This is in spite of the huge debt left behind by the previous administration which is affecting the Ministry’s delivery.

Speaking to the media during an inspection tour of some roads and drainage projects in the constituency, he said the approved projects will include the covering and construction of drains and roads at Sahara, Tunga, and Zodiac, all within the Ablekuma West constituency.

Mr. Amoako-Attah said these projects required “emergency treatment” adding that he had already “directed the heads of agencies responsible to treat it as such.”

Apart from these critical cases, he said the “main road that runs through the length and breadth of the constituency and a few interior roads are going to also be worked on.”

The Minister further assured that the people of the constituency were going to see action by November 2017.

“…Within one month, the people in Ablekuma are going to see action. Despite the fact that we have serious and a debt overhang in the road sector, you are still seeing action because we are thinking outside the box. We are not doing things as usual.”

As far as the timelines are concerned, the Minister for Communications and Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, expressed some confidence in the Ministry’s previous track record in the constituency.

“We are going to put pressure on them to make sure that they do [the work]. And I can only say a big thank you to the urban roads department,” she said.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful, who is also the Minister of Communications, said the NPP continues to record petty avoidable conflicts during elections particularly at the primaries level, which affects the integrity of the party in the Constituency.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lRiXdtKZhY1OKClM4CW89cgFgzh3CpZB”]She was addressing hundreds of party members and sympathizers at the Ablekuma West Constituency Annual Delegates Conference in Accra, to deliberate on the progress of the party and the way forward.

This is in fulfillment of the party’s constitutional provision, which enjoins the party executives to call an annual delegates conference at the constituency level ahead of its regional and national delegate conferences.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said government was resolute to fulfill the promises in the party’s manifesto, and what it needed was “patience and maximum co-operation from the public”.

She assured the constituents that she would bring to bear her experience to propel the efforts of government to create more jobs to mitigate the menace of unemployment.

“We know you are looking forward to enjoying the benefits of your toils. Be assured that government is working assiduously to address your needs, and very soon, you will reap from your sweat,” she said.

The Minister said the public sector had limited job opportunities and that, government was directing its energies into harnessing the potentials of the private sector to become a viable source of jobs.

She said the NPP government needed more support as the party inherited “almost empty coffers” left over by the previous government.

“We inherited huge debts, so we are fixing things to regain progress in our economy. God is with us, and very soon we will get there. We are investing hugely in information technology, which is a great source of employment opportunities for every country.”

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful cautioned the party members and sympathizers against all forms of indecent behaviour, saying “President Akufo-Addo is a man of justice and will not spare anyone who flouts the law and retards the progress of the nation irrespective of your party affiliation.”

“The President is a president for all Ghanaians and not for only one party. Let us note this and act accordingly,” she added.

The conference attracted some of the party’s big shots including, General Secretary John Boadu, Mr Ebenezer Nii Nartey, MP for Ablekuma Central, Mr Adjei Sowa, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive and Mr Jeff Konadu Addo, Director General of National Information Technology Agency.

–

Source: GNA

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According to him President Mahama as Chairman of ECOWAS “has hit the ground running”.

The Sierra Leonean President says President Mahama has shown some difference because the just concluded meeting of ECOWAS heads of states “is one of the best organized and most productive” they have had as a sub-region.

“If we continue with this kind of leadership in ECOWAS I am sure we will go a long way in achieving the protocols that we have set out in addressing the specific issues that are now affecting the sub-region,’’ President Koroma indicated.

He further indicated that although the tenure of President Mahama has also been plagued with many challenges such as; Boko Haram in Nigeria and the scourge of Ebola in the sub-region, the ECOWAS Chairman has so far shown commitment to addressing the challenges.

President Mahama has convened meetings to help address the many challenges the sub-region faces since he was elected by colleague Heads of States to chair the Regional Body ECOWAS.

He has chaired a session to help address the Boko Haram problem in Nigeria and the security challenges in Mali.

