Ghana Making Big Losses On Oil Lifted So Far.

By Kwawukume, Solomon



GHANA LOST US$626,165,004 FOR NOT ADOPTING PRODUCTION SHARING AGREEMENT, AND US$412,696,398.00 UNDER ROYALTY TAX SYSTEMS for recent oil liftings it made!

On Monday, November 21, 2011 the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning published the Petroleum Receipts and Distribution Report for the period ending 30th September,2011 and cursory look and analysis of the report should send shivers down the spine of Ghanaians, because the report portrays the worst of things to come.

Unfortunately, most Ghanaians and even the most learned do not have the time, analytical mind and knowledge to properly evaluate these figures and draw conclusions for themselves. For proper understanding and discussion, I intend to prove my assertion that Ghana lost heavily at the end of the third quarter 30th September, 2011 under the Royalty Tax System Ghana has adopted.

Below is a reproduction of a part of the report which I intend to use for my analysis

There have been three liftings of oil by GOG/GNPC and its partners in the first three quarters of 2011. Receipts from all three liftings are included in the Table below:

Srn Item Unit Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4
1 Total volume of Lift Barrels 4,627,701 5,970,237 6,966,962 17,564,900
2 o/w GOG/GNPC Barrels 995,259 994,691 990,770 2,980,720
3 o/w Partners Barrels 3,632,442 4,975,546 5,976,192 14,584,180
4 GOG/GNPC Lift 1st 2ND 3rd
5 Date of GOG/ GNPC Lift d/m/y 9th March,2011 25TH June,2011 3rd August, 2011
6 Reference Price per barrel US$ 112.604 115.476 110.37
7 Market Price per barrel US$ 112.804 116.276 110.67
8 Marketing Cost per barrel US$ 0.08 0.08 0.08
9 Gross Receipt from GOG/ GNPC Lifting* US$ 112,189,575.52 115,579,115.44 109,569,254.30 337,337,945.26
10 o/w Royalties US$ 31,055,938.00 31,994,219.00 30,330,589.00 93,380,746.00
11 o/w Carried & participating Interest US$ 81,133637.52 83,584,896.44 79,238,665.30 243,957,199.29

Also needed for my analysis is the GNPC publication of 10th July, 2008 which gave total State shares as 38209 barrels out of every 100,000 barrels produced. The breakdown is as follows. Royalty 5% = 5000 barrels, Carried Interest 10% = 8500 barrels+, Additional Interest 3.75%=2475 barrels,+ Corporate Tax 35%=22,234 barrels.+
+Note: Production Cost = 10,000 barrels per day, Development Cost Recovery = 10,500 barrels per day taken into account reduced total barrels due to Ghana. These worked out to represent 38.20 effective percentage shares to the state. Posted price per Barrel = US$60.00.


Firstly, a quick glance through the report immediately tells you that something has gone wrong.

While volume of lift is increasing, GOG/GNPC shares remain constant; indeed rather showed slight decreases.

There were 29% and 50% increases in volume over the Quarter 1 in Quarter 2 and Quarter 3 respectively. Logically, it stands to reason that as volume of lift increases over the period, GOG/GNPC volume of lift should also show corresponding increases but not to remain constant. GOG/GNPC volume of lift has been understated by 601,978 barrels valued US$ 66,620,905.30.

Ghanaians need explanation to this abnormal situation which defies any mathematical logic from the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, GNPC and Minister of Energy.
Is there any thing Ghanaians do not know which accounted for this situation? What went wrong?

Secondly, applying the parameters published by GNPC to the total volume of lift of 17,564,900 barrels so far produced and sold Ghana should have received a total of 6,709,792 barrels representing 38.20% but only had 2,980,720 barrels representing 16.96% made up of Royalties, carried and participation interests.

Ghanaians would like to know the level of GOG participating Interest for a proper understanding, evaluation and assessment of the report.

Was there a change in the formula for computing total state shares published by GNPC on 10th July 2008?

What is missing from the report is Corporate Income Taxes of 22,234 barrels which is built up into the 38,209 barrels as total State share out of every 100,000 barrels under the Royalty Tax System.

The long formula for working out the total State shares was formulated and devised by the foreign oil companies. I am surprised they are now going back on it, holding the country to ransom and flexing their muscles not to honour what they themselves came up with.

Ghana is being denied the built up tax element of 3,729,072 barrels that has accrued so far, and by direct implications windfalls valued at US$ 189,063,950.00 Ghana was expected to earn from it. The total value Ghana lost, however is US$ 412,696,398.00,
due to manipulation of the formula by the FOCs to their advantage. The argument the FOCs are putting up, though it is true, is Corporate Taxes are only paid on taxable profits after the final accounts are prepared. But, in this case Corporate Taxes were computed and designated in barrels of oil as an exception to the rule, to forestall future disputes over Corporate Tax settlements. Settlements of Corporate Taxes take up, two to three years or more to conclude if a dispute should arise, which from hindsight would be happening. These are major problems associated with the Royalty Tax system. Some fellow Ghanaians are out supporting them out of ignorance. Ghana is being short changed.

Thirdly, if Ghana had adopted the Production Sharing Agreement and applying the GNPC parameters to the total volume of lift of 17,564,900 barrels, Ghana would have received a total of 8,729,754 barrels made of up of Royalties 878,245 barrels and profit oil - 7,851,509 barrels all valued at US$ 963,502,949 as against the US$ 337,337,945.26 received under the Royalty Tax System during the period ending 30th September, 2011.

Those who called me fake, when I first announced to the world that Ghana was to receive 38.20% shares which I found not equitable in March, 2010 should now tell Ghanaians, what Ghana is expected to receive in the wake of these manipulations. Is it the 42.20% or the 53.75% they claimed? The great mathematicians from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology must now be called upon to work out the true figure, as threatened by a high official of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in March 2010, when I called upon him to discuss the oil revenue sharing issues with him, after the conference at the Accra International Conference Centre on 21st March, 2010.

Fellow Ghanaians, the morning shows the day.
This marks the beginning of the exploitation of another valuable natural resources of ours once more, by the British and the U.S.A with the connivance and compliance of some local leaders, just as they did to gold and other minerals for several decades – not to mention the valuable human cargo our ancestors supplied to them less than two centuries back - to the detriment of our country and which is still going on, that we have been complaining about every passing day. Do we have to sit down and cross our legs and fold our arms helplessly? Ghanaians, it is time we demand a fair and equitable share of our natural resources. It is not late yet.

