Front Page: April 8, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE preparation of an audit report by PriceWaterhouse Coopers on the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has been described by the Auditor-General as a violation of the supreme law of Ghana.
Commenting on the report, which was the subject for discussion at a press conference organised by the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) in Accra last week, Mr Edward Dua-Agyemang noted that any audit of public accounts which was not authorised by the Auditor-General was a violation of the Constitution, the Financial Administration Act and the Audit Service Act.
He explained that no independent auditor had the mandate to audit public accounts and report on it directly to Parliament.
Article 187 (2) of the Constitution provides that the public accounts of Ghana and all public offices, including the courts, the central and local government administrations, among others, established by acts of Parliament shall be audited and reported on by the Auditor-General, while the Financial Administration Act, Act 654, provides that money received by or on behalf of the government for a special purpose and paid into the Consolidated Fund may be paid out of that fund subject to the provisions of an act of Parliament.
Section 11 (1) of the Audit Service Act, Act 584, also provides that the public accounts of Ghana and of all public offices ... established by acts of Parliament shall be audited by the Auditor-General.
“PriceWaterhouse Coopers is aware of these provisions governing the audit of public accounts. It is made aware of them in any appointment letters issued by the Auditor-General to them for the audit of public accounts on behalf of the Auditor-General. If it pretends not to be aware, then that is a good reason it is incapable of conducting the GSFP audit,” Mr Dua-Agyemang stated.
“In respect of the GSFP, the appointment of the independent auditors, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, was not made known to the Auditor-General. The only time the Auditor-General became aware of the audit report of the GSFP issued by PriceWaterhouse Coopers was through the press conference by the CJA,” he noted.
Citing the audit report prepared by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, the CJA accused authorities of the GSFP of serious breaches in procurement procedures, imprests that had not been accounted for and monies supposed to have been transferred to some districts, inappropriate award of contracts and forged signatures.
The CJA said the audit was authorised by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment and the report presented to the sector Minister, Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, in November 2007.
But Mr Dua-Agyemang said up till now he did not know who appointed PriceWaterhouse Coopers to audit the GSFP as the independent auditor and that the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment had not made a copy of the appointment letter available to him.
He recalled that a Deputy Minister at the ministry, Mr Kofi Poku Adusei, in a letter dated April 19, 2007, had written to inform him that the Royal Netherlands Government required an independent audit of the GSFP.
He said the letter notified him that four audit firms — PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, KPMG and James Quagraine & Co — had been shortlisted and, therefore, sought his approval or otherwise to enable the ministry to submit the technical and financial proposals for consideration.
Mr Dua-Agyemang said he, in a letter dated April 30, 2007, had informed the minister that he had already started making preparations to audit the GSFP.
He said it was explained to the minister that the shortlisted firms did not have the staff numbers and office network to enable them to audit the GSFP thoroughly and in its entirety.
“The Auditor-General stated further that it was only the Audit Service which has the network and staff numbers to undertake an audit of this magnitude involving 975 schools in every district of the country,” he explained.
Mr Dua-Agyemang said he was, therefore, unable to recommend any of the independent audit firms in the country to undertake the GSFP audit due to their staff constraints, limited operational network, the widespread nature of the allegations which had been made in respect of the programme, the remote and pervasive location of the primary schools, among others.
According to him, he had indicated that in view of the financial support from The Netherlands government, he was ever ready to discuss with the ministry in order to reach a consensus which might be acceptable to The Netherlands government.
“The Auditor-General did not receive any further correspondence from the ministry or any other source on the matter,” he lamented.
Mr Dua-Agyemang said it had also come to his knowledge that the audit report upon which the CJA issued its press statement was dated November 2007, which had been established to be a draft report.
He said he had just received the final report of the audit dated March 2008 and was studying the findings and recommendations.
Mr Dua-Agyemang said he would direct his district and regional auditors throughout the country to review the report in its entirety and submit their findings and recommendations on it to him to enable him to report on it to Parliament, as mandated by the 1992 Constitution.
He said he was, therefore, unable to comment on the findings and recommendations contained in the PriceWaterhouse Coopers report on the GSFP until the nation-wide review exercise.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
State funding of political parties - Oquaye revives debate
Front Page: April 8, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, has joined the debate on state funding of political parties, saying any such hasty move can lead to a proliferation of political parties.
Associating himself with the section of Ghanaians who have advocated caution in the matter, Prof Oquaye said the country must be careful not to open the Pandora’s box because it would have a snowballing effect which might be difficult to control.
“The impression should not be created that people can form political parties for personal gain, otherwise everybody will leave his or her job to form a political party for personal gain,” he cautioned.
Prof Oquaye was reacting to the proposals presented by four political parties and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for the state to fund political parties. The parties are the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC).
The first note of caution on the proposal was struck by the Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Gyimah Boadi, who argued in favour of spending money on more pressing national needs.
But others like Dr Nii Moi Thompson, an economist, and Mr Kwesi Jonah, a political scientist, threw their weight behind the proposal.
Sharing his views in an interview in Accra yesterday, Prof Oquaye suggested that the state should not rush to sponsor any new political party unless the party had participated in an election.
He said in countries where state sponsorship of political parties existed, the practice emerged when support was given on a pro rata basis based on the parties’ performance in previous elections.
“New political parties are not given assistance until they have satisfied certain conditions or participated in an election and demonstrated that they did not form the parties for the sake of them,” he stated.
He said if a party had a percentage in a previous election and lost that percentage in another election, it got the assistance based on the last election.
Prof Oquaye, who contested and lost the NPP presidential ticket, said although state sponsorship of political parties would consolidate democracy, it should be done in such a way to avoid the proliferation of political parties, saying that
no country progressed with the proliferation of political parties.
“We should not encourage people to form political parties just for assistance. It is dangerous; it brings about political instability and also blurs the choices the people make,” he stated.
According to him, “if that happens, we are confusing an already unenlightened electorate. It will not help our cause for everybody to form a political party just because there is money to be accessed”.
Prof Oquaye, who also served as the Minister of Energy and later Communications in the Kufuor government, explained that the essence of political parties was to allow people to make choices, explaining that too many of them made it difficult for people to make their choices.
Prof Oquaye, a former Head of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, said where political parties were supported, it was not to defeat the main objects of politics, that is, to ensure responsible accountability of the government and stability.
According to him, where support was based on performance at an election, every political party would be required to justify its inclusion.
