Prez Mahama Must Revoke Appointment Of Minerals Commission’s Boss

Prez John Mahama

Members of the National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) from northern Ghana say, they strongly oppose the appointment of Dr. Toni Aubynn as Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission of Ghana, a decision they described as “unfair and inaccurate for the nation’s interest”. 

Over the past few years, NCOM has been working with the Minerals Commission to improve interaction and mutual confidence between mining policy makers and society towards reducing the negative impacts of mining while improving the contribution of the sector to national development and citizens' benefit. 

A statement issued in Tamale to the media and signed by Spokesperson of the group Mr. Issifu Sulemana Jobila, said a lot of work remains to be done by both NCOM and the Minerals Commission. “Unfortunately, the appointment of Dr. Aubynn well known in the past as an advocate of corporate mining interests as Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission according to NCOM is not a good signal for the interest of Ghana.

As representatives of NCOM at the community level in northern Ghana, they called on President John Mahama to reconsider his decision on the appointment of Dr. Aubynn as Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission.

The Minerals Commission is a constitutionally mandated body responsible for the regulation and management of the minerals sector of the economy in the national interest.

“As grassroots members of NCOM, we are not only shocked by his appointment but also deeply concerned and regretted that the appointment points to a pattern of submission by the Mahama Administration to the interests of foreign mining capital.

“Unarguable Dr. Aubynn is a citizen of Ghana. However, our concerns arise from the fact that he is a champion of transnational mining companies. Until his appointment, he was the CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines in which position he consistently defended the interest of transnational mining companies. There is a record of his pronouncements even after his appointment in defense of these interests which are not only completely opposed to the optimization of national benefit from the country's non-renewal mineral resources which raises questions about his capacity to discharge his responsibilities as head of the Minerals Commission impartially and equitably”, the statement said.

Dr. Toni Aubynn

A striking example of his advocacy for corporate interests, it said, “has been his role in the campaign in Ghana and around the globe against efforts to raise royalties and taxes paid by the mining companies. At a time when gold prices had risen astronomically (from US$400 in 2003 to almost US$1,900 in 2011) and government wanted to introduce legislation to capture a lot more of the share of this bounty, the Chamber of Mines, fronted by Dr. Aubynn, resisted this move. This was based on the palpably false claim that the industry was overtaxed. In seeking to deflect the demand for a greater national share of mineral earnings, the Chamber tried to make itself the champion of a greater community share of royalties”, the statement noted.

According to the statement, Dr. Aubynn's appointment came soon after President Mahama used the 2014 Davos World Economic Forum to make a very public submission to the demands of mining companies. It was there that he (President Mahama) announced that in “response to their pressure the government was shelving its plan to impose a windfall tax aimed at increasing the public share of mineral earnings”.

Thus NCOM asked, Is it unreasonable to assume that Dr. Aubynn's appointment to head the Minerals Commission does not only underline the influence of the mining companies in the corridors of powers but also means that they now have a firm ally in charge of the key public body overseeing the mining sector?

“Given Dr. Aubynn's long standing defense of the interests of transnational mining firms we doubt his capacity to be impartial, equitable and lead the drive towards the optimal use of Ghana's mineral wealth for the benefit of its people. We have serious doubts about Dr. Aubynn's ability to serve the national interest as CEO of the Minerals Commission, especially at this juncture when the whole African continent is moving to break with the mining regimes that subordinated national to corporate interests.

“We wonder how Dr. Aubynn can effectively head a state organization which should be ensuring that the mining industry develops better environmental and social sensitivity, and that the country derives maximum benefit from its mineral assets and which should also be a leading voice in the ECOWAS and Africa reform process. Is it unreasonable to fear that the Commission under his leadership will prioritise the interest of the companies for whom he has been such an energetic mouthpiece in the past? The statement queried.

Meanwhile, Dr. Toni Aubynn has been at post since April 2014.

Herbalist, Spiritual Healers Of Mental Illness Receive Sensitisation Training

herbalist performing rituals

There is no doubt that herbal and spiritual methods of treating persons with mental illness and epilepsy, by herbalists and spiritualists, play a very vital role in the treatment and cure of such people. 

But sadly, a lot of the time, reports of some herbalists and spiritualists taking undue advantage of the vulnerability of such persons to physically, psychological and sexually abuse them, leaves much to be desired.

In recent times, there have been reports of some mentally ill and epileptic patients being chained and confined to isolated places, beaten or bathed with hot water during treatment while females are slept with by some caregivers and herbalists at their treatment centres. 

This is in direct contravention of the rights of such people who are mostly powerless and vulnerable, and unable to protect themselves due to the state of their mental condition.  

