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The Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Cedi Re-denomination websites have jointly won the 2007 World Summit Awards Special Mention from the Continent of Africa for the best in e-content and creativity in the e-Government category. This is the first time that Ghana has participated in the competition since the WSA started in 2003 as an initiative from Austria in the framework of the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Following a selection of winners, an international conference was organized in Venice, Italy during which the winners from all over the world presented their awarded projects and shared their visions on the topic of “ICT & Creativity”. At the 2007 conference, Mr. Derrick-Hope Gidzi, Chief Executive Officer and George Kofi Hagan, Chief Technology Officer of Con-Imedia, designers of the Bank of Ghana and Ghana Cedi Re-denomination websites, received the award for WSA Special Mention for the best in e-government in Africa and made a presentation on the Bank of Ghana/Ghana Cedi Re-denomination websites. Dignitaries present were delighted and full of praise for the outstanding technologies implemented, which has helped to empower government, citizens and the financial sector with the tools needed to access and capture information for everyday use. The World Summit Awards (WSA) is the world’s premier contest for excellence in e-content and creativity. They honour producers of interactive multimedia and innovative ICT applications and are the only awards supported by a Public Private Partnership between professional organisations, industry, governments and UN organisations. The winners were selected following an evaluation by the World Summit Award Grand Jury 2007, which consisted of eminent multimedia and e-Content experts from 32 countries. A total of 24,000 products were presented for consideration. The Jury evaluated 650 entries which were nominated from 160 UN countries to the Global WSA. The Jury selected the five most outstanding products in each of the eight WSA Categories as winners. The categories for the awards are:
- e-Culture
- e-Government
- e-Health
- e-Learning
- e-Business
- e-Entertainment
- e-Science
- e-Inclusion
WSA identifies high-quality e-Content products and promotes the most outstanding achievements worldwide in collaboration with the UN Secretary-General’s Global Alliance for ICT and Development, UNESCO and UNIDO. It is a global not-for-profit activity governed by a Board of world-leading multimedia experts and supported by an office at the International Center for New Media in Salzburg, Austria. “The contest increases the market awareness for excellence in e-Content, ingenious ideas and novel solutions, thus assisting in the market-making of high-quality multimedia products. And for some producers of excellence it is the breakthrough they needed to make it both locally and internationally” says Professor Peter A. Bruck, Chairman of the WSA Board of Directors. The participation of the Bank of Ghana/Ghana Cedi Re-denomination websites in the competition was initiated by Ms. Dorothy Gordon, the Director-General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, who is an Eminent Expert for the WSA for Ghana and the African Spokesperson for the WSA, following a national contest in which the Bank of Ghana/Ghana Cedi Websites was adjudged the national best in e-government and creativity. It would be recalled that the Bank of Ghana developed a website on the re-denomination exercise which was launched in April 2007. The Cedi Re-denomination website, which had a link from a re-designed Bank of Ghana website, had the various features including currency converters for converting the cedi to the Ghana Cedi and vice versa and also converting the cedi or Ghana Cedi to foreign currencies and vice versa. Another feature that was very widely patronized by the general public was the text messaging system on Areeba (now MTN), One Touch and Tigo which enabled the public to request for conversions. The Bank of Ghana website was re-designed for better interactivity and accessibility by the general public. |
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The government of Ghana has appointed Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood, a Supreme Court Judge as the next Chief Justice. The appointment followed the death of Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah.
The President John Aggekum Kufour, in consultation with the Council of State, Judicial Council and the approval of the Legislature made the appointment and enjoined the new Chief Justice to be fair, impartial and humane.
He made these comments as he administered to her the oath of allegiance, the judicial oath and the oath of secrecy at the Credential Halls of the Castle, Osu.
President Kufuor reminded her that being the first woman ever to head the country's judiciary, her conduct would blaze the path for gender balance in the society.
"If you are able to perform your role fairly and with a sense of balance, the whole nation would come to accept the importance of gender balance," said the president.
Georgina Wood, born on June 8, 1947 and is currently the Chairperson of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
She had her LLB (Hons) from the University of Ghana, Legon in 1970 after atending Wesley Girl’s High School, Cape Coast in 1966. She took a six-month Post-Graduate Officers Training Course at the Ghana Police College.
She joined the Judicial Service as a District Magistrate Grade II and was later promoted to Grade l. She was promoted to the Court of Appeal as a presiding judge in 1991.
