Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta has told Parliament that no public sector worker was laid off despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country’s finances.
Presenting the government budget statement for the 2022 fiscal year on Wednesday November 17, he highlighted the negative impact of the pandemic on the local economy.
“I am proud to announce that not a single public sector worker was laid off as a result of the impact of the pandemic on our economy and finance.
“We have managed to pay them monthly and we are grateful to the unions for their cooperation in this regard.”
Mr Ofori Atta further told Parliament that small and medium enterprises have been the hardest hit following the outbreak of the pandemic.
The government, he said has initiated steps to support the SMEs cope with the situation.
“Under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme Business Support Scheme (CAPBuSS), Ghana Enterprises Agency provided 302,001 successful applicants across various sectors and regions with loans amounting to GHȼ523.11 million.
“Mr. Speaker, we also ensured payment of our obligations to contractors and provided payroll support to some State-owned Enterprises to guarantee jobs.
“Thankfully, our President led and acted, decisively and intelligently and his leadership paved the way for many other countries in Africa and beyond.”
Minister of Finance Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta has admitted that the country is facing economic challenges due to the high expenditure which characterised the 2020 financial year.
He told legislators on Wednesday, November 17 that the country recorded a total budget deficit of 15 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020.
“Mr. Speaker, we are under no illusions as to the economic challenges facing our country today,” he said in his delivery of the 2022 budget statement and government’s economic policy.
“How to ease the sufferings of Ghanaians, transform the economy to create jobs and share the expected wealth across all households, such as providing security and education are what keep the President awake at night. How to broaden the revenue base, keep a grip on expenditure, protect the public purse and at the same time build with urgency the needed infrastructure, collecting revenue, managing our debt and expenditure commitments, and paying the bills to stimulate economic activity are the orders he has given to us, his Ministers and other appointees, to carry out over the next three years.”
He assured that they will steer the economy back to stable waters just like the President had stated in the height of the deadly pandemic.
“Mr. Speaker, we have no doubt in our capacity as a government to turn things around,” he promised.
“We turned around the economic crisis we inherited in 2017. We are turning around the economic crisis the pandemic brought in 2020. The challenge is on and we are determined to prevail and with the people behind us and the Almighty on our side we know we shall prevail.”
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said that the Akufo-Ado administration has better records in the management of public sector debt than what the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did.
He indicated that the debt figures and statistics do not favour the main opposition party.
Speaking to TV3 ahead of the 2022 budget presentation on Wednesday November 17, the Ofoase Ayirebi lawmaker indicated that when the NPP administration took over in 2017, several measures including the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, were put in place to check government spending.
“There are rules about borrowing that we ourselves have come to parliament to put in place that borrowing need not to be zero but it should not be more than 5 per cent of GDP, that is what we call the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
This portrayed a government that was willing to ensure fiscal discipline, he added.
“Because of Covid we have had to suspend it and we are now around 10 per cent of GDP , you will see in this budget the fiscal part coming back down. We are bringing it down to about 7.9 per cent. In the next budget may be about 6 per cent and we will bring it back to 5 per cent.
“It is evident that we are reducing the rate of debt accumulation, it is evident that we are reducing the deficit of 11 to about 5. If you look at the cedi denominated debt stock, I keep telling my colleagues, you will be misled because if the exchange rate is one cedi one dollar, if you owe hundred dollars , it is hundred million cedis. If the exchange rate changes to 1.5, you don’t need to borrow more , the next morning the same hundred million dollars is now hundred and fifty million cedis . So if you see that it was 100million cedis is now 150 million cedis , you have more than fifty million cedis and that, show me what you have done with it.
“That fifty million changed in a cedi denominated debt stock. It is not as a result of borrowing. That is why all over the world they use debt to GPD ratio , they use deficit , they use other debt sustainability indicators and that is what we are encouraging that we should also now watch those ones and see because for the cedi denominated debt stock it can very much misleading . Even for that those who want to do politics with we can compare their about 9 billion cedis that the NDC inherited to the about 124billion that they left. And compare the 124 billion of the NPP to the about 300 billion that we have now and strike the percentage and see who will be ore responsible when it comes to debt. But that kind of nominal comparison wont get us anywhere. Even if we choose to play that game we will play it better than our colleagues on the other side but that kind of game wont get us anywhere.”
Former President John Dramani Mahama recently said that Ghana’s current debt situation was exposing the country to very high risk of debt default.
He indicated that the debt has ballooned to unsustainable levels- topping 80% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) owing to the mismanagement of the economy by the government.
“Our debt has ballooned to unsustainable levels- topping 80% of GDP- exposing us to very high risk of debt default. Almost all of our tax revenue is used to service our debt and the effect has been the introduction of several new taxes.
“This has led to rampant increments in the prices of goods and services. This is primarily responsible for the hardships Ghanaians are going through now.
Government says it has been providing support for victims of the tidal wave that affected Keta and its environs on November 6, 2021, barely two days after the wave hit.
Contrary to speculation that it had abandoned victims, Volta Regional Minister, Archibald Yao Letsa said the government through the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) has been supporting victims with relief items.
This comes at the back of claims by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ketu South constituency, Dzifa Abla Gomashie and other leading members of opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the government has abandoned victims of the tidal wave.
However, Mr Letsa in an interview with journalists on Monday, November 15, 2021, described their claims as unfortunate because the government has taken several steps towards alleviating the plight of the victims.
“We have been in contact with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) ever since the tidal waves hit. In the week that it struck, we got some relief items from them, and these relief items were dispatched to the area. These include mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, mats, rice, maize, cooking oil and detergents. When the items arrived, I gave the instructions that they should be sent to Keta and distributed to the three affected assemblies: Ketu South, Keta and Angloga,” he said.
While empathizing with the people of Keta, Mr Letsa said a long-term solution was also being pursued by the government to end this perennial disaster. He said phase two of the Keta sea defense is in the offing and in due time, work will start.
He also assured that government will not neglect the victims of the tidal wave and will do all it can to offer support in every possible way.
The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Clement Apaak, has taken a swipe at President Akufo-Addo for embarking on leave when residents in Keta have been hit by tidal waves.
He said the President has not shown any concern despite the damages the incident had caused affected victims.
He said if the President had any form of empathy, he would not have embarked on a leave when people were in crisis.
He further slammed the President for not commenting on the matter but was quick to extend condolence to other parts of the world when similar incidents occur.
The MP made the remarks after former President John Dramani Mahama had donated some items to the affected victims of the tidal waves.
According to him, the victims of the tidal wave disaster in the Volta region expressed joy on the arrival of JM not just because of his impressive donation (more than what the state has given to the people via the ill funded NADMO) but, also because he took time to visit and commensurate with them (see video).
He said “Ideally Ghanaians expected NADAA, the man who has sworn an oath to protect all Ghanaian citizens, and also controls the public purse, to have personally visited the disaster area to see the situation for himself, to see the plight of victims first hand.
But guess what, NADAA has started his vacation (13/11/21). Yet when we say NADAA is insensitive, has no empathy, and doesn’t care about the welfare of Ghanaians we are said to be overly critical.
If you were President would you be comfortable taking your vacation when tidal waves have rendered thousands of citizens traumatised, homeless, and without food? I doubt you will be that uncaring,’” he indicated.
He added: “By the way, like many Ghanaians, I also find it strange that NADAA seems averse to publicly commensurating with Ghanaians who suffer tragedy and or misfortune, but finds time to publicly commensurate with victims of misfortune and tragedy in other parts of the world.”
The 2020 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) donated 10,000 items to support the victims.
The items are 3000 Mattresses, 1000 rice bags, 2000 pieces of canned fish, 2000 pieces of canned tomatoes, and 2000 litres of cooking oil.
A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti Region Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh has admitted that the NDC accepted defeat in 2020 because of some influential people in society who spoke to the leadership.
According to him, the records proved that the NDC won the election but the power was stolen by the use of security personnel and the machinations of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Yamoah Ponkoh said in as much as he will blame the Electoral Commission (EC) for their problems, the NDC should also take part of the blame because they did not manage their elections well.
He indicated that although the NDC will continue to let the world know they were cheated in 2020, they have decided to be more vigilant in 2024 where they know they will wrestle power from the governing NPP.
“Kwame, they have a point when they say we do not have our own collated results because I believe we have to take some of the blame because I cannot defend that everything went smoothly for us. I will be a hypocrite to say that we managed our elections well. We have our shortcomings but if you do the maths, I tell you that John Mahama won.
NDC won the majority of seats too but it was a calculated machination they engaged in that worked for them with the help of certain people especially some people who were clad in Military uniform who are not Military men. These people went to kill people in Techiman.
I’m still saying and I will not hide it that the declaration of Nana Akufo-Addo as the winner of the 2020 election was a lie, he stole the election, the EC rigged the election but we have kept quiet because there are elderly people in the country. But we have decided to drum home what happened as a move to ensure vigilance in the 2024 election”, he said on Accra-based OKAY FM.
Former President of Ghana and the leader of the NDC in the 2020 election, John Dramani Mahama has said that he is willing to testify if ECOWAS will investigate Ghana’s 2020 elections and the fraud that went on.
He believes that the Electoral Commission stuffed ballot boxes because the Commission printed extra one million ballot papers which was in contravention of the electoral laws of the land.
The NDC as a political party has also petitioned the new Inspector-General of Police to as a matter of urgency probe their claims of printing extra one million ballot papers by the electoral Commission.
A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Former Ghana’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Victor Smith has reiterated claims that the party won the 2020 elections.
According to him, the NDC was robbed of its victory by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that is not going to happen again.
“We were cheated and this is the second time it has happened. Ayawaso and this one but it won’t happen again,” he said.
“The NDC won the election and anyone who will engage in such form of rigging again does not have Ghana at heart. Everyone including the NPP members even say we won the elections but we were not resolute so they stole it from us but that won’t repeat itself,” he told Accra-based Kessben FM.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes that they won the 2020 elections but the Electoral Commission, Security agencies and governing NPP stole the verdict from them.
After the 2020 elections, the party’s flagbearer went to court to challenge the declaration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as winner of the election because to him, no candidate made the 50 plus 1 mark needed to win the elections.
His petition was quashed as baseless as all Supreme Court Judges who sat on the case voted against his case.
However, the 2020 NDC flagbearer regardless of the ruling by the Supreme Court has insisted that he won the elections but it was stolen for the governing political party by the security agencies and the electoral commission.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has told former president John Dramani Mahama that the 2020 elections are over therefore, he should manage to get over it.
A Deputy Director of Communications of the NPP, Mr Richard Nyama said at a press conference in Accra on Friday October 29 that the shock and pain that accompanied the defeat by the Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the polls is deep hence his never-ending lies against the Electoral Commission just to discredit the elections management body.
His comments come after Mr Mahama had alleged that the Electoral Commission thumb printed one million ballot papers in favour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2020 presidential election.
Mr Mahama claimed when he addressed the Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan, Nana Nteboah Prah, recently, as part of his Thank You tour of the Western Region that “More than one million extra ballot papers were printed, which the EC claimed happened by mistake but on the day of the elections, some of the more than one million extra ballot papers had already been secretly thumb-printed in favour of the NPP.”
He added “And, so, all these things dented the credibility of the polls and caused an embarrassment”,But a Deputy Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Dr Bossman Asare, asked the Police to investigate a claim.
Dr Bossman Asare said at a press conference that “We see that our silence on this matter has dire consequences on public confidence in the Commission, and we want the police to investigate it,” he stressed.
“Distinguished citizens, in the last few weeks Former President Mahama has made a number of allegations against the EC and the 2020 elections. As Officials charged with the responsibility of conducting elections in Ghana, we owe it a duty to provide Ghanaians with the facts and the truth about the elections and the allegations raised. We are of the view that our silence on these false allegations could have dire consequences as it could undermine citizens’ confidence our dear country.
“The Former President has said the EC thumb printed 1million ballots in favor of the president. This is untrue. This is a grave matter that undermines the credibility of our electoral process and should not be ignored. We call on him to provide evidence to support his claim. This is not a matter to be ignored and we call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate this.
“The Transparency of our process makes it totally impossible for this to happen. At the polling stations, prior to the start of the elections, the empty ballot boxes are opened and displayed in the presence of everyone, and thereafter they are sealed. There are serial numbers on the ballot papers for each region and constituency. This is made known to the Agents before the elections. Our ballot papers also have security features; so any trace of new material will be clearly visible.
“Again, at the end of the poll, the ballots cast are crosschecked against the voters who were verified and issued the ballot papers.
This ensures that over-voting is detected immediately. Nationwide, we had no issue with over-voting at all our 38,622 polling stations except in Savelugu in the parliamentary election where there was one and I repeat one over-voting. The transparency of our processes from the beginning to the end makes this impossible. Ballot Stuffing cannot be done-it is impossible. We call on the Former President in the interest of our democracy to provide evidence of the stuffing of the ballot boxes by the EC.
“The Police should investigate this as a matter of urgency due to its potential to derail and undermine our democracy, and lead to a lack of confidence in our systems and processes.”
Mr Richard Nyarma said “The NPP agrees with the Electoral Commission that the allegations of the former president Mahama that the Commission engaged in electoral fraud through ballot stuffing is uprightly criminal and we call on the Inspector General of Police to invite him for questioning and for the former president to make available all evidence of the said one million stuffed ballots to the Police for the Police for appropriate charges to be brought against the said personnel of the electoral commission who engaged in the said action.”
He added “The pain of this defeat is so deep that he is seeking to destroy ever I situation that played a role in the 2020 election s by fabricating and maligning them. And sending his harks to do same. The net effect of his actions are that he is eroding confidence in our institutions, which institutions he had the privilege of overseeing for about six years as president.
“When it suits him and it is in his favour, he is full of praise for the Electoral Commission and when it is against him hell must break loose.
“For his information the same Electoral Commission after the 2020 elections has been adjudged by the same domestic and international observers as free and fair and by far the most credible , transparent, free and fair elections since 1992 but he is too He is too blinded by pain and anger of his defeat he has not seen or heard this.
“The former President needs to be told in no uncertain terms that elections is over and he should get over it.”
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has rebuked the NDC’s Deputy General Secretary, Peter Otokunor for stating that Konadu Rawlings must reapply to join the party.
Koku said that his statement was a sign of gross disrespect to one who supported her husband in founding the party.
He added that many who left the party and decided to come back were not required to reapply and as such it will be “preposterous” to ask one of the founding members of the party to reapply.
He was speaking in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show when he said: “Anybody who says someone will have to reapply is being ridiculous. It is a political organization. So where from this reapply? It is ridiculous and preposterous to the extreme. Reapply for what? When the NDC was being found by Konadu and her husband, where was the person saying that Konadu should reapply? Let’s give respect to where respect is due.”
Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boamah Otokunor has said the wife of the late Jerry John Rawlings, Konadu Agyemang Rawlings must reapply if she wants to return to the party.
This follows the appeal made by daughter of the late Jerry John Rawlings, Zanetor Rawlings at the 1st Anniversary of her late father where she asked the party to work to bring back her mother.
Meanwhile , the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has said that the party will take steps to ensure the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, returns to the party.
The late Rawling’s wife broke away from the party after missing out in a flagbearer bid to form her own party, the National Democratic Party (NDP).
Following the death of her husband last year, she withdrew from the 2020 general elections and has since not been active in politics.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame says the National Democratic Congress continuous claims that the 2020 elections were rigged is just a ploy to win back confidence of their supporters over their shambolic performance in the 2020 elections.
According to him, NDC is misleading their supporters into believing that their flagbearer, John Mahama performed better than he actually did in the last elections.××
The AG said that the NDC’s continued insistence without proof that the 2020 general elections were not credible is just a desperate attempt to take the spotlight off the abysmal performance of their candidate.
He wondered why the party would take up its allegations to the police after it failed to prove its case at the Supreme Court during the election petition hearing.
The Attorney-General was speaking at the Commonwealth Election Professionals Initiative Africa Region Training Program in Accra on Monday, November 15, 2021, where he also commended the Electoral Commission for conducting credible and fair elections in the midst of the pandemic.
“Where that [claim] emanated from, I don’t know. What is even more surprising is the forum at which they made the allegation. They had the opportunity of filing such a claim at the Supreme Court, and they couldn’t even prove it. They couldn’t even tell the number of votes they obtained. I think it shows the total confusion that they are living under and in my view, it is just an attempt to unnecessarily deceive their supporters to think that Mahama performed any better, he did not,” Godfred Dame said.
The National Democratic Congress has recently petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to probe the alleged illegal printing of excess presidential ballot papers in the 2020 general elections.
The party has also insisted that there was over voting in the 2020 elections.
The party said its petition was occasioned by the fact that there had not been any update on investigations on electoral malpractices and violence that characterized the election and voter registration exercise.
The NDC has consistently said there was over-voting in the 2020 general elections.
The Electoral Commission recently urged the Ghana Police Service to investigate claims by former president John Mahama that there was over one million votes in the 2020 general elections credited to the eventual winner, President Akufo-Addo.
A Deputy Chairperson of the EC in charge of Corporate Affairs, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, disputed the claim and appealed to the police to immediately investigate it.
The Kaneshie District Court has for the second time, adjourned the case involving the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Madina, Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu.
This was after the MP, who has been charged for unlawfully blocking a public road and the destruction of public property, failed to appear before the court for the second time forcing the court presided over by Oheneba Kufuor to adjourn the case to November 29.
When the case was called today (Nov 16), counsel for the legislator, Mr Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, told the court that his client was still out of the country and was expected to return next week.
He, therefore, prayed the court to adjourn the case to November 29.
For his part, the prosecution, represented by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sylvester Asare told the presiding judge that the Police had not received any communication to indicate the inability of the accused person to attend court.
Letter
The judge, in his response, indicated that he had received a letter on his file signed by the Deputy Clerk to Parliament, Eric Owusu Mensah which read: “Please refer to your letter No. KDC/202/22 and dated 9th November, 2021 which attached a Hearing Notice on the above matter for service on the Honourable Member for Madina Constituency, Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu”.
The letter further read; “I have been directed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to bring to the attention of the Hon Court that the Hon. Member is attending at the proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament which commenced on Tuesday 26th October 2021 and is also currently representing Parliament and the Country in a conference in the United States of America”.
“Pursuant to article 117 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, I am unable to bring the service to the attention of the Member of Parliament as requested” the letter dated the 10th of November 2021 indicated.
After the court had read the letter, ASP Asare requested a certified true copy of the said letter for police records.
The court subsequently adjourned sitting to 29 November 2021.
Background
The MP joined his constituents of Ayi-Mensah, Danfa and the Otinibi in a demonstration over poor roads on Monday, October 25, 2021.
During the protest, some of the protestors allegedly blocked roads, burnt tyres and destroyed some public property.
Following the demonstration, the police have been unsuccessful in their attempts to arrest Mr Sosu with Parliament upholding its privileges and requesting proper procedures for MPs who must face criminal prosecution.
It is the case of the police that Mr Sosu had questions to answer in respect of the criminal act the protestors engaged in they tried to invite the MP to assist with investigations.
However, the MP had been on the defence that he followed due process in organising the protest and, therefore, stated that there was no basis for his arrest.
After the first attempt to arrest him, Mr Sosu filed a formal complaint in Parliament accusing the Greater Accra Regional Operations Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Isaac Kojo Asante, and the Adentan Divisional Commander, ACP Mr Eric Winful, of contempt of Parliament.
The Speaker of Parliament has since referred the complaint against the two police officers to the Privileges Committee of Parliament.
He was first expected to appear in court on Monday, November 8, this year but was absent.
The prosecution notified the court that the Police had received a letter from the Speaker of Parliament indicating that Lawyer Sosu was out of the country on Parliamentary duties, a situation which compelled the court to adjourn the case to today (Nov 16).
Monica Dede Donkor said the Tarkwa Divisional Crime Officer confirmed the incident to the media
A 37-year-old pastor has been beheaded at her residence, which also serves as her church premises at Tarkwa Akyempim in the Western Region.
Prophetess Rose Boafo Ampofo, the deceased, is the head pastor of the Word of Knowledge Church branch at Tarkwa which operates on the last floor of her storey where she and her family reside.
Reporting on Onua Kaseɛbɔ Tuesday, November 16, 2021, Monica Dede Donkor said the Tarkwa Divisional Crime Officer confirmed the incident to the media.
Superintendent Kusi Appiah explained that the deceased’s husband, Mr. Ampofo, told the police he received a phone call from a lady telling him she had a call from his wife and has been trying to reach her afterwards but to no avail.
The husband said he began calling and looking around for the wife until he went to her counselling room when there was neither response nor sight from his calls and search respectively.
The police continued that, the husband said he saw the wife’s head hanging on the neck with stabs on her body, bursting out her intestines.
Monica Dede Donkor, the reporter, further revealed to Daakyehemaa Adwoa Asantewaa, that, even though the area is a new site, some neighbours said they sighted a taxi at the neighbourhood with six occupants who rushed out of the vicinity in a haste when they returned from wherever they went to.
The body has since been deposited at the morgue with police on manhunt for the six persons suspected to be the culprits.
According to Akua, the landguard says people have been throwing faeces on his land everyday which has become worrying to him.
An aggrieved landguard has butchered a cripple at Weija in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
Onua TV/FM’s Akua Sarpomaa, who narrated the incident to Captain Smart on ‘Maakye’ said the landguard went to the residence of the cripple and assaulted all the inhabitants after a faecal material mixed with urine and tied in a polythene was thrown at him from the cripple’s house whilst weeding on the property.
According to Akua, the landguard says people have been throwing faeces on his land everyday which has become worrying to him.
Unfortunately for the perpetrator(s), the last one they threw splashed his face whilst weeding the place, getting him furious to storm the house where it was thrown from and started beating everyone up.
Akua added that, the landguard entered the room where the cripple was and started beating him up, making him fall on the ground from his wheelchair.
“He then hit his eyes with the grip of the gun he was holding and butchered his skull and neck with a cutlass,” Akua narrated Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
“You better kill me than to beat me and leave me like this,” the cripple is said to have uttered when the landguard started beating him.
According to reports, there is no toilet facility in the said house, and residents find it difficult affording the public toilet in the area, making them dispose off faeces on the said property.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is to fully operationalize Family Planning in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Benefit Package, in line with the national agenda of attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo made the announcement at the official launch of the 2021 NHIS Week celebration, themed, “NHIS: Using the Ghana Card for Expanding Access to Health Care,” held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
She further announced a one week “Waiver” for new members and those who will renew their membership during the week-long celebration.
Family Planning has improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Its overall contribution to poverty reduction, gender equality, public health, development and human rights cannot be underestimated.
The Health Minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said government would consistently support the NHIA to succeed in attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“The President as part of his regional tours recently opened two new District Offices for the NHIS in the Amansie East district in the Ashanti Region and the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai district in the Western North Region. We will deliver our promise of binging primary healthcare services to the doorsteps of our people without fail,” he stressed.
The Health Minister appreciated the NHIA’s home grown innovations. “I am delighted that the NHIA continues to introduce new innovations to expand the NHIS operations. As a government, we will continue to ensure that the NHIS finances are released on time to solve the problem of unpaid bills to healthcare providers. The smooth operationalization of the National Health Insurance Scheme is government’s major priority,” he reiterated
The Member of Parliament for Assin Central and chairman of the Parliamentary select committee on Security, Defense, and Intelligence, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has filed a defamatory suit against United States-based self-styled journalist, Kevin Taylor, and his Loud Silence Media (LLC) organisation, seeking US$9.5 million in damages.××
According to a 15-page court document filed at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, Agyapong’s action “arises from the false and defamatory statements in a series of videos and an email correspondence published by Defendants (Keven Taylor and Loud Silence Media) via Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms about Plaintiff” (Kennedy Ohene Agyapong), a Member of Parliament (“MP”) of the Republic of Ghana, reputed entrepreneur, philanthropist, and well-known businessman”.
