Story: Mary Mensah
THE Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture has successfully completed the first phase of the ascertainment and codification of the Customary Law project on land and family in Ghana.
It is anticipated that the three-phase project, when completed, will considerably minimise the numerous chieftaincy, family and land disputes across the country and thereby create a favourable environment to enhance Ghana’s competitiveness for investment.
Taking his turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday, the sector Minister, Mr Alex Asum-Ahensah, said the first phase of the project covered 20 traditional areas, two from each region.
According to him, the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) sponsored the first phase, which was executed by the National House of Chiefs (NHC) and the Law Reform Commission.
Mr Asum-Ahensah said the World Bank, under Phase II of the Land Administration Project, had made funding available for the second phase of the project to cover 30 additional traditional areas, three from each region.
He said as part of the processes of ensuring stability and security for national development, the Constitution had mandated the NHC to compile customary laws and lines of succession applicable to each stool or skin in the country.
He said the purpose of the project was to curtail unending litigation in chieftaincy affairs, clarify procedures for knowledge of stool/skin claimants, king makers and other stakeholders to ensure peace and cohesion during periods of transition and serve as an authentic documentation for instruction and reference for the codification of customary laws and succession.
He said following the elevation of six stools in the Greater Accra Region to paramountcies, three traditional councils had been established to facilitate the execution of the functions and responsibilities of the paramountcies in the Nungua, Ngleshie Alata and Osu Traditional areas.
Mr Asum-Ahensah said the ministry was working with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to activate the Cultural Trust Fund established in 2004, with the view to harnessing resources for the promotion of the arts and culture for development.
He said the fund was expected to address the poor funding of the sector over the years and indicated that GH¢2 million allocated in the 2012 budget to promote the creative arts industry had been released to the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) .
He said the ministry and its sector agencies were saddled with several challenges, such as inadequate budgetary allocation, delays in the release of funds, inadequacy of funding and logistics required to fund the statutory functions of chiefs, particularly judicial functions, and low rates of sitting allowances paid to members of the judicial committees.
On the outlook for the coming year, Mr Asum-Ahensah said the ministry intended to work closely with cultural practitioners and stakeholders in the creative industry to implement the Creative Industry Sector Medium-Term Development Plan.
Monday, December 10, 2012
More Than 1,000 Flashpoints identified by the Ghana Police Service
Story: Mary Mensah
MORE than 1,000 flashpoints throughout the country, where there are likely to be some disturbances during the December 7 elections, have been identified by the Ghana Police Service.
However, the police have given an assurance that security in those areas will be beefed up to ensure peaceful elections.
Effective patrolling by both police and military personnel will also be carried out in the polling stations in those areas to ensure that voters exercise their franchise in a peaceful environment.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday, said in developing plans for the provision of security during elections, the police always ensured that every polling station in the country would have at least one security man on duty on the day of the elections.
He indicated that within the Greater Accra Region alone, over 300 polling stations had been identified as areas where there was likely to be some disturbances.
Although the Police Administration did not name the constituencies where the flashpoints were located, the trend over the last five elections indicates that the Odododiodoo, Ashaiman and Okaikoi Central constituencies in the Greater Accra Region; Akwatia and Atiwa in the Eastern Region and Bawku Central in the Upper East Region could be some of the flashpoints.
Mr Quaye said the Police Service might either double or triple its presence in the identified potential volatile areas to police the ballot on election day.
Such an arrangement, he said, would depend on the perceived gravity of the volatile situation of the area.
“If the volatile situation turns to be high, patrol teams to those areas will be upgraded, while the Rapid Deployment Force will be put on standby to nip in the bud any disturbances by individuals or group of persons,” he said.
About 20,000 security personnel are expected to be deployed to protect about 26,000 polling stations in the December 7 general election.
The IGP indicated that all the other security agencies in the country would be on standby to provide the needed security for all Ghanaians as they exercised their franchise during the elections.
He hinted that all security activities at the various polling stations would be linked up through a dedicated communications network, saying that would also help provide assistance and protection for every security man who would be deployed.
He said the attention of the whole world would be focused on Ghana once again on December 7 and the security agencies would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the country conducted peaceful elections.
The Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace-building, Mr Emmanuel Bombande, said the flashpoints in the country would be any community that had already had a conflict, whether chieftaincy, land or communal violence.