In view of this, Gub-Katimali Society (GSK), a non-governmental organisation in collaboration with its partner, BasicNeeds-Ghana, organised a sensitisation forum in Tamale for Herbalists and Spiritualists as part of the implementation of a five-year DFID sponsored project.

According to the Executive Director and Programmes Manager of GSK, Sheik Abdul-Kareem Yakubu, the objective of the forum was to create awareness among participants about the existence of a mental health law and other regulations that protect the rights of mentally ill persons in and outside of the hospital including herbal and spiritual healing centres. 

He said, it was also to encourage participants to embrace orthodox ways of treating mentally ill persons and integrating them into the traditional and spiritual ways of treating patients.

The five-year DFID project aims at supporting the government of Ghana to build a national mental health system that effectively and efficiently respond to the mental health needs of the population. 

The project, among other things, will result in increased access to quality mental healthcare services through integration into primary healthcare. It will also reduce the high mental health treatment gap currently existing in Ghana, and will enable adults and children with neuropsychiatric conditions to live and work successfully in their communities.

herbalist sells herbs in market

Northern Ghana does not have a single psychiatric hospital, thus most patients in the area have to travel to any of the three state psychiatric hospitals– Accra, Pantang and Ankaful, located in the country’s extreme South for comprehensive treatment.

Under the new mental health law, there will be an improvement towards the care of poor, vulnerable people with mental illness or epilepsy, protection of their human rights and promotion of their participation in restoration and recovery. 

The law in the next 5 to 10 years will ensure integrated services in general hospitals across the country, all district hospitals to have 2 to 5 beds in general wards, all regional hospitals to have psychiatric wards with 10 to 20 beds and community volunteers in mental health to be a common place.

The Northern Regional Coordinator of Psychiatric Nursing, John Ibrahim Abdulai, told Savannahnews, that more people in the region still need treatment but says lack of medicines is creating a desperate situation which could also derail achievements chalked in recent years.

By the end of 2013, he said about 4,641 mentally ill and epileptic cases were recorded as against 4, 082 cases recorded in 2012. The figures though reducing at a minimal rate constitutes about 60 percent of people with epilepsy according to Mr. Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, Alhaji Sufyan Hussein, Northern Regional Treasurer of the Association of Herbalists and Spiritualists, appealed to government and non-governmental organisations to support members of the association to effectively do their work well.

BOST Depot in Buipe Undergoes Maintenance

Mr. Ayarkwa explaining to journalists

The Buipe Depot of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited  (BOST) in the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region of Ghana, is currently undergoing repairs, upgrading and refurbishment after almost nine months of complete shutdown, authorities say.

Security cameras, structures and mega storage tanks are some of the facilities that ought to undergo maintenance in order to enhance security and lifespan of the facility after more than 20 years of existence.

Since the establishment of the old depot in the 1990s and new depot in 2006, this is the first time machines and other facilities of BOST are undergoing calibration and maintenance as well as refurbishment in order to preempt any future disaster. 

The Manager of the Buipe Depot, Fred Ayarkwa, who briefed the media including Savannahnews during a recent tour of the facility, expressed concern about its shutdown, noting that it has affected workers morale since they do not know when work is expected to resume. 

The Buipe BOST Depot serves the three regions of the north –Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions, as well as other parts of the Brong Ahafo Region with petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene. 

Mr. Ayarkwa explained that, petroleum products are normally brought in from Akosombo and Tema for storage and distribution to oil marketing companies in the various regions. “In the case of Bolgatanga, the products are often transmitted through an eight inch underground pipeline of 268 kilometres from the Buipe Depot to another depot in Bolgatanga for distribution to customers in those areas and the Sahelian countries”, he said. 

These products arrive by barges and bulk road vehicles (tankers) which travel by the Volta Lake as well as road from Akosombo and Tema respectively to the Buipe Depot, Mr. Ayarkwa said, adding that “transmission of the products from the Buipe Depot to Bolgatanga Depot is often aided by a booster station in Savelugu”. 

The Buipe Depot has ten mega storage tanks which can hold a maximum of 50 million litres of petrol, diesel and kerosene. Seven out of the ten mega storage tanks contain diesel and kerosene while the rest of the three contain petrol. As at the end of 2013, the monthly demand for petroleum products by all regions was estimated to be about 30 million litres. 

Meanwhile, the BOST is a private limited liability company with the government of Ghana as sole shareholder. It has the mandate to develop a network of storage tanks, pipelines and other bulk transportation infrastructure throughout the country and to keep strategic reserve stocks in case of any emergency.