“With malice and reckless disregard, Defendants falsely ascribed Plaintiff on several occasions as a criminal.
Defendants falsely stated that Plaintiff is a “murderer,” “drug dealer” and “drug addict,” “thief,” and green card fraudster”.
“These false and defamatory statements have caused severe harm to Plaintiff’s personal, business, and political reputation. Plaintiff has also suffered severe embarrassment and personal humiliation due to Defendants’ defamatory statements,” the nature of the action section of the suit read.
Factual background
The factual background given in support of the action states among others that the: Defendants till date continue to repeat these false and defamatory statements about Plaintiff on their social media platforms and other news outlets or platforms have also shared or republished Defendants’ false statements.
“As Defendants are aware, Plaintiff is not a murderer: Plaintiff has never been the prime suspect of any murder investigation, he has never been charged or been before any grand jury for murder, nor has he been convicted of murder in any jurisdiction”.
“As Defendants are aware, Plaintiff is not a “drug dealer:” Plaintiff has never been investigated for engaging in the business of illegal drugs, he has never been charged with engaging in illegal drugs, nor has he been convicted for engaging in illegal drugs in any jurisdiction”.
“As Defendants are aware, Plaintiff has not participated in immigration (green card) fraud. Plaintiff has never been investigated by the United States Center for Immigration Services (USCIS) or any law enforcement for engaging in green card fraud, he has never been charged with green card fraud, nor has he been convicted for engaging in green card fraud in any jurisdiction”.
“As Defendants are aware, Plaintiff is not a thief. Plaintiff has never been investigated for engaging in theft, he has never been charged with engaging in theft, nor has he been convicted for engaging in theft in any jurisdiction” Kennedy Agyapong’s suit stated as part on the facts in the court action.
Mr Agyepong’s suit further contends that “Defendants’ factual assertions to the contrary are false, offensive and damages the reputation of Plaintiff as an MP.
Their false factual assertions are offensive and damages the reputation of Plaintiff as a reputed entrepreneur and businessman. “Defendants published the false statements about Plaintiff maliciously and without regard to the truth or falsity of the statements made”.
“Defendants either knew the falsity of those statements or acted in reckless disregard of the truth and chose to peddle falsehood that Plaintiff is a murderer, “drug dealer,” immigration fraudster, and a thief”.
Reliefs sought
The Ghanaian lawmaker to this end, is seeking seven (7) reliefs from the commonwealth of Virginia court.
First, an injunctive relief prohibiting Defendants, and each of them, from posting on any media outlet any further defamatory remarks, per se or otherwise”.
Second, “an apology from Defendants’ via and through the same channels Defendants used to defame Plaintiff including LSM social media platforms and email correspondence sent to individuals, including the mayor of Worcester”.
Third, “compensatory damages, including economic and non-economic damages of at least $9,500,000.000 and fourthly, “punitive damages in the amount of $350,000.00 pursuant to Va. Code § 8.01-38.1.
The fifth, sixth and seventh reliefs Mr Agyapong is seeking are “Attorneys’ fees, or consideration of such fees in determining punitive damages, costs, of this action and disbursements, to the extent permitted by law, Pre- and post-judgment interest; and Such other or further relief as the court deems just”.
A final year student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) has absconded and left a suicide note after she lost a total of GHC200,000 in online forex trading.
According to roommates of Nancy Asante Bannor, their friend who has been in forex trading for some time now has become an agent through whom lot of people including her church members invest in the platform.
According to them, they returned from church service Monday night to see a note from their friend narrating her ordeal and the fact that her clients do not appear to be believe that the investment has indeed been depleted on the trading platform.
In the note sighted by Starrfm.com.gh, Miss Asante Bannor said ” I don’t know what the night has for me and what awaits me but the only thing I pray for now is death and nothing else. Please tell God to forgive me and if possible give me another chance. I can’t kill myself at home that’s why I came back and I can’t do it here as well. Please forgive me”.
The matter has been reported to the Adabraka Police.
One of her roommates Bernice Mensah told StarrFM.com.gh Tuesday that the incident has shocked everyone in the hostel since their friend is well behaved and has no history of misdemeanor.
“She is a good girl and a good friend. She is well behaved and a good student. Her parents have been informed of the incident and her father says she should come home but she hasn’t gone home. She says the people she invested the money for do not trust that the money is indeed missing and they now suspect her”.
Koku Anyidoho is former Deputy General Secretary of the NDC
He was suspended from the party in February 2021
He has rubbished the suspension and is on the warpath with Johnson Asiedu Nketia
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has described his former boss, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, as a parasite who has outlived his parasitic usefulness.
According to him, the current general secretary of the NDC cannot consider himself “one of the true owners of NDC” despite serving the party for some decades now.
“The NDC has real owners. Johnson Kwadwo Asiedu-Nketiah is not and shall not be one of the true owners of NDC. Asiedu-Nketiah is a parasite who has outlived his parasitic usefulness,” he said in a tweet.
Although it is unclear what may have sparked the outburst of the founder of the Atta Mills Institute, ardent observers of Ghana’s political space have attributed it to the current feud with the chief scribe of the NDC over his suspension.
The NDC in February this year suspended Samuel Koku Anyidoho.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, in a letter dated February 8, 2021, said the Functional Executive Committee of the party met on January 20, 2021, to consider two petitions brought against the Chief Executive Officer of the Atta Mills Institute by members of the party.
He explained that the two petitioners lodged an official complaint against his former deputy, “which is viewed in breach of the party’s disciplinary code for its members as contained in the NDC constitution.”
Johnson Asiedu Nketia indicated that after deliberations on the petition, the party decided to suspend Koku Anyidoho based on Articles 46(1), 46(6) and 46(8)(b) of the party’s constitution.
But in an Accra-based Okay FM interview, Samuel Koku Anyidoho rubbished the suspension from the party, insisting his membership was not in doubt.
“Nothing has happened to me in the NDC…I have not received any letter of suspension. I am saying that they are bluffing…I am saying that the NDC belongs to all of us. As I speak to you today, let me state unequivocally that nobody can push me out of the NDC. Let anybody dare to push me out of the NDC, and we will see what will happen. God forbid that through me, Koku Anyidoho, that the NDC will be destroyed. In the same vein, God forbid that I, Koku Anyidoho, will do something to destroy Ghana’s democracy. I work for this Republic, I work for this nation, and my membership of the NDC is not in doubt,” he said.
The Head Pastor for the Glorious Power Ministries International, Isaac Owusu Bempah has stated that whiles he gives due respect to everyone in the country, it must be noted that he is fearless and even President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo knows that.
It was widely reported last week that he had been re-arrested by Police shortly after a case he was involved in was dismissed by the court.
But in an interview last week carried on a number of social media channels, including Gh Page TV on YouTube, Owusu Bempah dismissed the report.
“We give respect to everyone but we don’t fear anyone. And no one can gag anyone in Ghana. For all it is worth, we give due respect to the President of the country but I, Owusu Bempah, do not fear anyone in Ghana.
“Even he (the president) admits that Owusu Bempah will speak truth to power if need be. We are all people and mistakes are bound to happen but if they want the issues to be laid out in court, a lot of shocking tales will be revealed in court,” he added.
The preacher also suggested that there were some influential persons who were behind some of his current headaches.
“I will let everyone know that it was some influential persons who asked me to make that move, in due course, all those issues will come to light. So let all our well-wishers know that everything is in God’s hands. All will be well in due time.
“God will take charge of our affairs as he always has. If a person hates you, they wish your downfall but we thank God for his protection in all things,” he added.
Owusu Bempah is known to be a supporter of Akufo-Addo and a sympathizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party. He is facing charges for his role in a publicly filmed threat on a female preacher, Nana Agradaa, months back.
A private legal practitioner, Maurice Ampaw, has cautioned the government that its (mis)treatment of Owusu Bempah could cost them the 2024 general elections
The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has said he is worried about the recent death of members of the party.
This comes after reports of the death of the former Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, in the early hours of Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
“Too many of our people are dying and that’s a big worry for us (NDC),” Ofosu-Ampofo said on the ‘Anopa Bofuo’ morning show on Angel FM.
Reacting to the news of her death, Samuel Ofuso-Ampofo described her death as a big blow describing her a key member of the party.
“I called her ‘The Special One’ because she was a very key member of the party,” Ofosu-Ampofo noted.
Dzifa Aku Attivor, former Minister for Transport under the NDC government died in the early hours of Tuesday, November 16, 2021, after being sick for a while.
She was 65-years-old.
Dzifa Attivor was one of the leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta Region.
The Ghanaian politician and businesswoman was appointed February 2013 as the Minister for Transport until she resigned in December 2015 due to a controversial bus re-branding contract.
The former Minister’s family is expected to receive sympathisers at her Adentan residence in Accra later in the day
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has apologized for using a picture from a different jurisdiction to make a case in Ghana following the tidal waves in Keta in the Volta region.
Speaking on the New Day show on TV3 Tuesday November 16, he said “…Let us come to the issue of the picture which some people conveniently decided to highlight on to score a point.
“Yesterday I apologize for it sincerely for relying on that picture to connect to to the realty. we all make mistakes , we rely rely on World Bank reports , UNCESCO Funded research, BBC report on the activity of sand winning and its effect are all over.”
His comments come after some Ghanaians have asked him to apologize for his action.
For instance, private legal practitioner and member of the communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Gordon Edudzi Tameklo, stated that for the benefit of hindsight the majority caucus in parliament should retract and render an apology to the people of Keta for the alleged picture of sand winning activities in the area that has resulted in the tidal wave.
He said the picture bandied about by the deputy majority leader in parliament Alexander Afenyo-Markin on Friday, November 12, has nothing to do with Keta but rather a foreign image from Sierra Leone that was showcased by the majority caucus to justify the affliction that has visited the area.
Mr Tamekloe said in the people’s time of grief, what the majority side shouldn’t have done was to associate a conduct or an act that does not represent the people of Keta and its environs thus it is only fair that they apologize and retract those pictures.
He however stated that anyone who has an appreciation of the coast line from Axim to Keta would appreciate that “the issue of sand winning is not a recent phenomena and the records will show that Job 600 was built with sand that they basically got from our shore line”.
Mr Tamekloe posited that the problem of sand winning in the area is not in “commercial quantity” but the picture the majority caucus exhibited in parliament has to do with sand winning in commercial quantities leading to environmental challenges.
According to the legal practitioner, that is an entirely different issue thus there should be no premise to blame sand winning on the tragedy that has visited Keta and the affected communities in the region.
He said the majority caucus got it all wrong and that they should do the needful to retract and apologize to the people of Keta.
Mr Tamekloe said this in an interview with Johnnie Hughes on the New Day show on TV3, Monday, November 15.
He was reacting on the back of the hullabaloo in parliament over an alleged photo of sand winning activities in Keta and its environs that was exhibited by the majority caucus in parliament on Friday, November 12, to prove that the people are engaged in sand winning in commercial quantities that resulted in the tidal wave on the area.
“The majority in parliament put up a picture claiming that picture is as a result of sand winning in the area. First of all, we need to reprimand, if I may use that word, the majority group in using that picture. It has nothing to do with Keta, it is only fair that with the benefit of hindsight, the majority group will retract and apologize to the people in those areas.
“In their time of grief, what you should not do is to associate a conduct or an act which is not what they represent so it is only fair that they apologize and retract those pictures. They were taken in Sierra Leone, they have nothing to do with Ghana,” he charged on the New Day.
Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has admonished leaders, especially political leaders, to use their positions very well so that they can make a meaningful impact on their people.
Addressing thousands of Muslims at the 2021 National Chief Imam’s Maulid in Accra over the weekend, Dr. Bawumia said leadership position is a special grace from God, and as such, it is important for those who benefit from this grace to work in the interest of the people.
“The National Chief Imam always says that when Allah bestows His grace on you, be thankful to Him and let the people also benefit from the grace,” Dr. Bawumia said.
“For us political leaders, the position we hold is by the grace of God, which should not be for our interest.
“So when we have this position, it has to be for the good of the people; everybody, especially the vulnerable, women, men and the poor.
“As a leader, the people will always ask you; what did you do for us with the position? We have to work and do the right thing so that the people will benefit.”
Maulid is the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.
The Vice President was the Special Guest for the ceremony
Specialist Consultant Marlon Anipa is reported dead a few days after getting wholly endorsed as the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the newly created Guan District.
Family sources in Hohoe confirmed the news to 3news.com on Tuesday November 16.
He officially started work Monday November 15 and toured some centres in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the district, the sources added.
The District was created for the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) who were without a district and a constituency following the creation of the Oti Region in 2018.
After a successful inauguration of the newest district on Friday, October 8, 2021, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation Daniel Botwe, by powers vested in him by the President, nominated Marlon Anipa as the Chief Executive.
He was handsomely endorsed by Assembly members on Friday, November 5 after he polled 18 out of 18 votes, representing 100 percent.
“We believe that even if the teacher hadn’t sent them to his farm, they would have been called by God on that day either way.
The families of the nine students of St. Charles Junior High School who drowned in the River Oti at Saboba in the Northern Region, are not interested in making the Headmaster of the school, Emmanuel Jashain pay for the death of their loved ones.
This was disclosed by the Spokesperson of the families, Jesse Nyimakan on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Monday, November 15, 2021.
According to him, the harm has already been done, and holding grudges against the headmaster will not correct it in any way.
He added the family is not interested in pursuing the case although the state has by itself pressed criminal charges against him.
“We were hit by this news on Friday. It was a big blow to us. We were thrown into a state of confusion. We haven’t had it easy at all these past days. But then it has happened already..”
“We believe that even if the teacher hadn’t sent them to his farm, they would have been called by God on that day either way. Perhaps that was the day they had to go. In fact, the family is demoralised but what do we do, the headmaster is one of us.”
“We have been with him for a while now and he hasn’t exhibited any untoward behaviour. We believe it is not his doing that this happened. The family has come together and decided to let it go, though we are deeply hurt. I lost my son too. He was about 18 years. But the harm has already been done. Even if the case is dragged, we are unwilling to collaborate with the court,” he added.
The Headteacher has been remanded into prison custody over his alleged role in the drowning incident that left nine students dead.
The headteacher is alleged to have sent thirty-one students to work on his farm last week Friday, and on their return, the canoe they were travelling in capsised, leading to the death of the nine.
It is against the Ghana Education Service code of ethics for headteachers or teachers to use students for their personal assignments.
The accused has since been charged with manslaughter, that is ‘a crime of killing a human being without malice, aforethought or in circumstances not amounting to murder.’
At a Tamale District Court where the case was called on Monday, November 15, 2021, the defence counsel pleaded with the court to grant his client bail, arguing that the accused voluntarily submitted himself to the police hence had no intention to jump bail should he be granted.
The Chief Executive Officer for the Atta Mills Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho has said that no one can sack him from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In July 2021, the party through its General Secretary through a statement announced that Koku Anyidoho had been sacked from the NDC for engaging in anti-party behaviour.
The statement announcing his sack said, “The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) acting in compliance of article 48 (1) of the NDC Constitution unanimously adopted the report and accepts full responsibility for your expulsion from the Party”.
“You are, therefore, by the decision of FEC expelled from the National Democratic and for that matter, you are no more recognized as a member the Party cannot carry yourself as such,” the party indicated.
But speaking on Accra-based OKAY FM in an interview, Koku Anyidoho indicated that till date he has not received his sack letter and therefore considers himself as an integral member of the NDC.null
To him, attempts to push him out of the political party was someones antics to gain some form of political capital but it failed woefully.
“I’ve not got the letter, who is writing that letter and who will bring it to Koku Anyidoho. Whoever instigated that move was just doing for some political capital and was just playing around. It was nothing serious.
“The intended actions were to infuriate me so that I will say I’ve resigned from the political party then later they will come and say we did not send him a letter. I’ve the patience so since I’ve not received any letter, I’m an integral member of the NDC.
“Nobody can sack me from the NDC, under which clause of article are they going to sack me? Nobody, nobody can sack me,” he said on Accra-based OKAY FM.
Alban Bagbin on Morning Starr | Photo: Miranda Aforkor Tetteh
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has stated that the Police Administration cannot arrest the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Francis Xavier Sosu after they approved the Madina demonstration.
Addressing the Speaker’s Breakfast Forum in Kumasi on Monday, 15th November, 2021, Mr. Bagbin described the attempts by the Police to arrest the MP as obstruction of his duties as a Legislature.
“This public discourse in recent times about the privileges and immunities of MPs, officers of Parliament, and Parliament itself, is not new. Since I became an MP, it has been coming up from time to time, and even now, a number of these things come to my desk, and we have processed them well. You are all aware a number of MPs are before the court, and they are being prosecuted. So, there is nobody saying, MPs or Parliament are above the law no.
“But this particular instance of the Member of Parliament for Madina, I can put my neck on it. That you have no such powers after he had gone through all the processes with you, and you set the date and as well send your men to the procession. He is addressing them then you send a different contingent to go and arrest him while he is talking to his constituents. That is obstruction and Article 122 is very clear on that, that constitutes contempt. How can that be said to be the speaker preventing an MP from being arrested. We cannot tolerate that,” he stated.
Background
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has rejected a request from the Police Administration to release the Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Francis Xavier Sosu to assist in investigations.
In a statement responding to the Police, the Deputy Director Legal in Parliament, Nana Tawiah Okyir stated that portions of the 1992 Constitution bars the request by Police.
“I am directed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to inform you that proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament commenced on Tuesday 26th October, 2021 and having regard to the limitations of Article 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, he is unable to release the Member of Parliament as requested in your letter,” Deputy Director Legal disclosed.
The Police Administration after several failed attempts to arrest the legislator alleged to have breached the law during a recent demonstration by residents of Oyarifa and its environs filed charges against the MP at the Kaneshie District Court in Accra.
This was because the police received a letter from the Speaker of Parliament indicating that Lawyer Sosu is out of the country on Parliamentary duties.
The Court subsequently adjourned the case to Tuesday, 16TH November, 2021
FINANCE MINISTER Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to present next year’s national budget statement to Parliament on Wednesday.
This follows the reversal of an earlier announcement which put the date for Monday, November 15, 2021.
However, Second Deputy Speaker and MP for Fomena, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, has announced it will take place on Wednesday since Parliament will discuss a lot of issues on November 15.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, last year, presented the budget to Parliament because Mr Ofori-Atta had travelled outside the shores of Ghana to seek medical attention.
Speaking to journalists in Accra on new things to expect from the budget on Wednesday, Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, indicated that the Akufo-Addo-led administration could initiate new taxes in the 2022 budget to mobilise revenue for development projects.
According to him, “Obviously, we would need to introduce some new broad-based taxes if we are to rake in the needed revenues to deliver what our people desire.”
“New taxes may have to be imposed on items that exclude the poor and do not have a high cascading effect so that it does not increase the difficulties that the Ghanaian is going through.”
Recently, there have been national discussions by CSOs and other stakeholders on comprehensive ways by which the government could mobilise revenue to bridge the wide fiscal deficit.
Also, the coronavirus pandemic has caused the country’s revenue levels to reduce because of the slowdown in business activities.
Furthermore, regarding tax to gross domestic product (GDP), Ghana appears to be trailing most of its peers in West Africa.
Ghana is recording below 15%, countries in the sub-region like Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria are doing an average of 18%. This, therefore, has brought to the fore whether an increment in taxes could assist Government make some more money and undertake its development projects.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah says Government has to find ways to pool resources through taxes to fund the demands for roads, schools and hospitals, among others
Evelyn Badu was the heroine on Monday, scoring the winner as Hasaacas Ladies made history by reaching the final of the first ever CAF Women’s Champions League.
Hasaacas Ladies beat ASFAR of Morocco 2-1 in an entertaining semi-final encounter at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo to book a ticket in the final.
The Ghanaian side lived dangerously at the back in the first 20 minutes but ASFAR could not punish them due to their indecisiveness.
However, Hasaacas Ladies looked good in attack and opened the scoring in the 36th minute when lanky attacker Doris Boaduwaa headed in a corner.
It took just nine minutes for the Moroccans to draw level with midfielder Najat Badri scoring on the stroke of halftime.
Hasaacas squandered a golden opportunity to go ahead in the 64th minute as Perpetual Agyekum failed to score a penalty. She hit the post before an opportunity to hit the rebound was cleared by the Moroccan defence.
The penalty miss didn’t affect Hasaacas as they kept playing at a high level.
They were rewarded in the 77th minute when midfielder Badu carefully guided her header from close range into the net after a brilliant cross from the right, recording her fifth goal of the tournament.
Yussif Basigi’s ladies defended well to seal their progression to the final, where they will face either Mamelodi Sundowns or Malabo Kings on Friday.
Hasaacas Ladies are seeking to end the year with four trophies, having already captured the Women’s Premier League, FA Cup and WAFU Zone B championship
Sani Dangote, the vice president of the Dangote Group and brother to Aliko Dangote, is dead.
Mr Dangote reportedly died in the United States Sunday after a protracted illness.
Relatively less popular than his billionaire brother, Mr Dangote had investments in manufacturing, agriculture, banking and oil services.
He sat on the boards of several companies including Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, Dangote Agro Sacks, Dangote Refinery, Petrochemical and Fertiliser company.
He was better known for his role as the Chairman of Dansa Holdings, a subsidiary of the Dangote Group that produces beverages.
He also owned Dansa Foods Limited, Dansa Energy, Sagas Energy Limited, Bulk Pack Services Limited, Dansa Agro Allied Limited, and Dangote Farms Limited.
He was a member of several Chambers of Commerce, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Shipping of Nigeria
The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boamah Otokunor, has said the party is open to discussing the return of Mrs Konadu Agyeman Rawlings if she applies to rejoin the party.
Speaking on Morning Starr, Monday 15th November 2021, the Deputy General Secretary in-Charge of Operation stated that Article 8 of the NDC’s constitution spells out how one can join the party.
According to him, the wife of the founder of the NDC would not be prevented from joining the NDC if she had a change of mind to rejoin just as she willingly resigned.
“The right to association is an inalienable right that has been bestowed to every citizen of this country and with such rights, its commission or omission can only be exercised by that person. So as we saw with Madam Konadu leaving the party, it was in exercise of her right that is why for now she is not a member of NDC and belongs to a different party.
“If she has realized that her action and her commission haven’t helped her in achieving her political or any objectives that she might have, it is just fair she comes back to the competition of the NDC. Relying on the republic of Ghana Constitution to commission, she can go through the procedure of becoming a member of the NDC. She has to apply and the leadership will consider the application and just follow the procedure,” he added.
The first born of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has made a passionate call to the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to make amends and bring back her mother, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings to the party again.
Addressing a gathering to commemorate the first Anniversary of the passing of the former president on Friday, November 12, 2021, Zanetor indicated conflicts are part of humans but there is also reconciliation at a point.
“I want to use this opportunity to ask that as we remember the old man who we never expected to pass when he did, let’s make amends. Let us approach those we have wronged.
“At this juncture I would want to say what no one wants to hear. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings is an integral part of the party. Let us do all we can to bring her back. In every family there is conflict, but there are also elders who will mediate the conflict. We are calling on our elders, this is the time. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but if we want victory to rescue the people of Ghana from their current situation, let us do what we have to do,” she requested.
