Thursday, March 27, 2008

Transparency key to efficient oil management

Page 49: March 27, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, has stated that the management of oil wealth requires transparent, non-politicised and efficient systems with in-built checks and balances.
“This is the way to ensure that resources are properly applied. The Norwegian success story became the toast of the conference because all oil production and funds could be traced even on the continent,” he said.
In a paper submitted to the Daily Graphic on the “challenges of the discovery of oil in Ghana”, Prof. Oquaye, a former Minister of Energy and Communications, therefore, suggested the establishment of a separate oil fund at the Bank of Ghana to make room for easy tracing of all oil money.
He said an oil fund management team, comprising distinguished senior citizens in the world of business, industry, banking and commerce, should be set up to see to the administration of the fund.
“Monthly accounts should be rendered to government and Parliament. Up-to-date computerised system by which oil production and oil monies can be transparently monitored, should be provided,” he said, suggesting that the government should also provide constant and up-to-date information to citizens on actual oil revenue collected, reserves, production, prices, licences and fiscal regimes for private investors.
Prof. Oquaye also recommended the setting up of a national committee to accelerate the capacity of a middle-level technical human power to enable Ghanaians to benefit from the petroleum operations.
He explained that the local content, which referred to the use of Ghanaian goods and services in the petroleum operations, needed to be of high quality consistent with global standards.
Unfortunately, he said, Ghana lacked the middle-level technical human power and unless an emergency plan was put in place to provide the requisite training, “it would take us a very long time to benefit from the crucial ancillary jobs”.
He named crucial training areas to include working on petroleum separation facilities, construction of offshore structures, pipeline manufacturing from steel and related works, welding and joinery, hooking up already built structures, and a whole variety of operational and technical maintenance activities.
Prof. Oquaye also suggested that all sources of conflict in the area should be resolved before it degenerated into any problems.
“In this connection, social corporate responsibility should be exhaustively examined and incorporated into our oil arrangements/contracts,” he said.
He said there should also be strict environment management and control to avoid conflict with authorities and people while health and safety auditing must be put in place with the ultimate control in the hands of Ghanaian experts.
“In order to avoid pollution and damage to health from effusions and emissions, we should put together Ghanaian experts from home and abroad to analyse and recommend on best practices,” he said.
He said as part of the development plan there was the need for the full parameters of de-commissioning to be provided for.
“The best international legal requirement is that the approved de-commissioning plan should be subject to periodic review and funds set aside for the project. The funds would be audited yearly and under the joint escrow account control of the oil company and the appropriate Ghanaian authority such as the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC),” he said, adding that “insurance cover should be taken as further guarantee”.
Prof. Oquaye said oil must improve the life of Ghanaians socially and economically and advised that care be taken to ensure that poverty levels were not widened because of the discovery.
According to him, a social equalisation policy should be designed at once so that “we do not have a nation of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
“Oil money should be used to deepen brilliant policies of our government including universal health insurance, fee-free and compulsory education, school feeding for all, free transport for all pupils, models of schools for education equalisation etc.,” he stated.
Prof. Oquaye said the needs of the poor must be specifically provided for by legal mechanisms adopted in the oil management regime.
He said that had become so imperative that the World Bank placed a conditionality on its financing of the Chad-Cameroun pipeline project in 2000.
This resulted in the establishment of an oil revenue management plan and legal framework. The arrangement provided that the bulk of oil royalties and dividends should be spent on poverty reduction areas, including health, education and infrastructure. It was specifically provided that 10 per cent of oil proceeds should be set aside for future generations.
Touching on ICT, Prof. Oquaye called on the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in IT and other institutions to come together to draw up a comprehensive programme towards applying oil wealth to make Ghana a global ICT destination.
He said that would provide the base for Ghana’s Open University, national distance learning programme, telemedicine and the use of ICT in national development generally, adding that “ICT development is also the surest way for Ghana to protect its oil revenue”.
Prof. Oquaye also reminded Ghanaians that the oil find should not stop the country from tapping alternative sources of energy, especially in the field of renewable energy.
He said the Ministry of Energy had, in 2005, completed a comprehensive mini-hydro programme which identified the construction of 22 mini-hydro dams.
He said the ministry’s plan included a strategy where the water overflows from the dams would be used for irrigation purposes to boost agricultural production.
Prof. Oquaye said while three of the dams would be developed soon with Chinese assistance, the rest could be developed from oil revenue to open up the hinterland and boost total energy outlay, as well as rural development.
He said UNIDO had helped Ghana to identify her wind energy strength, especially in relation to the Lower Volta Basin area adjoining Togo, saying, “We can tap this beneficially with oil revenue.”
On solar energy, he said whereas the initial capital outlay was very heavy, “once the systems are established, they are the most economical to run once the sun shines. When the oil wells are long dried up, the benefits of solar energy will still lubricate the engines of national development for generations to come”.
Prof. Oquaye said the passage of the Economic and Organised Crime Bill on conflict of interest, a new Code of Conduct for Public Officers and the passage of the law on Freedom of Information and Extradition would all support existing legislation to combat corruption.
He said the Executive and the Legislature must congratulate themselves and do more to consolidate the gains made in fighting corruption.
“This is the scientific way to combat corruption, and not be mere rhetoric. In this, the Kufuor government has shown the way.”

