the ticket of her party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is far from ending as more evidence pops up against her.
Latest, is the sudden outburst of one Matilda Agyemang, a Ghanaian-based in the United States (US), who has jumped into the fray, to buttress the allegations made by Habakkuk Baffoe, of the University of Education, Winneba, who has launched a crushing exposé on the activities of the NPP stalwart.
Speaking to 'Radio Gold' morning show host, yesterday, Matilda narrated how she came into contact with Catherine, in the year 2005, when she (Catherine) was resident in the US.
According to Matilda, what made her enter into a deal with Catherine was when she convinced her that she could assist to procure the necessary documents for two of her siblings, to travel and join her in the US.
She noted that Catherine made her understand that she had connections with the US Embassy in Ghana hence it would be easy for her to procure visas for the two siblings.
After extensive discussions, she noted that they reached an agreement when Catherine asked her to pay an amount of $14,000, to enable her process the necessary documents, including visas.
The said the amount was to cover the entire traveling expenses for Matilda's brother and sister - a $7,000 fee for each person.
That notwithstanding, she said Catherine gave her only two hours to effect payment, which was done through the issuance of cheques, of which she claimed to be having copies.
Asked what made her have so much confidence in Catherine, to believe that she could help her bring her siblings to the US, Matilda said Catherine made her believe that she had been doing this for a long time, hence could do whatever it takes to get the two to the States.
According to Matilda, Catherine, thus gave her a time lapse of 6 months within which she would have completed all the necessary documents for her siblings to travel.
This, however, turned out to be a hoax, when after the stipulated time, Catherine could not deliver on her promise, and moved from the US to Ghana, with her husband.
Since then, she indicated, she had made several attempts to reclaim her money, but Catherine has not been forthcoming but rather dodgy.
Whenever she put a call through to Catherine's phone, she said, Catherine would promise to call her back, but not do so.
For now, all Matilda said she wanted was a refund of her $14,000, and nothing more.
She described Catherine Afeku as a liar, for denying owing her, let alone engage in any shady visa deals as being alleged.
"I'm not the only person; she took people's money, that's why she has run away to Ghana. As soon as I finish with mine, I will let the others come forward," she assured.
Matilda said she had documents to back her claims, since she kept copies of each and every one of the cheques, she issued to Catherine for withdrawal.
Matilda said when she came to Ghana three years ago, she reported the incident to the Axim Police, who managed to arrest Catherine's husband, one Seth Afeku, but could not arrest the wife.
Considering the nature of the case, Matilda said, she was advised to take the issue to a court, in either Accra or Kumasi, for the necessary action to be taken, to retrieve the money.
By that time, she noted, she only had three days to leave the country for the US, hence had no option but to leave.
For Matilda, such a person does not qualify to be a political figure in Ghana. She, therefore, called on the NPP to disqualify her nomination.
But Catherine still sticks to her position, that she has not defrauded anyone, and has asked those making the allegations, to prove her guilt by producing documentary evidence, to back their claims, or go to court.
According to her, both Michael and Samuel Nokor, who were said to have fallen prey to her visa deals, have all denied the allegations, expressing disappointment.
The vetting of Catherine Afeku was put on hold, by her party's Vetting Committee sometime last week, following a petition tabled by Habakkuk Baffoe.
In the said petition, dated April 6, 2008, Baffoe, who happens to be in the same political party, NPP, with Catherine, sought to ask the party officials to disqualify her candidature, since in his view, she and her husband had dragged the party's name into disrepute, through their alleged deals as 'visa contractors'.
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