Ghana: Info Bill, smooth hajj take-off given priority in Ghana media
Cabinet's decision to approve the Right to Information Bill, the first
smooth take-off of hajj in many years and a mining accident were some
of the main news items in Ghana this week.
The state-owned Graphic started the week on Monday with its lead
story: "Cabinet okays info bill – It's now set for Parliament", a step
that had gladdened the hearts of many people.
It said the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, had taken a
major step towards fulfilling yet another key manifesto promise, with
the approval of the Right to Information Bill by Cabinet.
The Graphic said Cabinet gave the approval at the last sitting,
following a report submitted by its sub-committee that studied the
draft memorandum.
With the approval, the bill is set to be submitted to Parliament for
consideration.
The Minister of Information, Mrs. Zita Okaikoi said the "presentation
of the bill to Parliament less than a year after coming into office,
is the fulfilment of the National Democratic Congress' campaign pledge
to pass the bill into law to facilitate access to official
information."
Okaikoi said the move by the government was also an ample testimony of
"our commitment to full disclosure."
When the bill is passed, it will give journalists and the public the
right to obtain information from government officials and public
institutions that otherwise would have been difficult to access.
The Graphic also carried a reaction on the approval by Cabinet, of the
bill under the headline "Coalition commends government for decision to
pass RTI Bill".
It said the Right to Information Coalition (RTI Coalition) on Monday
commended government for its commitment to pass the bill into law by
the end of the year.
Nana Oye Lithur, Convener, RTI Coalition of Ghana, said the clear time
frame by government was an indication that Ghana would set the pace
for other West African nations to emulate.
Nana Oye said people's right to access information had been widely
recognised as an essential pre-requisite for effective and functional
democracy.
According to Nana Oye, "This law places an obligation on public
agencies and private bodies to provide to any person access to
information and in response to a formal request received, in a timely,
inexpensive and reasonable manner."
The Graphic carried a front-page story on an accident at a pit in the
Western Region where illegal miners were mining gold.
"Galamsey (illegal mining) horror – 14 women among retrieved bodies,"
was the headline in the Graphic.
It wrote: "Mass grief has gripped Dompoase, near Wassa Akropong in the
Western Region, as a rescue team comprising the police and some
"galamsey" (illegal miners) operators, continues to dig deep into the
mud for more bodies following one of the biggest mining tragedies to
hit Ghana."
It said out of the 18 bodies so far retrieved, 14 had been identified
as women who were part of a team of about 30 in the pit last Tuesday
afternoon when a landslide struck and buried them alive.
The Graphic said there was no idea of the actual number of people
involved but there were fears of more bodies being buried under the
massive deposits of clay in that soggy part of the Amenfi East
District of the Western Region.
It quoted one of the few survivors, Gloria Nddzabah, 27, as saying
some of them had come out of the pit before it caved in, trapping the
others, together with the pit owner, whose name she gave as Ato.
The newspapers also highlighted the visit of a delegation of Niger to
Ghana that delivered a special message from President Mamadou Tandja.
It said Mr. Ali Badjo Gamatie, Prime Minister of Niger, on an
eight-nation West African tour, on Monday delivered a special message
from Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja to President John Evans Atta
Mills at the Osu Castle in Accra.
The content of the message was not disclosed.
However, it is believed to be a plea with leaders of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to lift sanctions on Niger,
following the decision of Tandja to review the constitution to extend
his term of office.
The newspapers also highlighted the orderly departure of the first
batch of 266 Ghanaian Muslims on Tuesday for the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia on board an Egypt Air flight to perform this year's hajj.
The Graphic said the successful departure would be the first time in
many years the pilgrimage has been organised in Ghana without hitches.
"Unlike previous occasions where pilgrims were left in the open at the
airport for days before departure, this time the pilgrims were camped
in air conditioned tents at the Hajj Village, where immigration and
customs officials checked their travel documents and screened their
luggage. The airport health officials also checked the health status
of the pilgrims," the newspaper said.
The version of the Ghanaian Times had the heading "Batch one pilgrims off".
According to the Times, "It was the first time in many years that the
organisation of the holy pilgrimage to Mecca had been without a hitch
unlike previous ones which were fraught with delayed departure, poor
accommodation and loss of luggage."
Accra - 14/11/2009
Pana
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