He explained that even for political debate, too many political parties would not help the candidates to have meaningful debate and raise the issues for the electorate to make informed choices.
Prof Oquaye said the political landscape must offer the opportunity for serious players and that it should not lead to the cheapening of politics.
He stated that state sponsorship must, however, be subject to availability of funds because there were other areas where support was required.
Those areas, he said, included support for the Electoral Commission to replace lost ID cards, the reopening of the voters register for those who had attained 18 and above to register, the display of the voters register and the movement of electoral materials on voting day.
“As it is now, these processes are not done at all polling stations as a result of the lack of money, compelling people to walk long distances to register,” he added.
Prof Oquaye said although he supported the funding of political parties in principle, it must be done well.
He said the state must guard against the situation where political party financing by certain groups or foreign interest groups led to the control of political parties and even governments later.
He said political party financing could be done either in cash or in kind and added that in the past, political parties were supported through the provision of vehicles and media coverage in the state-owned media.
“The provision in the Constitution that all state-owned media provide fair coverage for all political parties is another way of support for political parties,” he stated.
Prof Oquaye said the way to assist in the future, without the state necessarily putting in money, was for it to increase the support in kind.
“Luckily, the state has newspapers, radio and television stations and they can be asked to assist political parties through advertisement and offering them the platform to sell themselves through news coverage. This opportunity is also a way to promote public education and develop politics through issues,” he stated.
He said even with that the issue must be looked at critically to determine who got what, since an across-the-board assistance would be defeatist because it was not good for people to form political parties and ask the state to give them support in cash or in kind.
On whether he would retain his seat or not, Prof Oquaye said he won the seat by 65.2 per cent and looked forward to repeating the dose or doing even better.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, has joined the debate on state funding of political parties, saying any such hasty move can lead to a proliferation of political parties.
Associating himself with the section of Ghanaians who have advocated caution in the matter, Prof Oquaye said the country must be careful not to open the Pandora’s box because it would have a snowballing effect which might be difficult to control.
“The impression should not be created that people can form political parties for personal gain, otherwise everybody will leave his or her job to form a political party for personal gain,” he cautioned.
Prof Oquaye was reacting to the proposals presented by four political parties and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for the state to fund political parties. The parties are the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC).
The first note of caution on the proposal was struck by the Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Gyimah Boadi, who argued in favour of spending money on more pressing national needs.
But others like Dr Nii Moi Thompson, an economist, and Mr Kwesi Jonah, a political scientist, threw their weight behind the proposal.
Sharing his views in an interview in Accra yesterday, Prof Oquaye suggested that the state should not rush to sponsor any new political party unless the party had participated in an election.
He said in countries where state sponsorship of political parties existed, the practice emerged when support was given on a pro rata basis based on the parties’ performance in previous elections.
“New political parties are not given assistance until they have satisfied certain conditions or participated in an election and demonstrated that they did not form the parties for the sake of them,” he stated.
He said if a party had a percentage in a previous election and lost that percentage in another election, it got the assistance based on the last election.
Prof Oquaye, who contested and lost the NPP presidential ticket, said although state sponsorship of political parties would consolidate democracy, it should be done in such a way to avoid the proliferation of political parties, saying that
no country progressed with the proliferation of political parties.
“We should not encourage people to form political parties just for assistance. It is dangerous; it brings about political instability and also blurs the choices the people make,” he stated.
According to him, “if that happens, we are confusing an already unenlightened electorate. It will not help our cause for everybody to form a political party just because there is money to be accessed”.
Prof Oquaye, who also served as the Minister of Energy and later Communications in the Kufuor government, explained that the essence of political parties was to allow people to make choices, explaining that too many of them made it difficult for people to make their choices.
Prof Oquaye, a former Head of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, said where political parties were supported, it was not to defeat the main objects of politics, that is, to ensure responsible accountability of the government and stability.
According to him, where support was based on performance at an election, every political party would be required to justify its inclusion.
He explained that even for political debate, too many political parties would not help the candidates to have meaningful debate and raise the issues for the electorate to make informed choices.
Prof Oquaye said the political landscape must offer the opportunity for serious players and that it should not lead to the cheapening of politics.
He stated that state sponsorship must, however, be subject to availability of funds because there were other areas where support was required.
Those areas, he said, included support for the Electoral Commission to replace lost ID cards, the reopening of the voters register for those who had attained 18 and above to register, the display of the voters register and the movement of electoral materials on voting day.
“As it is now, these processes are not done at all polling stations as a result of the lack of money, compelling people to walk long distances to register,” he added.
Prof Oquaye said although he supported the funding of political parties in principle, it must be done well.
He said the state must guard against the situation where political party financing by certain groups or foreign interest groups led to the control of political parties and even governments later.
He said political party financing could be done either in cash or in kind and added that in the past, political parties were supported through the provision of vehicles and media coverage in the state-owned media.
“The provision in the Constitution that all state-owned media provide fair coverage for all political parties is another way of support for political parties,” he stated.
Prof Oquaye said the way to assist in the future, without the state necessarily putting in money, was for it to increase the support in kind.
“Luckily, the state has newspapers, radio and television stations and they can be asked to assist political parties through advertisement and offering them the platform to sell themselves through news coverage. This opportunity is also a way to promote public education and develop politics through issues,” he stated.
He said even with that the issue must be looked at critically to determine who got what, since an across-the-board assistance would be defeatist because it was not good for people to form political parties and ask the state to give them support in cash or in kind.
On whether he would retain his seat or not, Prof Oquaye said he won the seat by 65.2 per cent and looked forward to repeating the dose or doing even better.
Man, 48 arrested for fraud
Page 32: April 5, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Executive Director of Golden Sunrise, a consultancy firm in Accra, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding some women in the Gomoa West Constituency of GH¢29,529.
Joseph Abiggy Norman, 48, alias Dr Abiggy Norman, allegedly collected the money from the women in June last year, on the pretext of facilitating loans from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Fund for Women.
His action is said to have cost some women organisers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Gomoa West and Assin South constituencies their positions.
Until his arrest, Abiggy Norman was facing similar charges at the Madina District Court for allegedly defrauding other persons in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency on same grounds and issuing them with dud cheques.
The Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ken Yeboah, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that Abiggy Norman introduced himself to the suspended women organiser of the NPP in the Gomoa West Constituency, Madam Evelyn Sarkwah, as a consultant for Philia Love Women Association and mentioned his consultancy firm as Golden Sunrise located in Accra.