According to him, because there had been problems in those areas which had led to the destruction of lives and property, the elections could trigger violence there.
He, therefore, called on the security agencies to be firm and vigilant in order that the elections would not renew the conflicts in those areas.
He mentioned Bawku, Dagbon, Hohoe and Chereponi as some of the possible flashpoints.
MORE than 1,000 flashpoints throughout the country, where there are likely to be some disturbances during the December 7 elections, have been identified by the Ghana Police Service.
However, the police have given an assurance that security in those areas will be beefed up to ensure peaceful elections.
Effective patrolling by both police and military personnel will also be carried out in the polling stations in those areas to ensure that voters exercise their franchise in a peaceful environment.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday, said in developing plans for the provision of security during elections, the police always ensured that every polling station in the country would have at least one security man on duty on the day of the elections.
He indicated that within the Greater Accra Region alone, over 300 polling stations had been identified as areas where there was likely to be some disturbances.
Although the Police Administration did not name the constituencies where the flashpoints were located, the trend over the last five elections indicates that the Odododiodoo, Ashaiman and Okaikoi Central constituencies in the Greater Accra Region; Akwatia and Atiwa in the Eastern Region and Bawku Central in the Upper East Region could be some of the flashpoints.
Mr Quaye said the Police Service might either double or triple its presence in the identified potential volatile areas to police the ballot on election day.
Such an arrangement, he said, would depend on the perceived gravity of the volatile situation of the area.
“If the volatile situation turns to be high, patrol teams to those areas will be upgraded, while the Rapid Deployment Force will be put on standby to nip in the bud any disturbances by individuals or group of persons,” he said.
About 20,000 security personnel are expected to be deployed to protect about 26,000 polling stations in the December 7 general election.
The IGP indicated that all the other security agencies in the country would be on standby to provide the needed security for all Ghanaians as they exercised their franchise during the elections.
He hinted that all security activities at the various polling stations would be linked up through a dedicated communications network, saying that would also help provide assistance and protection for every security man who would be deployed.
He said the attention of the whole world would be focused on Ghana once again on December 7 and the security agencies would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the country conducted peaceful elections.
The Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace-building, Mr Emmanuel Bombande, said the flashpoints in the country would be any community that had already had a conflict, whether chieftaincy, land or communal violence.
According to him, because there had been problems in those areas which had led to the destruction of lives and property, the elections could trigger violence there.
He, therefore, called on the security agencies to be firm and vigilant in order that the elections would not renew the conflicts in those areas.
He mentioned Bawku, Dagbon, Hohoe and Chereponi as some of the possible flashpoints.
Use remittances for development-UNCTAD advises least developed countries
Use remittances for development
— UNCTAD advises least developed countries
Story: Mary Mensah
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has advised sub-Saharan African countries, particularly the least developed ones, to use remittances from their citizens abroad as alternative resource to enhance their development.
An UNCTAD 2012 Report on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) released in Accra yesterday said LDCs could find ways of channeling the vast and largely private money flows into improving the productive capacities to help empower their economies.
According to the report, nationals of the world’s poorest countries who worked abroad sent home some $27 billion in 2011 and the governments of those countries should strive to employ that vast resource which largely went in private transfers directly to families to improve the abilities of their economies.
It identified the cost associated with remittances as one of the problems which should engage the attention of LDCs.
It said in 2010 alone, remittances sent to sub-Saharan Africa could have generated an additional $6 billion for recipients if the cost of remitting had matched the global average.
The report, on the theme, “Harnessing remittances and Diaspora knowledge to build productive capabilities”, therefore, urged governments to act and reduce the transfer costs associated with sending remittances home.
It said charges associated with remittances often ran as high as 12 per cent of the amount transferred, which was about a third more than the global average.
The report, which was released simultaneously in Geneva yesterday, said remittances continued to increase, even during the global financial crisis.
Launching the report, Ambassador Kwabena Baah-Duodu, a former Special Advisor to the UNCTAD Secretary General and Chief of Cabinet, said migration from LDCs had taken a South-South dimension in recent decades and 80 per cent of LDC’s migrants moved to other developing countries.
To help ensure productive use of remittances, the report indicated that an appropriate mix of measures would have to be decided by the competent authorities.
It said the number of people having migrated from LDCs rose from 19 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2010, representing 3.3 per cent of their populations, and said educated and highly qualified nationals of the world’s poorest countries who had left to work elsewhere could counter the brain drain effect on their home countries by contributing to knowledge transfer and channeling investment back home.
