Public Agenda articles from August 2011

Public Agenda archives from August 2011

CSOs Oppose Govts Commitment to EPA.
August 29, 2011... Byline: Mohammed Suleman Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) led by the Third World Network Africa (TWN-Africa ) is kicking against government?s intention to sign up to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) as...

TDC Pulls Down Widow's Building.
August 29, 2011... Byline: Steve Manteaw The world of Ms. Mary Quayson, a widow in Tema, Community One still struggling to come to terms with the untimely loss of her husband, caved-in last week, when the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) task force, without a...

Country-Led Service Delivery Key to Africa's Water And Sanitation Problems.
August 29, 2011... According to a new report released last week by the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) at the World Bank, African countries that are making transition to taking a leadership role in safe water and sanitation service delivery to the millions of...

The Meteorological Agency Must Face the Facts.
August 29, 2011... The Akans have a saying that translates as "one must discuss his or her ailment in order to get help". That, the Ghana Metrological Agency faces operational challenges that could compromise the accuracy of its rainfall data, as carried in the...

Surveyors Promise Delivery of Quality Service in Oil Industry.
August 29, 2011... Byline: Laud Nartey The Ghana Institution of Surveyors has assured that, it would co-operate and collaborate with government and other stakeholders to create the enabling environment for the tapping of opportunities offered by the oil and gas...

Botswana in the Country's Mind.
August 29, 2011... Byline: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong The August 17 meeting between Ghana's President John Atta Mills and Botswana's Ian Khama goes between the normal symbolic bilateral sweet talks. In contemporary African thinking, the core issue between Ghana and...

To What Extent Have the Generous Tax Incentives in the Natural Resource Sector Commensurate With FDI Flow?
August 29, 2011... Byline: Abdallah Ali-Nakyea The Government of Ghana has, over the years, instituted a number of incentives in an effort to create an enabling environment for investment activity in the natural resource sector in Ghana. This is owing to the...

Queen Mothers Not Anti-Marriage.
August 29, 2011... Byline: Nana Poku The Kyidomhemea of the Akropong Akuapem Traditional Area, Nana Akua Gyasiwaa I, has debunked an old held view that most queen mothers hardly settle down in marriage. My dear, times have changed so some things have also...

Abantu Commends Nmc On Nana Agyeman And Felicia Gbesemete's Appointments.
August 29, 2011... Abantu for Development has commended the National Media Commission (NMC) for appointing two prominent female Ghanaians two media institutions. They are women are Prof. Nana Jane Opoku Agyeman, Vice chancellor, University of Cape Coast to the...

RTI Coalition Commends Parliamentary Committee.
August 29, 2011... The Coalition on Right to Information has commended Parliament?s Joint Committee on Communication and Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs for successfully organizing regional consultations on the Right to Information Bill in the...

Meteorological Agency Defends Rainfall Figures.
August 29, 2011... The Acting Director-General of the Ghana Meteorological Agency, Zinedeme Minia, has defended the effectiveness of the Agency's equipment and the accuracy of the rainfall figures it releases. "First of all let me state clearly that rainfall...

NCA, Community Radios in Battle Over Frequencies.
August 29, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah The longstanding dispute between the National Communication Authority (NCA) and Community Radio stations over the allocation of radio frequencies does not seem to be abating following further entrenched positions...

RTI Coalition Commends Parliamentary Committee.
August 29, 2011... The Coalition on Right to Information has commended Parliament's Joint Committee on Communication and Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs for successfully organizing regional consultations on the Right to Information Bill in the...

National Identification And Safety.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Abubakr-Sadiq Braimah Ghana is fast developing into a middle class country but the country's systems and facilities do not seem to match the status that the country intends to achieve. It is very important that a bold decision is...

Innovation, Prudent Management Could Deliver Health Goals.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Mathias Aboba Health sector performance in the Upper East Region has for the past few years recorded dramatic improvement. The Region was recently tagged as one with the best performing health institution in the country and...

Crime Soars in Fulani Herdsmen Communities.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Laud Nartey The Ghana Police Service says available empirical evidence reveals that crimes keep soaring in communities where there are Fulani herdsmen. According to the Director- General of Operations, DCOP John Kudalor, the Fulani...