He said the suspect told Madam Sarkwah that he had been contracted to facilitate the granting of loans to women groups in the country.
ACP Yeboah said the suspect told the woman to organise the women in the constituency to enable him to hold seminars for them.
He explained that being concerned with the welfare of the women, Madam Sarkwah organised the women for the seminar to enable Abiggy Norman to brief them.
He said at the seminar, Abiggy Norman asked the women to group themselves into groups of 15.
According to him, 117 groups were mobilised and each member of the group was asked to fill a form and pay a processing fee of GH¢17.
ACP Yeboah said the women never heard or saw Abiggy Norman again after filling the forms and paying the money to him.
He said the women then vented their spleen on Madam Sarkwah for deceiving them into parting with their money.
He said it was during their search for Abiggy Norman that they heard he was in custody at the Dome Police Station.
ACP Yeboah said when the suspect was interrogated at the CID Headquarters, he allegedly admitted collecting the money from them.
He said Abiggy Norman, however, explained that because the funds from the IFAD and the Global Fund for Women were delaying, he decided to loan out the money he collected from the women in the Gomoa West Constituency to other women with the view to recouping it with interest and using that to give the requisite loans to the women.
ACP Yeboah appealed to any member of the public who might have fallen victim to the activities of Abiggy Norman to report to the CID Headquarters to assist in investigations.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Executive Director of Golden Sunrise, a consultancy firm in Accra, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding some women in the Gomoa West Constituency of GH¢29,529.
Joseph Abiggy Norman, 48, alias Dr Abiggy Norman, allegedly collected the money from the women in June last year, on the pretext of facilitating loans from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Fund for Women.
His action is said to have cost some women organisers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Gomoa West and Assin South constituencies their positions.
Until his arrest, Abiggy Norman was facing similar charges at the Madina District Court for allegedly defrauding other persons in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency on same grounds and issuing them with dud cheques.
The Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ken Yeboah, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that Abiggy Norman introduced himself to the suspended women organiser of the NPP in the Gomoa West Constituency, Madam Evelyn Sarkwah, as a consultant for Philia Love Women Association and mentioned his consultancy firm as Golden Sunrise located in Accra.
He said the suspect told Madam Sarkwah that he had been contracted to facilitate the granting of loans to women groups in the country.
ACP Yeboah said the suspect told the woman to organise the women in the constituency to enable him to hold seminars for them.
He explained that being concerned with the welfare of the women, Madam Sarkwah organised the women for the seminar to enable Abiggy Norman to brief them.
He said at the seminar, Abiggy Norman asked the women to group themselves into groups of 15.
According to him, 117 groups were mobilised and each member of the group was asked to fill a form and pay a processing fee of GH¢17.
ACP Yeboah said the women never heard or saw Abiggy Norman again after filling the forms and paying the money to him.
He said the women then vented their spleen on Madam Sarkwah for deceiving them into parting with their money.
He said it was during their search for Abiggy Norman that they heard he was in custody at the Dome Police Station.
ACP Yeboah said when the suspect was interrogated at the CID Headquarters, he allegedly admitted collecting the money from them.
He said Abiggy Norman, however, explained that because the funds from the IFAD and the Global Fund for Women were delaying, he decided to loan out the money he collected from the women in the Gomoa West Constituency to other women with the view to recouping it with interest and using that to give the requisite loans to the women.
ACP Yeboah appealed to any member of the public who might have fallen victim to the activities of Abiggy Norman to report to the CID Headquarters to assist in investigations.
Ankrah files nomination
Page 15: April 2, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
AN electrical engineer, Mr Seth Ankrah, last Friday filed his nomination to seek election to contest the parliamentary seat of the Trobu-Amasaman Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He said his decision to contest to represent the interest of the people was borne out from the fact that the area was so deprived that it needed someone who understood the peculiarities of the area and the ability to articulate them.
Moreover, he said, with his experience in the private sector, he was in the position to make the right contacts to bring about positive changes in the area.
Mr Ankrah was speaking to the Daily Graphic after filing his nomination forms.
He said the constituency, which was less than 25 kilometres to the nation’s capital, was so deprived in terms of facilities and worsened by land degradation.
He said the problem of land degradation had resulted in most of the constituents living in abject poverty, since most of them were peasant farmers, and that their conditions were compounded with the problem of Buruli ulcer.
Mr Ankrah, who have had a working experience with R. T. Briscoe, GIHOC Pharmaceutical Division and Mobil Oil Ghana, where he worked for 23 years before going on voluntary retirement in 2003, said he had what it took to articulate the problems of the constituents and get the assistance from the government and non-governmental organisations.
He said he intended to find a way out of the prevailing high dropout rate by encouraging parents to see the education of their children as their assets.
According to him, educating the children to the highest level would enable the children to fit better into society and also cater for the parents in their old age.
Mr Ankrah, who has also travelled widely to Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Sierra Leone and Hungary on various courses, said with his experience in a multinational corporation, “I hope to tap on my contacts to help uplift the image of the constituency”.
Story: Albert K. Salia
AN electrical engineer, Mr Seth Ankrah, last Friday filed his nomination to seek election to contest the parliamentary seat of the Trobu-Amasaman Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He said his decision to contest to represent the interest of the people was borne out from the fact that the area was so deprived that it needed someone who understood the peculiarities of the area and the ability to articulate them.
Moreover, he said, with his experience in the private sector, he was in the position to make the right contacts to bring about positive changes in the area.
Mr Ankrah was speaking to the Daily Graphic after filing his nomination forms.
He said the constituency, which was less than 25 kilometres to the nation’s capital, was so deprived in terms of facilities and worsened by land degradation.
He said the problem of land degradation had resulted in most of the constituents living in abject poverty, since most of them were peasant farmers, and that their conditions were compounded with the problem of Buruli ulcer.
Mr Ankrah, who have had a working experience with R. T. Briscoe, GIHOC Pharmaceutical Division and Mobil Oil Ghana, where he worked for 23 years before going on voluntary retirement in 2003, said he had what it took to articulate the problems of the constituents and get the assistance from the government and non-governmental organisations.
He said he intended to find a way out of the prevailing high dropout rate by encouraging parents to see the education of their children as their assets.
According to him, educating the children to the highest level would enable the children to fit better into society and also cater for the parents in their old age.