Corruption, lack of resources hamper fight against drugs

Page 3: March 27, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE US State Department says corruption and lack of resources are seriously impeding Ghana’s efforts to deal with the drug menace.
It observed that the 2006 narcotics scandal involving allegations of official complicity in narcotics trafficking complicated “Ghana’s efforts to combat the drug trade, but served to focus public attention on the growing problem”.
“Ghana made limited progress in 2007 in addressing its legislative and enforcement deficiencies brought into the public eye by the 2006 narcotics scandals, and a long road lies ahead,” it stated.
These were contained in the 2008 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) issued by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the State Department.
It noted that the government created a special commission after the scandal, which identified several policy recommendations to lessen the chances of similar scandals in the future “but, to date, the government has acted on only a handful of the recommendations”.
The report said “Ghana made limited efforts to combat the increasing drug flow in 2007, and arrests and seizures were down from 2006, although they were higher than 2005”.
It said Ghana’s interest in attracting investment provided a good cover for foreign drug barons to enter the country under the guise of doing legitimate business.
The report, however, noted that in 2007, South American traffickers reduced their need to visit Ghana in person by increasing reliance on local partners, thus insulating themselves from possible arrest by law enforcement officials.
“Law enforcement officials have repeatedly raised concerns that narcotics rings are growing in size, strength, organisation and capacity for violence,” it noted.
It expressed regret that since 1999, the Attorney-General’s office had not acted on proposals by the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to amend the 1990 narcotics law to fund NACOB’s operations, using a portion of seized properties.
The report said the primary problem remained Ghana’s long, relatively unpatrolled coastline.
“Law enforcement officials report that traffickers are increasingly exploiting Ghana’s relatively unguarded and porous maritime border, offloading large shipments at sea onto small fishing vessels which carry the drugs to shore undetected,” it said.
It, therefore, called for the enhancement of sea interdiction and surveillance capabilities of Ghana’s security agencies to deal with the problem of narcotic drugs in the country.
“These initiatives will require significant re-allocation of resources and a sustained political commitment, and it remains to be seen whether Ghanaian officials have the political will to see them through,” it noted.
The report said the narcotics were often repackaged in Ghana for reshipment, hidden in shipping containers or air cargo while large shipments were also often broken up into small amounts to be hidden on individuals travelling by passenger aircraft.
It said officials at UK airports found that the total tonnage of trafficked narcotics seized from passengers on flights originating in Ghana eclipsed those from Nigeria in 2006.
It said it was in partial response to that trend that the British Government launched a programme deploying experienced U.K. customs officers and state of the art ion scan detection equipment at Kotoka International Airport.
“From the programme’s inception in November 2006 to September 2007, it has seized nearly 350 kg of cocaine; 2,200kg of cannabis and one kilogramme of heroin,” it said. According to the report, there was no hard evidence that drugs transiting Ghana contributed to any extent to the supply of drugs to the U.S. market.
It, however, said there were indications that direct shipments to the United States—particularly of heroin—were on the rise, fuelled by an increase in shipments of heroin to Ghana from Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2006.
“In October 2007, two Afghan nationals were arrested by the Ghana Police, expelled by the government, and flown to the U.S. for conspiring to distribute heroin in the U.S,” it said.
The report said in the past, direct flights from Accra played an important role in the transhipment of heroin to the U.S. by West African trafficking organisations but since the Federal Aviation Administration banned Ghana’s only direct flights to the United States for safety reasons in July 2004, it did not seem that the trafficking of drugs between the two countries had reduced.
It said the NACOB reported that in response to increased vigilance against West African drug mules arriving at foreign airports, a new trend appeared to be the use of Caucasians as carriers to arouse less suspicion by customs and immigration officials at European and U.S. airports.
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Runaway witness arrested

Page 3: March 26, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A witness who disappeared after giving evidence before the Kojo Armah Committee which is investigating the circumstances leading to the substitution of cocaine at the Police Exhibits Store at the CID Headquarters has been arrested.
Isaac Tenkorang, who, together with another witness, Osman Anani, testified before the committee that a suspect in custody, Kwame Frempong, gave them some cocaine to sell, failed to show up when he was to be cross-examined by Frempong.
However, personnel of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) arrested Tenkorang on Good Friday at Kwashieman after the police said they were unable to locate him.
Osman Anani is, however, still on the run.
Sources close to the BNI told the Daily Graphic that the bureau had a request from a member of the committee to help apprehend those witnesses, since they were important in the processes of the committee’s work.
“We got the request on Thursday and we arrested Tenkorang at Kwashieman on Friday,” the sources stated.
The committee has been investigating the circumstances leading to the substitution of nine kilogrammes of cocaine with other substances.
The Daily Graphic, in its March 25, 2008 edition, published a story which quoted Mr Kojo Armah, the Chairman of the committee investigating the circumstances leading to the substitution of the cocaine, that corn flour, yellowish in colour, was used to substitute the cocaine at the Police Exhibits Store.

Cocaine turns into flour - At Police Exhibits Store

Front Page: March 25, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
IT has now been established that corn flour, yellowish in colour, was used to substitute the cocaine kept at at the Police Exhibits Store at CID Headquarters in Accra.
It has also been brought to the attention of the Kojo Armah Committee investigating the circumstances leading to the substitution of the cocaine that a box containing 30 kilogrammes of cocaine is also missing from the store.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Kojo Armah who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Evalue Gwira, told the Daily Graphic that the initial test results from the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) indicated that corn flour, yellow in colour, was put in the store in place of the original seized cocaine.
He said the committee was, however, awaiting a final report from GSB on the substituted substances.
The issue of the swapped substance was detected on the very first day of the test and it was communicated to DSP Akagbo the following day by the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) upon receipt of the information from the GSB through Chief Superintendent Alphonse Adu-Amankwah, the then Head of the Organised Crime Unit at the CID Headquarters.
“A complete box, Box Number 46, containing 30 kilogrammes, was found missing during the audit ordered by the Director-General of the CID, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku,” a highly placed source told the Daily Graphic.
At the time of first examination on July 10, 2006 when the 67 boxes of cocaine, each containing 30 kilogrammes, had been brought from Tema on May 22, 2006, with “everything intact and tested positive for cocaine”, the source added.
The missing box was detected at the end of the audit. The lock to the store was changed after it had been detected that the substance had been swapped. It is, however, not clear whether the box was stolen before the audit or in the course of it.
Asked if the committee had recommended the removal of Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah from the Organised Crime Unit, Mr Armah said the committee had taken a position not to discuss its report in public until the Minister of the Interior had issued a statement on it.
He said, however, that he was aware that Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah had been moved to a new unit, the Police Operations and Research Directorate, since March 20, 2008.
As to whether the witnesses who appeared before the committee had been truthful in their evidence, Mr Armah said it was normal for people to cover their tracks during investigations.
He explained that some witnesses had to be recalled as many as four times to clarify their testimonies.
Mr Armah said there were some witnesses who had been frank in their testimonies to the committee, while others had tried to be elusive.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Four chiefs supports Nkonya Ahenkro as capital

