He said the spectre of tens of thousands of frustrated and desperate young men and women, running and falling over themselves to apply for very limited positions in security agencies, as recently seen, is most heart breaking and deeply disturbing.
“Unemployment has truly become a national security crisis,” he said at a forum in Accra on Wednesday November 10 as part of his thank you tour.
“Here too,” he said “the government’s approach has been one of nonchalance and the bundying about of dubious employment creation figures. This has been coupled with ad-hoc and unsustainable measures that have led to the throwing back onto the street of tens of thousands of NABCO recruits with virtually no hope of finding sustainable employment.
“At the core of our message to the people of Ghana in 2020 was jobs, because the unemployment issue was staggering. And the youth bulge has surely become a major threat to our country. From all the pillars of our policy planks in the People’s Manifesto – Infrastructure for Growth, Fixing the Economy, Tax cuts for jobs, developing a Digitally Functional Economy among others, our focus was on Jobs and Prosperity for all.
“But for the actions of the Electoral Commission and the Supreme Court of Ghana, an NDC administration would have been in place today, and the implementation of our various peoplecentred policies would have provided you, and all of us, better conditions of living than we see today.
“Unemployment continues to plague our country and it is clear this government has no sustainable plan to address it. The botched NABCO experiment has proven not to be the pathway and the means to an end. We need to come together and face youth unemployment head-on.
“The NDC’s one million (Edwumapa) Jobs Creation Plan, the free TVET and National Apprenticeship Programme as contained in our manifesto are still relevant and available for this government to draw on for implementation. If well implemented, we can create an average of 250,000 jobs every year for the youth of Ghana.
“In our manifesto, we also provided plans to make Ghana a 24-hour economy – with three shifts of 8- hours each a day. Our plan was to aggressively diversify our economy, provide more public sector jobs, enhance productivity and add value to our products for export. This would answer Goal 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) – Decent work and Economic Growth.
“When I recently addressed the African Economic Congress, I urged Africa to engage and incentivise technology companies to focus on neglected areas and sectors that will impact the lives of our people such as agribusiness and health.
“I further, encouraged Fintech companies to show more differentiation and diversification instead of the seeming over-concentration on creating payment platforms that are high yielding today. I believe, for example, that telemarketing and online internet shopping will continue to offer opportunities for our youth in the distribution value chain.
“These are not things that I talk about in a vacuum. They are well thought through and structured solutions ready for implementation. On pages 41 and 42 of the abridged version of the 2020 People’s Manifesto, we have laid out how a digitally functional economy will be developed to among others build on the infrastructure needed, train and create jobs, ensure expanded financial inclusion, introduce next generation agriculture, cyber security among others
Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that creating sustainable jobs requires strategic investment in the agriculture value chain, particularly agro-processing where the country has a huge growth potential. To achieve that goal, he said it was important for the government to provide an enabling environment for private sector investment.
Speaking on Accra-based Power FM today (November 9) at the start of his Greater Accra Regional ‘Thank You’ tour, Mr Mahama said, “the opportunities are there if we put our investment in the right places”.
One million jobs policy
He said in the interest of national development, the government could tap into the one million jobs initiative in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto for the 2020 elections.
He explained that the one million jobs initiative was more focused on creating sustainable jobs in the agriculture sector through the prioritisation of agro-processing.
Mr Mahama noted that as part of the one million jobs initiative, processing plants were to be set up in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions for the processing of cashew.
He also said more attention had to be given to the oil palm industry to create more jobs.
“We believe that investment in these areas in line with the one million job initiatives will create opportunities for many people to earn a livelihood.
The government can look at it and implement it in the national interest,” he said.
Self-inflicted
The former President accused the government of contributing to the unemployment situation in the country through the closure of some indigenous banks that were the main providers of loans for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
He observed that following the closure of the banks, SMEs found it difficult to access loans from the big banks and financial institutions.
He also blamed the government for what he described as “excessive borrowing”.
Mr Mahama said although the public debt had risen from GH¢120 billion in 2016 to GH¢375 billion in 2021, the government had failed to invest in infrastructure and only focused on consumption expenditure.
He said it was worrying that while the government borrowed more, it had failed to put the resources to good use.
Corruption
Touching on the fight against corruption, the former President blamed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for paying lip service to dealing with the menace.
“He appointed a Special Prosecutor and when Mr Martin Amidu (the Special Prosecutor) resigned, he described the President as the mother serpent of corruption.
This is a big indictment on his corruption fight,” he said.
Again, he said although some government officials were reported to have been involved in corruption, they were cleared through non-transparent processes.
Mr Mahama said the posture by the President to always insist that whistle blowers brought hard-core evidence against public officials before they were investigated did not paint a good picture of someone who was willing to fight the menace.
“There will be cases of corruption in every government but how you deal with them when they occur is what matters,” he stressed.
General hardship
The former President said his tour of the 16 regions this year showed that there was economic hardship in the country.
According to him, the mood across the country was that of despair and disappointment as people had unmet needs because of the government’s unfulfilled promises.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament is plotting the removal of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame from office.××
According to the Minority, the Attorney General must go for disobeying orders to admit the 499 aggrieved law students.
They have therefore filed a motion seeking the removal from office of the Attorney General, because he refused to kowtow to the House’s resolution to the General Legal Council (GLC) to admit the aggrieved 499 law students.
Last week, a bipartisan resolution was passed after the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and the Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi, made a case for it by placing a compulsion on the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to see to it that the GLC enforces the resolution.
However, in response, Lawyer Dame told Parliament it does not have the power to direct him to enforce the resolution.
He stated that the directive has no locus, explaining that “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,” said the Attorney General in his response.
“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.”
Few days after the response from the Attorney General, the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, on Tuesday in a memorandum addressed to the Speaker stated that the Attorney General has impugned the “image and integrity” of the House by refusing to carry out the orders.
Censure Of Votes Against Ministers Of State
According to Article 82 of the constitution, a two-thirds majority of Parliament is needed to pass any vote of censure against Ministers of State after the motion has been debated within 14 days upon receipt of the motion by the Speaker of Parliament.
82 (1) Parliament may, by a resolution supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of Parliament, pass a vote of censure on a Minister of State.
(2) A motion for the resolution referred to in clause (1) of this Article shall not be moved in Parliament unless- (a) seven days’ notice has been given of the motion; and
(b) the notice for the motion has been signed by not less than one-third of all the members of Parliament;
(3) The motion shall be debated in Parliament within fourteen days after the receipt by the Speaker of the notice for the motion
(4) A Minister of State in respect of whom a vote of censure is debated under clause (3) of this article is entitled, during the debate, to be heard in his defence.
(5) Where a vote of censure is passed against a Minister under this article, the President may, unless the Minister resigns his office, revoke his appointment as a Minister.
(6) For the avoidance of doubt, this article applies to a deputy minister as it applies to a Minister of state
Black Stars have landed in Johannesburg where they aim to beat Ethiopia in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
Ethiopia opted to play the match at the Orlando Stadium after CAF banned them from using their home ground, the Bahir Bar Stadium, because it does not meet the required standards for a Fifa World Cup qualifier coupled with the troubles in the Tigray region.
Black Stars arrived on Wednesday with the technical team led by Milovan Rajevac and the playing body by captain Andre Ayew.
THE BLACK STARS 🇬🇭 HAVE ARRIVED IN JOHANNESBURG 🇿🇦 AHEAD OF THEIR #WCQ2022 CLASH WITH ETHIOPIA 🇪🇹
Meanwhile, Deputy Captain Thomas Partey isn’t included as he is still in London because of a groin injury.
US-based Jonathan Mensah – injured – and youngster Felix Afena-Gyan also didn’t make the trip. For the latter, his club AS Roma refused to release him.
Ghana are second in Group G with nine points, one behind leaders South Africa who play Zimbabwe in the same city, raising the stakes in the group.
Should both Ghana and South Africa win their respective games, the group winner will be decided on Sunday at the Cape Coast Stadium where the two meet
Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticized the Akufo-Addo administration for having nothing to show for the borrowings that the administration has engaged in over the past four and a half years in office.
He observed that the government is borrowing only for consumption hence, the inability to point to projects being funded from monies borrowed.
“They are borrowing for only consumption. Between 2016, GHS120 billion debt, you have taken us to 375 billion in four and a half years for only consumption,” he said.
He further told the government to up its game to deal with the hardship Ghanaians are saddled with the moment.
Mr Mahama said time are hard for Ghanaians.
The economy, in his view, is not doing well hence the hardships.
Speaking on TV XYZ, as part of his tour of the Greater Accra region, Mr Mahama said “I think that this government has to sit up.”
The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has urged senior students to desist from bullying junior ones in various senior High Schools in the country.××
According to him, bullying is a thing of the past and must not be entertained in this modern world.
His comments follows the recent bullying of a first year student of the Konongo Odumase Senior High School in the Ashanti Region which lead to his death.
Speaking at a Public Lecture held in Accra on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education for Socio-Economic transformation on Monday, 8 November 2021, the Minister condemned the act of bullying of junior students in schools by seniors known locally as ‘Homo, stressing that ,every necessary thing must be done to put an end to the practice.
The Minister advised students to refrain from such acts by creating a welcoming atmosphere for each other in school and not to become oppressors.
“Homo in schools is a relic of the past and has no space in this century. Fresh students who go to school should be treated like brothers and sisters and not bullied.
Preliminary investigations reveal that, the suspects involved in the case are form 2 students who went on a bullying spree on the night of Friday, 5 November 2021 after prep hours, leading to the attack on the now-deceased Samuna Larhan, aged 17.
The Education Minister has therefore assured of immediate action being taken to ensure that similar action does not occur in schools
The Office of the Attorney General has stated that the 499 potential law students who have filed a suit against the Ghana School of Law and the General Legal Council (GLC) have no basis to do so because they did not pass the entrance examination which guarantees them admission.××
The AG in an affidavit in opposition to the suit filed by the applicant indicated that no irreparable damage will be done to the potential students if the court refuses to grant their application for interlocutory injunction.
“The applicants have failed to particularise the irreparable damage that will be done if they are not granted admission, especially when the law school is still in existence and running the law course. No irreparable damage will be done to the applicants since they did not pass the Ghana School of Law entrance examination,” the affidavit sworn to by Gyamfuaa Mac-Owoo, a State Attorney, averred.
Main Suit
The applicants are in court seeking the enforcement of their fundamental human rights, what they call a retrospective application of a law which denies them the right to be admitted into the Ghana School of Law, and called it discrimination.
The applicants are part of the a group of LLB graduates who sat for the 2021 Ghana School of Law entrance examination but could not be admitted although they said they had passed the exams.
According to the applicants, the GLC is changing its position and trying to retrospectively apply a law which states that the 50 per cent pass mark is made up of 50 per cent pass in Section A and a 50 per cent pass in Section B, which violates certain portions of the 1992 Constitution.
They are therefore, seeking a declaration by the court that the GLC declaring them as having failed the exams despite meeting the 50 per cent threshold violates Articles 17, 23 and 25 of the 1992 Constitution.
They are seeking an order of mandamus to compel the GLC to admit them into the Ghana School of Law for the Professional Law Course.
Affidavit In Opposition
But the AG’s Department in its affidavit in apposition averred that the candidates who passed the 2021 entrance examination have been duly issued with instructions for their enrolment into the Ghana School of Law, which has not and will not cause irreparable damage to the applicants who are trying to enter the school.
It denied the allegation by the applicants that the GLC was trying to retrospectively apply a new rule governing the admission process, arguing that the minimum of 50% each in both Section A and Section B had been applied in previous entrance examinations and not a new rule.
“The candidates who were genuinely interested in gaining admission to the Professional Law Course of the Ghana School of Law did not make ‘wayside’ inquiries about the requirements for admission to the Professional Law Course at the time the 1st respondent (GLC) had published the requisite instructions to prospective candidates in the Daily Graphic.”
It further averred that GLC did not inform applicants that the pass mark for the entrance examination was 50%, adding that it will be unjust for the court to compel the GLC to admit candidates who did not meet the minimum threshold for minimum mark set by the GLC.
It said the GLC has not unjustifiably denied any candidate who passed the entrance examination admission to the Ghana School of Law, adding that “had the applicants passed the examination they would have been admitted.”
The affidavit in opposition further averred that the Attorney General has not failed to exercise his statutory powers on the GLC as there has not been any breach of the 1992 Constitution, arguing that “if there had been any breach of the Constitution, the 2nd respondent (AG) would have called out the 1st respondent (GLC) without being prompted to do so.”
It is therefore, urging the court to dismiss the application for being frivolous and vexatious.
Hearing of the case has been set for November 19, 2021
Management of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) is hinting of load shedding following the collapse of communication mast on its 33OkV Aboadze-Kumasi Transmission Line.
The problem the power generation company fears it might be affecting the national power system.××
A statement issued by GRIDCo on Wednesday November 10, 2021 in Accra said “A Communication mast collapsed and fell on the 330kv Aboadze to Kumasi Transmission Line, resulting in in the collapsed of two adjacent towers”.
The incident which took place at Bogoso in the Western Region has affected the national power system and will lead to some load management.
Meanwhile, GRIDCo says it is “working around the clock to replace the fallen towers within the shortest possible time “.
• Catholic Bishops slammed government for not being sympathetic to the plight of Ghanaians
• NPP says claims by Catholic Bishops’ Conference lacks clarity
• John Mahama on the other hand says the NPP’s response is borne out of the arrogance of power
Former President John Dramani Mahama has equated the response of the New Patriotic Party to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, over their recent complaint of economic hardship, to insanity.
According to the former President, the response of the ruling party can be said to be an act of insanity induced by the arrogance of power.
“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”, the former President told a durbar of the National Democratic Congress party faithful in Ashaiman on Tuesday, November 9.
The Ghana National Catholic Bishops’ Conference at a plenary assembly held on Monday, November 8, 2021, criticized the government for its failure to fight corruption while bemoaning what the association described as a lack of empathy from the government of Ghana towards its citizens.
But reacting to the Bishops, the Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party, Yaw Buaben Asamoa said their criticism was without specifics and thus lacked focus and clarity.
However, according to former President Mahama, his tenure was equally characterized with various criticisms from the clergy and other civil society organizations.
He states that contrary to what the NPP is doing, he took such criticisms in good faith instead of what he says an arrogant response by the current government.
“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,” the 2020 NDC flagbearer recounted.
Mr Mahama has thus challenged the ruling party to focus on addressing pertinent matters raised by the Bishops and Ghanaians instead of replying to criticisms.
The General Overseer of Glorious Word Power Ministry International, Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah, has been re-arrested by the police pending the announcement of fresh charges against him.
The pastor has been standing trial along with two others for threatening to kill Nana Agradaa.
The three were re-arrested shortly after they got discharged by the circuit court presided over by Her Honour Afia Owusua Appiah.
It followed a prayer to the court by Chief Inspector Dennis Terkpetey for the accused persons to be discharged in connection with the earlier charges levelled against them.
Their first arrest followed the wide circulation of a video on social media that captured the pastor’s aides brandishing a gun as they threatened to kill Nana Agradaa.
They pleaded not guilty.
The court granted Rev. Owusu Bempah a self-recognisance bail of GHS 100,000.
His aides were each granted bail of GHS100,000 with two sureties.
Also, the pastor was granted a GHS400,000 bail in another case in which he, together with three others: Michael Boateng, Frederick Ohene, and Nathaniel Agyekum, was charged for causing harm and unlawful damage to a police vehicle.
They will appear before the court on 15 November 2021 over these charges
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako Atta, has said demonstrations do not build roads and wondered why educated people also join such ‘fix our roads’ protest marches.
Speaking to the press after inspecting the 31.7 km Kwafokrom-Apedwa road in the Eastern Region, which forms part of the Accra-Kumasi dualisation project, Mr Amoako Atta said: “It is unreasonable for anybody to say that all roads everywhere should be fixed simultaneously”.
“So, these demonstrations should stop”, he commanded.
“Sometimes, you get people who are supposed to know better, well-educated people who should advice their colleagues, joining demonstrations”, he observed.
“Demonstrations don’t build roads,” he added.
Mr Amoako Atta said he has instructed the contractors on the project to make sure they execute it quickly and open the stretch to the public by the end of 2021.
“I have charged the contractors to ensure that they complete the stretch of the road covering a distance of 31 km by the end of the year”.
“I have asked them to introduce night work to compensate for any delay,” he said
Vice-president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, swore into office a 13-member Governing Council of the Ghana Prisons Service in Accra.
Dr Bawumia charged the Council, led by Most Rev Peter Paul Yelezuome Angkyier, with members including the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery; and Buipe-Wura Mahama Abdulai Jinapor II, to be mindful of the rise in population and the increasing trend in crime, and take steps toward transforming the prisons into centres of reformation and rehabilitation.
Dr Bawumia said the government is committed to the passage of the Prisons Bill, and will work with all stakeholders to both re-tool the Prisons Service and work toward the introduction of non-custodial sentencing alternatives to decongest the prisons
Mrs Samira Bawumia, the wife of Vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on the global community to incorporate more female perspectives in the design and implementation of clean energy solutions.
The wife of the Vice-President, was speaking at the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 Energy Access event, organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), ENERGIA and Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNet) at COP26, currently being held in Glasgow, Scotland.
According to the wife of the Vice-President, incorporating more female perspectives will enable the world achieve SDG7 by the year 2030.
SDG7 is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly geared towards ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Former President John Dramani Mahama will today, Wednesday, 10 November 2021, speak to the nation on matters of national interest as well as the performance of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party administration so far.
The talk, dubbed ‘Nation Thank You Address’, will be held at the Gold Coast Kempinski Hotel in the Greater Accra Region.
The event is strictly by invitation, the Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Theophilus Tetteh Chai said.
He noted that the programme is for selected stakeholders and will be carried live on all social media platforms as well as some traditional media platforms.
The address will climax the two-day tour of the former president in the Greater Accra Region.
The Greater Accra tour was to thank the party’s supporters for the over six million votes it garnered in the 2020 general election
The NDC’s flagbearer in the 2020 Presidential elections, John Dramani Mahama has accused President Akufo-Addo of causing young people to lose confidence in Ghana’s democracy.
Addressing a teeming crowd of party enthusiasts at the Nii Amui Park on Tuesday, the former President explained that, many young people have become disinterested in Ghana’s current democratic discourse.
This he said, is a result of the failure of President Akufo-Addo to fulfill the litany of promises he made to Ghanaians in his bid to become the President of Ghana.
“But for me, the danger I see ahead is that the Akufo-Addo administration has destroyed the confidence of our young people in our democracy. Our young people no longer believe in our democracy, because of the way that it’s no longer working for them. When you make promises you can’t fulfill, it undermines the credibility of our democracy; and that is the stock in trade of the NPP”, Mr. Mahama said.
The former President also attributed the growing disinterest to the bastardization of democratic institutions by the current regime.
Citing the Judiciary, for example, John Mahama said the Judiciary appears to have lost its credibility, causing many Ghanaians, especially the Ghanaian youth to become apathetic.
Touching on the current state of the economy, John Mahama also lamented the increasing levels of borrowing by the current Akufo-Addo administration and the series of lies that have been peddled by the President since he assumed office.
Former President John Dramani Mahama also wondered why some people choose to applaud President Akufo-Addo and even compare him to the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
In his view, that kind of comparison should not be started in the first place; stressing that the current suffering in Ghana, occasioned by President Akufo-Addo cannot be compared to any other period of hardship the country has ever experienced.
The former President is currently on a two-day tour of the Greater Accra Region to interact with party executives and supporters of the NDC. The tour on Tuesday took him to Dodowa, Tema, and Ashaiman.
The ‘Thank You’ tour is expected to continue on Wednesday, with a closing engagement at the Kempinski Hotel, where he will be expected to extensively address current issues in the country
The Minority is seeking the removal of the Attorney General from office for supposedly undermining or disrespecting Parliament.
The Minority in Parliament has filed a motion asking the Speaker of Parliament to trigger the necessary processes for the House to pass a vote of censure against the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame.
This follows Mr. Dame’s refusal to facilitate the admission of some 499 students who were denied admission to the Ghana School of Law despite Parliament’s order.