Mr Ankrah, who has also travelled widely to Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Sierra Leone and Hungary on various courses, said with his experience in a multinational corporation, “I hope to tap on my contacts to help uplift the image of the constituency”.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
He was a shining legacy of prayer
Page 19: March 31, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE death of Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery on March 6, 2008, two months to his 90th birthday, has drawn the curtain on the distinguished life of an eminent son of the church and nation.
Pope Benedict XVI described him as “a shining legacy of prayer, humble obedience to the will of God and love of neighbour”.
The body of the man, described as a pilgrimage along the way of duty and devotion to God, would be laid to rest in Tamale, on Tuesday, April 1, 2008, where a state burial would be held in his honour.
Prior to that a vigil mass would be held at the Jubilee Park on March 31, 2008, at 5 p.m.
Cardinal Dery was born at Nandom in the Upper West Region on May 10, 1918.
In 1932, he was among the first 12 people to be baptised in the then North-West Gold Coast. He was sent together with a group of students to Navrongo where he proved to be an excellent student in 1934.
After completing the primary programme, he expressed the wish to study for the priesthood. He was accepted into the seminary and on February 11, 1951, he became the first Dagao in the Gold Coast to be ordained priest.
When the Wa Diocese was created in 1959, Cardinal Dery was ordained as its first Bishop. He was transferred and enthroned Archbishop of Tamale in 1975, retiring in 1994.
In the history of the Catholic Church in the Upper West Region, Cardinal Dery held the title of “five times first”, being the first baptised Dagao, the first Dagao priest, the first Dagao Bishop, first Dagao Archbishop and first Dagao Cardinal.
Cardinal Dery’s belief in education as the gateway to economic development led him to open almost all the educational institutions in the Upper West Region and personally sponsored the education of many Ghanaians across the country, some to overseas universities.
St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Wa, the St Anne’s Vocational Institute at Nandom for women, the Nandom’s Boys Secondary School, Nandom Vocational School for Boys and the St Basilide’s Vocational School at Kaleo were among some of the educational institutions that Cardinal Dery established as well as the St Francis of Assisi Girls’ Secondary School at Jirapa, where he was a founding father.
Many of the students are serving the nation and beyond as clergymen, religious, medical doctors, university lecturers, educationists, engineers, journalists, lawyers, businessmen and women.
As a development oriented leader, Cardinal Dery was also concerned about the health, water and sanitation needs of the flock he led. The Nandom Hospital was completed under him in 1965 as well as many clinics and dispensaries.
Cardinal Dery was also christened Moses by some of the faithful who witnessed his gift of spotting water in very dry lands with his “stick”. In the midst of the thirsty people crying for water, he personally went round local communities showing where boreholes and wells could be dug to provide portable water.
After his retirement in 1994, the Cardinal Dery Foundation for Human Development, was established in June 1999, to continue with the work of human promotion and integral development of the human person, which Cardinal Dery stood for.
Cardinal Dery is not only a pillar of the Catholic Church in northern Ghana but an epitome and embodiment of Christianity.
In apparent anticipation of Vatican II, Cardinal Dery began the African indigenisation of the Liturgy by translating it into the languages of the local people in Ghana, composing hymns, introducing the use of local music on native instruments such as the xylophone.
He would be remembered for starting the Partnership Programme between the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province and the Munster Diocese of Germany in 1984. Under the programme, each parish in the Tamale Province has a twin-parish in Germany to encourage exchange of visitors and fosters development.
Thus, his elevation to the position of Cardinal in 2006 at the age of 87, was a perfect example of honouring a hero while he was still alive.
He was also honoured by the state with the Order of the Star of Ghana in 2006.
In the words of the Bishop of Wa, Most Rev Paul Bemile, “from paganism to installation as a Roman Catholic Cardinal, the life of Cardinal Dery can be described as a pilgrimage along the way of duty and devotion to God”.
He described him as a gallant, fearless, faithful and dedicated patriach who had many many people what they are today.????
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev Charles Palmer-Buckle, said Cardinal Dery had time for everybody irrespective of one’s social status.
“I count myself as one of the many sons and daughters of Cardinal Dery who has benefited from his direction,” he added.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE death of Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery on March 6, 2008, two months to his 90th birthday, has drawn the curtain on the distinguished life of an eminent son of the church and nation.
Pope Benedict XVI described him as “a shining legacy of prayer, humble obedience to the will of God and love of neighbour”.
The body of the man, described as a pilgrimage along the way of duty and devotion to God, would be laid to rest in Tamale, on Tuesday, April 1, 2008, where a state burial would be held in his honour.
Prior to that a vigil mass would be held at the Jubilee Park on March 31, 2008, at 5 p.m.
Cardinal Dery was born at Nandom in the Upper West Region on May 10, 1918.
In 1932, he was among the first 12 people to be baptised in the then North-West Gold Coast. He was sent together with a group of students to Navrongo where he proved to be an excellent student in 1934.
After completing the primary programme, he expressed the wish to study for the priesthood. He was accepted into the seminary and on February 11, 1951, he became the first Dagao in the Gold Coast to be ordained priest.
When the Wa Diocese was created in 1959, Cardinal Dery was ordained as its first Bishop. He was transferred and enthroned Archbishop of Tamale in 1975, retiring in 1994.
In the history of the Catholic Church in the Upper West Region, Cardinal Dery held the title of “five times first”, being the first baptised Dagao, the first Dagao priest, the first Dagao Bishop, first Dagao Archbishop and first Dagao Cardinal.
Cardinal Dery’s belief in education as the gateway to economic development led him to open almost all the educational institutions in the Upper West Region and personally sponsored the education of many Ghanaians across the country, some to overseas universities.
St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Wa, the St Anne’s Vocational Institute at Nandom for women, the Nandom’s Boys Secondary School, Nandom Vocational School for Boys and the St Basilide’s Vocational School at Kaleo were among some of the educational institutions that Cardinal Dery established as well as the St Francis of Assisi Girls’ Secondary School at Jirapa, where he was a founding father.
Many of the students are serving the nation and beyond as clergymen, religious, medical doctors, university lecturers, educationists, engineers, journalists, lawyers, businessmen and women.
As a development oriented leader, Cardinal Dery was also concerned about the health, water and sanitation needs of the flock he led. The Nandom Hospital was completed under him in 1965 as well as many clinics and dispensaries.