The report said LDCs with a critical mass of migrants needed to strengthen their policy framework in order to better harness the development impact of remittances and engage Diaspora agents of development and structural transformation.
— UNCTAD advises least developed countries
Story: Mary Mensah
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has advised sub-Saharan African countries, particularly the least developed ones, to use remittances from their citizens abroad as alternative resource to enhance their development.
An UNCTAD 2012 Report on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) released in Accra yesterday said LDCs could find ways of channeling the vast and largely private money flows into improving the productive capacities to help empower their economies.
According to the report, nationals of the world’s poorest countries who worked abroad sent home some $27 billion in 2011 and the governments of those countries should strive to employ that vast resource which largely went in private transfers directly to families to improve the abilities of their economies.
It identified the cost associated with remittances as one of the problems which should engage the attention of LDCs.
It said in 2010 alone, remittances sent to sub-Saharan Africa could have generated an additional $6 billion for recipients if the cost of remitting had matched the global average.
The report, on the theme, “Harnessing remittances and Diaspora knowledge to build productive capabilities”, therefore, urged governments to act and reduce the transfer costs associated with sending remittances home.
It said charges associated with remittances often ran as high as 12 per cent of the amount transferred, which was about a third more than the global average.
The report, which was released simultaneously in Geneva yesterday, said remittances continued to increase, even during the global financial crisis.
Launching the report, Ambassador Kwabena Baah-Duodu, a former Special Advisor to the UNCTAD Secretary General and Chief of Cabinet, said migration from LDCs had taken a South-South dimension in recent decades and 80 per cent of LDC’s migrants moved to other developing countries.
To help ensure productive use of remittances, the report indicated that an appropriate mix of measures would have to be decided by the competent authorities.
It said the number of people having migrated from LDCs rose from 19 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2010, representing 3.3 per cent of their populations, and said educated and highly qualified nationals of the world’s poorest countries who had left to work elsewhere could counter the brain drain effect on their home countries by contributing to knowledge transfer and channeling investment back home.
The report said LDCs with a critical mass of migrants needed to strengthen their policy framework in order to better harness the development impact of remittances and engage Diaspora agents of development and structural transformation.
4 Arrested for Sexually Exploiting Women
Story: Mary Mensah
FOUR persons who are alleged to have exploited a number of women for sexual purposes at a brothel in Ashaiman have been arrested by the police.
The police have mounted an intensive search for two other suspects who are on the run.
According to the Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent of Police Mrs Patience Quaye, the victims, 33 of whom are Nigerians, were lured into the country under the pretext of being given work as shop attendants, hairdressers and ‘chop’ bar attendants.
She said the arrest formed part of an ongoing exercise embarked upon by the police to arrest human traffickers in the country.
Mrs Quaye said anti-human trafficking units or organisations within the sub-region always shared information on emerging trends in human trafficking, as traffickers always devised means of outwitting the security agencies.
She said intelligence gathered by the police indicated that a group of Nigerian women had been trafficked to Ashaiman and forced into prostitution by the traffickers.
She said the young women, aged between 28 and 33 years, some of whom arrived in the country about two weeks ago, were made to sleep with more than 20 men a day at a fee of GH¢3 per man.
According to Mrs Quaye, the money was paid directly to the traffickers, who gave GHc1 to the brothel owner and used the rest to pay for their expenses.
She said it was realised during the operation that there were Ghanaians among the victims who had been moved from the regions under the pretext of learning trades, only to be pushed into prostitution.
She indicated that the Nigerian High Commission in Accra had been notified and was currently preparing to airlift all the Nigerian women back to Nigeria.
FOUR persons who are alleged to have exploited a number of women for sexual purposes at a brothel in Ashaiman have been arrested by the police.
The police have mounted an intensive search for two other suspects who are on the run.
According to the Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent of Police Mrs Patience Quaye, the victims, 33 of whom are Nigerians, were lured into the country under the pretext of being given work as shop attendants, hairdressers and ‘chop’ bar attendants.
She said the arrest formed part of an ongoing exercise embarked upon by the police to arrest human traffickers in the country.
Mrs Quaye said anti-human trafficking units or organisations within the sub-region always shared information on emerging trends in human trafficking, as traffickers always devised means of outwitting the security agencies.
