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  • Government probes CEPS over smuggling scandal

    The Deputy Minister of Finance Mr. Fiifi Kwetey, has told the The New Weekend Crusading Guide in an exclusive interview that government of Ghana had instructed the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to investigate the smuggling scandal at Kofi Badu Krom in the Western Region of Ghana and its surrounding border towns.

    Fiifi Kwetey told this paper in a telephone interview yesterday that government was not going to tolerate any feet dragging on the part of CEPS officials on the issue. He submitted that his Ministry would expect the Service to outline for government, the series of measures it would take to investigate the activities of these officials stationed at the borders.

    He indicated that government would ask the National Security to put in place measures to ensure that all loopholes with regards the safeguarding of our borders were sealed.

    Fiifi Kwetey therefore appealed to other equally nationalistic people to help with information on corrupt officials so that such activities would be nib in the bud.

    The Deputy Minister however commended this paper for its piece of nationalistic work
    “Everything that must be done to ensure a full swing investigations must be encouraged because like you rightly said this a systemic difficulty so we feel this effort by you (Anas) and your paper is absolutely commendable” the deputy minister said.

    Asked whether it was not better to allow an independent probe in the matter the Minister said that if it was dissatisfied with what CEPS has done it would call for a bigger probe adding that they want to exhaust the CEPS internal mechanism and from there government would decide what to do.

    Meanwhile CEPS yesterday issued a press release indicating that their outfit was going to investigate the matter and bring anybody found guilty to book. The same day when the release went out, their Public Relation boss Madam Anne Anipa had started telling the world that the evidence was on the video was inconclusive and did not suggest any fraud.

    As at press time yesterday no member of CEPS had made efforts to contact our investigative reporter on the above subject, rather other state security institutions had made efforts to take copies of the video and engaged the reporter in conversations.

    The reporter has on a number of radio stations indicated his preparedness to collaborate with CEPS officials if they wanted to get to the bottom of the exposé.

    It will be recalled that The New Crusading GUIDE on its Tuesday 5th - 11th May edition carried a story captioned “SMUGGLING SCANDAL UNCOVERED. Billions go down the drain as CEPS officials join smuggling syndicate to loot mother Ghana”.

    The story exposed the grave corruption at the country’s boarder with La Cote d Ivoire in Kwame sie Krom, Gonokrom and Kofi Badu krom all in the Western Region where Custom, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) officials were recorded on video footage collecting monies from greedy businessmen in order to aid them smuggle tons of rice into the country without paying tax.

    In the same story, our ace investigative reporter reveals how porous the country’s frontiers were as indications of proliferation of smuggled arms; drugs and other illegal items into the country through Kwame Sie krom, Gono krom and Kofi Badu krom hidden in rice sacks were discovered.

    Independent probe demanded

    Mr Vitus Adaboo Azeem, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a non partisan civil empowerment organization focused on anti corruption has added his voice to calls for an independent probe into the smuggling scandal.

    For his part Vitus Azeem said “…I think that this is a very serious matter and it affects not more than one individual. In fact, it affects the institution and it may not just even be the areas that you have covered so, it requires a larger investigations and it would have been better if CEPS allows for an independent body to carry out an investigation into the matter.”

    He indicated further that if CEPS investigates, no matter how well the job they do, people’s perception may be different therefore, it would be better to get an independent body to investigate the details of the story so that the notion that the Services would investigate to cover their acts would be dispelled for the culprits to be brought to book.

    Mr. Kwame Danso of Kumasi Polytechnic student told the paper that CEPS should not be allowed to investigate the matter because they would do everything to hide and shield their people from prosecution.

    “The step government has taken is a zero step, how can you tell CEPS to investigate itself, who does not know about the massive corruption there? How would people who have information on this fraud go to CEPS and report their own wrong conduct to them? I heard Madam Anne Anipa, head of Public Relations of CEPS already telling the world that the evidence of the reporter was inconclusive meaning they are already preparing to shield their staff from wrong doing. How could she take such a position before investigation. We have to be serious in this country, the best government could have done was to set up an independent probe to allay all suspicions of all on this massive fraud. And who said that the people in the head quarters of CEPS who have been tasked to investigate are also not involved?” Kwame Danso queried.

    Anita Baah of Brekum told this paper that, it was in the interest of CEPS to call for an independent probe: “The corruption perception index does not speak good about CEPS at all, they should not waste our time by investigating looking at the position the Public Relations woman has taken”


    Credit: Anas Aremeyaw Anas (The New Crusading Guide)

    Posted May 08 2009, 06:06 AM by patience with no comments
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  • IRS boss decries manual system of operation

    Major Daniel Sowah Ablorh-Quarcoo (Rtd.), Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service(IRS), on Thursday said the national revenue agency has failed to achieve success in its revenue mobilization efforts due to its manual system of operation.