Cardinal Dery was also christened Moses by some of the faithful who witnessed his gift of spotting water in very dry lands with his “stick”. In the midst of the thirsty people crying for water, he personally went round local communities showing where boreholes and wells could be dug to provide portable water.
After his retirement in 1994, the Cardinal Dery Foundation for Human Development, was established in June 1999, to continue with the work of human promotion and integral development of the human person, which Cardinal Dery stood for.
Cardinal Dery is not only a pillar of the Catholic Church in northern Ghana but an epitome and embodiment of Christianity.
In apparent anticipation of Vatican II, Cardinal Dery began the African indigenisation of the Liturgy by translating it into the languages of the local people in Ghana, composing hymns, introducing the use of local music on native instruments such as the xylophone.
He would be remembered for starting the Partnership Programme between the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province and the Munster Diocese of Germany in 1984. Under the programme, each parish in the Tamale Province has a twin-parish in Germany to encourage exchange of visitors and fosters development.
Thus, his elevation to the position of Cardinal in 2006 at the age of 87, was a perfect example of honouring a hero while he was still alive.
He was also honoured by the state with the Order of the Star of Ghana in 2006.
In the words of the Bishop of Wa, Most Rev Paul Bemile, “from paganism to installation as a Roman Catholic Cardinal, the life of Cardinal Dery can be described as a pilgrimage along the way of duty and devotion to God”.
He described him as a gallant, fearless, faithful and dedicated patriach who had many many people what they are today.????
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev Charles Palmer-Buckle, said Cardinal Dery had time for everybody irrespective of one’s social status.
“I count myself as one of the many sons and daughters of Cardinal Dery who has benefited from his direction,” he added.
The man Peter Cardinal Dery- Cardinal Dery chalked up 5 firsts
Page 19: March 31, 2008.
Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery was born in Zemuopare, a village five miles from Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana, on May 10, 1918 to Porekuu Theodore and Zoore Agnes. He was the fourth of 10 boys. His father Porekuu and his uncle Mwankuri-Naa were steeped in the Dagaaba Traditional Religion. Both were successful fetish priests and young Dery developed so much interest in the religious activities of his father and uncle that he was "initiated" by his uncle as his personal "acolyte". He thus travelled with his uncle to wherever people invited him to install these fetishes, namely; Konkpenebie, Kokyekonno, Sokyere, Doosoglaa, and Nyogebaliere.
His father Porekuu was also a trader in salt and kola. To promote his trade he sometimes sold things on credit. On one of his visits to Jirapa to check on some of his creditors, Porekuu got to hear about the activities of some white-men who had settled there and were preaching a new religion. Porekuu’s curiosity and interest in this new religion led to his being introduced to the leader of the missionaries, Fr. R. McCoy.As things turned out, Porekuu will eventually be the one to bring others from the Nandom area to embrace the new religion in spite of the great opposition from his senior brother, Mwankuri-Naa.
Young Dery switched allegiance and joined his father on his visits to Jirapa to learn more about the new religion. After successfully going through the catechumenate, Dery together with others was accepted for baptism on Christmas Eve, December, 24 1932. Thus young Dery was among the first 12 people to be baptised in the then North -West of the Gold Coast which today is the Upper West Region.
SCHOOLING:
Dery had the chance to work with the Missionaries in Jirapa. While there he was enlisted into the Catechists' School in 1932. He was determined to learn the English language. The Missionaries observed that he had the interest and ability to read and write. In 1934 he was sent to the Junior School in Navrongo. He completed his studies in 1939 and by that time his desire to become a priest had heightened. He entered the Minor Seminary "cum" Training College at Navrongo and after two years of study he was moved to St. Theresa’s Minor / Major Seminary at Amisano, near Cape Coast, to begin his philosophical and theological studies.
In 1946 all the Seminarians from the Apostolic Vicariate of Navrongo were moved from Cape Coast back to the Vicariate to begin the Major Seminary at Wiagha, St. Victor’s Major Seminary. After successfully completing his seminary formation in 1950, Dery was ordained priest on February 11, 1951 at St. Theresa’s Church, Nandom, by Rt. Rev. Gerard Bertrand, (M. Afr.) then Vicar Apostolic of Navrongo. This was a historic event among the Dagaabas, because Fr. Dery was the first Dagao to be ordained priest in the new religion.
MINISTRY
Fr. Dery was first posted to Nandom as a curate and appointed an Assistant General
Manager of Catholic Schools in the Tamale Diocese. He loved his work as a Local Manager of Schools. His visits to the schools exposed him and endeared him to the teachers and the pupils. It is not surprising that many of the boys and girls later opted to become priests and religious brothers and sisters.
In 1957, Fr. Dery was transferred to Kaleo as the first African Parish Priest in the diocese of Tamale. He had barely settled down when a scholarship was granted him by the Knights of Columbus to study the Credit Union Movement and Co-operative Management at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 1958 he was awarded a Diploma in Social Studies.
His next point of call was to the International Catechetical Institute - Lumen Vitae, in Brussels, Belgium. After a year of studies in Catechetics and Pastorals, Fr. Dery returned to Ghana in 1959. The bishop immediately appointed him Vicar General and Cathedral Administrator respectively.
Around this time there was a move to split the diocese of Tamale and the authorities thought it would be better to start the new diocese with an indigenous bishop. The lot fell on Fr. Dery even though he made several attempts to turn down this nomination. On November 3, 1959 the Diocese of Wa was created with Fr. Dery becoming its first Bishop elect.
On May 8, 1960 Msgr. Dery was ordained Bishop by Pope John XXIII, (now Blessed
John XXIII) in Rome. On June 1l, 1960 Bishop Dery was installed the first bishop of the Diocese of Wa. His love for people and the fact that he had such a fantastic memory with regard to names of people and other relevant events turned his name into a household word.
He asked and got the permission from Rome to have the liturgical celebration translated into Dagaare and because he was a musician he composed liturgical songs in Dagaare which were accompanied with the traditional instruments (drums and xylophones). People felt at home and derived so much spiritual fulfilment from the liturgy from then on.
He promoted education and established many schools like St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Wa, St. Francis Girls' Secondary in Jirapa; hospitals, clinics, vocational institutions and so on for the integral development of peoples. Bishop Dery had hardly completed his tenth anniversary as Bishop of Wa when the rumour mill of his transfer was set into motion. As the saying goes "there is no smoke without fire". In 1972 he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Tamale diocese following the resignation of Rt. Rev. Gabriel Champagne, M. Afr., Bishop of Tamale due to ill-health. Because Bishop Dery was now the Administrator of Tamale he had to move between Wa and Tamale respectively to carry out his duties as head shepherd of the two dioceses.