She said intelligence gathered by the police indicated that a group of Nigerian women had been trafficked to Ashaiman and forced into prostitution by the traffickers.
She said the young women, aged between 28 and 33 years, some of whom arrived in the country about two weeks ago, were made to sleep with more than 20 men a day at a fee of GH¢3 per man.
According to Mrs Quaye, the money was paid directly to the traffickers, who gave GHc1 to the brothel owner and used the rest to pay for their expenses.
She said it was realised during the operation that there were Ghanaians among the victims who had been moved from the regions under the pretext of learning trades, only to be pushed into prostitution.
She indicated that the Nigerian High Commission in Accra had been notified and was currently preparing to airlift all the Nigerian women back to Nigeria.
House Approves 92m euros for Water, Sanitation Projects
Story: Mary Mensah
Parliament has approved a 92-million euro loan for the provision of sanitation and water services in small towns and rural areas.
The project, which is expected to start next year, is being funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB), Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
At the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, said the total project cost involved an 80-million euro loan facility and a grant component of 12 million euros.
He said the ultimate aim of the government was to make water accessible and affordable to every Ghanaian and that it was doing everything to improve water delivery in both urban and rural areas.
He said although the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) operated 85 pipe-borne water systems, with a production capacity of 150 million gallons per day, the daily demand for water supply stood at 237 million gallons.
According to the minister, over the years, demand for water in the urban areas had out-stripped supply as a result of factors such as obsolete water infrastructure, uncontrolled human settlement, encroachment on headworks, leading to siltation, and difficulty in expansion and validation of water assets.
Mr Mensah said most of the water facilities in the country were over 40 years old and were designed for populations far less than what they were serving now.
He cited the Kpong Water Works, which was designed in 1965 to serve a population of about 500,000 living in Accra and Tema as an example.
He, however, said there had been rehabilitation works on a number of water supply systems to improve the delivery of safe and affordable water to the urban areas.
Mr Mensah said, for instance, that between 2009 and now, the government had secured a combination of loans and grants totalling $1.4 billion and also contributed GH¢6.4 million from the national purse to ensure that the supply gap was effectively managed within a planning horizon of 2025.
He said rehabilitation works were currently ongoing at the Kpong water project at a cost of $273 million, under the sponsorship of the Government of Ghana and the Chinese Exim Bank to increase water supply to Accra/Tema Metropolitan Area by 40 million gallons per day.
He said on completion, the Kpong Water Works would also supply water through Dodowa to the terminal reservoir at Okponglo in Accra to improve water supply to Adenta, Madina, Kwabenya, Ashongman, North, East and West Legon, Ashaley Botwe, Haatso, Boi, Asofaa, Dome and its environs.
According to him, 40 per cent of the works had been completed, with the entire project due for completion by 2014.
Mr Mensah said Parliament had also approved $10.3 million for the establishment of GIS offices in all the 10 regions of Ghana, saying the project would provide a geographical framework for managing the operations and customer care activities of the GWCL to enhance the efficiency of urban water delivery in the country.
Parliament has approved a 92-million euro loan for the provision of sanitation and water services in small towns and rural areas.
The project, which is expected to start next year, is being funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB), Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
At the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, said the total project cost involved an 80-million euro loan facility and a grant component of 12 million euros.
He said the ultimate aim of the government was to make water accessible and affordable to every Ghanaian and that it was doing everything to improve water delivery in both urban and rural areas.
He said although the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) operated 85 pipe-borne water systems, with a production capacity of 150 million gallons per day, the daily demand for water supply stood at 237 million gallons.
According to the minister, over the years, demand for water in the urban areas had out-stripped supply as a result of factors such as obsolete water infrastructure, uncontrolled human settlement, encroachment on headworks, leading to siltation, and difficulty in expansion and validation of water assets.
Mr Mensah said most of the water facilities in the country were over 40 years old and were designed for populations far less than what they were serving now.
He cited the Kpong Water Works, which was designed in 1965 to serve a population of about 500,000 living in Accra and Tema as an example.
He, however, said there had been rehabilitation works on a number of water supply systems to improve the delivery of safe and affordable water to the urban areas.
Mr Mensah said, for instance, that between 2009 and now, the government had secured a combination of loans and grants totalling $1.4 billion and also contributed GH¢6.4 million from the national purse to ensure that the supply gap was effectively managed within a planning horizon of 2025.
