Minister cautions public servants against sabotaging government policies
May 07, 2010
Kwame Danso (BAR), May 7, GNA - Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development has cautioned workers in the public service not to sabotage the "better Ghana agenda" of government.
Mr Afriyie Ankrah gave the caution when he addressed a cross-section of workers including personnel of the Sene District Assembly at Kwame Danso, the district capital, on Wednesday to kick-start a -week long familiarisation tour of six selected districts in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He said public and civil servants were crucial for the success of any government and urged them to be up and doing to ensure that the changes being effected by the government reflect in the conditions of the ordinary people.
He said even though challenges still abound, enough progress had been made within the last few months that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumed power.
The Minister said the massive infrastructural developments going on all over the country are indications that the better Ghana agenda is on course.
He said although the NDC inherited huge debts and high inflation rate, government has stabilised the economy, increased the Capitation Grant to 50 per cent and providing free school uniforms and exercise books for basic schools.
Mr Afriyie Ankrah, told the gathering that government's priority is not to jump into prosecuting corrupt former government officials although the law would be allowed to take its course.
He said government believed that modern agricultural practice was the key to propelling the country onto the middle income status and urged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies with vast unploughed lands to network with green organisations to tap the potentials of the natural resource.
Mr Afriyie Ankrah said through the on-going constitutional review exercise, government aimed at effecting significant changes to the local government structure to ensure that local authorities assumed full autonomous status.
The Minister later toured Atebubu-Amantin District and paid a courtesy call on the Omanhene of Atebubu Traditional Area, Nana Owusu Achiaw Berempong II.
GNA
Let's create a brand for the local rice - GAWU
March 22, 2010
Accra, March 22, GNA - The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of GTUC is leading a campaign that aims at branding the locally produced rice.
Mr. Raymond Ategbi, Coordinating Officer at GAWU has, therefore, called on all Civil Society Organisations to join GAWU to wage an unrelenting campaign to influence the government's policy in the rice industry.
At an informal meeting with Agricultural Students in selected tertiary institutions to discuss difficulties faced in the agricultural sector, in Accra, Mr. Ategbi said major decision makers in government ministries, agencies and departments must work together towards a coherent policy to reduce rice importation in the country while boosting and improving local production.
"An aggressive advertising campaign to encourage the consumption of local rice is needed," he said and asked producers, farmers and millers to be supported to produce quality and sufficient rice in Ghana.
Mr. Ategbi blamed the low rice production rate on the liberalisation of trade and withdrawal of subsidies on agricultural inputs.
"This has resulted in the importation of cheap and highly subsidised rice on the domestic market; this is crippling the rice industry in Ghana and the livelihood of farmers as a whole," he said.
Mr. Ategbi said rice farmers presently contributed only about 35 per cent of the nation's rice consumption but GAWU was optimistic that rice farmers could satisfy the required rice consumption of the country if the right policies were implemented to protect the industry.
GNA