In Parliament

Ms Hanna Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry, has announced that the importation of cheap textiles into the country would soon be banned and stringent actions taken against defaulters.

Speaking at an interaction with the press on Friday, the Minister decried the lack of “political will” to salvage the “unfortunate decline” of Ghana’s textile industry.

She disclosed that her ministry had met with the textile companies and have put some modalities in place to bring the activities of these importers to a halt.

First of all, Ms Tetteh said, public awareness would be created about the intended ban, and those who aid in the smuggling and under invoicing of those products onto the market sensitized on the problems the textile sector faces.

“After we have done the public awareness campaign, now comes the countdown, because the presumption is that you will know, you have been informed, and you have been told that when you infringe the law, there would be consequences.

“And so at that point in time, we do not expect push back or this is victimization; because something that is illegal; is illegal, especially when at the end of the day it causes the Ghanaian economy too much.”

As part of efforts to ensure its enforcement, there would be reintroduction of the system whereby importation of textiles into the country is done through one port. The Minister disclosed that there would be point of sale inspections to identify counterfeit textile products.

“And unfortunately, if you are found in possession of those products which are infringement of people’s copyright and it is suspected that those products were brought in without paying the appropriate duties, there would be consequences.”

Since the textile sector, she remarked, is not worrying the government with loans or subsidy, which for that matter “must not be penalized for being law abiding”.

The Minister further enumerated some individual activities that contribute to the worsening situation of the sector.

Ms Tetteh said, often times, people prefer to buy these imported cloths thinking, ironically, that they are “cheap and affordable”, but, she noted, if one takes into account the vast disadvantages their actions have on the country as a whole, they would realise that they are rather “expensive”.

She explained that buying these cloths take away the desire of farmers to produce cotton for the industry, hence reducing production and making them uncompetitive, in addition, it destroys the intellectual property of the Ghanaian graduates.

Touching on ferrous scraps, Ms Tetteh stated that its ban is still in force, “unless a very good argument is presented for waving the administrative ban on the export of ferrous scrap, it will continue to be in force”.

On non-ferrous scraps, she said guidelines on them have been reviewed pending parliamentary approval, but it export would be “properly monitored to make sure that it is not abused”.

She made reference to the Northern Star tomato processing factory and announced that a proposal has been put together for it recapitalization and then look for a strategic partner for the company.

She stated that the government has no objection to the farmers who had proposed to own a 30% stake of the company, “however, they should be aware that they are going to pay for it”.



Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com

The Greater Accra Branch of the NDC says allegations of fraud against Mr. Alfred Vanderpuije, presidential nominee for the AMA is false and a misrepresentation of facts.

A statement headlined “NPP manipulated media attack on Alfred Vanderpuije,” and signed by Richard Quashigah, NDC Greater Accra Regional Communication/Propaganda Secretary said the accusations are a calculated attempt to dent the reputation of the nominee.

A pressure group, the Alliance for Accountable Governance accused Mr Vanderpuije of “dishonesty” and embezzlement of some $4000 when he was head of the William Perry Middle School in South Carolina between year 2000 and 2005.

The April 14 edition of the Chronicle Newspaper had as its banner headline “After embezzling funds of School, dismissed Vanderpuije dribbles National Security – Rotten Mayor for Accra”.

But the NDC Greater Accra Regional Propaganda secretary is unimpressed, and called on the general public to treat the accusations with utmost contempt.

The statement explained Mr. Vanderpiuje was wrongfully indicted for misappropriating some amount of $4,460 by an audit report of the South Carolina’s Capital Schools in 2004 but was subsequently exonerated by a South Carolina County Court.

“In view of the Charges leveled against Mr. Vanderpuije, the Court did not only dismiss the charges, but also instructed that all records relating to the offense leveled against Mr. Vanderpuije be expunged and destroyed according to the applicable section of the South Carolina Code of Laws. The Court also instructed that no evidence of such records pertain to such charges shall be retained by any Municipal County or State agency except for non public information.”

“It is therefore preposterous and mischievous for some media houses to resurrect a matter that has been put to rest only with the purpose of denting the reputation of a noble and hard working man,” the statement argued

The statement described Mr. Vanderpuije as a trust worthy and hard working man held in high regard in the US.

The Government has intensified discussion on the Right to Information (RTI) Bill as an affirmation of its commitment to ensure its passage into law, the Minister of Information, Mrs Sabah Zita Okaikoi stated in Accra on Thursday.

The Government’s initiatives include dialogue between Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, and Ministry of Information with the Ghana Coalition on the Right to Information, mandating legal expert to examine the Bill and its accompanying critique.