    He said “Over the years, we have carried out these functions manually and have been facing a lot of challenges. According to records at the Registrar Generals Department, there are 226,760 self employed registered in the informal sector but it is sad to note that only 53,352 are registered with IRS and are being assessed to tax.

    Data management in a manual system is not only difficult but cumbersome and slow and as a result many potential taxpayers are able to dodge the tax net”.

    Maj. Ablorh-Quarcoo was speaking at a forum on Technology Transfer organized by IRS in collaboration with Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT on the theme” ICT Innovation-Revenue Mobilization for National Development”, in Accra.

    He said the mandate of the IRS to identify and register tax payers, establish a liability or assess them for tax, as well as efficient collection of tax and payment into the consolidated fund has been faced with numerous challenges due to the operation of the manual system.

    Maj. Ablorh-Quarcoo said the cumbersome manual system of revenue mobilization has created dissatisfaction and led to an increased cost to tax clients, tax administration and the government.

    “As a result of the inefficient and ineffective manual system of tax administration, the tax burden has always fallen on the few in the formal sector, although it is estimated that in terms of economic activity, about 83 percent is carried out by the self employed sector, mostly operating informal structures even though quite a significant number could be classified as earning below the taxable threshold of income liable to tax”, he said.

    Maj. Ablorh-Quarcoo said IRS would use the automation of its system to increase revenue collection in order to reduce the country’s dependence on donor funding.

    “As a developing nation, we have depended on foreign aid, grants and loans to support our development efforts and the reality of Ghana weaning itself from donor funding has caught up with us too soon. The global crunch means a slim foreign aid to shore up our national budget thus leaving a big gap to be filled from internal courses’.

    Maj. Ablorh-Quarcoo said the informal sector’s contribution to direct tax was presently insignificant partly due to the limitation of IRS to manage this huge number of records manually thereby denying the State of its revenue.

    “The road map to computerization of the IRS begun last year when the service was hooked onto the Ghana Computer Net and Ghana Computer Management system (GCNET-GCM) to collect taxes at the ports and entry points. The result has led to the elimination of problems such as fake tax clearance certificates, complaints by importers of delays and unethical behaviour.”

    Maj. Ablorh-Quarcoo said the Service has begun computerizing its business processes on a limited process piloting 6 district offices at Tema, Kinbu, Osu, Achimiota, Agbogbloshie and Legon all in Accra through the use of Smart Tax which involved the migration of taxpayer data from the manual system into the computer and automation of cashiering functions”.

    He said IRS was developing its tax management system to computerize the major businesses of registration, assessment, collection and accounts as well as networking the whole if Greater Accra Region on Wide Area Network by the end of the third quarter of the year.

    Maj. Sowah Ablorh-Quarcoo said the complete automation of the system would bring forth benefits such as improving ability to access information, release of staff from desk work to increase field audit capacity, increase communication with tax clients and improve data availability for efficient revenue forecast.

    Mr. Edward Larbi-Siaw, Tax Policy Adviser at Ministry of Finance, called for an efficient tax administration system that would widen the tax net and lessen the burden on clients in the tax bracket.


    Source: GNA


     

    Posted Apr 03 2009, 07:23 AM by patience with no comments
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  • Civil Servants to march to Castle on salary issues

    The Civil Servants Association (CSA) on Wednesday said members would be compelled to suspend work on Friday to march to the seat of government to demand answers to why their six-month (January–June 2008) salary arrears have not yet been paid.

    The Association is also questioning the rationale behind the decision of the Controller and Accountant General to make recoveries of overpayment on their January to June 2008 salary arrears as well as their March 2009 salary

    At a press conference in Accra, Mr Evans Dzikunu, Chairman of the Greater Accra branch of the CSA said all recoveries relating to overpayment were made as far back as October last year.

    Mr. Dzikunu said a meeting between the management of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department and the CSA on Monday March 2, this year in Accra concluded that, there were no further recoveries of overpayment of salaries to be made from their salary arrears.

    He therefore, called on the Controller and Accountant General to cancel the intended recoveries in order to forestall industrial unrest.

    Meanwhile, the national executives of the CSA had engaged the Controller and Accountant General in a meeting to resolve the issue.



    Source: GNA

    Posted Mar 19 2009, 10:33 AM by patience with no comments
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  • CEPS contest security agency status

    Workers of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) have asked the Supreme Court to review its decision of February 11, 2009 that CEPS is a security agency and, therefore, its workers cannot be allowed to join or form a union.

    An application filed by the National Labour Commission (NLC) with the Public Services Workers Union of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) said "the majority decision would perpetuate an exceptional miscarriage of justice on CEPS workers".

