Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (January 28, 2008)
A FORMER head of the Traditional Medicine Directorate of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Osofo Kwasi Dankwa Quarm, has called on the government and the MoH, to implement the Traditional Medicine Practice Act 575 of 2000, for efficient and safe traditional medicine practice in the country.
Osofo Quarm, who is currently the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Ethno-Medical Foundation, said it was high time the Act, which received Presidential assent on February 23, 2000, was implemented to serve its intended purpose.
The Ghana Ethno-Medical Foundation is a multi-sectoral agency comprising scientists, researchers, traditional medical practitioners, plant collectors and sellers and forest sector agencies.
It has the objective of ensuring growth and development in the herbal/ traditional medicine practice in Ghana.
The foundation also seeks to ensure that patients receive the best of services, practitioners and manufacturers give their best services and products are duly investigated and proven by scientists and researchers before use.
Osofo Quarm told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the Traditional Medicine Practice Act 575 was supposed to establish a Council “to regulate the practice of traditional medicine, to register practitioners and license practices and to regulate the preparation and sale of herbal medicines and to provide for related matters”.
In a statement issued on behalf of the Foundation, the Executive Secretary said it was unfortunate that such an important law should be shelved for such a long time, adding that about 70 per cent of Ghanaians depended on traditional medicine.
He stressed that since many people, especially the rural dwellers, relied on traditional medicine, it was important that the right steps were taken to protect them from quacks.
He said the vision of the foundation was to have traditional medicine practice as a formidable and credible force in medical care that effectively complemented orthodox and other forms of therapies in Ghana for provision of quality and affordable health care for all Ghanaians.
Osofo Quarm hinted that members of the foundation would continue with their advocate until the law was implemented.
"The Foundation demands that all stakeholders should act to boost the trust and confidence of the public in traditional medicine to ensure the existence of a viable industry with safe, effective and affordable products and services," he stressed.
In a related development, the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) pledged to co-operate with the MoH and make sure that its members were registered by the Traditional Medicine Practice Secretariat in accordance with the Traditional Medicine Practice Act (Act 575).
In a New Year message, the President of GHAFTRAM, Agya Kwaku Appiah, commended the Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), on behalf of the federation, for showing immense interest in the promotion of traditional medicine and its practice.
He cited an instance last year when the minister facilitated the travel of the General Secretary of the federation to China on a three-month tour to learn about traditional medicine in that country.
Agya Appiah, however, observed that there were some challenges that the federation needed to surmount. These included the registration of more members for the purposes of identification and the payment of retention fees by members.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Stop Misuse of Govt Funds- Sottie (Page 38)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (January 28, 2008)
THE Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Christian Tetteh Sottie, has warned government employees who misappropriate government funds to desist from that practice or face administrative and legal actions.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Sottie said those who handled government funds should know that the funds belonged to the whole nation and so they should not handle it anyhow to the detriment of Ghanaians.
“We should all contribute our quota to make the economy more stable,” he stressed.
Touching on the activities lined up by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) for the year, the controller said the department had put in place measures to further improve its performance in the years ahead, adding that in that direction the CAGD had begun a programme to visit each region to interact with pensioners and workers to know at first-hand the problems associated with their salaries, wages and related allowances, saying that it was better to offer education, since sometimes people acted out of ignorance.
Mr Sottie pointed out that the first of such interactions took place in Suhum in the Eastern Region on Tuesday where a large number of pensioners had the opportunity to ask questions.
He said notable among the questions were why their pension payments had not been adjusted upwards and also the issue of financial demands on the part of officials who worked on the payments.
He explained that a process had begun to adjust the allowances of all pensioners nation-wide and stressed that the payments were being adjusted as and when the personnel received the necessary inputs from the districts.
On bribery, he advised that persons who fell victim to such activities should be bold to expose those involved, else it would be difficult for the authorities to know and punish them.
He announced that there were also plans this year to restructure the treasury functions for efficiency and also make payments less tedious and arduous.
Mr Sottie, in addition, gave assurance of a better payment system this year, since many of the problems with the computer software had been rectified.