He said rehabilitation works were currently ongoing at the Kpong water project at a cost of $273 million, under the sponsorship of the Government of Ghana and the Chinese Exim Bank to increase water supply to Accra/Tema Metropolitan Area by 40 million gallons per day.
He said on completion, the Kpong Water Works would also supply water through Dodowa to the terminal reservoir at Okponglo in Accra to improve water supply to Adenta, Madina, Kwabenya, Ashongman, North, East and West Legon, Ashaley Botwe, Haatso, Boi, Asofaa, Dome and its environs.
According to him, 40 per cent of the works had been completed, with the entire project due for completion by 2014.
Mr Mensah said Parliament had also approved $10.3 million for the establishment of GIS offices in all the 10 regions of Ghana, saying the project would provide a geographical framework for managing the operations and customer care activities of the GWCL to enhance the efficiency of urban water delivery in the country.
Former IGP calls for Ban on Motorbikes on Election Day
Story: Mary Mensah
A former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr P. K. Acheampong, has called for a total ban on the movement of all motorcycles on election day.
He said the display and behaviour of motorbike riders during political rallies were clear indications that they might misbehave or create problems during the elections.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday, the former IGP indicated that much as he appreciated the fact that motorbike riders had been advised not to go near any polling station on election day, a total ban of motorcycles on the day would ensure peaceful elections.
He said a number of motorbike riders did not also use helmets while they operated on the roads, disregarding road safety regulations.
Mr Acheampong expressed the view that with the level of preparedness of the security agencies to ensure peaceful elections, come Friday, December 7, there would surely be peace before, during and after the elections.
He advised the youth not to allow themselves to be used for any illegal activities that would later land them in trouble, as the long hands of the law would surely catch up with all wrongdoers.
The former IGP said people who perpetrated crimes in countries such as Germany, Argentina, Chile, Uganda, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, among others, were called upon, years after the acts, to answer for their actions, saying that should serve as a guide to people to strive for peace at all times.
He advised all young security personnel who disregarded authority while on the ground and decided to do their own thing to think again because their bosses, the heads of the various security agencies, had their reputation and integrity to protect and would deal drastically with them.
Mr Acheampong asserted that intelligence so far gathered indicated that some political parties had organised some boys in identifiable uniforms with the sole aim of creating havoc in the various strongholds of their opponents and advised that that should be avoided “to ensure that we live in peace at all times”.
He appealed to the National Security Co-ordinator to call those boys to order to ensure that they did not do anything that would mar the peace during the elections.
He also appealed to all Ghanaians from all walks of life to act peacefully on election day and have it at the back of their minds that Ghana was a great nation which had come out of five elections.
“We will show the whole world in general and Africa in particular that we are mature in our democracy and are a beacon of hope for Africa,” Mr Acheampong added.
A former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr P. K. Acheampong, has called for a total ban on the movement of all motorcycles on election day.
He said the display and behaviour of motorbike riders during political rallies were clear indications that they might misbehave or create problems during the elections.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday, the former IGP indicated that much as he appreciated the fact that motorbike riders had been advised not to go near any polling station on election day, a total ban of motorcycles on the day would ensure peaceful elections.
He said a number of motorbike riders did not also use helmets while they operated on the roads, disregarding road safety regulations.
Mr Acheampong expressed the view that with the level of preparedness of the security agencies to ensure peaceful elections, come Friday, December 7, there would surely be peace before, during and after the elections.
He advised the youth not to allow themselves to be used for any illegal activities that would later land them in trouble, as the long hands of the law would surely catch up with all wrongdoers.
The former IGP said people who perpetrated crimes in countries such as Germany, Argentina, Chile, Uganda, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, among others, were called upon, years after the acts, to answer for their actions, saying that should serve as a guide to people to strive for peace at all times.
He advised all young security personnel who disregarded authority while on the ground and decided to do their own thing to think again because their bosses, the heads of the various security agencies, had their reputation and integrity to protect and would deal drastically with them.
Mr Acheampong asserted that intelligence so far gathered indicated that some political parties had organised some boys in identifiable uniforms with the sole aim of creating havoc in the various strongholds of their opponents and advised that that should be avoided “to ensure that we live in peace at all times”.
He appealed to the National Security Co-ordinator to call those boys to order to ensure that they did not do anything that would mar the peace during the elections.