    Stating their case, the defendants said since the re-organisation of CEPS under PNDCL 330, it had operated as a paramilitary institution within the public service, just like the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Immigration Service.

    Employees of CEPS also contributed to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), unlike the other security services like the Armed Forces, the Police Service, the Prisons Service and the agencies specified under Act 526 who retire under the non-contributory Pension Ordinance No. 42, CAP 30.

    Moreover, the enabling statutes of security agencies such as the Armed Forces under Act 526 made such agencies "pensionable officers under CAP 30".

    "Any imposition of security status on CEPS workers, without a crafted legislation, will deny the workers the right to enjoy the non-contributory CAP 30 pension scheme, just like their contemporaries," the application said.

    Reinforcing the point, it said the government itself, in its White Paper accepting the "Report of the Presidential Commission on Pensions in July 2006, had stated that "with the coming into effect of the new pension system, no new entrants would be allowed to join CAP 30, except those presently allowed under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana".

    The application said there was no equity in the Supreme Court's decision that imposed security status obligation on CEPS workers without the corresponding security status and privileges. .

    "It is submitted that imposing full security status on CEPS workers, in the absence of a well crafted law to deal with their benefits and entitlements, leaves the fate of the workers' economic and social interests hanging, unless this honourable court makes consequential orders directed at the government to enact full security status enabling law for CEPS commensurate to that of the other security agencies," it said.

    The application further said by the Supreme Court's interpretation of Act 526 and Article 24 (4) of the 1992 Constitution to impose security service status on CEPS in the absence of an enabling law, as was the case for other agencies under the act, it had imposed on itself an open legislative power not envisaged by the Constitution.

    It said if full security status was to be conferred on CEPS workers, then the appropriate bill that expressly included the social and economic implication of the conferral of such a status should be prepared by the government for Parliament to "create CEPS as a security service with all the privileges and benefits attached to security service status, instead of judge made laws that are wholly limited in detail".

    The application said the government, employers associations and labour unions, in deliberating on the Labour Act 651, examined the various roles of all security agencies and came to the decision to leave CEPS out of workers who could not unionize in Section I of the act, although that was not expressly stated.

    It added that the framers of the act had also introduced a section that prohibited strikes or lock-out actions by workers and employers engaged in providing essential services and these were listed in its regulations.

    The application said what could be done was for CEPS to be designated as an essential service and prohibited from strikes or lock-out actions.

    It said creating CEPS as a security agency without regarding the social and economic implications was "a grave injustice".



    Source: Daily Graphic



     

    Posted Mar 16 2009, 07:05 AM by patience with no comments
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  • Workers urged to be abreast with labour laws

    Workers have been urged to be conversant with the labour laws to enable it guide them through their service.

    Reverend Richard Yeboah, national chairman of the Health Services Workers Union (HSWU) gave the advice at the end of a two-day seminar in Tema on capacity building on labour issues.

    Mr Abu Kuntulo, General Secretary of the HSWU, said the Union would come out with basic health policies which would offer quality health care for the staff and clients of health institutions.

    The participants later formed a committee which would travel all over the country to sensitize staff of health institutions on the need to abide by labour laws.

    Topics treated at the seminar included “management of grievances and disputes”, “introduction of labour laws and trade unionism”, and the “role of young workers in trade unionism”.


    Source: GNA

    Posted Mar 09 2009, 09:03 AM by patience with no comments
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  • End-of-Service Benefits and All

    A Ghanaian axiom teaches that those who do not have axes must utilise opportunities offered by those who have them by going along with them into the forest to pick pieces of firewood for lighting their hearths.

    Today, public debate is about payments of End-of-Service Benefits (ESBs) to the big shots in government.

    This Writer, therefore, takes liberties to put in a plea for public sector workers, who have been complaining silently about a governmental decree that suspended their (ESBs) in the dizzy days of the December 1981 revolution up to today.

    Even though ESBs were said to have been restored in principle through the contributory Provident Funds in recent times, it begs the question of equity and fairness, given the low salary levels in the country’s public sector and the many years of deficit for those who have been in public service since the early 1980s.

    Once upon a time in 1990 the then Finance Minister Dr Kwesi Botchwey announced the indefinite suspension of all ESBs for Departments and Agencies with Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and therefore subsisted on the State purse, stating the inability of the State to bear such responsibilities.

    At the time, those who had served the minimum number of years for qualification to earn the ESBs as stipulated in their CBAs, were paid those benefits.

    In some instances workers who were just one day short of the minimum qualification were denied those benefits.

    Those who were paid the (ESBs) for the period that they had qualified but continued in service for many more years went home on retirement without any ESBs. Some of them are still in service and would go home virtually empty handed if the decree should continue in force.