“We hope to pay workers on a timely basis and also pay the right amounts due them,” he pointed out.
He also urged ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to provide the needed human resource training programmes for especially their accounting staff to improve upon their performance.
THE Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Christian Tetteh Sottie, has warned government employees who misappropriate government funds to desist from that practice or face administrative and legal actions.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Sottie said those who handled government funds should know that the funds belonged to the whole nation and so they should not handle it anyhow to the detriment of Ghanaians.
“We should all contribute our quota to make the economy more stable,” he stressed.
Touching on the activities lined up by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) for the year, the controller said the department had put in place measures to further improve its performance in the years ahead, adding that in that direction the CAGD had begun a programme to visit each region to interact with pensioners and workers to know at first-hand the problems associated with their salaries, wages and related allowances, saying that it was better to offer education, since sometimes people acted out of ignorance.
Mr Sottie pointed out that the first of such interactions took place in Suhum in the Eastern Region on Tuesday where a large number of pensioners had the opportunity to ask questions.
He said notable among the questions were why their pension payments had not been adjusted upwards and also the issue of financial demands on the part of officials who worked on the payments.
He explained that a process had begun to adjust the allowances of all pensioners nation-wide and stressed that the payments were being adjusted as and when the personnel received the necessary inputs from the districts.
On bribery, he advised that persons who fell victim to such activities should be bold to expose those involved, else it would be difficult for the authorities to know and punish them.
He announced that there were also plans this year to restructure the treasury functions for efficiency and also make payments less tedious and arduous.
Mr Sottie, in addition, gave assurance of a better payment system this year, since many of the problems with the computer software had been rectified.
“We hope to pay workers on a timely basis and also pay the right amounts due them,” he pointed out.
He also urged ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to provide the needed human resource training programmes for especially their accounting staff to improve upon their performance.
3-Tier pension Scheme in March (page 3)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (January 26, 2008)
A new pensions law which will cater for the creation of a new contributory three-tier pension system to replace the existing parallel pension schemes is expected to come into force by the end of March this year.
The proposed three-tier scheme consists of a mandatory basic national social security scheme responsible for monthly pensions only. The second scheme is a mandatory, privately managed occupational or work-based scheme to pay lump sums, while the third is a voluntary provident fund and personal pension scheme which can cater for between 80 and 85 per cent of Ghanaian workers in the informal sector and others who want to contribute, in addition to the first two schemes.
Ghana is currently operating two major public pension schemes, which are the Pensions Ordinance No. 40 (CAP 30) of 1950 and the Social Security Act (PNDC Law 247) of 1991.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Project Consultant of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee, Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah, said the National Pension Reform Bill, which could not be passed by the end of 2007, as had been expected, was before Cabinet, awaiting parliamentary deliberations and approval, in accordance with the recommendations made by a nine-member Presidential Commission on Pensions led by Mr T.A. Bediako, a retired educationist.
The commission, which was appointed by President J.A. Kufuor in July 2004, submitted its final report in March 2006 and its recommendations were approved by a government White Paper issued in July 2006.
In October 2006, the President again appointed a Pension Reform Implementation Committee, also headed by Mr Bediako, to implement the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission on Pensions. The committee came out with the National Pension Reform Bill in 2007.
Touching on the bill, Mr Mensah said it catered for the establishment of an independent National Pensions Regulatory Authority to regulate, supervise and monitor both public and private pension schemes.
He said the authority would also advise the government on overall pension matters in Ghana and approve, regulate, supervise and monitor trustees, pension fund managers, custodians and other institutions relating to pension matters.
He said there were provisions under the bill for all workers currently on the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and who were below 55 years to automatically join the new scheme.
He explained that a committee would be set up to review the case of contributors who were above 55 years.
Mr Mensah pointed out that the new scheme would be an improvement on the existing Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) scheme, as well as the CAP 30.
He pointed out that as part of its functions, the committee was currently assisting in the restructuring of SSNIT for it to fit into the new pension scheme to focus on its responsibility of managing the first tier, which involved the basic national social security scheme mandatory for all formal sector workers.
