By Kofi Akordor
I am wondering what those who are virtually catered for fully at state expense will feel, if, for more than three months, they have not been paid their official salaries. They have immediate families, distant relatives, friends and former school mates who have not been so successful to cater for. It will be very embarrassing, if any time the minister or district chief executive is called upon to respond to his mandatory and voluntary responsibilities, he ends up saying he was unable to do so because he had not been paid. There will be many who will not believe him, accusing him variously of being irresponsible, stingy, ungrateful or plain wicked.
As for those commonly called foot soldiers that helped you in attaining your political ambitions, they will begin to curse you for wasting their time, taking undue advantage of them and ending with a resolute pledge not to be part of your next campaign.
I am talking about political holders and other top public officials, who, apart from their official salaries or declared incomes, have several other ways of making ends meet. So if these people could find themselves in such a vulnerable situation, what about ordinary people such as the railway workers of the Ghana Railways Company (GRC), who for more than three months including the month of December have not received their meager salaries? December is one month that no matter how bad the economy was or how poorly one had performed in his/her pursuits in the year, the children must smile and friends should celebrate. But it came to pass that railway workers forfeited the opportunity to observe this annual ritual.
The problem of the railway workers started as little grumblings about salary arrears. Management responded by saying the company is cash-strapped and that efforts were being made to raise funds to pay the workers.
The question is; did the company become cash-strapped because the workers failed to work, performed poorly or those placed at helm of affairs did not exhibit business acumen and managerial competence? Whatever the case, the railway workers were at post; they went about their duties as demanded from them by the company and, therefore, deserve their wages. As frustration and desperation set in, the workers decided to withdraw their services, first for a limited period to draw public attention to their plight.
While the impasse dragged, there were a lot of behind-the-scene skirmishes at the departmental and ministerial levels to bring the dispute under control. There were assurances that the government was trying to raise funds to settle salary arrears of the workers while other demands such as salary increases and management problems were addressed. The workers then said: ?We are ready for negotiation but pay us first our arrears.? Management and government officials on the hand wanted the workers to go back to work before the arrears could be paid.
To many fair-minded people, the management and government were not treating workers fairly. At least they were expecting that the arrears for the period under contention will be paid while other matters continued to be discussed. So to behave as if the workers were demanding salary advance was to overstretch the matter too far.
While some may wonder why ordinary railway workers should hold a nation to ransom, the management came out with revealing information. That, for every month that the railway workers were not on duty, the company lost US$900,000! If this information was to expose the railway workers as wicked and inconsiderate, it also brought to question, the managerial competence of the Ghana Railway Company. It also strengthened the case for the workers. If they could generate so much for the company every month through their toil and sweat, why can?t they be paid their meagre salaries?
While the verbal assaults of the parties were raging, the intervention of the National Labour Commission (NLC) was seen as welcome news. The attention of the NLC was, however, focused on the workers and the role of the management in the dispute was not brought into question. However, Mr. Austin Gamey, a leading conflict resolution expert and experienced person on labour issues did not colour his words. He said the management of GRC should bear the blame for not taking a proactive, strategic and bold decision at the right time when they saw the fortunes of the company dwindling. To him, therefore, the workers were making a legitimate demand and should not, therefore, suffer from the consequences of managerial lapses.
The NLC added fuel to an already volatile situation, when it mistakenly thought in such matters, legal threats are the best option by threatening the railway workers to court to compel them to go back to work. That was a bad move. Not that it made any impression on the striking workers any way. It rather infuriated them, compelling them to take a more militant position.
Mr. Gamey may not be alone in his assessment of the situation and his verdict. Many Ghanaians, if confronted with the subject are more than likely to share Mr. Gamey?s opinion. For far too long, workers have been made to face the brunt of managerial incompetence. People who do not deserve to call themselves managers, have found their way into managerial seats and ran down their organizations for as along as their patrons will allow them.
All our state institutions are collapsing before our eyes, not because Ghanaians cannot run their own affairs. The basic truth is that the wrong people are always the smartest when it comes to lobbying for big posts in the country. The few times that the good ones get there, they do not last because they will not want to play ball.