Bishop Dery participated in the Second Vatican Council, 1962 to 1965. On November 18, 1974 he was officially transferred to Tamale. He became the Metropolitan Archbishop when the Diocese of Tamale was elevated to an Archdiocese on May 30th, 1977. Archbishop Dery was the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference from 1982 to 1988. When he turned 75 he tended in his resignation letter in accordance with Canon 401 § 1 but before he could get a reply from the Vatican he suffered a stroke in 1994. He officially resigned on March 26, 1994.
YEARS OF RETIREMENT
From 1994 until his death he lived a very "active ministry" from within his residence He continued to receive visitors and celebrated many marriages and baptisms. His zeal and love for people did not go unnoticed by the authorities that be. To his surprise and the surprise of others he was created a Cardinal Deacon in the Consistory of March 24, 2006. He went to Rome on a wheel chair to receive the red bieratta from the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
.
AWARDS
As Priest, Bishop, Archbishop and Cardinal his Eminence has distinguished himself by his “qualities of discipline, forthrightness, integrity and love for humanity" that have won him the love and respect of Christians and non-Christians alike.
As a result of his unique contribution to the promotion of the integral development of the human person, His Eminence Peter Cardinal Dery has received several awards and
recognitions.
1. State Award of Grand Medal (Civil Division) from the Head of State of the Republic of Ghana, January 13, 1974.
2. Honorary Degree, Doctor of Law (LLD) by St. Francis Xavier University in
Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.
3. Award by the Association of Credit Unions and Cooperatives in Africa
(ACOSCA).
4. In 2007 he was honoured with membership of the Order of the Star of Ghana
(OSG) for his immense contribution to the development of the country.
MAJOR APPOINTMENTS: CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS
l. Appointed Member of the Council of State in 1972
2. Appointed Member of the Ghana Education Service Council for seven years
3. Appointed Member of the Advisory Panel for the Eventual rehabilitation of the
Volta Basin for Agriculture (Ghana); a World Bank Project
4. Appointed Member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity for seven years; by
Pope Paul VI and later by Pope John Paul II.
5. Served as President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference for two terms
6. Bishop in-charge of Lay Formation in the Apostolate with specific reference to
The Formation of the Adult Laity and the Youth in Ghana for twenty-two years. In
this capacity he was instrumental for the development of the structures of the
National Laity Council (NLC), the Ghana National Youth Council (GHANCYC)
and the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW).
7. Bishop Treasurer of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and
Madagascar (SECAM)
8. Co-ordinator of the Pan African Laity Council Board responsible for organising
The African Lay Apostolate in 9 zones of Africa.
"THE GREAT FIVE- TIMES FIRST”
. He was among the First Baptised Dagaabas
. He was the First Dagao Priest
. He was the First Dagao Bishop
. He was the First Dagao Archbishop
. He was the First Dagao Cardinal
HOME CALL:
Last year Peter Cardinal Dery slipped and fell and had a problem with his hip. Even though he was determined to be on his feet again that never happened. He was bedridden for the last seven months. He endured so much pain having to lie in one place. But thanks to the nurses - Sr. Delphina Zoomie, SMI, Madam Seraphine Fiirter, Madam Rose Kasei, Madam Albertina Ninnang, also Dr. Augustine Kabir (his personal physician), Mr.Thaddeus Yelewere (his physiotherapist), Mr. Dominic Gyereh (his Driver), Mr. Mark Attabeh (his personal Secretary for years), Mr.Abraham Sayibu (his Cook), Madam Georgina (Laundry woman), Sr. Euphresia Yinye, SMI, (Caretaker) and the numerous well wishers - he was never lonely. Every person whose life Peter Cardinal Dery touched also duly paid his or her dues to him at the time that he needed them most. May the good Lord bless all these generous and wonderful people.
On March 6th, while Ghana was celebrating her 51st Independence anniversary Peter
Cardinal Dery breathed his last at exactly 6.20 pm assisted by Madam Seraphine Fiirter, Sr.Delphina and Fr. Alphonsus B. Dakora
Peter Cardinal Dery was very fond of the phrase THANK YOU and he is certainly telling each one of you THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SEE ME OFF until we meet AGAIN. GOD IS INDEED GREAT!!!
Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery was born in Zemuopare, a village five miles from Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana, on May 10, 1918 to Porekuu Theodore and Zoore Agnes. He was the fourth of 10 boys. His father Porekuu and his uncle Mwankuri-Naa were steeped in the Dagaaba Traditional Religion. Both were successful fetish priests and young Dery developed so much interest in the religious activities of his father and uncle that he was "initiated" by his uncle as his personal "acolyte". He thus travelled with his uncle to wherever people invited him to install these fetishes, namely; Konkpenebie, Kokyekonno, Sokyere, Doosoglaa, and Nyogebaliere.
His father Porekuu was also a trader in salt and kola. To promote his trade he sometimes sold things on credit. On one of his visits to Jirapa to check on some of his creditors, Porekuu got to hear about the activities of some white-men who had settled there and were preaching a new religion. Porekuu’s curiosity and interest in this new religion led to his being introduced to the leader of the missionaries, Fr. R. McCoy.As things turned out, Porekuu will eventually be the one to bring others from the Nandom area to embrace the new religion in spite of the great opposition from his senior brother, Mwankuri-Naa.
Young Dery switched allegiance and joined his father on his visits to Jirapa to learn more about the new religion. After successfully going through the catechumenate, Dery together with others was accepted for baptism on Christmas Eve, December, 24 1932. Thus young Dery was among the first 12 people to be baptised in the then North -West of the Gold Coast which today is the Upper West Region.
SCHOOLING:
Dery had the chance to work with the Missionaries in Jirapa. While there he was enlisted into the Catechists' School in 1932. He was determined to learn the English language. The Missionaries observed that he had the interest and ability to read and write. In 1934 he was sent to the Junior School in Navrongo. He completed his studies in 1939 and by that time his desire to become a priest had heightened. He entered the Minor Seminary "cum" Training College at Navrongo and after two years of study he was moved to St. Theresa’s Minor / Major Seminary at Amisano, near Cape Coast, to begin his philosophical and theological studies.