The restructuring of SSNIT, Mr Mensah noted, would involve an overhaul of the governance, management and administrative structure of the trust and also a review of the law governing it.
“The new SSNIT will have a board of trustees, instead of a board of directors,” he stated.
Making a point to support his assertion that the proposed scheme would be better than the existing ones, Mr Mensah said the period for one to qualify for pension under the new scheme would be reduced from 20 to 15 contributing years and survivors’ benefit period increased from 12 to 15 years.
Under the second-tier, which involved occupational pension scheme, the project consultant said it might allow assignment for a mortgage for a member to acquire a primary residence, adding that when approved, one could use his or her contribution for a mortgage.
On the third-tier, Mr Mensah explained that it provided for individuals within the private sector and public sector workers who wanted to make voluntary contributions to enhance their pension benefits beyond the mandatory second- tier scheme and any provident fund scheme sponsored by their employers.
He said recommendations had been made to phase out the CAP 30 scheme which was not sustainable, and for that matter there were not going to be any new entrants.
He further explained that the bill had made transitional arrangements to enable the Controller and Accountant- General’s Department to continue to pay CAP 30 beneficiaries their benefits, while it lasted, and pointed out that there was an option for public servants presently under that scheme to join the new scheme.
Programmes which the committee has lined up for 2008 include public education and training on the new pension law, facilitating the implementation of the new law, particularly the second and third-tier privately-managed schemes and special orientation for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and other statutory bodies on their role in the pension reform.
Others include the establishment of administrative structures of the National Pensions Regulatory Atuhority, the completion of the restructuring of the CAP 30 scheme, continuation of the supervison of the restructuring of SSNIT, among other activities.
A new pensions law which will cater for the creation of a new contributory three-tier pension system to replace the existing parallel pension schemes is expected to come into force by the end of March this year.
The proposed three-tier scheme consists of a mandatory basic national social security scheme responsible for monthly pensions only. The second scheme is a mandatory, privately managed occupational or work-based scheme to pay lump sums, while the third is a voluntary provident fund and personal pension scheme which can cater for between 80 and 85 per cent of Ghanaian workers in the informal sector and others who want to contribute, in addition to the first two schemes.
Ghana is currently operating two major public pension schemes, which are the Pensions Ordinance No. 40 (CAP 30) of 1950 and the Social Security Act (PNDC Law 247) of 1991.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Project Consultant of the Pension Reform Implementation Committee, Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah, said the National Pension Reform Bill, which could not be passed by the end of 2007, as had been expected, was before Cabinet, awaiting parliamentary deliberations and approval, in accordance with the recommendations made by a nine-member Presidential Commission on Pensions led by Mr T.A. Bediako, a retired educationist.
The commission, which was appointed by President J.A. Kufuor in July 2004, submitted its final report in March 2006 and its recommendations were approved by a government White Paper issued in July 2006.
In October 2006, the President again appointed a Pension Reform Implementation Committee, also headed by Mr Bediako, to implement the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission on Pensions. The committee came out with the National Pension Reform Bill in 2007.
Touching on the bill, Mr Mensah said it catered for the establishment of an independent National Pensions Regulatory Authority to regulate, supervise and monitor both public and private pension schemes.
He said the authority would also advise the government on overall pension matters in Ghana and approve, regulate, supervise and monitor trustees, pension fund managers, custodians and other institutions relating to pension matters.
He said there were provisions under the bill for all workers currently on the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and who were below 55 years to automatically join the new scheme.
He explained that a committee would be set up to review the case of contributors who were above 55 years.
Mr Mensah pointed out that the new scheme would be an improvement on the existing Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) scheme, as well as the CAP 30.
He pointed out that as part of its functions, the committee was currently assisting in the restructuring of SSNIT for it to fit into the new pension scheme to focus on its responsibility of managing the first tier, which involved the basic national social security scheme mandatory for all formal sector workers.
The restructuring of SSNIT, Mr Mensah noted, would involve an overhaul of the governance, management and administrative structure of the trust and also a review of the law governing it.
“The new SSNIT will have a board of trustees, instead of a board of directors,” he stated.
