VICE PRESIDENT SECURES IFC DEAL FOR GHANA

Vice President, John Dramani Mahama has secured a deal with the International Financial Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank to assist the country with technical support in its effort to map-up, number and name major streets with zip codes. Mr. Mahama told the IFC that Ghana needed technical support in the mapping-up, street numbering and street naming process to enable government to effectively and efficiently collect property rates and also make mailing easy in the country.

The vice-president made the request when he interacted with officials of IFC at the recent United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where the Vice President attended this year’s 14th Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Governments meeting.

In a meeting with Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Mahama said Ghana would contribute to bridging the technological divide and make the country an ICT hub for Africa and a market where other sister African countries can draw from. In pursuant to this, Vice-president Mahama sadi it was imperative for government to review existing regulations to bring the sector up to standard to be in tune with international practice so as to build capacity for the future.

Mr. Mahama assured officials of the IFC of government’s commitment in keeping to and conserving the environment.

He said Ghana had already put in place policies like the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), the Youth-in-Agriculture policy and other afforestation programmes to generate employment for the youth and also check environmental degradation.

For his part, Mr. Janneh assured Mr. Mahama that the IFC has more than the necessary capacity, technology and financial resources to assist Ghana in achieving its objectives in its Information Communication Technology programmes and the street naming and numbering projects.

Mr. Janneh assured the vice-president of a team of experts who would soon visit Ghana to undertake feasibility studies of the street numbering and street naming project for the immediate commencement of the exercise.

In a related development, the Vice President, Mr. Mahama has repeated Ghana Government’s call on the Millennium Challenge Authority and the US government to reconsider making the bidding process for contracts under the Millennium Challenge Account flexible for local contractors to win some of the contracts.

He said this would create a multiplier effect and allow the building of indigenous local industries which would invariably improve the economy and standards of living. He bemoaned the way Chinese companies are winning all contracts under the MCA due to their financial muscle and said much as their local counterparts can not much the Chinese financially, they have the technical know-how to execute good quality jobs and called on the US government to involve local content in the award of contract in the MCA.

Mr. Mahama reiterated the call when a Special Assistant to the US President and Director of African Affairs, Ms. Michelle Gavin called on him at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia .

Mr. Mahama also said the Mills’ administration was taking all the necessary steps to fight the drug menace that rocked the country some years back.

He said government was seeking support to procure surveillance equipments for the Ghana navy to could monitor and apprehend intruding vessels, check the country’s territorial waters and pair trawling and guard the country’s new found oil.

He assured the Ms. Gavin that Government would not leave no stone unturned to ensure that Ghanaians benefit from the oil fine that would start streaming in November 2010.

Ms. Gavin assured the vice-president that her Government would do everything within her power to assist Ghana fight the drug menace.

She also assured the Vice President that she would relay the concerns he had raised with respect to the local content in the award of contract by the MCA.