In 1946 all the Seminarians from the Apostolic Vicariate of Navrongo were moved from Cape Coast back to the Vicariate to begin the Major Seminary at Wiagha, St. Victor’s Major Seminary. After successfully completing his seminary formation in 1950, Dery was ordained priest on February 11, 1951 at St. Theresa’s Church, Nandom, by Rt. Rev. Gerard Bertrand, (M. Afr.) then Vicar Apostolic of Navrongo. This was a historic event among the Dagaabas, because Fr. Dery was the first Dagao to be ordained priest in the new religion.
MINISTRY
Fr. Dery was first posted to Nandom as a curate and appointed an Assistant General
Manager of Catholic Schools in the Tamale Diocese. He loved his work as a Local Manager of Schools. His visits to the schools exposed him and endeared him to the teachers and the pupils. It is not surprising that many of the boys and girls later opted to become priests and religious brothers and sisters.
In 1957, Fr. Dery was transferred to Kaleo as the first African Parish Priest in the diocese of Tamale. He had barely settled down when a scholarship was granted him by the Knights of Columbus to study the Credit Union Movement and Co-operative Management at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 1958 he was awarded a Diploma in Social Studies.
His next point of call was to the International Catechetical Institute - Lumen Vitae, in Brussels, Belgium. After a year of studies in Catechetics and Pastorals, Fr. Dery returned to Ghana in 1959. The bishop immediately appointed him Vicar General and Cathedral Administrator respectively.
Around this time there was a move to split the diocese of Tamale and the authorities thought it would be better to start the new diocese with an indigenous bishop. The lot fell on Fr. Dery even though he made several attempts to turn down this nomination. On November 3, 1959 the Diocese of Wa was created with Fr. Dery becoming its first Bishop elect.
On May 8, 1960 Msgr. Dery was ordained Bishop by Pope John XXIII, (now Blessed
John XXIII) in Rome. On June 1l, 1960 Bishop Dery was installed the first bishop of the Diocese of Wa. His love for people and the fact that he had such a fantastic memory with regard to names of people and other relevant events turned his name into a household word.
He asked and got the permission from Rome to have the liturgical celebration translated into Dagaare and because he was a musician he composed liturgical songs in Dagaare which were accompanied with the traditional instruments (drums and xylophones). People felt at home and derived so much spiritual fulfilment from the liturgy from then on.
He promoted education and established many schools like St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Wa, St. Francis Girls' Secondary in Jirapa; hospitals, clinics, vocational institutions and so on for the integral development of peoples. Bishop Dery had hardly completed his tenth anniversary as Bishop of Wa when the rumour mill of his transfer was set into motion. As the saying goes "there is no smoke without fire". In 1972 he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Tamale diocese following the resignation of Rt. Rev. Gabriel Champagne, M. Afr., Bishop of Tamale due to ill-health. Because Bishop Dery was now the Administrator of Tamale he had to move between Wa and Tamale respectively to carry out his duties as head shepherd of the two dioceses.
Bishop Dery participated in the Second Vatican Council, 1962 to 1965. On November 18, 1974 he was officially transferred to Tamale. He became the Metropolitan Archbishop when the Diocese of Tamale was elevated to an Archdiocese on May 30th, 1977. Archbishop Dery was the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference from 1982 to 1988. When he turned 75 he tended in his resignation letter in accordance with Canon 401 § 1 but before he could get a reply from the Vatican he suffered a stroke in 1994. He officially resigned on March 26, 1994.
YEARS OF RETIREMENT
From 1994 until his death he lived a very "active ministry" from within his residence He continued to receive visitors and celebrated many marriages and baptisms. His zeal and love for people did not go unnoticed by the authorities that be. To his surprise and the surprise of others he was created a Cardinal Deacon in the Consistory of March 24, 2006. He went to Rome on a wheel chair to receive the red bieratta from the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
.
AWARDS
As Priest, Bishop, Archbishop and Cardinal his Eminence has distinguished himself by his “qualities of discipline, forthrightness, integrity and love for humanity" that have won him the love and respect of Christians and non-Christians alike.
As a result of his unique contribution to the promotion of the integral development of the human person, His Eminence Peter Cardinal Dery has received several awards and
recognitions.
1. State Award of Grand Medal (Civil Division) from the Head of State of the Republic of Ghana, January 13, 1974.
2. Honorary Degree, Doctor of Law (LLD) by St. Francis Xavier University in
Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.
3. Award by the Association of Credit Unions and Cooperatives in Africa
(ACOSCA).
4. In 2007 he was honoured with membership of the Order of the Star of Ghana
(OSG) for his immense contribution to the development of the country.
MAJOR APPOINTMENTS: CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS
l. Appointed Member of the Council of State in 1972
2. Appointed Member of the Ghana Education Service Council for seven years
3. Appointed Member of the Advisory Panel for the Eventual rehabilitation of the
Volta Basin for Agriculture (Ghana); a World Bank Project
4. Appointed Member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity for seven years; by
Pope Paul VI and later by Pope John Paul II.
5. Served as President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference for two terms
6. Bishop in-charge of Lay Formation in the Apostolate with specific reference to
The Formation of the Adult Laity and the Youth in Ghana for twenty-two years. In
this capacity he was instrumental for the development of the structures of the
National Laity Council (NLC), the Ghana National Youth Council (GHANCYC)
and the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW).
7. Bishop Treasurer of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and
Madagascar (SECAM)
8. Co-ordinator of the Pan African Laity Council Board responsible for organising
The African Lay Apostolate in 9 zones of Africa.
"THE GREAT FIVE- TIMES FIRST”
. He was among the First Baptised Dagaabas
. He was the First Dagao Priest
. He was the First Dagao Bishop
. He was the First Dagao Archbishop
. He was the First Dagao Cardinal
HOME CALL:
Last year Peter Cardinal Dery slipped and fell and had a problem with his hip. Even though he was determined to be on his feet again that never happened. He was bedridden for the last seven months. He endured so much pain having to lie in one place. But thanks to the nurses - Sr. Delphina Zoomie, SMI, Madam Seraphine Fiirter, Madam Rose Kasei, Madam Albertina Ninnang, also Dr. Augustine Kabir (his personal physician), Mr.Thaddeus Yelewere (his physiotherapist), Mr. Dominic Gyereh (his Driver), Mr. Mark Attabeh (his personal Secretary for years), Mr.Abraham Sayibu (his Cook), Madam Georgina (Laundry woman), Sr. Euphresia Yinye, SMI, (Caretaker) and the numerous well wishers - he was never lonely. Every person whose life Peter Cardinal Dery touched also duly paid his or her dues to him at the time that he needed them most. May the good Lord bless all these generous and wonderful people.
