Ho, April 30, GNA - Professor B.K. Aheto, formerly of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), on Saturday asserted that the establishment of state-funded University in the Volta Region was more a of a political decision than the availability of funds.

"I am totally convinced that a state-funded University can easily be established in the Volta Region if the political will can be evoked, just as it has been done in the other cases", he said.

Prof. Aheto, who made the assertion in a paper presented to a Congress in Ho, as part of campaigns towards such a University declared; "if today the Government of the day declares that there should be a state-funded or public university in the Volta Region, there would be one".

"Honest and non-prejudicial analysis of the reasons for the location of universities in the regions will show that political will, not human and financial resources is the main determinant, he said. "In fact the University of Development Studies (UDS) and the University of Education, Winneba were established when the State was undergoing severe World Bank and IMF Structural Adjustments Programmes. "The University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa and GIMPA at Greenhill were upgraded to chartered university status when Ghanaians were languishing under enhanced HIPC II", he pointed out.

Professor Aheto said it was, therefore, strange that some interests opposed to such a university in the Volta Region were raising lack of funds just as they did in the case of the UDS.

"It is true that UDS is going through some underserved hard times but it will survive. As late as last week President John Agyekum Kufuor reportedly directed that the UDS and the University of Education should be awarded significant infusion of funds immediately. "In the same vein if today the Government declares that there should be a State-funded or public university in the Volta Region, it would be done", Prof. Aheto emphasized.

He said given the huge financial resources of close to a 4,000 billion cedis earmarked for the Model Secondary Schools Project and the current amount of 1,400 trillion cedis being raked into the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) per year, "the financial capacity is definitely there".

He said, "when it becomes necessary to consider other criteria such as student population; qualified staff; conducive environment; availability of land and utilities; appreciation of the value of education; the Volta Region would come tops in any fair and unbiased assessment". Making references to Article 25 (1) (c); (1) (e) 35 (3 and 5) and 36 (2) (d) of the 1992 Constitution, Professor Aheto said the establishment of a university in the Volta Region was a constitutional requirement. He described as a lame argument the assertion that even though there was no State-funded university in the Volta Region yet the people from the Region had adequate access to State-funded university education elsewhere.

"Well what about the Volta Region having a public university and people from other regions having access to it for a change", he asked, explaining that the campaign was not for a public funded university for the Volta Region but in the Region.

Professor Aheto said just as public fund ed universities elsewhere in the country had promoted the economic fortunes of those regions and opened new horizons through social interaction so would such advantages and more accrue to the Volta Region now in dire need of an injection of economic activities.

"The campaign and advocacy for the establishment of a university has begun and nothing can stop it. We call on all sons and daughters of the Region and well-wishers no matter where they may come from, to join the campaign and advocacy", he said.

Meanwhile the Congress which, comprised of a cross-section of professionals, traditional leaders and members of the academia from the Region would send resolution to the President and constitute a working committee to strategize and carry out the necessary ground work to assist the Government in moving towards the realization of the goal. The Congress, which was characterized by frank exchanges on the matter, was of the view that the Region had taken too long to push through the agenda and that it was now necessary to remain focused on the matter and to work hard to recover the time lost.

Vice President cautions religious leaders

Accra, April 30, GNA - Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has called on religious leaders and adherents to be circumspect in their pronouncements to maintain peace in the country.

He noted that unguarded speeches and pronouncements by religious leaders in some parts of the world had contributed to religious unrest. The Vice President made the call in a speech read on his behalf by Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Harbours, Ports and Railways at a banquet to end a three-day International Religious Liberty Congress in Accra.

The Congress organized by All Africa International Religious Liberty in collaboration with the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) was to seek ways to combat religious intolerance and develop mutual understanding to promote peace.

It was under the theme: "Religious Liberty: Co-existence in Peace and Freedom in Diversity."

Participants at the Congress, analysed threats to religious freedom, examined causes to religiously inspired violence, extremism, intolerance, and worked out solutions to create enabling conditions for inter-faiths to co-exist.

IRLA was established in 1893 to promote and defend religious freedom and had the belief that religious freedom was the best answer to both religious fanaticism and bigotry.

Alhaji Mahama condemned restrictions on free expression of religious beliefs and practices by countries with established discriminatory laws and policies that were of great disadvantage to peaceful inter-faith existence.

He therefore, appealed to countries with discriminatory rules on religious beliefs to take advantage of the Accra IRLA Congress to amend their rules and laws to protect the citizen's rights of worship. The Vice President commended IRLA for organizing the Congress because the absence of religious tolerance had created disunity, distrust and hatred in some parts of the world.

He advocated for more religious dialogue, to ensure better inter-faith co-existence and peace among adherents of various religious beliefs.

In a communiqu=E9 issued at the end of the congress, IRLA expressed concern about the increase in violence and conflicts associated with religion.

It called on the citizenry, governments, and international organizations in Africa and beyond not to allow religious differences to be used as a motive or weapon of conflict, but to seek peace and justice through dialogue.

"Inter-religious strife, hatred, and religious intolerance are to be avoided and replaced by increased understanding and mutual respect. No one should make false statements regarding any aspect of each others' religion, nor ridicule their beliefs, practices or origins," the communique added.

The Communique noted that religious leaders and faith communities, both in Africa and other parts of the world, might be responsible for intolerance and violation of religious freedom of others.

It therefore, asked faith communities and religious to commit themselves explicitly to the principle of religious freedom and work to inculcate this value both within their communities and in interactions with others, particularly where the religious leaders held majority or influential positions in society.

The Congress recognized essential roles religious freedom played in achieving social harmony and recommended that religion should be taught with an emphasis on mutual respect for all human beings in a pluralistic world.

The Communique said education in Africa and internationally should promote culture of peace, mutual understanding and the recognition that intolerance and prejudice only perpetuated cycle of violence. The Congress said teaching and practicing human rights demonstrated the inviolable dignity of all human beings and provided the means to a secure and peaceful future.

It recognized and upheld the right of an individual to hold or change a religious belief in accordance with the dictates of the individual's conscience and personal conviction free of any enticement. The Congress condemned countries, organizations, or individuals who violated this right through the imposition of penalties, including in some cases imprisonment, torture or even death.

It also recognized the sensitivity of evangelistic activity by faith communities in Africa and in most parts of the world, and appealed for all such activities to take place in an honest spirit of dialogue and respect, avoiding controversy and offence.

The Congress expressed concern about the existence of elaborate religious freedom provisions in national constitutions, in Africa and elsewhere, but such provisions were not enforced.

Consequently it recommended that in addition, to the provisions, a constitutional culture should be promoted to make such religious freedoms a practical reality.

The Congress noted with concern that individuals belonging to minority groups were often disadvantaged when exercising their religious freedoms, contrary to international norms.

It therefore, urged governments, employers, and educational institutions to make efforts to accommodate such individuals so that they might practice their religious beliefs and observed days of rest without hindrance. The Congress called on the media in Africa and the world to provide balanced information regarding religion, especially regarding sensitive areas such as religious feelings and cultural identity, to avoid reinforcing prejudicial stereotypes to distort the image of others.