We should not be surprised to wake up tomorrow to hear that a foreign consultancy has been contracted to run the affairs of Ghana Railway Company. Ghana Airways is gone; Ghana Water Company and Ghana Telecommunications are struggling under foreign consultants. How many more are left to go?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
When great minds speak
By Kofi Akordor
I have great admiration for some of our traditional rulers. There may be more, but for the purpose of this article, I shall dwell on three. They are the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin II, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV. These are noble men who speak with conviction and address national issues impartially. These are men who will not sprawl before any politician for favour and, therefore, will say it as it should be said.
If Ghanaians will follow the admonitions and the practical examples set by these chiefs and others not mentioned here, this country will move forward instead of drifting in circles as it is doing now.
About two weeks ago, the Asantehene did not mince his words when the Vice-President in charge of AngloGold Ashanti’s operations in West Africa, Mr Christian Rampa Luhembwe, called on him at the Manhyia Palace. The Otumfuo used the opportunity to express his disappointment at the betrayal of trust and faith as exhibited by AngloGold Ashanti, when they were courting the acquisition of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC).
AngloGold, the South African investors at the time, made very tantalising promises, giving the impression that the Obuasi Mine was going to be transformed into a modern and flourishing one.
As the Otumfuo observed, nearly four years after the merger, the new owners have not done anything to near his personal expectations or that of Asanteman in general and definitely that of the nation as a whole.
How many of our leaders will confront the truth in such a blunt manner? The rape of AGC is just one example of how we have surrendered the wealth of our natural resources in the name of seeking foreign investment or due to our abundant faith in foreign expertise. The picture one sees at Obuasi does not reflect that of home of one of the richest gold mines in the world.
What some people choose to describe as illegal mining or galamsey has gained ascendancy because the unemployed youth of the mineral rich Obuasi and its environs have no other means of survival but to plunge into the bowels of the earth even at the peril of their lives seeking for the precious metal. The lifestyle of those who succeed proves that galamsey is a worthwhile venture.
Meanwhile, the mineral wealth of Obuasi and other mining areas continue to keep foreigners in opulence while a classroom block here and a toilet facility there are all that the communities benefit from their God-given treasures. Under the circumstance, defying the law and gambling for survival become the only option for the youth.
Not too long ago, we handed over the management of Ghana Telecommunications Company to a Malaysian consultancy. They fleeced us neat and dry and left with millions of dollars tucked under their armpits, leaving Ghana Telecom worse than they came to meet it. We did not learn any lessons, so we brought in the Norwegians believing that since they are Europeans, they will do better. The Norwegians came and milked us dry without meeting any of the targets set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The rest is history.
Still not able to overcome our dependency syndrome and inferiority complex we thought the best way to salvage our water system was to as usual look outwards. A South African company with roots in The Netherlands, Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL) was brought in about one and half years ago to the rescue. Today, if anything has changed, it is the more monies we are paying to the expatriates who have not proved better than Ghanaians. At the time of contracting these foreigners, many Ghanaians questioned the wisdom to bring in the so-called foreign experts to manage a system we have built and managed ourselves for years but who will go home with ridiculous salaries and consultancy fees. But no one listened. Soon after their arrival in 2006, Accra experienced one of its most painful water shortages.
In 2006, AVRL could be pardoned because they had just arrived. What about the current water shortage in Accra and its satellite towns? I have listened to officials of AVRL and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the full page adverts in the newspapers by the former on the water crisis.
In their explanation, AVRL said there already exists a deficit of 70 million gallons of water supply a day, since production at Weija and Kpong treatment plants total 82 million gallons a day as against demand of 150 million gallons a day. The long drought has also not helped matters.
Secondly, the two treatment plants at Weija and Kpong were closed down for repair works on February 26, 2008, the former for two-and-half hours and the latter, 18 hours.
Thirdly, on February 27, February 29 and March 1, 2008, there were a series of power interruptions at the two stations which affected water production and distribution.
According to the full page advert running in the major newspapers, AVRL’s contract “is limited to efficiently operating the infrastructure for urban water services, maintenance of water quality, billing and collection”.
If AVRL did not bring into the country any extra volumes of water; did not bring any standby generators in case of emergency; did not bring in foreign capital; have not built additional pipelines or expanded the existing ones and have not in any way contributed to the improvement of the system, but are only here to feed on the existing infrastructure and collect bills, then what is their strategic importance?
The GWCL and many other local companies can be managed efficiently if only our governments will pay little attention to faces and names and concentrate on quality and expertise, when appointing key management staff of our local companies.