Page 17: March 18, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FOUR paramount chiefs in the newly created Biakoye District have expressed their support for the siting of the district capital at Nkonya Ahenkro.
“The impression that the paramount chiefs of the other four traditional areas of the newly created district are against the siting of the capital at Nkonya Ahenkro is palpably and absolutely false,” they said.
They have, therefore, appealed to the chiefs of Worawora to join them in forging a mutual front to develop their area.
The Omanhene of Bowiri, Nana Adom V, said this at a press conference in Accra on behalf of his colleagues to react to the abortive inauguration of the district on February 29, 2008.
He said he and the others were solidly behind the creation of the Biakoye District with “Nkonya-Ahenkro as capital by government”.
He said contrary to the assertion by the Worawora Omanhene, Nana Asare Baah III, that the majority of the people were disappointed at the siting of the capital at Nkonya Ahenkro, “an overwhelming majority of the chiefs and people are rather happy and appreciative of the position taken by the government in this respect”.
Nana Adom said Worawora by law was not part of the Jasikan District from which the Biakoye district was created.
“Nowhere in LI 1464 which created Jasikan District do we have Worawora and Apesokubi as part of the district. These two traditional areas until now have been part of Kadjebi District which was created by LI 1465,” he said.
He said Worawora and Apesekubi have sat in the Jasikan District Assembly by default and it was morally wrong for Worawora to lay claim to the capital of the newly created Biakoye District which was carved out of the Jasikan District.
He explained that Nkonya had since time immemorial and by CI 46 been the constituency capital of Biakoye and its boundaries fell in line with the boundaries of the newly created Biakoye District, a very strong consideration for the siting of the capital.
Nana Adom expressed the people’s disappointment at the conduct of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in respect of the motion for Interlocutory Injunction filed by Nana Asare Baah and others.
He said it was very strange for the Attorney-General to advise the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment to suspend the inauguration of the Biakoye District although the LI 1910 had already been passed into law and the necessary arrangements made for the inauguration because the motion had been filed.
“As if that was not enough, the Attorney-General having been served with the motion failed to turn up in court, thus failing to argue the government’s case, and allowing the plaintiff/applicant a field day in the High Court,” he noted.