Ghanaians wake up!!!

By: SOLOMON KWAWUKUME
Solomon.kwawukume@yahoo.com

Chinese Money, The New Safety Net

By Sydney Casely-Hayford, Sydney@bizghana.com


Two weeks on 11th December, I made the argument that Government had no choice than to raise fuel prices.
http://thenewghanaian.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/expect-fuel-price-hike-soon/ I also said this would happen after Christmas or in the New Year and I predicted at least a 15% hike. I was spot on. December 29th, Government announced 15% increases in petroleum prices, except for Kerosene and Premix. Both these subsidized fuels are “political fuels” used to stave off the inevitable rebellion by the poor but radical fisher folk.

But leaving Kerosene price intact is a conundrum. There is hardly any kerosene on the market at all, yet large quantities are delivered to the retail stations every week. There is a suspected cartel that purchases the bulk of the kerosene, blends it and offers it to the trucks as a substitute for diesel fuel. It makes a lot of economic sense and takes advantage of Government’s subsidy largesse. It also makes a lot of business sense to the micro “kioskenomics” traders to switch from a commodity that is often scarce and more expensive than renewable Chinese solar lanterns, available on any corner in the night markets. This is the new substitute product and one that has reduced dependency on Kerosene. If government does its analysis properly, it should be subsidizing the Chinese lanterns. Fortunately, they are cheap enough, even though they need to be replaced every month. But it is a ghc15 replacement and it does not make good economic sense to keep the Kerosene subsidy.

Somewhere in Government, someone must have made the impact assessment and decided to take the chance. When you increase fuel prices twice in a year, 30% in January and 15% in December, you must gauge the political fallout in an election year, against the alternative benefit of accelerated infrastructure development and economic advantages to voters.

You could also be faced with such limited choice that you take the “damned if I do and damned if I don’t” option and bite the bullet. After its 5th IMF (International Monetary Fund) review, Government must have accepted the quid pro quo and agreed to remove the subsidies in exchange for the IMF to agree to nonconcessional borrowing. With hindsight, the literature is now clear from IMF press release no. 11/469 issued on 14th December 2011 after the review.

In paragraph 7, the IMF gives a tacit nod for further borrowing.

“The government’s plans for scaling up critical infrastructure investments translate into significant financing needs. While the debt sustainability analysis suggests scope for higher non-concessional borrowing, and some of the planned projects promise significant returns, a further strengthening of debt management and project appraisal capacities is critical to keep the debt burden manageable.”

Then in paragraph 8 it makes the condition for fuel price increase and further upward adjustments in the future.

“While energy pricing has improved, decisive action is needed to tackle the reemergence of costly and poorly targeted subsidies on petroleum products. Following an initial increase, maintenance of prices at cost-recovery levels will be essential.” From this, my interpretation is that Government “sold out” its fuel poverty alleviation safety net in exchange for the Chinese loan. I mentioned this in my previous article and I reiterate that even though Government cannot afford to continue to subsidise fuel at $540million a year, the bigger prize was to secure the $3billion loan. On this score, Social Democracy has taken a backseat for now.

The unanswered question is why kerosene and pre-mix were not adjusted. Questions at stake. Did the IMF bend slightly sideways and allow this Government to keep Kerosene and Pre-mix unscathed? Or has Government not fully made good its promise to lift all subsidies? Or are we going to see a further adjustment in these “social fuels” later in the year?

All indications are that an NPP Government will not turn to the IMF. Could it be that the IMF is willing to look sideways to entrench its protégé? In its 2012 budget, Government planned ghc1.15billion spend from fifty-two “priority intervention programs”. Of these, fifteen projects could easily be private/public sector arrangements, which would suit Government better and keep its wallet heavier, and some of them need not be supported at all. Cuban Medical Brigade, LESDEP, Sanitation Guards, CDB Loan Matching funds, as examples.

Government’s gamble is that it can turn the Chinese $3billion loan into visible infrastructure gains before election fever takes grip. For a risk-averse Minister of Finance such as we have, the decision to give up the subsidies smacks of a political “over-ride”.

It is a Government’s prerogative to decide what safety nets it wants to keep, but I am for removing all except absolutely essential safety nets, provided we convert the value of the subsidies into useful projects to encourage economic development.

Time is not on the Government’s side. It has at most six months to develop any major program and short of giving out envelopes to citizens, there is very little chance that it can turn this into a political game-changer. Besides, the Chinese contract is fraught with complicated procedures and the opposition is poised to review the contract and certainly challenge the feasibility and pre-conditions of projects and loan utilization in Parliament. So the die is cast and the Government has made its choice. The Chinese $3billion facility is now the means to salvage a political future, substituting a major poverty safety net.

Whether the Government can spin this well enough to stay another four-year term will be determined in the first week of December 2012.

Ghana Is A Mortgaged Nation

by Edusei, Eric K.