AVRL has proved that they have nothing better to offer Ghanaians and what we need is the overhauling of the infrastructure of GWCL, not foreign debt collectors.
Since the water crisis, Ghanaians have been bombarded with a lot of rhetoric without much action. The latest is that 13 boreholes are to be sunk in Accra, the national capital, to feed distressed areas with water. We are hearing this less than a week after we have celebrated our 51st anniversary as an independent nation in pomp and pageantry.
This is where I got attracted to one of Osagyefuo Ofori Panin‘s wise observations when he said as Ghanaians, we like talking too much without translating what we say into action. The Okyenhene made that observation when he chaired a forum on dams in Accra about two weeks ago. Talking is good. After all, it eases tension. But how does it benefit us as a nation if we spend all our productive hours talking when we should be thinking, planning and executing meaningful programmes to change our fortunes? If mere talking could develop a nation, Ghana would have been one of the most developed nations in the world.
Our radio stations, in the name of freedom of speech, have become platforms for long and senseless arguments on matters which do not merit the time spent on them. Even where the subject matters are of national relevance, the discussions take such partisan angles, they lose their significance.
I wonder what times our political and their bureaucrats and technocrats sit down to think and act, since most of the time, they are addressing workshops and seminars, receiving various delegations or inspecting projects that never get completed.
Our ministers are always in the media attending one public function or another, where, as usual, they never get short of promises, while our problems as a nation continue to pile up. If they are not engaged in a public function then they are attending any of the endless meetings which do not bring results. The Okyenhene has spoken. We talk too much.
Many Ghanaians were aware of the efforts the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, made to bring a Chinese firm to the country for power generation. This was at a time the country was grappling with power rationing. Just when everything was ready and the Chinese engineers were here to comment business, a land that was lying fallow for years suddenly gained title and ready for a power project and factory envisaged many years ago.
Notwithstanding that setback, the Agbogbomefia is still pursuing his dream, thanks to a new plot released to the company by the traditional authorities of Kpone.
I started with these three great chiefs because of their industry, leadership qualities and their determination to leave behind legacies of success for the present generation and those yet unborn.
This nation, with its abundant resources, will surely change for the better if only those entrusted with power and responsibility will emulate the determination of these chiefs to see Ghana a better place, spend lesser time talking and holding meetings and to confront national issues with greater zeal so that this country will take concrete steps towards progress and development.
The performance of AVRL has also proved a point. Until we stop converting key public offices into ‘thank you’ gift parcels, we shall continue to see our salvations in the hands of foreigners. Our problems can only be solved by ourselves.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
I have great admiration for some of our traditional rulers. There may be more, but for the purpose of this article, I shall dwell on three. They are the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin II, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV. These are noble men who speak with conviction and address national issues impartially. These are men who will not sprawl before any politician for favour and, therefore, will say it as it should be said.
If Ghanaians will follow the admonitions and the practical examples set by these chiefs and others not mentioned here, this country will move forward instead of drifting in circles as it is doing now.
About two weeks ago, the Asantehene did not mince his words when the Vice-President in charge of AngloGold Ashanti’s operations in West Africa, Mr Christian Rampa Luhembwe, called on him at the Manhyia Palace. The Otumfuo used the opportunity to express his disappointment at the betrayal of trust and faith as exhibited by AngloGold Ashanti, when they were courting the acquisition of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC).
AngloGold, the South African investors at the time, made very tantalising promises, giving the impression that the Obuasi Mine was going to be transformed into a modern and flourishing one.
As the Otumfuo observed, nearly four years after the merger, the new owners have not done anything to near his personal expectations or that of Asanteman in general and definitely that of the nation as a whole.
How many of our leaders will confront the truth in such a blunt manner? The rape of AGC is just one example of how we have surrendered the wealth of our natural resources in the name of seeking foreign investment or due to our abundant faith in foreign expertise. The picture one sees at Obuasi does not reflect that of home of one of the richest gold mines in the world.
What some people choose to describe as illegal mining or galamsey has gained ascendancy because the unemployed youth of the mineral rich Obuasi and its environs have no other means of survival but to plunge into the bowels of the earth even at the peril of their lives seeking for the precious metal. The lifestyle of those who succeed proves that galamsey is a worthwhile venture.