Justice Wood last year chaired the Georgina Wood Committee that probed the disappearance of 77 packets of cocaine from the MV Benjamin vessel on April 26, 2006, as well as the 588kg cocaine seized from some Venezuelans at Mempeasem, East Legon in Accra.
Source:GNA
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Parliament has unanimously repealed the Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws.
This followed the passage of the Criminal Code (Repeal of the Criminal and Seditious Laws (Amendment Bill), Act 2001 last Friday.
With the amendment, any prosecution instituted under any of the repealed sections, the proceedings of which are pending before any court or tribunal shall cease.
According to the amendment, proceedings shall not be instituted in respect of any offence under any of those sections shall be deemed to have been discharged.
Debate on the issue, which lasted two days, was hectic, and although most of the MPs favoured the repeal of the law, others, particularly on the Minority side, however, asked the House to take a critical look at the issue.
A memorandum on the bill presented to the House by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stated, "the purpose of the bill is to fulfill the promise of repeal, and thereby demonstrate the Kufour government's determination to make good its promise to the nation".
It said the repeal is evidence of the sincerity of the New Patriotic Party government's commitment to the process of democratic consolidation in the country.
The memorandum further stated that the repeal of these laws, which were enacted during the colonial period to frustrate the freedom of the people and perpetuate servitude, should have been done at the time the country gained independence.
It stated that, unfortunately such laws were maintained and, in some cases were even extended during the one-party state of the First Republic and have up to date remained in the statute books.
The memorandum said these laws have come to symbolize authoritarian, anti-democratic impulses within Ghana's body politics which the media have been virtually and vociferously unanimous in demanding their repeal.
According to the memorandum, such laws are unworthy of a society seeking to develop on democratic principles on the basis of transparency and accountability in public life.
The repeal of the law was one of the major campaign promises of the NPP government during the run-up to the 2000 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
The repeal of the law has received general acclamation by the public, including media practioners.
But observers believe that journalists would do themselves and the nation a lot of good, if they reciprocate the gesture through the practice of responsible journalism.
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Ghana's President John Kufuor says the discovery of the country's first major oil deposit could turn the West African country into an "African tiger".
"Even without oil, we are doing so well... With oil as a shot in the arm, we're going to fly," he told the BBC.
"My joy is that I'll go down in history as the president under whose watch oil was found to turn the economy of Ghana around for the better," he said.
The discovery of 600m barrels of light oil offshore was announced on Monday.
Reserves in the Mahogany exploration well were far greater than the 250m barrels that UK-based firm Tullow Oil had earlier forecast.
Tullow, which saw its shares rise more than 12% on the news, jointly owns the West Cape block where the drilling took place with Anadarko Petroleum.
'Destiny'
Correspondents say champagne bottles were popping at Osu Castle, the seat of Ghana's government, after the announcement.
Mr Kufuor said the discovery would give a major boost to Ghana's economy.
"Oil is money, and we need money to do the schools, the roads, the hospitals. If you find oil, you manage it well, can you complain about that?" he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
He dismissed suggestions that Ghana may follow in the footsteps of other countries that have mismanaged their oil wealth.
"Some are doing it well and I assure you if others failed, Ghana will succeed because this is our destiny to set the good pace for where we are. So we're going to use it well," he said.
"We're going to really zoom, accelerate, and if everything works, which I pray will happen positively, you come back in five years, and you'll see that Ghana truly is the African tiger, in economic terms for development."
His sentiments were echoed in many of Ghana's newspaper headlines on Tuesday.
The Statesman hailed the Gold Coast, Ghana's name under British rule, finding "black gold" and the Accra Daily Mail leads with the headline: "Thank God. Oil at last Thank God!"
The BBC's Will Ross in Ghana says the country is the midst of an energy crisis and every four days everybody has their electricity switched off for more 24 hours.
Ghana is described as somewhat of a success story in Africa but the country does suffer from widespread poverty and also has alarming levels of corruption, our correspondent says.
Tullow chief executive Aidan Heavey said the discovery was one of the biggest oil discoveries in Africa in recent times, but warned it could be up to seven years before the oil started to flow.
Tullow Oil holds a 22.9% stake in the West Cape Three Points licence and just under 50% in the Deepwater Tano licence.
The move comes as foreign firms are increasingly tapping into Africa for oil.
