Major Events In 2003 By GNA

The year 2003 began with a goodwill message from President John Agyekum Kufuor, in which he urged the whole nation to brace itself for hard times. The following were some of the major events:

January

January 1:
President Kufuor broadcasts goodwill message to the nation and tells each and everyone to brace himself for rough times ahead Former President Jerry Rawlings and former Vice President John Evans Atta Mills reject protocol parcels from the government.

January 2:
Opening figures of the Ghana Stock Exchange and inter-bank exchange rates of major currencies to the cedi:

 Currency        Buying    Selling (all in cedis) 
U.S. Dollar     8,256.00  8,452.55 
Pound Sterling 13,279.78 13,600.15 
Canadian Dollar 5,241.88  5,364.74 
Japanese Yen     69.41       71.04 
Euro            8,650.19  8,852.54 
CFA Franc          13.19     13.50 

The All-Share Index or the main market indicator that gauges the performance of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), made a weak start to the year, rising by a mere 0.05 points at 1,395.36 points.
Change in year--------------0.17 per cent
Market Capitalisation------6,183.95 billion cedis
Volume Traded-------------33,200 shares

January 4:
NPP elected President Kufuor as presidential candidate by popular acclamation.

January 6:
First National Chieftaincy Conference held.

January 7:
People's Assembly held to mark second anniversary of NPP.

January 10:
Near clash at Dagbon, four people injured.

January 12:
Rebel groups and government in Cote d'Ivoire sign peace pact.

January 13:
National Reconciliation Commission commences hearing. Parliament extends state of emergency in Dagbon for another month.

January 17:
Fuel prices go up by more than 90 per cent.

January 20:
President makes return trip to Togo where the ECOWAS contact group on Cote d'Ivoire met.

January 22:
Lawyers in Accra and Tema boycott court proceedings due to increases in court fees. Chief Justice subsequently suspends fees.

January 23:
Ten more mass transit buses arrive from Italy.

January 24:
President travels to France

Lawyers in Accra pass vote of no confidence in Chief Justice

Parliamentary forum held.

Bank of Ghana holds monetary policy press conference.

Vice President commissions Ankasa Forest Reserve.

Government releases coaches for commuters.

January 29:
UN envoy on Ivorian crisis arrives
John Achiliwor, NPP MP for Navrongo and Deputy Communications Minister, dies in road accident

January 30:
President Kufour travels to Dakar for ECOWAS meeting

February

February 1: President Kufuor leaves for Cote d'Ivoire for peace talks

February 2: President Kufuor attends AU summit in Ethiopia

February 4: Vice President Aliu Mahama returns from Kuala Lumpur

February 5: Government announces withdrawal from Nation-wide Airline deal on Ghana Airways Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo holds talks with President Kufuor in Accra on crisis in Cote d'lvoire.

February 7: Ivorian rebels arrive in Accra to hold talks with ECOWAS Chairman, President Kufuor.

February 9: NPP MP for Gomoa East, Mr Emmanuel Acheampong and the Party's Constituency Chairman die in motor accident.

February 11: Muslims celebrate Eid-Ul-Ahda

February 12: Tema workers demonstrate against government's delay in announcing minimum wage

February 13: President delivers sessional address

February 14: Ivorian Prime Minister holds talks with President Kufuor.

February 18: President Kufuor attends 22nd Franco-African Summit in Paris Tripartite committee fails to reach agreement.

February 25: TUC members demonstrate over minimum wage.

February 26: President Kufuor meets Tripartite Committee on minimum wage.

February 27: Minimum Wage announced
Budget read in Parliament

March

March 6: Independence Day

March 7: Peace deal brokered with Ivorian factions but citizens reject deal, while a four-man rebel delegation arrives for talks

March 8: President travels to Burkina Faso for UNESCO sponsored seminar on HIV/AIDS
President opens ECOWAS fair in Lome.

March 14: President travels to Niger

March 15: John Achuliwor buried National Reconciliation Commission writes to Former President Rawlings to respond to charges against him.

March 19: US attacks Iraq

March 20: Vice President visits Northern Region

March 22: Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia's final funeral rites performed Public calls on government to declare stand on Iraqi war.

March 23: NDC calls for removal of National Reconciliation Chairman over comments he made against a witness.