Meanwhile, the mineral wealth of Obuasi and other mining areas continue to keep foreigners in opulence while a classroom block here and a toilet facility there are all that the communities benefit from their God-given treasures. Under the circumstance, defying the law and gambling for survival become the only option for the youth.
Not too long ago, we handed over the management of Ghana Telecommunications Company to a Malaysian consultancy. They fleeced us neat and dry and left with millions of dollars tucked under their armpits, leaving Ghana Telecom worse than they came to meet it. We did not learn any lessons, so we brought in the Norwegians believing that since they are Europeans, they will do better. The Norwegians came and milked us dry without meeting any of the targets set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The rest is history.
Still not able to overcome our dependency syndrome and inferiority complex we thought the best way to salvage our water system was to as usual look outwards. A South African company with roots in The Netherlands, Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL) was brought in about one and half years ago to the rescue. Today, if anything has changed, it is the more monies we are paying to the expatriates who have not proved better than Ghanaians. At the time of contracting these foreigners, many Ghanaians questioned the wisdom to bring in the so-called foreign experts to manage a system we have built and managed ourselves for years but who will go home with ridiculous salaries and consultancy fees. But no one listened. Soon after their arrival in 2006, Accra experienced one of its most painful water shortages.
In 2006, AVRL could be pardoned because they had just arrived. What about the current water shortage in Accra and its satellite towns? I have listened to officials of AVRL and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the full page adverts in the newspapers by the former on the water crisis.
In their explanation, AVRL said there already exists a deficit of 70 million gallons of water supply a day, since production at Weija and Kpong treatment plants total 82 million gallons a day as against demand of 150 million gallons a day. The long drought has also not helped matters.
Secondly, the two treatment plants at Weija and Kpong were closed down for repair works on February 26, 2008, the former for two-and-half hours and the latter, 18 hours.
Thirdly, on February 27, February 29 and March 1, 2008, there were a series of power interruptions at the two stations which affected water production and distribution.
According to the full page advert running in the major newspapers, AVRL’s contract “is limited to efficiently operating the infrastructure for urban water services, maintenance of water quality, billing and collection”.
If AVRL did not bring into the country any extra volumes of water; did not bring any standby generators in case of emergency; did not bring in foreign capital; have not built additional pipelines or expanded the existing ones and have not in any way contributed to the improvement of the system, but are only here to feed on the existing infrastructure and collect bills, then what is their strategic importance?
The GWCL and many other local companies can be managed efficiently if only our governments will pay little attention to faces and names and concentrate on quality and expertise, when appointing key management staff of our local companies.
AVRL has proved that they have nothing better to offer Ghanaians and what we need is the overhauling of the infrastructure of GWCL, not foreign debt collectors.
Since the water crisis, Ghanaians have been bombarded with a lot of rhetoric without much action. The latest is that 13 boreholes are to be sunk in Accra, the national capital, to feed distressed areas with water. We are hearing this less than a week after we have celebrated our 51st anniversary as an independent nation in pomp and pageantry.
This is where I got attracted to one of Osagyefuo Ofori Panin‘s wise observations when he said as Ghanaians, we like talking too much without translating what we say into action. The Okyenhene made that observation when he chaired a forum on dams in Accra about two weeks ago. Talking is good. After all, it eases tension. But how does it benefit us as a nation if we spend all our productive hours talking when we should be thinking, planning and executing meaningful programmes to change our fortunes? If mere talking could develop a nation, Ghana would have been one of the most developed nations in the world.
Our radio stations, in the name of freedom of speech, have become platforms for long and senseless arguments on matters which do not merit the time spent on them. Even where the subject matters are of national relevance, the discussions take such partisan angles, they lose their significance.
I wonder what times our political and their bureaucrats and technocrats sit down to think and act, since most of the time, they are addressing workshops and seminars, receiving various delegations or inspecting projects that never get completed.
Our ministers are always in the media attending one public function or another, where, as usual, they never get short of promises, while our problems as a nation continue to pile up. If they are not engaged in a public function then they are attending any of the endless meetings which do not bring results. The Okyenhene has spoken. We talk too much.
Many Ghanaians were aware of the efforts the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, made to bring a Chinese firm to the country for power generation. This was at a time the country was grappling with power rationing. Just when everything was ready and the Chinese engineers were here to comment business, a land that was lying fallow for years suddenly gained title and ready for a power project and factory envisaged many years ago.