Do you think Ghanaians will see the benefits of the oil revenue? How should the money be spent?
Your comments:
I am very happy for Ghana. To be frank Ghana is the most successful country in Africa with the little resources they have. Now that there is oil, just as President John K said, Ghana will become African tiger. I am optimistic that in the next five to 10 years, Ghana will become African heaven. I am praying that Nigerian President Mr Yar'Adua should copy Ghana in line of administration. GOD BLESS GHANA.
Victor Okorie, Nigerian living in Accra
I work for Chevron and I am Ghanaian. I have seen oil mismanaged in Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Angola. Why should Ghana be any different? After all look how we have managed our other natural resources like gold and diamonds... the reality is that all or most of the revenue will be lost through corruption, mismanagement. Thank God for oil - I don't think so. I would trade this for zero corruption, less brain drain, better management any day.
Anonymous
As the saying goes, if you want to know how your wife will look like in her 40s and 50s, look at your mother-in-law. Oil in Africa normally comes with conflict and corruption. I would rather be happy than having oil which will cause division among tribes in our only country. God bless Ghana.
Kwame Nkrumah, Kumasi & London
For as long as the people holding shares in the exploratory and managing conglomerates are NOT Ghanaians, the little revenue that the government will get through royalties and taxes will never reach an ordinary Ghanaian. Almost all the proceeds are externalised by the share holders to their homelands and the government's revenue ends in the leaders' pockets. Who does NOT know an African leader? Look at my country. All we pray is to see the current generation of leaders pass, maybe God will bless us with progressive brains in the next generation of ours. Thank you.
Solomon Katete, Lusaka, Zambia
I am happy for Ghana and pray this discovery doesn't bring disunity in the country just as in the case of Nigeria. In Nigeria the money realized from this oil had not been used for the development of the country rather it had gone to the pocket of few, selfish individuals (leaders).
Ishaya Nubunga, Taraba, Nigeria
Ghana is indeed a blessed nation. However their leaders should not make this discovery of black gold as a means to enrich themselves as most of our previous and some of our current African leaders are doing. God bless Ghana and its people.
Brinsley Johnson, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Let's hope Ghana does spend the oil money on roads and hospitals, not on palaces and armies as in most oil states.
Steve, London, UK
Even without oil in Ghana, we have been doing well. Oil in Ghana has the cheapest price in Africa compared to Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, etc where oil is produced. So for me, with proper management, we shall actually reach the middle income status by 2015 as the president is envisaging. There should be no envy of any sort from any party. It is a national feat.
Methodius Yeldie Bashiru Suglo, Wa, Ghana
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The five-year, $547 million MCC compact aims to reduce poverty by raising farmer incomes through private sector-led, agribusiness development. Specifically, MCC investments are intended to increase the production and productivity of high-value cash and food staple crops in some of Ghana’s poorest regions and to enhance the competitiveness of Ghana’s agricultural products in regional and international markets.
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Under the Kufuor led government, the Ghana national team was able to qualify for the world cup for the very first time in its footballing history. The event took the Black Stars were the only African country to advance to the next stage of the competition.
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The 9th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) opened in Accra, Ghana, on Sunday.
President John Agyekum Kufuor, President of AU; President Alpha Oumar Konare, President of the African Commission, and Dr Ahmed Esmat abd al-Meguid, Secretary General of the Arab League, addressed the opening session.
Dr Rose Asha-Mirigo, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, read Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-Moon's speech while China formally presented a miniscule of the new AU complex it has promised to build for the Union at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A number of African Heads of State and Government are in Accra for the Summit. They include President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria; Prime Minister P. Mosisili of Lesotho and Dr Isatou Njie, Vice President of The Gambia; President Francois Bozize of Central African Republic; President Abdolaye Wade of Senegal; President Pedro Pireriz of Cape Verde; President Levi Mwanawasa of Zambia and Deputy Prime Minister Pee Pee Jaun Ahmed of Mauritius.
Also present are President Ravaloma Nana of Madagascar and President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso; President Umar Yar-Adua of Nigeria; President Faure Nyasingbe of Togo and President Sidi Mohammed Ould Cheikh Abdullahi of Mauritania.
The others are President Sassou Ngueso of Congo Brazzaville; President Yayi Boni of Benin; President Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea; Prime Minister Absalom Dlamini of Swaziland; President Iddris Debbie of Chad and President Mohammed Abdelaziz of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
The rest are President Ahmed Mohammed Sambi of Comoros Island; President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi; President Moi Kabaki of Kenya; President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and President Omar Bongo of Gabon.