The political pendulum in Ghana is tilting in the wrong direction and it has reached a point of no surprises. There is real madness in Ghana today, a staggering trend that circumvents the perception by Dr Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory that ‘the African, when giving the chance is capable of handling his own affairs’. In today’s Ghana, honesty, patriotism and truthfulness have no relevance as the nation is consumed with high level corruption and greed. Sadly to say, it is all about one’s self, his family and the political party he or she belongs, and the citizens can go to hell. Corruption is on top gear among politicians and the civil servants who are the worse culprits. The emerging scandalous events are not just pathetic and despicable but preposterous and amazing. The recent revelation about the disbursement of C520,000.00 billion to Mr Woyome is so frightening that it leaves me to question the thinking and believes of our leaders today, most of who are arrogant, despicable and corrupt. It is disheartening to realize that our nation has no agenda, no philosophy and no direction. We are terribly mismanaged, and everything is senseless and meaningless as people thrive in deprivation in the midst of plenty! What a nation.
Ghana is a crazy country. How come that an amount of C520 billion cedis could be paid to an individual (Mr Wayome ) without the knowledge of the sitting president although the Chief of Staff was reportedly informed per copy of payment authorization ? This staggering amount is even greater than funds allocated to some of the small ministries under the national budget projections. If President Mills indeed did not know about this astounding deal as alleged then it confirms the speculation that he is not in control of the governmental machinery. However, if he had prior knowledge about the deal, then as a law professor, what was his take on the issue under reference? Mr President, nobody is saying that the state cannot be sued because if it makes a mistake and breaches someone’s rights, the person or company can take the nation to task. What beats the imagination of the citizenry is the modus operandi about the superman, Mr Woyome and his resurrection from nowhere to demand and receive NC52 million cedis. The government of Ghana deals with corporate bodies and one expects the like to sue as and when feasible. If the Government of Ghana contracts with Waterville Company, how does somebody like John Doe(Mr Wayome) sue for redress under the same contract. Is Waterville Company ( a legal body which can sue and be sued) the same as Mr Woyome(another legal body) ? This is amazing, however, when people conspire to perpetuate crime they lose their basic bearings, their sense of self as they are driven by greed. It is therefore not surprising that intelligent people can so soon forget their basic knowledge about the laws on contracts.
Mr President, as a law professor, you know that parties to a conditions precedent contract which was the case between the state and Waterville Company cannot ask parties to perform if the contingent condition (financing) is not removed (satisfied). This is a simple and straight forward case which culminated in the abrogation of the contract because the stadia have to be ready for games (the CAN 2008 Games) and there was no room for excuses as it was time related. What would have happened if we had not prepared the stadia for the games as a result of the inefficiencies of Waterville Co Ltd and other companies? Let us be objective for once and speak the truth Mr President, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, the former Ag is bad news for the nation for doing something which is not defendable.
Mr President, as my leader, I expect you to understand our history and the philosophies of your party. Barely 32 years ago, some concerned people took arms to liberate this nation from corruption and greed, and they libeled it “A Revolution”. Some people lost their lives and properties while others went through a great deal of pains, all in lieu of creating a responsible society devoid of insatiability and dishonesty. After all these years, what are we witnessing from the NDC Administration, the off spring of the PNDC? The same followers of the concerned people who sought to ensure change have assumed the responsibility of restoring the old order of greed, arrogance and corruption. As an insult to the philosophies and believes of the party, the NDC gurus involved in the scandal choose to commit the greatest crime of our history on the very day their mother organization resurrected( 4th June) to curb corruption and ensure accountability. The General Secretary of the NDC Party in displaying arrogance had the nerves to call it foolish in answering questions relating to the so called $20 million party office. The emerging politics of insult, display of arrogance and corruption is endemic at all levels. It is really funny in Africa when weighing power and governance which explains why people like President Rawlings make a coup which historically have derailed our economic development. I thank God for being alive to witness today’s events in view of all the sacrifices made by Ghanaians and I am waiting for a statement by former President Rawlings in relation to the Woyomegate.
Mr President, your integrity is at stake and you have to come clean on this disturbing case. There are a lot of questions that have to be answered as our president and we demand that as citizens. How can our nation which is battling with cash flow evolve c520 billion to pay Mr Woyome in 3month against courts order? Who does Mr Barton-Odro work for, the state or Mr Woyome? Since the Chief of Staff was supposedly informed, did he relay the info to you? Why it is that no NPP functionary was questioned since they initiated the original contract on behalf of the government of Ghana? Mr President, if you were informed about the payment, were you briefed about the modus operandi? This amount is no chicken feed since it is even more than the grant allocated to some of the small ministries in Ghana. When former President Rawlings made a statement about ‘greedy bustards’, many people questioned his moral authority without knowing that he has access to intelligence reports by nature of his position and could have even heard about this crime. I personally do not blame some of the arrogant NDC functionaries for their elapses because many were born after the 31st DEC REVOLUTION, they do not know their history and many are in the party for their own bite. Most people do not understand why NDC emerged as an alternate party to NPP and CPP during the 2008 election and their failure to identify the related reasons will send them back to opposition. They have lost their sense of self and need to go back into opposition for reformation (learn).
The leadership has definitely lost direction and it will help them and our democracy to relinquished power, go back into opposition, re-align the party by inculcating its philosophies in their new followers and seek for re-election. President Mills executive presidency has been a nightmare for our democracy, he pretends to have control over the governmental machinery but developments in Ghana defines all the loud noises we hear daily on our airways and what we read from print media. Our nation today is engulfed by land issues, the Chinese nationals have ransacked the nation with impunity illegally destroying our lands, our cities are not planned, corruption is on the ascendency especially in our governmental machinery, high cost of living increasing the poverty levels, our local markets are now dominated by the Chinese nationals, no national policy on education etc. We have to remember that great nations like United States of America works because they believe in themselves, their philosophies and history. What is the correlation between our nation and the citizenry? It is simple, each one for him or herself God for us all. This is sad and very pathetic. We have no identity, no direction, and no philosophies. Some of our sitting MP’s do not even know our national anthem because they do not believe in our national course if any. Our path to national reconstruction is very ragged and disturbing but we can get to the promise land with an effective and selfless leadership.
Our leaders (political and civil) should remember to weigh their decisions and actions because most of our people are really suffering. There is serious poverty all over in Ghana and people have become immune to their hardships. People see hopelessness with pain written on their faces. Many struggle to make ends meet; our mothers, working teenagers, the handicapped, disadvantaged and the deprived. It is therefore preposterous to allow few greedy sharks to take the nation to ransom. We are talking about 520( five hundred and twenty) billion cedis in a country where most people earn less than 2 (two)million a month. Let us protect our democracy, Mr President, by doing the right things for our own good because this case will bring no peace unless it is well resolved. Countrymen and women of Ghanaian origin, I speak for the suffering souls in our country and not for any political party. It is time for us as a people to tell our leaders the hard facts and not just succumb to their predictions. They have for far too long taken us for a ride and it is payback time. I call on all well meaning Ghanaians of our respective political groupings to end their blind-eye politics, and fight for Mother Ghana instead of kowtowing to some of the greedy and corrupt politicians who parade in the corridors of power for their own selfish needs. Our democracy will grow only when we begin to question the deeds and actions of our leaders, for that is the only way to know their philosophies. Happy New Year.
ERIC K EDUSEI, VA .USA.