Notwithstanding that setback, the Agbogbomefia is still pursuing his dream, thanks to a new plot released to the company by the traditional authorities of Kpone.
I started with these three great chiefs because of their industry, leadership qualities and their determination to leave behind legacies of success for the present generation and those yet unborn.
This nation, with its abundant resources, will surely change for the better if only those entrusted with power and responsibility will emulate the determination of these chiefs to see Ghana a better place, spend lesser time talking and holding meetings and to confront national issues with greater zeal so that this country will take concrete steps towards progress and development.
The performance of AVRL has also proved a point. Until we stop converting key public offices into ‘thank you’ gift parcels, we shall continue to see our salvations in the hands of foreigners. Our problems can only be solved by ourselves.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Monday, March 10, 2008
Even before the oil gushes out
By Kofi Akordor
FOR three days, from Monday, February 25, 2008 to Wednesday, February 27, 2008, the country hosted a forum on oil and gas in readiness for Ghana’s oil boom. It was addressed by very prominent Ghanaians and outsiders who are very conversant with the oil industry. They included Mr Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, the Speaker of Parliament; Odeneho Gyapong Ababio, the President of the National House of Chiefs; Nana Dr S.K.B. Asante, the Chairman of the Ghana Arbitration Centre, and Ms Joyce Aryee, the President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
Since the announcement of the discovery of oil in large quantities was made last year, the country has been gripped in some kind of excitement. Some may argue that we are being over-enthusiastic or rushing too much about the whole thing. But can we afford not to?
First, in the past we failed to utilise the vast wealth generated from our natural resources such as timber, gold, diamond and cocoa for any meaningful national development. The greater part of this wealth has gone to expatriate companies and their corrupt political collaborators. Whatever entered the national coffers was generally misused, misapplied or mismanaged. In short, we should have gone farther than where we are today with the resources at our disposal, without necessarily waiting for an oil discovery.
The discovery of oil in large volumes was seen by many as a second chance and, therefore, the nation must be on red alert to ensure that this time we are not rendered the losers. We know oil means wealth, but when its production, distribution and revenue management fall into the wrong hands, the result will be death.
Ghana also has the fine opportunity of learning from the mistakes of other countries who made their oil discovery a gloom instead of a boom and to avoid the pitfalls associated with uncontrolled massive inflow of oil cash.
For the three days, speaker after speaker hammered almost on the same things. They all stressed the need for transparency in all things connected with the oil business — from the signing of oil drilling agreements to the equitable sharing of the money accruing from the sale of the oil.
They also stressed the need for vigilance. Oil business is not as straight as people would want it. At every turn there are bottlenecks, corrupt politicians, corporate vampires and downright crooks, all scheming to harvest undue profit or make illegal money. The giant multinational oil companies have a way of siphoning oil wealth from producing countries, especially where these countries have very little knowledge in oil technology and the complexities associated with the oil and gas business. When these oil companies find accommodation with corrupt politicians, then oil becomes a curse, instead of a blessing.
From far away Norway, its Minister of Environment and International Development, Mr Erik Solheim, warned the government about the type of agreements it entered into with oil companies so that the country could derive full benefits from the oil discovery. He even went further to suggest the setting up of a special tax to take care of education, health and other priority areas. Towards that direction, Ms Aryee also cautioned against the mistakes of the past which made it impossible for the nation to derive maximum benefits from its mineral wealth.
Another important issue dwelt on was fairness. The sharing of royalties from the exploitation of every natural resource is always a contentious issue. It is because the royalties are not considered adequate enough, there are different claimants to such royalties or they are misused by traditional and local authorities.
In Ghana, we are not going to run from some of these conflicts, no matter how hard we try. Already, some prominent people in the Nzema area of the Western Region, including three Members of Parliament have started agitating for the proper demarcation of the geographical location of the oil find, obviously in readiness for the expected royalty windfalls. That is an indication that sooner than later, there will be agitation from some traditional authorities pressing for royalties and so the earlier we gird our loins to confront the realities on the ground, the better.
Apart from the sharing of royalties, communities close to the drilling operations need to have their fair share of development projects. The story of Obuasi and other mining towns is very pathetic, taking into consideration the wealth that these communities have generated for the comfort of others far away from the pollution and environmental hazards left behind through mining activities.
