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Question: Drug trafficking and abuse have become such a problem that they are affecting the integrity of our security forces. How will your government bring the situation under control? Prof. Mills: When you have a problem and you really want to solve it, admit that it exists. Now Ghana is not only a transit point but unfortunately drug use is beginning to gain root in this country. I will make sure that I resource the drug enforcement agencies to enable them do their work; I will give them the independence that they require. There will be no interference. If any of my ministers, any of my party faithfuls, any cronies, are found to be involved in any drug trade I will make sure that the law takes its course. The UN has many Conventions on how to deal with the narcotic trade. We will apply these to the letter. Unfortunately, one gets the impression that somewhere along the line there is complicity. Let’s face it because some times when you expect action to be taken the action is not forthcoming. As President, I will make sure that anyone who is supposed to enforce the law but doesn’t do it will be disciplined. You must send the right signals. You also need international cooperation. I am happy that recently we brought in some people to help but to what extent have we cooperated with these people who have come from abroad? We are still having problems of this nature. Let us let the whole world know that we have this problem. And let us make sure that we discipline people. Question: There is a perception that the nation is over emphasising football at the expense of the other sports in which we have excelled in the past. Let’s take for example athletics. I remember a gentleman called Stanley Allotey. He held the Commonwealth 100 and 200 meters record for 10 years. Who remembers him now? The Ohene Karikaris have come and gone. Let us take hockey, we went to the world cup twice before we ever made it to the world cup in football. Boxing, table tennis, who remembers the Quaye brothers; E.A. Quaye and Okine Quaye. We’ve excelled before. 56
There is the perception that we are over-emphasising football. What will you do to end the neglect of the other sports? Prof. Mills: Well let me say quickly that I played with Nana Addo. He was a good midfielder. But you are going to have a President Atta-Mills who is not only going to be interested in sports, but who’s been a player and administrator. Government is just taking advantage of the investments that people have made in football. There are people who are spending big money on football. The teams are flourishing because people are bending over backwards pumping in money. Now if you want sports to progress you need to catch them young; you have to train them. How did some of us get involved? The facilities were there. It’s a pity that now schools’ sports are gone, no competitions are held. Atta-Mills will introduce sports back into the curriculum. We’re going to grant scholarships to performers at the secondary and university levels. We are going to have national sports festivals. We are going to make sure that the facilities are there. If some of us had not stood up where we now have the hockey pitch, they were going to build there. Now people are building in every empty space. Without facilities and without investment you cannot do anything about sports. Government should invest in facilities and those who are prepared to help sports develop must be given recognition and incentives and the sportsmen themselves should occasionally be acknowledged as sportsmen. When you get this acknowledgement you feel that you should die even more for your country. You don’t wait until people had struggled on their own and then give them honours. So let’s concentrate on the schools, let’s catch them young. There are certain disciplines you cannot learn when you are old. You have to start young. So schools’ sports should be emphasised. Once you do that you go all the way up. But Nana, well done. You gave me some satisfaction as my midfielder. 57
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Delivering On Your Promises: IEA Gh
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The Institute of Economic Affairs (
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PREFACE The Institute of Economic A
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1. AN EVENING ENCOUNTER WITH PRESID
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consider this unacceptable. Even mo
Page 11 and 12: HIV/AIDS. Indeed, about a week ago
Page 13 and 14: ated with its production and distri
Page 15 and 16: ing glory to the efforts by the GNP
Page 17 and 18: QUESTION AND ANSWER SECTION Matilda
Page 19 and 20: youth, who are the future. Here we
Page 21 and 22: Now you ask about the language we a
Page 23 and 24: teaching will no longer be taken in
Page 25 and 26: It tells you that where you have a
Page 27 and 28: Ernest Owusu Aboagye, Pharmaceutica
Page 29 and 30: their full dignity. We have a lot o
Page 31 and 32: of you come to me under cover of da
Page 33 and 34: Harry Williams: Prof. you spoke ext
Page 35 and 36: Akwasi Sarpong, JOY FM: Prof Mills,
Page 37 and 38: know that it is not the state’s d
Page 39 and 40: Indeed we have cases where there is
Page 41 and 42: what you are saying. That is what m
Page 43 and 44: teachers, the teacher is at the cen
Page 45 and 46: issue if we think that NHIS alone i
Page 47 and 48: get enough. We’ve already said th
Page 49 and 50: As a young lecturer I used to think
Page 51 and 52: • We look at the judiciary - is t
Page 53 and 54: Dr. Nduom that the time has come wh
Page 55 and 56: Prof. Mills: I have two. I would ha
Page 57 and 58: Question: According to the 2000 Pop
Page 59 and 60: Prof. Mills: I will say that afford
Page 61: Question: You have each touched on
Page 65 and 66: with you. You may have heard our di
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