MTN sabotaging NPP fundraising efforts

By Nana Obeng-Danquah



Information reaching the New Statesman indicates that MTN, Ghana’s largest mobile telecommunications service provider, has over a year engaged in deliberate and calculated attempts to thwart the opposition New Patriotic Party’s efforts to acquire an SMS “short code” to serve as a means of raising funds in the run-up to the 2012 elections.

Since February 2010, the leadership of the NPP has engaged the various mobile telecommunications companies in a series of meetings to obtain a dedicated short-code to enable party members pay their dues as well as serving as a platform for members and the general public alike to contribute towards the party’s quest of winning election 2012.

Tigo, Airtel, Expresso, and until recently Vodafone, have agreed to the NPP’s request of obtaining “2012” as its short-code for its stated purposes.

However, MTN has still refused to co-operate with the party in approving the use of the “2012” short-code.

Initially, management of MTN did not mince words as they told the party categorically that it could not give that specific SMS short-code to the party.

“The chairman of the NPP, Jake Obestsebi-Lamptey, protested against this decision and prevailed on the Board of Directors of MTN to give accent to this request and the earlier decision was rescinded, thus paving the way for the acquisition of the SMS short-code from MTN,” our source at the NPP headquarters disclosed.

However, two months after accent was given by the Board, MTN now insists that the NPP will have to sign an undertaking with the ruling National Democratic Congress before the SMS code would be released to the party.

The undertaking, being proposed by MTN, will be for the NPP to agree to “share the short-code” with the NDC before this code will be activated for the NPP to use.

Meanwhile, investigations carried out by the New Statesman indicate that the NDC has not made any proposal to MTN for such a short code.

“Isn’t it humiliating and absurd? This is an insult and we believe there are some elements at the MTN who are doing this to frustrate the party,” a source within the NPP lamented.

Initially, Vodafone was also said to have issued a similar proposal which was vehemently rejected by the leadership of the NPP. Reason prevailed and Vodafone agreed to the acquisition of “2012” short-code by the NPP.

Accordingly, the NPP has decided that with or without the involvement of MTN, the party will go ahead with the launch of the SMS short-code service geared towards creating a convenient platform for party members, sympathisers and the general public to contribute towards the cause of the NPP in the 2012 elections.

Our source further indicated that the party would advise all of its members to port from MTN to other networks so as to enable them contribute their widows might to the NPP, assuming MTN remains adamant in not releasing the 2012 short-code to the NPP.

Seeking the thoughts of NPP vice chairman, Fred Oware, he stated that the NPP is still hopeful of acquiring the short-code from MTN before the party launches the service sometime before the end of this year.

According to him, “Lots of Ghanaians want to contribute to the NPP because they believe in the party and the flag bearer’s vision for the country.”

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ghana Telescope.Com. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Ghana Telescope.Com will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.

“Defy and rule”, the NDC government’s defiance against the judiciary

By Anyan, Frederick


Growing up in a country of my birth, I was taught innumerable times, the functions of the arms of government. The Executive, Legislature and Judiciary I was taught are the Three Traditional Arms of Government. The Judiciary, which is the topic of concern here, is mandated to interpret the Constitution and the Laws of the land by exercising absolute and ultimate jurisdiction over all matters, both civil and criminal.
By formal and most importantly informal education, I was brought up not to kowtow to contemptible persons who shall hound and intimidate my opinion. I say this to send a strong signal to persons who sent mails to my inbox; thinking that will in anyway browbeat my attempts at constructive expositions on socio-political issues in Ghana. One is “Kofi Thompson” of peakofi.thompson@gmail.com I am reliably informed Kofi Thompson has blogged extensively to castigate and destructively criticise the New Patriotic Party. However, he sent me electronic mails to condemn my voice on the maiden brief I did on “Mr Woyome finally admits in a NEW TWIST”. You do not have to be told why. Read from here: http://www.modernghana.com/news/368336/1/mr-woyome-finally-admits-in-a-new-twist.html I hold nothing against him, because he eventually sent another mail to apologise for his presumptuousness, as any honourable person will do.
On this present exposé about the Judiciary and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, I shall advance, first, for the benefit of the public, by quoting from the Constitution of Ghana, Article 125, clause:
“(3) The judicial power of Ghana shall be vested in the Judiciary, accordingly, neither the President nor Parliament nor any organ or agency of the President or Parliament shall have or be given final judicial power”
“(5) The Judiciary shall have jurisdiction in all matters civil and criminal, including matters relating to this Constitution, and such other jurisdiction as Parliament may, by law, confer on it”
The incumbent government of Ghana in its unfounded and unguided dispensation of administrative powers has customarily contravened the aforementioned. Perhaps, this ostentatious display of disregard for the supreme laws of the land is because the founder of the NDC –Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings who according to Kwaku Baako, is a grand architect of perpetuating political fraud in the history of Ghana was the man in power at the time the constitution was sworn in on the 8th day of May, 1992, so to say, though hypothetically metaphorical.
To recount the relationship between the government currently holding office and the Judiciary, not long ago, the chairman of NDC, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, exhibited what some have described as gross contempt against the judiciary when he categorically stated in an interview on Citi FM that the NDC led government would not hesitate to “cleanse” the Judiciary. Notable among the people who called for the apprehension of Dr. Adjei is Prof. Mike Ocquaye. The “there are many ways in killing a cat,” ring leader later reportedly titled himself Nana Okumkra or Togbega Dadi Wula I and last, whimsical, right?
As if that was not enough a satisfaction to the spurious administration of the present government, this same administration has for the first time in the history of Ghana as claimed by the New Patriotic Party, if not untrue and substantiated, caused the biggest financial loss to the country. A loss which many have argued resulted from the negligence of the office of the Attorney General, and as argued by others as a conspiracy between the beneficiary and the NDC led government, read: http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201112/78975.php
What many have adduced to the loss, and apparently undeniable, is the present government’s defiance against a ruling by a competent court of judicature to pay the beneficiary GH¢ 17, 000, 000, 00 and stay execution until a further determination of the case, but in defiance of the ruling proceeded to dole out a whooping old GH¢24, 166, 00 multiplied by the total number of people in Ghana (24 million people), thus, about old GH¢ 580, 000, 000, 000, 00. Read: http://media.myjoyonline.com/docs/201112/scan0004.pdf
In yet another customary contravention and a seemingly appetite for defiance against the Judiciary, the NDC government has again repeated what perhaps it considers “divide and rule” which I can only term “defy and rule”. The NDC government and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) were restrained by a court ruling, and to scrape what Kweku Kwarteng of Development Data referred to as “illegal top-ups” in the petroleum market prices in Ghana. Read from here http://business.peacefmonline.com/news/201112/86400.php This machination was thought to be illegitimate hence the court action against the NPA and government. Reportedly, the High Court of Ghana passed judgement which confirmed that the ex-pump fuel price since 2009 was/is illegal and therefore should be abolished. But the government’s unending voracity wouldn’t let it be, hence the increment in petroleum prices on Thursday, 29th December, 2011. This was supposed to be a season of merry making which was prematurely shattered to a season of gloomy merry.
What I find perturbing is the repercussions of what the NDC government is teaching the majority of Ghanaians both old and young who know for a fact that the Judiciary is autonomous and has the final say and authority in all matters. The PNDC, NDC government since time immemorial has modelled a palpable repugnant relationship between the Judiciary and itself which I can only hope and pray it is aborted sooner than later.
I shall conclude by posing my humble questions, which style, some people find provocative, although it is thoughtfully incisive prima facie to wit of the intelligent mind.
• Should this “rife antics” of what I call “defy and rule” approach of the NDC continue to have a life?
• Is the NDC government alien to and unaware of the provisions of article 125 in the constitution of Ghana?
• Could it be an inherent attribute of the NDC led by a professor of law (which was borne out of the PNDC) to fuel and condone such adversarial relationship with the judiciary?
In my humble opinion, I call on all civil societies and agencies to resist the NDC’s “defy and rule” and cleanse it even before FONKAR does so!