The conflict in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is mainly the result of the neglect and squalor the communities in those areas have to suffer because of drilling operations. The tendency of investing all our national wealth in Accra and a few towns, at the expense of the rest of the country, should be discarded and a holistic approach adopted. The first beneficiaries of a new development strategy should, of course, be the communities who are going to face the side effects of the oil operations.
Oil and gas are both very volatile. Like electricity, they can give us light and energy, which are essential for human survival. But that is when they are used positively. As to whether this oil discovery is going to be a blessing or a curse is a choice we have to make as a nation.
For the records
In last week’s Kofi Annan proves a point, we published that the date for Kenya’s controversial polls was December 27, 2008. The actual date was December 27, 2007. The error is regretted.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
FOR three days, from Monday, February 25, 2008 to Wednesday, February 27, 2008, the country hosted a forum on oil and gas in readiness for Ghana’s oil boom. It was addressed by very prominent Ghanaians and outsiders who are very conversant with the oil industry. They included Mr Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, the Speaker of Parliament; Odeneho Gyapong Ababio, the President of the National House of Chiefs; Nana Dr S.K.B. Asante, the Chairman of the Ghana Arbitration Centre, and Ms Joyce Aryee, the President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
Since the announcement of the discovery of oil in large quantities was made last year, the country has been gripped in some kind of excitement. Some may argue that we are being over-enthusiastic or rushing too much about the whole thing. But can we afford not to?
First, in the past we failed to utilise the vast wealth generated from our natural resources such as timber, gold, diamond and cocoa for any meaningful national development. The greater part of this wealth has gone to expatriate companies and their corrupt political collaborators. Whatever entered the national coffers was generally misused, misapplied or mismanaged. In short, we should have gone farther than where we are today with the resources at our disposal, without necessarily waiting for an oil discovery.
The discovery of oil in large volumes was seen by many as a second chance and, therefore, the nation must be on red alert to ensure that this time we are not rendered the losers. We know oil means wealth, but when its production, distribution and revenue management fall into the wrong hands, the result will be death.
Ghana also has the fine opportunity of learning from the mistakes of other countries who made their oil discovery a gloom instead of a boom and to avoid the pitfalls associated with uncontrolled massive inflow of oil cash.
For the three days, speaker after speaker hammered almost on the same things. They all stressed the need for transparency in all things connected with the oil business — from the signing of oil drilling agreements to the equitable sharing of the money accruing from the sale of the oil.
They also stressed the need for vigilance. Oil business is not as straight as people would want it. At every turn there are bottlenecks, corrupt politicians, corporate vampires and downright crooks, all scheming to harvest undue profit or make illegal money. The giant multinational oil companies have a way of siphoning oil wealth from producing countries, especially where these countries have very little knowledge in oil technology and the complexities associated with the oil and gas business. When these oil companies find accommodation with corrupt politicians, then oil becomes a curse, instead of a blessing.
From far away Norway, its Minister of Environment and International Development, Mr Erik Solheim, warned the government about the type of agreements it entered into with oil companies so that the country could derive full benefits from the oil discovery. He even went further to suggest the setting up of a special tax to take care of education, health and other priority areas. Towards that direction, Ms Aryee also cautioned against the mistakes of the past which made it impossible for the nation to derive maximum benefits from its mineral wealth.
Another important issue dwelt on was fairness. The sharing of royalties from the exploitation of every natural resource is always a contentious issue. It is because the royalties are not considered adequate enough, there are different claimants to such royalties or they are misused by traditional and local authorities.
In Ghana, we are not going to run from some of these conflicts, no matter how hard we try. Already, some prominent people in the Nzema area of the Western Region, including three Members of Parliament have started agitating for the proper demarcation of the geographical location of the oil find, obviously in readiness for the expected royalty windfalls. That is an indication that sooner than later, there will be agitation from some traditional authorities pressing for royalties and so the earlier we gird our loins to confront the realities on the ground, the better.
Apart from the sharing of royalties, communities close to the drilling operations need to have their fair share of development projects. The story of Obuasi and other mining towns is very pathetic, taking into consideration the wealth that these communities have generated for the comfort of others far away from the pollution and environmental hazards left behind through mining activities.
The conflict in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is mainly the result of the neglect and squalor the communities in those areas have to suffer because of drilling operations. The tendency of investing all our national wealth in Accra and a few towns, at the expense of the rest of the country, should be discarded and a holistic approach adopted. The first beneficiaries of a new development strategy should, of course, be the communities who are going to face the side effects of the oil operations.