The motion means that the Minority is seeking the removal of the Attorney General from office for supposedly undermining or disrespecting Parliament.
Parliament had directed the General Legal Council, through the Attorney General, to admit the 499 candidates, but the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice had said the request is illegal.
It said Parliament cannot direct the GLC on processes for admission into the Ghana School of Law just by a resolution.
“Whilst recognizing the general legislative powers of Parliament in Ghana, except as has been circumscribed by the Constitution, I am constrained to advise that Parliament is devoid of power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law”, a statement from the AG’s office mentioned. The response from the office from the AG has not sat well with the Minority, who has called on the Speaker of Parliament to take swift action.
“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”, a memorandum from the Minority Chief Whip, Muburak Mohammed Muntaka to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin had said.
Mr. Dame recently came under public criticism after he emphatically stated that practicing law is a privilege and not a right.
He said this during the induction ceremony of new executives of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) earlier this week.
“Mr. President and new executives, you owe a duty to drive home the point that the practice of law is not a right, it is a privilege. Along with it comes a moral obligation and a legal duty to uphold the dignity of the profession to ensure that the privileged call to the bar is not abused through unprincipled and disreputable conduct,” he advised.
Constitution on censure of votes against Ministers of state
According to Article 82 of the constitution, a two-thirds majority of Parliament is needed to pass any vote of censure against Ministers of State after the motion has been debated within 14 days upon receipt of the motion by the Speaker of Parliament.
82 (1) Parliament may, by a resolution supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of Parliament, pass a vote of censure on a Minister of State.
(2) A motion for the resolution referred to in clause (1) of this Article shall not be moved in Parliament unless- (a) seven days notice has been given of the motion; and (b) the notice for the motion has been signed by not less than one-third of all the members of Parliament;
(3) The motion shall be debated in Parliament within fourteen days after the receipt by the Speaker of the notice for the motion
(4) A Minister of State in respect of whom a vote of censure is debated under clause(3) of this article is entitled, during the debate, to be heard in his defence.
(5) Where a vote of censure is passed against a Minister under this article, the President may, unless the Minister resigns his office, revoke his appointment as a Minister.
(6) For the avoidance of doubt, this article applies to a Deputy Minister as it applies to a Minister of state.
Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has assured that justice will be served in the murder of the Konongo Odumasi Senior High School student, while calling for an end to bullying in schools.
“I’ve spoken to the parents of the students involved. I can assure you that justice will be served,” he stressed and called for an end to bullying in Senior High Schools (SHS).
Dr Adutwum said this at an event organised to update the public on gains made in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at the Academic City University College, Accra.
He said senior students in SHSs were to create a welcoming environment for their juniors instead of bullying them. Dr. Adutwum said the practice was barbaric and called on school authorities and other stakeholders to ensure discipline in schools.
“This practice has no place in the 21st century. Senior students are to help their juniors to appreciate the school environment and develop their skills and talents,” he stressed.
The Minister said the high school curriculum was going to be enhanced and structured towards industry needs with STEM being a key feature of the high school curriculum to help students develop their interests and talents before they got to the tertiary level.
“Our development as a country is hinged on education. Therefore, we need to restructure our education system to meet contemporary needs,” he reiterated.
The Police arrested five students of the Konongo Odumasi Senior High School for allegedly stabbing a 17-year-old student identified as Sam-una Larrham to death.
The students, who are in Form Two, after prep on Friday, allegedly ganged up with the intention to bully their juniors. However, some Form One students resisted the intimidating actions of their seniors resulting in one of the students stabbing the deceased.
Minister for Defence Dominic Nitiwul, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbilla Constituency, has led a government delegation including some MPs from the Northern Region to the Gbewaa palace in Yendi following some social media comments of a possible Konkomba, Dagomba and Nanumba conflict.
Speaking at the Gbewaa palace, the Minister described the information as malicious and treacherous.
He revealed that government through the National Security Ministry and other security operatives are tracking down the perpetrators of such information.
“We are tracking those people peddling such war mongering information to raise tension and I assure you we will deal with them.”
He added, “Konkombas, Dagombas and Nanumbas are brothers and have lived peacefully over the years and so any attempt to distract the peace among these people will be fiercely resisted.”
Mr. Nitiwul warned that “henceforth, anybody or group of person’s whose publications, discussions or commentary on the subject matter will seek to influence a possible conflict will be severely dealt with”.
He charged all metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in the Region to sensitize their people on the need to live peacefully.
Member of Parliament for Yendi Constituency Alhaji Farouk Aliu Mahama applauded the swift intervention by government and called on the youth to desist from acts of war mongering.
He indicated that the 1994 Konkomba, Dagomba and Nanumba conflict claimed more lives and any reccurrence will be detrimental to the peace and development of the Region.
The Yaa-Naa, Abukari Mahama II, on his part, applauded government for the intervention.
NDC’s petition with the Supreme Court was unanimously dismissed on Thursday, March 4, 2021
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has filed an election petition – this time with the Inspector-General of Police – over alleged infractions by the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) in last year’s polls.
According to the legal team of the party, this is in direct response to the apparent challenge thrown by the EC over allegations made by John Dramani Mahama.
After Mr Mahama alleged that the EC had stuffed the ballot boxes with over one million votes to favour incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the EC called on police to investigate this claim.
“This is a grave matter that undermines the credibility of our electoral process and should not be ignored,” a Deputy Commissioner in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, told journalists at a press conference on Monday, October 25.
“We call on [John Dramani Mahama] to provide evidence to support this claim,” he demanded.
“This is not a matter that should be ignored and we call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate.”
At a press briefing on Tuesday, November 9, member of NDC’s Legal Team Abraham Amaliba disclosed that “the party saw it fit to as it were present to the IGP the evidence that we have complained about that over one million presidential ballot papers were printed by the EC and that we thought that that affected the credibility of the elections”.
He said the largest opposition party wants the conduct of the EC to be brought to book.
The two-pronged petition, according Mr Amaliba, wants the IGP, Dr George Akuffo Dampare “to investigate and then prosecute persons who were involved in the printing of the over one million excess ballot papers”.
“These persons could also include Innolink, one of the companies that had the responsibility to print the ballot papers and whose care we saw the excess one million ballots.”
He said the second part is seeking an update on the “atrocities and violence” that took place in the elections.
“What has the police done so far? Have they prosecuted anybody? Have they opened any docket?”
Former President John Dramani Mahama has accused the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta of tampering with economic figures just to make the Akufo-Addo administration look good in the eyes of credit rating agencies.
Mr Mahama noted that the Finance Minister has failed to include liabilities such as the energy sector and the banking sector cleanup debts to the deficit.
“The economy was in mess even before covid, they used Covid as the cover up. The Finance Minister, I repeat , he has been cooking the books .
“I have said it several times , if he thinks I am not speaking the truth he should sue me, he has been cooking the books. He doesn’t give the right picture of the economy.
“Liabilities such as the Energy Sector debt, banking sector cleanup he doesn’t add them to the deficit. He puts it as a footnote and so when he says our deficit is 6 per cent it is because huge liabilities items are not part, he has hidden them.
“He has done that for a long and so when he gets the Fitch and Moodys’ ratings it looks like the economy is doing well,” Mr Mahama said on Tuesday November 9.
He further asked the Akufo-Addo administration to up its 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.
Mr Mahma said “I think that this government has to sit up
The Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has revealed that illicit fuel trade activities are high at the Aflao border.
He stated that the NPA has not licensed any importer to bring fuel through the Aflao border and urged the border officers to stop the importation of petroleum products by road.
Dr Abdul-Hamid made the comments when he led the management of the Authority to tour the Aflao border to familiarize himself with illegal activities on the border.
The NPA Boss said combating fuel smuggling is still a menace that denies the government of the right revenue. “The NPA is an agency responsible for monitoring downstream petroleum industry, and that combating fuel activities is central to what the Authority does” he emphasized.
Dr Abdul-Hamid said Ghana is the only country in the subregion that consumes the highest quality of fuel, and that it was important to maintain such a feat. He, therefore, called for these activities to be tackled to the barest minimum.
The Chairman of the Aflao Border Security Committee, Majeed Amandi, reacting said unapproved entry points and routes on the Ghana-Togo borders were fueling criminal activities including fuel smuggling.
Mr. Amandi who doubles as Assistant Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority – Aflao Collection, indicated that the service was fighting the menace together with other security agencies as well as the NPA in a bid, to intensify patrols and enhance efforts to combat the long-standing problem.
The Assistant Commissioner noted that during patrol operations they observed that illegal actors operate at midnight to avoid detection. He described them as daring because they always found their way into the country’s borders and offload unwholesome petroleum products into the Ghanaian market. He said this is also a result of the unavailability of special boats for patrols on the seas at night.
The Chairman noted that border security agencies were in need of working tools to combat the illicit trade. The commander, therefore, called on members of the border security committee and management to be alert on such illegal activities and gave the assurance that Customs would liaise with the agencies to ensure the menace is dealt with, and hand over wrongdoers to the appropriate authorities.
The Volta Regional Manager of the NPA, Mr Rasheed Dauda, said he appreciated the collaboration with the security agencies at Aflao and pledged to work closely with them to arrest the criminals.
Managing Director of the Intercity STC Company, Nana Akomea, has refuted reports attributed to him that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s promise to reduce fuel prices was only a campaign talk.
According to a publication, Nana Akomea said the President’s promise should not be held against him emphasizing it was borne out of excitement of the political campaign.
Nana Akomea, who was on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show last week with the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablawka reportedly stated; “Every political leader on campaign makes the same comment. CJA, where Sammy Okudzeto says that is where he got his political influence, they made the same sentiments. All of them. When leaders are campaigning they make these promises but when they come into office, there is a reality check.
“When you are a political leader and you make certain statements as part of your messaging to the Ghanaian people and you come into office and see that the reality is different, you need to go back to tell them why you made this promise but why it is difficult for you to fulfill that promise. You need to do that.
His comment came on the heels of the current fuel price hikes by some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
The prices of petrol and diesel at some pump stations have increased to GH¢6.90.
But the NPP stalwart has dismissed the report.
Clarifying issues during Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo”, the STC Boss told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that his statements have been misconstrued as the word about the President’s promise being a campaign promise didn’t emerge from his mouth but rather a conclusion made by some bloggers.
He explained his actual remarks stressing what he said was, “every politician use petrol prices to campaign. I remember, during the regime of President Kufour when he was campaigning, we would send gallon to rally but when he came into power, petrol prices went up during his time. When NDC was campaigning, Committee for Joint Action (CJA) led by Kwesi Pratt, they also used it to campaign against President Kufour…but when they came into power, they also experienced petrol price increases…They came to meet 28 pesewas tax on a litre and when they left power, it had increased to 146 pesewas on a litre. So, everyone campaigns with it”.
“When you’re a politician and outside government, you see things differently but when you come into government and the reality dawns on you and you find out you can’t fulfill some of your promises, you have to be honest with the people,” he added.
Nana Akomea warned the bloggers and the media practitioners who enjoy sensationalism to desist from such character.
“When you watch the video, I didn’t say that and when you read the story too, they quoted what I said exactly but their headline doesn’t reflect the quotation. When you read the story, the headline is not part of the story…But they need to watch it because, in journalism, you have to report precisely what the person said,” he cautioned.
Former President JohnMahama has said Ghana is in a state of despair, following the failure on the part of the Akufo-Addo government to fulfill promises made to Ghanaians
Speaking in an interview on TV XYZ, Mr. Mahama stated that he discovered the hopelessness after touring the country to thank Ghanaians for their votes in the 2020 election.
“We’re in a state of despair; people are sad, people have regretted because this is not what the government promised them,” he told Tonton Sansan host Prince Minkah.
“Before the elections, they did a lot of things, i.e., free water, free light, free this and they spent GHS11.9 billion of the COVID funds from March to December and a lot went into convincing people…They gave small business loans via MoMo of about GHS2,000 but today, we are all paying that back,” he stated.
Mahama’s interview on November 9, 2021, was to speak to Ghanaians ahead of his last ‘thank you’ tour which is scheduled to be in the Greater Accra region on Tuesday, 9 November 2021.
Expressing his disappointment in the Akufo-Addo government, Mr Mahama said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the lies of the government, blaming Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta for “cooking” figures to make the country’s economy look good regardless of the hardships Ghanaians are grappling with.
“They said the economy was resilient and the vice-president said if there was any external shock, for six months, Ghana will not need any external intervention. But within two weeks of COVID, we went to the IMF for money. What happened to that resilient economy?” he quizzed.
“The economy had no buffers and, so, within two weeks of a COVID situation, [there was a] lockdown; we were begging the IMF for money… , so, it shows there’s a certain culture of lying about things and all that to deceive Ghanaians and we can see that it has all unravelled and the truth is here for all to see,” he added.
“Very soon, the Finance minister will be presenting the budget and you’ll realise the economy is in tatters,” the 2020 flagbearer of the NDC noted.
The Bono East Regional Police Command has arrested Kwesi Bayele, a 25-year-old young man for allegedly manufacturing and dealing in illegal firearms.
During a search, the Police retrieved 20 ammunitions including; locally-manufactured long barrel guns and pistols at his residence at Zambrama, near Kwame Danso in the Sene East District of the region.
Briefing Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Techiman, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Moses Atibilla, Bono East Regional Police Commander, said Bayele, a native of the Upper West Region was arrested on Wednesday, November 3, this year.
He is a key suspect manufacturing and supplying firearms to most criminals and armed robbers in the region and until his arrest the suspect had been dealing in illegal firearms at Gulumpe in the Kintampo North Municipality.
“In fact we gathered he supplied the ringleader of an armed robbery syndicate, Issah Seidu who was arrested in August this year with guns and ammunition to operate”, DCOP Atibilla indicated.
The suspect, he added, had since been remanded into Police custody till November 30 while investigations continued.
DCOP Atibilla stressed the Police readiness to clamp down on criminal activities in the region and appealed to the public to support by providing the Police with information about people with questionable characters.
“We have put in place stringent security measures to ensure all criminal activities in the region are halted”, he stated.
The Akufo-Addo-led government is only paying lip service to the fight against corruption, former President John Dramani Mahama has said.
According to Mr Mahama, asking whistleblowers to provide evidence before probing alleged corrupt acts is not the way to go as a government.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based TV XYZ on Monday, 8 November 2021 ahead of his Greater Accra regional Thank You tour on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, Mr Mahama said the government’s approach to corruption fight is wrong.
He said: “This government is just paying lip service to the fight against corruption. Look at the special prosecutor’s office, it had someone like Martin Amidu, a lawyer of a certain standing and former deputy Attorney General and if someone like Martin Amidu resigns and says the president is the ‘mother serpent of corruption’, it’s a very serious charge because he knows what he has seen”.
“Several attempts were made to obstruct him from investigating certain cases and that was why he said what he said”, Mr Mahama noted.
“So, your own appointed special prosecutor comes out to say you’re the ‘mother serpent of all corruption’; what else do you need anybody to say about your fight against corruption?” he wondered.
Mr Mahama bemoaned that when a case is presented to the special prosecutor, the same case is sent to the CID and “after investigation, the CID clears the suspect; meanwhile, the case is already before the special prosecutor…that’s why the president is referred to as the clearing agent…”
The 2020 flag bearer of the NDC explained that “the thing about corruption is that man is not perfect and everybody has his character based on where you were moulded in your home or where you grew up”.
“The president cannot work alone, the president needs people to help him, he doesn’t know the character of every single person he appoints.
“So, there will be cases of corruption. How you deal with it is what makes the difference. We are not saying you can clean the stables 100 per cent and there will be no corruption but when it occurs, how you deal with it to serve as a deterrent to other people is what is most important.”
Mr Mahama stressed that calling for evidence from whistleblowers before investigating corrupt allegations was wrong.
“[A] whistleblower cannot give you evidence; he is not an investigative agency; he doesn’t have the capacity. He only gives you the lead that ‘this is what I suspect has happened’. It is your duty, as government, to investigate the claim but if you say anyone who makes an allegation should bring evidence, am I the police? am I an investigative agency? So, the media can expose suspected acts of corruption and it is the duty of anti-corruption state institutions to pick those leads and investigate,” Mr Mahama stated
The Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral and Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, Most. Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle has justified the construction of the National Cathedral despite the criticism against it.
According to Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, biblical Moses built a temple for God at a time the Israelites were suffering and wandering in the desert.
He said the argument by some critics that there is hardship and, therefore, constructing the cathedral was not important, does not hold water.
“But when God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle for God, the Israelites were on the desert and didn’t have what to eat but they contributed and contributed so much that it exceeded expectation in building the Tabernacle,” he said.
The Cape Coast Metropolitan Archbishop said this at a fundraising event in Koforidua to support the construction of the national cathedral.
The event was organised by the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral together with the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, RCC and the Local Council of Churches.
Palmer-Buckle encouraged Ghanaians especially Christians to contribute religiously toward the building, saying: “If we get one million Christians of the 23 million who will donate every month just GHS100 per person for three years so that at the end of the day you have GHS1,200 times one million, it means we’ll have GHS200 million a year. If we’ll be consistent with that we can finish that project in time
• Tourism ministry issues criteria for attending December events
• Mr. Okraku Mantey urges event organizers to practice social distancing at upcoming Christmas events
• Over 150,000 persons are expected to be in Ghana this December
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mr. Mark Okraku Mantey, has established that in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the December festivities, a vaccination card will be required at all events in the country.
He said persons who have not been vaccinated would not be allowed entries to social gatherings this Christmas.
“Vaccination cards will be required to enter, you must show that you have been vaccinated to be able to enter. Age five and above would require a mask. Masks would be removed for special activities like eating and drinking,” he noted in a discussion with Hitz fm’s Andy Dostynull
Mr. Okraku Mantey has also entreated event organizers not to overcrowd their venues.
“We want to keep you and your siblings and your family alive because if we should come together at a particular place, especially indoor events, and we do not put some checks and balances in place, we’re likely to have challenges after December.”
Mark Okraku Mantey also announced that the government is set to launch a ‘December in GH’ campaign, to encourage tourism within the upcoming Christmas.
According to the Deputy Minister, over 150,000 persons are expected to visit Ghana within the period.
“When you want to go for any event, especially when we’ve launched ‘December in GH’, we’re saying that we’re targeting about 150,000 people entering the country between now and January; we don’t have to go and have fun and come back with Covid-19,” he said.
• Anti-corruption journalist wants president to prove himself as incorrupt
• He tags Akufo-Addo government as most deceptive in Ghana’s history
Outspoken Ghanaian anti-corruption journalist, Captain Smart, has dared President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to tout himself as not corrupt.
According to Captain Smart, President Akufo-Addo, contrary to his much-touted anti-corruption tag, has failed to prove such after attaining the presidency.
“Nana you are corrupt. Nobody wants to tell you but I am telling you, my name is Blessed Godsbrain Smart, and I dare say you are corrupt. You see you no longer say you are not corrupt. I dare you to say it, even the gods in your hometown will strike you dead.
“I dare you to say I Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not corrupt, the gods of Kyebi will strike you dead,” he stated.
On the Tuesday, November 9, 2021, edition of his Onua Maakye morning show on Onua TV, Captain Smart further tagged the presidency of Nana Addo as the most deceptive in the history of Ghana’s fourth Republican dispensation.
“You have deceived Ghanaians more than any government in the Fourth Republic. This particular government has been the most deceptive. Even Rawlings whose government was a military government did not do such, J. A. Kufuor did not do this, Prof. Mills also did not do same.”
“When Mahama increased fuel prices on some few occasions you were all over the place raging, now you come to tell us you are performing,” he added.
He has dared anyone with the address of any property belonging to Mahama in Dubai to present it for him to resign.
Blessed Godsbrain Smart, Onua TV/FM’s morning show host, has apologised to former President John Dramani Mahama.
He says many media personnel, including himself, lambasted Mr. Mahama when some newspapers and portals reported of his (Mahama) acquisition of properties in the United Arab Emirates.
Captain Smart says his personal tour in Dubai to investigate the said properties acquired by the former president revealed the reports were falsified, but couldn’t admit and apologise then due to shame and how disappointed he was with the said dailies that carried the story.
He has dared anyone with the address of any property belonging to Mahama in Dubai to present it for him to resign.