BOST currently has storage facilities at six locations within the country namely; Accra plains, Mami-water, Akosombo, Kumasi, Buipe and Bolgatanga with plans to develop same at Takoradi and Wa in the long term. BOST has also been given an additional mandate as the natural gas transmission utility (NGTU) to develop the natural gas infrastructure throughout the country. 

Also, the new Board of Directors through management has instituted a programme code named "operation BOST 24" as part of new measures to make the company live up to its mandate. Management intends to make BOST the number one or the preferred logistics company in the energy sector in the sub-region.

Minister Frowns on Discrimination Against Women

Ms Joyce Bawa

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Joyce Bawa Mugtar has passionately attacked some of the cultural and religious norms and practices that had over the years discriminated against, disadvantaged and constantly held down majority of women in the North of Ghana from participating adequately in the processes of democracy and decision-making. 

The minister asserted that the lack of motivation from religious and traditional leaders, the lack of education, the cultural system which forces young girls into early marriages, suppression and discrimination against women, had been the major contributing factors militating against the women in the north and discouraging them from taking up certain responsibilities or positions at the local or national levels.

Speaking on the topic: “The Right to Participate equally in Democratic Governance- Steps to overcoming the obstacles” at the official inauguration of the Women’s Wing of the Gonjaland Youth Association in Tamale, Mrs. Joyce Bawa was particularly unhappy about how traditional and religious norms and practices in the north had somewhat prevented the Article 35 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution which provides for equal rights and opportunities for women to thrive. 

She said that the reason why women in Ghana and for that matter Northern Regions were lagging behind and not adequately participating in the democratic processes “is not because women are not protected under the constitution or laws are necessarily prohibitive of women participation but rather due to cultural, traditional and religious system as well as the lack of education”.

She accentuated that the few women in the north who had been able to rise to the occasion and had become famous in Ghana or contributing actively to the democratic development like; Mrs. Susan Alhassan, Hajia Adiza Munkaila, Fransica Issaka and herself were only born into those opportunities by parents [Fathers] who were probably part of the struggle for democracy in Ghana. 

The Deputy Minister of Transport bemoaned that governments over the years had tried different methods and made deliberate and conscious attempts to get more women into certain vital national positions but not much had been achieved so far. 

She maintained that, true democracy required that women and men got equal representations in governance, in parliament and at the district assembly or local level.

“I think the time has come for us to decide what we want to do as women of the north and Ghana as a whole. Whether we want to be passive, part of the process or participate adequately in decision making processes.  When you look at our parliament for example; we have 275 parliamentarians and only 29 are females. This is very appalling, disappointing and unacceptable for Ghanaian women who constitute almost 52% of Ghana’s population”.

Mrs. Joyce Bawa therefore encouraged the women to start developing the interest to participate in democracy or decision-making processes from the grassroots. She also encouraged the women in Ghana especially those in the three Northern Regions to see education as the springboard to catapult them to their dream land, and also make them assertive, self-confident and knowledgeable enough to fit into any position.

She was hopeful that the inauguration of the Gonjaland Youth Association’s Women Wing would serve as motivation for the women to move forward, create access and opportunities for them as well. 

The Gonjaland Youth Association is by far one of the biggest youth associations in Ghana with branches across the globe and has been in existence since 1976. The President of the Association, Alhassan Dramani said that women were the greater percentage of the Gonjaland Youth Association and creating a separate office under the association for the women would largely bring them together to have one loud voice and build their capacities socially and economically.

The Women’s Commissioner of the Gonjaland Youth Association, Madam Braimah Ramatu was very confident that the women’s wing had come to stay and assured that their activities would bring total transformation to the women in Gonjaland.

She noted that her major priorities as the leader of the young women in the area weere to promote quality education among the girl child, vocational training, self confidence and also discourage early marriages and “kayaye” among the girls in Gonjaland.

Madam Braimah Ramatu was worried that out of the seven (7) districts in Gonjaland, there was no woman as District Chief Executive and out of the eight (8) parliamentarians in the area, none of them was a woman.

She noted that Gonjaland women shouldered most of the basic domestic responsibilities but were systematically denied the resources and freedom they needed to fulfill such responsibilities. And as a result, majority of the Gonjaland women she said were poor and they represent two-thirds of the illiterate population in Gonjaland. Apart from the fact that hundreds of girls of school going age do not find themselves in school due to cultural reasons, Madam Ramatu said that the few who were fortunate to enroll ended up dropping out of school and entering into early marriages.  

She however expressed the joy that a few individual Gonja women were now marking some mark in various positions in Ghana and encouraged them to excel.