House to lose veterans- so far 14 MPs are not seeking re-election

Front Page: March 18, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia & Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
AS the country prepares for the next general election in December, it is now clear that the next Parliament will miss the services of at least 14 experienced parliamentarians who have publicly declared their intention not to seek re-election.
The number could, however, go up in the event of some of the experienced ones either losing out during their respective party primaries or the parliamentary elections in December.
Among the 14 experienced parliamentarians not seeking re-election are three National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs who have been in Parliament since 1993.
They are Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, Upper West Akim, Mr Ken Dzirasah, South Tongu, and Mr Francis Agbotse, Ho West.
From the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side, veteran MPs who will not seek re-election are Mr J.H. Mensah, Sunyani East, Mrs Gladys Asmah, Takoradi, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Akyem Oda, Nana Akufo-Addo, Abuakwa South, Ms Theresa Amerley Tagoe, Ablekuma South, Mr S.K. Boafo, Subin, Mr Kwamena Bartels, Ablekuma North, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Offinso North, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Manhyia, Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Sunyani West, and Mrs Grace Coleman, Effiduase-Asokore.
So far, seven veteran MPs have indicated their intention to continue to be part of the next Parliament and bring their experience to bear on parliamentary proceedings.
They are Mr Alban Bagbin, NDC MP for Nadowli West, Mr E.T. Mensah, NDC MP for Ningo/Prampram, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, NPP MP for New Juaben, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, NDC MP for Avenor-Ave, Mr John Akologu Tia, NDC MP for Talensi, Mr Ishmael Ashietey, NPP MP for Tema East, and Mr G.K.B. Gbediame, NDC MP for Nkwanta South.
Mr Sallas-Mensah, who has been in Parliament for 15 years, told the Daily Graphic, “I think I have served my people to the best of my ability and it is now time to quit and allow others to come in and pay their due.”
He said he took the decision not to contest again soon after the 2004 elections.
“I think enough is enough,” he said, adding, “I think I have done my national service. I want to work in another area. It could be within the executive when the NDC comes to power or any other public office or civil organisation.”
He thanked his constituents for the trust they had reposed in him all these years, even though he was not an indigene but just a resident of the area.
Ms Tagoe, whose announcement that she would not contest the seat took many by surprise, has been in Parliament since 1997.
The 64-year-old MP said her decision was based on pressure being mounted on her by her children to quit in order to have time to rest after more than 12 years of active politics.
Ms Tagoe also told the Daily Graphic, “I feel it is now time for me to give a chance to the up-and-coming politicians in the constituency to contribute their quota towards national development.”.
She said the young ones who had been on the sidelines since the country returned to multi-party democracy should now be encouraged to build on the foundation she had laid over the years.
She, however, admitted that the rate at which experienced MPs were leaving the legislature was not the best for the growth of parliamentary democracy in the country.
Ms Tagoe described Parliament as a classroom where MPs had to learn, “so if people come and go just like that, it will not augur well for the human resource development of the legislature”.
For the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Mr Adjei-Darko, his decision not to contest the Sunyani West seat he had occupied since 1997 was taken in 2004.
“If I decide to contest the seat during the forthcoming election, I will win outright because my deeds will carry me through,” he stated.
But, according to him, he had decided not to contest again because “I consider my tenure in Parliament as a stage. I have played my part and it is important for me to give way for others to come and play their part”.
Mr Adjei-Darko explained that when a person reached his peak, it was better for him to realise it and quit before he began to fall.
The MP stated, however, that he was not quitting parliamentary practice and politics all together, since he would be around to offer assistance to his successor.
He thanked his constituents for giving him the mandate to serve them in Parliament for three terms.
Unlike his colleagues who had given up their seats, the Minority Chief Whip, Mr Tia, who has been an MP since the country returned to constitutional rule in 1993, has decided to contest the seat for the fifth time.
The MP, who started as a back bencher in 1993, has risen through the NDC leadership in the House to become the Minority Chief Whip. He is one of the few MPs in the House who are going to contest for the fifth time.
In fact, Mr Tia is known among his peers as “a regional MP” due to his commitment not only to his constituency but also the whole Upper West Region.
He told the Daily Graphic that he did not have a personal drive to contest the seat and that his fifth attempt was a decision from the rank and file of members of the NDC from his constituency and the national leadership, saying that,
according to them, “I have performed well as an MP and there is still more that they will gain from me if I win the seat for the fifth time.”
He said a survey conducted by the NDC executive of the constituency revealed that the people “still need me as their MP”.
Secondly, Mr Tia said if parliamentary democracy was to be entrenched, there should be a precedence that people could refer to.
He explained that the country’s democratic dispensation could be seen to be maturing if the wish of the majority of the people was carried through and not that of a few minority.
Mr Tia stated that the high rate at which MPs were being changed during every election was a threat to the development of the country’s legislative structures.
“My third motivation is, therefore, to see most of the experienced MPs being retained in the next Parliament to enable them to become sources of inspiration and information on parliamentary practice and procedure to the incoming ones,” he said.
He stated that it had taken Parliament a lot of effort to ensure consensus building between the Minority and the Majority and attributed that to the experience of some MPs from both sides of the House.
One of the MPs on the NPP side of the House whose skills in debating have won admiration is the MP for Asante Akim North, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu.
As the current Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, he has been responsible for the presentation and defence of the government’s economic and financial policies in the House since 2005.
Already he has won the seat for three consecutive times and is now poised to contest the party’s primary to give him the mandate to contest the seat for the fourth time.
Although some members of the party in the constituency are poised to contest the big man, Mr Baah-Wiredu said he was not deterred “because democracy thrives on competition”.
He told the Daily Graphic that he still had an unfinished business, both for the constituency and the party, and that had informed his wish to contest for the fourth time.
He advised people who would be in the next Parliament to strive to have a total grip of the House’s Standing Orders and the provisions of the Constitution to enable them to contribute to debates on the floor of the House from an informed position.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, who is seeking election for the fifth time, is one of many MPs who are unhappy that many of the experienced sitting MPs were not seeking re-election.
He said for parliamentary democracy to be consolidated and entrenched, “we need pillars not only in terms of institutions but the human resource whose expertise must be tapped for the general good of all”.
Mr Bagbin said in a Parliament where there was a high attrition rate, there was barely any institutional growth as the institution kept on re-inventing the wheel.
“It is on that basis that I call on my colleagues contemplating not to seek re-election to reconsider their decisions and let us continue to serve Mother Ghana,” he pleaded.
He said it was an honour to serve one’s people and country, for which reason he would forever be grateful to the people of his constituency and Ghanaians for giving him the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.
The Minority Leader said he entered Parliament in January 1993 with abundant zeal and enthusiasm to make an impact on his constituents in terms of physical and human development.
“By the grace of God I had ample opportunity to serve not just my people in the constituency but the cause of humanity in general. I started as MP in Ghana and now I’ve been MP in the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) since 2001, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association since 2001 by virtue of my position as Minority Leader, a founder member of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), served with the African Parliamentarian Network Against Corruption, among others,” he said.
“With this kind of exposure and opportunity, I find myself amassing a lot of political capital, giving me experience, expertise and the right linkages globally,” he added..
The MP for South Tongu, Mr Kenneth Dzirasah, also one of the longest serving MPs since the return of constitutional democracy in 1993, said his decision not to seek re-election was based on his determination to give way to young people in the constituency to have a feel of leadership.
Although he subscribed to MPs being in Parliament for long, he said such MPs must give way when age was not on their side and also realise the fact that they could not be leaders in perpetuity.
“For this reason, I decided I will step down for others to come in to contribute their quota in Parliament and the country,” he said.
He said he would be available to offer his services to the new Parliament in any position.
For his part, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor said although he would not contest the elections, he would continue to work towards the development of the area and the country as a whole, Michael Donkor reports
He said two people had so far shown interest in contesting his seat on the ticket of the NPP and described the two as intelligent with a strong commitment to the development of the area.
‘I expect a peaceful contest in Manhyia and promise to fully support whoever wins to maintain the seat for the NPP.” Dr Addo-Kufuor declared.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

New prostrate cancer treatment begins in June

Page 31: March 11, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia

PROSTRATE cancer patients in Ghana and the sub-region are to be treated with the latest technology in the field at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital from June this year.
Under a package offered by Bard Urological of Germany, the hospital would be provided with equipment to set up a brachetherapy unit to treat prostrate cancer patients.
Prostrate cancer patients in Ghana and the sub-region are currently treated through a process known in medical circles as radical prostatectomy and the external beam radiotherapy at the hospital.
Those who are treated under these methods suffer from impotence and incontinence.
The probability of patients being treated under the brachetherapy suffering from impotence and incontinence was limited.
Currently, prostrate cancer patients who are able to afford the brachetherapy treatment have to travel to South Africa or the United Kingdom for fees not below £14,000.
The company has also agreed to insure the equipment, provide training for the staff of the centre on the use of the equipment and bring down specialists to treat the first five cases free of charge.
Two of the hospital’s specialists, Dr J. E. Mensah and Dr Joel Yanney, have undergone further training in the treatment procedures under a sponsorship deal by Bard Urological Inc.
It is estimated that in the first four years of its establishment, 100, 130, 150 and 170 patients would be treated.
The chief executive of the hospital, Dr Ben Annan, told the Daily Graphic that the establishment of the centre would help reduce the cost of prostrate cancer patients.
He said it was estimated that the cost of treating a patient in Ghana would be between 6,000 euros and 7,000 euros against £14,000 in the UK, excluding air ticket and hotel bills.
He said the only brachetherapy centre in Africa was in South Africa.
According to Dr Annan, the establishment of a centre in Ghana was, therefore, good news not only for Ghana but West Africa.
Throwing more light on the brachetherapy for prostrate cancer patients, Dr Mensah said it was the latest of the treatment options for prostrate cancer patients.
The other options, he said, were the radical prostatectomy and external beam radiotherapy.
Dr Mensah explained that the side effects of the treatment for prostrate cancer patients were impotence and incontinence, with 95 per cent of patients undergoing the radical prostatectomy and external beam radiotherapy being the worst affected.
He said the brachetherapy had become the preferred treatment options in America and Europe.
Dr Mensah said although there was no accurate cancer registry for men in Ghana, 50 per cent of genito-urinary deaths at Korle Bu were due to cancer of the prostrate.