The Tamale Magistrate Court has remanded 43 year old headteacher of of St Charles Lwanga R/C Junior High School Jashain Emmanuel into prison custody.
He is to reappear on November 29, TV3’s Northern Regional correspondent Christopher Amoako who was in court, reported.
He was arrested after he allegedly took some 31 pupils of the school to harvest rice from his farm leafing to the boat accident.
The 43-year-old was arrested after he turned himself in to the police.
On Friday November 12 at about 3pm, 10 out of 31 pupils of the St Charles Lwanga R/C JHS who were returning from their headteacher’s farm in a canoe got drowned after the boat on which they were crossing the Mabor river capsized.
Nine out of the ten missing bodies have since been retrieved by a search party.
• John Mahama has accused the Akufo-Addo government of abandoning projects
• He says no previous government has acted as the current government
• Mahama says when he comes to power, projects will be continued
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that the phenomenon of abandoning projects started by previous administrations was a specialty of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government.
He stated last week in an interview on Power FM / TV XYZ that none of the previous governments under the Fourth Republican Constitution had resorted to such tactics.
“It is only under this government, under Nana Addo’s government that we are seeing this. Since Rawlings’ era did you hear that Kufuor had abandoned any projects of the Rawlings era?
“All contractors continued working, those who finished did and others had their contracts terminated etc. When Kufuor left and Atta Mills came, did we hear anything like that? We did not. It is only this government so media people should put the blame where it matters. It is happening now under this government.”
He continued: “I have pledged not to abandon any projects when we come to power because when the plaudits come, they go to the one who started and the one who completed it.”
He cited the case of the Bui dam project, explaining that the Rawlings government birthed its conception, Kufuor and Mills administrations secured funding and works began. He stressed that it was for this reason that he invited the then ex-president Kufuor to be part of the inauguration ceremony when he was President.
“But this government would rather abandon projects because the credit will go to Mahama so they have opted to abandon lots of projects. Look at the hospitals, the schools are not as painful as the hospitals. Roofs have been destroyed by rains and facilities are rotting away. I mean, it is not Mahama’s money, it is our commonwealth,” he added.
His views were on the back of recent reports about E-block projects started under his government but left uncompleted five years on.
A comment by the Aflao Paramount chief received a presidential response that was slammed as insensitive and defended by pro-government persons
Vice President Dr Mahamdudu Bawumia has highlighted on the need for all to embrace religious tolerance in the country.
He believes that this will ensure that the peace of the country is maintained.
He said this in a Facebook post after joining the National Chief Imam and the Muslim Ummah in Accra for the 2021 National Maulid, which is the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.
“I reminded the congregation about the essence of the occasion, and the need for all to continue to embrace tolerance and cooperation with members of other religious divide, to maintain the peace our country enjoys.”
He also mentioned the efforts by the Akufo-Addo administration in uplifting zongo communities.
“I also shared with them President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s massive investment in the development of Zongo and other deprived communities through the Zongo Development Fund and other development authorities , in the areas of education, infrastructure, vocational training, entrepreneurial support, and the positive impact these investments are having on communities and the people,” he said
But Ayew disagrees. He said at the post-match conference, “It was a clear penalty on [Amartey]. In fact, we had chances to get more penalties and should have been given two more.”
Ghana came into the game three points adrift of South Africa but knew any kind of victory would secure their spot in the next round.
“I think we had more clear chances. Yes, it was a tough game but we won this game fair and square. We could have scored more,” he added.
The draw for the play-offs is expected in December
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has made clear its intention to file an official complaint with world football governing body FIFA as well as continental counterpart CAF for a replay of the 1-0 defeat to Ghana in Cape Coast on Sunday, November 14.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of SAFA, Tebogo Motlanthe, there were many infractions in the game on the part of the match officials.
“I think from our hearts is to say the match officials have decided the game which is not what is supposed to happen,” he told South African journalists prior to the team’s departure on Monday, November 15.
“So, we as the Association have decided that we will be writing to both CAF and FIFA first to investigate how the game had ended and secondly to also challenge some of these decisions.”
The game was won by the Black Stars courtesy a penalty by captain Andre Ayew, sending the 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists into the play-offs.
The match was handled by Senegalese Ndiaye Maguette, who was assisted by compatriots Samba Elhadji Malick (Assistant I) and Camara Djibril (Assistant II).
The Fourth Referee was Gueye Daouda while Togolese Lawson-Hogban Latre-Kayi Edzona served as the Referee Assessor.
Kachalla Babagana Kalli from Nigeria was the Match Commissioner while Ghana’s Christian Baah served as Covid-19 Officer.
Mr Motlanthe indicated that immediately after the match, they lodged a complaint with the Match Commissioner.
He said SAFA will officially address journalists in South Africa on Wednesday “after we would have done [and] ticked all our boxes and submit of course a full complaint which is supported by all the evidence which was there to say that game either it was manipulated or the referee had done something wrong before the game”.
In 2017, FIFA ordered a replay of the 2018 World Cup Qualifier between South Africa and Senegal after referee Joseph Lamptey was found guilty for awarding a non-existent penalty against the Teranga Lions.
The Lions won the replay and booked a ticket to Russia.
“Of course, we are looking at the precedent which FIFA set by ordering us to replay Senegal and we think if justice needs to be served the decision should be taken against this Ghana game.”
‘Robbed’
Mr Motlanthe said not only does the penalty make them feel robbed but also there were a lot of questions about many decisions by the referee.
As a result, SAFA will engage the services of an expert to gather all the pieces of evidence to make a stronger case with their complaint
Two hundred and fifty selected journalists are set to benefit from a Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) annually paid for by the Ministry of Information.
The Ministry of Information which announced this at the launch of the programme in Accra on Sunday November 14, 2021, said the programme is expected to provide continuous in-service training for media personnel drawn from across the country in order to improve their skills for the industry.
“The role of the Ministry is simply to provide bursaries to participant from the media landscape who will benefit from this capacity enhancement programme annually. Under the programme, a skills gap analysis has been conducted by a working committee of experts and a curriculum based on gaps has been developed. The independent committee has also selected a faculty comprising academics and senior media practitioners from across the country, to administer the program.”
Deputy Information Minister Fatima Abubakr who led a Press Briefing to launch the program said the programme is in line with one of the key strategic objectives of the Ministry which is to assist in the development of the information sector for which reason a successful implementation of the programme is expected to transform Ghana’s media landscape.
Present at the launch were the heads of the implementating partner Organisations the programme including the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Prof. Kwamena-Kwansa Aidoo, Chairman of the National Media Commission, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh and the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Roland Affail Monney as well as members from media umbrella bodies such as the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG).
On his part, Prof. Aidoo who is also the Chairman of the committee tasked to provide support for the full implementation of the programme was excited about the rolling out of the programme. He said the programme will help equip journalists in the country with the right skill set to be able to go about their jobs.
Mr. Monney also indicated that the programme could not come at a better time than this. He encouraged journalists to take advantage of it and gain the requisite skills in journalism and media practice.
The MCEP will provide continuous on the job training at regular intervals for media practitioners to improve their skills, support training targeted at content creation for media practitioners, provide a regular platform to support media-introspection on subject related to media management, corporate governance, and media business models and encourage ethical journalism.
Journalists interested in the program will have to apply online and be selected by the working commitee comprising representatives of partner organisations
Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has slated former President John Dramani Mahama for speaking to issues as if he has not run affairs of the country before.
According to him, Mr Mahama sometimes portrays the character of someone yet to ascend to the highest office of the land; forgetting that he was once a Vice-President, an acting President and later President of Ghana.
Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, the NPP Communications Director pointed out that as President, Mr Mahama had the chance to create the new regions to bring development down to the grassroots level but lacked the will and know-how to execute it.
” . . He (John Mahama) has no right to speak ill of President Akufo-Addo with regards to the creation of the new regions when he could not help the people with their request for new regions.
“He sometimes talks as if he has not been a President of this country before,” he chided.null
Mr Buaben Asamoa urged the former President to acknowledge the effort of President Akufo-Addo to go through the legal process and commit resources to create the new regions as he promised the people in the new regions.
“After creating the new regions, the President didn’t go to sleep but he invested funds to make the new regions see the same development as the old regions. The President has moved a step further to spreading the various sectors to cover all the other districts other than the district capital to ensure that development reaches out to all corners of the regions,” he argued.
“We have to remind former President Mahama about all the feats of President Akufo-Addo as he [Mahama] moves around with his ‘Thank You’ tour, saying something bad about the new regions that he couldn’t create while in office as President,” he indicated.
About 571,894 final year junior high school (JHS) students are beginning their Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) from today, Monday, November 15.
The examination is to qualify them for placement into senior high schools (SHSs).
Over 2,000 centers have been set up across the 16 regions of the country for the examinations run by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
They are starting with Social Studies and French.
The examinations are scheduled to end on Friday, November 19.
According to WAEC, officials of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) have been deployed to monitor the process to prevent malpractices.
The Council said Covid-19 protocols have also been put in place across the 2,158 centers as hand sanitizers will be given to all candidates.
“Just as we were the first country, south of the Sahara, to gain our independence, Ghana’s distinguished diplomat, Patrick Seddoh, was the first African to be elected chairperson of the Executive Board of UNESCO in 1983. We were also the first African country to have a female representative on the Executive Board, in the person of another distinguished diplomat, Mrs. Therése Striggner-Scott. I say this to demonstrate how proud we are of our membership of UNESCO.”
These were the words of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 12th November 2021, at the 75th Anniversary celebration of the founding of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in Paris, France.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo indicated that UNESCO is, arguably, the outstanding global agency to have emerged out of the formation of the United Nations.
Ghana, the President said, was not there at that seminal ceremony in London, as she were entering, at the time, the active phase of her struggle for freedom from British colonial rule..
“But twelve (12) years later, in 1958, a year after our independence, we took our rightful place as a member of UNESCO. It has since been sixty-three years of fruitful, cordial co-operation, and the benefits are evident,” he said.
According to President Akufo-Addo, from the training of science teachers for our schools in 1965, UNESCO has helped shape many policies in Ghana’s educational sector, including the recent National Teacher Policy, the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, and the mainstreaming of biosphere conservation plans in the national development agenda.
“At the time when there was only one media house in Ghana, needless to say state-owned, UNESCO helped establish private, independent newspapers and radio stations, contributing to the making of a vibrant and free media, the envy, today, of many on the continent, and, indeed in the world,” he said.
The President continued, “With Ghana serving as the unfortunate location for seventy-five percent (75%) of the slave dungeons built on the West coast of Africa to facilitate the barbaric, inhumane Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, we have been able to preserve significant numbers of these World Heritage sites with the assistance of UNESCO”.
In contemporary times, he noted that UNESCO has been able to redefine and reposition itself to address the pressing needs of the world.
“When the pandemic of COVID-19 struck, it assisted several countries, including Ghana, to help ensure that the education of hundreds of thousands of children was not truncated,” the President said.
Just as UNESCO believes that education is a human right for all throughout life, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Ghana, ”through the Free Senior High School policy”, is committed to every Ghanaian child having access to a minimum of senior high school education”.
Tertiary education, he added, has also seen a major boost in infrastructural development, with some sixty (60) public tertiary institutions now able to accommodate our fast-expanding student population.
With UNESCO’s mandate broadening considerably beyond what the founding members may have envisaged, President Akufo-Addo stressed the importance of its niche areas of expertise not being compromised.
“UNESCO is its Member States, this anniversary is ours too. It has been seventy-five (75) years of multilateral solidarity, and we must continue for the next seventy-five (75) years to deepen our co-operation even further in the areas of education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, communication and information to achieve the future we want, and leave no one behind,” the President added
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has commended Muslim and Christian leaders in Ghana for their immense contributions to religious tolerance and peace in the country.
Addressing thousands of Muslims on Saturday, at the 2021 National Maulid – the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad, S.A.W – Dr. Bawumia said Ghana’s global credentials as a religious tolerant and peaceful nation, has been made possible by the understanding and camaraderie between leaders of the two major religions in the country.
“The increasing rate of religious tolerance in the country, leading to the peace we continue to enjoy, has been the collective efforts of all, including, Muslim and Christian leaders,” Dr. Bawumia said.
“When the National Chief Imam paid a surprise visit to a church a few years ago and the BBC reported it, the renowned global broadcaster was not only telling the world the uniqueness of Sheikh Sharubutu, the remarkable story, was also about the beauty of our country; how religious tolerance reigns in Ghana, and how peaceful our country is. This happened at a time there had been religious upheavals around the world.”
“I acknowledge and appreciate overtures many Christian leaders continue to extend to the National Chief Imam and other Islamic clerics across the country.”
The Vice President called for a continuation of such collective efforts to maintain the peace of the country, to ensure a conducive atmosphere for the government to continue with the development of the nation.
“Maintaining the peace we enjoy in our communities and country, should be the concern and responsibility of all, regardless of political or religious affiliation. Without tolerance, there will be no peace. And without peace, there will be no development” Dr Bawumia urged
“We need to jealously guard this, because, without peace, our government would not have had the conducive atmosphere to achieve so much in the past five years in the areas of infrastructure development, inclusive policies to reduce the suffering of Ghanaians and massive investment in education, etc.
“We need to jealously guard this, because, without peace, our government would not have had the conducive atmosphere to achieve so much in the past five years in the areas of infrastructure development, inclusive policies to reduce the suffering of Ghanaians and massive investment in education, etc. “
“As a government, maintaining and promoting peace in our country has always been a priority, and it is no fluke that Ghana has been ranked the most peaceful country in West Africa and 2nd most peaceful country on the African continent for 2021 by the Global Peace Index
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has heaped glowing tributes on the Vice President of the Republic, Mahamudu Bawumia.
In a statement made on the floor of Parliament on Friday, 12th of November, 2021, the Effutu Member of Parliament said;
“Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is another calm character, easy of address, a determined soul, ready to serve his country”
The Deputy Majority Leader made these remarks ahead of the commemoration of the nine years of passing into the glory of the late Vice President, Aliu Mahama, who passed away on November 16, 2012, in Accra.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin likened Dr. Bawumia’s calmness and other traits to those of Aliu Mahama of blessed memory.
He also emphasized that just like the late Vice President, Dr. Bawumia is an emblem of unity and that religious groups are at peace with one another and will continue to be under him.
This endorsement of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia by Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin goes to give credence to the fact that most of the party’s supporters, including its leadership, believe and know that the New Patriotic Party will break the eight if he (Bawumia) is elected as the party’s presidential candidate ahead of elections 2024.
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged Ghanaians, especially politicians, to inculcate moral values and high standards in the quest to build a society underpinned by a common set of aims and beliefs.
He has also charged politicians, in particular, to emulate the Akufo-Addo government by backing up their claims of fighting corruption through deeds, not just words, to make Ghana a better place.
Speaking at the 76th Graduation ceremony of the Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon on Saturday, 13th November 2021, Vice President Bawumia said in today’s world, it has become important that countries deliberately develop a society of persons who are not merely prepared for jobs but are also set for ongoing growth in all aspects of life to make a difference in the world.
“As Ghanaians, we could build a distinct moral identity and constitute a reference point for people of other nations. We must endeavour, both in our public and private lives, to do what is morally right and eschew what is morally evil. A high sense of morality is “sine qua non” of good citizenship. That much, not material wealth, not prosperity religion, is what we need in order to build a good society” he emphasized.
Corruption
Zeroing in on corruption, Vice President Bawumia said several pronouncements have been made in the past indicating a desire to fight it, but these have largely failed, hence the decision by the Akufo-Addo government to digitize the process of accessing government services and reduce the human interface, which lends itself to corruption.
“One of the major moral cankers facing our society is that of corruption. It is one of the things that every political party talks about but very little has been done about it in the past. We have killed people in the past and it has not worked. We have passed many laws and they have not been enforced. We have appealed to people’s sense of morality and it has not worked.
“When we came into office, one of the approaches we took to address the issue of corruption is to put in place systems that eliminate corruption through digitalization. Through digitalization, we have been able to tackle corruption at the Passport Office, Ports, GRA – TIN is now the Ghanacard number, SSNIT, NHIS, you can purchase electricity credits using your mobile phone. Every public sector worker will be uniquely identified by the Ghanacard number – no more double salaries.
“The Motor Insurance database, containing the data of all the insurance companies, has ensured that now we don’t have fake insurance certificates. You can dial a short code and check the insurance status of a car before you board. The data of the Births and Deaths Registry is being digitized, to take out fake birth certificates. And now, with the Ghana.Gov platform, you can access all Government services and make the necessary payments without any major human interventions, drastically reducing corruption.”
“We are building a new system to underpin the economy,” he explained. “A system that makes for greater transparency, promotes accountability and efficiency in every aspect of public interactions. It is a system that minimizes incentives to pay bribes and opportunities for corruption in the delivery of public services.”
Touching on the theme for the celebration, “faith-based education, morality and nation-building”, Dr Bawumia indicated that individual and national, concerted efforts would be required to rekindle the core societal values of the country.
“We need to work consciously on the nation’s value systems to enhance the moral temper of the country to help accelerate national development. Our values are very important, and we should hold on to them.
“As data indicates, a majority of Ghanaians are religious. Therefore, religion does not only have a profound influence on our moral values and life but also on the development of our country.”
217 graduates received recognition for their hard work, ranging from Certificate in Ministry (16), Bachelor of Theology (55), Master of Arts in Ministry (91), Master of Divinity (41), Master of Theology (11) and Doctor of Philosophy in Theology (3).
TEIN in a statement asked the Vice President to admit he has failed and apologize to Ghanaians.
Their statement comes after Dr Bawumia had taken a swipe at critics of government’s impassioned drive to digitise the country’s economy.
He stressed that a digitised economy is a massive economy, which, to him, is so obvious for any Sixth Former to understand.
“Ladies and gentleman, the digitised economy is a massive economy,” he stated at the 76th graduation ceremony of the Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, on Saturday, November 13.
“That should be obvious to anybody who has done Sixth Form Economics and they should understand,” he added.
“But if you don’t understand that it is a massive economy, then you shouldn’t blame me. You should blame your Sixth Form Economics teacher.”
The Vice President’s comments come after his opponents threw a barrage of criticisms at him for reducing economic management to digitalisation.
It followed his address to students at the Ashesi University on Tuesday, November 2 on ‘Transforming An Economy Through Digitalisation: The Ghana Story’.
Some of his critics said he appears to have taken up the role of the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation. Others like his major opponent John Dramani Mahama thought the economy is still in serious crisis under the current government.
The former Vice President said at a public lecture on Wednesday, November 10 that the solution to the country’s problems has been reduced to PR, sloganeering, divisive rhetoric, populism, plain political deception and suchlike.
“Beyond these spirited linguistic acrobatics, the plain truth, which we all see and feel, is that the Ghanaian economy is in deep crisis,” the former President stated at the end of his 16-region Thank You tour.
“At the micro level, we feel the heavy impact of a troubled economy when we go to the market and find prices of basic items rising with alarming rapidity.”
But Dr Bawumia believes the measures put in place by the current government by way of the digital infrastructure have already even begun paying dividends.
“Through digitalisation, we have been able to tackle corruption at the Passport Office,” the Vice President cited.
“It used to be very endemic [but] today you can sit at home , apply for your passport and it can actually be delivered for you at home.”
But in a statement signed by its Deputy Coordinator, Ekow Djan, TEIN said “Ghana’s economy is in deep crisis under the self-styled economic guru Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
“This is the time we expect the Vice President to eat a humble pie and apologize to Ghanaians for his failure as the Head of the Economic Management Team. Ghanaians can no longer bear this hardship
Three people have been shot dead while six others are in critical condition after armed robbers attacked and exchanged fire with Small scale miners who were returning from their mining site at Adaboi in Upper Denkyira West District of the Central region.
The three people who were killed were part of the workers on the site.
Information gathered by Yaw Boagyan revealed that this is not the first time such a robbery incident has happened in the area.
Speaking in an Interview the Upper Denkyira West District Police Commander, ASP Ernest Agyakum said the incident happened around 8 pm Friday, November 12th when two persons were killed on the spot including an Okada rider while the other one died at the hospital.
The three bodies have been deposited at the Dunkwa On-Offin government hospital morgue waiting for autopsy while the police have also begun an investigation in the matter.
According to the police, they suspect some of the miners are informants to the armed robbers.
He stressed that a digitised economy is a massive economy, which, to him, is so obvious for any Sixth Former to understand.
“Ladies and gentleman, the digitised economy is a massive economy,” he stated at the 76th graduation ceremony of the Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, on Saturday, November 13.
“That should be obvious to anybody who has done Sixth Form Economics and they should understand,” he added.
“But if you don’t understand that it is a massive economy, then you shouldn’t blame me. You should blame your Sixth Form Economics teacher.”
The Vice President’s comments come after his opponents threw a barrage of criticisms at him for reducing economic management to digitalisation.
It followed his address to students at the Ashesi University on Tuesday, November 2 on ‘Transforming An Economy Through Digitalisation: The Ghana Story’.
Some of his critics said he appears to have taken up the role of the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation. Others like his major opponent John Dramani Mahama thought the economy is still in serious crisis under the current government.
The former Vice President said at a public lecture on Wednesday, November 10 that the solution to the country’s problems has been reduced to PR, sloganeering, divisive rhetoric, populism, plain political deception and suchlike.
“Beyond these spirited linguistic acrobatics, the plain truth, which we all see and feel, is that the Ghanaian economy is in deep crisis,” the former President stated at the end of his 16-region Thank You tour.
“At the micro level, we feel the heavy impact of a troubled economy when we go to the market and find prices of basic items rising with alarming rapidity.”
But Dr Bawumia believes the measures put in place by the current government by way of the digital infrastructure have already even begun paying dividends.
“Through digitalisation, we have been able to tackle corruption at the Passport Office,” the Vice President cited.
“It used to be very endemic [but] today you can sit at home , apply for your passport and it can actually be delivered for you at home.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said they believe that the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Dr Stephen Opuni is being persecuted by the Attorney General, Godfred Dame following the accusation of causing financial loss to the state made against him and businessman Seidu Agongo.
A statement signed by General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said “It is doubtful whether the trajectory of the trial of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Seidu Agongo and Agricult with its twists and turns would convince the ordinary and well-informed citizen that the ends of justice would be served regardless of the outcome of the case.
“It is in this regard and without prejudice to the pending criminal trial of the accused persons that we call on the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to stop the persecution of the accused persons by withdrawing the charges or entering a nolle prosequi.
“We believe that such a course of conduct is appropriate because the action of the Attorney General in the past in escalating a simple criminal trial to the level of political gamesmanship with Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni being mischievously presented as the poster child of NDC-Government corruption who must be jailed by all means because ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ make it abundantly clear that the criminal trial of the accused persons is not a criminal prosecution. Instead, it is political persecution by the Attorney General masquerading as an exercise in Rule of Law and criminal justice.
“We and all those who seek justice shall continue to pray for the accused persons in the hope that they are vindicated by the truth and the law at the end of the trial. We urge them to fight with courage and perseverance to the very end.”
This comes after the Supreme Court on Tuesday October 26, 2021, reinstated Justice Honyenuga as the judge for the hearing of Dr Opuni’s case.
A seven-member review panel in a 4-3 majority decision overturned an earlier decision by the court that stopped Honyenuga from presiding over the case.
That was after the court upheld a review application by the Attorney-General (A-G), Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame.
The NDC in their statement said “Unfortunately, an enhanced panel of seven judges, including two (2) additional judges to the original panel of five (5), granted the application of the Republic on 26th October 2021, by 4 to 3 majority decision, and reversed the ruling of the ordinary bench. This meant that the Supreme Court had affirmed and endorsed the exclusion of the 18 exhibits and further given judicial approval for the Judge to continue with the hearing of the Opuni case in spite of the prejudicial comments he made which is referenced in paragraph 2 above.