The former President, according to the ‘Maakye’ host, does not own even a single room apartment in the Middle East.
He made those comments whilst castigating the massive corruption that has engulfed the Akufo-Addo led administration, saying “the thievery going on at the Flagstaff House is unprecedented.”
“The journalists that said Mahama had buildings in Dubai, including myself, where are they? Ghanaians don’t want the truth. The corruption at the Flagstaff House is unprecedented, yet we can’t say it. A lot of lies were said about Mahama”
“I’m sorry Mahama, for all the chastisement when some newspapers published that you own apartments in Dubai. I am telling you today, that Mahama has no single room in Dubai. Whoever says he knows his house address in Dubai should bring it and I’ll resign tomorrow.”
“I personally went to Dubai to check and he had nothing there. I’m not an NDC and I’ll never vote for Mahama but I stand for the truth. All the online and newspapers that said Mahama has houses and accounts in Dubai were all lies,” he disclosed.
With the allegations of owning accounts in banks in Dubai, Captain Smart noted he personally visited the said bank John Mahama was accused to be possessing accounts to realise the claims were fabricated.
“He has no single account in Dubai with GH₵1.00. I went there in person to ascertain the facts and when I went to a certain bank to open an account –I don’t want to mention the name. That’s where they said his accounts are [and] –they told me here you can’t open an account just like that,” he averred.
Ningo Member of Parliament Samuel Nartey George, has told Gabby Otchere Darko, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NDC) that the filaure of the Eurobond should not be blamed on the anti-gay bill that is currently before Parliament.
In the view of Sam George, the problems with the Eurobond had to do with the shambolic and abysmal economic performance of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,
His comments come after the Daily Statesman newspaper which is published by Gabby Otchere Drako had carried on the front page of the Tuesday edition that “Ghana’s bond flop blamed on Sam George analysts says anti gay advocacy could have serious economic implications.”
Earlier, Gabby had said in a tweet that the bill will only lead to Ghana being blacklisted for promoting hate.
“Gay+ activities are already illegal in our country. But, we aren’t known to hate. The President has given his word he won’t legalise it.
“This Bill only serves one purpose: to get Ghana blacklisted for promoting hate! Surely, the promoters of the Bill can’t say they aren’t aware,” the leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) said in a tweet.
But responding to Gabby, Sam Goegr in a Facebook post said “Dear Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, you give me too much credit. Even though I wished I could see the back of your Cousin’s government as quickly as possible, I am not as powerful as you claim.
“The problem with Ghana’s Eurobond is the shambolic and abysmal economic performance under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“When the head of your economic team has become a twisted tech conman, it fails to engender trust in your economy.
“The fundamentals are weak and the international markets are exposing you. Ghana’s once enviable bonds are turning to toilet paper under your watch. This is all on you lot and no one else.
“Even the most gay financial analyst is thinking of profit as his bottom line. Your bonds do not offer that. Anyway, Ghana beyond aid! Let’s go
The Minority in Parliament have called for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to investigate the Agenda 111 project which was introduced by the government to build 111 hospitals across the country.
They want to know whether “the construction of hospital projects under agenda 111 complied with the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) and the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
The also want to “investigate the circumstances leading to the award of the contracts under the Agenda 111 hospital projects from the presidency.”Scan-09-Nov-2021Download
He said he was happy that this project was taking place during his tenure.
Delivering a speech during the sod cutting in the Ashanti region on Tuesday August 17, he said “I am glad that the biggest ever investment in the nation’s healthcare is being made .We have met this morning because of the ravages of Covid-19 which has affected every country on the planet .
“For us in Ghana not only has the pandemic disrupted our daily lives, but it has also exposed the deficiencies with our healthcare system because of the years of under investment and neglect.”
Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said during the event that the surest way for the government to improve on the healthcare delivery of the people was to provide infrastructure.
To that end, he said the government was committed to providing the needed health infrastructure.
He said “As you know, a healthy people guarantee a healthy nation and government being mindful of this fact has proved to show to the people its commitment to improve the health status of all residents in the country.
“The surest way to improve healthcare system through providing new infrastructure or improving just existing ones across the length and breadth of the country
The circuit court on Tuesday asked the police to release all the phones they seized from Shatta Wale and his support team to them
The Circuit Court in Accra has on Tuesday (9 November) ordered the police to release a mobile phone belonging to dancehall artiste, Charles Nii Amarh Mensah, popularly known as Shatta Wale, to him.
The judge Emmanuel Marvin Essandoh also ordered the police to release the mobile phones of three other persons – Kojo Owusu Koranteng, Shatta’s personal assistant, Eric Vanetor, a graphic designer and Iddrisu Yussif, a beautician – to them.
The police seized their mobile phones to assist in investigations. The phones were released upon the request of their lawyer, Jerry Avenorgbor, who argued it amounted to a breach of their fundamental human rights.
The case has been adjourned to 7 December 2021.
The case
Shatta Wale is on a self-recognisance bail after spending a week in police custody over false publication. He has pleaded not guilty for publication of false news and causing fear and panic when he first appeared in court last week.
The other three were also charged with abetment of criminal and were also admitted to GHC100, 000 bail each with one surety, who should be a public servant.
Arrest
The police on Tuesday (19 October) arrested Shatta Wale over alleged gunshot attack.
“After we publicly declared him and one other person wanted, the suspect, Shatta Wale, turned himself in today Tuesday 19 October 2021, at 8.59pm.
“He has been arrested to assist the police in investigations for his alleged involvement in the creation and circulation of information intended to cause fear and panic,” the statement from the police said.
“Preliminary investigations by the police reveal the widely reported gunshot attack on Shatta Wale yesterday Monday, 18 October 2021 was a hoax,” it added.
“No one will be spared if police investigations point to their possible criminal culpability in this matter. We want to caution any individual or group to desist from making false claims and engaging in acts, capable of disturbing the peace of the country because the law will come after you,” the statement said
Ghana is in a state of despair, former President John Dramani Mahama has said.
Mr Mahama said he discovered the hopelessness after touring the country to thank Ghanaians for their votes in the 2020 election.
Speaking on Monday, 8 November 2021 ahead of his last tour which is scheduled to be in the Greater Accra region on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, Mr Mahama said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the lies of the government.
In an interview on Accra-based TV XYZ, he said he observed during his tour across the country that: “We’re in a state of despair; people are sad, people have regretted because this is not what the government promised them.”
“Before the elections, they did a lot of things, i.e., free water, free light, free this and they spent GHS11.9 billion of the COVID funds from March to December and a lot went into convincing people”.
“They gave small business loans via MoMo of about GHS2,000 but today, we are all paying that back,” he stated.
According to the 2020 flagbearer of the main opposition NDC, the economy is in tatters.
He said: “Very soon the finance minister will be presenting the budget and you’ll realise the economy is in tatters”.
“They said the economy was resilient and the vice-president said if there was any external shock, for six months, Ghana will not need any external intervention. But within two weeks of COVID, we went to the IMF for money. What happened to that resilient economy?” he quizzed.
In his view, everything the government promised and said was “lies”.
“The economy had no buffers and, so, within two weeks of a COVID situation, [there was a] lockdown; we were begging the IMF for money… , so, it shows there’s a certain culture of lying about things and all that to deceive Ghanaians and we can see that it has all unravelled and the truth is here for all to see,” he added
The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it has not consented to any branded T-shirts or paraphernalia bearing the inscription; “Do or Die”.
This was disclosed by the National Communication Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, in a statement on Tuesday, November 9, 2021.
According to the party, its attention has been drawn to branded paraphernalia, including T-shirts with the inscription; “Do or Die”, making the rounds on various social media platforms.”
It continued that the paraphernalia which bear the official logo and colours of the party, “appear to portray violence under a misguided and malicious misrepresentation of “Do or Die,” a statement which was made by the former President John Mahama during his ‘Thank you tour’.
It added that: “Neither the NDC nor any of its assigns has sanctioned these paraphernalia which are the obvious creation of some faceless individuals who are up to mischief” and urged the general public “to disregard such images and treat them with the contempt they deserve
John Dumelo disagrees with the directives from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture regarding how to keep the public safe and ensure a fun-filled COVID-19 controlled holiday period. According to him, asking patrons to show their vaccination cards before entry is not feasible, doesn’t make sense and would not work.
John Dumelo made his misgivings known on the United Showbiz show. He opined that the directive would infringe on the rights of people who are not interested in getting vaccinated. He also listed a few reasons that do not make.
“No, it won’t work. That’s it. It’s not going to work. Number one, how would you know who is vaccinated or not. If I show you my card, how do you know I am vaccinated? … Were you there when I went to the hospital for the injection?”
According to John Dumelo, one cannot authenticate the genuine of the COVID-19 card as to whether the holder actually received the vaccine or not.
“Let’s say tomorrow, Monday, I went to the hospital, and Kwame is the nurse. Charley Kwame, and then he gives me a fake injection with a card. The card is genuine, biodata and all are printed on it. But how do you know that I have taken the injection?
“The second one is that if you are saying that the patrons coming to the event show take the injection, what about those foreigners who didn’t want to take the vaccine?”
John Dumelo mentioned that he is advocating for the government to make provisions for those who do not want to get vaccinated. In his submission, he also stated that he is not against people getting vaccinated. But people should also not be forced to do so.
“To get it straight…we are not against vaccination. We are not. But we want to talk for those who don’t believe in the vaccine. That you shouldn’t disenfranchise them from enjoying.”
The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Honourable Mark Okraku Mantey, outlined COVID-19 measures that the government has in place for the December festivities. This included vaccination cards before entry, social distancing and handwashing protocols.
“Vaccination cards will be required to enter. You must show that you have been vaccinated to be able to enter. Age five and above would require a mask. Masks would be removed for special activities like eating and drinking.”
• A Catholic Bishops bloc has criticized the Akufo-Addo government
• The clergy believe the President’s pledge to protect the public purse has become an illusion
• But the NPP top official says their position is ‘difficult to sustain’
Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party, NPP, has stated that he believes the strongly-worded advice issued by the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, GCBC, on issues of governance is ‘difficult to sustain.”
He opined that the pronouncements, which included talk about the President’s pledge to protect the public purse having turned into an illusion and a spike in general hardships on the populace, largely were generalized.
Buaben Asamoa was reacting to the statement on Accra-based Citi FM on Monday, November 8, 2021. He admitted that the government is continually working to improve the lot of Ghanaians stressing that the country was generally being steered in the right direction.
“The kind of pronouncements that I hear, generalized as they are, I find it difficult to sustain. We don’t believe that we have achieved everything, far from it and we don’t believe that everything we are managing is socket and complete, far from it.
“But we believe that we are working very hard towards the public good, we believe we are widening (the) social net and we believe we are moving the economy in the right direction. I sincerely hope that this is generalized advice,” he added.
In a quick rebuttal, his opposite number in the opposition National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, insisted that the pronouncements by the Bishops were a pointed condemnation at the misrule and misgovernance of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government.
“He was very categorical in bemoaning the alarming rate of corruption and the misapplication of public funds under the watch of president Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia. He was very specific in lamenting the rising cost of living and the increasing rate of poverty among our people,” Gyamfi stressed.null
What the GCBC president said on corruption
President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, GCBC, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, at a gathering of the GCBC held in Wa, capital of the Upper West Region, spoke in critical terms about issues of governance in the country.
One of the most stinging points was about how the President’s pledge to protect the public purse has all but become an illusion.
“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.
“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?
• Former President Mahama has accused Dr Bossman Asare of harbouring disdain towards him
• The NDC wants independent probe into election 2020
• NDC further requests EC Chairperson to open herself up for interrogation
Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the Deputy Electoral Commissioner in Charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare, by his demeanour and actions comes off as someone who holds a personal grudge against him.
Speaking on the EC’s response to his allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, Mr Mahama in an interview with TV XYZ noted that the deputy chair in addressing the press conference made it look like he was addressing his arch-rival.
“He comes off as an NPP person. His posturing, his body language and everything. The way he was arguing with me the time he was reading their response was like he was fighting with his rival. I mean the way he was going about it; it was as if he has a grudge with me,” Mr Mahama said.
But according to the former president, the National Democratic Congress as a party has its eyes on the EC Chairperson, Madam Jean Adukwei Mensa, whose bias is not that apparent to open herself up to an investigation on their allegations.
“Right from the start he described the NDC as an existential threat to democracy, he has already declared his stance and so we have no hope in him. The person we have hope in is Jean Mensa because she is the Chair of the Commission and so she bears the ultimate responsibility, not Bossman Asare.
“For him, we know he is an NPP man. I know he is an NPP man, we know his track record at the University of Ghana before he became commissioner. He was an NPP man and so for him, we don’t talk about him,” he emphasized.
Former President Mahama, who was the 2020 presidential candidate of the opposition NDC, has on several occasions accused the EC and the government of perpetrating fraud in the elections.
The EC on the other hand has refuted the claims insisting that the authenticity of the 2020 election results is evident in the Supreme Court decision to reject Mr Mahama’s petition against the declaration of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the winner.
Mr Mahama, on the other hand, has been making demands for an independent probe into the elections of 2020.
Deputy Information Minister, Fatima Abubakar, speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Sunday, noted that victims of QNET have suffered heinous conditions over non-existing jobs.
The government has cautioned desperate job seekers to be cautious of the activities of QNET, an international e-commerce based direct selling company which claims to offer jobs outside Ghana. ×
“Victims are lured into lucrative non-existing jobs but end up entrapped in the operations of a network marketing company, QNET. Upon arrival in these countries, the victims are stripped of their valuables, held hostage under squalid conditions, and forced to commit to QNET services by signing a contract under duress. The only way for victims to gain their freedom is to be compelled to lure others into the business,” she said.
She revealed that the government is liaising with law enforcement agencies in Mali to rescue Ghanaians lured into QNET activities in Mali.
“Checks have revealed that some Ghanaians are caught up in several QNET facilities across Mali. Consequently, the Ghanaian Mission in Bamako is liaising with the law enforcement agencies in Mali to rescue Ghanaians forcibly engaged in QNET activities in Mali,” she said.
According to her, other nationals of African countries like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Cameroun have fallen victim to the scam by similar syndicates in Ghana.
“There have been reports of similar syndicates operating in Ghana, particularly in Pokuase and Amasaman, who convince Nigerians, Beninois, Burkinabes, and Cameroonians to come to Ghana on the pretext of securing jobs for them,” she added.
In July this year, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame petitioned the commercial division of the Accra High Court to dissolve the QNET marketing company and accused it of operating as a Ponzi scheme.
The Attorney General in its petition said, “Investigations by the National Security Council Secretariat disclosed that the respondent, (QNET), operates in a manner akin to a Ponzi scheme by luring clients to make deposits and investments with them which they eventually lose.”
It added that “The respondent (QNET) lures unsuspecting members of the public to pay the sum of about GH¢5,000 to place them in various jobs which turned out to be a hoax.”
The petition was filed under the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Act, 2020 (Act 1015)
Former President John Dramanai Mahama has accepted the challenge thrown by the Electoral Commission (EC) to the police to investigate a claim he made to the effect that there was one million vote fraud in the 2020 elections done to favour President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Speaking on TV XYZ on Tuesday November 9, he said “That is what I want, they said we should have an investigation, let’s have an investigation. But I don’t know if the police are the best to do that. I don’t know what the police are going to investigate. We want an independent inquiry or let’s go to ECOWAS.
“ECOWAS has an electoral body, let them come and investigate Ghana’s election of 2020. I will welcome it, I will testify. Under oath, I will swear an oath and testify. I won’t run away from the witness box,” Mr Mahama said.
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 responding to him, 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.”
In a reply to Dr Bossman Asare at a press conference in Accra on Thursday October 28, the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said “We take note with satisfaction Bossman Asare’s call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate the fact put out by President Mahama, given that President Mahama was on solid grounds when making this statement. The NDC stands ever prepared to assist in any credible investigation into the matters raised,”
“We are aware however that Bossman Asare’s call is only a red herring because he cannot feign ignorance of the fact that the Police Service is already seized with all the evidence on this matter.
“On the specific printing of 1 million excess ballot papers and arrest of persons with thumb-printed ballot papers, the Ghana Police Service carried out the arrests and therefore should be providing updates on the status of investigations to the population.
“All that Bossman Asare needs to do is to call on the Attorney General to ask the police to prosecute the offenders
He said he is only seeking to make the commission better and the number one in the whole of Africa with his criticisms against the conduct of the 2020 elections.
Mr Mahama has heavily criticised the elections management body after last year’s polls. In his view, the EC did a poor job, hence his constant outburst against the Commission.
Speaking on TV XYZ on Tuesday November 9, he said I don’t hate the electoral Commission or Jean Mensah. I want to make sure they are the number one Electoral Commission in the whole of West Africa because that is the perception of the EC.
“When Afari Gyan and Charlotte Osei were there we have been the leading electoral commission. When I went to Liberia for election monitoring, after first round there was confusion, ECOWAS sent a technical team led by Charlotte Osei to come and sort out the Liberian EC problems and she came and sorted it out .
“Every thing that I say is to make them sit up , they must redeem themselves in 2024 so when I am pointing out their mistakes it is not that I hate them.”
He further accepted the challenge thrown by the EC to the police to investigate the vote fraud claim he made.
“That is what I want, they said we should have an investigation, let’s have an investigation. But I don’t know if the police are the best to do that. I don’t know what the police are going to investigate. We want an independent inquiry or let’s go to ECOWAS. ECOWAS has an electoral body, let them come and investigate Ghana’s election of 2020. I will welcome it, I will testify. Under oath, I will swear an oath and testify. I won’t run away from the witness box,” Mr Mahama said.
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 thumbprinted 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 responding to him, 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.”
In a reply to Dr Bossman Asare at a press conference in Accra on Thursday October 28, the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said “We take note with satisfaction Bossman Asare’s call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate the fact put out by President Mahama, given that President Mahama was on solid grounds when making this statement. The NDC stands ever prepared to assist in any credible investigation into the matters raised,”
“We are aware however that Bossman Asare’s call is only a red herring because he cannot feign ignorance of the fact that the Police Service is already seized with all the evidence on this matter.
“On the specific printing of 1 million excess ballot papers and arrest of persons with thumb-printed ballot papers, the Ghana Police Service carried out the arrests and therefore should be providing updates on the status of investigations to the population.
“All that Bossman Asare needs to do is to call on the Attorney General to ask the police to prosecute the offenders
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Alhaji Ibrahim Abass Moro said has said transport operators are not going to increase fares in spite of the rise in fuel prices.
He explained that Ghanaians are already overburdened hence they won’t worsen their plight by increasing the fares.
The decision, he said was taken at a meeting held on Monday November 8
They had earlier served a notice to increase transport fares today, Tuesday, November 9, 2021, if the government failed to resolve the rising fuel prices in the country.
Prices at the pumps on Thursday, November 4, 2021, saw an increment of 1 pesewa, from the previous GHS6.80p to GHS6.90p.
Passengers and transport operators are unhappy because the government recently approved the removal of the Price Stabilization and Recovery Levies (PRSL) on petrol, diesel, and LPG for two months.
The directive should have started in November but consumers are rather seeing an upward adjustment of fuel prices in Ghana.
Reacting to the issue on Tuesday on whether or not the transport operators would increase it fares as it said last week, Abass Moro said “we [Cargo truck drivers, articulated truck driver, long distances busses] had a marathon meeting yesterday and we came out with something successful.
“We are not going to increase transport fares. We all know the challenges in the country but there are taxes and levies that must be taken out of the petroleum products but we are not going to announce an increase in transport fare”.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has told the Akufo-Addo administration to up its 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 TV XYZ 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.”
The three-time leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) began this tour to thank Ghanaians for their votes during the 2020 elections on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 in the Upper East Region.
He has since toured 15 regions, wrapping up with the latest in the nation’s most populous region.
Incidentally, Mr Mahama beat all 11 candidates in the Region but his 1,326,489 votes were not enough to win him the national tally as incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo won it.