Making a point to support his assertion that the proposed scheme would be better than the existing ones, Mr Mensah said the period for one to qualify for pension under the new scheme would be reduced from 20 to 15 contributing years and survivors’ benefit period increased from 12 to 15 years.
Under the second-tier, which involved occupational pension scheme, the project consultant said it might allow assignment for a mortgage for a member to acquire a primary residence, adding that when approved, one could use his or her contribution for a mortgage.
On the third-tier, Mr Mensah explained that it provided for individuals within the private sector and public sector workers who wanted to make voluntary contributions to enhance their pension benefits beyond the mandatory second- tier scheme and any provident fund scheme sponsored by their employers.
He said recommendations had been made to phase out the CAP 30 scheme which was not sustainable, and for that matter there were not going to be any new entrants.
He further explained that the bill had made transitional arrangements to enable the Controller and Accountant- General’s Department to continue to pay CAP 30 beneficiaries their benefits, while it lasted, and pointed out that there was an option for public servants presently under that scheme to join the new scheme.
Programmes which the committee has lined up for 2008 include public education and training on the new pension law, facilitating the implementation of the new law, particularly the second and third-tier privately-managed schemes and special orientation for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and other statutory bodies on their role in the pension reform.
Others include the establishment of administrative structures of the National Pensions Regulatory Atuhority, the completion of the restructuring of the CAP 30 scheme, continuation of the supervison of the restructuring of SSNIT, among other activities.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Disaster Management Put To Test- At Ohene Djan (back page)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (January 16, 2008)
THE Accra Venue Subcommittee for Ghana 2008 yesterday organised a simulation exercise in preparation for any eventuality during the tournament at the Ohene Djan Stadium.
Made up of security and health personnel together with volunteers from the Saint John Ambulance and the Red Cross Society of Ghana, the group put into practice how they could prevent and manage disaster should any occur at the stadium.
There are plans for similar exercises to take place in the three other stadia designated for the tournament.
Present were the Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), a large number of directors from the ministry and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), senior officers from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Fire Service, officials from the Red Society of Ghana and the Saint John Ambulance, journalists, volunteers and spectators mostly in Ghana 2008 T-shirts and caps.
A large number of plain-clothes police officers were spotted identifying areas where they would cover during matches.
A mock match between Ghana and Benin was staged which resulted in riot with a lot of casualties. Ghana scored two goals as against a lone goal by Benin. Major Quashigah took the ceremonial kick-off.
There was “jama” songs as the supporters tried hard to cheer players of the two teams just as it happens at football matches. The teams were made of both men and women mixed in each team.
Before the mock match, a group of young volunteers mobilised purposely to help during the event were briefed by Dr Ahmed Mohammed, the Director of the National Ambulance Service, and some senior nursing officers as to how to go about things.
For easy movement and effectiveness, both the security personnel mainly from the Ghana Police Service and the health personnel were divided into groups to cover the three sections of the stadium. A group was also assigned to the VIP stand.
The teams were briefed as to how to identify injuries and some cut-out cards in red, yellow, green and black, according to the degree of injuries one was suffering were also shown to the health personnel to be used in separating the injured for effective treatment.
The red was for the severely injured, yellow for the moderately injured, green for mild injuries and the black for the dead.
To enable the group to have a feel of what could happen and how to handle them, a stage-managed riot occurred. That was during the game between the two teams (Ghana and Benin) turned into a free-for-all fight on the playing field with players attacking each other.
With “borrowed supporters” watching from afar, they also began arguing among themselves, which later turned into a large-scale fight which brought about a number of casualties. Volunteers who feigned injured were seen with red paints on various parts of their bodies indicating where the injuries occurred.
As the police tried to stop the fight with some arrests, the health personnel and the various first aid groups rushed to the various spots to assist the injured.
Some injuries which health personnel anticipate occurring in case of such a large-scale fight at the stadium are broken limbs, facial fractures, wounds with profuse bleeding and bleeding from aborted pregnancy.
Others are ear bleeding, nose bleeding, high blood pressure with no medical record, general bodily pains, shortness of breath, facial burns, multiple facial injuries, difficulty in breathing and unconsciousness and semi-consciousness, among others.