“It is worthy of note that the ruling of the enhanced panel was preceded by its own drama. Despite the rules of ethics of the Bar that parties to an action must avoid ex-parte communication with judges sitting on matters in which they are involved, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame paid a visit to Justice Jones Dotse, the presiding Judge in the review application, to “discuss Ghana School of Law matters” on 11th October 2021. While we cannot confirm what was indeed discussed at the meeting, the conduct of the Attorney General in visiting Justice Jones Dotse exhibits poor judgment of the highest order and casts a cloud of suspicion over what was discussed at the said meeting.
“In another example of poor judgment, the Attorney General, after the delivery of the ruling of the review panel, described the majority ruling of the ordinary bench that ruled in favour of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni as “an aberration of justice” and that Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni was running away from ‘Judgment Day’.
” The question that needs to be asked is whether the Attorney General is privy to the eventual conviction and imprisonment of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni by Justice Clemence Jackson Hoeyenuga on ‘Judgment Day’. And if we may ask, of all the judges in Ghana, why should Justice Clemence Jackson Hoeyenuga be the only judge to hear the criminal trial involving Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Seidu Agongo and Agricult.
“We in the NDC are confident that if the words uttered by the Attorney General had been said by other lawyers they would have earned an invitation to the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council for breaches of the ethical rules of the Bar.
“As a party, we are vehemently opposed to the ruling by the Majority of the review panel of the Supreme Court dated 26th October, 2021. There are certain features of the majority’s ruling that cause us great concern. In the first place, the characterization by the majority of the prejudicial statements made by the Judge as referenced above as constituting the Judge’s evaluation of the evidence and his expression of opinion on the quality of the evidence before him beggars belief and raises more questions than answers.
“We are at a loss as to why the Supreme Court would prohibit a High Court Judge from hearing the Kennedy Agyapong Contempt Case on the basis of real likelihood of bias just because the Judge had used the expression ‘severely punished’ while the same Court did not see a real likelihood of bias against the accused persons from the clear prejudicial statements of the presiding Judge in the Opuni case stated above. Strangely, the review majority failed or neglected to make any reference to its ruling in the Kennedy Agyapong contempt case, the most recent Supreme Court authority on judicial bias.
Even more bizarre and worrying, is the fact that the review majority committed patent and avoidable factual errors in their ruling of 26th October, 2021. As has been said about the US Supreme Court and we believe this holds true also for our Supreme Court, ‘We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final’. The finality of Supreme Court judgments, of necessity, casts a duty on the Court to avoid errors that could easily be avoided upon a close scrutiny of the record of a case.
“It is unfortunate that the review majority committed an avoidable factual error when it stated at page 11 of the ruling that: ‘ It must be remembered that the only question brought to the court was whether the trial judge had committed a jurisdictional error by failing to call on the accused person to speak to the excluded exhibits before ruling that the exhibits could be excluded, and not whether the exhibits were admissible or inadmissible per se’. In our humble view, this is patently incorrect since the grounds of review of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni challenging the Judge’s ruling on the submission of no case make no reference to ‘jurisdictional error
The Police have arrested two persons in the Upper West Region for allegedly robbing and injuring two victims.
They are Musdeen Issahaku and Alhassan Musah
NEWS RELEASE: TWO ROBBERS ARRESTED, ONE OTHER SHOT DEAD
THE POLICE HAVE ARRESTED TWO PERSONS IN THE UPPER WEST REGION FOR ALLEGEDLY ROBBING AND INJURING TWO VICTIMS. PLEASE READ MORE FROM THE ATTACHED. PIC.TWITTER.COM/GCF1ZPBDGB— Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) November 14, 2021
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in the Ashanti Region has arrested seven Nigerians including two suspected to be involved in cybercrime.
The suspects were apprehended at Ampatia Hemang in Atwima Kwanwoma district of the Ashanti Region.
They were alleged to have in their possession, Ghana cards and Health Insurance cards.
Confirming the arrest the Nkawie District Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, DSI Justice Dzisa Akpedonu who led the operation said the suspects were living in the same house.
He mentioned that two laptops, smartphones five, other phones three, a landline, and power banks believed to be used for their fraudulent work were retrieved.
The suspected Nigerian criminals, he added have been transported to the Ghana Immigration Service headquarters in Adum-Kumasi for interrogation and thorough investigation
Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch Ben Ephson has cast dark shadows on suggestions to get Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the wife of the late Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), rejoining the party.
He said NDC will rather lose votes if Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings rejoins the party.
“In 2020, she got less than 6,600 votes,” Mr Ephson noted on TV3′s News @10 on Friday, November 12.
“It tells you that her departure from the party did not affect the party numerically. Politics is about numbers and if she decides to take a step in rejoining the party, I will be shocked and people might say ok.
“But if the NDC makes the attempt to cajole her to come back, the party will be worse off for it.”
The suggestion for the party leadership to extend an olive branch to the former First Lady to return was articulated by Member of Parliament for Klottey Korley Constituency Dr Zanetor Rawlings, who is also a daughter to the former first couple.
She made the suggestion at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the death of her father, Jerry John Rawlings, who founded the party.
The ceremony at the NDC headquarters attracted the party’s elders, to whom the plea was made.
The NDC MP wanted the move to be made to brighten the fortunes of the party in the 2024 polls.
Ben Ephson was of the opinion that if Mr Rawlings himself had not been able to bring back his wife while alive, who else can.
He rather criticised Dr Zanetor Rawlings for the manner in which she made the plea.
He said she has rather made it difficult for a reunion between the NDC and her mother.
“She herself knew the slippery ground she was treading. She should have been a bit more diplomatic, finding ways and means but throwing it out there that the party should go and bring her mother was a bit undiplomatic and it’s going to harden people’s attitude.”
During the visit, Mr Mahama asked the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and other state agencies to increase commitment towards relief provision for victims of the disaster, TV3’s Roland Walker who is in the rea reported on Saturday November 13.
Mr Mahama was accompanied by some Members of Parliament in the region.
He donated several items to the victims.
It is recalled that the Member of Parliament for the Ketu South constituency, Dzifa Abla Gomahsie criticised the governemnt for dpoing, in her view, little to assit the people.
In calling for a state of emmeregcny to be declared in the area, she said the president must at all cost fix the perennial problem.
“The state of emergency should have been declared yesterday [ Sunday]” she told journalists on Monday November 8 on the heels of the tidal waves that affected Keta and its environs on Saturday, November 6, that has destroyed properties and rendered about 700 people homeless in the area.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye has said that while government makes all the necessary efforts to avert tidal waves from happening, coastal residents should also avoid practices that expose them to vagaries of the rising sea levels.
According to him, there have been reported cases of sand winning, uprooting of mangrove along the coastal stretch.
If these continue, he said, the investments by government cannot yield the needed protection.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday November 8, “I must reiterate that Government acknowledges the urgent need to permanently address the devastating effects of tidal waves in the affected towns of Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutsinu communities in the Ketu South Constituency.
“These communities are on the same coastal stretch as Blekusu, also in the Ketu South Constituency. This coastal stretch is characterized by narrow beaches and the effects of tidal waves along the coastal stretch can be very devastating, and consequently result in beach erosion, loss of land, property and sometimes extensive flooding in the event of wave overtopping.
“The erosion of the beaches also impacts negatively on fishing, which is the main source of livelihood of the communities along this coastal stretch.
“As part of measures to curb these devastating incidences in these towns, in July 2015, the Ministry of Works and Housing engaged Messrs Amandi Holding Limited to design and construct coastal protection works along this stretch, starting from Blekusu and working towards Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutsinu under the Blekusu Coastal Protection Project.
“The project, which protects 4300 metres (i.e., 4.3 kilometres) of the coastal stretch, had the first phase completed in July 2019, and has since functioned effectively, protecting lives, livelihoods and properties while reviving fishing activities.”
He added “The Ministry of Works and Housing (Government) notes the sense of urgency for undertaking the second phase of the project to protect Adina, Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutsinu communities and others to the east of Blekusu. To this end, the Ministry is commenced urgent steps to implement the second phase of the project.
“The Ministry has finalized the Evaluation of the relevant proposal to start the works under the second phase of the project.
“It is important to note that in April 2021, a technical team from the Hydrological Services Department of the Ministry, upon my directive, travelled to the affected communities to engage the Municipal Chief Executive of Ketu South Municipal Assembly and some community leaders on the matter of the implementation of the second phase of the project. I have also had the opportunity to visit these communities, together with the technical team from the Ministry and the Hydrological Services Department, in June this year, to have a first-hand understanding of the situation.
It is envisaged that the completion of the works envisaged under the second phase of the project will cover a minimum coastal stretch of 8,000 metres (8 kilometres) and this will surely ensure the total protection of the people of Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutsinu communities and other affected communities within the Constituency that continue to bear the brunt of this occasional disasters.
The scope of works under the second phrase of Blekusu Coastal Protection Project (Phase 2) entails the construction of 37 armour rock groynes, with land reclamation, to protect eight (8) kilometres of coastal stretch.
“The Ministry is currently engaging the Ministry of Finance to raise the needed funding for the implementation of the second phase. It is important to note that value addition is critical in ensuring that a platform for recouping the capital investment is provided. Thus, in addition to protecting lives and properties, the works under the Blekusu Coastal Protection Project (Phase 2) will protect the beaches and its environs against encroachment by the sea, arrest the current environmental deterioration, mitigate the social and economic consequences of beach erosion, and strengthen the economic and production base of the area through enhanced fishing activities
Ampaw, who classifies himself as pro-NPP warned on Accra-based Okay FM that the NPP’s fixation on rule of law and enforcement of same is not good for their political fortunes.
“If NDC comes to power, they will govern for 24 years, the hunger that will afflict you (NPP members) in this country will be no joke,” he advanced.
Asked whether he was pained that the NPP had abandoned him in his time of need, he said he was being truthful especially with the way and manner in which the NDC was tackling the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.null
“When he (Akufo-Addo) started his second term, it is not up to a year but Mahama and his people are not giving him breathing space and they are gradually losing power. It is being eroded gradually and I am warning them.
“Because the NDC has decided that eight years is enough, it is their turn, so they are going to make the government unpopular by putting pressure and making all kinds of threats … all the government is doing is sitting down and talking rule of law.
He continued: “If they (NDC) come to power, the Electoral Commission chair and the Chief Justice will be the first to be sacked followed by all persons perceived to be NPP, they will remove you from office and they will bring their own and for 24 years (they will be in power).
“They will go for the third term. You sit back and be joking with power and going on and on about rule of law and ‘I don’t want to intervene’,” posture.
The NPP have won the last two General Elections, the party has intensified its ‘Break The Eight’ agenda, aimed at retaining power beyond the two-term limit where a ruling party loses power under the Fourth Republic.
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho has said he supports the call to the leadership of the party to bring back former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, into the party.
Daughter of the late Former President Jerry John Rawlings, Dr. Zanetor Rawlings made a passionate appeal to the National executives of the NDC to bring back the wife of the late former President to the party.
Dr Zanetor Rawlings made the appeal at the commemoration of the one year anniversary of the late former president at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Friday November 12.
According to Zenetor, for the NDC to win the 2024 elections , her mother must rejoin the party.
“We cannot do it alone. It would take all of us. You don’t have to have a title or be an executive. And I would like to use this occasion to also express my appreciation to the leadership of the NDC, to the rank and file, for the support and the show of love. And so, on behalf of my mother, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, my siblings and myself, we say Thank You.
“I would like to use the opportunity to ask that as we remember the old man, thinking that he ll not pass what he did, let us recognize the fact that we don’t know when our last day would be, let’s make amends with those we have wronged. On this particular occasion, I’d say the thing that nobody wants to say: Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is an integral part of this party. Let us do what we have to do bring her back.”
Nana Konadu broke away from the NDC to form her own party, the National Democratic Party, NDP which has so far contested two national elections.
Commenting on this in a tweet, Mr Anyidoho said “I support 100% the very deep, passionate, and profound, call by Hon. Ezanetor Rawlings, for the NDC to make efforts to stretch a hand of peace in the direction Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. Let egos be buried & Let the greater good of the NDC prevail. Let’s give it a try.”
I SUPPORT 100% THE VERY DEEP, PASSIONATE, AND PROFOUND, CALL BY HON. EZANETOR RAWLINGS, FOR THE NDC TO MAKE EFFORTS TO STRETCH A HAND OF PEACE IN THE DIRECTION MRS. NANA KONADU AGYEMAN RAWLINGS. LET EGOS BE BURIED & LET THE GREATER GOOD OF THE NDC PREVAIL. LET’S GIVE IT A TRY!🙏— Samuel Koku Anyidoho🇬🇭 (@KokuAnyidoho) November 13, 2021
Three of them are still missing. A search party is currently searching for them.
Seven students of the St. Charles Liwanga Junior High School in the Saboba District of the Northern Region are feared dead after one of the two canoes they were cruising in capsised in the Oti River.
Three of them are still missing. A search party is currently searching for them.
The students numbering 31 were returning from the headteacher’s farm when the disaster happened.
The students had gone with the headteacher to harvest rice in Butuin, a community in the overseas area.
Saboba District Police Commander, ASP Shine Zokoiku, confirming the accident on JoyNews said a search party was able to rescue 21 survivors and recovered the 7 deceased who got drowned.
He said unconfirmed reports indicate the boat was overloaded, hence the disaster.
ASP Zokoiku said Police have begun investigations into the accident.
He said the dead bodies are currently at the Saboba District Police Station waiting to be moved to the Yendi hospital for preservation.
Meanwhile, Brother of the headteacher, David Takah told JoyNews the family does not know his whereabouts currently, as efforts to reach him have failed.
Chairman of the Committee, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, cited time constraints as the reason for the suspension of the hearings.
Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has temporarily suspended public hearing on the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
On Thursday, November 11, during the first public hearing, groups that are in support of the bill touted it as one that reflects the views of majority of Ghanaians on the subject matter, while the groups against the bill described it as one that is in breach of human rights and against Ghana’s cultural values.
The Committee is expected to give audience to the authors of over 150 memoranda on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill.
Closing the first session of public hearings on Thursday, Chairman of the Committee, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, cited time constraints as the reason for the suspension of the hearings.
“We haven’t finished with the public hearings. There are other memoranda that we have received but we are constrained with time and we cannot predict what time we would have to meet and continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ningo-Prampram MP, Samuel George, and one of the sponsors of the anti-LGBTQI Bill, described as satisfactory the first day of public hearings on the bill.
“I think it was a good day. Everyone had their say and democracy won. Ghana continues to be a beacon of the African continent. I am reliably informed that in many European countries where Private Members are laid, the public does not have the opportunity to send in memos talk of public presentation as it was done. So I think this is a feather in our cap as a people.”
The Concerned Ghanaian Citizens which made an appearance on day 1 of the public hearing called on the committee to advise parliament to reject the Bill.
Spokesperson of the group, Akoto Ampaw, said the speaker of Parliament exercised unreasonable discretion in admitting the bill.
In the group’s view, the bill violates the fundamental human rights of Ghanaians and promotes hate.
Other groups that appeared before the committee on the first day of hearing included the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, the Human Rights Coalition, Amnesty International and Advocates for Christ.
Ghanaian social commentator, Kwame A-Plus has underscored that the Akufo-Addo led administration is one of the worst ever Government in the history of Ghana.
A Plus reckons there is virtually no difference between the ruling National Patriotic Party and the opposition National Democratic Party.
According to the outspoken social commentator, both political parties have been playing politics with issues of fuel which they don’t have control of but turn to deceive the masses on the subject.
Speaking on Maakye with Omanhene on Kessben FM/TV, A-plus stated he can’t really say much of the current fuel hikes because he knows the government does not have direct control about that.
He lamented that unfortunately the two political parties have always been playing politics with the issue of fuel prices but turn to face the reality when in Government.
“It has always been that. They will be promising about what they know they cannot do. On the issue of fuel, they don’t have control.
So I can’t talk much about that. However, when there’s hardship in the country, You don’t go and buy a plane or hire a private jet and be bathing in the air.
That’s very bad. This government is one of the worst governments ever in the history of Ghana.
It has taken 5 years for the Bishops Catholics to have noticed this. Very soon, Asantehene will also come to say it” He said.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has hailed embattled Madina Member of Parliament (MP), Francis-Xavier Sosu for showing leadership by rallying his constituents to protest for fixing of road.
The MP has been embroiled in a standoff with the Ghana Police Service for his alleged role in criminal offences during the October 25 protest.
“As part of their mandate, MPs are supposed to show leadership. Xavier Sosu was leading his constituents to demand their share of national development,” Mahama said of the conduct that has landed the MP in court in an interview on a local radio station.
The MP is facing two charges of unlawful blockade of a highway and destruction of public property in the aftermath of a protest he led against bad roads in parts of his Constituency on October 25.
Police tried to arrest him on the day of the protest but failed, an official request to Speaker Alban Bagbin to have the MP released for questioning was also turned down.
A second arrest attempt was foiled last two weeks at the premises of a church where the MP was worshipping.
He is currently the subject of criminal charges even though he failed to appear in court on November 8 because he was out of the jurisdiction on Parliamentary duty.
The Ghana Police Service’s attempts to arrest/formally invite him for interrogation has triggered a seeming faceoff with Parliament.
The legislative house looked united behind Sosu till last week the Majority caucus criticized the Speaker’s decision to not release Sosu when Police placed an arrest.
On the said issue, Mahama said it was needless that the Police and Parliament are in an impasse over a matter that can be settled via laid-down processes.
“There are also procedures they can use to resolve this matter, including inviting the police to speak to the MP involved in the speaker’s office. You do not just arrest and interrogate him. Under our constitution, there is the separation of powers and special dispensation to deal with MPs who violate the law.”
“The president can use the police to harass other arms of government. This is why MPs are enjoying a certain immunity. That is why the police treat their cases differently,” Mahama stressed.
Mahama’s appearance on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, on Power FM / TV XYZ preceded his Greater Accra Regional ‘Thank You Tour’ which rounded up a national tour that has been on for the past few months.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has admonished the Ghana Police Service to follow laid-down procedures in seeking to interrogate Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu.
According to him, there is a reason why MPs enjoy a certain level of immunity and also that there is a precedent for how they are treated in case they are needed by law enforcement agencies. He believes that the current impasse between Parliament and the Police was needless and could easily be solved.
“There are also procedures they can use to resolve this matter, including inviting the police to speak to the MP involved in the speaker’s office. You do not just arrest and interrogate him.”
“Under our constitution, there is the separation of powers and special dispensation to deal with MPs who violate the law.”
“The president can use the police to harass other arms of government. This is why MPs are enjoying a certain immunity. That is why the police treat their cases differently,” Mahama said on
Tuesday when he appeared on a local radio station.
His appearance on Power FM preceded his Greater Accra Regional ‘Thank You Tour’ which rounded up a national tour that has been on for the past few months.
“As part of their mandate, MPs are supposed to show leadership. Xavier Sosu was leading his constituents to demand their share of national development,” Mr. Mahama said of the conduct that has landed the MP in court.
The MP is facing two charges of unlawful blockade of a highway and destruction of public property in the aftermath of a protest he led against bad roads in parts of his Constituency on October 25.
Police tried to arrest him on the day of the protest but failed, an official request to Speaker Alban Bagbin to have the MP released for questioning was also turned down.
A second arrest attempt was foiled last two weeks at the premises of a church where the MP was worshipping.
He is currently the subject of criminal charges even though he failed to appear in court on November 8 because he was out of the jurisdiction on Parliamentary duty.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said the government intends to increase taxes as it prepares to present the 2022 budget.
The 2022 budget will be presented before parliament by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta on 15 November 2021.
According to Mr. Mahama, the country is reeling in debt and wonders how much more hardship the people of Ghana can endure under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Addressing the Greater Accra House of Chiefs as part of his Thank You tour in the region on Tuesday, 10 November 2021, Mr. Mahama noted that the economy had been run into a ditch.
He told the chiefs and queen mothers gathered that “this government has been on a spending spree, borrowing spree, today, debt is overwhelming us, we’ve never been in debt to this extent ever before in our lives, even at the time we went HIPC our debt to GDP was not almost 80 percent. Today, we are almost 80 percent of debt to GDP even with a rebased economy.”
“So the economy has been run into a ditch and I know that in a few days’ time, they will read the budget and it’s the intention of this government to increase taxes and increase tariffs on electricity and water and all that,” Mr. Mahama predicted.
“How much more hardship can the people of Ghana take?” he quizzed adding that “we as the NDC, we’ll play our part and give a voice to the voiceless and let people in authority know what the people of Ghana are going through and so we shall play our role properly as the opposition in this country.”
Mr Mahama further noted that people living along the coast have not been left out of the suffering and hardship as a result of bad government.
“In all this hardship, we cannot forget that there’s a growing poverty in coastal communities in this country and it comes all the way from Aflao to Axim because the traditional occupations of our people have been affected,” he stated.
He explained that “If it is fishing, today if you go to all our coastal communities including our coastal communities here in Greater Accra, the fishermen go and come back with nothing because there’s overfishing by commercial trawlers in the sea.
“In our time, we equipped the navy with boats so that they could patrol the 20 Nautica miles and prevent the commercial trawlers from fishing within that place.
“Today, many of the navy’s boats are broken down and those that are working, they can’t buy fuel to put in them to go and patrol. And so, sometimes you are standing and you see fishing trawlers within the coastal boundary where they’re not supposed to fish and that is affecting the fortunes of our local fishermen.”
The Communications Director for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, says former President John Dramani Mahama is ranting because he thinks Ghanaians will re-elect him in 2024.
Former President John Dramani Mahama is currently on a ‘Thank You” tour which will end today, November 10, 2021.
John Dramani Mahama during his tour said the Akufo-Addo government intends to increase taxes, as it prepares to present the 2022 budget.
He said the economy had been run into a ditch and that the country is reeling under debt and wonders how much more hardship the people of Ghana can endure under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
He called on the Akufo-Addo administration to up its game in dealing with the hardships Ghanaians are saddled with at the moment.
“So, the economy has been run into a ditch and I know that in a few days’ time, they will read the budget and it’s the intention of this government to increase taxes and increase tariffs on electricity and water and all that… How much more hardship can the people of Ghana take?” he wondered, adding: “We, as the NDC, will play our part and give a voice to the voiceless and let people in authority know what the people of Ghana are going through and, so, we shall play our role properly as the opposition in this country,” Mahama said during the tour.
Addressing the comments of the former President in an interview with the host of ATINKA FM’s Am Drive, Yaw Buaben Asamoa explained that the former President is still peeved considering the margin with which he was defeated in the 2020 general elections. According to Buaben Asamoa, the NPP is focused and will continue to work in the interest of Ghanaians.
“If you are in opposition and you want the people to re-elect you this is how you speak and so some of these comments we the NPP will not worry our head. He just wants to win the hearts of Ghanaians with the rants. He was in power and we knew what he did. If Ghanaians really liked what he did during his tenure, they would have re-elected him,” Buaben Asamoa told Kaakyire Ofori Ayim.
There were near fisticuffs in Parliament on Friday during a news conference on the tidal waves destruction in Keta and surrounding areas.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alex Afenyo-Markin addressing the media accused residents of engaging in excessive sand winning at the beach.
He showed a picture of several tipper trucks lined up on a coastline being loaded with beach sand.