    Those who had missed even the partial ESBs as a result of non-qualification by those CBAs would be serving more than 30 years at the time they would be due to retire but would have nothing to show as ESBs.

    Ironically, however, those who then and now have been in government continued to enjoy the ESBs even though these might be under different descriptions.

    If, therefore, the argument for the indefinite suspension of ESBs in the Public Service as charged on the public purse, was the financial burden entailed, that argument could no longer hold in the face of recent developments.

    Our country’s motto is “Freedom and Justice” with emphasis on “Justice”, a case of what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

    It is agreed that each level of public service must be rewarded proportionately but not a complete denial to some and everything for others, it smacks of discrimination and a breach of the 1992 Constitution.

    For example Legislators are entitled to ESBs for as many times that they entered Parliament and for the Presidents for a minimum of four years or maximum of eight years compared with other public servants, who serve many more years but would go home empty handed.

    One may ask why ESBs? Indeed to this Writer’s understanding, ESBs were meant to achieve various ends. Firstly, but not in order of importance, is to assure the beneficiaries of a secure future after rendering many years of public service.

    The package is also meant to ensure loyalty, sacrifice and commitment while in service; giving the best of oneself to the nation.

    ESBs also constitute one of the effective ways to tackling pervasive malfeasance in the Public Service.

    A public servant who faces a bleak future while in service would when he or she gets the chance succumb to corruption in order to feather his or her nest against a rainy day. It is a natural survival instinct.

    To succeed in tackling corrupt practices in public service, the Government would do well by expunging the decree that suspended the ESBs and take on the responsibility for paying those benefits irrespective of the capacity in which one serves in public service.

    The reason why contributory Provident Fund cannot replace the ESB, in the form it was prior to 1990 is that, like the contributory Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) pension, what would accrue as benefits to contributors would be woefully adequate given the beggarly wage and salary regime in the country.

    Moreover attractive ESBs and by extension salaries constitute potential approaches to addressing the poverty menace in the country.

    This is because the fact remains that public sector workers have continued to take on the responsibilities of members of the extended family in terms of education, welfare and many other things that impinge on the quality of life in the society.

    The poverty levels in the country are arguably the reflection of poor reward systems in the public sector making it increasingly difficult to bear one another’s burden.

    A case for improved public sector reward systems helping to solve problems of poverty had been made in the early post independence period when uncles and aunties took on their nephews and nieces and educated them as far as their abilities could take them and also set some of them up in businesses.

    It is accepted that better reward systems in the public sector are attendant on higher productivity but it is also arguable that enhanced reward systems in the sector would be motivation towards higher productivity.

    There is also the danger of de-motivation towards higher productivity in the public sector when the oft proclaimed resilience and stable growth of the economy rather than reflect in better rewards instead tended to echo the inability of the economy to offer the expected better rewards.


    Credit: Wilhelm Gaitu, GNA



    Posted Feb 12 2009, 04:04 AM by patience with no comments
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  • No civil servants have been sacked - Tony Aidoo

    The government transitional team has denied media reports that 30 civil servants have been sacked because of doubts over their political affiliation.

    The secretary of the Government Transition Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tony Aidoo, says the appointment of the 30 people was suspended pending investigations into the processes leading to their appointment.

    The Daily Guide newspaper, in its Tuesday, January 13, 2009 edition reported that “thirty Civil Servants have been sacked on the orders of the transition team set up by President John Evans Atta Mills.

    The dismissed civil servants were A5 Foreign Service officers at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had received their appointment letters and had been officially sworn into office.”

    Ministry sources told the paper the Mills' Transition Team Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs had expressed doubts about the political affiliation of the said civil servants and thus directed that their appointments be terminated with immediate effect.

    The paper said as part of the admission requirements, the civil servants were made to write an entrance examination in May 2007 after which they were interviewed for the positions in February 2008.

    They eventually received their official appointment letters on December 1, 2008 and were sworn into office on January 5 this year.

    Dr. Aidoo told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah that the decision to suspend the appointments was informed by some irregularities in the selection process.

    Reading from the report of the selection board of the A5 Foreign Service officers, he said out of the about 140 candidates interviewed for the job, the interview panel recommended the first 30 who obtained the highest marks.

    According to him, not only did the minister increase this number to 40, he also disregarded the names recommended by the panel and selected persons who did make the pass mark of 70 per cent.

    Dr. Aidoo said based on these irregularities, the appointments were suspended to allow for further investigations into the issues.

    He gave the assurance that after the investigations those who deserve to be engaged will be appointed.


    Story by Malik Abass Daabu


    Posted Jan 13 2009, 06:42 AM by patience with no comments
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  • 30 Civil Servants sacked

    Thirty Civil Servants have been sacked on the orders of the transition team set up by President John Evans Atta Mills.