President Bai Koroma in an interview with the press after the 45^th session of ECOWAS in Accra stated that President Mahama’s decisiveness is the kind of leadership the regional body needs for growth and development.

President John Dramani Mahama has been elected Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States for one year.

His election was during the 44th ordinary session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Yamoussoukro, La Cote d’Ivoire. He took over from President Alassane Ouattara of La Cote d’Ivoire.

Click below to listen to Ernest Bai Koroma, Sierra Leonean President

By: Richard Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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‘’This will help complement attempts to monitor and evaluate the kind of people who pass through the boarders all the time; in principle I think it’s a good idea,’’ he said.

‘’… the abolition of residence permit is one of the key principles of ensuring that there is a free movement for all West African citizens,’’ he added.

Mr. Bensah explained that the intended abolition of the residence permit is long overdue. ‘’It should have been a very important element in the agenda a long time ago; even before the Boko Haram came up.’’

He noted that free movement is one of the pioneering things that ECOWAS has done over the years. But the introduction of a biometric ID will guide how ECOWAS integration should be prosecuted.

According to him ECOWAS should also ensure that the Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism is effective and efficient.

‘’It [ECOWAS biometric ID card] is supposed to be a one stop shop; which will override any passport or ID showed at the borders currently,’’ he added.

The 45th ordinary session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of States and Government on-going in Accra, is expected to among others discuss the introduction of biometric ID cards within the sub-region, to allow for free movement and trading amongst members.

However, Mr Francis Palmdeti, Head of Public Relations of the Ghana Immigration Service in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday said it will not be prudent to do away with the residence permit.

‘’… I think that with the residence permit issue that will be a bit more challenging for us [GIS]; the structures we have at the moment to deal with that kind of situation, I am not sure are robust enough,’’ he said.

According to Palmdeti, Ghana does not have a good house numbering system; he suggested that abolishing the residence permit system is not a good idea for Ghana now.

”As it is stands now I don’t think that the structure and things we [Ghana] have can adequately support the policy [ECOWAS biometric ID],” he stated.

”If you ask me, I will think that the policy will have to be delayed or staggered; we shouldn’t go into a quick acceptance of the proposal or the recommendation,” Mr Palmdeti added.

By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Explaining the agenda for the session, Director of Communications at the Flagtsaff House, Ben Dotse Malor said all member states have confirmed participation at various levels of the Ebola discussions.

“Sometimes some of these subjects are discussed informally among the leaders but I understand that the issue of Ebola is going to be firmly put on the agenda for discussion”, said Ben Dotse Malor.

Other issues to be discussed include security, a recommendation for the introduction of biometric ID cards for all ECOWAS citizens and the abolition of residence permit requirements for all citizens within member states.

He said with the lifting of sanctions on Guinea Bissau by the African Union, there was need for ECOWAS member states and the international community to re-engage with the country and provide the support that is needed to strengthen its institutions.

The political and security situation in the sub-region especially in Mali and Guinea Bissau, was the main topic at a meeting of ECOWAS Foreign and Defense ministers held on Wednesday in Accra.

“Another issue that will be of concern to people is the request to have the Ebola outbreak in the three member states of ECOWAS also put on the agenda of the Heads of State”, Mr Dotse Malor stated.

The Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea where so far, 759 people have been infected with the virus and about 467 of them have killed, is haunting the sub region and the leaders hope to adopt a uniform plan to combat it.

Health ministers from 11 West African countries last week adopted a common strategy and promised better collaboration to fight the Ebola virus outbreak, the world’s deadliest to date.

Leaders will consider a report on ECOWAS’s main activities and projects over the first half of 2014 and further discuss the situation in Guinea-Bissau, where a new president was sworn in last month following parliamentary and presidential elections.

Also among the leaders of the 15 member states attending the meeting are Presidents of Mauritania, Cameroon and Chad as well as the President of the African Union Commission and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Source: GNA

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He said: “There was no discussion about putting troops from ECOWAS countries in Nigeria.”