He used the pictures to demonstrate that the people of Keta are engaged in serious sand winning.
However, some minority MPs who were around and heard the allegation decided to challenge that assertion.
The MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, who is a native of Woe in the Anloga district reacted by collecting the picture from Mr. Afenyo-Markin.
However, before he could get to the podium, Mr. Afenyo-Markin and Dr. Stephen Amoah forcibly took the picture away from him.
Dr. Amoah again attempted to disrupt his address which resulted in some heated exchanges
The first daughter of the late JJ Rawlings who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Klottey-Korle, Dr Zenator Rawlings has reiterated that, Ghana is still retrogressing and lurking contrary to the late father and the former President JJ Rawlings’ prosperous plans for Ghana as a country before his demise.
Speaking on behalf of the family at the commemorating of first Anniversary of the late JJ Rawlings at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, she sorrowfully added that, Probity and Accountability were not just popular words of the late father but actions that cannot be taken away from the late President.
Zenator furthered that, the journey of combating corruption in the country has been a complex journey for Ghana but while he lived, he never conceded to it She, therefore, urged both politicians and entire Ghanaians to emulate from his good leadership which is the only way to combat corruption in the country
The police has provisionally accused the husband of Rhodaline Amoah-Darko, a staffer of the Lands Commission in Kumasi of being behind her disappearance. The husband, Dr Wilberforce Aggrey, has therefore been put before the Asokwa District Court in Kumasi and accused of kidnapping.
According to the police, their investigations have so far revealed a linkage of mobile phone communications to implicate the husband, who is a lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
Communication from her mobile phone allegedly from suspected kidnappers demanding a ransom emanated from a location (cell tower) close to her residence. A communication from the husband’s phone reporting the incident to some relatives also emanated from a similar location (cell tower), according to the police per their investigations.
According to the police, the husband has provided incoherent statements on the matter. The Asokwa District Court has since granted an order for the police to submit Dr Aggrey for a psychiatric examination due to the incoherent statements from him on the matter. A police prosecutor on Friday told the court that the husband in reporting the case said Rhodaline had been kidnapped from their home and he can’t find her.
From the police, per their investigations, the messages from Rhodaline’s phone to the husband’s phone, and later from the husband’s phone to other relatives all emanated from a location (cell tower) near their residence. Based on that, the husband was invited for interrogation.
According to the prosecutor, Aggrey admitted that he sent those messages from Rhodaline’s phone because he was threatened that if he did not do that, his family will be harmed. He indicated to the police, according to the prosecutor that he had to send his wife to a place closer to the Volta Lake to ensure that she was safe. The police said he has since not been able to tell them the location of Rhodaline and that investigations are still ongoing. He has also not been able to tell where Rhodaline’s phone is as of now.
Related: We have no evidence linking husband to disappearance of Lands Commission staffer – Police It will be recalled that on October 27, 2021, the police in a press statement indicated that there was no evidence to link the husband to the disappearance of Rhodaline.
“It must be placed on record, that as of today, Wednesday, October 27, 2021, the Police have no evidence linking Dr. Aggrey to the disappearance of Rhodaline,” the police statement indicated. “Investigations are still ongoing and at this point, we are unable to disclose any information to the public on the matter”.
The Police statement further urged persons to desist from creating and circulating unconfirmed reports on the case since their actions can impede Police investigations. “The public shall be fully updated on this issue once investigations are completed. Let us endeavour to respect the privacy of the families involved.
A form two (2) student of Ofori Panin Senior High School (OPASS) in the Eastern Region has died.
The General Arts student Andrews Appiah Tinkorang alias Agabus died at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua.
The death of the student has been linked to weeding punishment meted out to him despite his ill health. He is reported to have collapsed while serving the punishment.
However, the management of the school has debunked claims that the student was asked to weed as punishment.
According to the school, the student’s phone was seized and was only asked to pick dry leaves which had littered the environment as punishment considering his ill health.
Management says the student had an abnormal growth around the neck hence looked sick but his condition worsened and was paled.
His father who is an old student was asked to take him to the hospital.
He was reportedly taken home two weeks ago by the parents who live in Suhum but died three days ago at the Regional Hospital in Koforidua.
At a Board meeting held on Friday, the matter was probed by the members of the board with both the headmaster and housemaster debriefed by the board on the matter
Pollster Ben Ephson has noted that no present member of the party founded by her father can extend an invitation to the former First Lady as she left on her own accord.
Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings had called on the leadership of the party to do the needful to bring her mother back to the NDC, adding that she was an integral part of it.
But reacting to her statement on the Hot Edition on 3FM Friday, Ben Ephson told Eric Mawuena Egbeta that the onus on the former First Lady since no one from the NDC sacked her.
“It’s unfortunate this has come at a time we’re commemorating the old man’s first anniversary. But I think that Nana Konadu walked out of the party on her own volition and if the late president couldn’t stop her, who else can bring her back. She walked out on her own and if she decides to walk back into the party I don’t think that anybody will stop her. So rather she should have a tête-à-tête with her mother and ask the mother to eat a humble pie and come back”, the pollster advised.
Citing results of elections the former first Lady garnered after standing for the presidency, Ben Ephson intimated that Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is not as influential in the NDC as she may have hoped.
“Is there anybody more important in the NDC or the Rawlingses life than the late president? I’m sure the president would have tried to stop her and she defied the former president and went ahead. Posterity has shown that she was wrong in leaving. I think that maybe she tried to equate her popularity with that of the late president. Yes she’s hardworking, she helped the NDC in the formative years and so on but she and the former president were poles apart in terms of popularity and strength within the party”, Ben Ephson added
The Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament has begun public hearings on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill which seeks to criminalize LGBTQI activities in Ghana.
The hearing is to seek clarification from organizations that submitted a memorandum on the introduction of the Bill to inform the Committee’s report.
Interest groups including MPs, Academia, Civil Society organizations and religious bodies were given the opportunity to express their opinion on the draft legislation.
Following the introduction of the Bill by some MPs, several arguments have been made on the subject with some arguing for the Bill, with others opposed to it.
A Group of Concerned Ghanaian Citizens called for the outright rejection of the Bill as it violates the Constitutional provision on fundamental human rights. A Private Legal Practitioner and spokesperson for group Akoto Ampaw, said the Bill which was brought before Parliament, as a Private Member Bill clearly violates the Constitution.
He said the Bill clearly imposes cost and charges on the consolidated fund and should therefore not have been introduced before Parliament by a Private Members’ Bill. Mr Akoto Ampaw described as absurd the criminalisation of persons who expressed sympathy or support for the LGBTQI community.null
This he said is a violation of freedom of expression and stigmatisation against persons engaging in LGBTQI. He said the Bill must be rejected by Parliament on grounds that it stokes hate, intolerance, and violence against LGBTQI activists.
In a presentation a representative of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, Apostle Ofori Kuragu, said the anti gay Bill conforms with the Constitution as it affirms the fundamental human rights of all Ghanaians and protects the vulnerable persons against the influence of the LGBTQI+ Community.
He said the Bill reflects the majority view of the population which in clear terms frowns on LGBTI activities and urged Parliament to consider the general mood of the citizens by passing the Bill.
The Church of Pentecost and Advocates for Christ expressed support for the passage of the Bill to uphold the Ghanaian moral values.
The Ghana Aids Commission urged Parliament to consider the challenges the Commission and other State Agencies that depend on international donor support may suffer if the Bill is passed.
Minister for Information and Member of Parliament(MP) for Ofoase-Ayerebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has asked the 2020 Flagebearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama to enumerate the number of jobs or employment avenues he created for the unemployed youth in this country when he was President.
According to him, Mr Mahama’s administration is on record to have placed a freeze on employment when he was president leaving a majority of Ghanaian youth unemployed.
Speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ programme, he explained that the NPP Government having realized the toll unemployment had on the youth, designed programmes that has created not only jobs but provided them with meaningful income.
The NPP government, he added, has also restored allowances that the Mahama administration refused to pay.
“If former president Mahama is asking government to provide jobs, then he should equally tell us what he was able to do within his years as president in terms of jobs and solving the unemployment problem he spoke about.
“Apart from essential service providers, there was a ban on employment in the country as part of IMF’s conditions given to the country when Ghana was placed under an IMF programme.
“You don’t talk without providing evidence. For us, we talk and back whatever we do with evidence and the needed data. If you can remember, it was during Mahama’s era that we were told that we had eaten all the meat and it was left with the bones so we had to take the country to the IMF,” he said.
End of ‘Thank-You Tour
Former President John Dramani Mahama brought his thank-you tour to a close on November 10, 2021, in Accra.
At a forum to address challenges facing the people of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama said the unemployment situation in the country has currently become a “national security crisis” that needs to be addressed head-on.
He complained about the government’s approach to the crisis, criticizing the ad-hoc measures taken.
• Sammy Gyamfi has stated that Akufo-Addo won’t be forgiven if Ghana misses the World Cup
• The Black Stars missed the last edition of the World Cup
• Sammy Gyamfi believes Akufo-Addo must resign if Ghana misses the 2022 World Cup
The NDC’s Communications Director, Sammy Gyamfi believes that Ghanaians will never forgive President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo if the Black Stars fails to qualify for the World Cup.
According to him, it would be better if the president resigns now because Ghanaians can’t afford to watch the next edition of the World Cup in 2022 without the presence of the Black Stars.
“When he failed in 2018 we forgave him, this reseat too he wants to fail, then it will better if he resigns,” Sammy Gyamfi said.null
Sammy Gyamfi who spoke to Asempa FM on Thursday stated that Ghanaians would remember Akufo-Addo as the only president in the 4th republic who failed to help the Black Stars qualify to the World Cup.
The NDC communicator explained that it’s a shame the Black Stars are struggling to qualify for the World Cup despite having so many talented players.
He said, “I know NPP sympathizers would agree with me that we have to qualify at all cost. How can a footballing nation like Ghana, Abedi Pele’s Ghana and we are struggling to qualify to the World Cup?”
“No wonder when bad leaders governs the country, they suffer, but we are pleading with them to deliver,” Sammy Gyamfi stated.
Ghana would have to win their final game against South Africa on Sunday to advance to the next stage of the African 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
The Minority in Parliament have threatened not to approve the budget statement for the 2022 fiscal year if the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta fails to show how the 2021 budget was spent.
Member of Parliament for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak, said it was necessary for the government to tell the people of this country how the previous budget was utilized.
The Finance Minister Mr Ofori Atta is scheduled to present the budget statement in Parliament on Wednesday November 17.
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had said Parliament would start the debate on the budget from Monday, November 22, and conclude on Friday, November 26, 2021.
Speaking in an interview with TV3, Muntaka Mubarak said “ This budget, we have sent signal that if you don’t bring the details on how you spent the 2021 budget you are going to have it very difficult with us getting approval for 2022.
We will insist on the details, show us the details so you don’t come and tell us.”
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Friday, 12th November, 2021, inaugurated an 11-member Constitution Review Committee, chaired by the Deputy Majority Leader and MP for Efutu, Hon. Alexander Afenyo Markin, to undertake a review of the Party Constitution based on the amendment proposals received from members of the Party.
After swearing-in the members of the Committee, the General Secretary of the Party, John Boadu, explained the Committee’s mandate to include: “compiling all the proposals for amendment into a single document for onward circulation to every Regional and Constituency office through my Office ahead of the Party’s National Annual Delegates Conference in line with Article 19 of the Party Constitution.
The Committee will also be required to incorporate all the amendment proposals and motions that will eventually be adopted by the National Annual Delegates Conference into a new document, which then becomes the revised Constitution of the Party”.
The Committee is constituted as follows:
Lawyer Alexander Afenyo Markin (Hon.) – Committee Chair
Lawyer OB Amoah (Hon.)
Lawyer Joseph Dindiok Kpemka
Lawyer Henry Kokofu
Lawyer Joyce Opoku Boateng
Lawyer Naana Nsafoa Sarpong
Dr. Richard Asante Yeboah
Dr. Alex Glover Quartey
Kwodjo Afari
Lawyer Mujeeb Issah Kele
Alhaji Iddi Muhayu-Deen – (Secretary to the Committee)
Speaking for and on behalf of the members of the Committee, the Chairman, Hon. Alexander Afenyo Markin, welcomed the rare opportunity to serve on the Committee and thanked the Party Leadership for the privilege. He promised that the Committee would effectively discharge its mandate in furtherance of the Party’s interest and to vindicate the confidence that has been reposed in them.
The Party is expected to hold its 2021 National Annual Delegates Conference, to among other things, consider the review committee’s Report, from Saturday, 18th December to Monday, 20th December, 2021, at the Baba Yara Sports stadium in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital
Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah has advised traditional authorities to desist from settling cases of child abuse and sexual violence at home.
He reminded them the 1992 constitution did not allow chiefs and queens to do so and urged them to report such cases to the Police for the law to take its course on offenders.
Justice Anin-Yeboah gave the advice when he inaugurated a child-friendly Gender-based Violence Court at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region.
The UNICEF refurbished the Dormaa Circuit Court and equipped it with child-friendly equipment including; testifying and children playing rooms with books and toys to meet the desired standards.
“Chiefs and queens must not try to intervene when there are child and sexual abuse cases,” Justice Anin-Yeboah stated, indicating the interest of the child must always be paramount”.
He explained as the embodiment of the people, the judiciary would always require the support and cooperation from traditional authorities in handling cases of sexual and gender-based violence that happened in local communities.
Justice Anin-Yeboah explained the judiciary was going through vigorous reformation to make justice delivery accessible to all and commended UNICEF and its partners for their continuous support to the judiciary.
Earlier, Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister urged the public to remain vigilant and feed the Police with information about people with questionable characters as well as cases of domestic violence.
Osagyefo Osaedeeyo Agyeman-Badu II, the Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area commended the government, saying the judicial system had seen a level of transformation and improvement.
“If the government does something wrong we criticise, so it is also good to commend the government when it does something good,” Osagyefo Dr. Agyeman-Badu II also the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs indicated.
Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, has shot down fears being expressed by some persons that any MP who goes against the anti-gay bill currently before parliament, could risk losing their seat in parliament.
He explained that there is nothing new about MPs losing elections for which reason he would remain unfazed if his stance on the bill will cost him his seat.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, and 7 other MPs are sponsoring the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, which is to make the practice of homosexuality in the country an illegality.
While the bill is currently being considered in the House, not everyone has agreed with the entirety of the bill, with a number of them calling for some details of it to be modified.
One of such persons is Mahama Ayariga.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, he explained that the reason he has a problem with the bill is that even for him as a parent, should this bill passed, it would not be helpful to him.
Asked if he has no fears of losing his seat for pushing against the bill, he immediately shot such fears down.
“…don’t say somebody has an issue with a particular provision of the bill and therefore he is gay and lesbian and I don’t think that approach will help, because trust me, those who say you are if you an MP and you don’t support this bill you will lose election, people have been losing election since Adam time even when this bill was not before parliament.
“So, it’s not supporting this bill or being against it that will make you lose an election. So, some provision of the bill some MPs will definitely be against it other provision they will support. That should not categories them as pro-gay or anti-gay. The constitution is our benchmark,” he said.
Already, the lead sponsor on this bill, Sam Nartey George, has had a few face-offs with some international media organizations, completely flooring these interviewers and receiving a lot of commendation from Ghanaians
Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mubarak Muntaka has noted that Ghana’s Parliament is weak.
He explained that lawmakers from the government side are unable to make their dissenting views on policies and initiatives that are introduced by the government known to the public even when they feel strongly to do so.
This, he said, is a as a result of fear of being victimized by the governing party and the government itself.
The Deputy Minority Chief Whip indicated that this has contributed to the weakening of Ghana’s Parliament.
He told TV3 in an interview that “People on the government side don’t want to be seen to be opposing things that are coming from the government even when they now, deep down their heart that their conscience and principles don’t support it.
“Sometimes what they try to do, those who have a little conviction, is to stay away. But to openly speak against it is difficult.data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
This is what is contributing to the weakening of parliament and we need to be able to overcome it.
“I have said that that the challenges of this country, 70 per cent of them in my view is coming from a weak parliament. You see the Congress of America, you see the Parliament in UK, something happens and the next day the committee is holding public hearing, they don’t even give the technocrats time, under the heat and before the public they are questioning you.
“So, when people are going to act they are careful because they don’t want to appear before the Congress, they don’t want to appear before a parliamentary committee.
“Do we do that here? Most of our chairpersons are from the majority, even to call the meeting is a problem. The person doesn’t want to be seen to be acting because this agency head is a party person
Chief Executive Officer of the National Builders Corps (NABCo), Dr Ibrahim Anyars has said that the programme has been successful because it achieved its aim of amplifying the employability profile of graduates to be legible for employment after their exit point.
“The scheme is very successful because all the schemes that we set to do and the mandates stipulated by the President has been achieved. It has been a great success for this administration.”
The scheme he stated, also provided jobs and reduced unemployment in the country.
Speaking in an interview with Berla Mundi on TV3 New Day, the CEO further stated that the scheme addressed issues like work experience, professionalism, interview values and other qualities that kept beneficiaries away from the job market.
He added that these have enriched the employable skills of beneficiaries who are yet to be employed in either the public or private sector.
Mr Ibrahim indicated that beneficiaries have gone through career guidance transitions and the scheme has generated and defined clear career pathways of beneficiaries.
“The scheme was a structured partnership and a structured learning program to assist graduates exit with career pathways and help in their exit profiles,” he said.
Addressing the questions raised to the permanency of trainees, the CEO of the scheme mentioned that trainees were supposed to be prioritized for job opportunities especially in the public sector, however, some trainees failed to follow requisite procedures for enrollment into various organizations.
“For, every beneficiary who enrolled appropriately will have access to a personal detail of even their allowances,” he added.
Ibrahim Anyars also mentioned that most NABCo beneficiaries also transitioned to permanent employment into public and private sectors, adding that, it is therefore a misrepresentation to suggest that some trainees left the scheme to stay idle at home due to inconsistent payment of their allowances.
“Most NABCo beneficiaries transitioned into permanent employment in the public sector. Others also had private sector… It is quite a misrepresentation to suggest that someone just leave the scheme and sit at home and do nothing.”
He further stated that there was a cut-off point for employment of the scheme and that influenced the decision of ceasing recruitment in the third year of the scheme.
Speaking on concerns raised by Heal Ghana, one of the modules of the program, he explained that payments were ceased to beneficiaries because reports from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) indicated that all qualified nurses have gained permanent jobs so they were no longer beneficiaries of the scheme.
“The feeling was that all heal Ghana trainees would have left upon the conversations we had with the Ghana Health Service until we realized that there were still some trainees who had other qualification,”
“We stopped payment to Heal Ghana, and we requested for data from the Ghana Health Service and through the data we realized that all qualified nurses have left us so we shouldn’t pay any qualified nurse.”
He added that “we later realized that there were quite a few of the Heal Ghana trainees that have been unreported in other regions and having employments but still on the scheme.”
Mr Ibrahim Anyars reiterated that majority of beneficiaries have gained experience in skill development which makes them viable for job opportunities worldwide.
The CEO also revealed that 27,000 people were also employed in the Ghana Education Service (GES) which is a subsidy of educational module of the scheme.
The National Builders Corps (NABCo) was launched on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 by President Akufo-Addo to tackle youth unemployment in the country.
In its first, the initiative absorbed 100,000 youth to assist in service delivery in seven prioritized areas in the public sector.
These areas are Education Ghana, Feed Ghana, Heal Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Civic Ghana, Digitize Ghana and Enterprise Ghana.
The initiative also absorbed diploma and degree holders from accredited tertiary institutions.
The President in a speech on the day of the launch assured that by the end of the three year period, “the requisite work readiness skills and experience often deemed as a barrier to their employment as fresh graduates, would have been resolved.”
According to the President, over 49,000 trainees have been absorbed.
The initiative ended on Sunday, October 31,2021 and beneficiaries are lamenting of no permanent jobs provided for them.
Vice President Dr Mahamdud Bawumia has launched in Accra Friday November 12, Ghana’s National Centre for Coordination of Early Warning And Response Mechanism.
This forms part of ongoing efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to identify any potential dangers ahead of time and proffer solutions.
The Centre’s role, according to Dr Bawumia, is to warn government of the threats to human security, propose appropriate actions, and to coordinate and ensure monitoring of the implementation of responses to the warning at both the national and regional level.
“I am confident that through the needed directions and other support, the Ghana Centre would be well positioned as a national strategic centre of excellence that shall inform decision-making to respond to crisis in Ghana and West Africa,” he said.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of defunct Capital Bank, William Ato Essien, shed tears yesterday as he continued his examination-in-chief in the GH¢620m trial where he and two others are accused of stealing from the bank, leading to its insolvency.
The accused was telling the court about the overall performance of the insolvent bank against other banks in the country following its classification as class one universal bank, when he started showing signs of emotional breakdown.
Genesis of Bank
Mr. Essien began telling the court about the genesis of Capital Bank, explaining how it metamorphosed from First Capital Plus Money Lending and Microfinance Company which later became First Capital Plus Savings and Loans before Bank of Ghana gave it licence to become a universal bank.
“In 2011, First Capital Plus Savings and Loans applied to become a Class One universal bank from its savings and loans status. Later 2011, we received a provisional licence with conditions precedent to be fulfilled. By the Grace of God, latter part of 2012, all of the conditions precedent were duly fulfilled and the final approval of a class one universal banking licence was granted. And so First Capital Plus Bank started its operations as a class one universal bank early 2013,” Mr. Essien told the court.
Bank Performance
Baffuor Gyau Ashia Bonsu, who held the brief of Thadeus Sory for the accused person asked him what “was the performance Capital Bank as against the other banks when it became a fully-fledged universal bank?”
Mr. Essien said based on the banking survey in 2015, Capital Bank had risen from number 23 to number 16 by reference of its performance among its peers.
He said in 2016, Capital Bank was adjudged as the fastest growing bank and in the latter part of 2016, and the first quarter of 2017, according to an on sight report by the Bank of Ghana, Capital Bank was rated number eight (8) among the community of banks in Ghana.
Voice Change
It was at this point that Mr. Essien’s voice changed and his eyes was filled with tears, which prompted his lawyer to plead with the court if the accused person could be provided with a tissue paper to wipe the tears and a woman from the gallery offered him a pack.
Mr. Essien after wiping his tears was then offered a bottle of water by the court and he continued his examination-in-chief by indicating that Capital Bank was on its way to drive the first and foremost innovative product of putting money on mobile phones.
Cedipe Platform
“The product name is called ‘Cedipe’. In the first year of our operation in 2013, we had a customer base of 120,000 current account, an unprecedented achievement that has never happened in any bank at its infant stage. My Lord, ‘Cedipe’ was so successful to the extent that customers began to deposit money by our scratch cards as a means of payment and so my Lord, the board and management decided to revise the name from ‘Cedipe’ to speed banking,” he said.
He continued that “speed banking is what has come to be known as MoMo by MTN, Tigocash by AirtelTigo, and Vodacash by Vodafone. In a recent report by the Bank of Ghana, mobile money has hit a whopping GH¢100 billion by way of transaction in just a month. My Lord, this is the vision that Capital Bank stood for. And so in front of how well we were doing as a bank, there was absolutely no doubt that all that it required just a matter of time and Capital Bank would have become a household name.”
Bank Objective
The lawyer then asked the accused person the main objective of Capital Bank, and Mr. Essien said the bank had five objectives.