Though Mr Mahama had challenged the results in court, it was never to be as his suit was unanimously dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The former president is expected to wrap up his tour with a special address on Wednesday evening
Defense counsel for Dr Frederick Yao Mac Palm, one of the accused persons standing trial for alleged treason, has told Staff Sergeant Sule Kwadwo Awarf, prosecution star witness, that the idea of the alleged coup d’état has been his brain-child.××
“The idea of coup d’état has been your brain-child and you spared no effect to bring out various ideas and suggestions in furtherance of that,” the defense counsel said during a cross examination of the witness.
However, Staff Sergeant Awarf said that was not true, “if I was part, I would not charge him for him to pay us for our Service,” he added.
The Defense counsel insisted that Dr Mac Palm and Bright Alan Debrah, alias “BB” were just actively involved in the Take Action Ghana (TAG- a non-governmental organization founded by Dr Mac Palm) activities.
Mac Palm’s lawyer said he (Sule) was the one who kept pushing BB that he should be serious and that his (Sule’s) men were ready but Sule answered that that pressure came from Dr Mac Palm.
Counsel retorted that all the videos played showed that his client had not featured in any of them.
Yes, my lord, Sule answered, saying that he (Mac Palm) being the big man cannot be attending meetings all the time, so they (Sule and BB) attended the meetings and later briefed him about the progress.
The lawyer disputed and said what Sule told the court that they did the discussions and later brief Mac Palm was not true. But Sule disagreed and said after their last meeting, he and BB proceeded to Mac Palm’s Hospital to brief him about the fee for the soldiers and where to get the weapons.
In another instance, the lawyer pointed out to Sule that in one of the videos, he even proposed contract killing of the executives but Sule said he was asking Mac Palm how he wanted it because he contracted them.
“What he wanted from us is what we will do for him. Dr Mac Palm was asking whether we would chase the captives (President and key members of government) to their house one by one, so I asked whether it was in the form of contract killing and he said no, we should rather capture them and separate them in different places.
Defense counsel: “What You told the court is not born by the video watched, nowhere did Mac Palm object to anything in like manner, the Court heard.
Sule: He didn’t speak louder because he was afraid someone might record him.
On the issue of securing some weapons to augment the locally made ones by Donyo Kafui, alias Ezor, the lawyer said Sule was heard in the video bargaining for the procuring of the G3 rifle and AK 47.
Sule said the bargaining was done by BB because Mac Palm asked the two (Sule and BB) to look for the assault rifles to buy, adding that he did not know where they sold them as well as guessed the prices at between GHC5,000 and GHC6,000 just to please Mac Palm.
“You didn’t only mention the price range (GHC5000-GHC6000) of weapons but also in previous video, you stated where it could be procured,” the lawyer quizzed and Sule answered in the affirmative, stating that because he (Mac Palm) told them to get the weapons, “so I intentionally told Dr Mac Palm that they cannot be gotten unless conflict areas like Bawku,”.
The Defense counsel challenged the date, time and duration of the video recordings and Sule insisted the device was not tampered with and it was used as it was handed to him by his superiors.
Dr Mac Palm, Chief Executive Officer of the Citadel Hospital, Donyo Kafui, black smith, BB, Freight Manager, Johannes Zikpi, Signaller with the Ghana Armed Forces, Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Esther Saan, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewu, Lance Airforce Corporal (LAC) Ali Solomon, Colonel Kojo Gameli and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benjamin Agordzo are being tried over varied alleged crimes including conspiracy to commit crime, high treason, possession of weapons and abetment of crime.
They have all denied the offence and are currently on bail
Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has said the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is trying to divert attention of Ghanaians from the mismanagement of the economy by harassing Madina Member of Parliament, Francis-Xavier Sosu.
In his view, Sosu’s issue is being used to intimidate Ghanaians from demonstrating against the economic difficulties they are saddled with at the moment.
Mr Afriyie Ankrah told TV3’s Evelyn Tengmaa in an interview on Friday November 5 that “It is an agenda, the NPP is under pressure, they stole the elections and they cannot manage the economy. Do you know the debt to GDP ratio? It is 90 per cent.
“They are going back to the IMF that they condemned. The country is in a mess, nothing is working. So, these are all diversionary tactics, they want to use fear and intimidation.
“This country does not belong to Akufo-Addo and his people, it belongs to all of us.
“You cannot have one section of the people being treated one way and another being treated the other way. What about Hawa Koomson who fired the gun? She herself said ‘I fired the gun’.”
Meanwhile, the case involving Sosu has been adjourned to November 16 after the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin told the court in a written letter on Monday November 8 that Sosu is out of the country on parliamentary duties.
After proceedings the Madina Constituency Secretary for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abdul Razak told journalists that “The court made it clear to the lawyers that they received a letter from the speaker of parliament that the honorable member of Parliament is on parliamentary duty outside the country and he has been sent by the speaker and I think he is has been sent together with other ranking members .
The case was adjourned to November 16 by the Kaneshie District Court in Accra.
The Police had officially charged him for causing damage to public property.
The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 that he had been duly served and was expected to appear in court.
“The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8…as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property,” he said.
The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has however denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration.”
The Member of Parliament for the Ketu South constituency, Dzifa Abla Gomahsie is asking government to declare a state of emergency along the coast of the Volta Region where heavy tidal waves destroyed houses and properties on Sunday dawn.
Abla dzifa gomashie says the presidents 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, in connection with 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 that “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.”
• The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has criticized government
• They are worried especially about corruption and the failure to combat it
• The opposition NDC are happy that neutral voices like the Church is speaking up
National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, Sammy Gyamfi has stated that a recent critical statement by the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference on ongoings in the country was a welcome development.
According to him, it was important that neutral voices like that of the Church stood up and spoke out against hardships that the citizenry are having to endure in the country.
President of the Catholic Bishops umbrella body, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, a gathering of the GCBC held in Wa, capital of the Upper West Region, spoke in critical terms about issues of governance in the country.
One of the most stinging points being about how the President’s pledge to protect the public purse has all but become an illusion.
Reacting to his views, Sammy Gyamfi stated on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News that the Bishops had delivered a verdict on the misrule and misgovernance of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-Mahamudu Bawumia government.
“He made a categorical statement that the promise made by then-candidate Akufo-Addo, now President Akufo-Addo to protect the public purse has now become an illusion.
“We are not talking about an association that is offering generalized advice to politicians. These are people just like many Ghanaians who had high expectations of the NPP and then-candidate Akufo-Addo and his vice Bawumia.
“They were told that they should vote for the NPP and that the NPP was going to fight corruption head-on, that the NPP was going to make life better for them and improve their living conditions but today, the contrary is the case,” he added.
He accused the government of pursuing policies that led to the high cost of living with the ever-soaring prices of basic commodities whiles Ghanaians became poorer and poorer by the day.
He parried a position by NPP’s Yaw Buaben Asamoa to the effect that the views of the GCBC president were generalized saying it was “not general advice but a specific condemnation of the misrule and misgovernance of the NPP Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration.
“For us in the NDC, this corroborates what we have been saying all along and we are happy that neutral respected voices like the Catholic Bishops Conference are now coming out to speak up about these issues, this is what we expect to see,” he stressed.
The 2020 theme for the Catholic Bishops Conference is “Fratellituti and COVID-19: pastoral challenges and opportunities in Ghana.”null
What the GCBC president said on corruption
“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.
“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?”
• His son has denied those allegations, stressing that his father is hale and hearty
• He has promised to return to Ghana ‘next week’
Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central is expected to arrive in the country next week following extended holidays in the United States of America.
The lawmaker has been away for months with wild speculations that he was battling ill-health.
In a video sighted by GhanaWeb and confirmed by a source close to him, Kennedy Agyapong was heard informing someone about plans to return to Ghana next week.null
“I will be coming next week,” he said in the video whiles urging the person not to believe the stories in circulation about his health.
Kennedy Agyapong’s arrival will put to bed rumors of ill-heart that gained ground in recent days.
A son of the businessman was forced to come out deny the claims that his father had been struck by a stroke and was unable to function properly.
Kenneth Nana Takyi who is the Chief Executive Officer of Net2 TV said: “This has been going on for the past few weeks and he wanted to speak on it but I told him to enjoy his stay and I will handle it. He is doing well in the United States and there is nothing wrong with him. One of my sisters is with him and he is doing fine.
“Everybody should relax, there is no cause for alarm. If something had happened, we would be the break the news so everyone should relax. Afia Schwarzenegger made a post that she wishes him well and I replied to her post that he is doing very fine,” he said.
President Nana Akufo-Addo’s promise to protect the public purse has become an “illusion”, the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has observed.
Its president, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, at this year’s plenary assembly of the association in Wa, capital of the Upper West Region, 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”, Most Rev. Philip Naameh noted.
He wondered: “Are those managing the public purse not concerned about [the] 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?” he asked.
The cleric said “those who are entrusted with power that comes from our collective will must know that what they do with that, shapes what we all will become in the future”.
A post-election report by the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana’s Afrobarometer in August 2021 said while Ghanaians are split in their opinion on the Akufo-Addo government’s ability to ensure that rule of law is upheld, the majority (62 per cent), however, are not confident in the ability of the president and his government to protect the country’s financial resources and curb corruption in the next four years.
Meanwhile, President Nana Akufo-Addo said in May this year that his government has achieved a lot in terms of fighting corruption.
In an interview with CNN on Monday, 3 May 2021, President Akufo-Addo said he was content with the progress he has made so far since, in his view, Ghana’s anti-corruption ranking has “gone up several notches.”
“Am I satisfied that we’ve been effective? I will say yes”, the President answered a direct question.
“A lot has been done, and it is reflected in Ghana’s growing position and rankings of corruption in the world”, he noted.
“We’ve gone up several notches since I came into office because we are dealing with these matters at the basic level,” explained the President.
According to him, Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions “were very poorly resourced” prior to his assumption of office.
“We can talk all we like about corruption and make all the wonderful statements but if the instruments at your disposal for dealing with it are weak and blunt, you will get no result,” Mr Akufo-Addo noted.
Concerning the forcing out of Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo, the President said: “There’s a time for retiring which is prescrib
Tullow Ghana has announced on Monday November 8 that it has taken delivery of the MV Flat Confidence following the successful Offshore Vessel Inspection Database (OVID) testing on 5th November 2021.
The MV Flat Confidence vessel is the first Ghanaian-owned, Ghanaian-flagged marine vessel to support offshore activities in the oil and gas industry in Ghana.
The MV Flat Confidence was acquired by Flat C Marine Offshore Limited, following a long-term contract granted by Tullow Ghana to the company that enabled them to raise finances to procure the vessel.
In 2020, Tullow Ghana embarked on an initiative to develop the local capacity of the oil and gas industry through the adoption of the marine sector with the aim of creating opportunities for indigenous Ghanaian companies to own and operate vessels to support the oil and gas industry, and upscale the capacity of Ghanaian personnel in the marine sector.
The presence of the Flat Confidence vessel reflects Tullow’s commitment to develop and support capability growth to international standards in marine sectors. The marine sector adoption initiative aims at enhancing indigenous participation with 100% Ghanaian-owned and operationally Ghanaianflagged offshore vessels.
This is also part of Tullow’s Shared Prosperity agenda which includes optimising local content and developing supplier capacity.
The 71-meter long and 19-meter wide vessel will be operational in the Western region of Ghana and will support the work of Tullow Ghana’s two FPSOs – Kwame Nkrumah and John Evans Atta Mills.
Commenting on the historic achievement, Managing Director of Tullow Ghana, Wissam Al Monthiry said: “As a leading oil and gas company in Ghana, we recognise the active leadership role we must play to develop local capacity for participation in the oil and gas industry.
That is why last year, we adopted the marine sector to develop local capacity in that sector to support the oil industry. We are extremely happy to have achieved this and we appreciate our key stakeholders, joint venture partners, Government of Ghana, Ports and Harbours Authority, the Ministry of Energy and the Petroleum Commission for their efforts in helping us make this possible. Hopefully this is the start of something progressive.”
Oil companies in Ghana play a significant role in accelerating the socio-economic development of the country. Over the years, Tullow and its partners have succeeded in empowering and supporting Ghanaian businesses to participate in the oil and gas industry
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, in connection with 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 that “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.”
Parliament, on Friday, 5 November 2021, failed to vote on a motion to adopt the report of the Finance Committee on the Annual Report on the Collection and Utilisation of the African Union Import Levy for the 2020 Fiscal Year, as a result of the lack of quorum.
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Andrew Asiamah Amoako, who presided over the business of the house, initiated moves for the chamber to engage in public business after a debate on the Business Statement for the following week.
First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim drew the attention of the House to the fact that by his reckoning, the Members in the House did not exceed 91, which fell below the number required for business to commence.
The Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo insisted that business continues for at least 10 minutes to ostensibly enable MPs observing proceedings from their offices as a result of the Covid-19 protocols to resume their seats in the legislative chamber,
Kweku Kwarteng, the Chairman of the Finance Committee subsequently moved the motion for the adoption of the Report which was subsequently seconded and debated but the Deputy Speaker had no luxury to put the question to vote as another constitutional issue was raised.
The Deputy Minority Leader James Klutse Avedzi drew the Speaker’s attention to Article 104 of the 1992 Constitution which states that matters in Parliament shall be determined by the votes of the Majority of Members present and voting, with at least half of all the Members of Parliament present.
An attempt by the Deputy Majority Leader to call for a head count was aborted as Minority NDC Members of Parliament began exiting the parliamentary Chamber as counting was ongoing while a visibly worried Second Deputy Speaker brought proceeding to a close, thus putting the vote on hold.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwesi-Amoako Atta was in the House to answer 10 constituency-specific questions in respect of the bad and deplorable conditions of roads in those constituencies and plans the Ministry has to award them on contrast.
The constituencies are Adentan, Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira, Yendi, Nalerigu/Gambaga, Afram Plains South, Builsa South, Wa Central and Prestea/Huni-Valley
The rejected Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) nominee of Juaben in the Ashanti Region, Mr Alex Sarfo Kantanka, will, on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, appear before the Special Prosecutor (SP).
This follows the commencement of investigations into “allegations of corruption and corruption-related offences” against him by the office of the Special Prosecutor.
A letter signed by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng directing Mr Kantanka to appear before him, said: “The OSP considers you a person necessary for investigations.”
The SP also gave Mr Kantanka the option to appear before him with a lawyer.
Mr Sarfo Kantanka was granted a self-recognisance bail by the police after his arrest on Monday, 1 November 2021, for allegedly bribing assembly members to confirm him as the MCE for the area.
The rejected MCE nominee was heard in a video asking for a refund of bribes he had paid to the assembly members to endorse his nomination.
The Juaben Municipal Assembly nominee, also known as ‘Aluta’, was heard saying: “Everyone should get ready to give me a refund, so, I can go. Dorothy, give me my money. You should all give me a refund. Yeboah, give me my money.”
“You don’t know me, right? You guys said I’m not good. You have taken my money and you’re misbehaving. I’ll take my money”, he’s heard saying in the video.
A statement issued by the police and signed by its Public Affairs Director, Mr Alexander Kwaku Obeng on Tuesday, 2 November 2021, indicated: “The arrest was in connection with a viral video of the nominee,” who was allegedly demanding a refund of the monies.
It added: “After the investigation, a caution statement was taken,” and Mr Katanka was “granted bail.”
The nominee was unable to secure the two-thirds majority of the votes cast to become the MCE.
He could only manage six out of the 26 votes cast in the first round
The Anti-Robbery Taskforce of the Ashanti Regional Police Command on Thursday, November 4 foiled an armed robbery attack following intelligence received.
The operation saw all vehicles entering Buokrom Estate screened on that day.
Incidentally, a car carrying four persons also queued up for the screening.
“During the search,” police said in a press release on Monday, November 8, “the four suspects who were in a car attempted to fire at the personnel who were undertaking the operation.”
It said the taskforce personnel fired back, instantly injuring three of the men. They are said to have died later at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
“One suspect connected to the planned robbery was arrested.”
According to the police, they recovered from the vehicle a pump action gun, one revolver pistol, one locally manufactured pistol, one dagger, two black hoods, two pairs of scissors and a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis.
Police expressed gratitude to the persons who assisted with intelligence, leading to the foiling of the attack.
“As we seek to combat crime in our communities and make it an unattractive venture, we will continue to count on the support and help of the public
Government will continue to invest in the provision of educational tools and infrastructure in order to ensure quality and relevant teaching and learning, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has assured.
In line with this, Government has embarked on over 3,000 various educational infrastructure projects including dormitories, classrooms and dining halls across the country, with nearly 50% of them already completed.
The Vice President, who was speaking at the 60th Anniversary Speech and Prize giving Day of Navrongo Senior High School (Navasco) on Saturday 6th November, 2021, said provision of other ‘soft’ infrastructure, such as Wifi, Laptops and training are also receiving very serious attention.
“The goal of quality education can only be attained with appropriate investment in educational infrastructure. It is on the back of this understanding that Government under the leadership of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has embarked on over 3,000 various educational infrastructure projects across the country, nearly 50% of them already completed. In the Upper East Region, about 164 of educational projects have been undertaken, 57% of them already completed,” he disclosed.
“We are also investing in the provision of appropriate technology to digitalize the learning and teaching experience, to prepare our teachers and students to take full advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” the Vice President continued.
“The government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is committed to providing quality education and providing a conducive environment for teaching and learning, especially in this age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. That is why we have provided free Wi-Fi in 710 Senior High Schools across the country, including NAVASCO. There is also free Wi-Fi in 46 Colleges of Education, and 13 public universities. 350,000 laptops have also been supplied to teachers across the country. We will be doing even more to make teaching and learning more accessible and reflective of modern trends,” he added.
Vice President Bawumia advised the students to “shun all negative activities and invest your time and energies in acquiring goods of the mind – imagination, knowledge, and creativity- and the development of your capabilities and skills for the future. Acts of vandalism, recklessness and defiance to School authority would not make you a proud NABIA and certainly not a good citizen of Ghana.
“Let me also admonish students on the use of mobile phones and the internet. Our digital and educational revolution requires the use of these instruments. But, they must never become inseparable companions and distractions to you. Although the mobile phone has a lot of positives, some students often use them for negative activities and spend more time on the phone to the detriment of their studies. Let us embrace the technological progress for academic excellence.”
Sounding a note of caution to parents and all stakeholders, Vice President Bawumia emphasized that the training of students into responsible adults was a collective effort, and all must play their part.
Opened on 30th September, 1960 with 66 Students and 4 Staff including the Headmaster, Mr J. K. Fiergbor, the Navrongo Senior High School has become a national icon. The Old Students are found in all walks of life such as governance, academia, medicine, engineering, industry, the security services, administration, education, business, the Bar and Bench, culture and religion.
It currently has a Teaching Staff strength of 121 and 70 Non-Teaching Staff with a student population of 2,124
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has left Ghana for Praia, Capital of Cape Verde, to attend the swearing in ceremony of H.E Jose Maria Neves, President-elect of Cape Verde.
Half of the 400,000 extra students who benefitted from the Akufo-Addo government’s free senior high school programme were girls – a situation that deprived most middle-class families of house helps – since the girls’ parents went for their wards from such homes so they could access free secondary school education, Vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed.
Speaking at the launch of the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund on Sunday, 7 November 2021, Dr Bawumia said: “An additional 400,000 students have benefitted from Free SHS half of them were girls; many of whom would have been at home because their parents could not have afforded [SHS education]”.
“In fact, when we implemented Free SHS, a lot of middle-class families in Accra and the other cities were finding it difficult to get house girls because the parents of the girls came for them and put them in school”, he noted.
“So, Free SHS has been very beneficial for the girl-child in education”, said Dr Bawumia.
Justifying the policy, Dr Bawumia said: “We introduced Free senior high school education to create equal opportunities for the poor without compromising quality”.
He said despite the good intentions of the policy, “there were those who opposed and bastardised” it.
“They said ‘it was a hoax; a 419 promise’.”
“They said if they had GHS2 billion, they will not spend it on Free SHS. They said Free SHS would collapse the education system”, he recalled.
“In fact, if we had listened to them, if we had listened to them, Free SHS would not have happened”, Dr Bawumia insisted, “But, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stuck to his guns and we successfully implemented the Free SHS policy”.
He observed: “Thankfully, the predictions of doom for Free SHS have not materialised”.