He also appealed to all Ghanaians from all walks of life to act peacefully on election day and have it at the back of their minds that Ghana was a great nation which had come out of five elections.
“We will show the whole world in general and Africa in particular that we are mature in our democracy and are a beacon of hope for Africa,” Mr Acheampong added.
Interior Minister Confidence in Security Agencies
Story: Mary Mensah
The Minister of the Interior, Mr William Kwasi Aboah has expressed his confidence in the ability of the security agencies to ensure peaceful elections.
He said responses he got from the Regional Task Forces, when he recently toured the regions to ascertain at first hand the readiness of the security services for the election was an indication that the security personnel were more than prepared to serve mother Ghana.
The Minister made the observation when the National Elections Security Task Force (NESTF), chaired the Inspector General of policeMr Paul Tawiah Quaye called on him at the Ministry in Accra today to brief him about security preparations for the December 7, 2012 general election.
He noted that, government had released money as part of the election budget presented by the police to cover ration and other logistical needs for the election.
Mr Aboah expressed his appreciation to the IGP, the Heads of the Agencies under the Interior Ministry and the NESTF for the wonderful preparation they have made for the election.
He, therefore, called on leaders of all the political parties in the Country to honour their promises and commitment made to Ghanaians for peaceful elections and to advise their followers who will be voting at various polling stations to eschew tendencies that would plunge the country into chaos.
He said, the Interior Ministry will support all the National Security Agencies to deal with any person or group of people who would take the law into their hands and disturb the smoothness of this year’s election procedures.
Mr. Aboah tasked the security agencies to be extra vigilant and exhibit professional conduct at all times adding that the mantle of peace rested on their shoulders and their expertise would be tested during the electioneering period.
He again asked them to, rise above partisan considerations and avoid being influenced by any political party in order to derail the tenets of their profession.
He concluded that the whole world would be looking up to them for a peaceful election.
On his part, the IGP, said that adequate measures had been put in place by the Security Agencies, led by the police to deliver a successful and a peaceful election.
The IGP enumerated in detail the various measures put in place to include: personnel strength and training, equipment and logistics, accommodation and personnel welfare and other pertinent issues.
He thanked the Minister and his officials for supporting them in their preparation for this year’s election and assured him that they would live up to expectation.
Present at the meeting were the IGP, the Deputy IGP, the Director of Immigration, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer and other Senior Officers of the Agencies under the Ministry.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr William Kwasi Aboah has expressed his confidence in the ability of the security agencies to ensure peaceful elections.
He said responses he got from the Regional Task Forces, when he recently toured the regions to ascertain at first hand the readiness of the security services for the election was an indication that the security personnel were more than prepared to serve mother Ghana.
The Minister made the observation when the National Elections Security Task Force (NESTF), chaired the Inspector General of policeMr Paul Tawiah Quaye called on him at the Ministry in Accra today to brief him about security preparations for the December 7, 2012 general election.
He noted that, government had released money as part of the election budget presented by the police to cover ration and other logistical needs for the election.
Mr Aboah expressed his appreciation to the IGP, the Heads of the Agencies under the Interior Ministry and the NESTF for the wonderful preparation they have made for the election.
He, therefore, called on leaders of all the political parties in the Country to honour their promises and commitment made to Ghanaians for peaceful elections and to advise their followers who will be voting at various polling stations to eschew tendencies that would plunge the country into chaos.
He said, the Interior Ministry will support all the National Security Agencies to deal with any person or group of people who would take the law into their hands and disturb the smoothness of this year’s election procedures.
Mr. Aboah tasked the security agencies to be extra vigilant and exhibit professional conduct at all times adding that the mantle of peace rested on their shoulders and their expertise would be tested during the electioneering period.
He again asked them to, rise above partisan considerations and avoid being influenced by any political party in order to derail the tenets of their profession.
He concluded that the whole world would be looking up to them for a peaceful election.
On his part, the IGP, said that adequate measures had been put in place by the Security Agencies, led by the police to deliver a successful and a peaceful election.
The IGP enumerated in detail the various measures put in place to include: personnel strength and training, equipment and logistics, accommodation and personnel welfare and other pertinent issues.
He thanked the Minister and his officials for supporting them in their preparation for this year’s election and assured him that they would live up to expectation.
Present at the meeting were the IGP, the Deputy IGP, the Director of Immigration, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer and other Senior Officers of the Agencies under the Ministry.
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