Oil and gas are both very volatile. Like electricity, they can give us light and energy, which are essential for human survival. But that is when they are used positively. As to whether this oil discovery is going to be a blessing or a curse is a choice we have to make as a nation.
For the records
In last week’s Kofi Annan proves a point, we published that the date for Kenya’s controversial polls was December 27, 2008. The actual date was December 27, 2007. The error is regretted.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Monday, March 3, 2008
Kofi Annan proves a point
Kofi Annan proves a point
By Kofi Akordor
AT first it appeared impossible, following the contempt with which the peace overtures of the African Union (AU) were treated. At one stage the peacemaker, out of frustration, threatened to withdraw if the two factions would not shift from their entrenched positions.
The AU Chairman at the time, President J.A. Kufuor of Ghana, was virtually an unwelcome guest when he attempted to respond to the conflict which was looming soon after the declaration of President Mwai Kibaki as the winner of the December 27, 2008 polls in Kenya.
The doors of carnage were opened and machete, gun, bow and arrow-wielding youth went on the rampage and, within days, hundreds were dead, with many more left injured and others in their thousands had to scamper to safety in neighbouring Uganda.
At the last count, more than 1,300 Kenyans were declared dead, while 600,000 others were displaced and had to seek refuge in camps in Kenya and Uganda. That was the outcome of a poll whose result was highly disputed, with ethnic and political sentiments bubbling over.
While all these were happening, the West, as usual, with no life and wealth at stake, were murmuring some weak appeals in the background, with threats of withdrawing aid, which did not make any impression on the combatants. They were silent on the generally held belief that Kibaki won the election fraudulently because he was not their target man. Hell would have come down if something close to what happened in Kenya had been reported in Zimbabwe.
The entry of Mr Kofi Annan, the Immediate Past Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), in the peace-making process raised hopes for obvious reasons. Mr Annan’s stature as a seasoned international diplomat and statesman was not in dispute. That, coupled with the fact that he is a principled and peace-loving man, gave many Africans the hope that if anyone was in a position to bring peace to Kenya, that person should be Mr Annan.
After more than three weeks of protracted and sometimes acrimonious negotiations, Kenya’s rival politicians finally signed a peace agreement on Thursday, February 28, 2008 to end the post-election conflict which had reduced the once peaceful and healthy country which was the pride of acontinent full of conflicts to shambles, with wounds that will take many years to heal.
Under the peace deal, there will be a coalition government formed by Kibaki, who remains President, and Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, who assumes the newly-created position of Prime Minister.
The most important thing, however, is that Mr Annan has proved a case and has once more established a point: That Africans are capable of solving their problems and that only they can be their own saviours and redeemers.
The Americans, who were shouting from a distance, suddenly found their voices, and with abundant money to spare, pledged US$25 million in humanitarian aid to sustain the peace effort. That effort should be commended, but what will US$25 million do to a people at one another’s throat? In other words, there can only be room for sharing that money after peace has been restored. However, in the heat of events, the Americans and Europeans were not ready to show their face once oil or some other natural resource that is of strategic importance was not at stake.
It happened in Liberia. For more than 14 years West African countries, led by Ghana and Nigeria, had to squeeze limited resources to bring peace to that war-ravaged country. The contribution of the international community was very minimal. The same was the situation in Sierra Leone. If ECOWAS countries had abandoned their neighbours in the two countries and placed all their hope in the Americans and the Europeans, those two countries would still be at war today.
Ironically, but not strangely, soon after ECOWAS was able to broker a peace deal for Liberia, under which the then President Charles Taylor vacated the Executive Mansion in Monrovia and took refuge in Nigeria to end the war, America and its allies in Europe wore their battle dress on human rights abuse and crimes against humanity.
Today, thanks to the machination and intrigues of America and its European allies, Charles Taylor is on trial in The Hague, The Netherlands. America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which have sent hundreds of thousands to their premature graves are hailed as wars against terror, whatever that means.
The conflict in the Darfur region in The Sudan has been raging for five years now without any sign of ending. America’s solution only starts and ends on the corridors of the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 have been declared dead and millions displaced and living in horrible conditions.
Other conflict regions desperately in need of solution include Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea and Somalia. Kenya is just another demonstration of the fact that foreign intervention can only augment what Africans can do for themselves. It can never be the main solution.