Subsidy is Main Cause of Gas Shortage.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Nana Poku The President of Retailers Association of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Accra-Tema environs has blamed subsidies for the current acute shortage of the product LPG in the country. Looking very frustrated and irritated,...

Regions Democratic Evolution African Or Western?
August 26, 2011... Byline: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong For sometime, the centre of Africa's anarchic one-party systems, gory tyrants, brutal dictatorships, self-serving military juntas and hideous civil wars, West Africa is changing and indisputably sowing democratic...

Youth in Agric Programme Contributing to Food Security.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Mavis Otinkorang Youth in Agriculture Programme (YIAP) is a Government?s agricultural sector initiative with the objective of motivating the youth, to accept and appreciate agricultural production as a commercial venture, thereby...

Clearing the Natural Resources Mess.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah In the coming weeks or months, political parties in Ghana would be called upon to sign-on to a pact between them and citizens, agreeing strict terms for the governance of Ghana's natural resources including oil and...

Tax Education of Populace Important for Development.
August 26, 2011... Participants of the Tax Celebration Week were unanimous on the need to educate the populace on taxation so as to enable them to appreciate why they have to contribute part of their income or revenue to the state for development purposes. Many...

African Leaders Urged to Use Tax Payers Money Judiciously.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Irene J. Mensah African leaders have been called upon to use taxes judiciously so that any attempt to widen the tax bracket can be justified. The proponent argued that citizens would obviously asked questions if they did not see the...

'Shining Stars' Launches Educational Fund.
August 26, 2011... Shining Stars International, a Christian music group, has launched an educational endowment fund, meant to assist needy school-going members of the group as well as those within the community in their educational pursuits. Mr. Baffour...

USAID, Rotary Provide Potable Water to People of Ho Municipality.
August 26, 2011... More than 10,000 people in three communities in Ho municipality are benefiting from a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Rotary International project that is providing safe drinking water. The communities are Abutia Teti,...

Energy Ministry's Policy On LPG Doesn't Add Up.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Franklin Cudjoe It is now public that the Ministry of Energy is drafting a memo to Cabinet to push for a policy of ensuring that commercial drivers pay realistic prices for LPG. According to an official of that Ministry, the policy...

Great Consolidated Diamonds to Create 50,000 Jobs.
August 26, 2011... Byline: Mohammed Suleman It was all smiles on the faces of residents of Akwatia in the kwaebibirim District of the Eastern region, following the commencement of operation of the Great Consolidated Diamonds Ghana Limited (GCDGL). The then...

Chamber of Commerce, AGI, Daily Graphic, Endorse CSR Awards.
August 22, 2011... The Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), has officially endorsed the Ghana Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Diary and Awards. The endorsement confirms an unprecedented support by industry for the event. The...

Kenya's Cabinet Rejects Quota for Female MPs.
August 22, 2011... Kenya's coalition government wants to drop the new constitutional requirement that women should make up a third of MPs in parliament. The requirement would be "technically impossible" to achieve in elections due next year, the president's...

Osagyefo Cup Events to Be Launched in Ellembele.
August 22, 2011... As part of the annual Founder's Day Celebration of Ghana's first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, an event dubbed 'Osagyefo Cup Events' is scheduled to be launched on Friday 26th August 2011 at Nkroful, his hometown in the Ellembele District of the...

Tamale Metro Mass Transport Appalling Services!
August 22, 2011... Byline: Albert Oppong Ansah Undoubtedly, the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Limited, since its establishment in 2002, has provided good transport service to majority of Ghanaian's both at the rural and urban centres. When MMT buses began plying...

'Hit And Run' Cop Faces Charges.
August 22, 2011... Byline: Mohammed Suleman Inspector Richard Adjei Dzokpe, the off-duty police officer who knocked down Faith Narh, a 26-year old lady and abandoned her to her fate, is to be charged. The Director-General of the Police Intelligence and...

Abolish Local Govt Ministry.
August 22, 2011... Byline: Mohammed Suleman The man widely accredited to be the main architect of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), as it exists today, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, is ironically tolling the death knell of that same...

Liquefied Petroleum Gas Situation Still Precarious.
August 22, 2011... Byline: Mavis Ontinkorang The shortage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) which has hit the country for some weeks now does not seem to be abating as long queues of vehicles and gas cylinders remain characteristic features of gas vending...