“The first was to provide timely and relevant financial solution to the small and medium enterprises. The second was the focus to eradicate financial illiteracy through organised workshops. The third was to increase the unbanked from the informal sector to the banking sector. The fourth was to graduate micro and small enterprises into medium and eventually large enterprises. The last focus was to achieve banking convenience for our masters – we call our customers masters through the use of technology. So even at the savings and loans level, we were the first Savings and Loans Company to have issued cheque books and ATM cards with fully fledged ATMs at all our 15 branches at the time,” he said.
Initial Capital
Asked about how initial capital was raised for the formation of Capital Bank, he said First Capital Plus money lending and micro finance started with an initial capital of Gh¢500,000 which grew to GH¢12 million plus balance sheet size in 2008.
He said they were able to roll out capitalisation of the required amount by the Bank of Ghana out of the GH¢12 million at the time and the company from 2009 up until 2013 grew shareholder funds from GH¢12 million to GH¢62 million.
“By the grace of God, it was out of these shareholder funds in loans and advances that were presented to the Central Bank and upon due diligence from the Central Bank on both the Capital availability and verification together with the fit and proper test conducted by the Bank of Ghana in addition to other operational precedents, we received approval to operate as a class one universal bank from the savings and loans status in 2013.
• Anyihodo remembers daughter, Rawlings a year after death
• Former President Rawlings died at the age of 73
•There will be a remembrance mass to observe the anniversary
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has labelled the month of November 2020 as a very “hard month” for him.
This he said was a result of a double tragedy that befell him in the month.null
He mentioned that he lost both his daughter and Former President Jerry John Rawlings to the icy hands of death in November last year.
“Hmm!!! November 2020, was really a hard month for me. Lost my daughter on the 8th; Papa J passed on 12th. Today is exactly a year since Papa J left. He did his bit for God and Country. One day, one day; we shall ALL go too! May his soul rest well in the Lord. Shalom,” he said in a tweet reflecting on the 1-year anniversary of the passing of the late founder of the NDC.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings passed away on November 12, 2020, at the Korle–Bu Teaching Hospital at the age of 73.
The family of the late head of state will hold a remembrance mass today, November 12, 2021, to mark the first anniversary of his passing at the Holy Spirit Cathedral at Adabraka in Accra.
The Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Thursday, November 11, 2021, delegation from his family to the Manhyia Palace to thank the overlord of the Asante Kingdom for the generosity Otumfuo Osei Tutu II showed him during his mother’s demise.
The vice president leading a family delegation to the Manhyia Palace said he was overwhelmed when a delegation from the palace was sent to Mamprugu to witness the final funeral rites of the late Hajia Mariama Bawumia, his mother.
“We came showing gratitude in our fathers’ house and I can’t thank you enough for what you did during my mother’s demise, we are all grateful for what you did, the whole of Mamprugu.”
He said Otumfuo’s actions indicate his commitment to unity and his family as a whole and Mamprugu is appreciative of that.
He says now, he has no mother and father and that Otumfuo has indeed shown that he is a father to all.
“You really were involved in the funeral, you showed I’m your son, now I have no mother or father, you are my everything that is why we are here today to show our utmost appreciation.”
Dr. Bawumia was at the palace with his family and some executives of the governing New Patriotic Party
COP Kofi Boakye did not mince when he came face to face with Afia Schwarzenegger, Shatta Wale and some other Ghanaian celebrities.
Speaking at the meeting between the Ghana Police held with creative industry players on Wednesday, COP Kofi Boakye expressed worry over demands some of the celebrities made at (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare.
During the open forum meeting, some celebrities who were present complained about mishandling and inappropriate treatment from some police personnel.
According to them, they deserve some privileges befitting their status as celebrities but COP Kofi Boakye thwarted the opinion and pointed out that no one is above the law.
“I want to say that the sense of entitlement of celebrities is becoming overwhelming. And I just don’t get it. Some of the things that you do are disgusting, truth be told. If we cannot arrest pickpockets, we cannot arrest armed robbers. No one is above the law. When you fault it, and the law has to deal with you, we will. So, that it will deter others,” he said.
He continued that “if you want privileges, what privileges do you want? That you can pull a weapon anytime, and nothing would be done to you? No, that is not possible. We cannot do that.”
The outspoken senior police also noted that there is a need to clarify who a celebrity is and who deserves that title.
“Who is a celebrity? What is the operational definition of the word celebrity? I think we should get that because I am confused. We are confused. Is it that when you appear in one film, or you do one song, you qualify to be called a celebrity or what? And you see, because we are confused, we do not know what you want,” he said.
The meeting was held at the Police Headquarters in Accra on Wednesday, November 10 with some senior police officers in attendance.
The New Patriotic Party says former President John Mahama has no moral right to accuse President Akufo-Addo of nonperformance because he did not achieve anything significant while in office.
“John Mahama and the NDC are yet to deliver one socially sensitive intervention for the people of Ghana to justify their type of social democracy. The monumental failure of the one-time premium for the NHIS is a glaring example. They collapsed free maternal healthcare,” NPP Communications Director Yaw Buaben Asamoa said at a press briefing Thursday.
He stressed: “They delivered a few cargo vehicles in the name of ambulances and up till now, we do not know the accounting for those ambulances.
“Above all, they continue to oppose Free SHS, a policy which is the most socially inclusive in the Fourth Republic, yet Mahama had a long introduction touting his credentials as a social-democratic person and that of his party and couldn’t point to one policy that alleviates poverty effectively for the people of Ghana”.
What Mahama said
Former President John Dramani Mahama has described President Akufo-Addo as disrespectful and insensitive for continuously flying luxurious private jets with taxpayer’s money despite several complaints by Ghanaians.
“The misuse of scarce resources on the avoidable creature comforts of the President and other leading officials must come to an end…it is an unpardonable show of disrespect and insensitivity to the plight of the suffering masses for millions of Ghana cedis to be spent renting luxurious aircraft for Presidential travels at a time when the state of Ghana has a fully fitted and airworthy Presidential aircraft that can ferry the President anywhere in this world”.
“The staggering GH¢68 million spent on Presidential trips for the first nine months of 2019 alone constituted an unconscionable waste of very limited public resources at a time that the population was being asked to tighten their belts”, the 2020 flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress said on Wednesday, 10 November 2021 in a thank-you address to Ghanaians for the support they showed him in the last election.
He added that “resources entrusted into their care must be used judiciously for the public good, not for the excessive comfort of leaders. If this kind of waste was avoided, significant resources could be saved to address some of the more pressing concerns of the people.
“There are indications that government prefers to impose more hardship and suffering on Ghanaians, by introducing very painful fiscal measures in the 2022 budget to be read next week as a way of avoiding an IMF programme.
This government must realise that there is only so much that the already over-burdened Ghanaian people can bear” and, thus, “piling more taxes and levies on them will have devastating consequences on households. The very high cost of living will go through the roof leading to severe suffering for millions of people”.
“This is not the time for more taxes. The people are reeling under the heavyweight of existing taxes. This is the time for efficiency, and the modest use of the taxes collected”.
Read the full speech below:
#thankGhana address to end the nationwide thank-you tour Social Justice & a Sustainable Economy by John Dramani Mahama NDC 2020 Presidential Candidate & former President
Good evening, my brothers, my sisters, ladies and gentlemen.
As you have just heard, I am John Dramani Mahama. I was born in Damongo, grew up in Accra and Tamale spending my holidays in Damongo. I schooled in Achimota, Tamale, at the great GHANASCO, Legon and later in Russia.
Along this journey, I have learnt useful lessons from the school of life – the theatre of rich, potent and abundant dreams.
We were created in the image and likeness of God and given power to overcome adversity and defeat, particularly when we work in unity and with a common purpose. This unity and common purpose are needed if we want to transform our great nation, Ghana, into a sustainable economy underpinned by social justice.
As social democrats, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes and has always subscribed to a compassionate political philosophy that seeks to create opportunities for all to develop to their fullest potential, not just a few.
The framers of our constitution and national laws espoused these principles and directed our governments to bolster social justice through equitable, prudent, and sustainable allocation of our national resources with the future generation in mind.
Our governments must therefore lead the way in guaranteeing social justice. As citizens, we must not give up when our government shirks this responsibility. We must, in our own small way, keep hope alive by offering support to encourage each other.
When a Ghanaian is in need, we must support him or her to rise up and walk. This promotes and sustains our common humanity. For me, the ethnicity, partisan affiliation, religious background or gender of that Ghanaian in need does not matter and should not matter.
The “I am because you are” spirit is not alien to the Ghanaian. We live and experience life as a community and not as individuals. Each day, I become even more aware of our interconnectedness as a people, with common hopes of prosperity, safety and liberty for ourselves and future generations.
This fundamental lesson was evident in the contrasting lives in Achimota, Accra, and Tamale. As a Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi, as Vice President and as President, this guiding principle has always influenced my decision-making.
Let me at this point thank you for joining me this evening as I give thanks to the almighty God and to you – all Ghanaians, and the rank and file of the NDC, for your prayers, support, encouragement, and perpetual guidance in my political career.
I note that the audience here is drawn from a wide array of backgrounds, from high-flying professionals through to students and to those who look forward to employment after having completed their education.
This diversity notwithstanding, I believe we are all bound by a single strand woven around the desire to see our country prosper and develop in a manner that gives opportunities to all.
It has been barely a year since Ghanaians went to the polls to elect a President and two hundred and seventy-five Members of Parliament.
Despite misgivings about the processes leading up to the election, we had reposed hope and confidence in what was a time-tested tradition of peaceful and fair elections since our democratic return in 1992.
Our expectations proved to be misplaced as the worst-possible election in 29 years was delivered last year.
The umpire of our elections, the Electoral Commission, for some reason, chose to sacrifice the much-heralded good image it had carved over the years. Our difficulties with the elections have been well-documented and I would belabour the point if I recounted them here.
Suffice it to say that the kind of violence that claimed the lives of eight of our citizens, the misuse of security agencies to influence the outcome of elections in some constituencies and the uneven playing field that marred the 2020 elections, should never be allowed to recur.
We, in the NDC have duly learned useful, even if bitter lessons, from the entire episode. We are willing to engage the EC in constructive dialogue with a view to addressing the clear shortfalls of the present electoral process and fashion out one that meets the expectations of all if we are to avoid the unfortunate incidents of 2020.
We have started this process by proposing a number of reforms to the electoral process and we continue to carry out consultations with stakeholders. We look forward to having an opportunity with the Electoral Commission to discuss these reforms and their possible implementation.
Despite the disappointment of the loss, I deemed it appropriate to extend my appreciation and gratitude to Ghanaians who found me worthy enough to vote for in their millions.
The over 6.2 million people who, according to the officially declared results, spent time in long queues over a period of 12 hours to vote for me, deserve all the appreciation I can muster.
Their show of support is a great source of encouragement for me and the great NDC, which I led into the election, that we have the trust of Ghanaians and that with the right approach, we will be victorious next time
Mr Akoto Ampaw, a member of the concerned Ghanaian citizens reading a statement on behalf of the group during the media briefing
Private Legal Practitioner, Akoto Ampaw has called on Parliament to reject the Anti-LGBTQI Bill, which he claims does not meet legal requirements as stipulated in the 1992 Constitution.
According to him, the Bill in its current form violates Article 1(1) (2):” which uphold the sovereignty of the people of Ghana in whose name and whose welfare the powers of Government shall be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in the Constitution”.
“Irrespective of the number of people who support the Bill, the legislation must meet the first provision of the constitution. If it does not by Clause (2) of Article 1 of that bill or legislation is void”.
Mr Akoto Ampaw made the observation when he appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs on behalf of a group of Concerned Ghanaian Citizens against the passing of the Bill.
Parliament on Thursday began sitting on the Anti-LGBTQI Bill also known as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, which was laid in the House on Monday, August 2, 2021, and read for the first time.
The Bill among other things is seeking to criminalize some activities of members of the LGBTQ Community in Ghana.
Mr Akoto Ampaw also pointed out that the combined effect of the two provisions was that the Select Committee and Parliament as a whole had a duty to ensure that any bill that comes to Parliament, must first be checked whether it had been introduced in accordance with the constitution.
He said even after crossing that heddle, Parliament must interrogate and determine whether the bill and its processes were within the limit of the constitution.
Mr Akoto Ampaw also argued that the Speaker of Parliament violated Articles 108 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution by allowing the Anti-LGBTQI Bill to be laid before the House through Private Members.
He stated that per article 108 of the 1992 Constitution, “Parliament shall not proceed on a bill, which will impose costs or charges on the Consolidated Fund unless it is presented by, or on behalf of the President.”
He noted that, “the speaker is not above the Constitution, he is subject to the mandatory provisions of the Constitution and it is our view that the Speaker violated article 108 of the Constitution when he allowed such a bill that clearly imposes a charge on the consolidated funds and public funds to be laid before Parliament.”
Apostle Ofori Kuruagu of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council in his argument to the Committee stated that Parliament as the representative of the people at all material times was expected to mirror the broad opinions of its constituents and where appropriate serve as a vehicle to satisfy the interest of the people whose mandate it represented through the vehicle of legislation.
He said the passage of the Anti-LGBTQI Bill would give eloquent expression to the sovereign will of the majority of the people which Parliament represented and a bold attempt from the dangerous notion that anything foreign is “good for the nation”.
“This nation is being inundated with all forms of foreign values…we see this bill as a bold attempt to disassociate Ghana from such a menace”, he added.
Apostle Ofori Kuruagu also stated that “the Bill seeks to customize the distinct values of the people by creating a situation to preserve the time honour values of the nation free from foreign corruption and imposition”.
He argued that the Bill was a proactive step to give impetus to certain aspects of the country’s criminal jurisprudence and deny it the oxygen to fuel the flames of possible “wildfire” that might obliterate the foundations of the nation’s cherished norms and values, which makes us Ghanaians.
Gabby Otchere-Darko has said he is against the anti-gay bill that is before Parliament at the moment.
In a tweet, the former Executive Director of the Danquah Institute said “I am against the anti-gay bill & not shy to say so. I am a proud Ghanaian who cherishes all that is good about our value systems, including tolerance.
“And, I will defend the right of minorities everywhere. I have the courage and a sense of justice to disagree with the majority.”
I AM AGAINST THE ANTI-GAY BILL & NOT SHY TO SAY SO. I AM A PROUD GHANAIAN WHO CHERISHES ALL THAT IS GOOD ABOUT OUR VALUE SYSTEMS, INCLUDING TOLERANCE. AND, I WILL DEFEND THE RIGHT OF MINORITIES EVERYWHERE. I HAVE THE COURAGE AND A SENSE OF JUSTICE TO DISAGREE WITH THE MAJORITY.— Gabby Otchere-Darko (@GabbyDarko) November 11, 2021
Parliament has started works to ensure the passage of the bill.
The Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on Thursday November 11 started the public hearing on the memos submitted by the public on the bill.
During the sitting, a member of the committee, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the bill would go through changes before it is passed.
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West explained during the first public sitting of the committee to deliberate on the memos that have been presented on the bill that, just as with all other bills that eventually get passed by Parliament go through reviews, the anti-gay bill will also be subjected to the same treatment.
It is highly possible that the bill will not be the same after passage, she said.
She further asked the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (PCC), to rephrase their memo that was presented to Parliament on the bill.
The Minister of Communications noted that the memo which was presented on behalf of the PCC by Apostle Ofori Kurago, called on parliamentarians to be mindful of the electorate when making contributions to the discussion
But in her view, this amounts to ‘veiled threat’ directed at the lawmakers.
“You seem to issue a veil threat to the parliamentarians who have to be mindful if the electorate in the work that we are doing and in your assertion that this will be one of the most important pieces of legislation that this house will consider.
“But this process would also result in significant changes to the bill and so the bill as we have seen it now , as with all processes of the passage of legislation in this house , the bill that is introduced is not the one that is eventually passed into law . So if you are telling us that that you support his bill as it is, that we should do our work mindful of the people out there then you are hampering us the free expression in the performance of our duties as members of Parliament and so I will entreat you to rephrase that because it didn’t come across to is well. It is as if you are telling us to be mindful of what we are doing and that any changes might result in some attack or otherwise for us doing our works.”
The Committee commenced the public hearing on the memorandum received from the public on the anti-gay bill today Thursday November 11.
The Committee has stopped receiving additional memos on the bill.
The Ranking Member on the Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, told TV3’s Parliamentary correspondent Courage Komla Kluste in interview on Wednesday November 1o that “Those who submitted the memo would be invited to appear before the committee with their memo and justify the stand that they have taken. So, as usual, the LGBTQ bill which has been referred to the Constitution, Legal Committee of Parliament has generated a lot of interest as a result of the memoranda received so far.
“It is ranging between 140 and 150 so the committee is scheduled to start the stakeholders’ engagement effective tomorrow.
“I believe strongly, when they advertised the bill welcoming memorandum the time frame was given, that time frame has since long elapsed.
“Having regard to the nature and quality of the bill we relaxed the rule and then we have received memos up to last week.
“So, I believe since the committee is going to start work on the memo effective form tomorrow, from tomorrow I don’t think the clerk of the committee will received any further memo.”
It is recalled that Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo- Markin, projected that it would take the parliamentary committee 15 weeks, at least, to hear the 150 memoranda that have so far been presented as part of the move to pass the bill.
The Effutu lawmaker made this calculation having in mind the possibility of Parliament receiving more memoranda apart from the 150 already received.
He explained that each week, the committee has decided to consider 10 of the memoranda. That brings the calculation to fifteen weeks.
His comments come after his colleague Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, had called on the House to carry along the nation as efforts are being made to pass the bill.
Speaking on the floor of the House Friday November 5, he said “On the issue of this LGBTQ , the committee has received about 150 memoranda I am well informed of steps they have taken so far They have met and programmed to hear them weekly and from next week they are starting.
“So if honourable Ibrahim Ahmed wants us to carry the nation along then per my calculation, if they are doing weekly we don’t know whether any more memoranda will come.
“Then it means that we are looking at fifteen weeks. Every week they are doing ten, 150 and they want to do ten a week. So it is important all those who have brought memoranda are heard. It is after that that they will now prepare their report and then come and we make progress.”
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill was laid in the House on Monday, August 2 and read for the first time.
Reading for the first time, a clerk in the legislative assembly stated that the Bill proscribes lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) and other related activities and propaganda or advocacy and promotion for same.
It also came to light that it supports protection for children and persons who are victims or accused of homosexuality.
Second Deputy Speaker Andrew Asiamah Amoako referred the Bill to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Committee for consideration.
“For the first time, it is referred to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration and report,” Mr Asiamah Amoako, who is also the MP for Fomena, directed
Award-winning Ghanaian female journalist, Nana Aba Anamoah, has revealed that she is very disappointed in Akufo-Addo for failing to deliver his campaign promises.
Nana Aba Anamoah reacting to a tweet from GHOne TV asking what a politician once said referenced Nana Addo’s infamous statement ‘y3 te sika so nso 3k)m de y3n’.
She went ahead to tag the official Twitter handle of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to draw remind him of the promise he made to Ghanaians when he was begging for power.
Before Nana Addo was voted into power as the head of state, he slandered John Mahama on several platforms that Ghana has enough resources to feed the entire citizenry but because of Mahama’s incompetency, Ghanaians are hungry under him.
He also promised to make Ghana small Heaven because he has the men with the skill and capacity to lead the country to the promised land.null
Unfortunately, Ghana is now “more than hard” under Nana Addo. The prices of fuel water and electricity tariffs have skyrocketed ever since Nana Addo assumed power.
Most Ghanaians, apart from Nana Aba have been let down by Nana Addo whom many people thought would have been the finest president in the history of the Republic.
The Bono regional chairman of the NPP questions why the former president failed to present evidence of vote padding in court during the election petition hearing
“You have the evidence that will make your case strong in court. You left that evidence in the house … and you are organising a press conference. Then what was the basis for going to court?”
The Bono regional chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, has said that the former president John Mahama could be suffering from what he describes as “political bipolar”.
During his recent “thank you” tour, the 2020 National Democratic Congress flagbearer alleged that the Electoral Commission padded the presidential vote in the December 2020 election with one million fake ballots in favour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Speaking on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (11 November), Abronye DC questioned why the former president had failed to present evidence of vote-padding in court during the 2021 election petition hearing.
“What is wrong with you?”
“I heard him [Mahama] yesterday saying one million-plus votes were added to that of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, [plus] stolen ballot papers here and there.
“You filed a case at the Supreme Court; you are the petitioner of that case. The so-called one million votes that were added to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s votes: you had the evidence, but you failed to mount the witness box,” Abronye said.
He added: “Then there is something wrong with you. If you are not suffering from bipolar, then I don’t know what to say.
“You have the evidence that will make your case strong in court. You left that evidence in the house, you didn’t send it to court, and you are organising a press conference. Then what was the basis for going to court?”
Speaking at a briefing in the Commission’s “Let the Citizen Know” series in Accra on 25 October, the deputy chairman in charge of corporate services at the EC, Eric Bossman Asare, challenged Mahama to provide evidence to substantiate his claims.
“The former president has said the EC computed one million ballot papers in favour of the president [Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo]. This is untrue. This is a great matter that can undermine the credibility of our electoral process and should not be ignored,” Dr Bossman Asare said.
“We call on him to provide evidence to support this claim. This is not a matter that should be ignored. And we call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate.”
He added: “The transparency of our process makes this impossible to happen
Buaben Asamoa says Mahama’s words were contradictory to his own actions and that Mahama “was a walking embodiment of corruption”
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said former President John Dramani Mahama is not an alternative to solving Ghana’s problems.
According to the party, Mahama has been touring the country under the guise of thanking Ghanaians for his defeat in the 2020 election and creating the impression that he has the solutions to the country’s problems.
The Communications director of the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa at a press conference on Thursday (11 November), said Mahama was just desperate to rule the country again, hence making false claims of having all the answers to the country’s problems.
He said when Mahama had the chance to rule the country, he messed up the country’s economy, and therefore has no moral right to be claiming that he has solutions to the country’s problems.
For him, former President Mahama was only throwing tantrums that he would be able to improve the country’s economy if given the mandate again in the 2024 elections just for him to satisfy his personal ambitions.
Asamoa said even though the country was not in an election period, Mahama had been behaving as if the country was preparing for an election or was in an election mood.
Mismanagement
He said Mahama lost the 2016 election due to his mismanagement of the country’s economy which resulted in the worsening plight of the ordinary Ghanaian and that Mahama has nothing to offer except to draw back the country’s progress if Ghanaians mistakenly give him power again.
He expressed shock that whereas Mahama was claiming to have solutions to the country’s unemployment situation during his tours and lectures, it was during his tenure that the country witnessed the formation of the unemployment graduates association.
Social interventions
Asamoa said even though Mahama claimed to have the interest of the poor at heart, he never introduced any pro-poor policy or intervention during his administration.
He said former President Mahama and his opposition NDC had been fighting all social intervention policies introduced under the various NPP administrations, including the free SHS, Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), and National Health Insurance Scheme.
He was of the view that Mr Mahama and his team were only scheming to get power in order to continue their mismanagement of the country.
Corruption
The NPP’s Director of Communications said it was laughable that former President Mahama would be talking about solutions to corruption in the country.
He said Mahama’s words were contradictory to his own actions and that Mahama “was a walking embodiment of corruption.”
Asamoa also chastised former President Mahama for crying foul over projects started under his administration that had been abandoned by the ruling NPP government.
For him, it was untrue that projects started by Mahama had been abandoned, saying Mahama has not changed from his incompetence even in opposition
As the government gears up for the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament, there is an ongoing national conversation on how the government should go about its revenue mobilisation in order to close the gaping fiscal deficit in its books.