Anyan4usall@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ghana Telescope.Com. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Ghana Telescope.Com will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.

The President's Health Status

By Eric Bawah


President John Evans Atta Mills

There are three ways of dealing with one's health status – Acceptance, Confrontation and Denial. Acceptance is an aspiration, not a strategy. Confrontation means putting the disease at the centre of your life; learning as much as you can about it and vigorously exploring alternative therapies. Confrontation is like holding the bull by the horns. Denial means letting the disease affect your life as little as possible. You smile even when the pain is unbearable. In fact, it means pretending as best as you can, that you don't even have it. Sometimes you try not to tell outright lies about your ailment and along the line you try some sort of Clintonian evasions and prissy parsing (Question: 'You look so tired. Are you ok?' Answer: 'I feel fine')

Confrontation and denial seem like equally valid strategies, and the choice between them is one of personal taste. Few things are more socially disapproved than inauthenticity or a refusal to face reality. In choosing confrontation, you embrace the 'community' of your fellow victims -another socially approved value. You get sympathy, not from your 'community' but the whole society. In choosing denial, you are guilty of 'self-hatred', like a Jew or African American putting on wasp's airs, or worse still passing himself off as white Christian. If you fool yourself skilfully enough, you can banish thoughts of the disease but still retain a liberating sense of urgency. You desperately search for cures while pretending that you are ok.

So I recommend denial- and defend it as a legitimate option. To work effectively, though, denial requires secrecy and secrecy pretty much requires deception. It is simply easier to go through the day not thinking about your disease if the people who interact with you don't know you are sick. This however complicates the case for denial. Deceiving yourself may offend the cultural prejudice in favour of relentless self-knowledge. It may not offend you, the one carrying the disease. The reason is that what you do with yourself in the privacy of your head is nobody else's business. On the other hand, deceiving those around you is more troublesome. Am I pontificating? Probably, I am in a state of circumlocution, but wait a moment while I light my Havana Cigar.

When I say I recommend denial, I had in mind the situation of the president as far as his health status is concerned. Nobody can convince me that the health status of the president is nobody's business. We the tax payers pick up all his medical bills because the constitution says he should not do any other work apart from the one assigned to him by the Constitution. In the run-up to the last general elections, Hon. Michael Teye Nyaonu, an NDC MP, told the whole world that President Mills was ill and as such he could not withstand the rigors of the campaign. The handlers of candidate Mills vehemently denied the assertion. Once a while, the candidate will fly to South Africa to seek medical treatment and return to tell us that all was well.

Fortunately for him, he was able to withstand the rigors of the campaign, thanks to the hard work of the South Africa doctors, and he was eventually voted to power as the president of Ghana. When he was running for the presidency, we did not care about his health status because it was his own business. After all, was he not simply a candidate of a political party? Now that he is the president of the nation, the issue is no more his own business and we will not allow him to mind that business which is not his, anyway. Since holding the reins of power, the health status of the president is simply suspicious. His handlers make sure his face is always doused with ponds and powder to make him look fine; but if you watch him very closely, you can see that all is not well at all. The last time when his palms turned black, his Deputy Minister of Misinformation, Okudzeto Ablakwa, told us it was as a result of a certain medication the president used. Then there was this sore throat and the sinuses, which were all explained away as normal. As at the time of writing this report, our president was attending hospital in far away New York.

When Ghanaians started talking about the bad eyesight of the president, his handlers kicked like buffaloes. A cameraman who focused his lens on the extra ordinary font size of a script the president was reading was threatened. Anytime the president decided to read his speech, we could see him literally burying his head in the script and finding it difficult to read. That is why he normally delivers his speeches extempore. Before the president went to deliver a speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations, yours sincerely advised him, through this column, that he should not attempt to read the script. He did not take that advice and went there to read the script, which seriously exposed his bad eye sight. It looked as if two sentences were written on one sheet as the president kept opening the pages rapidly.

Dick Cheney, the former Vice President of the United States, adopted denial to survive his tenure of office. That is why I said I will defend denial as a legitimate option. This man had a heart attack but when he was interviewed by a journalist, he said it was not a heart attack but 'unusual heart throbs'. Another reason why I recommend denial is that in this part of the world, telling people the truth about your health status eventually invites stigmatization. Instead of helping you to get a cure for your disease, they capitalize on your predicament to make money. In this era of herbalists who have adopted the title 'Dr.', you would be convinced to pay huge sums of money to get a cure for your disease, which will not come anyway because every sick person is desperate to get a cure. So you keep denying while secretly looking for cure.