    The dismissed civil servants were A5 Foreign Service officers at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had received their appointment letters and had been officially sworn into office.

    Ministry sources said the Mills' Transition Team Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs had expressed doubts about the political affiliation of the said civil servants and thus directed that their appointments be terminated with immediate effect.

    Indeed the dismissal letters were copied and specifically attentioned to Dr. Tony Aidoo, Chairman of the Government Transition Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs.

    The sacked civil servants, as part of the admission requirements, were made to write an entrance examination in May 2007 after which they were interviewed for the positions in February 2008.

    They eventually received their official appointment letters on December 1, 2008.

    After being sworn into office on January 5 this year, they received a letter last Friday, January 9 which stated that the Transition Team had directed that their appointments be withdrawn.

    The latest development added to the murky situation that had characterized the entire transitional process.

    Last Friday scores of ex-government appointees and private individuals were dispossessed of their vehicles on the mere suspicion that they (vehicles) belonged to the State.

    The situation is creating bad blood between the new government and its predecessor.

    Hannah Tetteh, spokesperson for the Mills Transition Team, did not pick her phone when DAILY GUIDE called her to get an explanation on why the team directed that the said civil servants be sacked.

    DAILY GUIDE then left a voice message and also sent an SMS text message to Madam Tetteh but had not received a reply as at the time of going to press.


    Source: Daily Guide

    Posted Jan 13 2009, 05:30 AM by patience with no comments
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  • CEPS Sets Up Anti-corruption Unit

    The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) has set up an anti-corruption and professional standards unit to deal with misconduct of its members of staff in the discharge of their duties.

    The unit, known as the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), is expected to fairly, impartially and thoroughly investigate alleged misconduct of the staff with the view to making CEPS accountable. It is also to contribute to the attainment of its goals and objectives.

    It is being established along the US Customs model, which is responsible for ensuring compliance with all customs-wide programmes and policies relating to corruption, misconduct or mismanagement and for executing internal security, integrity and management inspection programmes.

    However, the Internal Affairs Unit of CEPS has been attached to the Investigations Department of the service, unlike the US unit which is separated from the Investigations Department.

    A source close to the management of CEPS told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the unit would investigate criminal and serious misconduct by CEPS employees, screen potential CEPS employees for suitability, educate employees concerning ethical standards, integrity and responsibilities, evaluate physical security threats to CEPS employees, facilities and sensitive information, as well as inspect customs operations and processes for managerial effectiveness and improvement.

    “The Internal Affairs Unit will become the conscience of the service,” it noted, adding that “the unit may also be charged with a variety of secondary objectives that seek to prevent misconduct or unethical behaviour before it begins or before it becomes a serious matter of public concern”.

    The source said those proactive functions tended to centre around education, openness, prevention and  transformation of any existing negative culture into one of high ethical standard.

    It said to ensure that the purpose for which the unit was set up was achieved, the assistant commissioner responsible for the unit would report directly to the Commissioner of CEPS.
    The source explained that the head of the unit reporting to the commissioner was a better option, since reporting through other commissioners could result in the dilution of reports, filtration of reports and cutting of budgets.
    It explained that the unit was a modern management tool which was used to promote good governance.

    According to the source, the setting up of the unit was in line with the motto and vision of CEPS, which was “Patriotism, Honesty and Fairness” and to provide world-class customs service, respectively.

    The source said the vision of the unit was to help reduce corruption and promote integrity and professional standards, with its motto as “Excellence with Integrity”.

    It said the unit had clearly distinct roles, namely, anti-corruption, allegations of misconduct, breach of ethical standards and review of complaints against employees, such as abuse of office.

    The source said the investigations unit would deal with matters of tax evasion, narcotics, stolen vehicles/cargo theft, falsification/forgery of customs documents, management of informants, arrest and detention of suspects and preparation of dockets for prosecution.

    It explained that because the cardinal objective of the IAU was to improve standards within CEPS, it would create the platform to also receive commendations regarding officers who had exhibited high professional standards and ethics “and will recommend hardworking officers for promotion and awards”.

    StoryBy Albert K. Salia
    Posted Nov 26 2008, 10:25 AM by patience with no comments
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  • Govt To Pay Arrears Of Workers By Friday

    The government will pay all arrears due workers on the national payroll by next Friday, November 7, 2008. It has also suspended the recovery of payment from workers who were overpaid in previous months until proper investigations have been conducted into the issue.

    The payment of arrears will be made to teachers whose salaries were withheld when they went on unauthorised industrial action in October last year but were pardoned by the President later.

    The rest are arrears due some workers before the commencement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Database II (IPPD II) spanning June to October 2006, as well as workers who have been receiving negative pay, zero pay or payments far below their actual salaries.