Wascof Urges Civil Society to Resist Attacks.
August 22, 2011... The West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) has urged civil society groups in Africa to forge a solidarity bond among themselves, and to work together to resist what it describes as "disturbing developments concerning the ill treatment of...

Trivialities Must Not Crowd Out Substance in Our Political Discourses.
August 22, 2011... The past week was indeed a bad one for the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). It found itself being castigated by all manner of social commentators over a report for which it should have been praised. The barrage of attacks the Institute...

The English Riots Uncovered - the Untold Story.
August 22, 2011... Byline: Dr. Kwame Osei Now that the dust has settled on the riots in England, it is appropriate to tell the story that the British media will not want to tell and the REAL reasons for the riots in several English cities. As someone who was...

Officialdom's Silence On Vital Public Information is Counterproductive.
August 19, 2011... Societies establish for themselves institutions for meeting their routine needs. Each institution is assigned a particular function or role, thus a system of network consisting of inter-relationships and interdependency evolves ensuring order,...

Petroleum, Mining Contracts Not Subject to Procurement Laws.
August 19, 2011... Byline: Irene J. Mensah Mr. Sallas Mensah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), has confirmed that petroleum and mining contracts are not subject to the national procurement law. His explanation is that,...

Rainfall Figures Not Accurate?
August 19, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah And Mavis Otinkorang As Meteo Agency downsizes monitoring stations from 500 to 200...Relies on obsolete equipment...Unable to provide rainfall statistics Questions are emerging over the accuracy of rainfall...

Judiciary Risks Losing Over Gh33 Million Through Lapses--CJA.
August 19, 2011... Byline: Mohammed Suleman And Audrey O. Lamptey The Committee for Joint Action (CJA) has cautioned that the State could lose over GH¢ 33 million through alleged lapses and maladministration of the country's Judicial...

Killing of Kwame Eric - a Case for Curbing Corporate Lawlessness.
August 19, 2011... Byline: Opinion On Wednesday, 10th August, 2011, a security official working with Ghanatta Security Services which had been contracted by AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine to provide security services at the mine's South Tailings Storage Facility...

Free Zones Board Launches New Website.(Website overview)
August 19, 2011... Byline: Mavis Otinkorang Ghana Free Zones Board (GFZB), in demonstrating commitment to provide quality services to its stakeholders both locally and internationally, has shifted from the traditional website to a dynamic web portal. In...

Heavy Duty Vehicles Are a Nuisance On Lapaz - Mallam Road.
August 19, 2011... Byline: Audrey Lamptey In recent times the traffic around Lapaz off the Tetteh Quarshie -Mallam stretch of the Motorway has become unbearable. Doubled lanes have been reduced to one due to ongoing construction works with heavy duty trucks...

Decriminalize All Aspects of Free Expression - Media Foundation for West Africa.
August 18, 2011... Byline: Mohammed Suleman and Sheila Atiyire The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) last week celebrated a decade of the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law with a call to decriminalize all aspects of free speech and make the African...

Free Zones Board Launches New Website.(Website overview)
August 18, 2011... Byline: Mavis Otinkorang Ghana Free Zones Board (GFZB), in demonstrating commitment to provide quality services to its stakeholders both locally and internationally, has shifted from the traditional website to a dynamic web portal. In...

Spending Oil Revenues to Benefit Citizens.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah The Integrated Social Development Centre, a non-governmental organization, says in order to make oil and gas revenues count for citizens, government must ensure that the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector is...

CJA Joins Call On Govt to Uphold National Interest.
August 15, 2011... The Committee for Joint Action (CJA) has reiterated the call by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) on government not to compromise the national interest in its "handling of allegations of fraud and other malpractices levelled...

Understanding Climate Change.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah "The climate has changed. The major change is about rainfall pattern. It has changed. Normally we have heavy rainfall in June but these days is rather June which is not bringing us water. Now it is raining and when...

The Benefit of Mining to Ghana.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Tephen Yeboah Has mining really served Ghana WELL? Ms. Joyce Aryee of the Ghana Chamber of Mines thinks so. But, we cannot put the matter to rest just on the basis of her assessment. Of course, one would not expect Joyce Aryee as...

All Ghanaians Must Own Toilets By 2025.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah Every household in Ghana is expected to have an improved toilet facility by 2025, says a yet-to-be-completed strategic framework for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector. The document, titled the...