With dwindling revenue streams attributable to the slowdown in business activities occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic, Ghana is lagging behind most of its peers within the West African sub-region as far as the tax to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is concerned.
While Ghana is doing below 15 per cent, countries in the sub-region like Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria are hovering around an average of 18 per cent, raising questions about whether or not increasing taxes in the 2022 budget will help the government shore up revenue inflows to fund development projects.
The Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in an interview with journalists in Accra on Wednesday, 10 November 2021, suggested that as demand for public services like the construction of roads and hospitals has seen an uptick, one of the ways the government can bring about development is to mobilise more domestic revenue to enable it to satisfy the legitimate needs of the people.
“Obviously, we would need to introduce some new broad-based taxes if we are to rake in the needed revenues to deliver what our people desire”.
“New taxes may have to be imposed on items that exclude the poor and do not have high cascading effect so that it does not increase the difficulties that the Ghanaian is going through”, he said.
According to him about, 8 per cent to 12 per cent of the country’s GDP, which ideally should come to the government, is not coming in.
Yet, he noted, these economic activities are ongoing and are being recorded, forcing the government to find ways to mobilise funds through taxes to fund the demands for roads, schools, hospitals.
He said the government’s target through the 2022 budget is to consolidate the gains made so far in previous years and reboot the economy and set it back on track
As the government gears up for the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament, there is an ongoing national conversation on how the government should go about its revenue mobilisation in order to close the gaping fiscal deficit in its books.
With dwindling revenue streams attributable to the slowdown in business activities occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic, Ghana is lagging behind most of its peers within the West African sub-region as far as the tax to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is concerned.
While Ghana is doing below 15 per cent, countries in the sub-region like Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria are hovering around an average of 18 per cent, raising questions about whether or not increasing taxes in the 2022 budget will help the government shore up revenue inflows to fund development projects.
The Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in an interview with journalists in Accra on Wednesday, 10 November 2021, suggested that as demand for public services like the construction of roads and hospitals has seen an uptick, one of the ways the government can bring about development is to mobilise more domestic revenue to enable it to satisfy the legitimate needs of the people.
“Obviously, we would need to introduce some new broad-based taxes if we are to rake in the needed revenues to deliver what our people desire”.
“New taxes may have to be imposed on items that exclude the poor and do not have high cascading effect so that it does not increase the difficulties that the Ghanaian is going through”, he said.
According to him about, 8 per cent to 12 per cent of the country’s GDP, which ideally should come to the government, is not coming in.
Yet, he noted, these economic activities are ongoing and are being recorded, forcing the government to find ways to mobilise funds through taxes to fund the demands for roads, schools, hospitals.
He said the government’s target through the 2022 budget is to consolidate the gains made so far in previous years and reboot the economy and set it back on track
Mr Mahama said he has personally lost friends to the pandemic because they did not believe in vaccination.
Using himself as an example, the 2020 flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) said the vaccines are safe and have no dire effects.
Delivering a thank-you address to Ghanaians on Wednesday, 10 November 2021 for the support they showed him in the last election, Mr Mahama said: “COVID-19 is still here with us and those of you who have not yet taken your vaccination, I appeal to you, it saves life. I’ve lost too many friends to covid-19 because they did not believe in vaccinations and I can assure you the vaccinations are safe you can take them and you’ll have no adverse repercussions.
“I’m a living testimony of the vaccinations and I can tell you there have been no adverse repercussions on my mortal being and, so, those of you who have not taken it, please remember to go and take your covid-19 vaccines”.
Figures from the Ghana Health Service indicate that some 3,188,114 vaccine doses have been administered in the country as of 5 November 2021.
As of the same date, Ghana’s total recorded covid-19 cases stood at 130, 608 with 128,131 recovered and discharged.
Some 1,203 people have died from the virus while the active cases stand at 1,247
According to him, the Vice President is a politician who has something new to offer whenever he steps on the platform to speak and his speech is above the reasoning of the ordinary person.
He said, both President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Vice do not react to everything that they hear, yet they keep working.null
Allotey Jacobs who was contributing to a discussion on Peace FM, Wednesday, November 10 said, “Kwami, the last time I told you that we should give Dr. Bawumia the mandate to rule in 2024. I am so convinced that, he is the new politician on the bloc and whatever he brings up is something new, sometimes above our reasoning.
“Whenever he comes out to speak in public, he is making it for the NPP and again we have a leader [in Bawumia]. You don’t hear anything from the President and the Vice but they are still working. They don’t just talk unnecessarily but as a Vice President, Bawumia whenever he steps on a platform and speaks, then people start speaking in tongues. I am telling you, just watch it.”
He added, “[Bawumia] is an emerging leader so if the wins the flagbearer race of NPP and he is being presented as the Presidential Candidate for the 2024 elections and he wins the elections, there is something new for us in this country.”
Jacobs believes that, the Vice President’s last public lecture at Ashesi University boosted the confidence in Ghanaians.
He claims, people within his area, on that day, gathered before their TV to watch the Vice President like they were watching a football game.null
“People were convinced [during his speech] because that is their business…what is important is to underline all that he said and ask ourselves if it is true or false. By so doing, we are separating facts from propaganda,” Allotey Jacobs stressed.
• NPP, NDC have always promised to manage fuel prices
• Has Bawumia dealt with the problem of petroleum pricing? Kwesi Pratt questions
• Dirvers are calling on government to scrap nuisance taxes
The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has questioned why the ruling government has not reduced petroleum prices given that it is one of the clear promises the governing NPP made during their campaign.
According to him, vice president Mahamudu Bawumia had earlier indicated it was insensitive for any government to be increasing fuel prices, but he [Kwesi Pratt], therefore wondered why he [Dr. Bawumia] has not dealt with the issue of fuel pricing as promised.
He added that an increase in fuel prices always has a rippling effect on the economy which includes the exchange rates.
Pratt further quizzed Dr. Bawumia on the spike in the exchange rates despite assuring Ghanaians he had ‘arrested the cedi and given the key to the IGP’.null
“…We were told by Mahamudu Bawumia that he knows how to deal with that problem, has he dealt with that problem?, he told us he had arrested the cedi and given the key to the IGP and so on. Who went and took the key from the IGP? Who did the IGP give the key to?” Kwesi Pratt quizzed.
Speaking on the back of GPRTU’s call for the government to scrap nuisance taxes, Kwesi Pratt said every politician often claims to have solution to manage fuel prices until they come to power.
“When it comes to petroleum pricing, there is no politician in Ghana who has not said that he or she knows how to manage petroleum prices to bring it down”, he added.
“This government promised to reduce petroleum prices, clear promise and said that it was insensitive to be increasing petroleum prices. I recall in 2016, Dr. Bawumia angry said it takes only an insensitive government to be increasing prices by a few pesewas then so we are not going to talk about anything.”
“Government has told us they know how to reduce petroleum prices to alleviate the suffering of people in Ghana and I agree with the drivers, they should reduce the petroleum price?” the veteran journalist said on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV.
“Who is the NDC or NPP has not told us they know how to reduce petroleum prices? They should go ahead and reduce it. An increase in petroleum prices have a rippling effect throughout the economy so when you increase fuel prices it affects everybody and we know the push factors and one of them is the rate of foreign exchange,” he added.null
Speaking on the exchange rate the host of the show said Dr. Bawumia had indicated that the management of the cedi against other foreign currencies, by the Akufo-Addo-led administration, has been one of the best by any government in its first term, since 1992.
In response, Kwesi Pratt said that was a bad argument as even Kwame Mpiani a renowned economist has said the slowing down of the cedi is artificial.
“Drop that argument, it’s a bad argument so that one of the push factors and other factors are taxes on petroleum product. Why should we load all the taxes on petroleum?” he said.
“Did you listen to Kwame Mpiani recently saying that the cedi slowing down is artificial? He said our cedi is been shoring up by our foreign reserves and he said it is the most reckless way of shoring up the cedi,” he added.
Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan, has fired shots at former President John Dramani Mahama for slamming the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) over their response to the Catholic Bishops after the clerics criticized the Akufo-Addo government for failing the people of Ghana.null
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has questioned President Akufo-Addo and his government’s empathy towards the plight of Ghanaians.
Catholic Bishops’ Statements
The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, speaking at this year’s plenary assembly of the Association in Wa on Monday, November 8, indicted the current administration of ignoring the abject poverty of Ghanaians by engaging in deals for personal gains.
He said; “Though poverty stares us in the face, it appears lost to those with power. The expressed commitment of the President of the Republic to protect the public purse, a promise that citizens welcomed, seems to be an illusion now” and further asked; ”Are those managing the public purse not concerned about waste and misapplication of resources that belong to all Ghanaians? Can this be referred to as irresponsible use of power or the lack of compassion and empathy?”
“Those who are entrusted with power that comes from our collective will must know that what they do with that (power) shapes what we all will become in the future,” he cautioned the government and politicians not to toy with Ghanaians’ votes.null
NPP Response
Reacting to the Association’s remarks, NPP Director of Communications, Yaw Buaben Asamoa argued that the criticisms from the clerics lacked focus and clarity.
“Where are the specifics on that? Some level of clarity at that level is important. It is not about enabling the NDC to come in and spout . . . we are widening the social net, and we believe we are sending the economy in the right direction . . . The impact of Covid-19 that we are still riding has affected cost of living and prices, and many people worldwide have lost their jobs,” he replied.
Arrogance of Power
But former President Mahama considers the NPP Chief Communicator’s quick response to the Bishops as a show of ”arrogance of power”.null
Addressing a durbar of NDC faithfuls at Ashaiman, as part of his two-day tour of the Greater Accra Region, John Mahama said; “If they are saying Ghana is hard, do the things that will make things more affordable for the people of Ghana. But that is what we call the arrogance of power. They said when the gods want to destroy you, they first make you mad. Because this is madness. The Catholic Bishops have spoken; what is your business holding a press conference against them? Accept criticism in good faith.”
He recounted how, during his reign, he welcomed criticisms in good faith, therefore blasting the NPP for their arrogance.
“During my government, I did not do a press conference to respond to them. Whatever they said I took in good faith and I took corrective measures.”
Kwamena Goes After Mahama
However, commenting on the issue on Wednesday morning, the former Central Regional Minister appeared utterly shocked over Mr. Mahama’s comments, particularly with the part where he claims he took criticisms in good faith during his regime.null
Kwamena Duncan reminded the former President about how he and his government officials including his party members lashed out at every person who spoke against his administration.
”Let former President Mahama listen; unlike the NDC attacking Chiefs, Pastors and national leaders who disagreed with them which even had the late former President saying the NPP approaches issues with respect but the NDC engages in incitements, so [wherever the former is and listening to me] I am telling him the difference. When the NDC disagrees with you, whether you are a Chief or clergy, no matter who you are, if you speak your mind and they don’t agree with you; they will come at you in contempt that sometimes you wonder if these people weren’t trained well as the person they are attacking could be of the same age as their parents”, he recollected.
He challenged Mr. Mahama to ”point out that what Buaben Asamoa said is seditious or that what Buaben Asamoa has undermined the reputation of the Catholic Bishop”.
”Let him say so, then we can interrogate that. Is he saying that if the Bishop speaks or even if the conference speaks, that we are stopped from commenting on what they say? Is that his point?”, he queried.
Kwamena Duncan strongly held that ”the response by the Communications Directorate was fair and proper”.null
He made these submissions on Peace FM’s morning show ”Kokrokoo” on Wednesday, November 10.
The current Attorney General, Godfred Dame is extremely political, Member of Parliament for Asawase Muntaka Mubarak, has observed.
In the view of Mr Muntaka, Godfred Dame is likely to become the worst Attorney General in the history of the country if he is not measured in his work.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TV3’s Evelyn Tengmaa on Wednesday November 10, he accused Dame of suppressing the weak rather than fighting for them
“As an Attorney General, his responsibility is to protect the weakest. You hear him make such statements as, it is not a right, it is a privilege. Well, privilege for the few? For people like him? So, we are putting a motion that, in that same year admission, this 2021, there were people who didn’t even write the exams but they have been given concessional admission because they are the privileged few.
“That cannot be right, we can’t create society like that. His posture is giving me an impression that in his view, he thinks seeking justice may not be a right, it will be a privilege that is seen in the Opuni matter even at the Supreme Court, re-empaneling, going for a review, meeting a judge who is supposed to sit on a panel. Attorney general that often is supposed to be the one that protects the weakest in our society, not to intimidate the innocent ones.
“I think that the way he is carrying himself if we are not careful to put a break on him he may end up being one of the worst Attorney Generals we have because he seems to be too political and he forgets the mandate of government.”
His comments come at a time his side in Parliament have presented a memorandum to the Speaker of Parliament that is seeking to pass vote of censure against Godfred Yeboah Dame for failing to implement a resolution of Parliament to admit 499 law school students .data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
The memorandum reads “That This Honorable House passes a vote of censure on the Honourable Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, in respect of the following conduct: Refusal, without justifiable basis, to implement the resolution of this Honorable House unanimously passed on October 29, that the General Legal Council admits into the Ghana School of Law 499 students who sat for and passed the entrance examination of the Ghana School of Law for the 2021/22 legal year In accordance with its own published grounds rules, Impugning the image and integrity of this Honorable House through statements unbecoming of the holder of the office of Attorney General and Minister of Justice of this Republic.”
The move was occasioned by what they call the failure of Mr Dame to comply with the resolution they passed to get the law students who obtained the 50 per cent pass mark in the entrance examinations admitted into the law school.
Mr Dame had told to Parliament that the resolution they passed was not binding.
The AG indicated that Parliament is devoid of the power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law.
The House on Friday October 29 resolved that all LLB students who obtained the 50 per cent pass mark in the law school entrance examinations should be admitted. The unanimous decision was arrived at by voice votes in Parliament.
But in a response, the AG said “Respectfully, I am aware of a resolution passed by Parliament at its sitting on Friday, 29th October, 2021 in these terms: … The General Legal Council is hereby directed to proceed and admit all the students who passed in accordance with the advertised rules of the examinations.. The Attorney-General is the leader of the bar in Ghana and he must see to it that the directive that 499 students who scored 50 marks are admitted is complied with.
“We do not want to get to contempt of Parliament issues. Whilst recognising the general legislative powers of Parliament in Ghana, except as have been circumscribed by the Constitution, I am constrained to advise that Parliament is devoid of a power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law.
“The mode of exercising legislative power enshrined in article 106 of the Constitution does not admit of resolutions.
“In accordance with section 13(1)(e) and (f) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), the power to regulate admission of students to pursue courses of instruction leading to qualification as lawyers and to hold examinations which may include preliminary, intermediate and final examinations has been vested in the General Legal Council.
“It is correct that section 1(5) of Act 32 stipulates thus: “The Council shall in the performance of their functions comply with any general directions given by the Minister”.
“In my respectful opinion, this provision underscores the capacity of the Executive not the Legislature, through the Minister responsible for the General Legal Council, i.e. the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, to direct and advise the Council on major matters of national importance.
“In this regard, it is pertinent to indicate that by a letter dated 18th October, 2021 received at my office on 21* October, 2021, His Excellency the President forwarded the contents of a petition by the “499 candidates” to me for my comments in order to enable him respond. Another petition dated 20th October, 2021 by the National Association of Law Students was also delivered
to the President.
“Upon delivery of my comments on the matters raised in both petitions and following further consultations with my good self, by a letter dated 26th October, 2021 (three clear days before the resolution of Parliament), received at my office on 27th October, 2021, the President directed me to, pursuant to section 1(5) of Act 32, … make the necessary intervention to the General Legal Council, on behalf of the 499 students, to address the issue …
“Within the constraints of the law, I am following up on the directive of the President to make the necessary interventions on behalf of the ‘499 students’ Be that as it may, it is imperative to correct a few erroneous impressions contained in the impugned Parliamentary resolution of 29th October, 2021.The notice in the Daily Graphic of 14th May, 2021 inviting applications from suitably qualified Ghanaians for admission into the Ghana School of Law did not state a pass mark of fifty percent (50%) or any at all as a basis for admission. The notice stated that applicants may be granted admission if they have passed the entrance examination conducted by the GLC.
“The notice also did not state the manner in which a pass mark set by the GLC would be determined. It is clear therefore, that, a contention that the “originally announced” or “advertised” pass mark was “50%”, is erroneous and insupportable.
In so far as any matter bordering on a ‘pass mark’ is concerned, the notice in the Daily Graphic stated as follows:
“E. ADMISSION PROCEDURE
The admission process is as follows:
(i) The General Legal Council determines the number of candidates to be admitted to the Professional Law Course for the academic year.
(ii) Applicants may be granted admission if they have passed the written examinations organized by the General Legal Council for the
2021/2022 Academic Year, on payment of the required fee and submission of the application form and all supporting documents required online.
On this same issue, Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh also said the resolution was not binding.
Prof Prempeh who is also a Ghanaian lawyer explained on the Key Points on TV3/3FM Saturday October 30, with host Dzifa Bampoh that Parliament makes a number of resolutions, of which some are binding and others are not.
The one directed to the GLC and the law school, he said, fell in the latter category.
Prof Prempeh said “I am delighted to see Parliament really weigh in on this matter. This is a long-running battle and I think that it is good to have the political class weigh in this way.
“Parliament makes decisions in a number of ways. They can pass a bill, if signed it becomes an Act of Parliament. It also operates by passing resolutions. Some of the resolutions are binding, some are not binding.
“This is one of the resolutions in the latter category , it is not binding. But, it does registers Parliament’s collective disapproval of the way and manner in which a statutory body like the GLC has been handling this matter of access to legal education.”
During the debate on the floor of the Huse on Friday October 29, Member of Parliament for Asawase, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak told the GLS and the Law school that the study of law in Ghana is not limited to a select few.
He said all Ghanaians are allowed to pursue legal education and education in general.
He said “I know that there are a lot of institutions in this country that are very conservatives but with the kind of problem we have as a country you cannot give a conservative position and expert to make progress . This idea, with the greatest respect to the former Chief Justice, that we won’t open up for anybody to become a lawyer. Who is anybody? Every Ghanaian matter just as your son and daughters.
“It is not the sons of lawyers and doctors or politicians or the influential that have the only right to be able to have access to any profession in this country. If they don’t know we must tell that they should go and admit everybody who has passed before the next academic year starts.
Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said the GLC and the Ghana School of Law would be acting in bad faith if they fail to heed the resolution passed by Parliament for all the LLB students who obtained the 50 per cent pass mark to be admitted into the law school.
“We are telling the Ghana law school that they continuously frustrating students, they are making the study of law unattractive. I know that the post call students they had started lectures , they started last week but for the Professional law they are starting next week,” he said on the floor of the House.
“It is not too late to admit them because they have passed,” he added.
In a subsequent interview with TV3’s Komla Klutse, Mr Afenyo-Markin said “For anybody who may think that they may exercise a discretion not to respect our directive, I will say, that will be in bad faith for them to fail to respect this directive of Parliament.
“We have a responsibility and we are simply re-echoing what they themselves have said publicly. That is why we added that yes, the Learned Attorney General with oversight responsibility should ensure that they comply with the resolution passed by Parliament.
“If a body, recognized by law will refuse a resolution of parliament then I think that body does not believe in the rule of law and I don’t think that is what the General Legal Council and Ghana School of Law will do. It has the Chief Justice as its head and we believe that he as Chair will take this in good faith and quickly take steps to address this.
“I will not want to go into the issue of contempt, whether if they fail we would have to take another step. We know that the constitution is clear on failing to comply with parliamentary orders but I don’t think we will get there.”
This development emerged at a time the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court adjourned the case brought before it by some ‘failed’ LLB students against the General Legal Council (GLC) and the Attorney General (AG).
On Friday October 29, the court presided over by Justice Nicholas Mensah Abodakpi adjourned the case to November 9 after the Attorney General requested for a short adjournment to file certain processes.
“With the consent of the parties and their lawyers this case would be adjourned to Nov 9, 2021,” the judge is reported to have said.
The students are demanding that the court “further retrains the respondents from treating the applicants as students who failed the said examinations pending the final examination of this matter on grounds set forth and such further orders the court may deem fit.”
They also want a declaration that the failure of the 2nd respondent (the Attorney General) to reign in the 1st respondent for the conduct of the 1st Respondent as stated constitute a dereliction of the 2nd respondent’s duties under Act 32
Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, has declared a state-assisted burial in honour of the late Nana Ampadu.
This statement was announced at the Weekly Jubilee Press Briefing taking place today at the Jubilee House.
“Finally, the President has taken the decision to honour the late, legendary Ghanaian highlife musician, Nana Ampadu, with a state-assisted burial in honour of his services to the growth of Ghanaian music. This information will be duly communicated to the family of the late singer. And a befitting burial ceremony will be held for this noble son of Ghana.”
Highlife musician Nana Ampadu died on Tuesday, September 28, after a short illness. May his soul rest in peace
The seat of government, the Jubilee House has announced on Thursday November 11 that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will, this afternoon, lead the Ghanaian delegation to attend, at the invitation of UNESCO’s Director General, Audrey Azoulay, the 75th anniversary ceremony of the founding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The event is being held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin said at a press conference on Thursday that “The United Nations Charter, which came into effect on 16th November 1945, provided for the creation of a specialized agency in the fields of education and culture, and the President will, on Friday, 12th November, deliver a statement, at the height of the commemoration, on the impact UNESCO has had in Ghana, and what Ghana expects from UNESCO in the coming years.
“President Akufo-Addo will from Saturday, 13th November, to Saturday, 20th November, take a much-deserved, long overdue seven-day leave of absence, during which he has accepted an invitation to preside over the panel that will adjudicate a debate in the French Parliament on “The Trial of Progress”, on Friday, 19th November.
“The President is expected back in Ghana on Saturday, 20th November, and, whilst away, the Vice President, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, will act in his stead
The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, has told former President John Dramani Mahama that the economy has been managed better under the Akufo-Addo administration.
But for the prudent use of state resources, he said, the government could not have successfully implemented programmes including the free Senior High School (SHS) programme to benefit Ghanaian children.
He also said the fact that Mr Akufo-Addo’s mandate was renewed in the 2020 elections was an indication of the confidence the people had and continue to have in the current administration.
His comments come after Mr Mahama had told President Akufo-Addo to up his game in dealing with the hardships Ghanaians are saddled with at the moment.
Mr Mahama noted that times are hard for Ghanaians. The economy, in his view, is not doing well hence, the destitutions.
Speaking on Tuesday November 9 as part of his tour of the Greater Accra region, Mr Mahma said “I think that this government has to sit up.”
He added “The tragedy of our current national situation is that we have a government that appears completely unwilling to acknowledge the problems and even begin the process of addressing them. We are instead confronted with an administration that believes that these major problems can be wished away through PR, sloganeering, divisive rhetoric, populism, and plain political deception.
“Take our present economic state for example. At a time when everyone is crying out over the excruciating hardships brought on by excessive taxation, ever increasing cost of living, weekly fuel price increases, this government chooses to recite a hackneyed mantra, that there are indicators that show that the economy is doing well.
“Even if we were to overlook the mismatch between these claims and the very visceral suffering and pain people are going through in their daily lives; it beggars belief, that the same people saying this were only six years ago, dismissing any linkage between the welfare of Ghanaians and economic indices.
“They said, then, that they had visited markets and were not experiencing single digit prices as the inflation rate then would dictate. They insisted then, that the best way to measure the strength or otherwise of the fundamentals of the economy was to look at the exchange rate, for its depreciation would expose the weakness therein. These days however, even as the exchange rate depreciates to very worrying levels, they say we have strong economic fundamentals.