Buttressing his point, he said: “The recent results of the first batch of Free SHS graduates, has shown that quality has not been compromised”.
“Indeed, the 2020 results of the WASSCE candidates is the only year in the past six years that more than 50 per cent of the candidates who sat the examination, obtained between A1 and C6 in all core subjects. This is the first time in six years
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has been adjudged Africa’s best investment promotion agency for the third year consecutively by the Capital Finance International magazine (CFI.co).
In the citation for the award, the CFI.co highlighted GIPC’s multi-level approach to investment attraction – leveraging technology, social media, and other ingenious initiatives to deliver on its mandate.
It further touted the Centre’s effectiveness, in fashioning and supporting ground-breaking measures that have enhanced Ghana’s investment climate.
The GIPC has in recent times upscaled its activities to keep up with changing business trends, as it seeks to continually provide top-notch services to investors.
The Centre adopted a dynamic system that makes aggressive use of digital media, coupled with high-level stakeholder engagements and business-to-business (B2B) linkages.
It has also broadened Ghana’s investment pool, with increased advocacy for Diaspora Direct Investment (DDI), followed through by the establishment of a Diaspora Investment Desk (DID).
This compounded with the set-up of an Aftercare Division, aimed at providing post-investment services to nurture lasting stakeholder relationships.
Moreover, in line with the global drive for sustainable investments, the GIPC collaborated with the UNDP to launch the SDG Investor Roadmap, which aims to mobilize private-sector investments to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
The aforementioned multifaceted drive by the Centre, helped it to attract an impressive amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) amid the COVID-19 crisis, leading Ghana to rank as the best country in West Africa to invest, per the latest report by the Rand Merchant Bank.
It, therefore, becomes unsurprising that, the GIPC has again, been pronounced the best IPA in Africa, by CFI.co, for the third year running.
The prestigious award arrives, right at the time, when the Centre’s CEO, Mr Yofi Grant, has been reelected as the Director for Sub-Saharan Africa on the Steering Committee of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA).
Commenting on GIPC’s recent feat, Mr Grant opined that the award is “testament to the great work being done by the Centre and the progress it has made so far”.
He added that “the Centre will continually strive to do more, to ensure that Ghana cements its place, as the investment hub of Africa”.
Aside from the GIPC, other big winners of this year’s CFI.co awards included; the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Mckinsey & Company, JPMorgan Chase & Co., China Construction Bank (CCB), Germany’s Commerzbank (CBKG.DE), and the UK’s NatWest Bank, the new CFI.co award adds to other respected honours the Centre has received over the last few years.
It was similarly named the best Investment Promotion Agency in West and Central Africa for five years in a row, by the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) awards.
AIM is the world’s leading investment-focused event, initiated by the UAE Ministry of Economy, to acknowledge and enrich institutional, corporate and individual investors.
The Takoradi Habour Circuit Court A has granted GHS50,000 bail to journalist Paa Kwesi Simpson, one of the suspects involved in the false kidnapping case at Mpohor in the Western Region.
The court granted bail to the host of Takoradi-based Connect FM’s morning show on Monday, 8 November 2021.
He is to provide two sureties.
The court had earlier denied bail to the two suspects on Thursday, 4 November 2021 over the alleged false publication of the kidnapping of 26-year-old Stephanie Kumiwaa.
Both have been charged with the publication of false news with the intent of causing fear and alarm to the public contrary to the Public Order Act; and false publication of news through an electronic device contrary to the Electronic Communications Act, 775 of 2008.
Prosecutor Superintendent Emmanuel Basintale, who read the charge sheet, prayed the court not to grant bail to the two accused persons.
The two pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The defence counsel, Mr Ebo Donkor, in his plea, said: “So, A1 must be treated as a victim”, arguing: “The police have not been able to tell the court that it is false that he actually had a relationship with the girl and didn’t publish anything to be guilty of the second count”.
He continued: “For A2, it is very unfortunate for him to find himself here. The fact does not, in any way, suggest that A2 made any false statement anywhere”.
“A2 has never published any false news anywhere.”
The two are expected to reappear in court on Tuesday, 16 November 2021.
The Takoradi Divisional Police Command recently launched investigations into the alleged kidnapping of the 26-year-old woman.
The incident was alleged to have taken place on Sunday, 17 October 2021, and was published in the media.
A statement issued by the Ghana Police Service and signed by its Western Regional Head of Public Affairs Unit, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Olivia Adiku on Wednesday, 3 November 2021, however, revealed that the incident was false.
“Checks at the Mpohor Police District Command indicated that no such case had been reported there.”
According to the police, following the publication of the incident, it arrested the “alleged boyfriend of the victim, 33-year-old Stephen Kumi” and one other person, Paa Kwesi Simpson, “who published the story” to assist them with investigations.
ECOWAS Ministers of Finance are expected to converge on Accra, Ghana, on Friday, 12 November 2021, to examine and approve the various Supplementary Act and the Regulations as recommended by the experts and Directors General of Customs for submission to the Council of Ministers in December 2021.
They are meant to enhance the fluidity of intra-community trade and strengthen the Customs union across the region.
In order to ensure an effective review of these draft texts, there will be a technical meeting of the Joint ECOWAS-UEMOA Committee for the management of the ECOWAS Customs union from 8th to 10 November 2021.
This regional meeting of experts will be followed immediately by a meeting of the Directors General of Customs of ECOWAS member states on 11 November 2021.
With the implementation of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) on 1st January 2015 in member states following the Declaration of the Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 46th Ordinary Session held in Abuja on 15th of December 2014, this marked an important milestone in the establishment of a Customs union in the ECOWAS region.
This is in consonance with the provisions of Article 3 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty on the establishment of a common market in the Community.
With the implementation of the CET in 14 ECOWAS member states and Mauritania and the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) the need to reform other equally important trade facilitation and Customs instruments to make the ECOWAS region a strong and economically competitive community has become imperative.
These trade and customs instruments relate to the regulation and automation of transit procedures in member states and the reforms and management of intra-community trade in “made-in-ECOWAS” goods among others.
Aside from the Ministers of Finance from member states, the Directors General of Customs of ECOWAS member states, Experts from the customs and Industry/Trade/Finance experts across the ECOWAS member states, The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, ECOWAS and UEMOA Commissions are all expected to participate at the meeting
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has sworn into office, a new Governing Board for the Veterans Administration of Ghana (VAG), in line with the Veterans Administration, Ghana Act (Act 844).
The 13-member Board is led Maj. Gen Clayton Yaachie (Rtd), and includes Brig. Gen Amoah Boakye, Col Emmanuel T Darquah (Rtd), Capt. Ben Edmund Duah (Rtd), Hon Maj Derek Oduro (Rtd), Maj Anim Alex (Rtd), Ex-WO1 Koranteng Samuel Smart, Ex-WO1 Omane Joseph Evans, Ex-WO1 Dozie Kwesi Gyilley, Ex-WO1 Daniel Kwateng, Hon Cecilia Amoah, and a representative each from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare.
Inaugurating the Board at the Jubilee House on Monday, 8th November, 2021 Vice President Bawumia reiterated the commitment of the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to the welfare of the retired soldiers.
“I wish to congratulate our veterans and service men and women for their patriotism, love and willingness to serve and sacrifice for our dear nation, Ghana.
“They dedicated their lives to the service of this country and also offered important services and aid to other nations in need. Their welfare and well-being are, therefore, a national obligation that we cannot neglect.
“The welfare of our veterans, attracts the greatest attention of this government. The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, identifies with the interests of our military veterans. He is committed to furthering the cause of veterans and supporting VAG projects and programmes.”
Government, he said, is aware of the key issues of great interest to the military veterans, such as encroachment on VAG’s landed properties, pensions, health-related issues, and livelihood for those strong enough and eager to work and support family.
“I wish to reiterate His Excellency the President’s commitment to resolving these issues and uplifting the welfare and well-being of our cherished veterans. Furthermore, this government is determined to ensure that VAG is managed in line with best practices that will yield results to the benefit of all military veterans”, he assured.
He charged the new Board to resolve the contemporary challenges facing veterans and military widows, and make their tenure of office a memorable one.
“It is my prayer that you will move the affairs of VAG beyond the expectations of its members. I have no doubt that you would have provided the required directions and guidance for VAG to improve and increase the welfare of our military veterans by the end of your tenure.
“I entreat you to ensure that the needs of our veterans are well taken care of. Let us serve them well as they have served our nation
Professor Stephen Adei, an educationist and economist has called on “independent voices” in the country to speak up and contribute to the development of Ghana.
Prof Adei said the development of the country cannot be left for the politicians alone.
Speaking on Asaase FM, he said, “What is needed is independent voices and people who don’t depend on the system for survival. And I believe that especially people in academia have a lot more to do. People in businesses are very vulnerable because our system has a way of crippling your business irrespective of what you are doing for Ghana if you get to the wrong side of the politician.”
He cited social media commentary as the reason why some “sane voices” are not being heard.
“…especially these social media insult that’s why you don’t hear people like Kwame Pianim, Ishmael Yamson; these are people who have brains but they don’t talk because a serial caller will just insult you…
“I think that certain voices must be heard. I think that there is too much silence and therefore the only people you are hearing are these politicians.”
He added, “But there is the need for independent voices that put Ghana first [to be heard] and you won’t get from the typical politician because of their trade… I can tell you, we need only 50 sane voices and Ghana will change.”
The three-time Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) began his nationwide tour to thank Ghanaians for the votes he polled in the December 7, 2020 elections in August, five months after his petition challenging the results of the polls was dismissed.
Though he eventually lost to incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a second successive defeat to his successor since beating him in 2012, the former President decided to thank voters for their support.
He began his tour in the Upper East Region specifically on Tuesday, August 17 and has since visited 15 regions of Ghana.
The Greater Accra Region will be the last for the former president.
Coincidentally, Mr Mahama beat Nana Akufo-Addo in this Region as he polled 1,326,489 votes to beat the other 11 contenders.
Mr Akufo-Addo polled 1,253,179 in the Greater Accra Region.
Meanwhile, Mr Mahama is making room for a limited number of guests for his ‘ThankGhana’ event on Wednesday, November 10.
The Konongo-Odumasi District Court today, Monday, 8 November 2021, remanded five students of the Konongo Odumasi Senior High School, for seven days.
The students are standing trial for the murder of their colleague.
The minors are being kept at the Juaso juvenile detention centre.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the suspects are form 2 students.
According to a statement issued by the police, signed by its Director-General, Public Affairs, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) Kwesi Ofori,the suspects “went on a bullying spree on the night of Friday, 5 November 2021 after prep hours, leading to the attack on the now-deceased Samuna Larhan, aged 17”.
“The victim was rushed to the Konongo Odumase Government Hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival.”
The statement added that the “police is in contact with the family of the deceased and providing them with all the necessary support”.
The police said it is of the “firm conviction” that “bullying and other forms of punishment among students must be discouraged by all to guarantee the safety of students who are the future leaders of this country.”
The police, therefore, advised parents and guardians to “caution their children against engaging themselves in such unlawful conduct.”
The Konongo District Police Commander, DSP Osei Adu Agyemang, who confirmed the arrest of the students of the school earlier, stated: “These five suspects who are all in Form 2, ganged up and decided to go to House Three and then bully the first years”.
“They first attacked and assaulted some of them”.
“They further moved to the mini-market on campus and grabbed another first-year student and attempted to drag him away to molest him but he was rescued”, he narrated.
“This action infuriated Emmanuel Osei Frimpong [the key suspect] who went and attacked a first-year student but was stopped by the deceased
Leaders in the West African sub region have expressed reservations about the volatile political situation in Mali.××
They think the manner in which the transitional administration is handling matters there could distabilise the peace in neghbouring countries.
A communique issued after an extraordinary meeting of the authority of head of States and government in Accra on Sunday said “the Authority remains concerned about the deterioration of the security situation in Mali, as a result of the heightened political uncertainties in the country.” It has therefore called on the Transition Authorities to intensify their efforts to improve the security situation, especially by ensuring effective state presence in the affected areas.
“In this context, the Authority calls on the neighbouring countries to step up security presence along their borders with Mali and instructs the ECOWAS Commission to deepen the ongoing discussions with the African Union Commission with a view to enhancing the security situation in the Sahel”, it said.
They have also called for a more robust and offensive mandate and enhance the operational capacity of Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali to deal with terrorism challenges in that country.
ECOWAS has thus resolved to request the United Nations Security Council to make the necessary amendments to the mandate of MINUSMA.
Transition Process
On the political front, the Chair of ECOWAS informed the Authority of the official notification by the transition authorities of their inability to meet the transition deadline of February 2022.
The Authority highly deplored the lack of progress made in the preparations for the elections, including the absence of a detailed timetable of activities for the conduct of elections on the agreed dates.
The Authority therefore reiterated the need to adhere to the transition timetable in respect of the elections scheduled for 27th February 2022 and calls on the Transition Authorities to act accordingly to ensure expeditious return to constitutional order.
Accordingly, the Authority has asked the International Community to take the necessary measures to ensure that the transition authorities respect their commitment to an expeditious return to constitutional order.
In conformity with the decision taken on 16th September 2021, it has also decided to impose sanctions with immediate effect against individuals and groups who have been identified, including the entire Transition authorities and the other transition institutions. These sanctions will also be imposed on the members of their families.
The sanctions include a travel ban and a freeze on their financial assets.
It further instructed the President of the Commission to consider and propose additional sanctions at its next Ordinary Session on 12th December 2021, should the situation persist.
They have also called on the African Union, the United Nations, and the bilateral and other multilateral partners to endorse and support the implementation of these sanctions whilst condemning the expulsion of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative to Mali in this critical context.
They have since asked the transition authorities to uphold the spirit of dialogue and collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission to ensure a successful transition.
Resolution On Guinea
On the political transition in Guinea, the Authority reaffirmed its demand for the unconditional release of the deposed President, Alpha Condé.
It took note of the recent developments in Guinea, particularly the adoption of the Transition Charter, the appointment of a civilian Prime Minister and the formation of the Transition Government.
That notwithstanding, it urged the Transition Authorities to urgently submit a detailed timetable of activities to be carried out under the transition towards the holding of elections, in accordance with the decisions of the Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held on 16th September 2021.
The Authority still upheld its decision to suspend Guinea from all ECOWAS governing bodies as well as the travel ban and freeze of financial assets imposed on the members of the CNRD and their family members, until constitutional order is restored.
They have since appointed Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas as Special Envoy to Guinea with a view to strengthening dialogue with the Transitional authorities towards a successful and short transition process
The Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has asked the Minority lawmakers to reject any body guard to be given to them by the government.
In his view, the new guards have become a threat to the Members of Parliament (MPs).
This follows the interdiction of the body of Madina MP, Francis-Xavier Sosu.
Inspector Agbavor was cited for alleged misconduct, forming the reason for his interdiction.
He is accused to have recklessly driven into a crowd after a protest on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road, endangering the lives of two senior officers and other civilians.
The Parliamentary Protection Unit was tasked to assign a new guard to the first-time MP.
Speaking on this matter in an interview with TV3’s Evelyn Tengmaa, Mr Afriyie Ankrah said “If I were the Minority MPs I would reject all those body guards because they have become a threat.
“If a body guard is performing his lawful and dutiful functions and because of that the Police service will withdraw the person then it doesn’t add up. Because he did his duty as somebody who is meant to protect his subject. But for protecting his subject you said you have interdicted him. So are all the other MPs safe? Who knows if they are not being even spied on.”
Meanwhile Sosu is expected to make an appearance before court today Monday November 8 to answer questions relating to his alleged involvement in a violent protest in his constituency.
This comes after the Police had officially charged him for causing damage to public property.
The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 that he had been duly served and was expected to appear in court.
“The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8…as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property,” he said.
The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has however denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration.”
South Danyi Member of Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekopr however, revealed that as of Saturday November 6, Sosu on parliamentary duties outside of the country.
Mr Dafeamekopr has therefore, refuted claims by the Police that he had been served the criminal summons to appear in court.
Speaking on the Key Points show on TV3/3FM Saturday November 6 with host Dzifa Bampoh, Mr Dafeamekopr said “Sosu has not been served, he is not even available at the moment.
“I think that there will be an opportunity for Sosu to be served. But I heard something very interesting from ACP Kwesi Fori. He actually said to the whole country that they have issued a criminal summons and the Honorable Sosu has been duly served. That is a blatant falsehood.
“The Honorable Sosu as we speak is on Parliamentary duties outside of this country. He is likely to return tomorrow or Monday.”
When Dzifa drew his attention to the fact that Sosu’s personal assistant may have been served the summons he retorted saying “You don’t serve criminal summons on aides
The case involving Madina Lawmaker Francis-Xavier Sosu has been adjourned to November 16 by the Kaneshie District Court in Accra.
The prosecution told the court on Monday November 8 that they had received a letter from the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin indicating that Sosu is currently on parliamentary duties out of the country.
Earlier, Sosu’s colleague MP for South Danyi Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, revealed that as of Saturday November 6, the embattled lawmaker was not in Ghana.
Mr Dafeamekopr therefore refuted claims by the Police that he had been served the criminal summons to appear in court.
Speaking on the Key Points show on TV3/3FM Saturday November 6 with host Dzifa Bampoh, Mr Dafeamekopr said “Sosu has not been served, he is not even available at the moment.
“I think that there will be an opportunity for Sosu to be served. But I heard something very interesting from ACP Kwesi Fori. He actually said to the whole country that they have issued a criminal summons and the Honorable Sosu has been duly served. That is a blatant falsehood.
“The Honorable Sosu as we speak is on Parliamentary duties outside of this country. He is likely to return tomorrow or Monday.”
The Police had officially charged him for causing damage to public property.
The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 that he had been duly served and was expected to appear in court.
“The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8…as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property,” he said.
The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has however denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has told the court in a written letter that the Madina MP Francis-Xavier Sosu is out of the country on parliamentary duties.
This was announced on Monday November 8 when the case involving Sosu was called.
After proceedings, the Madina Constituency Secretary for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abdul Razak told journalists that “The court made it clear to the lawyers that they received a letter from the Speaker of Parliament that the honorable Member of Parliament is on parliamentary duty outside the country and he has been sent by the Speaker and I think he has been sent together with other ranking members.”
The case was adjourned to November 16 by the Kaneshie District Court in Accra.
The Police had officially charged him for causing damage to public property.
The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 that he had been duly served and was expected to appear in court.
“The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8…as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property,” he said.
The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has however denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration
Actor turned Politician cum farmer John Dumelo has outdoor a new product from his ginger farm. Organic ginger paste from Melo Foods is the hottest item on the market at the moment.
Political Activist John Dumelo started entrepreneurial advocacy as soon as he turned into a farmer. Taking his fans and the youth on his entrepreneurial journey, he has become a strong advocate for self-sufficiency and sustainability.
Over the weekend, John Dumelo shared a new product from his farm, organic ginger paste. He captioned the Instagram post, “Adding value to ginger. Fresh from the farm. No preservatives. #Melofoods On the market soon.
Adding value to our raw products has been a continuous discussion in the public sphere to create more value for Ghanaian products on the global market. Unfortunately, unrefined products do not fetch in as much revenue as value-added-product would.
Wishing Melo Foods a sustainable journey on our markets and beyond
Parliament will this week begin considering memoranda it has received from the public on the anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) Bill.
The Bill, also known as Proper Human Sexuality and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, is now before the Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
So far, the Committee has received over 150 memoranda from the individuals, groups and faith-based organizations and has programmed to hear ten petitions each week.
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, made the announcement when he presented the Business Statement for the third week ending, Friday, November 12, 2021, to the House.
Mr Afenyo-Markin also explained that per calculations the Committee would be hearing ten memoranda in a week, meaning it would take 15 weeks to complete the exercise.
He said after the Committee had finished the hearing, it would prepare a report and present it to the House.
“It is important that all those who brought the memoranda are heard by the Committee,” he added.
The Bill, since its introduction last July by eight Members of Parliament (MPs) from both sides, has generated numerous comments and reactions from both proponents and opponents, including legal luminaries and academics.
However, both sides of the House have indicated their readiness to outlaw the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI ) practices in the country based on its culture, morality and values.