There was also a mock fire outbreak where personnel of the Ghana Fire Service quickly moved into action with fire engines and chemicals to bring it under control.
The Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Julius Avorgah, issued out instructions to both the spectators and the security personnel from the communication room at the stadium to put the situation under control.
As the exercise took place, it was observed that the security personnel were slow to respond.
Enquiries made by the Daily Graphic indicated that an alarm made to sound during such incidents failed to trigger when it was pressed because it had not been completely fixed.
THE Accra Venue Subcommittee for Ghana 2008 yesterday organised a simulation exercise in preparation for any eventuality during the tournament at the Ohene Djan Stadium.
Made up of security and health personnel together with volunteers from the Saint John Ambulance and the Red Cross Society of Ghana, the group put into practice how they could prevent and manage disaster should any occur at the stadium.
There are plans for similar exercises to take place in the three other stadia designated for the tournament.
Present were the Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), a large number of directors from the ministry and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), senior officers from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Fire Service, officials from the Red Society of Ghana and the Saint John Ambulance, journalists, volunteers and spectators mostly in Ghana 2008 T-shirts and caps.
A large number of plain-clothes police officers were spotted identifying areas where they would cover during matches.
A mock match between Ghana and Benin was staged which resulted in riot with a lot of casualties. Ghana scored two goals as against a lone goal by Benin. Major Quashigah took the ceremonial kick-off.
There was “jama” songs as the supporters tried hard to cheer players of the two teams just as it happens at football matches. The teams were made of both men and women mixed in each team.
Before the mock match, a group of young volunteers mobilised purposely to help during the event were briefed by Dr Ahmed Mohammed, the Director of the National Ambulance Service, and some senior nursing officers as to how to go about things.
For easy movement and effectiveness, both the security personnel mainly from the Ghana Police Service and the health personnel were divided into groups to cover the three sections of the stadium. A group was also assigned to the VIP stand.
The teams were briefed as to how to identify injuries and some cut-out cards in red, yellow, green and black, according to the degree of injuries one was suffering were also shown to the health personnel to be used in separating the injured for effective treatment.
The red was for the severely injured, yellow for the moderately injured, green for mild injuries and the black for the dead.
To enable the group to have a feel of what could happen and how to handle them, a stage-managed riot occurred. That was during the game between the two teams (Ghana and Benin) turned into a free-for-all fight on the playing field with players attacking each other.
With “borrowed supporters” watching from afar, they also began arguing among themselves, which later turned into a large-scale fight which brought about a number of casualties. Volunteers who feigned injured were seen with red paints on various parts of their bodies indicating where the injuries occurred.
As the police tried to stop the fight with some arrests, the health personnel and the various first aid groups rushed to the various spots to assist the injured.
Some injuries which health personnel anticipate occurring in case of such a large-scale fight at the stadium are broken limbs, facial fractures, wounds with profuse bleeding and bleeding from aborted pregnancy.
Others are ear bleeding, nose bleeding, high blood pressure with no medical record, general bodily pains, shortness of breath, facial burns, multiple facial injuries, difficulty in breathing and unconsciousness and semi-consciousness, among others.
There was also a mock fire outbreak where personnel of the Ghana Fire Service quickly moved into action with fire engines and chemicals to bring it under control.
The Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Julius Avorgah, issued out instructions to both the spectators and the security personnel from the communication room at the stadium to put the situation under control.
As the exercise took place, it was observed that the security personnel were slow to respond.
Enquiries made by the Daily Graphic indicated that an alarm made to sound during such incidents failed to trigger when it was pressed because it had not been completely fixed.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Assembly builds educational infrastucture for youth (page 11)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah, Agona Nkwanta (January 14, 2008)
THE Ahanta West District Assembly in the Western Region is putting up educational and recreational infrastructure for the benefit of the youth in the area.
The Assembly has already completed a community library with educational materials to help boost the reading habits of the inhabitants of the district. The library can accommodate 100 people.
In an interview with the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwesi Biney, at Agona Nkwanta, he said the assembly had budgeted for GH¢95,000 for additional infrastructure to enhance education and physical exercise in the community.