Fifty-two African Heads of State and Government or their representatives are in Ghana to participate in the Session from July 1 to July 3 2007.
The Summit is discussing the creation of a union government for Africa.
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Ghana’s President John Kufuor launched on Thursday a National Insurance Health Scheme designed to offer affordable medical care, especially to the poor and vulnerable among Ghana’s 19 million people.
Adult Ghanaians are to pay a monthly minimum subscription of six thousand Ghanaian cedis (US $0.66). The government will cater for health treatment of the aged, the poor as well as children of parents who both subscribe to the scheme.
...“Ghana is a poor country straddled with many problems, all demanding priority attention. The scheme is the solution for the health care sector and the only viable alternative to the outdated and rigid system of cash and carry,” Kufuor said in the capital, Accra, at the official launch of the scheme.
Source: IRIN
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President J.A. Kufuor has announced that henceforth all pregnant women who attend government hospitals will receive free antenatal care.
To this end, therefore, he has instructed the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to liaise together in getting the modalities in place for the smooth implementation of the policy as soon as possible.
The announcement was made at a meeting President Kufuor held with the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, in London last Wednesday. President Kufuor was in the UK for a conference on Public/Private sector cooperation for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs), dubbed “Business Call to Action”.
As a consequence of this decision, the British Government has pledged to support the Ghanaian Health sector with an amount of £42.5 million, out of which $6 million will be set aside annually for the implementation of the policy.
The “Business Call to Action” conference was an initiative of the British Government, intended to elicit the support of the Private Sector to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Ghanaand Rwanda, considered to be the best performers on the African continent so far, shared their experiences at the conference.
President Kufuor has since returned home.
Source: GNA
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Ghana's president John Kufuor says his nation will build new stadiums in Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi for the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
"We'll also construct mini-stadiums in some regions for the teams' training sessions," Kufuor told parliament on Thursday.
"The stadiums in Accra and Kumasi will also be renovated for the tournament."
"There's no more time so preparations will begin this year," the president added without giving any financial details.
Ghana will use four venues - Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale - at the Nations Cup.
Ghana, which beat Libya for the right to host the event in July lst year, staged the tournament in 1963, 1978 and co-hosted the 2000 edition of the biennial tournament with Nigeria.
The 2006 finals will be played in Egypt.
Source: BBC
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This academic year, the government will spend ¢165 billion as Capitation Grant under the fee-free policy for pupils in public basic schools nationwide, an increase of ¢15 billion over last year's ¢150 billion to take care of higher enrolment.
The 2007/2008 academic year, began on September 11.
The fee-free policy of GH¢3 (¢30,OOO) per child per year, covers culture, sports and school's internal development fees.
The Deputy Minister for Education, Science and Sports, responsible for Pre-Tertiary Education, Angelina Baiden-Amissah, made this known to the Times in Accra on Tuesday.
She explained that, the extra ¢15 billion is to cater for the anticipated increases in enrolment in schools. However, she could not give the exact number of children to benefit because "the schools have not submitted their returns on enrolment."
The Capitation Grant was introduced and initially piloted in 40 districts with World Bank funding during the 2004/2005 academic year.
It was at the beginning of the 2005/2006 academic year that it was extended to all basic schools countrywide with government funding.
Mrs. Baiden-Amissah stressed the need for heads of schools to make judicious use of the grant allocated to them and also to submit proper accounts on its usage.
She said that whereas some heads are making judicious use of the grant for development, others have contravened the guidelines governing its utilisation.
For example, at a school in the Kumasi metropolis, the head had used its share of the grant to re-roof parts of the school block destroyed by a rainstorm and repair broken chairs and tables.
She advised heads encountering problems in planning the utilisation of the grant to contact their district directors, for guidance.
Mrs. Baiden-Amissah said although the grant is paid directly into each school's accounts, individual heads are required to submit planned inputs for approval and release of the money.
The GH¢3 is disbursed as follows: 6Gp for sports, 3Gp for culture and GH¢2.1 for developmental needs of the schools.