You see, if this Earth Angel Gabriel is sick, it is no big deal because that is my own business. After all, who picks my medical bills as a private citizen? In fact, what will the nation lose apart from the fact that I may not be able to contribute to this column, which I have been writing for 10 years now. (Yet, see how time flies?). But if an executive president who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces is sick, that is a big deal. It is not for nothing that countries all over the world hire psychiatrists for their Heads of State. Can you imagine what a mad president can do when confronted with a decision to go to war or not to go to war with a neighbouring country? Just travel down memory lane and see what Heads of State like Emperor Bokassa of the Central Africa Republic, General Iddi Amin Dada of Uganda etc. did to their people. Under a lunatic called Adolph Hitler, Germany was blamed for the Second World War. The president is the number one civil servant of the nation and so if he gets sick, he cannot serve us well.

The handlers of the president are not doing him any good at all. When the president was able to bear the pain and went through his first term of four years in office, they should have impressed upon him to step down for John Dramani Mahama to carry on with the fight. John is comparatively youthful, vibrant and very energetic to withstand the rigors of the job of a president. The handlers of the late president of Nigeria made a similar mistake and drove the man to his untimely death.

When the evidence was clearly written on the wall that Shehu Umaru Yar'Adua was sick and dying, his handlers, for reasons best known to them, played the ostrich until the man was rushed to a foreign country, where he died. If he had stepped aside to seek medical treatment somewhere, I believe he would not have died.

For now, the president is fooling himself so skilfully while he continues to seek for cures for his multiple ailments abroad. Anytime he appears in public, he smiles so broadly to portray that everything is ok for him, but to some of us who have known him for many years, we know this is not the Mills that we used to know. We need him to share his experience with the younger generation so when he follows his handlers and dies untimely, (God forbid) we the people of Ghana would be the losers. Just look at the good things that we are getting from ex-presidents Kufuor and Rawlings. These are the only former Heads of State that the country can boast of and their contributions to the world are so immense that one is always proud to be a Ghanaian. While Kufuor was awarded a prize by the World Food Organization for his ability to fight hunger in Ghana, Rawlings is charged to bring peace to the people of Somalia and stop the famine in that failed state. But if President Mills thinks power is sweeter than honey, so will he continue soldering on till he dies, so be it. Can't those who are close to the president hear that sound of clocks ticking? Tempus fugit, assholes!!!

By Eric Bawah

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ghana Telescope.Com. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Ghana Telescope.Com will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.

Is Mills A Hypocrite Or Simply Not In Charge?

Akwasi A.Afrifa Akoto

GhanaWeb

ls he or is he not, that is the question. And that what citizens have been trying to find out three year into Mills' presidency.

In fact, this question could easily be settled if we were to go by P-ndc MP for Lower Manya, Teye Nyaunu's famous and eye opening quote that under President Mills "every minister is a president." But it behooves on us to dig further into the matter.

Now, the president's Janus-like attitude can be broken down as such: things which happen contrary to what he preaches; things which happen in his absence; and his ability to find himself out of the country any time unfavorable news is on the way; especially when his people are to embark on the most offensive of attacks. While on paper the president's dilly-dally can easily be categorized, in reality, it is very hard to pinpoint where one starts and the others end. The following examples would help share some light on the issue under discussion.
When the P-ndc lost its first vindictive court case brought against NPP officials , the president was not in town; when he knew his party would lose the Atiwa by-elections, he skipped town to avoid the humiliation-and also to avoid being held responsible for the pre-planned violence his party visited on the constituency; when his party chairman threatened to "kill" the judges, he was not in town.
In more recent times, he scheduled his - current- vacation to coincide with the reading of the worst budget in the history of the 4th Republic. When his spokesperson threatened to "kill" opposition leaders -if they misbehave- he was not in town. When his party communicators insulted the head of the Ahmadiyya mission and the Catholic bishops, the president was no where to be found.
Then who is not aware of the violence and insults that have descended upon the country since he took power; even though he constantly preaches about peace and vehemently condemns insults. One would never had expected the by-elections meant to test his approval ratings to be characterized by such violence - including voters being run down and over by his party's women's organizer's car - judging by his peaceful posturing. Even the founder of his party and his wife have not been spared; not to forget the physical harassment of his party founder's wife by the president's own people in the president hometown simply because she dared to contest him. Nor must we forget the arrests of political pundits for exercising their constitutional rights to free speech though he claims to be the number one upholder of the Constitution.
So when one takes a critical survey of the president's actions -or lack thereof- it is as if he privately instructs his people to be as violent and insulting as possible while he pretends to preach otherwise publicly. Or his people simply don't respect him - since he is not in charge- and thus do whatever they want in spite of the president's constant call for peace and his abhorrence for insulting behavior.
It therefore comes down to this: the president continues to tell the whole world that he intends to oversee and ensure a violent free and fair elections in 2012. Yet for the past three years, he has not been able to restrain his people from violence and insults. None of his people on public payroll has been fired. Nor has he condemned any one for going against his expressed and explicit wishes.
So given the above examples and evidence, should we take the president's word for it and at face value when he tells the world that next year's elections would be violent free and fair? Is he a hypocrite or simply not in charge?
Is he or is he not, that is the question. And that is precisely what citizens would like to know with less than a year left to go.

Akwasi A.Afrifa Akoto


Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ghana Telescope.Com. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Ghana Telescope.Com will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.

Ghana’s Volatile Economy and Bad Governance

By Ato Aidoo

GhanaWeb

I have no doubts at all, that since 2009 when the reins of government changed in Ghana, decision-making on problematic areas of the economy have been submerged in uncountable controversies.

The government is underperforming. It has woefully failed in immeasurable instances; where it has sidelined the needs and aspirations of majority of the population, who for no palpable reason have to grapple with one more year of deception, and public display of wealth by government officials.

There has been too much of rhetoric, counter-accusations, lies, and commentaries based on nothing but extreme mudslinging that carries the burden of unsubstantiated facts. This has become the hallmark of the present administration in Ghana, a country that started benefiting from oil revenue in the latter part of 2010, but has nothing much to show in terms of practical economic benefits.

New challenges emerging in Ghana, and the ones that appeared to have been met by the introduction of not-too-good interventions had also translated into slow mismanagement of the country’s economy. This presents to the world a portrait of deficient leadership, and bad governance.