March 27: President reshuffles cabinet.

March 29: MT Asterias 1, hired ship drilling for oil at Saltpond Oilfields, vanishes from site

NDCs Abraham Kofi Asante resigns from Parliament

April

April 2: Mallam Issa, former Minister of Youth & Sports loses appeal against his conviction and sentence for causing financial loss to the state

April 5: President Kufuor names former President of Nigeria, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as ECOWAS Special Facilitator on Liberia crisis President travels to Mauritius Wedding tape on controversial Ms Juliet Cotton at the centre of Quality Rice Project aired by Ghanaian TV

April 6: NDC demonstrates against high cost of living in the country

April 15: Minority in Parliament votes against State of Emergency in Dagbon

April 17: President Kufuor declares a fresh State of Emergency in Dagbon

April 18: Good Friday

April 23: NPP/NDC youth clash in Tamale claims four lives

Parliament unanimously re-imposes State of Emergency in Dagbon Area

POTAG goes on strike

Poly Students demonstrate on delay in release of committee's report on job placement

may

May 9: Workers of VRA demonstrate against Chief Executive, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby and demand his removal

May 21: Dr. Wereko-Brobby steps aside for Committee of Enquiry to work.

President swears in Supreme Court Judge Professor Justice Anselmus Kodzo Paaku Kludze and 20 High Court Judges

Foreign Minister Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo flies to South Africa to participate in the Third Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union scheduled for May 21 to 26.

May 23: National Economic Dialogue begins.

May 25: Paul Boateng, Ghanaian born British Secretary to the Treasury visits Ghana.

May 26: Lawyers of Former President Jerry Rawlings hold press conference to deny allegations made against him at the NRC by ex-corporal Adebuga

May 27: President formally opens National Economic Dialogue
President leaves for Abuja for ECOWAS meeting on NEPAD and the inauguration of President Obasanjo for second term of office.

May 28: President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated into office amidst protests from the opposition that the election was rigged

June

June 1: Togo holds Presidential elections
MV Asterias 1, missing oil tanker, arrives at Tema from Nigeria 61 days after it disappeared from the Saltpond Oilfields

June 4: Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Tejan Kabah, Charles Taylor and others arrive for peace talks on war situation in Liberia. President Charles Taylor says he would step down if this would bring peace to his country

UN War Crimes Court in Sierra Leone indicts Charles Taylor and issues arrest warrant for Ghanaian authorities to arrest him - Taylor left the same day to Liberia where he claimed there was an attempted coup in his absence. Liberia experiences rebel unrest following the refusal of Taylor to step down

NDC marks June four where Former President Rawlings says he knows 15 top cabinet ministers who were involved in the murders of 34 women in Ghana.

June 12: Former President Jerry Rawlings is questioned by the Police to give the names of the Ministers involved in the murders but he declines and requests a lie detector test.

June13: President Kufuor travels to Tripoli for a two-day visit at the invitation of the Libyan leader

June 16: Former Deputy Finance Minister Victor Serlomey's appeal dismissed and jail sentence technically reduced from eight to six years

President Kufuor returns from Libya having brokered deal for supply of crude oil to Ghana.

June 17: National Reconciliation Commission begins sitting in Tamale.

June 29: 15-member UN Security Mission to West Africa arrives in Ghana

July

July 1: President grants amnesty to prisoners - Malam Issa, jailed former Sports Minister benefits.

July 3: Justice Kingsley Acquah unanimously approved by Parliament as Chief Justice
NDC Flagbearer Atta Mills holds press conference on performance of the NPP Administration.

July 4: Former Liberain Chief Justice arrested in Ghana for breach of peace. He was not accredited to attend the peace talks but attempted to attend. ECOWAS mediator intervenes.

July 6: Escaped prisoner John Malm re-arrested Former President Rawlings criticises government's management of the economy

July 7: President Kufuor travels to Dakar.

July 8: Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo responds to NDC Flagbearer, Prof. Mills' statement on the economy

US President George Bush meets West African leaders in Dakar.

July 9: AU's Second Ordinary Session opens in Maputo, Mozambique.

July 10: Two Senior Prison Officers interdicted and two others arrested respectively for role in escape of prisoner John Malm.

July 12: President Kufuor returns from Maputo.