    These were made known in Accra  by the Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Christian Tetteh Sottie, at a press conference.

    Present at the conference were the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, the Deputy Minister, Professor George Gyan Baffour, as well as some senior officials of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD).

    Mr Sottie at yesterday's conference, apologised to workers who had negatively been affected, adding that the problems with the IPPD II had been resolved.

    He said to beef up the ICT unit of the department, a deputy controller who was an expert in ICT had been employed to help.

    “Workers will, from November 2008, start seeing better results,” he gave the assurance.

    In an answer to a question, Mr Sottie said the decision to suspend the recovery process was not political but rather a decision to correct an earlier mistake, adding that the law did not allow that a worker be paid less than 50 per cent of his or her actual salary by the end of each month.

    For his part, Dr Osei said to get the best payroll system for Ghanaian workers, there was currently a back up to the computerised system, adding that if need be, a third system would be acquired to further resolve the problems with salaries.

    He pointed out that the issue of workers’ salaries was considered important to the government, hence the instruction from the President to the ministry to find a solution to the anomalies associated with the payroll.

    Dr Osei said unless there was evidence that someone intentionally did something to cheat the system, there was no need to apportion blame as to why there were problems with the system.

    Prof. Baffour said the government was right to suspend the recoveries until a decision had been taken as to how to go about them.

    The chairman for the programme, who is also the Deputy Minister for Information and National Orientation, Mr Frank Agyekum, expressed gratitude, on behalf of the government, to all the affected workers for their patience.

    Story by Lucy Adoma Yeboah
    Posted Nov 04 2008, 04:12 PM by daisy with no comments
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  • Isaac Osei assists fire victims

    Mr Isaac Osei, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Subin has presented 60 locally manufactured aluminium smoke ovens worth 3,600 Ghana cedis to fish mongers whose equipment were destroyed during a recent fire outbreak at Asafo in Kumasi.

    It was in response to an appeal by the victims, to Mr Osei for assistance during a visit to the scene after the disaster.

    The fire was caused by a spillage from a petrol tanker which was involved in an accident at Adum.

    The spilled fuel ran through the Subin River and caught fire on the edge of the river where the women smoked frozen fish for sale at the Kumasi Central Market.

    Several quantities of frozen and smoked fish as well as ovens were destroyed.

    Mr Osei said the gesture was to help cushion the affected victims and appealed to those who might have lost their working capital to contact him for some financial assistance.

    He appealed to the women to advise their children, husbands and relatives to desist from acts that could create violence during Election 2008.

    Mr Osei said NPP was committed to improve the living standards of Ghanaians and urged them to vote massively for the Party to continue with the agenda set for the country’s development.

    Madam Comfort Marfo, Spokeswoman for the fish mongers expressed appreciation to Mr Osei for the assistance and assured him of the women’s support on December 7.


    Source: GNA

    Posted Nov 04 2008, 11:59 AM by daisy with no comments
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  • Gov't directs officials to learn French

    The government has directed all government officials to compulsorily take French lessons.

    Vice-President Aliu Mahama said the directive was part of the government's plans to make French a common language for as many Ghanaians as possible to enhance economic, commercial and social activities between Ghana and its neighbours.

    Consequently, he asked those who were privileged to be studying the French language in schools to take the subject seriously because of the numerous advantages associated with knowing, understanding and speaking it.

    Alhaji Mahama said this when the French Minister for Overseas Development and Francophone Affairs, Madam Geraldine Brigitte, paid a courtesy call on him at his office at the Castle on Monday.

    The French minister was in the country to extend an invitation to the Presidency to attend the 12th summit of the International Organisation of the Francophone in Quebec, Canada, later in the year.

    He recounted a number of experiences with many government officials who attend high-level meetings in Francophone countries and were unable to communicate because of their inability to speak French.

    "Our French counterparts even do well to speak the English with us but those of us from the English speaking countries seldom speak any French at all and that is not the best," Alhaji Mahama said.

    The Vice-President had early on exchanged some greetings in French with his guest but was unable to continue when the conversations went deep.

    According to him, the President had directed all government officials to take compulsory French lessons, adding that "this is what has helped me and we are trying to ensure that the teaching of the French language becomes a major subject at all levels of the academic calendar".

    He encouraged business people who traded with their counterparts in the neighbouring countries to endeavour to learn the language to enable them to transact business without stress.

    Alhaji Mahama said there was a lot to benefit should Ghanaians begin to engage their neighbours in serious trading and economic activities.

    He assured the French minister of the government's commitment to make the teaching and learning of French much more widespread for many more people to benefit.

    Madam Brigitte for her part commended Ghana for the efforts she was putting in place to get more people to learn the French language.