The Speaker of the House, Alban Bagbin, while sticking to the position of outlawing the practice, has, however, indicated that the House would not engage in filibustering the proposed piece of legislation.
He further indicated that the House would conduct an open hearing into the Bill and a vote on the Bill would be done publicly.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Sunday afternoon, 7 November 2021 joined the Konkomba Youth Association and the Konkomba Community in Accra for the launch of the Konkomba Youth Education Endowment Fund.
Dr Bawumia said establishing the fund is a laudable initiative, which will help in the education and development of the youth, as well as complement the government’s investment in education and relentless effort in developing the youth, who constitute the majority of the country’s human capital.
He commended the Konkomba Youth Association and its leadership for undertaking such a progressive initiative
Ahead of the 2016 elections, then candidate Akufo-Addo promised to reduce prices of fuel if elected
The prices have however gone up since he became president
Nana Akomea has downplayed the significance of the statement he made prior to the elections
Nana Akomea, the Managing Director of the State Transport Company has said that a promise by then-candidate Akufo-Addo to reduce the prices of fuel was a campaign promise which should not be held against him.
According to Nana Akomea, on the campaign trail, politicians make all kinds of promises, some of which they are unable to fulfill.
He explained that President Akufo-Addo’s promise was borne out of the excitement of the political campaign and therefore should be disregarded.
Nana Akomea who was on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show last week with the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablawka accused the lawmaker of making similar promises as a member of the Committee for Joint Action, CJA.
He however added that politicians should show honesty by apologizing to the citizenry when they are unable to fulfill a promise they made.
He singled out former President John Agyekum Kufuor as a leader who conceded to not being able to fulfill a promise he made during his campaign.
“Every political leader on campaign makes the same comment. CJA, where Sammy Okudzeto says that is where he got his political influence, they made the same sentiments. All of them. When leaders are campaigning they make these promises but when they come into office, there is a reality check.
“When you are a political leader and you make certain statements as part of your messaging to the Ghanaian people and you come into office and see that the reality is different, you need to go back to tell them why you made this promise but why it is difficult for you to fulfill that promise. You need to do that.
“President Kufuor is very famous for that when he talks about some issue that he campaigned against the Rawlings government. When he came into government and realized that the reality of the situation is that he couldn’t do much about it, he actually acknowledged and accepted it. He came out and said it is different and acknowledged it. I think leadership should acknowledge it”, he said.
Some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) recently week increased the prices of fuel at their respective pump stations.null
Viral photos indicate that Total has increased their prices of petrol and diesel to GH¢6.90.
Chief Policy Analyst at Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options, Charles Wereko Brobbey has meanwhile advised the government to use the windfall from the oil revenue to cushion the price.
“We’ve been told by the President that we’re a net exporter of oil now. That means that each time oil prices go above the baseline figure of $54 per barrel [that is used for our budgeting for revenue projections], the Government of Ghana is making a windfall from the price increase and as this goes on, we the consumers are suffering from the price increase because of the application of price formula.
“So I think if the Government of Ghana wants to be a caring government, it should ensure that all the extra windfall profits which have come from $54 to $85 are applied to moderate the price increase,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo has disclosed that the government has settled the Energy Legacy Debt.
The President made this known during the swearing-in ceremony of the Governing Board of the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission at the Jubilee House.
Ghana’s energy sector is believed to be plagued with billions of accumulated debt for decades.
This is generally referred to as the legacy debt. This has resulted in the government’s inability to occasionally purchase fuel for the production of power and pay independent power producers leading to intermittent power outages.
President Akufo-Addo disclosed that the government is negotiating with independent power producers, IPPs, to make power affordable.
“Government has enhanced the financial system through several interventions including paying out the energy legacy debts. Furthermore, negotiations with seven independent power producers…The terms of whose contract retains substantial financial charges on the State are ongoing. All in the view of ensuring that power is affordable for industrial commercial and residential use”, according to President Akufo-Addo.
Lawmaker for Madina, Francis –Xavier Sosu, is expected to make an appearance before court today Monday November 8 to answer questions relating to his alleged involvement in a violent protest in his constituency.
This comes after the Police had officially charged him for causing damage to public property.
The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 that he had been duly served and was expected to appear in court.
“The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8…as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property,” he said.
The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has however denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration.”
Meanwhile, South Danyi Member of Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekopr has revealed that as of Saturday November 6, Sosu on parliamentary duties outside of the country.
Mr Dafeamekopr has therefore, refuted claims by the Police that he had been served the criminal summons to appear in court.
Speaking on the Key Points show on TV3/3FM Saturday November 6 with host Dzifa Bampoh, Mr Dafeamekopr said “Sosu has not been served, he is not even available at the moment.
“I think that there will be an opportunity for Sosu to be served. But I heard something very interesting from ACP Kwesi Fori. He actually said to the whole country that they have issued a criminal summons and the Honorable Sosu has been duly served. That is a blatant falsehood.
“The Honorable Sosu as we speak is on Parliamentary duties outside of this country. He is likely to return tomorrow or Monday.”
When Dzifa drew his attention to the fact that Sosu’s personal assistant may have been served the summons he retorted saying “You don’t serve criminal summons on aides
President Akufo-Addo ,Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire at the ECOWAS summit
Heads of State and governments of ECOWAS, say demand for expeditious return to constitutional rule in Guinea and Mali not negotiable
Heads of State and governments of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have reaffirmed their demand for expeditious return to constitutional rule in the Republics of Guinea and Mali within the shortest possible time.
In a communique issued on the 7th of November 2021, after they held an extraordinary session on the political situation in Guinea and Mali, at the Kempinski hotel gold coast city in Accra, the Heads of State indicated that they remain deeply concerned about the deterioration of the security situation in Mali, as a result of the heightened political uncertainties in the country.
ECOWAS Demand
They (ECOWAS leaders) therefore called on the Transition Authorities to intensify their efforts to improve the security situation, especially by ensuring effective state presence in the affected areas.
“The Authority reiterates the need to adhere to the transition timetable in respect of the elections scheduled for 27th February 2022 and calls on the transition Authorities to act accordingly to ensure expeditious return to constitutional order”.Some of the ECOWAS leaders who attended the summit stand as the ECOWAS anthem is played
“Accordingly, the Authority calls on the International Community to take the necessary measures to ensure that the transition authorities respect their commitment to an expeditious return to constitutional order” the communique stated concerning Mali.
Guinea Situation
On the political transition in the Republic of Guinea, the Authority reaffirms its demand for the unconditional release of President Alpha Condé. The Authority further indicated in the communique that it “takes note of the recent developments in Guinea, particularly the adoption of the Transition Charter, the appointment of a civilian Prime Minister and the formation of the Transition Government”.
ECOWAS urged the Transition Authorities to “urgently submit a detailed timetable of activities to be carried out under the transition towards the holding of elections, in accordance with the decisions of the Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held on 16th September 2021”.
“The Authority decides to uphold the suspension of the Republic of Guinea from all ECOWAS governing bodies as well as the travel ban and freeze of financial assets imposed on the members of the CNRD and their family members, until constitutional order is restored” the communique read.
Guinea Envoy / Next Review
The Authority appointed H.E. Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas as Special Envoy to Guinea with a view to strengthening dialogue with the transitional authorities towards a successful and short transition process. Additionally, the situation in Mali and Guinea ECOWAS leaders said will be reviewed at the Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on 12th December 2021.
Opening Ceremony
President Akufo-Addo in his opening statement as chairperson of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) at the opening ceremony of the Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on the political situation in the Republics of Guinea and Mali, said ECOWAS leaders will deliberate on two reports to be laid before the leaders at their close door session.
According to President Akufo-Addo, a report on his visit to Guinea on the 17th of September 2021 and same to Mali on the 17th of October 2021, will be given consideration at the ECOWAS leaders meeting.
“Since these visits, the military governments of both Mali and Guinea have sent delegations to meet with me here in Accra to outline their plans for the future. Those will be the subject of our closed door meeting” President Akufo-Addo said.A cross-section of other attendees and ECOWAS leaders at the summit
*Heart-rending Events in West Africa*
President Akufo-Addo, on behalf of ECOWAS also expressed the solidarity and sympathies of the Authority with Niger and Sierra Leone, where two target events which occurred claimed over one hundred lives. The President led ECOWAS leaders to observe a minute silence in memory of the victims and the population of the two countries.
“On Tuesday, 2nd November, more than 68 Nigerian civilians were killed in an attack by jihadists groups in Banibangou near the Malian border. The information was confirmed on November the 4th by the government of Niger” President Akufo-Addo said.
“On Saturday, November the 6th, about a hundred Serra Leoneans perished after an oil tanker collided with a lorry in Freetown. Some hundred people are in the hospital after sustaining injuries during the explosion. We express our deep regrets and condolences on these sad incidents” ECOWAS chair President Akufo-Addo added
Operations manager of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Ing Mark Baah
The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) has given assurance that the days of erratic power supply, popularly known as “dumsor”, are over
The Operations manager of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Ing Mark Baah, has said the government’s vision of revamping the country’s energy sector to provide stable and reliable power to Ghanaians is on course following the completion of the Accra Central and the Pokuase Bulk Supply Plant (BSP).
“We want to improve on our transmission capacity, and we do that because we are planning the system in such a way so that should any part of the country go off as a result of maintenance or fault, the customer should not even sense it because the remaining BSPs can come in to support,” Ing Baah told the media in Accra on Sunday (7 November).
According to him, though other energy sector projects like the Kasoa BSP, upgrade of major transmission lines between Accra and Tema and the upgrade of transmission lines in Kumasi are still ongoing and will be completed soon, the government has so far worked to significantly reduce the congestion on the existing ECG feeders which “will result in improved reliability of power supply to meet the growing power demand in the country.”
Though the country is enjoying stable supply of electricity, these projects he explained, when completed will further lead to the reduction in technical losses along GRIDCo’s transmission system and ECG’s power distribution networks, thereby improving the financial viability of the utilities as well.
He said the days of erratic power supply, popularly known as “dumsor”, occasioned by the lack of investment in the sector brought “so much discomfort, inconvenience and sent a lot of Ghanaian businesses on their knees are over”, stressing that the current upgrade in the country’s transmission capacity will help improve the socio-economic conditions of Ghanaians
A teacher has been put before an Adentan Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a student and sexually molesting another. Joshua Aggrey is said to have had sex with one of the victims now aged 16. In the case of the other victim aged 13, Aggrey allegedly fondled her breasts, neck and buttocks in his house. The accused person is being held over charges of defilement and indecent assault. He is accused of fondling the 13-year-old victim’s breast, neck and buttocks with the intent to arouse her sexual feeling. The Court, presided over by Sedinam Awo Balokah, preserved the accused person’s plea awaiting the medical reports of the victims. Aggrey has been remanded into Police custody to reappear on November 16. Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Jacob Nyarko, who held brief for Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, said the complainant was also a teacher. The prosecution said the complainant, the accused person and the two victims were in the same school. Chief Inspector Nyarko said the complainant had information that the accused person was having sexual relationship with some of the students. The prosecution said the complainant, following the information, engaged the victims, with one alleging that the accused person had had sex with her when she was not yet 16 years. It said the 13-year-old victim also informed the complainant that the accused person used to fondle her on different occasions in his house but he did not have sex with her
A bridge on the 35-kilometre road from Assin Anyinabrim in the Assin South District to Breman Asikuma in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District has caved in. The bridge, constructed four decades ago had shown visible signs of collapse and eventually caved in after hours of torrential rains accompanied by windstorm that hit the area Friday night. No casualty has been reported, but the area had been barricaded to caution commuters against any tragedy. Communters had to use long alternative routes from Assin Nsuta- Bepokokoo-Breman-Awhiam road or the Assin Manso-Breman Asikuma stretch. The Assin Anyinabrim community mostly farmers and residents used the bridge regardless of its threat to them. Some road users in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Saturday, appealed to Government to repair the road to ensure smooth and safe transportation of goods and people. “We are going through unbearable difficulties of sending our farm produce to market to make ends meet”, Madam Grace Addo, a 55-year-old farmer lamented. “A quick response to our appeal to the Assin South District Assembly and government to fix the road would save the situation,” she said. A teacher, Theophilus Amakye Mensah, appealed for an alternative route to be created with dispatch to enable students cross to school. “Many students who cross the bridge everyday from the Breman Asikuma section cannot do so from now. The bridge has become a death trap so many parents won’t allow their children and wards to use it at the peril of their lives,” he stated. Mr Frederick Dankwa, the Assemblyman for Assin Anyonabrim Electoral Area, regretted the situation and indicated that the Assembly in collaboration with the Department of Feeder roads were working to remedy the situation. He acknowledged the glaring imminent collapse of the bridge and attributed it to the recent use of some heavy machinery and equipment by a contractor working on a section of the road. Similarly, in Assin-Homaho, a farming community in the Assin South District, river Atonsu had overflown its channels and cut off the community from Assin-Fosu, the only accessible route to the Assin-Fosu Municipality. Commuters and many farmers were stranded for hours on both sides of the river following the Friday evening downpour. Though, there was no casualty, portions of the road which is under construction were washed away by the floods. Other Affected communities are; Assin-Yaw Boamah, Mfanti, Abaasi, Domiabra, Haruna, Appiakrom and Akoyem
There is a growing tension at Akatsi in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta region, following an attack on the Police station over the death of a 22-year old unemployed Etornam Avulekpor. The clash, which started on Friday, November 5 at about 0600 hours, allegedly resulted in the injury of some agitating youth as a result of an attempt to attack Chief Superintendent Atsu Joseph Dzineku, Akatsi South Municipal Commander, over an alleged beating of the deceased during an operation conducted by his outfit to clamp down on some criminal activities in the area on Wednesday. CSP Dzineku disclosed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), they found about 60 rappers of substances suspected to be Indian hemp during the exercise which was conducted at Akatsi ‘Asiviaveme’ area. The exercise, CSP Dzineku said, led to the arrest of three suspects including the deceased who suffered some health complications after the arrest was made. He said the deceased was moved to Hoggar Clinic, a private health facility within the Akatsi township before later being transferred to the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho to seek further medical attention during which he passed on Friday November 5. The police chief explained that the melee, which saw the throwing of stones and other offensive objects and burning of lorry tyres near the Police station, led to the damage of some vehicles parked at the station as well as some shops and passing vehicles. “I tried to calm the situation by calling for reinforcement from the region, where they responded swiftly,” he added. Mr Dzineku also stated that he sustained a minor injury during the attack which he managed to bring under control. However, some youth of the town have alleged that the Police applied some maximum force in arresting the suspects, which resulted in one sustaining severe injuries and was later taken to hospital for treatment after the arrest. Etornam, popularly known as ‘young money’ was later pronounced dead whilst receiving medical attention in Ho. The situation, which caused the wrath of some youth, massed up and went to the Police station to express their dissatisfaction over the alleged beating of the deceased leading to his death. Edward Ayisu-Xede Dogbeda, brother of the deceased, said his brother was not engaged in any act of criminality during his arrest, and that “the police did not inform us about what actually caused the arrest of my brother.” The family is alleging the manner in which the deceased was handled caused his death, and are therefore calling for justice to prevail. CSP Dzineku assured, Police were still investigating to know the cause of death. Officers from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) of the Ghana Police Service have since manned the Police station to ensure order as well as the safety of life and property. Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the area, Martin Kofitsey Nyahe appealed to the youth to remain calm as they expedited action to ascertain the cause of death. Mr Nyahe, who chairs the Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC), said the timely intervention of the police helped in preventing more harm as thought. The MUSEC, he said, will be monitoring the situation as the police patrol the area. “An emergency meeting would be held on Monday, November 8 to discuss the circumstances leading to the disturbing activities.
Nana Aba and Abena Korkor after the show on Saturday
General Manager of Ghone TV, Nana Aba Anamoah has responded to allegations by ex-TV3 presenter, Abena Korkor that she slept with some influential persons in Ghana. In an interview on UTV’s United Showbiz program on Saturday night, she said it’s all lies. “She’s spewed a lot of lies about me,” she noted. “Abena is on social media saying all sorts of rubbish about me and they were all falsehood. Typically, Ghanaians believed it…but these things I don’t talk about them because I don’t have the time. The only person I am worried about is my son because he sees them and it hurts him,” she added. Nana Aba spoke after Abena Korkor made a surprising appearance at UTV’s studio to render an unqualified apology to her. According to Abena, she was so sorry to have caused Nana Aba pain by saying stuff she shouldn’t have said when she suffered a relapse as a result of her bipolar issues. “In my relapses, I said certain things that I shouldn’t have said that resulted in so many unnecessary things. I feel remorseful and wouldn’t want to go down the line fifty years and my story would be that people then wanted to build something with me I just dragged them now in a very negative way. I don’t want that to be my story,” she said. “I hope today will be the beginning of something new. Something that will last. If she forgives me, this will not be the first time, she’ll be forgiving me. She has called me several times as a big sister and advised me on things I shouldn’t do anymore and how I should carry on with a brand I should create for myself. She has advised me on so many occasions. Sometimes things get out of hand and I say certain things. So before all of you, I want you to help me apologise to her,” she pleaded. “In the past, I was giving ways out but I was scared to follow those things and I’m now ready to follow those things. Now I have more faith and conviction that my relapse that’s what happened was my relapse. I’m back to the Abena Korkor before the hullabaloo,” she added. Nana Aba accepted her apology but had to clear the air on the allegations against her and her news anchor at Ghone, Serwaa Amihere. She said she was disappointed by Abena Korkor’s action but holds nothing against her and will continue to help Abena Korkor if she avails herself. “I am lost for words to be honest because I don’t know Abena from anywhere. When her first issue came she was then in UCC (University of Cape Coast), I looked for her number and I called her. I asked her not to give up and go back to school to write her exams. Abena is extremely intelligent so I was encouraging her,” she disclosed. “Recently when she had her issues with the station she was working with, I called her back because I felt she was talking too much. I called her to my office and told her that let’s change the trajectory, let’s change the narrative… and talk about mental health. I asked her to bring a proposal and she did it within two days. She sent a brilliant proposal. I want us to do something on mental health, not just on TV but to go to schools and communities and call on the UN because we don’t take health seriously. And that’s what I wanted to do for her,” she further said. But she added that “Three days later Abena is on social saying all sorts of rubbish about me and they were falsehood. Typically Ghanaians believed it…but these things I don’t talk about them. I don’t have the time. The only person I am worried about is my son because he sees them and it hurts him. And I was wondering: Abena me so I just forgot about it. A Plus called me I said it’s ok, let it slide. Then the girl that I nurtured, the girl no one believed in, the girl who has given all sweat and energy to become who she is today, Serwaa, Abena comes on Instagram, cooked some crap about Serwaa and for the next two-three weeks it’s about Serwaa.” “Serwaa was in a lot of pain just because of what she started and I don’t know at what point we will stop blaming bipolar for it. She has apologised. I am not Jesus Christ, I am not God so I can’t pretend to hear her. I have nothing absolutely against Abena Korkor. She’s spewed a lot of lies about me and now she is apologising. She will always be a special human being to me. I just hope that she means her words going forward,” Nana Aba stated
At least six persons have sustained gunshot wounds after indiscriminate gunshots during the enstoolment of a top national security capo as Akyampimhene of Suhum in the Eastern region on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
The victims were rushed to Suhum Government Hospital in an ambulance.
The injured include ushers and drummers at the traditional event.
The gunshot incident occurred in the house of the newly enstooled chief Nana Amoako Darko after a firearm being carried by a police officer went off.
Starr News has gathered that some of the victims were in critical condition.
The enstoolment of the top national Security capo at the Jubilee House, Nana Amoako Darko as Akyampimhene of Suhum brought a joint team of about 100 armed national security operatives, Military and Police who took over the streets of Suhum amidst indiscriminate firing of live bullets into the air.
The gunshots escalated when the Nana Amoako Darko was being paraded in town to show him to the subjects.
This created fear and panic among residents of suhum
The government will continue to invest in the provision of educational tools and infrastructure in order to ensure quality and relevant teaching and learning, Vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia has assured Ghanaians.
In line with this, the government has embarked on over 3,000 various education infrastructure projects including dormitories, classrooms and dining halls across the country, with nearly 50% of them already completed.