On teacher provision, Mrs. Baiden-Amissah said at present, 21,788 serving untrained teachers are undergoing training through distance learning in basic education to enable them to acquire a diploma in Basic Education and at the same time, 11,000 serving certificate 'A' 2-year and 3-year teachers are also pursuing sandwich and distance education to upgrade themselves to earn Diploma in Education.
"It is envisaged that by 2015, all untrained and certificate 'A' teachers would have been up¬graded to diploma status," she emphasised.
Source: The Ghanaian Times
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This summer, I worked with the Ghanaian government on their school feeding program as part of Haas’ International Business Development (IBD) course. The Ghana School Feeding Program is an amazing program that provides lunches to over 975 primary schools in Ghana to over 400,000 students. By 2010, it is projected that the program will serve 2,900 schools and approximately 1.04 million primary school children.
The program was launched in 2005 with the goal of contributing to poverty reduction and increased food security in Ghana. The three key objectives of the program are to 1) reduce hunger and malnutrition by providing all primary and kindergarten students in beneficiary schools a nutritious meal each school day 2) increase school enrollment, attendance, and retention and 3) boost domestic food production by sourcing GSFP meals locally, and providing a sustainable market for local food producers in the community. These objectives align closely with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) surrounding hunger, poverty, and primary education.
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President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday urged both the Ministry of Public Sector Reform and the Head of Civil Service to develop the capacity of more civil and public servants to provide some of the specialized services required by the military.
He thus challenged the country's universities and management development institutions to develop courses in security and allied fields to help build the capacity of both military and civilian personnel to respond to present and emerging challenges. President Kufuor made the call when he commissioned the new multi-million dollar Chinese-funded Ministry of Defence complex in Accra.
Built at the cost of 6.75 million dollars, of which Ghana government provided 1.75 million dollars, the 120-room grey four-storey edifice would accommodate the Ministry of Defence, the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and senior officials of the Ministry.
The complex, built by the Chinese Qingdao Construction Group, together with their Ghanaian counterparts, also contains an office for the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). President Kufuor commended the military for the professional manner the service had held itself that had contributed in no small measure to the peace and security and steady development, which the whole nation was enjoying.
He thanked the military for working effectively with government to protect the sovereignty of the nation during his two terms in office, adding that by sticking to their mandated role, the forces enabled governance of the nation to proceed in accordance with the Constitution. "The nation is happy that the forces have rediscovered their raison d'=EAtre and stuck to their mandate, as enshrined in the national constitution."
President Kufuor thus urged the military not to disappoint Ghanaians and the many people worldwide who held the institution in high esteem, as they would be called up alongside other security agencies to keep law and other and protect the security of the nation as the country went to the polls on Sunday.
"The entire society expects nothing short of professionalism and impartiality at all times," he said.
President Kufuor extended the appreciation of the government and people of Ghana to the Chinese government for the facility and expressed the hope that the friendship between both countries would continue to grow to their mutual benefit.
China's Ambassador to Ghana, Yu Wenzhe, extolled the long-standing relations between both countries and pledged his country's continued cooperation to deepen the bond of friendship with Ghana. He expressed the hope that the elections would be free, fair and peaceful, saying, "I hope and I am confident that Ghana will show the world once again her maturity of democracy and maintenance of peace and stability."
Source: GNA
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AS PART of government’s efforts to make the administration of justice accessible to people residing in the northern part of the country, President John Agyekum Kufuor has commissioned an ultra-modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi.
The four storey building, started in October 2006, was funded by the Government of Ghana and is expected to considerably reduce the cost and fatigue that litigants and counsels are engulfed with whilst trying to seek justice in the national capital of Accra.
The edifice, situated at Adum, the central business district of Kumasi, comprises two Courts of Appeal, a Human Rights Court, Labour Court, two Land Courts and two Commercial Courts.
The new court complex is intended to serve the people of the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
Due to the efficiency of the contractors, China Jiangxi International Company, the project which was originally scheduled to be completed in 2009 was completed six months ahead of time.
Addressing the enthusiastic crowd before commissioning the project on Thursday, President Kufuor charged judges and other court officials to “satisfy a very high expectation of expeditious and transparent justice to the litigating public and the nation as a whole”.
He further stated that “court officials must therefore endeavour to conduct themselves well at all times to earn high respect from the public as befits the judicial service”.
The President charged the public also to contribute their quota to make the administration of justice perfect devoid of blemish in the country.
He reminded the public that “the building of an effective and efficient judiciary is the shared responsibility of the institution and the society in general.