Salesman wanted for fraud

Page 44: March 10, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE police have mounted a search for the sales representative of OLAM Ghana Limited for the Central and Western regions, Sylvanus Sena Anyigba, for defrauding his employers of GH¢45,000.
It is believed that the amount involved could be more than what has been detected so far.
Sylvanus, 25, who was employed on November 20, 2007, is alleged to have collected money from customers of the company between December 2007 and February 10, 2008 and absconded thereafter.
A source at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters told the Daily Graphic on Wednesday that the suspect managed to convince clients of the company to settle their indebtedness through cash.
It said the normal mode of payment was for clients to issue cheques in the name of the company but Sylvanus, on assumption of duty, informed the clients that the company had changed the mode of payment from cheques to cash.
It said Sylvanus, after collecting the cash, then issued hand-written receipts to the clients.
According to the source, the company called for a meeting with all its sales representatives across the country in Accra on February 16, 2008 to discuss operational matters.
It said Sylvanus, who had earlier jumped bail in another theft case in Tema, failed to attend the meeting and efforts to contact him on his cell phone proved futile.
It said some of the company’s clients later called the head office to ask for stocks, complaining that they had not been able to contact Sylvanus.
The source said when an officer was sent to Takoradi to check on Sylvanus, the officer did not meet him and when t said officer contacted some clients to pay him, as they were indebted to the company, he was informed that they had settled their indebtedness to Sylvanus.
It said the company, therefore, reported the matter to the police to assist in apprehending Sylvanus, whom they believed could be hiding at Akatsi, Aflao, Ashaiman, Tema or Takoradi.
It said anyone with information should contact the Commercial Crime Unit at the CID Headquarters on 0244-206568 or 020-8765838.
The source said it was during initial investigations that it came to light that Sylvanus had also jumped bail in a case in which he was alleged to have stolen a cheque belonging to a member of staff of the Tema Oil Refinery last year.

Security guard wanted by police

Page 19: March 8, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A SECURITY guard of Japan Motors Company Limited, Duodu Antwi, who threatened to eliminate the wife and children of his employer, is being sought for by the police.
Antwi, who is five feet, seven inches tall, dark in complexion and slim, allegedly vacated his post after his undated, hand-written threatening letter got into the hands of the wrong person.
The letter, which was addressed to the chief security officer of the company, was delivered to the director of the company, Mr Salim Kanmonia.
Antwi, who signed the letter “The Secret Ex-soldiers as GH Alkaida”, complained that “Lebanese in the country have no respect for the military, the police and even the laws of the land and were using Ghanaians as slaves without paying them the correct salaries and wages”.
It wondered how a security officer could work for 12 hours and get paid for eight hours.
“Now if they don’t want to pay from their pocket, they will pay with their lives. We don’t want to cross the men themselves but their wives and children. Please give us Mr Salim Kanmonia’s wife’s name, his car number, the number of children he has and their names and where they attend school,” it demanded.
“Chief, this is all that we want from you. It will help you, myself and all Ghanaians,” it concluded.
According to Inspector Joseph Benefo Darkwah of the Public Affairs Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), it was a threat that the police were not taking kindly to at all.
He said considering the recent murders that shook the country, it was important that the public assisted the police to arrest the suspect.
He said Antwi was suspected to be hiding in Sunyani, Abesim, Berekum or Techiman, all in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Inspector Darkwah commended the complainant for coming forward to lodge the complaint and appealed to Ghanaians to be security conscious and report such threats for assistance.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

We are 51 today

Front Page: March 6, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TODAY is independence day.
A week-long celebration of Ghana’s 51 years of independence reaches its climax today with a parade of schoolchildren and the security agencies at the Independence Square.
The activities planned for the day, expected to be brisk and picturesque, will be supported by a mass band comprising the Ghana Armed Forces Central Band, the Ghana Police Central Band, the Ghana Navy Band and the Ghana Air Force Band.
They will bring down the curtain on a week of celebrations which have included the hoisting of flags and display of buntings, a parade by veterans, Muslim and Christian prayers, an inter-school debate and the presentation of State awards.
In attendance will be President J.A. Kufuor, Vice-President Aliu Mahama, other high-profile politicians and statesmen, as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps.
Thousands of Ghanaians from all walks of life are expected to throng the Independence Square to witness the parade.
It will be the last for Mr Kufuor as the President of the Republic and he is expected to use the opportunity to highlight the landmarks of his eight-year presidency and concerns over the upcoming elections in December.
The President is also expected to throw more light on the gains his administration has made in various sectors of the economy and the prospects of the country’s emerging oil industry.
According to the programme for the day, members of the public who intend to be part of the ceremony are expected to be seated by 6:30 a.m., while the contingents march onto the grounds at 7:20 a.m.
The Parade Commander will take over the parade at 8:00 a.m., with Ministers of State, Members of Parliament and the Diplomatic Corps scheduled to arrive at 8:05 a.m.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Ministers of Education, Defence and the Interior, as well as the Chairman of the Council of State, will arrive between 8:15 a.m. and 8:20 a.m.
That will be followed by the arrival of the Chief Justice and the Speaker of Parliament at 8:25 a.m., to be followed by the Vice-President and his wife at 8:27 a.m.
President Kufuor and the First Lady, Theresa, will arrive at 8:30 a.m. and they will be heralded by the National Anthem, the National Pledge, traditional, Muslim and Christian prayers.
Soon after that, President Kufuor, accompanied by the Ministers of Education, the Interior and Defence, the IGP and the CDS will inspect the parade and light the perpetual flame.
This will be followed by the trooping of bands, a march past of contingents, a cultural pageant by schoolchildren and drum appellation.
The President will then deliver the Independence Anniversary Address and present awards to Service Chiefs and Regimental Sergeant Majors.
Parades involving the security agencies and schoolchildren are expected to be held in all the regional and district capitals to commemorate the anniversary.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Give drug barons more punishment