Kenya is also a reminder that political opportunism should not be allowed to destabilise our national equilibrium. The determination of a few people to attain or remain in power through any means is a threat to peace, stability and progress on the continent and it should be fought and crashed at all cost.
By Kofi Akordor
AT first it appeared impossible, following the contempt with which the peace overtures of the African Union (AU) were treated. At one stage the peacemaker, out of frustration, threatened to withdraw if the two factions would not shift from their entrenched positions.
The AU Chairman at the time, President J.A. Kufuor of Ghana, was virtually an unwelcome guest when he attempted to respond to the conflict which was looming soon after the declaration of President Mwai Kibaki as the winner of the December 27, 2008 polls in Kenya.
The doors of carnage were opened and machete, gun, bow and arrow-wielding youth went on the rampage and, within days, hundreds were dead, with many more left injured and others in their thousands had to scamper to safety in neighbouring Uganda.
At the last count, more than 1,300 Kenyans were declared dead, while 600,000 others were displaced and had to seek refuge in camps in Kenya and Uganda. That was the outcome of a poll whose result was highly disputed, with ethnic and political sentiments bubbling over.
While all these were happening, the West, as usual, with no life and wealth at stake, were murmuring some weak appeals in the background, with threats of withdrawing aid, which did not make any impression on the combatants. They were silent on the generally held belief that Kibaki won the election fraudulently because he was not their target man. Hell would have come down if something close to what happened in Kenya had been reported in Zimbabwe.
The entry of Mr Kofi Annan, the Immediate Past Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), in the peace-making process raised hopes for obvious reasons. Mr Annan’s stature as a seasoned international diplomat and statesman was not in dispute. That, coupled with the fact that he is a principled and peace-loving man, gave many Africans the hope that if anyone was in a position to bring peace to Kenya, that person should be Mr Annan.
After more than three weeks of protracted and sometimes acrimonious negotiations, Kenya’s rival politicians finally signed a peace agreement on Thursday, February 28, 2008 to end the post-election conflict which had reduced the once peaceful and healthy country which was the pride of acontinent full of conflicts to shambles, with wounds that will take many years to heal.
Under the peace deal, there will be a coalition government formed by Kibaki, who remains President, and Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, who assumes the newly-created position of Prime Minister.
The most important thing, however, is that Mr Annan has proved a case and has once more established a point: That Africans are capable of solving their problems and that only they can be their own saviours and redeemers.
The Americans, who were shouting from a distance, suddenly found their voices, and with abundant money to spare, pledged US$25 million in humanitarian aid to sustain the peace effort. That effort should be commended, but what will US$25 million do to a people at one another’s throat? In other words, there can only be room for sharing that money after peace has been restored. However, in the heat of events, the Americans and Europeans were not ready to show their face once oil or some other natural resource that is of strategic importance was not at stake.
It happened in Liberia. For more than 14 years West African countries, led by Ghana and Nigeria, had to squeeze limited resources to bring peace to that war-ravaged country. The contribution of the international community was very minimal. The same was the situation in Sierra Leone. If ECOWAS countries had abandoned their neighbours in the two countries and placed all their hope in the Americans and the Europeans, those two countries would still be at war today.
Ironically, but not strangely, soon after ECOWAS was able to broker a peace deal for Liberia, under which the then President Charles Taylor vacated the Executive Mansion in Monrovia and took refuge in Nigeria to end the war, America and its allies in Europe wore their battle dress on human rights abuse and crimes against humanity.
Today, thanks to the machination and intrigues of America and its European allies, Charles Taylor is on trial in The Hague, The Netherlands. America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which have sent hundreds of thousands to their premature graves are hailed as wars against terror, whatever that means.
The conflict in the Darfur region in The Sudan has been raging for five years now without any sign of ending. America’s solution only starts and ends on the corridors of the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 have been declared dead and millions displaced and living in horrible conditions.
Other conflict regions desperately in need of solution include Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea and Somalia. Kenya is just another demonstration of the fact that foreign intervention can only augment what Africans can do for themselves. It can never be the main solution.
Kenya is also a reminder that political opportunism should not be allowed to destabilise our national equilibrium. The determination of a few people to attain or remain in power through any means is a threat to peace, stability and progress on the continent and it should be fought and crashed at all cost.
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