“Beyond these spirited linguistic acrobatics, the plain truth, which we all see and feel, is that the Ghanaian economy is in deep crisis. At the micro level, we feel the heavy impact of a troubled economy when we go to the market and find prices of basic items rising with alarming rapidity. We also feel it when we go to the fuel station and find that the already high price of fuel has been increased again.”
But responding to him, Mr Eugene Arhin said on Thursday November 11 that “You all recollect that the president took oath of office on 7th of January 2017 and again on 7th of January 2021 and on both occasions he pledged to protect the public purse. That is exactly what he has done and continues to do.
“The transformation that has taken place in all aspects of our national life point to an economy that has been well managed, a public purse that is being well protected and the benefits are showing.
“Indeed if president Akufo-Addo had superintended over the wanton dissipation of the public funds, firstly, the Ghanaian people would not have reposed confidence in him barley 10 months ago by returning decisive margin of victory for him in the 2020 elections.
“The free SHS which guarantees a minimum of senior high school education for all Ghanaian children and has already granted access to some 400,000 children would not have been possible if the public purse was not being protected
President Akufo-Addo will this afternoon, lead the Ghanaian delegation to attend, at the invitation of UNESCO’s Director General, Audrey Azoulay, the 75th anniversary ceremony of the founding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is being held at its headquarters in Paris, France, the Director of Communications ta the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin has said.
The United Nations Charter, which came into effect on 16th November 1945, provided for the creation of a specialized agency in the fields of education and culture, and the President will, on Friday, 12th November, deliver a statement, at the height of the commemoration, on the impact UNESCO has had in Ghana, and what Ghana expects from UNESCO in the coming years.
President Akufo-Addo will from Saturday, 13th November, to Saturday, 20th November, take a much-deserved, long overdue seven-day leave of absence, during which he has accepted an invitation to preside over the panel that will adjudicate a debate in the French Parliament on “The Trial of Progress”, on Friday, 19th November.
The President is expected back in Ghana on Saturday, 20th November, and, whilst away, the Vice President, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, will act in his stead
Mr Mahama stated that when he was the Head of State, his administration was opened to Ghanaians but that is lacking currently.
Speaking at a thank you Forum in Accra on Wednesday November 10, he said “Another key plank of our administration’s strategy was transparency in our public financial management system and in our national discourse.
“The opacity within our current national discourse about economic indices undermines our collective progress. Debates about the true state of the nation, its debt levels, exchange rate trajectory or even growth numbers underpin the need for strong institutions that cannot be subverted by individual preferences.
“Under the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), we implemented best-practice control systems to improve accountability in public financial management. We plan to pick up from where we left off. We also promulgated the Public Financial Management Act to align our fiscal management practices with international standards.
“Whiles strengthening the economy for sustainability our government further had our eyes firmly on growth and productivity. We did not believe we could recklessly borrow our way out of underdevelopment.
“A major hinderance to mobilizing sufficient resources to fund our development is corruption. We have in recent times witnessed acts of corruption, cronyism and decadence that lower the pedigree and reputation of the Office of the President – not forgetting the dubious and opaque Agyapa Gold Royalties deal, which this government is still hankering after with plans of executing and hosting in a tax haven.
“I must at this point recognise the nationalistic truth and outpouring of the sentiments of many Ghanaians by the Catholic Bishops Conference on Monday. Until we are bold to reflect what we are all experiencing under this government, the situation will continue to worsen, and we are all going to be worse off from suffering.”
He added “civil servants, doctors, nurses, teachers, businessmen and women, traders, farmers, drivers, and the teeming unemployed youth of Ghana, this government is our common national tragedy. We may yet have to endure these very difficult times for a while more due to a combination of factors.
“But I come to you this evening with a simple message. Do not – out of avoidable hardships and difficulties – despair to the point of losing hope and giving up on Ghana. Do not lose hope! Instead, I urge you to hope and work hard for a better Ghana and a better future under a new NDC administration in 2025.
“I am talking about a future where your name, your ethnicity, your tribe, your circumstances of birth will not determine how you are treated in your own country by your own government. I recall the words of the Most Reverend Japhet Yao Ledo during my thank you tour of the Volta Region, and I stand this evening to assure the people of the region and the nation at large that all successive NDC administrations will continue to be national and people-centred ones, sharing the national cake, equally and beneficially to all regions and parts of the country
Member of Parliament for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak, has claimed that some students were admitted into the Ghana Law School this year without taking part in the entrance examinations.
He described this admission as ‘concessional.’
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TV3’s Evelyn Tengmaa on Wednesday, November 10, the Minority Chief whip accused the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Godfred Dame of suppressing the weak rather than fighting for them regarding the admission process into the law school.
“As an Attorney General, his responsibility is to protect the weakest. You hear him make such statements as, it is not a right, it is a privilege. Well, privilege for the few? For people like him? So, we are putting a motion that, in that same year admission, this 2021, there were people who didn’t even write the exams but they have been given concessional admission because they are the privileged few.
“That cannot be right, we can’t create a society like that. His posture is giving me an impression that in his view, he thinks seeking justice may not be a right, it will be a privilege and that is seen in the Opuni matter even at the Supreme Court, re-empaneling, going for a review, meeting a judge who is supposed to sit on a panel. The Attorney-general often is supposed to be the one that protects the weakest in our society, not to intimidate the innocent ones.
“I think that the way he is carrying himself if we are not careful to put a break on him he may end up being one of the worst Attorney Generals we have because he seems to be too political and he forgets the mandate of government.”
His comments come at a time his side in Parliament has presented a memorandum to the Speaker of Parliament that is seeking to pass a vote of censure against Godfred Yeboah Dame for failing to implement a resolution of Parliament to admit 499 law school students.
The memorandum reads “That This Honorable House passes a vote of censure on the Honourable Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, in respect of the following conduct: Refusal, without justifiable basis, to implement the resolution of this Honorable House unanimously passed on October 29, that the General Legal Council admits into the Ghana School of Law 499 students who sat for and passed the entrance examination of the Ghana School of Law for the 2021/22 legal year In accordance with its own published grounds rules, Impugning the image and integrity of this Honorable House through statements unbecoming of the holder of the office of Attorney General and Minister of Justice of this Republic.”
The move was occasioned by what they call the failure of Mr Dame to comply with the resolution they passed to get the law students who obtained the 50 per cent pass mark in the entrance examinations admitted into the law school.
Mr Dame had told to Parliament that the resolution they passed was not binding.
The AG indicated that Parliament is devoid of the power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law.null
The House on Friday October 29 resolved that all LLB students who obtained the 50 per cent pass mark in the law school entrance examinations should be admitted. The unanimous decision was arrived at by voice votes in Parliament.
But in a response, the AG said “Respectfully, I am aware of a resolution passed by Parliament at its sitting on Friday, 29th October, 2021 in these terms: … The General Legal Council is hereby directed to proceed and admit all the students who passed in accordance with the advertised rules of the examinations.. The Attorney-General is the leader of the bar in Ghana and he must see to it that the directive that 499 students who scored 50 marks are admitted is complied with.
“We do not want to get to contempt of Parliament issues. Whilst recognising the general legislative powers of Parliament in Ghana, except as have been circumscribed by the Constitution, I am constrained to advise that Parliament is devoid of a power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law.
“The mode of exercising legislative power enshrined in article 106 of the Constitution does not admit of resolutions.
“In accordance with section 13(1)(e) and (f) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), the power to regulate admission of students to pursue courses of instruction leading to qualification as lawyers and to hold examinations which may include preliminary, intermediate and final examinations has been vested in the General Legal Council.
“It is correct that section 1(5) of Act 32 stipulates thus: “The Council shall, in the performance of their functions, comply with any general directions given by the Minister”.
“In my respectful opinion, this provision underscores the capacity of the Executive, not the Legislature, through the Minister responsible for the General Legal Council, i.e. the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, to direct and advise the Council on major matters of national importance.
“In this regard, it is pertinent to indicate that by a letter dated 18th October, 2021 received at my office on 21* October, 2021, His Excellency the President forwarded the contents of a petition by the “499 candidates” to me for my comments in order to enable him respond. Another petition dated 20th October, 2021 by the National Association of Law Students was also delivered to the President.
“Upon delivery of my comments on the matters raised in both petitions and following further consultations with my good self, by a letter dated 26th October, 2021 (three clear days before the resolution of Parliament), received at my office on 27th October, 2021, the President directed me to, pursuant to section 1(5) of Act 32, … make the necessary intervention to the General Legal Council, on behalf of the 499 students, to address the issue …
“Within the constraints of the law, I am following up on the directive of the President to make the necessary interventions on behalf of the ‘499 students’ Be that as it may, it is imperative to correct a few erroneous impressions contained in the impugned Parliamentary resolution of 29th October, 2021.The notice in the Daily Graphic of 14th May, 2021 inviting applications from suitably qualified Ghanaians for admission into the Ghana School of Law did not state a pass mark of fifty percent (50%) or any at all as a basis for admission. The notice stated that applicants may be granted admission if they have passed the entrance examination conducted by the GLC.null
“The notice also did not state the manner in which a pass mark set by the GLC would be determined. It is clear therefore, that, a contention that the “originally announced” or “advertised” pass mark was “50%”, is erroneous and insupportable.
In so far as any matter bordering on a ‘pass mark’ is concerned, the notice in the Daily Graphic stated as follows:
“E. ADMISSION PROCEDURE
The admission process is as follows:
(i) The General Legal Council determines the number of candidates to be admitted to the Professional Law Course for the academic year.
(ii) Applicants may be granted admission if they have passed the written examinations organized by the General Legal Council for the
2021/2022 Academic Year, on payment of the required fee and submission of the application form and all supporting documents required online.
On this same issue, Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh also said the resolution was not binding.
Prof Prempeh who is also a Ghanaian lawyer explained on the Key Points on TV3/3FM Saturday October 30, with host Dzifa Bampoh that Parliament makes a number of resolutions, of which some are binding and others are not.
The one directed to the GLC and the law school, he said, fell in the latter category.null
Prof Prempeh said “I am delighted to see Parliament really weigh in on this matter. This is a long-running battle and I think that it is good to have the political class weigh-in this way.
“Parliament makes decisions in a number of ways. They can pass a bill, if signed it becomes an Act of Parliament. It also operates by passing resolutions. Some of the resolutions are binding, some are not binding.
“This is one of the resolutions in the latter category , it is not binding. But, it does registers Parliament’s collective disapproval of the way and manner in which a statutory body like the GLC has been handling this matter of access to legal education.”
During the debate on the floor of the Huse on Friday October 29, Member of Parliament for Asawase, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak told the GLS and the Law school that the study of law in Ghana is not limited to a select few.
He said all Ghanaians are allowed to pursue legal education and education in general.
He said “I know that there are a lot of institutions in this country that are very conservatives but with the kind of problem we have as a country you cannot give a conservative position and expert to make progress . This idea, with the greatest respect to the former Chief Justice, that we won’t open up for anybody to become a lawyer. Who is anybody? Every Ghanaian matter just as your son and daughters.
“It is not the sons of lawyers and doctors or politicians or the influential that have the only right to be able to have access to any profession in this country. If they don’t know we must tell that they should go and admit everybody who has passed before the next academic year starts.
Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said the GLC and the Ghana School of Law would be acting in bad faith if they fail to heed the resolution passed by Parliament for all the LLB students who obtained the 50 per cent pass mark to be admitted into the law school.
“We are telling the Ghana law school that they continuously frustrating students, they are making the study of law unattractive. I know that the post call students they had started lectures , they started last week but for the Professional law they are starting next week,” he said on the floor of the House.
“It is not too late to admit them because they have passed,” he added.null
In a subsequent interview with TV3’s Komla Klutse, Mr Afenyo-Markin said “For anybody who may think that they may exercise a discretion not to respect our directive, I will say, that will be in bad faith for them to fail to respect this directive of Parliament.
“We have a responsibility and we are simply re-echoing what they themselves have said publicly. That is why we added that yes, the Learned Attorney General with oversight responsibility should ensure that they comply with the resolution passed by Parliament.
“If a body, recognized by law will refuse a resolution of parliament then I think that body does not believe in the rule of law and I don’t think that is what the General Legal Council and Ghana School of Law will do. It has the Chief Justice as its head and we believe that he as Chair will take this in good faith and quickly take steps to address this.
“I will not want to go into the issue of contempt, whether if they fail we would have to take another step. We know that the constitution is clear on failing to comply with parliamentary orders but I don’t think we will get there.”
This development emerged at a time the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court adjourned the case brought before it by some ‘failed’ LLB students against the General Legal Council (GLC) and the Attorney General (AG).
On Friday October 29, the court presided over by Justice Nicholas Mensah Abodakpi adjourned the case to November 9 after the Attorney General requested for a short adjournment to file certain processes.
“With the consent of the parties and their lawyers this case would be adjourned to Nov 9, 2021,” the judge is reported to have said.
The students are demanding that the court “further retrains the respondents from treating the applicants as students who failed the said examinations pending the final examination of this matter on grounds set forth and such further orders the court may deem fit.”
They also want a declaration that the failure of the 2nd respondent (the Attorney General) to reign in the 1st respondent for the conduct of the 1st Respondent as stated constitute a dereliction of the 2nd respondent’s duties under Act 32.
Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has responded to the remarks by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference in which the Bishops bitterly complain about the administration of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, speaking at this year’s plenary assembly of the Association in Wa on Monday, November 8, accused government of not protecting the public purse.
“Though poverty stares us in the face, it appears lost to those with power. The expressed commitment of the President of the Republic to protect the public purse, a promise that citizens welcomed, seems to be an illusion now,” he said.
He questioned; “Are those managing the public purse not concerned about waste and misapplication of resources that belong to all Ghanaians? Can this be referred to as irresponsible use of power or the lack of compassion and empathy?”
The Most Rev. Philip Naameh further cautioned politicians against taking the will of the electorate for granted, saying “those who are entrusted with power that comes from our collective will must know that what they do with that (power) shapes what we all will become in the future”.
The Catholic Bishops also bemoaned the economic situation confronting the populace, highlighting challenges in various sectors of the economy with emphasis on education, cyber crime, health, prostitution among others and admonished the government to find a lasting solution to the challenges.
Kwamena Duncan, in reply, finds the Bishops’ statements to be baseless as he argued on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ Wednesday morning that the Bishops failed to state the basis for the claims.
Describing the claims as ‘omnibus’, the former Minister sent a word of caution to the Bishops saying, “if care is not taken, we will get to the point where every politician is quote unquote corrupt. What that means is that then we will be undermining the very governance system and [the consequences] I’m saying that this country cannot be the consequences”.
“This is an omnibus allegation against politicians, and what that means is that you may imperceptibly be causing a certain lack of confidence in politics, in governance and the consequences will not also be good for our country, for democracy and even the church,” he stressed.
He, however, noted that he isn’t in support of politicians engaging in corrupt practices or any wrong thing but he also wouldn’t accept that the Bishops make false accusations.
“Me, I will be part of those who will condemn a politician who does wrong. I will be part. If me, myself, I’m involved in any wrongdoing; look, I submit myself to condemnation. But if I also have no basis, it is unacceptable that I do politics or in my capacity as a politician, Minister, Deputy Minister, President that it’s easy that as for politicians, you can accuse them left, right, center and go scot free; then a paramount Pastor, I join the bandwagon. That is not fair. That is not proper.”
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame
The Attorney General, Godfred Dame, has advised the GLC to offer admission to all 499 students who were refused admission into the Law school
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has advised the General Legal Council (GLC), the statutory body responsible for the regulation of legal education in Ghana, to offer admission to all 499 students who were refused admission into the Ghana School of Law for the 2021/2022 academic year.
In a four-page letter addressed to the chairman of the General Legal Council, the Attorney General highlighted what he says is the perception “of a lack of transparency and doubts about the integrity of the admission processes into the Ghana School of Law, created by the manner in which the admission processes were handled by the GLC in 2021, as well as the enormous public interest generated thereby”.
“These circumstances, in my respectful view, warrant a reconsideration of the decision not to admit the 499 candidates. I am aware that arrangements have been put in place already for commencement of the first year professional law course by candidates deemed to have passed the entrance examination for the 2021/2022 academic year,” the Attorney General’s letter read.
AG recommendation
The Attorney General further indicated in his letter to the GLC that in view of the observations he has made in his letter and “pursuant to Section 1(5) of Act 32, I advise the GLC to: (a) grant deferred admission to the 499 candidates with effect from May, 2022”.
“A special provision can be made for the first year professional law course by candidates already admitted to run from October, 2021 to April, 2022. The 499 candidates may undertake their programme from May, 2022 and ending in November, 2022. Arrangements will have to be put in place for the two sets of candidates to undertake their pupilage and be called to the Bar at a common date in the next two years,” the AG recommended concerning his first proposal.
Alternatively, the Attorney General suggested to the GLC to “grant admission to the entire 499 candidates with effect from November, 2021 and provision made for the organization of classes in a way as to be able to cater for the needs of the entire candidates of the Part One Course of Professional Law Programme”.
The third recommendation of the Attorney General to the GLC is for them to “organize a special examination in November, 2021 to accord to the 419 candidates an opportunity to justify admission into the Law School for the 2021/2022 academic year. Such examination may be on “essay questions” which properly assess the ability of candidates to reason legally and resolve practical problems”.
Future GLC Examinations
Godfred Dame ends his letter by advising that in the GLC’s further notice “inviting applicants to register for the entrance examination for the 2022/2023 academic year, the basis for a determination of successful candidates be clearly spelt out, in order to avoid a reoccurrence of the situation experienced this year”.
Aggrieved 499 students
A total of 790 students (28%) out of the 2,824 who sat the 2021 Ghana School of Law entrance exam passed, official figures released by the law school in October 2021 showed.
The figure represents a 10% drop from the total number of LLB candidates who passed the previous year. In 2020, a total, 1,045 out of 2,763 students who sat the entrance examination passed. In 2019, only 128 candidates out of 1,820 succeeded.
Some 499 aggrieved students who sad for the 2021 examination and obtained 50% and above, have accused the GLC for their inability to gain admission following a new quota system introduced after the law school entrance examination had taken place and the results had been released.
The new requirement was that candidates had to score at least 50% in both sections of law school entrance exams to be eligible for entry into the Ghana School of Law. According to the affected students, the new rule was unknown to them before, during and after the exams
According to him, the present economic decline is more shocking when viewed against the backdrop that this administration has been the most fortunate government in the history of Ghana in terms of the quantum of resources received.
Speaking at a forum in Accra on Wednesday November 10 as part of his thank you tour of the region, he said “The tragedy of our current national situation is that we have a government that appears completely unwilling to acknowledge the problems and even begin the process of addressing them. We are instead confronted with an administration that believes that these major problems can be wished away through PR, sloganeering, divisive rhetoric, populism, and plain political deception.
“Take our present economic state for example. At a time when everyone is crying out over the excruciating hardships brought on by excessive taxation, ever increasing cost of living, weekly fuel price increases, this government chooses to recite a hackneyed mantra, that there are indicators that show that the economy is doing well.
“Even if we were to overlook the mismatch between these claims and the very visceral suffering and pain people are going through in their daily lives; it beggars belief, that the same people saying this were only six years ago, dismissing any linkage between the welfare of Ghanaians and economic indices.
“They said, then, that they had visited markets and were not experiencing single digit prices as the inflation rate then would dictate. They insisted then, that the best way to measure the strength or otherwise of the fundamentals of the economy was to look at the exchange rate, for its depreciation would expose the weakness therein. These days however, even as the exchange rate depreciates to very worrying levels, they say we have strong economic fundamentals.
“Beyond these spirited linguistic acrobatics, the plain truth, which we all see and feel, is that the Ghanaian economy is in deep crisis. At the micro level, we feel the heavy impact of a troubled economy when we go to the market and find prices of basic items rising with alarming rapidity. We also feel it when we go to the fuel station and find that the already high price of fuel has been increased again.
“We further feel it when our rents are increased or when we get onto the trotro and find that fares have gone up because of increases in fuel prices. Importers feel the pinch because duty at the ports have become almost impossible to pay due to the amount of taxes slapped on them.
“The daily struggle of Ghanaians to make ends meet would be impossible to recount in one address. The question we ask, however, is how have things moved from bad to worse so quickly when we were promised a much better and more affordable standard of living? I would say this is the direct result of the mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy by its current managers. The present economic decline is even more shocking when viewed against the backdrop that this has been the most fortunate government in the history of Ghana in terms of the quantum of resources received
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) willing to engage the Electoral Commission (EC) in constructive dialogue with a view to addressing the clear shortfalls of the present electoral process and fashion out one that meets the expectations of all if we are to avoid the unfortunate incidents of 2020.
Mr Mahama had made a number of accusations against the EC after the 2020 polls. He accused the commission of thumb printing one million ballot papers in favour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He had alleged when he addressed the Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan, Nana Nteboah Prah, recently, as part of his Thank You tour of the Western Region that “More than one million extra ballot papers were printed, which the EC claimed happened by mistake but on the day of the elections, some of the more than one million extra ballot papers had already been secretly thumb-printed in favour of the NPP.”
The Presidential Candidate of the NDC in last year’s elections added “And, so, all these things dented the credibility of the polls and caused an embarrassment”,
“The former President has said the EC thumb-printed one million ballot papers for the President of the Republic. This is untrue; and it is a great matter that undermines the credibility of the electoral system and should not be ignored.”
But speaking at a forum held in Accra on Wednesday November 10 as part of his thank you tour, Mr Mahama said “We in the NDC have duly learned useful, even if bitter lessons, from the entire episode.
“We are willing to engage the EC in constructive dialogue with a view to addressing the clear shortfalls of the present electoral process and fashion out one that meets the expectations of all if we are to avoid the unfortunate incidents of 2020.
“We have started this process by proposing a number of reforms to the electoral process and we continue to carry out consultations with stakeholders. We look forward to having an opportunity with the Electoral Commission to discuss these reforms and their possible implementation.”
He added “Despite the disappointment of the loss, I deemed it appropriate to extend my appreciation and gratitude to Ghanaians who found me worthy enough to vote for in their millions. The over 6.2 million people who, according to the officially declared results, spent time in long queues over a period of 12 hours to vote for me, deserve all the appreciation I can muster. Their show of support is a great source of encouragement for me and the great NDC, which I led into the election, that we have the trust of Ghanaians and that with the right approach, we will be victorious next time.
“That trust, was also reflected in the spectacular gains we made in the Parliamentary elections in which we moved from 106 seats to 137, marking an increase of 31. It is trite knowledge that but for the underhand manoeuvring and misuse of security agents to overturn the true outcome in several constituencies, we would be in the Majority in Parliament now.
“I acknowledge the participation of those who chose to repose confidence in our opponents and voted for them. I extend thanks to them as well because their decision to exercise their franchise has left our democracy the richer for it.
“To give expression to my eternal gratitude to Ghanaians, I have in the last few months toured the length and breadth of this country to personally convey my thanks for this massive support. I interacted with Ghanaians across the political and socioeconomic divide and experienced the challenges that they are going through, both in rural and urban areas.
“Throughout these interactions, one thing has become resoundingly clear, and it is that our country is not on the right path. We are clearly headed for a major ditch if immediate action is not taken to reverse the trend. I also asked, after listening to many of the people who spoke in these interactions, what we can do collectively to address the excruciating hardship and suffering confronting many a Ghanaian.
“The problems of our country are legion, and hydra headed. As I distilled from my interactions with the people of Ghana on this tour, the most pressing problem is the impact of the ailing economy on livelihoods, prospects and dreams
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