The latter must respect the rule of law and submit to live by its due process. This will make the public forbear from trying to cut corners with the judiciary”.
President Kufuor asserted that the commissioning of the project amply testifies to government’s determination of bringing justice delivery to the doorstep of the citizenry.
He stressed on the need for the judiciary service to be well equipped and assisted by the Government to enable it play valuable roles to enrich the democratic dispensation in the country.
Present at the ceremony were traditional leaders, ministers, MPs, members of the Ghana Bar Association among a host of other dignitaries.
On her part, Her Ladyship Georgina T. Wood, the Chief Justice, commended the siting of the court at Kumasi which she described as very strategic which would help her outfit realise its dream of making justice accessibility easier for the people living in the northern part of the country.
She urged court users and other stakeholders in the administration of justice to eschew acts that tend to delay the course of justice and generally undermine the administration of justice.
The Chief Justice admonished those in the legal profession to “inculcate in our young and aspiring judges and lawyers those sound legal and judicial ethical values and principles that engender public trust and confidence in the judiciary”.
This, she noted, would play pivotal role to help sustain the hard won reputation of the judiciary services for future generations.
Kwame Osei Prempeh, the Deputy Attorney General lauded the commissioning of the great edifice, expressing hope that it would avert the constraints that people in the northern part of the country are faced with whilst seeking justice in Accra.
He heaped tons of praises on the NPP government for making the rule of law become the order of the day, noting that “indeed this is the right time for one to be proud for being a Ghanaian”.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. E.A. Owusu Ansah in his succinct address said the commissioning of the project clearly gives credence to NPP government’s claim that it believes in freedom in development.
The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s Representative at the event Daasebere Osei Bonsu the Mamponghene expressed delight about the commissioning of the edifice, stating that it would help make justice easily accessible to the people.
He observed that chieftaincy as an institution now boasts of best brains when it comes to legal matters, promising his outfits preparedness to partner the judicial service to rapidly adjudicate cases.
He appealed to the president to construct bungalows to house the Appeal Court Judges that would be stationed in Kumasi to help them conduct their essential duties in comfort.
From Fred J.A. Ibrahim Jnr., & Emelia Ennin Abbey, Ksi
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There was thunderous and spontaneous shouts of jubilation by the people of Elmina on Wednesday, when the President, John Agyekum Kufuor cut the sod for the construction of a modern fishing harbour valued at US$16 million.
The project also include US13million landing site for fishermen in the township.
Facilities for the two projects, when completed will include administration blocks, gear mending areas, toilet and changing rooms, standby generator, premix fuel depot, a cold store, refrigeration and blast freezing plants, as well as, a day care centre to cater for the children of fishmongers.
The two projects formed part of an overall programme by the government for the provision of 14 fishing harbours and landing sites, and six cold storage facilities along some coastal areas in the country, at a total cost of US$148 million, to facilitate improvement in the fisheries sector, and help boost the living standards in the various fishing communities in the country.
President Kufuor who described the Elmina projects as "significant" said they would help provide the environment for hygienic handling of fish, while facilities will also be made available for value to be added to the fish catch for both local and international markets. Touching on the reason for the setting up of the fisheries ministry by his administration, President Kufuor said the main focus was to arrest the stunted growth of the fishing industry in Ghana to help reduce poverty in the fishing communities.
President Kufuor said one of the challenges facing the ministry was poor fishing infrastructure, and stressed that the Ministry in addition to the provision of the modern harbours and landing sites, would soon introduce fibre glass boats to replace wooden canoes, to modernize the industry to make it economically vibrant. On the December elections, he reiterated that Ghana was a peaceful country and that the elections would not be any different from the previous ones and asked the electorate to shun politicians who want to cause mayhem in society with their utterances.
He noted that the country was enjoying a lot of goodwill and attracting foreign assistance because of good governance, and urged all Ghanaians to watch their utterances to forestall any acts of violence and chaos.
The sector Minister, Mrs Gladys Asmah echoed the government's commitment to better the lot of fishing communities in the country and stressed that her Ministry will continue to undertake pragmatic projects to help achieve its vision of a modern vibrant fisheries sector for the country.
The paramount Chief of Edina Traditional Area, Nana Kodwo Condua VI expressed his appreciation to President Kufuor for the numerous projects his administration has undertaken in the area.
Source:
GNA
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