He said with sponsorship from the Ministry of Communications, the Assembly was presently putting up an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre which was about 70 per cent complete.
He said there were plans to construct a playing ground to house table tennis court and children’s park where games for children would be introduced.
Mr Biney pointed out that there was the need for people to develop their minds and their bodies, adding that provision of such materials were good for healthy living which imparted on national development.
He pointed out that the reason behind those projects was, among other things, to take the youth out of unproductive ventures such as drinking and smoking but rather introduce them to reading, ICT and physical exercise to improve on their minds and bodies.
The DCE said the projects were scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of the year and appealed to contractors working on them to work to meet the deadline.
THE Ahanta West District Assembly in the Western Region is putting up educational and recreational infrastructure for the benefit of the youth in the area.
The Assembly has already completed a community library with educational materials to help boost the reading habits of the inhabitants of the district. The library can accommodate 100 people.
In an interview with the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwesi Biney, at Agona Nkwanta, he said the assembly had budgeted for GH¢95,000 for additional infrastructure to enhance education and physical exercise in the community.
He said with sponsorship from the Ministry of Communications, the Assembly was presently putting up an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre which was about 70 per cent complete.
He said there were plans to construct a playing ground to house table tennis court and children’s park where games for children would be introduced.
Mr Biney pointed out that there was the need for people to develop their minds and their bodies, adding that provision of such materials were good for healthy living which imparted on national development.
He pointed out that the reason behind those projects was, among other things, to take the youth out of unproductive ventures such as drinking and smoking but rather introduce them to reading, ICT and physical exercise to improve on their minds and bodies.
The DCE said the projects were scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of the year and appealed to contractors working on them to work to meet the deadline.
JICA Official on Three-Day Visit (Page 43)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (January 14, 2008)
THE Senior Vice-President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr Kenzo Oshima, has paid a three-day working visit to Ghana.
The visit was to enable him to discuss the upcoming Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) IV with the government of Ghana and also use the opportunity to inspect some completed and ongoing JICA-assisted projects in the country.
The conference (TICAD IV), which is scheduled for May 2008, is on the theme, “Towards A Vibrant Africa: Continent of Hope and Opportunity”.
A statement made available to journalists from JICA office in Ghana indicated that President J.A. Kufuor, who is chairman of the African Union (AU), had been invited to attend.
As part of the three-day visit, Mr Oshima, together with some officials from the Japanese Embassy in Ghana, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, at the ministry. The group later had bilateral talks behind closed doors.
During the courtesy call, Mr Oshima said one other reason why he visited Ghana was to get the opportunity to meet the former United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, and discuss with him issues concerning activities of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) which Mr Annan is the chairman.
The Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa, which was established in 2007 with an initial US$150 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, seeks to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families across Africa to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and hunger through sustainable increases in farm productivity and incomes.
Mr Oshima stressed that JICA would continue to support Ghana’s economic growth and its quest towards attainment of self-reliance and sustainable economic development.
He pointed out that the agency had the desire to also assist Ghana to achieve its development agenda of poverty reduction, attaining a middle-income status and meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
For his part, Mr Baah-Wiredu said Japan remained one of the most important bilateral development partners of Ghana even after its suspension of Yen loans to Ghana and pointed out that most of Japan’s technical assistance programmes and projects to Ghana was routed through JICA.
Giving a historical background to Ghana’s relationship with Japan, the Finance Minister said it was that mutual understanding and friendship that led to the establishment by Japan of the first medical research institute for Ghana — the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) — in 1979.
He stressed that “ever since, the amount of Japanese assistance to Ghana in the form of grant aid and technical assistance has tremendously increased both in value and scope”.
He said that Japanese grant aid to Ghana for the construction of roads and bridges, rural electrification and other economic and social infrastructure also topped US$14 million in March, 2006.
Mr Baah-Wiredu touched on Japan’s immense contribution to Ghana’s development through Japanese Overseas Co-operation Volunteers (JOCV) dispatched to Ghana as teachers and also Japan’s assistance through Ghana’s human resource development, poverty reduction, accelerated rural development, promotion of industrial development, debt cancellation and new grant aid facility, among others.