President Mahama, who doubles as the ECOWAS chair clarified that “there were discussions about liaising strongly with the Nigerian government in order to give it any support that it needed to be able to eliminate the menace.”

ECOWAS leaders met last Friday in Accra to discuss possible ways to curtail the exploits of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the sub-region and on the African continent.

Speaking to pressmen right after the summit, President Mahama disclosed that “President Jonathan said everything possible will be done not only to retrieve the girls, but to eliminate the menace of Boko Haram, so everything possible could include everything, it could include military action, dialogue, negotiations and any other thing”

Meanwhile, President Mahama has referred to the recurrent clashes in Mali as a breach to the Ouagadougou Agreement.

He has therefore, called on all parties to return to the table to ensure all pronouncements made in the Ouagadougou treaty are adhered to.

“What has happened recently has been a breach to the Ouagadougou agreement, and so the initial response is to ensure there is a dialogue of both parties to come back to the Ouagadougou agreement and abide by it,” he said.

Mali’s government and the rebels signed the agreement last June that allowed the Malian military to return to Kidal for the first time since the last separatist rebellion was sparked in early 2012.

However, renewed fighting over who holds the town has left some 20 Malian soldiers dead.

According to President Mahama, “there are aspects of the agreement that related to disarmament of armed men, confinement of armed men and all, that had all not yet been implemented and so the president of Mali has selected a high representative Mr. Modibo Keita to be the interlocutor between the government and all the parties involved.

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He is therefore urging governments in West Africa to establish trust with their citizens so that individuals with information on terrorist hideouts and activities will come forward.

“If we win battle of hearts and minds, there will be victory in the fight against terrorism.”

ECOWAS heads of state have agreed to unite and fight terrorism which is rapidly gaining roots in the sub-region.

Nigeria and Mail have been victims of terrorist acts for some years now which are causing fear and panic among their citizens.

Citizens in other West African countries have expressed fears about the possible infiltration of terrorist groups into their countries.

But ECOWAS has indicated it will immediately implement the anti-terrorism strategy to salvage the situation.

Speaking to Citi News on the side-lines of the emergency ECOWAS meeting which took place in Accra on Friday, Mr. Afoko alleged that there are individuals within Nigeria and the sub-region who know the whereabouts of the over 200 abducted girls and members of Boko Haram.

Mr. Afoko is however of the opinion that battling the terrorist groups with force and arms alone “won’t do the trick.”

The NPP chairman cautioned ECOWAS citizens to note that “all of us are in the same boat because terrorists will always pick the softest targets to be able to create fear and panic in the society.”

Mr. Afoko further charged West African leaders to as a matter of urgency, implement the anti-terrorism strategy but also urged them to understand that “it is not just the force of arms that is going to win this battle.”

According to him, Boko Haram is taking its activities across the borders of Nigeria, therefore; ECOWAS should be tactful in fighting them.

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan

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Islamist militant group, Boko Haram in April seized almost 276 girls in northern Nigeria.

This incident has drawn massive global outrage with several power forces such as Israel, the United States of America(USA) and the United Kingdom(UK) all offering to assist the oil rich nation (Nigeria).

Speaking on Citi FM’s the Big Issue, Mr. Nortey Addo maintained that the use of dialogue by the Nigerian government will enable it achieve a favourable outcome and also reduce the risk of losing any civilian

“The government must try to find a way of engaging these groups to see if there is a way of resolving differences. Using the military intervention alone cannot help because then you will have to have some civilian casualties,” he explained.

According to him, the Nigerian government is doing its possible best to secure the release of the girls but it must initiate moves to dialogue with the militant group.

Meanwhile, on Friday West African leaders met in Accra for an emergency meeting to brainstorm ways to curtail the exploits of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups on the African continent.