The approach to economic growth due to oil production, and yet to be trapped gas, has been sub-standard, and it had become pretty clear that policies for sound economic take-off have been severely affected by beggar-thy-neighbor attitude. Ghana lacks strong leadership, and unless that changes, the country’s poor economic management, and recent debacle of new borrowing and lending would remain a disincentive for rapid growth, as domestic output decreases.

The government’s desire to protect its appointees and party interests appear to be dominating its interventions, as evidenced by a new $20 million party headquarters being built by the Chinese in the capital, Accra, where land acquisition attracts astronomical prices. Inevitably, the people suffer from the impression that this government lacks the ability to govern. The engagement in self-deception, and sweeping statements which the president of a country does not condemn, are not only shocking and demeaning, but help to define how far Ghana’s democracy is deteriorating gradually, but surely into a volatile posture. When will sanity prevail?

Bad governance cannot foster development, and it is imperative the government begins to design and implement development strategies geared toward individual needs and circumstances, while ensuring improvement in the government machinery. Ghana is on life-support against the backdrop of failed promises and trivialities that represent a mockery of the government and its paid commentators who have disengaged their attention from “bread and butter” issues.

If some developing countries enjoyed good governance that facilitated rapid economic growth, it was due to their truthful engagement with the citizenry, and solving problems. Ghana lacks this vision; the broader repercussions are that poverty and unemployment have increased. This has been the bane of the people’s existence. There is lack of a driving force for good economic management, as the government fails to recognize that there is a correlation between development, the impoverished and badly governed.

The demand for fresh thinking and change is legitimate, partly moved by the fact that the people have been short-changed and micro-managed by deception. It is important the people learn and work toward change, and good governance. They should intensify the demand for policies tailored to basic needs, quality education, infrastructural development, functional health system, gender equality, incentives for the disadvantaged and the elderly.

To the people: “power lies in your hands, you have to determine which direction to go, but continually ask yourselves, if this is the type of governance you voted for”. This would help define what Ghanaians could become, if people really aspire to free themselves from these disturbing manifestations of a bigoted government.

In these three words: inconsistencies, intolerant, and unrepentant, Ghanaians can sum up what they have learned about the ruling government, its actions and inactions.

Ghana Goes Auto-Pilot, As President Goes To Rest His Lazy Bones

Source : VibeGhana

BY YAW P. K. MANU

Since our President, John Evans Atta Mills left the shores of Ghana on November 12, 2011, his itinerary has become a mystery, with state-funded newspapers fabricating stories and pictures as to his whereabouts. NDC-funded radio stations have also come alive with the president’s voice, to tell Ghanaians where he has been hiding. But with the “Action year in its last month, with nothing to show for it whilst Professor Mills retreats to nobody-knows-where to “rest is bones”, the question being asked by Ghanaians is, where is our president?
Hosted by Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Minority Caucus, Multi TV’s flagship current affairs programme examined the mysterious absence of the President from the political scene whilst the country moves in a clueless direction.

Making his submission on the matter, John Boadu, a Deputy Director of Communication of the opposition NPP expressed his disappointment at the President’s way-bellow-average-performance in his “Action Year”. “We are in the second week of the last month in the “Action Year” and not a single target has been achieved, yet the President says he is tired and so is going t o rest his bones”. It will be recalled that in the last month of last year (2010), President Mills declared the year 2011 as his action year. According to the President, 2011 is the year in which Ghanaians will see the physical manifestations of the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda. It will be the year when Ghanaians will see the government making judicious use of the country’s resources, especially in the area of infrastructural development, to give meaning to the lives of the citizenry. Actual construction will start taking place all over the country”. But according to John Boadu, government is in total disarray with everybody doing what he or she likes without any checks. He cited the recent court ruling which directed the National Petroleum Agency (NPA) to stop imposing illegal taxes on Ghanaians and to refund the monies collected so far. The NPA has so far not heeded the directive of the court. On November 2, 2011, the Minister of Energy announced the dissolution of the ECG Board but by the afternoon of November 6, 2011, a counter directive had come for the Office of the Presidency, superseding that from the Ministry of Energy.

The Deputy Director of Communication also questioned the President’s wisdom in going to rest his lazy bones abroad. For a president who is constantly calling on African countries to take their destiny into their own hands and strive to indecently develop their economies, John Boadu was of the opinion that the President could have relaxed his lazy bones in any one of the country’s tourist resorts; a move which would definitely have a positive impact on the tourism sector, a sector which the President has managed to run down to -11% growth. He described President Mills as the most expensive head of state Ghana has ever had, with his presidency overloading the country with debts at a rate, faster than Usain Bolt. Currently, the country’s debt is over $14billion, with more than $4billion before Parliament for approval; yet projects to be undertaken in the “Action Year” never materialised. He revealed, that a number of Presidential Aides do not have offices at the seat of government. “this president has so many aides that the Castle cannot accommodate them so they are scattered in a number of offices housed by Ministries, Departments and government agencies, whilst collecting fat salaries and riding in V8 Toyota Land Cruisers. In the 2012 budget, the office of the President alone was allocated a whooping GH¢236,000,000 to carry out its programmes. This compares to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture which was allocated a paltry GH¢262,239,746 to finance its core programme of ensuring food security for the whole country.

The former National Youth Organiser also lambasted the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), a pressure group clothed in NDC colours for being hypocritical about the legion of corruption in government. Instances he cited included the “loan given by the head of Venture Capital Fund, to his girlfriend; the struggle for contracts between Central Regional Minister Ama Benyiwa Doe and her party’s regional communications director, Allotey Jacobs and the embezzlement of NYEP funds by the Mampong-Ashanti MCE among others.

Also on the programme to offer his in-depth contribution was Justice Abeiku Newton Offei, a political analyst and columnist for the Daily Guide newspaper. He expressed worry at the President going “underground”, until the general Ghanaian population started asking questions. “Considering the general suspicion that all is not well with the president’s health, mystifying his whereabouts will not help. I heard his frail voice on Radio Gold saying that he is in on leave in the USA, but how do we know that’s true”, he quizzed.