July 15: Concerned women in Accra demonstrate to ask former President Rawlings to reveal names of alleged murderers of 34 women.

July 16:
President Kufuor attends African African-American summit
NDC Presidential aspirant Professor Mills responds to Mr Osafo-Maafo Auditor-General releases report on VRA

July 17:
Information Minister Nana Akomea briefs the press on government's position on the Former President's request for lie detector and chemical interrogation facilities.

July 24:
Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury visits Ghana.

July 31:
Jailed Former Finance Minister Kwame Peprah and Co denied bail pending appeal

August

August 2: Education Minister uncovers computers and textbooks during an unannounced visit to warehouses at Tema

Sports Writers Association of Ghana holds awards night

August 4:
President Kufuor tours Greater Accra Region

August 5:
Ministry of Information answers queries on reports of attempted coup

Government explains relocation of jailed Former Finance Minister Kwame Peprah from Nsawam to Sekondi

August 9 - Former Rawlings ally and now bitter critic Boakye Djan returns from exile to testify at NRC.

August 11:
Liberian President Charles Taylor steps down.

August 14:
President Kufuor begins a week's tour of Ashanti Region

August 15:
Government suspends sale of shares in Ghana Commercial Bank

August 17:
President of Equatorial Guinea visits Ghana

August 21:
Members of the Ghana Journalists Association go to the polls

August 22:
Yaw Owusu-Addo, one of GJA presidential candidates, contests eligibility of GJA President-elect, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo

August 23:
GJA holds 10th awards and dinner dance

August 26:
Majority in Parliament passes National Health Insurance Bill without the minority

August 27:
GJA ad-hoc committee disqualifies president-elect

September

September 8: Major-General Abdulai Fall, New Force Commander of ECOWAS Forces in Cote D'Ivoire, introduced to ECOWAS Chairman President Kufuor. Major-General Fall replaced Lieutenant-General Papa Kalilu Fall who has been appointed the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Senegalese Army.

September 9:
Ministry of Interior announces new commands for Prisons and Fire Services

September 11:
Foreign Ministry refuses to grant courtesy to Former President Rawlings

September 12:
President's convoy involved in accident on the Accra-Kumasi Road whilst visiting the Atebubu and Sene districts in the Brong Ahafo Region

September 14:
World Trade Organisation's talks in Cancum, Mexico, break down as Third World countries refuse to negotiate on Developed nations' agenda

September 16:
President Kufuor swears eight judges into office

September 18:
Presidents Kufuor and Obasanjo and ECOWAS Secretary Ibn Chambas travel to Guinea Bissau to hold talks with coup makers to hand over to a civilian regime

September 19:
President travels to New York to attend the 58th session of the UN General Assembly

September 20:
CPP goes to congress - Aguddey, a businessman, is elected presidential candidate

September 24:
Workers demonstrate against NHIS

September 27:
Pope John Paul II confers title of Cardinal on Archbishop Peter Appiah Kojo Turkson

September 29:
President delivers keynote address at the Tokyo International Conference on Africa's Development (TICAD 111) in Japan

October

October 3:
GJA holds by-election to elect a president following the annulment of the first election - Adjoa Yeboah Afari emerges victor.

October 6:
National Teachers Award held in Kumasi

October 7:
Seydou Elemane Diarra, Ivorian Prime Minister calls on President Kufuor

October 13:
Vice President Aliu travels to London for the opening of Ghana Expo 2003

October 14:
President Kufuor travels to Liberia to participate in formal handing over to a transitional government

November 7:
President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo stops over in Accra en route to his country from the United States Cardinal Kojo Turkson call on President Kufuor

November 8:
Ministers hold retreat on the economy

November 11:
ECOWAS Special Summit for six heads of State/Government on security situation in the region held in Accra

Ivorian leaders hold talks with President Kufuor and ECOWAS Chairman. Commonwealth meeting opens in Nigeria - Zimbabwe expelled from the Commonwealth

President Kufuor attends ICT meeting in Geneva Veep tours Eastern region

Mr Osafo-Maafo re-elected chairman of committee on West African Monetary Zone

December 5:
National Farmers' Day held in Takoradi

December 19:
President Kufuor re-elected ECOWAS Chairman at the group's 27th summit in Accra