Dr Bawumia, who was speaking at the 60th-anniversary Speech and Prize-giving Day of Navrongo Senior High School (NAVASCO) on Saturday, 6 November 2021, said the provision of other ‘soft’ infrastructure, such as Wifi, laptops and training, is also receiving very serious attention.
“The goal of quality education can only be attained with appropriate investment in educational infrastructure. It is on the back of this understanding that the government, under the leadership of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has embarked on over 3,000 various education infrastructure projects across the country, nearly 50% of them already completed”, he said.
“In the Upper East Region, about 164 of education projects have been undertaken, 57% of them already completed,” he disclosed.
“We are also investing in the provision of appropriate technology to digitalize the learning and teaching experience, to prepare our teachers and students to take full advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” the Vice-president continued.
“The government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is committed to providing quality education and providing a conducive environment for teaching and learning, especially in this age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. That is why we have provided free Wi-Fi in 710 Senior High Schools across the country, including NAVASCO. There is also free Wi-Fi in 46 Colleges of Education, and 13 public universities. 350,000 laptops have also been supplied to teachers across the country. We will be doing even more to make teaching and learning more accessible and reflective of modern trends,” he added.
Vice-president Bawumia advised the students to “shun all negative activities and invest your time and energies in acquiring goods of the mind – imagination, knowledge and creativity – and the development of your capabilities and skills for the future”.
“Acts of vandalism, recklessness and defiance to School authority would not make you a proud NABIA and certainly not a good citizen of Ghana”.
“Let me also admonish students on the use of mobile phones and the internet. Our digital and educational revolution requires the use of these instruments. But they must never become inseparable companions and distractions to you. Although the mobile phone has a lot of positives, some students often use them for negative activities and spend more time on the phone to the detriment of their studies. Let us embrace the technological progress for academic excellence.”
Sounding a note of caution to parents and all stakeholders, Vice-president Bawumia emphasised that the training of students into responsible adults was a collective effort, and all must play their part.
Opened on 3o September 1960 with 66 students and four staff including the Headmaster, Mr J. K. Fiergbor, the Navrongo Senior High School has become a national icon.
The old students are found in all walks of life such as governance, academia, medicine, engineering, industry, security services, administration, education, business, the Bar and Bench, culture and religion.
It currently has a teaching staff strength of 121 and 70 non-teaching staff with a student population of 2,124
The Konongo Police Command in the Ashanti Region will on Monday parade five students of the Konongo Odumase Senior High School (KOSS) to court to face the law for allegedly stabbing a first-year male student to death.××
The suspects including the key suspect, Emmanuel Frimpong, 17, were arrested last Friday when a misunderstanding ensued between the students leadig to the death of a student when they closed from prep around 9pm.
The Konongo District Police Commander, DSP Osei Adu Agyemang who confirmed the incident said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects had led other senior colleagues to bully first years on campus.
He explained that “These five suspects who are all in Form 2, ganged up and decided to go to House Three and then bully the first years”
According to him, “they first attacked and assaulted some of them. They further moved to the mini market on campus and grabbed another first-year student and attempted to drag him away to molest him but was rescued”.
The Police Commander narrated further that the action infuriated Emmanuel Osei Frimpong who went and attacked a first-year student but was stopped by the deceased.
“Feeling angry, the suspect pulled out a small kitchen knife and stabbed the deceased without any provocation”, DSP Osei Adu Agyemang added.
He noted that the deceased, who bled profusely after sustaining knife wounds at the lower left ribs, was rushed to the Konongo Government Hospital but was pronounced dead by medics.
DSP Agyemang said, “We have also retrieved the blood-stained small kitchen knife and the blood-soaked uniform worn by the deceased”, adding that “We hope to remand them into police custody whilst a pathologist conducts investigations to establish the cause of death”.
“We have arranged with school authorities and we want to maintain patrols on campus for one week”, the Police said.
Meanwhile, the Headmaster of the school, Dr. Benjamin Kwaku Baah has described the incident as unfortunate but pledged to give its full cooperation to the police to ensure that the perpetrators of the act are brought to book
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has received the mortal remains of the late Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy Eudora Quartey-Koranteng, at the Kotoka International Airport. The Foreign Ministry in a statement said the remains arrived on board a Turkish Airline flight TK 629 and was accompanied by officials of the Ghana Embassy in Rome, Italy. It said a solemn ceremony, which was held upon the arrival of the remains of the late Ambassador was attended by members of her family and Ms Ayorkor Botchwey, who led officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. “The body has been handed over to the family for the necessary funeral arrangements to be made,” it said. The sad demise of the late Mrs Quartey-Koranteng occurred at her residence in Rome, Italy on 20th October.
Nana Appiah Mensah (NAM1), the Chief Executive Officer of the now-defunct gold dealership company, MenzGold Ghana Limited, has directed his lawyers to appeal against a bench warrant issued for his arrest.
The Adentan Circuit Court in Accra issued the warrant on Thursday, 4 November 2021 for the arrest of the businessman and two others for allegedly defrauding some people after they failed to appear in court over the matter.
A statement issued by NAM1’s lawyers said the “case concerns the purchase and acquisition of three vehicles, of which one has been paid for”.
The payment of the two other vehicles, the statement noted, “is outstanding due to some irreconcilable issues”.
It continued: “The buyers, Iddrisu Haruna and William Tekpor, together with the sellers, Basit Haruna and Michael Nii Coffie, who are the main parties to the contract, are surprisingly missing in the claim before the court”.
The statement added: “Instead, Elikem Akakpo, the complainant (who is not a party to the contract) rather filed a suit before the court against other third parties: Nana Appiah Mensah (the arbiter), Eric Amponsah (the sellers’ introducer), and Gabriel Kwamigah (who held brief for the buyers)”.
“To be clear on the subject, I, Nana Appiah Mensah did not purchase, acquire, nor transact any business of any sort, as my role was just an arbiter. I only came in as a third party to help resolve some issues concerning the two other vehicles upon the request of the two parties (buyers and sellers)”, the lawyers said.
The process through which the verdict was arrived at, the statement noted, “is fraught with serious legal infractions, as it did not conform with Section 60 and 61 of the Criminal Procedure Code of 1960 (Act 30) which is clear on the process of arrest, charge, accusations etc.”
“We have directed our lawyers to appeal the ruling on the point of the said law (Act 30) to bring finality to this matter”.
“Kindly contact Lawyer Yaw Danquah on 0244 101 012 for further clarities on this matter”, the statement added
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), has urged its members not to increase fares until it concludes negotiations with the government at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, November, 9 2021.
According to the Union, even though its talks with government to scrap some taxes and levies placed on petroleum products have not been fruitful, a meeting with government on Tuesday will determine if transport fares will be increased or not.
Speaking to Citi News, the General Secretary of GPRTU, Godfred Abulbira Adogma, said “…as it stands, we are going to meet government this Tuesday, to discuss the way forward on the increment of fuel prices. So, we are cautioning our members to hold on unless the discussion on Tuesday is concluded before we can know the actual line of action, whether there will be fare increment or levies will be reduced”.
He further added that, their main focus is not on the increment of fares which will in turn put pressure on people, but rather they want government to scrap off some taxes and levies placed on petroleum products.
“This time round we don’t want to be in a hurry to go and calculate and go straight to increase the fares just to pass on the burden of the fuel increment unto the consumer. Practically, we are focusing on whether or not some of the levies on petroleum products can be scrapped off, so that is what we intend to achieve coming Tuesday.
Ghanaians want to see a reduction in transport fares following the removal of the Price Stabilization and Recovery Levies (PRSL) on petrol, diesel, and LPG for two months as approved by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
But the GPRTU has advised the public to be measured in their expectations for a reduction in transport fares.
The union has accused the government of acting in bad faith despite contractual assurances of stabilizing the prices of fuel that will lead to maintaining transport fares at least in the short term since they were last increased in June 2021.
Fuel prices have in the past few months witnessed upward and downward adjustments, with the recent being an increase of 2.59%, a situation, industry players have criticized.
In a related development, the much-anticipated temporary suspension of some levies in the price build-up of fuel at the pumps is yet to take effect even as the second pricing window commences.
This is because Parliament is yet to give the NPA the approval needed to scrap the levy.
Two women have been arrested by the Police for operating a fufu ‘chop bar’ under the Malam overpass in Accra.
The Police action happened after EIB broadcaster Francis Abban posted a video of the chop bar on Facebook Saturday morning.
The two, Ruth Owusu, 32, and Mary Entia 35 are currently in the custody of the Accra Police while their Cooking Utensils, mortar, and pestles have been retrieved.
In August this year, two persons were arrested by Police for running a fufu joint on the pavement at the Pokuase Interchange
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said the outgoing Japan Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tsutomu Himeno built on the diplomatic and developmental relations between the two countries.
Mr Mahama said his service to Ghana was remarkable.
In a Facebook post, he said “I had the opportunity to bid my friend, His Excellency Tsutomu Himeno of Japan, a happy farewell at the end of his tenure in Accra.
“Thank you for your services to Ghana and for helping build on the diplomatic and developmental relations between our two countries.”
Read below the full statement of His Excellency Tsutomu Himeno when he first arrived in Ghana in 2018…
I am happy to introduce myself as Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana.
I arrived in Ghana in December 2017.
I am very happy to be here.
Ghana is known by its history of achieving its independence in 1957 ahead of the “Yeay of Africa” 1960 and of having played a very important role in that regard.
Ghana, the country of Freedom and Justice, and Japan are united by our shared values such as democracy and the rule of law.
Japan and Ghana have enjoyed good relations in their long history thanks to so many people such as Medical Dr. Hideyo Noguchi who came to Ghana to conduct research on Yellow fever but died here in May 1928, 90 years ago.
Other examples contributing to our good relations are long-time business relations such as cocoa-bean trade from Ghana to Japan, economic cooperation from Japan to Ghana over decades in multiple areas including Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers across the nation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges in many ways.
I am looking forward to making my contribution, with your help, to further promoting the good Japan-Ghana relations, building on the invaluable contribution by so many of you.
Our entire team of the Embassy will do our best to help strengthening friendly relations between Japan and Ghana and would appreciate your kind advice and cooperation.
Dr Gideon Boako at the Office of the Vice-President says the digitisation agenda by the government is creating more jobs to stimulate economic growth
Dr Gideon Boako, the spokesperson to the vice-president, has said digitalisation is playing a critical role in the government’s quest to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country, despite a contrary claim by the opposition.
“Of what use is ‘E-this and E-that’ to the ordinary Ghanaian who is jobless and cannot even afford to buy mobile data to access these digital platforms?” he asked.
“Digitalisation is good. It helps people to do things effectively with ease. The NDC/Mahama administration has a superior record in that regard. But digitalisation is useless unless it is linked to the economic empowerment of the people,” Gyamfi added.
Digitisation creating jobs
Reacting to the comments at a news conference on Friday (5 November), Dr Boako said digitalisation is rather making life easy for Ghanaians by creating more jobs.
“There is also the contention on how digitalisation can help create jobs or reduce the rate of unemployment. Someone even said ‘y33p3 adwuma a wose digitalisation’ to wit, ‘we need jobs and you are talking about digitization’. But I dare say that digitalisation is making it possible for many jobs to be created in both the private and public sectors,” Dr Boako said.
“Think of that young university student or graduate who does not have the required start-up capital to rent physical space or shop to ply her trade. She is able to skip this hurdle and trade using the social media platforms like Instagram, facebook and so on. Her shop is her dormitory or hostel, car booth or bedroom. She is able to advertise her products, get orders and receive payments through the mobile money interoperability with no hustle.
“She has a job now and hires a delivery man to deliver the goods to the buyer, thereby creating job for the delivery man also. The volumes of trade taking place via this technologically driven medium and the number of people employed in this space could be mind-blowing. There are many people today, who have turned their home kitchens into restaurants, yet no one visits them physically to eat. They advertise using digital technology, receive orders using digital technology, receive payments suing digital technology and move their incomes to bank accounts using digital technology. This is how digitization is creating jobs,” Dr Boako stated.
Below is the full statement
Good afternoon. It is an honour for me to join you all here today for such an important conversation. This interactive session with you will center on Ghana’s digitization agenda and how it fits well into President Akufo-Addo’s vision of building a modern Ghanaian economy anchored on digital technology. It is a conversation and political resolution that we must have as a country if indeed we want to be equally competitive in the global space.
Thankfully, the current political leadership led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is showing the needed interest and commitment to create a modern Ghanaian economy that can compete favourably globally and conform to the dictates of the fourth industrial revolution.
Undoubtedly, the global development paradigm is moving, some may argue has moved, from the industrial age into the technology and information age. This transition is coming with its own transition terms – such as E- commerce, E-procurement, E-marketing, E -business and electronic money. Not to be left behind is E-governance in the public sector, which is our focus this afternoon, and with it comes all the others earlier mentioned.
In nearly five years, this government has been pursuing aggressive digitization and digitalization agenda by using ICT as a tool to achieve better governance. The overarching objective is to get government public institutions to use ICT to enhance their ways and means of linking with the general public in ways to reduce costs, improve performance, increase ease of access and speed of delivery and effectiveness. It is about how government organizes itself—its administration, rules and regulations and frameworks to coordinate and perform public administration.
Overcoming Bureaucratic hurdles through Digitization
For many post-colonial societies like ours that appear stacked in the old antiquated ways of doing things, technological innovations and digitization are just what is needed to leapfrog years of public administration reforms that have almost become a never-ending business, in some cases even more bureaucratic, more red-tape, more opaque and impediments to doing business.
Much of the public sector administration which this government inherited were actually set up as instruments of governance of the people by the ruling class. It is a rigid public sector, unbending, centralized and in many ways slow in responding to public needs. And, I must say majority of the public administration systems even as at today are pretty much the same, despite the interventions we are seeing. They all have to be fixed and now.
Following the brilliant Public Lecture delivered by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on digital economy at Ashesi university some four days ago Ghanaians have had some reawakening on the potentials of digitalization and digitization for economic development.
Embracing digital technologies means providing strategic drivers to create open participatory and trustworthy public sectors, to improve social inclusiveness and government accountability, and to bring together government and non-government actors to develop innovative approaches to national development and long-term sustainable growth.
A World Bank study has shown that every 10% increase in broadband penetration boosts GDP by an average of 1.3% and every 10% increase in mobile teledensity results in a 0.7% increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a nation. This means Digital Governance, which will need these tools to be successful, is crucial to economic transformation of developing nations like Ghana.
How is Ghana’s digitisation agenda improving the economy?
Many pundits and analysts have tried to either explain or seek clarity on how Ghana’s digitization agenda is linked to economic management or economic development? While the theoretical explanations for the digitization and economic growth nexus is clear and established, the consequential practicalities of this linkage appear unclear to some. I will attempt to highlight a few of this.
Digitization, exchange rate depreciation, debt levels, cost of goods and services
In trying to appreciate how the deployment of digital technologies can help reduce the cost of goods and services we need to understand how price build ups of goods occur through exchange rate exposures. It must be understood that one means by which the currencies of countries become exposed is rising debt levels. As our debt levels and debt service burdens increase we need more foreign currency to settle our debt service obligations when they fall due. This consequentially exerts dampening effects on our local currency’s performance hence leading to depreciation. A country with an increasingly depreciating currency has higher imports cost, which is corollary passed on to prices of goods on the market.
Countries borrow because their domestically mobilized revenues are inadequate to finance critical expenditures. This arises from a highly informal economic architecture, inefficient tax administration systems and smaller than required tax nets. What governments have done in the past is to increase the tax burden of the few who are willing and pay taxes thereby collapsing business and causing unemployment. Surprisingly, despite the widespread technical and street view that the solution to getting increased domestic revenue is broadened tax base, successive governments have done little to stem the tide.
The solution offered by this government is to use digital solutions such as the national I.D card system. The beginning of this commitment is the aggressive manner in which government executed the national I.D card registration. In furtherance to that we have integrated the National I.D and replaced it with the GRA Tax Identification number. As indicated by the Vice President, this integration automatically raises the number of Ghanaians with Tax Identification Numbers from 4% to 86%.
This has broadened the tax base and made it possible for many Ghanaians to be identified as potential tax payers. We have moved a step forward following the Vice Presidents challenge to GRA to make the processes of filling taxes easier and simple to be done using a mobile application device. This device is available on Ghana.Gov Mobile App (which is available on Google Playstore or Apple App Store). The Ghana.Gov Mobile App is also a platform that ensures that payments for government services are done electronically and funds channeled to government accounts instead of being pilfered.
So clearly, we see the direct impact of the digitization agenda on the potential for Ghana to mobilize more revenues domestically without overburdening the tax payer. We also see how doing this could potentially cut down on our debt levels and consequently help us to attain a relatively stable currency and reduce the rate of inflation.
Digitization and job creation
There is also the contention on how digitization can help create jobs or reduce the rate of unemployment. Someone even said ‘y33p3 adwuma a wose digitization’ to wit, ‘we need jobs and you are talking about digitization’. But I dare say that digitization is making it possible for many jobs to be created in both the private and public sectors.
The concept of digital technologies has come with what could be seen as the virtual means of trade, put differently as e-commerce.
Think of that young university student or graduate who does not have the required start-up capital to rent physical space or shop to ply her trade. She is able to skip this hurdle and trade using the social media platforms like Instagram, facebook and so on. Her shop is her dormitory or hostel, car booth or bedroom. She is able to advertise her products, get orders and receive payments through the mobile money interoperability with no hustle.
She has a job now and hires a delivery man to deliver the goods to the buyer, thereby creating job for the delivery man also. The volumes of trade taking place via this technologically driven medium and the number of people employed in this space could be mind-blowing. There are many people today, who have turned their home kitchens into restaurants, yet no one visits them physically to eat. They advertise using digital technology, receive orders using digital technology, receive payments suing digital technology and move their incomes to bank accounts using digital technology. This is how digitization is creating jobs.
Digitization and economic growth – GDP
Some also ask, why don’t you talk about economic growth (like gdp growth) since that is what you are known for? Yes, everything we do is geared towards enhancing economic growth and increasing the growth spurt. But quite interestingly having the desire and wish to increase growth is one thing and putting in place the systems to serve as vehicle for that economic take off is another. We keep on doing the same things in the old-fashioned away and still expect new results.
Growing up, through my youthful days to my adulthood I have been hearing rhetoric about how we are blessed as a country with abundant natural resources such as gold, diamond, bauxite, oil, cocoa and so on and still we are not developed. There have been talks about how better or at par we were with countries such as South Korea, Malaysia etc. but today are miles away from us in terms of development. While we complain about the hopelessness of the society we have created for ourselves, we equally must be aggressive in thinking outside the box to offer the most contemporary solutions to our long-standing challenges. The complaints and rhetoric will not do the magic.
How can we have increased economic activity and growth when we do not put in place systems to make trade and commerce executed efficiently and effectively with speed. Before we implemented mobile money interoperability we saw how difficult and slow it was for people to pay for services and receive money, either remittances or debt payment from one another. In an economy where velocity of money is low, economic activity is slowed down and growth is hampered. We have addressed this economic challenge with an economic solution underpinned by digital technology called the mobile money interoperability. It has made life easier, simpler, and brought efficiency into our payment system architecture.
Another way to look at this also is the use of electricity. In today’s modern world access to and use of electricity is so central to economic development. How can a society or an economy compete globally when it is designed in such a way that access to electricity is severely impaired by the lack of physical infrastructure and technologies to make it easier to be accessed?
We lived in a country where after sixty years of independence a factory or worker had to stop working for hours because electricity units are used up and vendors have gone to sleep? How do you ensure productivity and growth with this ‘bed-time-no-electricity’ mentality? Today, through digital technology, we have made it possible for millions of Ghanaians to have access to electricity from an app on their phones without having to shut engines of machines.