According to him the attire won by the president as captured on the front page of the Daily Graphic of Monday November 5, 2011, was the same as the one he wore when he recently attended the UN summit, leading to speculations that the picture was meant to throw Ghanaians off. Citing the U. S. A. as an example, Justice Offei stated that the whereabouts of the U. S. president especially when he is on annual leave is never shrouded in secrecy. He criticized government’s communication machinery for being dodgy about the president’s whereabouts advising, that where the impression is given that the president is not in control of affairs, it can seriously undermine the functioning of state structures

He called for a thorough medical check-up of presidential and parliamentary candidates as part of the criteria to qualify one to stand for election, pointing out that in a society where the impression is being given, that issues concerning the health status of a politician should be shrouded in secrecy, it is important to give meaning to Article 69 of the constitution in order to avert a situation where the country will be saddled with an invalid as president.

YAW P. K. MANU
Yawp.kmanu@gmail.com


Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ghana Telescope.Com. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Ghana Telescope.Com will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.

Re :Biometric registration and verification of voter identities

The core issue is that you liberal arts boys are worrying about the integrity and so forth but technologically, Ghana is not prepared for the Biometric system, Period!!

Look, Ghana ordered a $6 million machinery to monitor cell phone usage and tracking and the people who ordered the equipment had no clue about technology. An insider tells me they had to abandon the equipment and buy another one – and this time from the US Silicon Valley right here and I was there in Fremont, California to see the equipment and meet some of the engineers.

Look, ignorance is part of it but corruption and what people will get by buying certain equipment is killing us.

Due to our poor laissez-faire leadership, we are losing money in the tons of millions since some things the president may not understand and will not ask the right people, and some things the officials around him are simply thieves trying to steal through useless purchases!!

Performance of an equipment can break whatever intent they had in buying this sophisticated equipment that is not even being used in the Americas. Look, let me tell you all – some of these equipment will fail once electricity is interrupted and re-started and a voltage or current spike of more than say 10% hits the input circuits! I used to make a good living analyzing failed integrated circuits and I know what I am saying. These equipment, purchased for perhaps some $50 million or whatever, will not last in the dusty and humid atmosphere we live!! Period!! Electronic components may fail 2-10 times faster in high humidity and high temperature environments.

I wish people like President Mills will learn to accept that his colleagues who studied Science and Engineering overseas of his age and experience, are not doing “unskilled labor” as he thinks. I have to say that ignorance is costing Ghana hundreds of millions if not billions and our children and grandchildren will pay the price and the blame will go in history on the head of the presidents such as Mills and Kufuor and Rawlings who have set our nation to rot under ignorance and naivete and now being sold to Chinese or Koreans or Zimbabwean whites with no strong contracts to protect our people and nation!! It is in the latter that Kwame, Azar, some of you come in. However, when it comes to the technology to us, it is our area to tell you that what they are doing is bogus!! Period!! I’d like my old friend Dr. Afari Djan to communicate with me if I can find his email address. If I am wrong, of course I want to be proven wrong.
Michel,, are you there?

We need to help resolve this but I am afraid it’s too late they have already bought the equipment and taken their commissions.


Dr. Kwaku A. Danso

BIOMETRIC SYSTEM IS FAKE - WILL NOT WORK, PERIOD!!

Dr Kwaku Danso
GLU

Folks


We all live in a country where people’s basic home addresses are not even recorded in any database.

In 2004 when I moved to my house in East Legon my bills for water, electricity, etc were addressed to : Kwaku Danso, near Lake Side, East Legon. I laughed and cried, and later when I went to the Post Office, I asked them why they don’t deliver mail to the houses as done during the colonial days. The man and woman clerks looked at each other and said: “Yes, we can do it”. They gave me a phone number to call and set up an appointment and after paying my Ghc10 or so, the guy showed up on a motorbike and since then I get mail at home. They still don’t pick up mail, though, and one day I may have to go there again.



Look, the people managing the EC and the whole nation have no clue what they are doing and why they are doing this!

Can anybody challenge me and point to the person who made the decision to purchase the Biometric system for Ghana? Look, let me assure you all that some smart alec white sales man has sold Ghana a system that is perhaps worth $25 million for $75 million and somebody in high places have pocketed a huge chunk in some foreign bank account and they have no clue how the system works.


Look, from fundamental electrical engineering electronic systems principles you need:

1. An EQUIPMENT – A physical device on which you take the fingerprint or eye iris detection image;

2. STORAGE SYSTEM – a hard drive to store the data, and then

3. DATABASE /SOFTWARE system;

4. NETWORK SYSTEM – which allows comparison of the stored data with an existing data to make sure the data taken matches or does not match with an existing data for the voter.


All these need ELECTRCITY!!!

Can anybody convince me that we have reliable and stable electricity delivery in every place we vote?



Some of you are emotional about the 2012 elections. I am not.

I know that the elections is not going to be done any more efficiently than done in the last 4, 8, 16 years! Trust me that the equipment at most of these places in the rural areas don’t have electricity that is reliable, and neither is the one in East Legon.

Somebody has taken advantage of Ghana and pocketed a huge amount of money for the purchase of this Biometric system.

It is fake!! We pretend like we are at par with the rest of the world and we are not! We will never be until we build the fundamentals! If you don’t have an addressing system for property and for yourselves as individuals, how do you identify each other.

Tweaaaa!!

I found out that there are quite a few Kwaku Danso in Accra alone! Without a street address and National Identification number that is unique, and cross check that with my birth date, how the heck can somebody sit somewhere and claim they know Kwaku Danso voted in 2012?



Let anybody challenge me and send me the full details and I will be convinced.

I did not study electronics engineering and practice it for all these years to be fooled by some Liberal Arts people in Ghana who have no clue what they are doing! This system smells of corruption and thievery somewhere to me and will not work.

The only person in Ghana who I can count on to verify this for me will be Michel Bowman-Amuah and Sam Twerefour. These people have enough experience in technology to evaluate this system for us. Failing that, it is what they call a white elephant. It is not going to add any value to the 2012 elections. Most places will not work and they will end up using the same old system:

VOTER: My name is Akwasi Mensah, Here is my ID or I don’t have an ID but I live near the big tree by the chiefs palace – don’t you know me?

OFFICIAL: Okay,, Okay,, we know this person,, we play football together,, let him vote1

Please save this and quote me if you want, and don’t’ forget I warned you.