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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On Citi FM’s the Big Issue on Saturday, Mr. Cudjoe said: “I think President Mahama obviously is doing quite well…I think he is living up to his responsibilities.”

His commendation follows the summoning of ECOWAS heads of state for an emergency meeting in Accra on Friday to discuss Boko Haram threat in Nigeria, the security situation in Mali and other pressing matters affecting West African countries.

Eight West African heads of state attended the meeting at the behest of ECOWAS Chairman, President Mahama.

The IMANI boss described the meeting as “spot on”, adding that, reports from Nigeria suggests that Nigerians have faith in the leadership of President Mahama as the ECOWAS chair to find a lasting solution to terrorist activities in their country.

“I hear he is being hailed in Nigeria…The Nigerian first lady seems to be saying that he [Mahama] is the only person actually helping Goodluck Jonathan [Nigeria President],” he said.

He was however quick to add that if the sub-region was experiencing greater integration, “I don’t think we would be having discussions on terror cells or trying to use satellites to locate these people…we are just late.”

A financial analyst, Sydney Casely-Hayford also on Citi FM’s the Big Issue described the emergency ECOWAS meeting as “successful.”

He opined that African leaders have however allowed the terrorist activities to fester and grow out of proportion.

According to Casely-Hayford, although much attention is being paid to the fact that Boko Haram is a terrorist group, security chiefs should also focus on Boko Haram as an Islamist Militant group who are imposing their religious views on their victims.

He questioned why religious leaders do not rise up to slam such religious impositions when terrorist groups use religion as a basis to enhance or sanitize their religion.

The financial analyst urged mainstream religious organizations to condemn such religious extremists “so they can control the offshoots and the extreme terrorists…who create more havoc than anything else we can find.”

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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Eight West African Heads of state converged on the Ghanaian capital, Accra to discuss important issues affecting the sub-region including the Boko Haram threat in Nigeria and the security situation in Mali.

The eight leaders who made it to the emergency Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit included the Presidents of, Nigeria [Goodluck Jonathan], Mali [Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta], Côte d’Ivoire [Alassane Ouattara], Senegal [Macky Sall], Sierra Leone [Ernest Bai Koroma], Niger [Mahamadou Issoufou], Togo [Faure Gnassingbé] and Burkina Faso [Blaise Compaoré].

President Mahama who doubles as the chairman of ECOWAS in his opening address called on the sub-regional leaders to see the situation in both Mali and Nigeria as a threat to the region’s economic progress and act swiftly to end it.

“Terrorism is not solely a West African problem. It is a world problem.  It is in fact becoming an undeniable problem of the world in which we live today.  To ignore our responsibility towards the eradication of terrorism is to risk the economical and developmental potential of our individual nation and indeed of our sub regions. Far more important of that is to risk the lives of our citizens. Far more important of that is to risk the lives of our citizens.”

President Mahama took the opportunity to welcome efforts by the international community to aid the sub-region deal with the emergence of terrorism.

“Other foreign nations have offered support in different forms and we in ECOWAS welcome those supports,”  he said.

According to him, “in order to successfully fight against this cult of terrorism we must avail ourselves to all assistance that is offered we must also share information and resources,  we must as members of the community offer one another protection that comes with solidarity.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Nigerian President, Dr. Ruben Abati  in an exclusive interview with Citi News spoke about some measures being adopted by the Federal government of Nigeria to rescue the abducted 200 girls;

“Our security forces are working in collaboration with our international allies who are providing assistance in terms of logistics, surveillance, satellite imaging. They are careful, while searching for the girls they are trying not to do anything that will jeopardize the lives of those girls, because the terrorists have guns fixed to the heads of those girls.”

He also reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to fighting terrorism and hinted that Al-qaeda was supporting Boko Haram’s fight in the oil rich nation.

“President Jonathan is committed to make sure the girls are brought back home and safely to parents of the girls.  The government is committed to chase away these thugs and their Al-qaeda allies who are threatening the democracy and freedom in Nigeria.”

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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