Digitisation and cost of credit
We have had years of life in Ghana where the identity and traceability of people have remained problematic. This has imposed huge risk on borrowers, hence the higher risk premium placed when people seek bank loans. We are addressing this problem with the national I.D and digital property address system. (Describe how banks certify borrower identity and traceability now). Ones the integration of the national I.D and the banking databases is ready, banks will have trust and confidence in a borrower’s identity and traceability. This will obviously bring down the cost of credit.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by saying that we have had decades of systems that are either malfunctioned, regressive, inefficient and not fit for modern day living. It has taken political will on the part of Government to put these new systems in place. The status quo benefits the few to the detriment of the many. Furthermore, there is little immediate political benefit from implementing these innovations. It takes some time for the full benefits of digitalization to become obvious to many and manifest in our lives. Politicians generally cannot afford to wait. The infrastructure we have put in place for digitalization is soft infrastructure. It is not like a road or a bridge you can point to. But it is a powerful and an expanded highway for development.
It is making it easy and simple to renew your national health insurance membership without having to travel to join long ques and pay bribes
It is making it possible for you to check whether or not the car you want to buy is insured
It is making it possible to buy for your electricity units irrespective of your location or time of the day.
When the e-pharmacy is done it will afford you the chance to find which pharmacy has your prescribed drug and whether it is FDA approved or not with ease
It is making it possible for all, particularly rural settlers to apply for government scholarship and receive same without travelling to Accra
It is making it possible for taxi and okada riders to pick any customer and receive payments irrespective of the telecommunication company they have their mobile money accounts with
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged the vibrant youth of the country to take more advantage of the digital revolution the government is undertaking.
The Ghanaian economy has undergone a significant digital transformation over the past four years, with many technological innovations and e-commerce springing up.
Delivering a public lecture at the Ashesi University Tuesday evening on the impact of digitization on the Ghanaian economy, Dr. Bawumia said digitization is a youth revolution, which presents huge prospects for the brilliant Ghanaian youth in terms of job creation, and also to enable them to contribute more to the development of the nation.
“The digital revolution is a youth-driven revolution. It is your revolution,” Dr. Bawumia said.
“There is a growing body of empirical evidence that illustrates the capacity of digital technology to create jobs, significantly boost productivity, increase income and support wealth creation.”
“I am excited about the prospects of the nation we are building, the brilliant minds being nurtured who are contributing towards this vision and I look forward to all of you playing a role in making our nation great and strong.”
Dr. Bawumia noted that the obvious digitization progress government has made in the areas of unique biometric national identification system, digital address system, mobile money interoperability, digitization of many government services, among others, is only a work in progress, and more is being done with the youth in mind and, and to be the driving force.
“Having put together these large databases as a result of digitization, our focus would now turn inter alia to data analytics through big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning to provide solutions to many challenges we face.”
“We will leverage on the progress we have made with digitalization to drive innovation for the youth.”
^We are not yet where we want to be, but we have made a great start and there is a lot more to come. There is also more to be done to embed these major digital reforms in the everyday lives of Ghanaians as adoption and usage of digital technology increases.’
“We have put in place new systems and we should all commit to adopt them and utilize them for maximum impact in the coming years,” Dr Bawumia urged
The National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B) has taken a swipe at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over their responses to the government’s agenda to use digitalization to transform the economy.
It would be recalled that the Vice President, H.E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia held a public lecture at Ashesi University to delineate an array of digital policies being implemented by the government to drastically reduce the inefficiencies and corruption in public Services delivery; enhance domestic revenue mobilization; improve efficiency in the health sector; provide financial inclusion and a cash-lite economy among other things.
As expected, the NDC has been responding to the issues raised in the lecture by Dr. Bawumia; however, their responses have been scruffy, uncoordinated, conflicting and have drifted into personal attacks on the person of the Vice President according to section of the public.
Reacting to the NDC, Nana B has strongly cautioned the NDC to desist from exposing their ignorance and emptiness on the subject matter in a brazing manner.
“It’s quite shocking that the NDC that have proven, overtime, to be clueless and bankrupt in knowledge and understanding of digitization and digitalization could gather confidence to speak against the unprecedented digital infrastructure being built by this government to make life very simple and easy for Ghanaians” Nana B has said.
He added that “it’s trite knowledge that the NDC is incompetent in the field of digital technology. In 2016 and 2020 elections, they couldn’t put up a system to collate their results — such a basic exercise that a first year IT student could have done with such ease, the incompetent NDC couldn’t do it”.
The Youth Leader of the NPP has thus advised Ghanaians to be weary of the plain lies and fabrications of the NDC directed at discrediting government policies that have far reaching benefits for the ordinary Ghanaian.
“This government has been people centered and every single policy we have implemented has brought comfort to the citizenry. Today, Ghanaians can sit in the comfort of their homes to renew their NHIS, open bank account and so on. I entreat Ghanaians to support the government to deliver on its mandate” Nana B added.
The Parliamentary committee handling Ghana’s anti LGBTQI+ Bill will commence sitting next week. A total of 150 memoranda have been received on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, otherwise referred to as anti LGBTQI+ Bill by the public.
The Deputy Chairman of Business Committee, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin who made this known said the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament will, from next week, commence sitting to consider the various memoranda that have been received on the bill against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) activities in Ghana.
He said the committee will consider 10 memoranda each week for the various interested parties who submitted the memoranda to be heard on the bill. After hearing all the stakeholders, he said the members of the committee will prepare a report and submit same to Parliament for consideration and “for us to make progress”.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader, stated this in response to a request by the First Deputy Minority Whip, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, who sought to know the roadmap to the passage or otherwise of the bill.
Response
Answering, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the sitting would ensure that all parties had a fair hearing before Parliament proceeded on the bill.
He said he had been informed about steps the committee had taken so far.
“Per my calculation, if they are doing 10 memoranda weekly, we do not know if any more memoranda will come, then it means we are looking at 15 weeks for the hearings to be done,” he told the House.
Dominating proceedings
It is projected that the third meeting of the first session of the Eighth Parliament will be dominated by the bill.
So far, both parties on each side of Parliament have publicly thrown their weight behind the passage of the bill but agreed on the need for some amendments to be made in the bill to fine tune it ahead of its possible passage.
Majority stance
On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, gave an assurance that Parliament would not disappoint Ghanaians in the consideration and passage of the bill that seeks to criminalise LGBTQI+ activities in Ghana.
He said MPs were representatives of the people for which reason the citizenry should be rest assured that Parliament would not turn its back on them.
Speaking to the press in Parliament to state the stance of the Majority on the bill, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, expressed doubt that any lawmaker would be against the principles of the bill.
While giving the assurance that Parliament would do the right thing with regard to the bill, the Majority Leader, however, said there was the need for a “careful balance” in assessing it.
Minority’s position
Just two days after the press conference by the Majority, the Minority caucus also held a similar conference on Friday, October 15, 2021 in Parliament, where the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, stated that his side was resolutely opposed to the introduction, formalisation and legalisation of LGBTQI+ practices and rights in Ghana.
“As representatives of the Ghanaian people, MPs have an obligation to protect the moral fibre of the Ghanaian society and promote the cohesion, unity and preserve Ghana’s time-tested cultural practices and beliefs which have kept us together as one country,” the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said when he addressed a press conference in Accra on Friday, October 15, 2021.
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has threatened contractors who have abandoned their sites over lack of funds will lose their contracts.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament Friday, the Road Minister revealed that most of the contractors who have abandoned their work usually lack capacity to deliver but rather use the delay in releasing funds by the government as an excuse.
“There are so many contractors in our constituencies who have been awarded contracts but are not working under the guise of non-payment. And a lot of them have not worked to the standard to be paid, as much as there are some outstanding payments,” he disclosed.
He said most Contractors have classifications that were not properly examined before they were awarded the job.
“Currently, there is a reclassification ongoing in my office. I am assuring you (Parliament) from 2022 my Ministry would award contracts to potential contractors who have the capacity to work. I don’t want any of my colleagues to suffer because I am also an MP,” he stated.
Responding to questions from the MP for Adentan, Mohammed Adamu Ramadan on the ARS Roundabout to Dzen Ayor dual carriage road in his constituency, Mr. Amoako-Atta said the ongoing reclassification exercise would solve that issue.
The move, according to the minister, will ensure only contractors with capacity will be awarded projects to work on
Another suspect believed to be part of armed robbery syndicates that have been operating in Kwahu Afram Plains has been shot dead by the Anti-Armed Robbery taskforce.
The deceased Dickson Yaw Agyei Danso is a popular political activist of the NPP.
He is the plaintiff who filed a motion that was granted by a High court preventing then-incumbent Member of Parliament Joseph Appiah from contesting the 2016 Parliamentary election on basis of having Criminal records.
Dickson Yaw Agyei Danso was also the local Chairman of the Ghana National Cargo Drivers Association. He claimed to be a former contract Operative of the National security.
Starr News has gathered that Yaw Agyei was picked in his house at Ekye Amanfrom by armed personnel of the Anti-Armed Robbery taskforce on Thursday October 4,2021 at about 11:30 am upon intelligence.
However, the suspect was reported to have been shot dead at about 4:00 pm same day and the body deposited at the Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital Morgue.
This is the second time a robbery suspect has died under such bizarre circumstances.
This has created fear among residents forcing them to sleep earlier than before .
Death of 1st Suspect
A few weeks ago, a suspected armed robber was shot dead by the Anti-Armed Robbery Taskforce.
Kwasi Thomas alias Gambo was killed when he allegedly attempted to escape from Police after his arrest.
Starrfm.com.gh has gathered that Gambo was arrested by the police based on intelligence at dawn while asleep with his wife at Ekye Amanfrom in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District.
Some residents the deceased was highly suspected by townfolks of his involvement is the decades-old robbery menace.
Gambo left behind six children and a wife.
Arrest of Robbery Suspect.
Just this week , the Anti Armed robbery task force arrested a 35-year-old phone repairer in connection with the deadly mobile money robbery attack in Ekye Amanfrom which a motor rider was shot dead .
Robbery Menace in Afram Plains
Kwahu Afram Plains area has been battling with highway robbery incidents for about two decades. Many have been shot dead, while others sustained injuries. Victims have lost huge monies and personal belongings.
Owing to this, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr.Geroge Akuffo Dampare deployed the Anti-Armed robbery squad to the area upon assumption of office.
The IGP subsequently led some top management members of the Ghana Police Service to visit Kwahu Afram Plains on September 22, 2021, to court the corporation of Traditional leaders and residents for the renewed commitment of the Police to fight the menace.
However, the robbers struck again on Saturday, October 9,2021 at about 7:30pm and gunned down a motor rider, identified as Bright during the robbery of a mobile money vendor
Finance Minister to present 2022 Budget on November 15
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has informed Parliament that the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government would be presented on 15th and not 17th November 2021 as originally advertised.
He explained that the reason was to enable the House to attend its post-budget workshop with members checking in on Friday, November 18, and staying till they leave on Sunday, November 21, 2021.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said this when he presented the Business Statement for the third week ending, Friday, November 12, 2021, to the House.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, clarified that the House would start the debate on the budget from Monday, November 22 and conclude on Friday, November 26, 2021.
Having regard for the limited time frame for the approval of the Budget and Appropriation Bill 2021, he urged members to be active in the debate on the budget.
He entreated Committee Chairpersons, particularly those with urgent and time-bound referrals, to endeavour to present their reports for consideration as early as possible before the House was seized with consideration of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government
South Danyi Member of Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekopr has revealed that his colleague lawmaker for Madina, Francis –Xavier Sosu is currently on parliamentary duties outside the country.
Mr Dafeamekopr has therefore, refuted claims by the Police that Sosu has been served the criminal summons to appear in court.
The Police had officially charged Sosu for causing damage to public property.
The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 he had been duly served and was expected to appear in court on November 8.
“The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8…as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property,” he said.
The Police had been seeking to arrest him for allegedly involving in a violent protests in his constituency.
The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has however denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration.”
Speaking on the Key Points show on TV3/3FM Saturday November 6 with host Dzifa Bampoh, Mr Dafeamekopr said “Sosu has not been served, he is not even available at the moment.
“I think that there will be an opportunity for Sosu to be served. But I heard something very interesting from ACP Kwesi Fori. He actually said to the whole country that they have issued a criminal summons and the Honorable Sosu has been duly served. That is a blatant falsehood.
“The Honorable Sosu as we speak is on Parliamentary duties outside of this country. He is likely to return tomorrow or Monday.”
When Dzifa drew his attention to the fact that Sosu’s personal assistant may have been served the summons he retorted saying “You don’t serve criminal summons on aides
The meeting which was held at the headquarters of the Ghana Police Service on Friday 5 November 2021, brought together top officials of the police service, executive council members of the GFA and representatives of Premier League Clubs.
The police team was led by the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, Director General of Public Affairs ACP Kwesi Ofori, COP Kofi Boakye of the Legal and Prosecution Department, ACP Lydia Donkor – Head of Legal and Prosecution, Greater Accra Regional Commander DCOP Iddi Lansah Seidu, and DCOP Mrs. Habiba Akyere Twumasi-Sarpong.
The GFA also had Executive Council Members Nana Sarfo Oduro, Dr. Tony Aubynn, Samuel Anim Addo and General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo (Esq.) in attendance.
Others included Nana Yaw Amponsah, CEO of Asante Kotoko SC, Patrick Akoto, Director of Communications of Medeama, Fred Tindan, Management Member of Bibiani Gold Stars, Nana Obiri Yeboah, Management Member of Accra Lions, Emmanuel Osei, Public Relations Officer of Accra Great Olympics and Eleony Amande, CEO of Karela United FC.
Accra Hearts of Oak was represented by Operations Manager Desmond Amenuu while Enoch Agyare-Addo, Kwabena Asenso, Kasim Perez and Elvis Osei Poku represented Dreams FC and Legon Cities, Real Tamale United and Aduana FC respectively.
The IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare and his team took time to listen to concerns and challenges facing clubs at League Centres and how to deal with them. They included combating crime at League centres, dealing with hooliganism and crowed violence and clamping down on faceless people who bet away matches in the football eco-system.
President of the GFA Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku re-iterated the need for the Police Service to consider forming a special Sports Policing unit within the Police service to provide security at League centres as he believes this will curb the rampant crowed violence and hooliganism that have characterized the domestic game.
President Simeon Okraku also thanked the IGP for the invitation and his desire to support football operations and match day security across League centres
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 5th November 2021, opened formally the Ghana Office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), at an event in Kempinski, Accra.
JETRO is one of the companies President Akufo-Addo engaged with in his official visit to Japan nearly three years ago. Toyota Tsusho, is one of the companies the President engaged with, for which an assembly plant has been established in Ghana.
With Ghana and Japan having had strong, longstanding bilateral relations since 1957, resulting in co-operation in the fields of agriculture, education, energy, finance, food, governance health, infrastructure, manufacturing, and peace and security, JETRO has played a significant role in the successful implementation of several of these trade and investments programmes, which have provided support in boosting the productivity and sustainability of many small and medium scale enterprises in Ghana.
Speaking at the event, President Akufo-Addo stated that the establishment of the JETRO Ghana Office, which has been duly staffed and resourced, is an important development towards deepening Ghana’s economic co-operation with Japan.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “It provides a permanent administrative mechanism for strengthening bilateral dialogue and cooperation on trade, investment and private sector development programmes between Japan and Ghana.
The JETRO Ghana Office should help facilitate business linkages by directly addressing the language barrier between Ghanaian and Japanese companies.”
Continuing, the President indicated that “As an agency of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, External Trade and Investment (METI), JETRO is better placed, also, to support more diligently the full cycle of mission goals and follow-up actions required to close deals brokered from overseas trade missions, exhibitions and executive visits.”
With JETRO fully in place, he indicated that the time has come for a more co-ordinated approach by Ghana and Japan to undertake joint initiatives, which will complement the work the Ghanaian Government is already doing to empower the private sector to take advantage of long-standing and beneficial bilateral cooperation, as well as of key Trade Agreements such as the game-changing African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, the European Union-Ghana Interim Economic Partnership Agreement, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Ghana-UK Trade Partnership Agreement, and the various Japanese Co-operation Agreements under the TICAD initiative.
President Akufo-Addo was convinced that, working closely with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, JETRO will fully align its development co-operation to assist the Ministry of Trade and Industry to implement Ghana’s comprehensive Industrial Transformation Programme.
“Industrialisation is a matter of utmost priority and urgency for this Government, especially in addressing the challenge of job creation for our youthful population, and in exploiting fully the opportunities available for Made-in-Ghana products in export markets,” he added.
The President told the gathering that Ghana is looking forward to more substantial investments by Japanese companies into her manufacturing sector for Ghana to realize its full potential as a regional manufacturing hub for Africa.
He indicated that Ghana has laid out a host of well-structured sector-specific incentives for manufacturing for domestic consumption and for exports to foreign markets. Additionally, Government, working closely with Parliament, is willing and capable of designing the right legislative and regulatory measures necessary to attract catalytic investments into key strategic sectors of the economy.
⁷ļ“The Ghana Automotive Manufacturing Policy, for example, is highly regarded by our peers in the auto industry as one of the best in Africa. Progress made by Volkswagen and Toyota Tsusho in setting up new Assembly Plants here in Ghana, and the imminent plans of Nissan and Suzuki to follow suit early next year, bear ample testimony to my government’s firm determination to industrialize rapidly the Ghanaian economy to propel growth, and address the problem of unemployment amongst our youth,” President Akufo-Addo added
“I am praying that whatever is going on here is not going to be a nine-day wonder,” one resident said.
Construction works have resumed on the Ayi Mensah – Danfa – Otinibi road in the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality of Accra after some residents, led by the Madina MP, Francis-Xavier Sosu, held a demonstration on October 25, 2021.
Residents who spoke Citi News were hopeful that the contractor would see through the rehabilitation works which started in December 2020.
“I am praying that whatever is going on here is not going to be a nine-day wonder,” one resident said.
“The contractor made everybody know that when the rains go down, he will come on-site, so we are very happy that the contractor is in, and he has started work,” another added.
Though this development followed the controversial protest by the residents, in which some roads were blocked, the former Madina MP, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Siddique, said the resumption of work was not as a result of the protest.
“This one is not because of the demonstration. They even called the contractor to wait and come after the demonstration, but the contractor said no. He didn’t get the contract out of a demonstration.”
Mr. Siddique also said Mr. Sosu would have saved himself the trouble by staying away from the demonstration.
“If the MP could have stopped the demonstration, it would have been better for him, but he went ahead. You don’t go on the demonstration for contract or for development.”
“I don’t think Akufo-Addo will award contracts based on demonstrations. That is not the best and this country should not be turned into a boxing ring,” the former MP added.
The CEO of the construction firm working on the road, Emmanuel Boadi, further explained that the rainy season had prevented his team from commencing work.
“The area is waterlogged. We can’t work in the rainy season. That is why we tried to beg them to give me up to the dry season,” he said.
The rains haven’t stopped after the protest nonetheless, making people question why they’re on site following the former MP and contractor’s comments.
Veteran Ghanaian actress, Adwoa Smart, has made some revelations about her private life, and she hopes Ghanaians will come to her aid to fulfil her long life dream of owning a house.
Belinda Naa Ode Oku, with the showbiz name Adwoa Smart, has been acting in movies for so long that she has become an integral part of the history of the Creative Arts industry. In an interview with Accra FM, Adowa Smart revealed her dark childhood and how she continues to struggle years after becoming famous.
“I have really been through a lot, especially from my childhood. I have been through so many things. I grew up as an only child… My elder brother died before I met him… It was my grandmother who took care of me. Then my aunt (may her soul rest in peace) came for me to go and live with her. Then she set me up with a trading business… so I used to hawk all over town.
Through this business, I met a woman called Auntie Rose (may she rest in peace). She sold oranges at the Kaneshie market. She said I was interesting. So she would take me to see Maame Dokono (Grave Omaboe). During the auditions, she asked me to dance. Immediately I did, she took a liking to me and said she would take me as her daughter,” she recounted with eyes full of tears.
Upon being asked what Ghanaians should do for her, Adwoa Smart replied that she would love to own a house. She said she wants to help people off the streets, but her room in her family house cannot accommodate them. She further stated that all her travels were sponsored, and she is not as comfortable as people think.
“To be honest, staying in a family house is not easy… I had a child, but it died. So I don’t have any children. I am not married. I don’t have a house. By the grace of God, I am alive, not dead.
The very thing on my heart is to own a house. So that I can see something profitable from all my toils. I couldn’t voice out because I was ashamed… I want a house. If I get a house, I can also help someone.”
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