Tourism Ministry denies Dutch NGO’s accusation of not promoting Ghana abroad

The Ministry of Tourism has denied allegations leveled against it by a Dutch NGO, the Ghana Tourist Information for Europe (GTI). The GTI claims the Ministry is not interested in promoting Ghana to European visitors who want to visit the country.

But Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Kobby Acheampong says the group’s allegations are untrue.

“We know about this NGO, but we have no formal relations with it,” he told ghanabusinessnews.com on the phone.

“Because we have no formal relations with the NGO it is difficult to know who bears the cost of their activities in the name of the country,” he said.

The group said “we stopped promoting tickets to Ghana, because the Ghanaian government doesn’t want tourists to come to Ghana,” indicating that Ghana is missing opportunities.

According to the group there are the problems of environmental dirt and the growing mismatch between product and price at certain destinations. “A growing number of visitors report disappointments about their visit to Kakum, Xavi, Bobiri and Wli. The prices have been raised beyond reason. The visitors reports that they are seen by Ghanaians as walking moneybags,” it said.

“We believe the Ghanaian tourist industry can grow substantially, but only if the industry and the Ghanaian institutions grab the opportunities. We are so to speak the foreign branch of the Ghana Tourist Board”, Eva van Dijk a director of the group which was formed in 2007 says.

According to her, “We talk to consumers, to press, to tour operators and we generate promotion for Ghana everywhere.”

But Mr. Acheampong asked “who wouldn’t to see someone promote Ghana for free? Advertising Ghana is a bad idea.”

He said because the Ministry has no formal relations with the group it is difficult to set aside any budgetary allocation in support of its activities.

He also indicated that the group had a meeting with the Executive Director of the Ghana Tourist Board and he also said the same thing. He asked for the formalization of the relationship to facilitate the group’s activities on behalf of the country.

Tourism is Ghana’s fourth foreign exchange earner. In 2008, projected tourists arrivals was pegged at 698,069 with receipts in monetary value amounting to $1.2 million, as against 586,612 arrivals in 2007 amounting to $1.17 million.

In 2005, however, the country earned $836 million from tourism.

Domestic tourism last year saw a total of 417,558 arrivals to the country, comprising 303,668 residents visiting 25 tourist sites and 113, 890 non-residents patronising domestic tourism.

Currently, tourism is one of the fastest growing sector in the economy and is expected to grow at an average rate of 4.1 % per annum over the next two decades.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

ghanabusinessnews.com

Troubleshooter Mbeki arrives in Ivory Coast

Abidjan, Ivory Coast (CNN) -- Former South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Ivory Coast Sunday on an emergency mission as two men claimed to be president of the west African nation.

Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo defied international appeals to step aside and was sworn in Saturday as the new president in a formal ceremony inside the presidential palace that was broadcast live on television.
Less than an hour-and-a-half later, his rival, Alassane Ouattara, told reporters that he, too, had taken the oath of office and asked Prime Minister Soro Guillaume to form a new government.

Mbeki, sent by the African Union, met with Gbagbo and the U.N. special envoy to the country in Abidjan, before meeting with Ouattara, according to Mbeki's spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga.

Mbeki met with Gbagbo at the presidential residence, and with Ouattara at an Abdijan hotel he is using as a headquarters. He was also to meet with the electoral commissions and the nation's Constitutional Council. Mbeki told reporters he was sent by the African Union to hear out all the parties and make recommendations. He said he would issue a statement later.

Ouattara told reporters he was "honored to receive Mbeki as the president of Ivory Coast."

Meanwhile, a Guillaume spokesman said the prime minister presented the new government that Ouattara told him to form.

The capital Abidjan has remained calm so far. A 7 p.m. curfew contributed to an eerie calm Saturday evening.

But the political chaos heightened fears that the Ivory Coast -- known as Cote d'Ivoire in French -- would once again plunge into the unrest and bloodshed suffered after a civil war broke out in 2002.

On Sunday, the army announced on national television that the country's borders and airspace would be open on Monday morning. The border had been closed last week amid rising tensions following one commission's announcement of Ouattara as the winner. International broadcasting agencies were shut down at the same time.

The Constitutional Council declared Gbagbo the winner Friday, invalidating earlier results from the Independent Electoral Commission which handed Ouattara the victory with 54.1% of the vote.

The Constitutional Council said Gbagbo had won the election with 51.45% of the vote to Ouattara's 48.55%. It tossed out votes it said were marred by fraud in northern regions that were considered Ouattara strongholds.

It was the job of Y.J. Choi, the special envoy in the Ivory Coast of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to review and sign off on the results. Choi said that, even if Gbagbo's complaints were taken into consideration, Ouattara was the winner.

"Having evaluated all the tally sheets, 20,000 of them yesterday evening, we are in a position to know what happened really," Choi said in a telephone interview from Abidjan. "With absolute certainty, we know that Ouattara won the election."