He took the opportunity to appeal to the Japanese government to critically consider lifting the ban of Yen loans to Ghana as soon as possible and also expedite action in giving approval for the utilisation of the aggregated balance of around US$12.4 million in the Counter Value Fund for qualified development projects in Ghana.
At the meeting was the Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Nana Juaben-Serebour Boateng; the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Masamichi Ishikawa; the Resident Representative of JICA in Ghana, Mr Hiroshi Murakami; and other officials from both JICA and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
THE Senior Vice-President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr Kenzo Oshima, has paid a three-day working visit to Ghana.
The visit was to enable him to discuss the upcoming Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) IV with the government of Ghana and also use the opportunity to inspect some completed and ongoing JICA-assisted projects in the country.
The conference (TICAD IV), which is scheduled for May 2008, is on the theme, “Towards A Vibrant Africa: Continent of Hope and Opportunity”.
A statement made available to journalists from JICA office in Ghana indicated that President J.A. Kufuor, who is chairman of the African Union (AU), had been invited to attend.
As part of the three-day visit, Mr Oshima, together with some officials from the Japanese Embassy in Ghana, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, at the ministry. The group later had bilateral talks behind closed doors.
During the courtesy call, Mr Oshima said one other reason why he visited Ghana was to get the opportunity to meet the former United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, and discuss with him issues concerning activities of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) which Mr Annan is the chairman.
The Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa, which was established in 2007 with an initial US$150 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, seeks to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families across Africa to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and hunger through sustainable increases in farm productivity and incomes.
Mr Oshima stressed that JICA would continue to support Ghana’s economic growth and its quest towards attainment of self-reliance and sustainable economic development.
He pointed out that the agency had the desire to also assist Ghana to achieve its development agenda of poverty reduction, attaining a middle-income status and meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
For his part, Mr Baah-Wiredu said Japan remained one of the most important bilateral development partners of Ghana even after its suspension of Yen loans to Ghana and pointed out that most of Japan’s technical assistance programmes and projects to Ghana was routed through JICA.
Giving a historical background to Ghana’s relationship with Japan, the Finance Minister said it was that mutual understanding and friendship that led to the establishment by Japan of the first medical research institute for Ghana — the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) — in 1979.
He stressed that “ever since, the amount of Japanese assistance to Ghana in the form of grant aid and technical assistance has tremendously increased both in value and scope”.
He said that Japanese grant aid to Ghana for the construction of roads and bridges, rural electrification and other economic and social infrastructure also topped US$14 million in March, 2006.
Mr Baah-Wiredu touched on Japan’s immense contribution to Ghana’s development through Japanese Overseas Co-operation Volunteers (JOCV) dispatched to Ghana as teachers and also Japan’s assistance through Ghana’s human resource development, poverty reduction, accelerated rural development, promotion of industrial development, debt cancellation and new grant aid facility, among others.
He took the opportunity to appeal to the Japanese government to critically consider lifting the ban of Yen loans to Ghana as soon as possible and also expedite action in giving approval for the utilisation of the aggregated balance of around US$12.4 million in the Counter Value Fund for qualified development projects in Ghana.
At the meeting was the Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Nana Juaben-Serebour Boateng; the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Masamichi Ishikawa; the Resident Representative of JICA in Ghana, Mr Hiroshi Murakami; and other officials from both JICA and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
New Pay For Teachers-GH¢66m Arrears to be Settled (Front Page)
Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah (January 12, 2008)
THE Ministry of Finance has approved a new salary structure for teachers, with retrospective effect from January 1, 2007.
Following the approval, a total of GH¢66 million will be paid in arrears to about 322,000 teachers nation-wide.
The decision follows the agreement reached between the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the government during the 2007 salary negotiations which touched on distortions and wrong job placement and the need to design a new salary structure for teachers of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
A letter on the issue, dated January 4, 2008 and signed by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour, to the Controller and Accountant General directed that the arrears from January to December 2007, should be paid at the end of this month.