Page 20: March 5, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has called on governments to apply the law proportionately when prosecuting drug offenders.
That, it said, was necessary in order not to undermine efforts to effectively implement the conventions that those laws sought to enforce.
It said some countries still spent disproportionate effort in targeting low level offenders and drug users “as compared to the more pressing issues of identifying, dismantling and punishing those who control or organise major drug trafficking activities”.
These were contained in the 2007 INCB Report launched in Accra yesterday.
While highlighting the need to provide alternatives to imprisonment for drug users, including access to treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, “the board urges governments to pay adequate attention to high-profile cases of drug abuse”.
It said “celebrity ‘endorsement’ of drug-related lifestyles is particularly relevant when it comes to the issue of deterring drug use among youth, who are often most vulnerable to the cult of celebrity and its attendant glamour”.
It explained that young people were quick to pick up on and react to perceived leniency in dealing with such offenders, particularly celebrities.
A member of the INCB, Dr J. B. Asare, who gave highlights of the report, noted that 50 per cent of remand prisoners in Ghana were drug-related offenders.
He said a proportionate response required equality before the law so that powerful drug trafficking organisations and individuals would not be allowed to escape justice.
He said care must be taken in order that justice and prison systems were not overloaded with low-level offender cases.
“Justice and health care systems must work together and drug-related crime committed by drug abusers must be addressed in an integrated and individualised way,” he added.
Dr Asare, a former Chief Psychiatrist of Ghana, urged the government to consider establishing and using treatment courts as an option to addressing crimes committed by drug-use offenders.
He said a major issue of concern in the report to Africa was the increasing abuse of cocaine in Africa.
He said there was also a growing number of cases involving smuggling of drugs through the Internet, and postal and courier services.
“The board calls on governments to accord adequate importance to the detection and investigation of such cases and undertake all necessary measures to ensure that legislative and regulatory provisions are in force in their territories to counteract such illegal transactions,” he added.
The UN Resident Co-ordinator, Dr Dauda Toure, in a speech read on his behalf, noted that the fight against drug and narcotic trafficking could not be won without the support of the citizenry.
A Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr K. T. Hammond, who launched the report, noted that the increasing abuse of drugs had serious implications for health delivery systems and drug-induced organised crimes.
He pledged the commitment of the government to meeting the challenges imposed on the country by the emerging drug menace.
He said it was as a result of this that it amended the Criminal Procedure Amendment Act (Act 714) to ensure that no bail was given to drug-related suspects until the cases had been determined by the courts, and the passage of the Anti-money Laundering Act, Act 749, to prohibit the illegal transfer of monies which aid illicit drug-related activities, human trafficking and other criminal activities, among others.
Mr Hammond described the report as a critical tool for policy makers, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders involved in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking and their associated criminal activities.