Tullow's Jubilee to Reach Plateau Rate By 2012, Kosmos Says.
August 15, 2011... The Tullow Oil Plc-led Jubilee oil field off Ghana's Western shores will reach plateau output by the turn of the year, said Kosmos Energy Ltd., its partner in the project. The partners, including Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC) and Ghana...

Men Must See Feminism As Critical to Struggle for Rights - Akoto Ampaw Urges.
August 15, 2011... A renowned legal practitioner, Mr. Akoto Ampaw has encouraged the feminist movement (FM) to be actively involved in the mass struggle for democratic principles and not to work in isolation. He said the movement must not see itself as...

Streetism And the Increase in Child Labour - the Case of Accra.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Christian Yaw Adinkra There are thousands of children living and working on the streets of Accra and other regional towns, and the number in Accra is growing by the day. The problems of streetism and child labour are complex and the...

Zoomlion Ghana Limited Donates Towards 2011 GJA Awards.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Patricia Ama Nkansah Zoomlion Ghana Limited last Thursday presented a cheque of GHc 3,000 to the National Executive Committee of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) towards the 16th Edition of GJA Awards. Miss Patricia Ofori...

Call to Support Media in Right Direction.
August 15, 2011... One of the greatest American statesmen of all time, Thomas Jefferson is reported to have intimated, that he would rather have newspapers without a government rather than a government without newspapers. A good newspaper, according to Arthur...

The Benefit of Mining to the Country.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Stephen Yeboah The Chamber of Mines cannot have the last say on the matter Has mining really served Ghana WELL? Ms. Joyce Aryee of the Ghana Chamber of Mines thinks so. But, we cannot put the matter to rest just on the basis of her...

Mole Participants Call for Capacity Development of Oil Districts.(Conference notes)
August 15, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah Government has been called upon to work to improve the human and logistical capacities of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Western Region, especially those impacted by ongoing oil and gas...

Local School Boy Raises Aid Money for Somali Famine.
August 15, 2011... An 11-year-old Ghanaian schoolboy has so far raised more than $500 (£300) for victims of the famine in Somalia. Andrew Andasi launched his campaign last week after watching footage of people walking in search of food. He told the...

Public Textbooks for Distribution to Private Schools?
August 15, 2011... Byline: Leonard Shang-Quartey Resistance to public financing of any aspect of private school education is a difficult subject to touch because of the reactions it generates from mostly rich and middle class section of our society; those who...

Prioritize Water And Sanitation - ISODEC.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah The Integrated Social Development Centre, a non-governmental organization, says in order to make oil and gas revenues count for citizens, government must ensure that the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector is...

EU Commits 3 Million Euros to BUSAC Fund.
August 15, 2011... The European Union (EU) has signed an agreement with the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), committing an amount of three million Euros to the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund as part of its contribution to private...

Two-Faced Climate Effects in Volta Region.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah "The climate has changed. The major change is about rainfall pattern. It has changed. Normally we have heavy rainfall in June but these days is rather June which is not bringing us water. Now it is raining and when...

Committee for Joint Action Joins Call On Govt to Uphold National Interest.
August 15, 2011... The Committee for Joint Action (CJA) has reiterated the call by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) on government not to compromise the national interest in its "handling of allegations of fraud and other malpractices levelled...

Advertise in Private Newspapers.
August 15, 2011... Byline: Mohammed Suleman Minister for Communications, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has added his voice to the calls on corporate entities, particularly the telecommunication companies in the country to support private newspapers by placing...

Country Loses U.S.$30 Million in Oil Deal.
August 12, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah As the dust settles on the 30.5 million-dollar trading of shares involving the EO Group and Tullow Oil, it is becoming clear that Ghana could lose up to 30.5 million dollars through its inability to tax the...

Demonstrating Rights From Wrongs.
August 12, 2011... Byline: Chris Lane The recent injunction granted by the Accra Circuit Court against the Coalition of Concerned Teachers has again reignited the public debate surrounding the right to protest. In that case, the court order was granted...

Government Committed to Fighting Violence Against Girls.
August 12, 2011... Byline: Sheila Atiyire The Minister for Education, Hon. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, has re-emphasized government's commitment to fight all forms of violence against girls and women and to create a peaceful co-existence between the male and female...