Mrs. Okaikoi, who was speaking at the launch of the African Media Barometer report, the first home-grown analysis of the media landscape in Africa focusing on Ghana urged non-state actors and media practitioners to improve upon the media landscape.

She called for collaboration with stakeholders to pave way for an even more vibrant, independent and professional media in the country.

The African Media Barometer is a self assessment exercise done by Africans themselves according to home-grown criteria, which is the first in-depth and comprehensive description and measurement system for national media environment on the African continent.

The benchmarks for the 26 Countries are to a large extent taken from the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights, Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa.

Mrs. Okaikoi, who launched the report commended the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung for supporting the project.

Mr. Ransford Tetteh, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) who reviewed the report said the overall verdict of the report indicates the increasing recognition of the media’s role in nurturing Ghana’s democracy.

He said the report tasked the National Media Commission and the Ghana Journalists Association to do more to enforce regulations on the code of ethics of the journalism profession.

Mr Tetteh said the report cited the inability of the NMC to summon media houses to comply to its code as a weakness and called for the strengthening of the NMC.

The GJA President acknowledged that although some public information can be assessed, no public official can be compelled to release information they consider confidential and therefore not for public consumption.

“Lack of information hinders public discourse and the empowerment of the people to hold public office holders accountable for their actions,” he said.

He therefore urged the government to speed up the passage of the Right to Information Bill and the Broadcasting Bill to deepen the frontiers of the media freedom.

Mr. Tetteh appealed to journalists to respect regulatory bodies such as NMC and the Ethics and Disciplinary Council of the GJA to ensure that the media lived up to professional and ethic standards.

“The integrity of the media will be at stake if the practitioners do not respect the code of ethics,” Mr Tetteh stated.

The main part of the report was based on qualitative assessment of the media landscape according to a set of indicators, which includes Freedom of expression, Freedom of the Media, the media landscape broadcasting regulations and media practice.


Source: GNA

President John Evans Atta Mills yesterday received Letters of Credence from three new envoys to Ghana, with a call for increased regional integration.

"We need to facilitate the free movement of people and goods across our borders to increase trade and investments for the benefit of our peoples," he said.

Those who presented the Letters were Ms. Ntombizodwo Msuthukazilallie, South African High Commissioner; General Toumani Sissoko, Malian Ambassador, and Widhya Bhoolsuwan of Thailand.

President Mills congratulated the envoys whose letters he received separately, on their appointment and hoped that their tenure would further enhance the relationships between Ghana and their respective countries.

He said it has become increasingly necessary for the countries to build close ties to enable countries to work together to address global challenges such as the financial crisis, adding, “We need to come closer to ensure that we explore ways of making the best use of the resources we have.”

President Mills commended South Africa for its lead role in the development drive of the continent, and lauded the collaboration between her and Ghana.

He pledged Ghana's commitment to enhancing the bilateral relations between them and wished South Africa well as it goes to the polls.

With regard to Thailand, President Mills was happy about the increasing trade investment in Ghana but noted that there was more room for improvement.

He called for the launching of the Ghana-Thailand Joint Commission for Cooperation established in 2006 but which was yet to become operational, to create a platform to encourage trade between the private sectors of Thailand and Ghana.

The envoys, in their respective remarks, thanked the President for welcoming them to Ghana, and pledged to do their best to further improve the relations between their respective countries and Ghana.


Source: The Ghanaian Times

The president, John Evans Atta Mills, is expected to meet senior editors and media owners on Tuesday, in his office at the Osu Castle.

The media encounter, which coincided with the president’s 98 days in office, would afford them the opportunity to assess him on his performance so far.

The Presidential Spokesperson, Mahama Ayariga confirmed the interaction to Joy FM but said the meeting was meant to be private.

“The President is meeting them to brief them on activities and initiatives that he has taken in the past 98 days since being sworn into office; and also to give them the opportunity to have some open and frank discussions about his 98 days in office.”

He said some ministers of state of the various sectors would also be present to answer questions relating to their respective portfolios.

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor took held a media encounter on his 100-day in office and endured hours of questioning from journalists, and many in the media have been looking up to a similar encounter with President Mills.

“We have not reached the 100-day yet. When we get to the 100-day we will tell you what specific activities are taking place,” Mr Ayariga explained.

He was however confident the works of President Mills in his 100-day in office would be evident to exonerate him from those “unfounded” criticism of him being slow.

This would be the second time the president is meeting senior journalists since he assumed office. Leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association met him early on.


Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com