The arrears are the remaining 10 per cent out of a 100 per cent arrears which resulted from some corrections made on teachers’ pay structure, payment of which was started by the government in 2007.
Information gathered at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning indicated that the decision for the new salary structure for teachers was the outcome of a final cleaning-up exercise embarked on to correct distortions and wrong job placements found on the salary structure of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) which negatively affected teachers.
The Ministry’s letter, headed, “Implementation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Government”, stated that staff of the GES who left the service from January 1 to December 31, 2007, should also benefit from the new directive.
“Please note that the computation of gratuity, pension and social security of all teachers who left the GES during the period January 1 to December 31, 2007 should be based on the attached salary structure referred to in Paragraph 1 above,” it stated.
The said new salary structure, headed, “Appendix A — Salary Structure for Teachers of the Ghana Education Service, Effective: January 1, 2007”, indicated salaries per annum due each category of teachers from Level One to 22 and also from Step One to 15.
The letter was copied to a number of stakeholders, including the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, the Director-General of the GES and the General Secretary of GNAT.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra on Tuesday, the Director of Policy Analysis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwabena Oku-Afari, said the decision to implement the new salary structure came out of an MoU signed between the government and the GES, on one hand, and GNAT, on the other, in 2007.
He said that was after a series of negotiations between the two groups to find solutions to the distortions in the salaries of teachers and also their job placement, as compared to other government employees with similar qualifications.
He stated that attempts to correct those anomalies resulted in further problems because of the lack of adequate data and correct information on salaries, adding that salary admininstration in the country had always remained a big problem because of the lack of the correct database.
Mr Oku-Afari, however, stated that some achievements had been made in that area and expressed the hope that things would get better.
He expressed the hope that the newly-established Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FW&SC) would come up with lasting solutions to the issue of salary distortions in the public sector.
THE Ministry of Finance has approved a new salary structure for teachers, with retrospective effect from January 1, 2007.
Following the approval, a total of GH¢66 million will be paid in arrears to about 322,000 teachers nation-wide.
The decision follows the agreement reached between the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the government during the 2007 salary negotiations which touched on distortions and wrong job placement and the need to design a new salary structure for teachers of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
A letter on the issue, dated January 4, 2008 and signed by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour, to the Controller and Accountant General directed that the arrears from January to December 2007, should be paid at the end of this month.
The arrears are the remaining 10 per cent out of a 100 per cent arrears which resulted from some corrections made on teachers’ pay structure, payment of which was started by the government in 2007.
Information gathered at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning indicated that the decision for the new salary structure for teachers was the outcome of a final cleaning-up exercise embarked on to correct distortions and wrong job placements found on the salary structure of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) which negatively affected teachers.
The Ministry’s letter, headed, “Implementation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Government”, stated that staff of the GES who left the service from January 1 to December 31, 2007, should also benefit from the new directive.
“Please note that the computation of gratuity, pension and social security of all teachers who left the GES during the period January 1 to December 31, 2007 should be based on the attached salary structure referred to in Paragraph 1 above,” it stated.
The said new salary structure, headed, “Appendix A — Salary Structure for Teachers of the Ghana Education Service, Effective: January 1, 2007”, indicated salaries per annum due each category of teachers from Level One to 22 and also from Step One to 15.
The letter was copied to a number of stakeholders, including the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, the Director-General of the GES and the General Secretary of GNAT.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra on Tuesday, the Director of Policy Analysis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwabena Oku-Afari, said the decision to implement the new salary structure came out of an MoU signed between the government and the GES, on one hand, and GNAT, on the other, in 2007.
He said that was after a series of negotiations between the two groups to find solutions to the distortions in the salaries of teachers and also their job placement, as compared to other government employees with similar qualifications.
He stated that attempts to correct those anomalies resulted in further problems because of the lack of adequate data and correct information on salaries, adding that salary admininstration in the country had always remained a big problem because of the lack of the correct database.
Mr Oku-Afari, however, stated that some achievements had been made in that area and expressed the hope that things would get better.
He expressed the hope that the newly-established Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FW&SC) would come up with lasting solutions to the issue of salary distortions in the public sector.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