    In spite of this, she said, Ghana needed to attach greater interest to making the teaching and learning of French more widespread for many more people to benefit.

    Madam Brigitte said France was committed to making more resources available to Ghana to enable it to create the necessary environment for people to learn the Language.

    She expressed the hope that the government would be able to attend the summit to further strengthen the relationship between Ghana and the Francophone countries.


    Source: Daily Graphic



     

    Posted Sep 10 2008, 10:26 AM by daisy with no comments
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  • New Lands Commission Bill soon

    The Land Administration Project (LAP) has inaugurated three customary land secretariats (CLS) at Takoradi, for the Wassa Fiase, Asebu and Denkyira traditional areas, in the Western and Central regions.

    In a speech read on her behalf, Madam Rita Tani Iddi, Deputy Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines, said the institutional reforms before Parliament seeks to establish a Public Land Sector Agency (PLSA).

    Additionally, a Lands Commission Bill has been placed before Parliament and would be passed into law before the house goes on recession this year.

    Madam Iddi said 38 Customary Land Secretariats (CLS) was established last month, adding that three new ones would also be inaugurated in Sunyani for the Drobo, Techiman and Nkoranza traditional areas by the middle of this month.

    The Deputy Minister added that five more CLS will be commissioned for Paga, Bongo, Damongo, North Mo-Bamboi and Sagmaalu of Wa, all within September this year.

    She said government was determined to support and strengthen the Customary Land Owners (CLO), who would benefit from series of training to improve on their capacity.

    Madam Iddi said the CLS if given the right orientation and training, would assist in resolving the increasing land disputes at the local level and minimize the number of cases sent to court for prosecution.

    “Additionally, they could manage the land records and use such records to improve land revenue, strengthen land administration and make information on land rights and interests, land availability, access and security of tenure,” she said.

    Madam Iddi said series of training programmes will be organized for CLS staff and members of the Land Management Committees (LMC).

    Madam Iddi disclosed that enumeration of rights and interest in land would be carried out to establish a database on land holdings in the various traditional areas.

    “Alternative dispute resolution and regularization of title to lands of various occupations and use would also be promoted.

    Mr Patrick Amoah, Western Regional Coordinator of the LAP said that it is government’s intension that every customary land owner would adopt a CLS in their localities for proper land management.

    He said the increasing conflict in land could be solved by the introduction of modern structures in land administration.

    Mr Amoah said many people sometimes, engaged in multiple-sale of land without the consent of the original owners.

    “Multiple sale of land had compounded the woes of the country and had made land administration difficult,” he stressed.

    Mr Mark K. Ampeh, National Facilitator of the Customary Land Administration Unit, said government had already started work in some areas but people were not aware of the secretariat.

    He said sensitization programmes would begin in areas with the CLS to inform them about the need to process their lands legally.

    Osagyefo Kwamina Enimil, the sixth, Omanhene of Wassa Fiase Traditional area, assured the government of the readiness of the three traditional areas to live up to expectation.

    A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the government and three CLS.

    The three secretariats were later presented with a motor cycle each, office furniture and other computer accessories.


    Source: GNA

    Posted Sep 05 2008, 10:37 AM by daisy with no comments
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  • Has Labour Commission Failed Workers?

    The Labour Commission has come under strong criticism for not living up to the expectations of workers in the country.

    The commission was set up to play the central role under the new Labour Act 2003 (Act 651) in promoting peaceful and harmonious industrial relations in the country.

    However, the Secretary-General of Trades Union Congress (TUC), Kofi Asamoah said the commission has largely proved unable to live up to the expectations of the working population, adding that “the commission may be an ineffective mechanism for the speedy resolution of industrial disputes.

    “The real danger is that should working people loose confidence in the commission, the whole edifice of the Labour Act would crumble down,” Mr Asamoah said at the just-ended eighth quadrennial delegates’ congress of the TUC in Kumasi.

    He suggested that steps should be taken to address the main challenges that emerged ever since the Labour Act came into force.

    He said even though the law was designed to ensure speedy compulsory arbitration, employers have developed the unconscionable manoeuvre of filing writs at the slightest opportunity at the High Court against the decision of the Labour Commission.

    “As things stand currently, an order of the commission can be stymied through the process of appeals and writs at the High Court and the problem of long delays in the settlement of industrial disputes which the Labour Commission was established to overcome continue to persist,” the Secretary-General of TUC lamented.

    Mr Asamoah called for the amendment of the Labour Act in order to make the decision and orders of the commission enforceable by the High Court.

    He indicated that although sections of the Labour Act make provisions for the establishment of regional and district committees of the commission, it only operates from its headquarters in Accra in responding to labour disputes across the country.