With his credibility in question, Gbagbo defied calls from international leaders to respect the will of Ivorian voters by taking the oath of office in front of a room full of supporters and military commanders.

"These past days I have noticed serious cases of interference," Gbagbo said. "The sovereignty of Cote d'Ivoire, is not negotiable. My responsibility is to defend it."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy appealed for calm and urged military and civilian officials to respect the will of the people.

U.S. President Barack Obama warned Gbagbo: "The international community will hold those who act to thwart the democratic process and the will of the electorate accountable for their actions."

Ouattara, a former economist for the International Monetary Fund who served as prime minister, had been banned from previous races.

Gbagbo's critics said the incumbent stoked tensions by accusing Ouattara of masterminding the civil war. Ouattara has denied the allegation.

Once a prosperous nation and a driving force in West Africa, the Ivory Coast spiraled downward into instability after fighting erupted between the government-held south and discontented Muslim rebels living in the north. Thousands of people died in the conflict.

Ouattara enjoys popular support in the rebel-held north and now, with both candidates claiming they are president, the potential exists for more bloodshed. The streets of Abidjan have already seen violent clashes in the past few days.

Credit: CNN

Our spirit will get Chelsea through this sticky patch - Essien

Michael Essien believes that training hard, coupled with a good team spirit, will see Chelsea turn the corner and regain their Premier League dominance.

The Blues have had a difficult time in terms of their recent form, as they have won only one of their last five games in the Premier League. This has caused Carlo Ancelotti's charges to lose the top spot to an in-form Manchester United side, which currently have a two-point lead over the Londoners.

However, the Ghana international, who will return from suspension this weekend, believes that his side will turn a new leaf.

"My ban is over so I am looking forward to getting back on the pitch and doing what I do best," Essien told the club's official website.

"The snow is starting to get heavier and no doubt the snowball fights will start soon when training is over but it’s always serious training first.

"We are working hard in training to turn things round after our recent sticky patch and I believe the togetherness, ability and spirit in the camp will see us through."


Source: Goal.com

Takoradi now expensive city due to oil discovery

The discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities at the West Cape Three Points in the Western Region in 2007 has triggered the high cost of liv­ing in Takoradi and its immediate environs in recent times.

Since the oil find three years ago, the cost of living in Tako­radi and surrounding communi­ties has been on the ascendancy.

The discovery of oil has brought in its wake an upward review of prices of all items, goods and services being pro­vided in the city.

The most affected items include food, office and resi­dential accommodation as well as land for real estate develop­ment.

As a result of the oil find and in anticipation of making good business when commer­cial production of oil many companies, including financial and banking institutions, have moved in to open branches of their offices in Takoradi to take advantage of the “black gold”.

Also many oil and gas related companies have found their way into Takoradi. This has obviously increased the popula­tion in Takoradi and its envi­rons, thereby putting pressure on the inadequate housing and office accommodation in the city.

Landlords have started charging exorbitant prices on their houses in anticipation of ejecting tenants to enable the landlords to rent such houses to the oil companies as well as financial and banking institu­tions.

High prices of goods and services, as well as residential and office accommodation are now having the characteristics of gold mining communities and towns such as Tarkwa, Obuasi, Bibiani, Bogoso, Prestea.

These characteristics are gradually creeping into Takoradi and its surrounding commu­nities as a result of the discov­ery of the “black gold” in the     Western Region.

Land acquisition in Takora­di and nearby communities, dis­tricts and municipalities in the areas of the Jubilee Oil Fields at Cape Three Points have also become a lucrative venture for land owners.

Some open spaces in Tako­radi have been offered for the construction of office accommodation for oil or oil related companies and shopping malls.

The emerging petroleum industry is also affecting the prices of hotel accommodation in Takoradi, as some of the leading hotels in the “oil city” have reviewed their prices upwards.

The prices range between GH¢120 and GH¢310.00 and are likely to go up in the future when there would be an influx of people in the city to do business in the oil and gas industry.

To sum it up, the cost of liv­ing in Takoradi and its environs is gradually becoming unbear­able as prices of goods and ser­vices as well as office and resi­dential accommodation contin­ue to rise.

So residents of Takoradi should be prepared and condition themselves to face the hard days ahead when the country’s oil and gas are in full produc­tion.

Source: Daily Graphic

Mills makes first international trip in new Presidential Jet

President Mills made his first flight with the new Presidential Jet, FALCON 900, on Sunday which taxied and took off smoothly into the sky from the Kotoka International Airport.

The President left Accra with the jet to Tripoli, Libya, to attend the third Africa-European Summit, which opens on Monday, November 29, 2010.

In an interview with Journalists at the Airport, Mr Koku Anyidoho, Director of Communications at the Presidency, debunked an allegation that President Mills would not used the new jet.