Our foreign policy hinges on 3 goals

Page 25: March 5, 2008.
Article: Albert K. Salia

A country's foreign policy is a set of goals that seeks to outline how that particular country will interact on an official basis with other countries of the world and, to a lesser extent, non-state actors. In pursing such an agenda — including economic, political, social, military — there is the need to evaluate and monitor them in attempts to maximise the benefits of multilateral international co-operation.
Foreign policies generally are designed to help protect a country's national interests, national security, ideological goals, and economic prosperity. This can occur as a result of peaceful co-operation with other nations, or through aggression, war, and exploitation.
It may be assumed that foreign policy is as ancient as the human society itself. The twentieth century saw a rapid rise in the importance of foreign policy, with virtually every nation in the world now being able to interact with one another in some diplomatic form.
Usually, creating a foreign policy is the job of the head of government and the foreign minister (or equivalent). In some countries the legislature also has considerable oversight.
It is important to indicate that some critics of Ghana’s foreign policy have described it as “follow the crowd type” or a country without no foreign policy at all. That, they explain, is because Ghana’s foreign policy has no coherent and distinctive doctrinal orientation and niche.
They argue that the distinctive markers of such a foreign policy are, first, government officials are reactionary rather than proactive; second, official stated foreign policy goals are usually vague and the foreign minister frequently flip-flops; and third, the Executive rather than well-trained professionals becomes the implementer of the policy.
It has been argued that since Nkrumah/Busia administration Ghana’s foreign policy has been marked by the above tendencies. Many Ghanaians were unhappy at the frequent trekking of the President during his first term. Foreign policy experts will tell that you frequent trips of Presidents are typical of states without any well-established foreign policy niche.
Unlike states with established niche whose leaders travel primarily to seal deals already worked out or to engage in diplomatic niceties, leaders of countries without well established stance do the diplomacy themselves.
In such states, foreign policy orientation is based on the whims of who ever is in power. The President’s views on international affairs constitute the foreign policy stance of the country.
Ghana’s Foreign Policy
Ghana's foreign policy since independence has been characterised by a commitment to the principles and ideals of Nonalignment and Pan-Africanism as first enunciated by Dr Kwame Nkrumah in the early 1960s.
For Nkrumah, non-alignment meant complete independence from the policies and alliances of both the East and West and support for a worldwide union of so-called non-aligned nations as a counter to both the East and West power blocs. Pan-Africanism, by contrast, was a specifically African policy that envisioned the liberation of African peoples from Western colonialism and the eventual economic and political unity of the African continent.
The PNDC, like most of its predecessors, made serious and consistent attempts at the practical application of these ideals and principles, and its successor, the NDC government, followed in the PNDC's footsteps. Under the NDC, Ghana remained committed to the principle of non-alignment in world politics. Ghana is also opposed to interference in the internal affairs of both small and large countries. This is a departure from Nkrumah's foreign policy approach; Nkrumah was frequently accused of subverting African regimes, such as Togo and Cote d'Ivoire, which he considered ideologically conservative.
The NDC government, like the PNDC before it, believed in the principle of self-determination, including the right to political independence and the right of people to pursue their economic and social development free from external interference.
Another feature of NDC rule carried over from the PNDC era was faithfulness to what a leading scholar of Africa has called "one of the most successful neo-classical economic reform efforts supported by the IMF and the World Bank".
The broad objectives of Ghana's foreign policy thus included maintaining friendly relations and co-operation with all countries that desire such co-operation, irrespective of ideological considerations, on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. Africa and its liberation and unity are naturally the cornerstones of Ghana's foreign policy. Ghana being a founder member of the African Union (AU), formerly the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the NDC government’s policy was to adhere faithfully to the AU Charter.
Another important principle of Ghana's foreign policy involves the closest possible co-operation with neighbouring countries with which the people of Ghana share cultural and economic history, and blood ties. The results have included various bilateral trade and economic agreements and permanent joint commissions involving Ghana and its immediate neighbours, sometimes in the face of latent ideological and political differences and mutual suspicion, as well as numerous reciprocal state visits by high-ranking officials. These measures have contributed significantly to sub-regional co-operation and development, and the reduction of tension.
As an example of Ghana's interest in regional co-operation, the country enthusiastically endorsed the formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975. This organisation was created specifically to foster inter-regional economic and political co-operation. It has served as a useful vehicle for contacts with neighbouring West African governments and for channelling increased Ghanaian exports to regional markets. Since 1990 ECOWAS has been engaged in a peacekeeping mission in Liberia to which Ghana has contributed a large contingent of troops. Ghana has participated in other international peacekeeping efforts as well, sending soldiers to operations of the United Nations (UN) in Cambodia in 1992-93 and Rwanda in 1993-94.
In August 1994, Rawlings became ECOWAS chairman, a post that had eluded him since the PNDC came to power. He immediately undertook several initiatives to reduce tensions and conflicts in West Africa. Notable among them was the Akosombo Accord of September 12, designed to end civil war in Liberia.
President J. A. Kufuor has not strayed far from Ghana's good-neighbour policy in the sub-region. In the 1990s, Rawlings sent Ghanaian troops and civilian police to join United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces in Liberia, Sierra Leone and around the continent under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
This policy has continued under Kufuor. Ghana continues to advocate closer economic ties with neighbouring states, and is a proponent of a West African monetary zone. Relations with Togo, despite the negative connotations that befriending a dictator has, are close.
If there is continuity in foreign policy, there also is departure. Kufuor travelled extensively in his first two years to show the world a Ghana without Rawlings. Not only did Kufuor's former foreign minister, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, speak out against Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe's handling of that country's land policy and its treatment of white farmers, Ghana was among the first African states to agree to submit to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The APRM obliges African heads of state to submit to policy review by their peers thereby providing donors with evidence of African commitment to raising standards of governance.
From all these, one can conclude that Ghana’s foreign relations has been structured around three major goals: Attracting development assistance and investment capital, maintaining friendly ties with neighbours, and playing an active and constructive role in international and regional fora by engaging in peacekeeping and election monitoring missions. These goals reflect pragmatism dictated by poor economic conditions and the need to compete globally for development assistance.
In the early 1980s, for instance, Ghana agreed to embark on IMF/World Bank sponsored programme of economic and political liberalisation in order to attract development aid and foreign investment. It has also maintained good relations with Nigeria (from whom Ghana receives crude oil at concessionary prices) and Cote d’Ivoire (which provides electrical energy supplements when needed) irrespective of the type of leadership governing those states.
Ghana is cognisant of its weak capacity for unilateral action in the international arena and hence augments its power by developing close ties (usually at the presidential level) with more powerful states.
Ghana’s limited capacity for unilateral action also has led it to pursue many foreign policy activities through multilateral channels such as the United Nations, the African Union (AU), and the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS). Membership in these organisations provide Ghana with a platform for protecting some of its interests, as well as to establish itself as a leader on several issues of concern to the African continent. For example, through the UN and ECOWAS, Ghana has been able to engage in numerous peacekeeping missions, which earns it international respect as a partner for global stability and a moral leader in African affairs.
But Ghana’s involvement in international peacekeeping functions is sometimes also driven more by a desire to raise funds for its military than peace and security concerns. Such pragmatism allows Ghana to influence events in neighbouring African countries sometimes to an extent that belies her small size and resources.
Ghana’s other foreign relations “assets” include its status as a “role model” and the prominent role several Ghanaian nationals play in global affairs. Ghana’s “role model” status arises out of the country’s position as the first African state south of the Sahara to gain independence from colonial rule and the dynamic leadership of its first president, Kwame Nkrumah, in the Pan-Africanist movement.
The decision to implement World Bank-sponsored economic reform programmes two decades ago and recent democratic reforms have also reinforced the “role model” image and somewhat established Ghana as a leader of the movement for political change and rejuvenation of the African continent.
The change in government from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former President Jerry Rawlings’s decision to peacefully leave office after his constitutionally prescribed term limit, for instance, were seen as symbolic lessons for other African leaders.
The leadership positions occupied by Ghanaian nationals in various multilateral institutions also enhance the country’s profile in the comity of nations. Mr Kofi Annan and Dr K. Y. Amoako are immediate heads of the United Nations and the Economic Commission for Africa respectively while Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambers heads ECOWAS. The country takes credit for the works of these and other nationals in the field of international diplomacy and the nation often supports their work by launching mediation sessions to bring peace to war-torn countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Cote d’Ivoire and also by hosting conferences that enhance the prospects for democracy and development in Africa.
Ghana’s record of support for democracy internationally in the past decade has been good especially under the Kufuor administration. Despite its limited resources, Ghana has been an active participant in democracy promotion abroad.
It has mediated disputes in other countries, the most recent was the Kofi Annan brokered deal in Kenya; provided technical assistance and participated in election monitoring and peacekeeping. Ghanaian leaders have participated in international fora and been vocal in publicly condemning actions that subvert the democratic process.
President Kufuor in particular, has been a strong advocate for democracy, frequently stressing the importance of the rule of law and respect for human rights. In a keynote address at the AU summit in Zambia this year he stated that, “The African Union must reflect the commitment of its member states to democracy, the rule of law and the protection and promotion of human rights ...” We also believe that unconstitutional means of changing governments on the continent is an anachronism, and should not be tolerated in an era of mutual respect amongst us as states, governments and peoples.
Ghana under Kufuor has also been at the forefront of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and a strong advocate for the peer review mechanism that emphasises good governance as criteria for membership.
Clearly, the mark of Ghana’s foreign policy has been that when strategic interests are at stake, Ghana’s leaders have chosen co-operation and friendship over criticism.