A Draft National Policy On School Feeding in the Offing.
August 12, 2011... Byline: Ama .a. Amankwah Baafi The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) will soon submit a draft policy to Cabinet for consideration. Programme managers have said that a national school feeding policy and subsequent legislation would...

UN Response to Horn of Africa Drought (2).
August 12, 2011... Background: The drought crisis across the Horn of Africa - in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia -- has left more than 12.4 million people in desperate need, has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, and, according to senior UN...

Country is Two Years Away From Guinea Worm-Free Status.
August 12, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah In a maximum of two-and-half years, Ghana will become guinea worm-free provided no cases are detected within the period. It's been a year since the last case was reported in Ghana. This means Ghana broke the...

Co-Paid ACTs Must Be Evenly Distributed.
August 12, 2011... A recent monitoring of the Affordable Medicines Facility for Malaria (AMFm) has recommended that the AMFm Coordinating Committee investigates appropriate interventions to address the uneven distribution of the availability of co-paid Artemisinin...

Blue Helmets Earned Commendation.
August 12, 2011... Byline: Administrator The outgoing head of United Nations peacekeeping has outlined the achievements of his department's numerous missions around the world, saying peacekeepers had protected civilians and brought stability to many countries...

Public Agenda Wins Another Award.
August 12, 2011... Byline: Administrator The immense and unrelenting contribution of Public Agenda to national development through its development advocacy journalism continues to elicit recognition. This time the acknowledgement came from the Ministry of...

Let's Counter Opacity And Party Cronyism in Ghana's Oil.
August 8, 2011... The revelations that in a number of oil contracts signed with International Oil Companies (IOCs) small parcels of interests are held by Ghanaians, who did not pay a pesewa for the stake they hold, is worrying, more so, when the principals or the...

Stop Abusing Mining Community Rights!
August 8, 2011... Byline: Clement Kaku Asiedu Menlah A little over a week ago, there were news reports of a standoff between the Yayaso community and personnel of the Ghana Police Service. The incident was triggered by the refusal of the community to move out...

Newmont Generates 10 Percent of Ghana's Exports.
August 8, 2011... Byline: Irene J. Mensah Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) has stated that it currently generates nearly 10% of Ghana's total export revenue. In addition, the company says it has provided 99 local companies with six million dollars worth of...

Did Tullow Oil Short-Change Uganda?
August 8, 2011... Evidence and analysis presented in this report makes a strong case for transparent and open contracts. Ghana has only recently published seven contracts it has entered into with International Oil Companies (IOCs) in its offshore exploration...

Are Ghanaian Children Enjoying Their Rights?
August 8, 2011... Byline: Jariiratu Abdallah The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10th December 1948, was born out of the experience of the Second World War with world leaders deciding on a road map...

Question Marks Over Afren Oil Contract.
August 8, 2011... Byline: Frederick Asiamah After stumbling on suspicious details about a possible collusion of political elite in giving away some stakes in the oil industry to cronies of politicians, the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) has...

Preventing Avoidable Road Accidents.
August 8, 2011... Byline: Rosemary Adi Road accidents have become rampant these days with their attendant loss of lives and properties. Formerly, these accidents normally occur when Christmas or Easter is approaching but in recent times they have become a...

Local Media Urged to Prioritize Community Issues.
August 8, 2011... Local radio stations in Ghana have been urged to refocus their reporting and discussions on basic issues that affect their communities rather than allowing national issues to dominate their stations' programming. The call was made following...

Access to Credit Remains an Obstacle to Business Growth.
August 8, 2011... Byline: Ama A. Amankwah Baafi A recent survey by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has shown that access to credit and high cost of credit are the top critical factors that hinder growth of businesses in Ghana. This implies that...

MFWA Celebrates a Decade of Free Expression.
August 8, 2011... The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) will on Tuesday August 9, 2011 present an assessment of gains and challenges made after the repeal of the offensive Criminal and Seditious Libel laws in 2001. The event, according to MFWA, is part...

Queenmothers Demand Recognition.
August 8, 2011... Byline: Nana Poku The Akwabeahene of the Akropong Akuapem Traditional Area, Nana Otua Owusuwaa has called on the Minister of Chieftaincy Affairs and the President of the Republic of Ghana to recognize the institution of queenmothers just as...