    “This is simply an impossible state of affairs,” Mr Asamoah noted, and called on the government as a matter of urgency to provide the commission with adequate resources for the setting up of regional committees of the commission.

    He warned that the TUC could not continue to tolerate a situation where the fundamental rights of workers to form and join unions of their choice is subverted by management and employers in the name of dubious interpretation of the Labour Act.

    The Secretary-General urged Ghanaians to ensure that the oil find in the country becomes a catalyst for development.

    “For this to happen, it requires transparency by government and oil companies in their activities as well as special attention to the needs of the locations of production,” he stated.

    By Felix Dela Klutse

    Posted Aug 25 2008, 12:22 PM by ghanazone with no comments
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  • GLOA: One Million Jobs Will Be Lost, If...

    The Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA) says one million jobs will be lost, if the Accra Fast Track High Court's ruling that outlawed the activities of private lotto operators is not reversed.

    The association and six others have therefore filed for a stay of execution of the High Court's judgement, pending the determination of an appeal against the ruling. The motion for the appeal will be moved on Wednesday, September 3, 2008.

    According to the General Secretary of the Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA), Mr Seth Amoani, the GLOA had engaged the services of more than one million employees and lotto agents who operated in all districts in the country and for that reason, they and their dependants had been adversely affected by the ruling, which he described as untenable.

    Reacting to the Fast Track High Court's ruling, he said the court's decision contravened the Supreme Court's ruling of July 23, 2008, which said “the analysis by the defendant (NLA) is largely correct except that the plaintiffs are not at the mercy of the state in seeking to participate in the state regulated lottery industry.
     
    The licensing regime has to conform to the standards set in Article 296 of the Constitution”.

    He said the lower court's decision further contravened the Supreme Court ruling that said “the National Lottery Authority has a duty to be fair and candid in allocating licences to those who wish to participate in the lottery business”.

    The Accra Fast Track High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Edward Asante, on Wednesday, August 20, 2008, dismissed the entire action instituted against the National Lottery Authority (NLA) by the GLOA.

    The court relied on a Supreme Court ruling that declared the Lotto Act as constitutional and maintained that the order from the NLA directing the GLOA to hand over their equipment was valid and must be complied with by the plaintiffs.

    The lotto operators had sought to question the constitutionality of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Act 2006, Act 722.

    In dismissing the case, the court also ordered the GLOA and six others to surrender their lotto draw equipment to the NLA.

    It also awarded a total cost of GH¢14,000 against the plaintiffs as each of the plaintiffs was expected to pay GH¢2,000.

    The other plaintiffs are Obiri Asare and Sons Limited, Rambel Enterprise Limited, Dan Multipurpose Trading Enterprise Limited, Agrop Association Limited, Star Lotto Limited and From-Home Enterprises.

    The plaintiffs had sought a declaration that the directive from the NLA to private lotto operators to surrender machines or equipment used for the operation of lottery to the Director-General by August 14, 2007 was unconstitutional, illegal and unreasonable but the Fast Track High Court held that the plaintiffs were not entitled to any compensation because they did not make such claims in their statement of case.

    The GLOA had argued that the Department of National Lotteries (DNL) had doubled as the NLA to monopolise the lotto business to the detriment of the GLOA, which had given employment to many, as well as raised revenue for the state.

    The plaintiffs have since filed for stay of execution of the court's orders pending the outcome of the appeal on the grounds that the ruling was "wrong in law and an improper exercise of discretion”.

    According to the plaintiffs , "the subsequent dismissal of our action raises serious questions of law and fact which would have to be considered by the appellate court".

    An affidavit in support of their motion for stay of execution stated that the ruling of the Fast Track High Court had the potential of folding up the business of the plaintiffs.

    It said the appeal, which was likely to succeed, touched on the fundamental human rights of the plaintiffs and accordingly prayed the court to restrain the NLA from interfering with the work or property rights of the plaintiffs, pending the determination of the appeal.

    According to the plaintiffs, the Supreme Court recognised that the plaintiffs were not at the mercy of the state in seeking to participate in the state-regulated lottery industry.

    It further argued that the Supreme Court never said the plaintiffs could not participate in the state-regulated lottery industry.

    According to the plaintiffs/appellants, the trial judge erred in law by summarily dismissing an action that concerned their fundamental human rights.

    They further stated that the trial judge failed in his duty to give them a fair hearing in a case involving serious issues of fact and several pieces of evidence.

    The appellants are, therefore, praying for an order to set aside the ruling of the trial court, as well as an order to restore the appellants’ action for it to be determined on the merits after a proper hearing.

    According to the appellants, they would file additional grounds of appeal upon receipt of the court's ruling.
    Posted Aug 25 2008, 12:00 PM by ghanazone with no comments
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