On March 6th, while Ghana was celebrating her 51st Independence anniversary Peter
Cardinal Dery breathed his last at exactly 6.20 pm assisted by Madam Seraphine Fiirter, Sr.Delphina and Fr. Alphonsus B. Dakora
Peter Cardinal Dery was very fond of the phrase THANK YOU and he is certainly telling each one of you THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SEE ME OFF until we meet AGAIN. GOD IS INDEED GREAT!!!
MiDA is on course
Page 16: March 29, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Chief Executive of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, has denied that the authority is veering off its objectives.
He said criticisms by the presidential candidate of the Convention People’s People (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, that the authority was veering off its objectives were unfair.
Mr Eson-Benjamin was speaking during a courtesy call on the Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ibrahim Awal, in Accra yesterday.
He said the programme to rehabilitate dilapidated schools pending the take-off of the construction of greenfield schools, a term used to refer to the construction of new schools right from the scratch, with all facilities needed for the development of pupils, was approved by the board of directors of MiDA when Dr Nduom was the board chairman.
He showed a procurement notice published on May 8, 2007 for the “fast track” rehabilitation of schools in three intervention zones.
According to him, the procurement notice could not have been published without Dr Nduom’s approval and quoted the CPP flag bearer’s comments at a July 2007 procurement sub-committee meeting in which he was said to have advised that care should be taken in choosing the right architects and contractors for the jobs.
Mr Eson-Benjamin explained that the decision to undertake the fast track rehabilitation of the selected schools, which are 35 in number, was because the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was not ready for the construction of the greenfield schools.
He explained that the construction of the schools was to provide excellent educational facilities for deprived communities.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said MiDA decided to rehabilitate some of the dilapidated schools in some of the beneficiary communities to improve upon the teaching and learning environment before the major work started.
He said MiDA went by the procurement guidelines of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and indicated that if the proposal for the rehabilitation of the schools was contrary to the MCC’s programme objectives, it would not have been approved.
“Is Dr Nduom saying that the MCC is flouting its own guidelines?” he asked.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said MiDA had provided $3.2 million for the Public Procurement Board of Ghana to help put in place a professional procurement curriculum for the training of professional procurement officers in the country’s tertiary institutions.
He said a series of activities under MiDA would start between August and September this year when $365 million would be released for the authority’s programmes, saying that under them, 230 kilometres of tarred roads and two ferries in the Afram Plains area would be provided.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said the design for the construction of the Motorway Extension project, which would be named the George Walker Bush Motorway, was ready and he was hopeful that the contractor for the project would be selected to start work this year.
The legal counsel for MiDA, Ms Dorothy Gyamfi, said accessing the MCA funds was a highly regulated process and it was based on passing the annual assessment on criteria, such as good governance and the time for starting business in the country.
Mr Awal stressed the need for MiDA and the GCGL to collaborate further in not just disseminating information on the activities of MiDA but also educating the public on them.
The five-year, approximately $547 million assistance to Ghana aims at reducing poverty by raising farmer incomes through private sector-led agribusiness development.
The programme will operate in 23 districts in the Northern Region, the central Afram Basin region and the southern horticultural belt where poverty rates are generally above 40 per cent.
Ghana signed the compact on August 1, 2006 but operations really started on February 16, 2007 after recruitment and initial funds were made available.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Chief Executive of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, has denied that the authority is veering off its objectives.
He said criticisms by the presidential candidate of the Convention People’s People (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, that the authority was veering off its objectives were unfair.
Mr Eson-Benjamin was speaking during a courtesy call on the Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ibrahim Awal, in Accra yesterday.
He said the programme to rehabilitate dilapidated schools pending the take-off of the construction of greenfield schools, a term used to refer to the construction of new schools right from the scratch, with all facilities needed for the development of pupils, was approved by the board of directors of MiDA when Dr Nduom was the board chairman.
He showed a procurement notice published on May 8, 2007 for the “fast track” rehabilitation of schools in three intervention zones.
According to him, the procurement notice could not have been published without Dr Nduom’s approval and quoted the CPP flag bearer’s comments at a July 2007 procurement sub-committee meeting in which he was said to have advised that care should be taken in choosing the right architects and contractors for the jobs.
Mr Eson-Benjamin explained that the decision to undertake the fast track rehabilitation of the selected schools, which are 35 in number, was because the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was not ready for the construction of the greenfield schools.
He explained that the construction of the schools was to provide excellent educational facilities for deprived communities.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said MiDA decided to rehabilitate some of the dilapidated schools in some of the beneficiary communities to improve upon the teaching and learning environment before the major work started.
He said MiDA went by the procurement guidelines of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and indicated that if the proposal for the rehabilitation of the schools was contrary to the MCC’s programme objectives, it would not have been approved.
“Is Dr Nduom saying that the MCC is flouting its own guidelines?” he asked.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said MiDA had provided $3.2 million for the Public Procurement Board of Ghana to help put in place a professional procurement curriculum for the training of professional procurement officers in the country’s tertiary institutions.
He said a series of activities under MiDA would start between August and September this year when $365 million would be released for the authority’s programmes, saying that under them, 230 kilometres of tarred roads and two ferries in the Afram Plains area would be provided.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said the design for the construction of the Motorway Extension project, which would be named the George Walker Bush Motorway, was ready and he was hopeful that the contractor for the project would be selected to start work this year.
The legal counsel for MiDA, Ms Dorothy Gyamfi, said accessing the MCA funds was a highly regulated process and it was based on passing the annual assessment on criteria, such as good governance and the time for starting business in the country.
Mr Awal stressed the need for MiDA and the GCGL to collaborate further in not just disseminating information on the activities of MiDA but also educating the public on them.
The five-year, approximately $547 million assistance to Ghana aims at reducing poverty by raising farmer incomes through private sector-led agribusiness development.
The programme will operate in 23 districts in the Northern Region, the central Afram Basin region and the southern horticultural belt where poverty rates are generally above 40 per cent.
Ghana signed the compact on August 1, 2006 but operations really started on February 16, 2007 after recruitment and initial funds were made available.
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