Monday, March 3, 2008

K'Bu poorer by GH¢1.2 million-Thanks to runaway patients

Front Page: March 4, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
ABOUT 1,518 patients absconded from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital between 2003 and 2007 without paying their bills, which totalled GH¢1.2 million.
Most of the patients had been referred from other hospitals to the various departments of Korle-Bu especially Allied Surgery, while some of them were patients who claimed they were poor.
The acting Chief Executive of the hospital, Dr Ben Annan, who announced this yesterday, therefore, appealed to Ghanaians to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) so that they would not be required to make out-of-pocket payment at the hospital.
He was speaking at the 2007 Performance Review of the hospital in Accra. The annual performance review is organised every year for the various departments and units of the hospital to take stock of the previous year’s activities, achievements, challenges and ways to address those challenges to help improve patient care.
Dr Annan said the number of NHIS card-bearing members who sought medicare at the hospital was growing, explaining
that while the hospital received a total of 15,030 NHIS patients in 2006, representing five per cent of total attendance, it recorded 64,000 patients, representing 20 per cent of total attendance in 2007.
Dr Annan said besides the problem of absconders, the issue of accommodation remained a thorny one for the hospital.
He said there was also the issue of dwindling resources from the central government, which was impacting negatively on the activities of the hospital.
He said about 400 senior members of staff of the hospital were currently on the waiting list for accommodation at the hospital, resulting in some of them having to stay in Tema, Adenta and Nsawam.
“Equally, it is a struggle for them to get home after a hard day’s work/call. There have been quite a number of near misses on the road and the Motorway,” he lamented.
Dr Annan expressed the hope that most of the SSNIT flats at the hospital would be allocated to the staff to ease the pressure on them.

Establish linkages to benefit from the oil industry — Jourdan

Page 19: March 1, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A CONSULTANT to the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Paul Jourdan, has stressed the need for the government and industry to establish the right linkages so as to make the country benefit more from the oil industry.
He explained that such a linkage should see to the facilitation of the parallel development of the non-oil sectors which would result in a more balanced and sustainable growth trajectory.
Dr Jourdan was speaking at a forum organised by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in Accra yesterday to see how the local content of the oil discovery could be exploited to benefit local industries.
He said the problem of Ghana and for that matter Africa had been the very limited successes in establishing local resource linkages in the various productive sectors.
Using the gold mining industry as an example of failure, Dr Jourdan said since independence, Ghana had had a gold mining industry but was struggling to establish upstream and down-stream linkages in terms of inputs, refining and fabrication.
He said the mining industry was dominated by foreign firms who were reaping the benefits more than the communities and the country in which they operated.
He said if care was not taken, such a case would happen in the oil and gas industry.
Dr Jourdan said there was, therefore, the need for a new mindset to enable Ghana and Africa to succeed.
According to him, there were lots of economic opportunities which the government should facilitate for the local industries to take advantage of.
Some of these, he indicated, were the availability of local resources, which could be used instead of importing everything, local skilled labour and access to competitively priced feedstocks such as steel.
Dr Jourdan said the government could establish a cluster of businesses which the oil companies would deal with in the supply of services.
He said it was important that some of the businesses entered into alliances so as to strengthen their capacities and capabilities to benefit from the oil boom.
He said the government should also facilitate the transfer of skills to Ghanaians, since most of the specialised skills needed would have to be imported.
The Managing Director of Caribbean Energy Specialists (CES), Mr Anthony Paul, said although there were lots of business opportunities to be exploited, so were there barriers which needed to be overcome.
According to him, lack of finance, technology and skilled labour were some of the barriers which local companies needed to overcome to take advantage of the oil industry.
The President of the AGI, Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, said little time was allocated for discussion on the local content of the oil industry at the just-ended forum on Oil and Gas.
He said it was to avoid the situation where foreign companies took over the oil sector where all the revenue was repatriated leaving the locals poor that the AGI organised the forum.

Establish linkages to benefit from the oil industry — Jourdan

Story: Albert K. Salia
A CONSULTANT to the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Paul Jourdan, has stressed the need for the government and industry to establish the right linkages so as to make the country benefit more from the oil industry.
He explained that such a linkage should see to the facilitation of the parallel development of the non-oil sectors which would result in a more balanced and sustainable growth trajectory.
Dr Jourdan was speaking at a forum organised by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in Accra yesterday to see how the local content of the oil discovery could be exploited to benefit local industries.
He said the problem of Ghana and for that matter Africa had been the very limited successes in establishing local resource linkages in the various productive sectors.
Using the gold mining industry as an example of failure, Dr Jourdan said since independence, Ghana had had a gold mining industry but was struggling to establish upstream and down-stream linkages in terms of inputs, refining and fabrication.
He said the mining industry was dominated by foreign firms who were reaping the benefits more than the communities and the country in which they operated.
He said if care was not taken, such a case would happen in the oil and gas industry.
Dr Jourdan said there was, therefore, the need for a new mindset to enable Ghana and Africa to succeed.
According to him, there were lots of economic opportunities which the government should facilitate for the local industries to take advantage of.
Some of these, he indicated, were the availability of local resources, which could be used instead of importing everything, local skilled labour and access to competitively priced feedstocks such as steel.
Dr Jourdan said the government could establish a cluster of businesses which the oil companies would deal with in the supply of services.
He said it was important that some of the businesses entered into alliances so as to strengthen their capacities and capabilities to benefit from the oil boom.
He said the government should also facilitate the transfer of skills to Ghanaians, since most of the specialised skills needed would have to be imported.
The Managing Director of Caribbean Energy Specialists (CES), Mr Anthony Paul, said although there were lots of business opportunities to be exploited, so were there barriers which needed to be overcome.
According to him, lack of finance, technology and skilled labour were some of the barriers which local companies needed to overcome to take advantage of the oil industry.
The President of the AGI, Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, said little time was allocated for discussion on the local content of the oil industry at the just-ended forum on Oil and Gas.
He said it was to avoid the situation where foreign companies took over the oil sector where all the revenue was repatriated leaving the locals poor that the AGI organised the forum.