Govt Perfidy Exposed

Promoting Partnerships with Traditional Authorities Project

We invite our readers to read the following, which is the World Bank's own explanation, and make up their minds whether or not the Kufuor-led NPP is being totally truthful to the people of this country with the various explanations that they have been putting forward in relation to this matter.

Note that the borrower is the Government of Ghana, but the implementing agencies are Asanteman Council Secretariat and the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council.

Note also that this is a Loan/Credit, not a Grant.

This document was updated as recently as last Friday, 30th July 2004.

Now read on:

Promoting Partnerships with Traditional Authorities Project

The main purpose of the Promoting Partnerships with Traditional Authorities Project is to test in a limited number of areas approaches to:

· substantively integrate and improve deprived remote and rural communities' involvement in development activities; and

· help focus the contributions/influence of Traditional Authorities (TA) in socio-economic development. There are four project components.

Component 1 seeks to strengthen the capacities of the traditional authorities (chiefs, queenmothers, and village headpersons) and communities in the Asanteman Council areas, and the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council areas to effectively participate in activities to improve health and fight HIV/AIDS in their communities.

This will be done through regular workshops and seminars for the traditional authorities, community volunteers and community members.

Component 2 provides resources for rehabilitating basic primary education facilities in select rural and deprived areas in the Asanteman Council (AC) community; and design of a partnership method between traditional authorities and government in providing quality basic education.

Component 3 improves the financial and management capabilities of the two councils' respective secretariats; and the capacities of the traditional authorities who are members of these two councils, on decentralization and community development issues. It establishes a monitoring and evaluation system to ensure feedback.

Component 4 provides support to both councils to improve their communities' ability to carry out programs that help them preserve and benefit from their cultural heritage, through, for example, the development of educational activities/curriculum in schools on cultural heritage, linkages to environmental degradation, and private sector-community business partnerships to set up, for example, eco-tourism projects.

Support will also update the inventory of cultural heritage artifacts/practices; and assist traditional authorities in reviewing the operations of the traditional law courts system with the view to reducing the incidence of chieftaincy disputes, land litigation, etc.

The study also serves, among other things, to identify needs for revision, codification, and dissemination of traditional laws, and identification of ways to increase the accessibility and effectiveness of traditional law courts.** Last Updated July 30 2004 Basic Information Project Status Active Region Africa Country/Area Ghana Major Sector (Sector) (%) Education (Primary education) (65%) Health and other social services (Other social services) (35%) Old Major Sector Multisector Old Sector Non-Sector Specific Env Category C Project ID P071399 Bank Team Lead (Last Name, First) Agyen, Kofi-Boateng Approval Date 10-MAR-2003 Closing Date 30-JUN-2006 Borrower GOVERNMENT OF GHANA Implementing Agency ASANTEMAN COUNCIL SECRETARIAT/AKYEM ABUAKWA TRAD. COUNCIL Financial Main Loan/Credit # 37430 IBRD Commitment * 0 IDA Commitment * 5 IBRD + IDA Commitment * 5 Grant Amount * 0 Total Project Cost * 5.5 Product Line IBRD/IDA Lending Instrument Learning and Innovation Loan Development Outcomes And Goals Targeted Thematic Outcomes... Supporting this Broader Dev't Goal Decentralization Public sector governance (CAP) Education for all Education (CAP); Achieve universal primary education (MDG) Other communicable diseases Health (CAP); Communicable diseases (GPG); Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases (MDG) Participation and civic engagement Empowerment, security & social inclusion (CAP) Meanwhile Dr. Kwaku "Azar" Asare of the University of Florida, USA, has dismissed parallels being drawn between this loan and a loan secured by the national carrier, Ghana Aiways.

In his view "The Ghana Airways parallel is comparing hausa koko to cornflakes. Ghana Airways is a SOE set up by appropriate statutory instrument to engage in a specified activity. If Ghana Airways buys an airplane, with a sovereign Guarantee (SG), it does not make the Government of Ghana the borrower. The Government of Ghana is a guarantor of the debt, which is payable by Ghana Airways from its operations. In default, Ghana Government will be held liable and if due diligence was not applied in extending the SG, the offending ministers may be convicted under section 179A, as happened to Peprah et al. But Ghana Airways is the borrower!!

"In the current case, the Government of Ghana is the borrower. The Government just names, without debate and rationalization, two traditional authorities as beneficiaries. Now due to an incompetent opposition and media, the government will get away with it. But those with a sense of fairness and history are entitled to point out that these [things] must stop. But of course, in Ghana, "moreka no koraa na yereyeno more," Dr. Asare pointed out.