He said the Presidency would only accept the express advice on the security and safety of the aircraft for official trips from the managers of the aircraft, the Ghana Air Force.

Mr Anyidoho said information from the Ghana Air Force attested to the fact that the new jet since its arrival had to undergo certain routine checks to ascertain its readiness to successfully embark on official trips.

On the two-day Africa-European Summit, which is on the theme: “Investment, Economic Growth and Job Creation”, Mr Anyidoho said it would address key issues of peace and security, climate change, regional integration, private sector development, infrastructure and energy, economic co-operation, and the Millennium Development Goals, agriculture and food security and migration.

Vice President John Dramani Mahama, national security heads, Ministers of State and other dignitaries saw the President off at the Jubilee side of the Airport.

Source: GNA

Jubilee test run yields between 20,000 and 80,000 barrels of oil per day

The Jubilee oil field has began yielding between 20,000 and 80,000 barrels of oil per day in test runs ahead of commercial production of oil, the Daily Graphic newspaper has reported.

The newspaper citing Mr. Kwame Ntow, the Head of Economic Evaluation at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) said the quantity will be increased to 100,000 barrels when mainstream production is attained by the end of the first quarter of 2011.

Mr. Ntow told the newspaper that the oil is being pumped as part of a test run of equipment at the largest oil field to be discovered in West Africa in the last 10 to 15 years. The Jubilee oil field according to Tullow Oil, the major stakeholder in the field has 17 wells and contains 1.5 billion barrels of oil.
Output is expected to peak to 120,000 barrels per over approximately six months, he said.

Tullow Oil had said in its Interim Management Statement that commercial production of oil will begin early December 2010, and they were expecting to pump about 50,000 barrels of oil per day.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

ghanabusinessnews.com

I felt like giving up after winning the crown – Miss Ghana 2010

The reigning Miss Ghana 2010, Stephanie Karikari, has said comments that came after her crowning that she didn’t have the looks to be crowned Miss Ghana made her feel like giving up. 

Stephanie, 18, who hails from Atwima Nkakom in the Ashanti region was crowned Miss Ghana 2010 on October 30 at the Accra International Conference Centre after dazzling the judges and audience at the finale.

There were sharp and sometimes harsh comments following her crowing as the country’s foremost beauty queen with many saying she was not beautiful enough for the crown.

But the queen, speaking in an interview with Myjoyonline.com Thursday, said “comments that were made made me feel like giving up” and that the comments were unfair.

She said the pictures used by the media to tell the story were hers alright but they were not a true reflection of who she really was.

“The picture used for the story was my picture but not a nice picture of me,” she lamented.

Nevertheless, Stephanie said she did not think the comments were too harsh enough to bring her down.

“I have always been strong…I am now stronger…People have their own perception of people.”

Recounting her journey to winning the crown, the outspoken queen said it has always been a childhood dream to be a model not a beauty queen. That, she said, came in along the way.

“I have been dreaming of being a model. It was an inborn dream to be a model and as the years went by, the beauty queen aspect came in.”

She revealed that she took a crazy gamble to audition for this year’s pageant, adding that she hardly believed she will end up wining the crown. “I wasn’t aware I could win.”

That gamble, she recounted, came after persistent pressures from close relations that she could do it.

Stephanie who is based in Accra said due to busy schedules in school, she decided to be the early bird by auditioning in the Northern zone in Tamale which was the first stop of the auditions.

In Tamale, Stephanie was faced with the daunting task of proving her worth, fighting her way through 40 equally good ladies who turned up for the audition.

Although she was scared, the zeal in her pushed her to be among the five selected finalists from that audition.

The road leading to the finale was a different story on its own but the now beauty queen revealed that she, together with another contestant, Frances Effibah Nyamikeh, who ended up as the first runner up, nearly missed out on the final rehearsal on the morning of the finale as they were left behind at their hotel.

Things got emotional when she shed tears on the night before the finale, giving her the constant urge to pull out of the contest.

“I cried before the show…I didn’t expect to win the crown…I nearly gave up at the last minute because I thought I will not win.”

She said after they, the finalists, answered their final questions and were at the backstage, she got shocked when she was told she was the winner of the coveted pageant.

Stephanie owned her success at the end to her diversity and the fact that she gave her all at the finale.

Born in Accra some 18 years ago, Stephanie was taken to Botswana some months after birth. She lived in Botswana for 14 years, returning to Ghana in 2006.

For now, the beauty queen said she is enjoying the stardom the crown holds but added she will be a queen with a difference as she prepares to embark on her Maternal Health and Sanitation project.

She revealed she took up that project after she experienced the challenges nursing mothers and nurses were going through at the Tarkwa Government Hospital.

Stephanie said she hopes, together with Ministry of Health, to fight for better working conditions for nurses and also to help educate expectant and nursing mothers on child birth and care.

She also hopes to help them improve on their well being.

Story Ernest Dela Aglanu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana