The Ga Mantse, Boni Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II is pushing for a change in the name of the Greater Accra region.
He wants the region to be called Ga Dangme region to reflect and represent the name of its indigenes.
He made the request when President Akufo-Addo paid a visit to the Ga Traditional Council at the Ga Mantse Palace in Accra today, Friday, October 22, 2021.
This was on the second day of his tour of the region as part of his nationwide tour.
Speaking at the meeting, the Ga Mantse could not help thanking President Akufo-Addo for the various developmental projects he is understaking not only in Accra but the entire country.
He also asked the President to help get more trained Ga teachers to be posted to schools in the Greater Accra region to enhance teaching of the Ga language in schools in the region.
Nii Takie Teiko Tsuru II took the opportunity to thank the President for the significant number of Ga’s he has appointed to occupy various positions in his government even though he wish they could be more.
As leader of the Ga’s, he promised to do all he can to help resolve all chieftaincy disputes in the Ga State and therefore called for the President’s continous support in that respect.
The Ga Mantse also appealed to the President to do more to help solve perenial flooding in Accra since it has become one of their major headaches as a people.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo commended the chiefs and people of Ga for finally settling on one Ga Mantse in the person of Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.
He was hopeful the new Ga Mantse will be able to hold the fort and rally all Gas together in peace.
He was confident this will bode well for the Ga state and thus asked for all to support him to help develop the Ga state.
He was particularly happy all this happened under his presidency.
President Akufo-Addo to help him to develop the Ga state but was particularly his commitment to ensure lasting peace and security in the Ga state.
On the issue of the change of name of the region the President said he will consult extensively before he makes up his mind
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has challenged Africa’s youth to take mental, physical and economic lead roles in positioning Africa as the giant of the future.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit taking place in Accra, President Akufo-Addo maintained that the African could be as successful as any other, and urged the youth, who make up a very large proportion of Africa’s population, to take their rightful place in shaping the continent’s destiny.
“I do not accept that Africa has a DNA that dooms us to failure. Africans can, like all the other peoples that have succeeded, make life meaningful and worth living for their own people. We must cultivate an irrepressible desire to do right by the citizen.
“There is an abundance of dynamic, entrepreneurial talent on our continent struggling to express itself and take advantage of such conditions. We have to encourage this expression with full force, and ensure that we can stand on our own feet, and make it impossible for the systematic looting and plundering of our human and material resources, that have characterized much of our modern history, to continue. This is the significance of the concept of Ghana Beyond Aid, indeed, of Africa Beyond Aid.”
The President continued: “Simply put, I just want us to have more self-confidence and accept that we shall never reach the level of development we aspire to by relying on aid or external assistance, no matter how generous. It is a mindset that I wish Africans to discard, a mindset of living on charity and handouts.
“To get to a situation Beyond Aid, we will have to harness effectively our own resources, and deploy them creatively and efficiently for rapid economic and social transformation.”
Youthful Population
Noting that a youthful population has always had a major impact on the growth of economies across the world, President Akufo-Addo said Africa, despite having the largest generation of young people in history, must take active steps to make the opportunities inherent in having such a demographic advantage a reality.
“The population opportunity will not automatically guarantee us a future of growth and prosperity. Demographic dividends do not come automatically. They have to be earned.
“With over forty percent (40%) of Africa’s working population between the ages of fifteen (15) and twenty-four (24), Africa is the youngest continent in the world… Yet, too many of our young people are trapped in poverty, with few opportunities to learn or to earn a decent living. According to the World Bank, youth account for sixty percent (60%) of all African unemployed.
“No one needs to tell us that mass unemployment in Africa, especially amongst her youth, is a ticking time bomb. The so-called Arab Spring showed clearly that lack of employment opportunities can undermine social cohesion and political stability. With between ten (10) to twelve (12) million youths joining the labour force every year, Africa has to pay maximum attention to job creation,” he warned.
Investment
Increasing investment in young people is key, the President noted. This includes promoting diverse, quality education that prepares them for a future of opportunities.
“For young people to be able to exploit the economic opportunities that abound in Africa, they must have the skills and training necessary to take advantage of them. In doing this, Africa must fashion an education policy that is also gender sensitive, for women are a slight majority of Africa’s youth.
“There is also a critical need to involve young people in decisions that affect them. We cannot talk about sustainable development without the active involvement of youth. Africa cannot talk about shaping the future without talking about the welfare and wellbeing of young people. It is important that Africa takes these ideas forward to harness the value of a youthful population, holding human rights, gender equality, development of human capital, and dignity at the center of all our investments. Only by providing opportunities that open the future to all young people do we create a brighter future,” President Akufo-Addo maintained.
The YouthConnekt Summit is an annual convening that connects youth from across the continent and beyond with policy influencers, political leaders, and public, private and development sector institutions to engage, discuss, design, and accelerate youth empowerment efforts at a continental level.
This year’s 3-day summit, under the theme “Repositioning the Youth for the Post-Covid Economy and AfCFTA Opportunities,” is being attended virtually and in person by youth from over 30 African countries, and will be addressed by a large number of high profile speakers including Hon. Rosemary Mbabazi, Minister for Youth and Culture for Rwanda, who will represent H.E. President Paul Kagame, Mr. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Dr Patrice Motsipe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Mr Charles Abani, the UN Resident Representative in Ghana, and Ghana’s Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon Mustapha Ussif
The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has applauded the impact of the policies, programmes and developmental projects undertaken by the Government of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the Greater Accra Region.
Delivering a statement on Friday, 22 nd October 2021, when President Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on him, as part of his working visit to the Greater Accra Region, the Ga Mantse stated that “Your Excellency, we are seeing development in Accra. But we encourage you to do more.”
According to, the Ga State “recognizes and appreciates the developmental projects being undertaken in the Ga State, for example the James Town Fishing Harbour and the Salaga Market.”
Pursuant to this, “the Chiefs of the Ga State shall collaborate with President at all times to ensure that Accra becomes the cleanest city in Africa. In that regard, all the Chiefs in the Ga State pledge to be ambassadors in promoting the clean Accra Agenda.”
Cognizant of the fact that, development thrives only in a peaceful environment, he added that, “the Ga Traditional Council pledges to maintain peace within the Ga State and to also resolve all chieftaincy disputes within the shortest possible time to facilitate the development of the Ga State and Ghana as a whole.”
The Ga Mantse also commended President Akufo-Addo, “for the various social interventions introduced, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the nomination of the first female Mayor of Accra.”
He also extended the appreciation of the Chiefs of the Ga State, for the appointments of Nii Dakutso Otsii I, Member of the Council of State, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Henry Quartey; and Mr. Edwin Obodai Provencal, CEO of BOST, who, he described as competent indigenes of the Ga State.
The Ga Mantse was confident that the newly confirmed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) “will work together with the Regional Minister, Local Government Minister and we the traditional leaders to make Accra work again.”
Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, appealed to the President to assist ongoing efforts to change the name of the region to Ga Dangme Region, “in order to advance the unification and consolidation of Ga Dangme and to increase the teaching of the Ga language in schools in the region
Members of the Onion Sellers Association, who were recently moved from Agbobgloshie, have showered praises on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for ensuring and facilitating their smooth and convenient relocation to Adjen Kotoku.
It will be recalled that the onion sellers not long ago fiercely resisted initial attempts by the Minister for Greater Accra, Hon. Henry Quartey, to relocate them from the Onion market in Agbobloshie, citing reasons of inconvenience and the absence of a ready market.
However, contrary to their fears, the group upon a visit to the place by the President as part of his tour of the Greater Accra region, have thanked and commended him for staying true to his word and meeting all the conditions prevalent to ensure a convenient and productive market for them.
According to their Spokesperson, Osman Mohammed Seil, the assurances of their security and ready-market are what they are witnessing today and believed that the Adjen Kotoku Onion Market has the potential of becoming the number one Onion market in West Africa.
“We were told to leave Sodom and Gomorrah to Jeddah, today we have moved, seen and realized that this place is indeed Jeddah. We are earning way more than we used to get at our former place”, the Spokesperson added.
He was confident that, work on the few remaining stalls and the provision of more sanitary amenities and a mosque will be completed to augment the existing structures in the Onion Market
Former NDC Central Regional Chairman, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to construct an airport in the Region.
The President is currently touring the Central Region as part of his annual visits to the sixteen (16) Regions and has been assuring the residents of his government’s plans for the Region.
He stated that his government will revive the Komenda Sugar Factory in Cape Coast which is aimed at cutting the making Ghana a manufacturer and exporter of sugar as well as creating more jobs.
Speaking on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’ programme, Allotey Jacobs stressed that the Central Region needs an airport because it is the ”hub of tourism” and will facilitate the movement of tourists to the Region.
” . . If you want to promote the tourism in Central Region, you need airstrip or an airport,” he added.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is urging Ghanaians to debate the LGBTQI+ bill before Parliament in a civil and tolerant manner.
He said there was need for respect for the opinions of all and sundry in the debate on the Proper Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, a private member’s bill sponsored by some law makers, that seeks to criminalize the practice and promotion of same sex relations in Ghana.××
Speaking on an Accra radio station at the start of his three-day tour of the Greater Accra region on Thursday, the President appealed to Members of Parliament to have civil discussions on the Bill.
He said though the Bill sought to check the activities of the LGBTQI+ community, there was need for the public to respect each other’s opinion on the matter.
President Akufo-Addo was happy that opportunity had been created for a private member sponsored bill to be considered by Parliament.
“What I hope for is that the debate itself would be civil and that we would recognise the need for us to be tolerant, of each others views even when they are opposing views,” he said.
The President was hopeful that the process for the consideration of the bill would be a credit to Ghanaian democracy
“I am hoping that the process would continue in an acceptable manner and at the end of the day we would know the position of our legislature,” he said.
The Proper Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, which has received tremendous endorsement by religious organizations, traditionalists and individuals, has been considered as one of the most draconian anti-gay law worldwide.
The bill which is yet to reach the second reading stage in Parliament, proposes jail terms ranging from two years to ten year jail term for gay activities.
The Bill has read for the first time and referred to the Select Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs of Parliament.
The Committee, which is currently considering the bill, has received over 130 memoranda in support and against the bill
President Akufo-Addo yesterday commissioned Phase II of the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP), executed by the Jospong Group and Partners at the cost of about €20m.
Speaking at the commissioning, the President stated that as a result of urbanisation, particularly in the country’s major cities, the capacity of the current 600-tonne plant cannot cope with the increased municipal solid waste generated daily within the city of Accra.××
“It is for this reason that Jospong Group and Partners, with support from Government, embarked on expanding the existing facility from six hundred (600) tonnes per day to two thousand (2,000) tonnes per day,” the President said.
Phase II of the plant is well-equipped with modern teaching and learning facilities, as well as ultra-modern laboratories for training and research into modern effective processing and recycling technologies.
With the completion of the facility, the President said it will bring immense benefits to the country through the efficient management of solid waste in a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable manner.
The President said the establishment of an efficient integrated waste management facility requires huge financial outlay, and, with the competing needs of other sectors of the economy on government budget, it is becoming increasingly difficult for government alone to shoulder this responsibility.
He, therefore, reiterated his administration’s commitment to partner the private sector in the management of sanitation in the country.
“It is for this reason that, on assumption of office, my Government made a commitment to address this menace to transform Ghana to be one of the cleanest countries in Africa. In this regard, Government has taken the requisite steps to create the enabling environment and framework for the private sector to partner government in find lasting solutions to this herculean challenge,” he said.
He said “it is important also to note that, as a result of the huge capital requirement to establish infrastructure for the management of solid waste, most private sector players have been reluctant to enter into this space. I am glad and fortunate that Jospong Group and Partners have entered this space to partner Government to assist us in addressing the sanitation situation.”
Other benefits to be derived from the facility, the President said, include the production of organic compost for horticultural and agronomical purposes to boost agricultural production and the Planting for Foods and Jobs Programme.
Additionally, the plant, he indicated, would create job opportunities for some three hundred (300) persons in various capacities on full and part-time basis, which is one of the key priorities of government, and will translate into an improved standard of living for these workers and their families.
As co-Chair of the Group of Eminent Advocates for the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, President Akufo-Addo noted that “it is heartwarming to note that the execution of this project will help realise some of the targets under SDG 6, which demands that we provide clean water and sanitation for all.”
In furtherance of this, the President said that his government is collaborating with Jospong Group of Companies and Partners to implement the Integrated Recycling and Compost Plants in all the sixteen (16) regions of the country, to help address the prevailing sanitation challenges.
President Akufo-Addo revealed also that government, in the future, is considering collaborating further with the private sector to provide sanitation infrastructure for production of refuse derived fuel in commercial quantities; medical waste processing; waste to energy facility; industrial waste processing; and e-waste processing.
The second phase of the ACARP, which adds 800-tonne line to the existing 600-tonne facility, will provide Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) within Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), a viable and cost-effective alternative to dumpsites.
It is also increasing the plant’s capacity to bridge the existing gap of untreated solid waste within the Accra region.
The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, who took the President round, disclosed that the project was made possible with the support of their partners, Lubo Recycling Systems of The Netherlands.
“Additional eight (8) equipment are being manufactured by Lubo Bollegraaf Group for the Integrated Recycling and Composting Plants (IRECOP) in Ho, Takoradi, Tamale, and Techiman among others,” he revealed.
He said the plant which started with a workforce of 150, will be adding an additional 200, and used the opportunity to express appreciation to the Ministers of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Greater Accra Region, Henry Quartey, and Local Government and Rural Development Mr. Dan Botwe for their effort in ensuring the project is completed
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has visited the three personnel who got critically injured in a fatal accident Thursday on Walewale- Bolgatanga road in the line of duty.
The members of the Police Management Board led by the IGP also visited the families of the policemen who unfortunately passed on during the incident which occured Thursday October 21, 2021 to commiserate with them.
The aim of the visit to the three police personnel who, in their line of duty, suffered various degrees of injury and were now incapacitated was to know how each of them was coping.
Brief from the police said processes are underway to airlift the three surviving personnel to Accra for further treatment.
The five personnel from the Anti-robbery Squad were responding to an emergency when they encountered the gory accident.
Two of them died on the spot whiles three survived in the accident.
Meanhwile, the Police Administration has expressed gratitude to the Ghana Armed Forces, especially the Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Real Admiral Seth Amoama, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Frank Hanson, for their collaborating efforts in airlifting the injured officers
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed his delight over the peace that has finally been restored to the Ga State, following the installing of a new Ga Mantse, after years of protracted Chieftaincy disputes in the State.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “I’m happy today, very happy, for peace to come to the Ga State during my time as President. Everyone should be excited that now we have a Ga Mantse, after the protracted chieftaincy issues since the demise of Nii Amugi. I pray to God to give you strength to have a successful reign.”
The President made this known on Friday, 22nd October 2021, at the commencement of his 2-day tour of the Greater Accra Region, when he paid a courtesy call on the new Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, known in private life as Dr. Kelvin Nii Tackie.
This is the second major resolution of a chieftaincy dispute in Ghana, under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, following the successful installation of a new Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Naa Mahama Abukari II, on 25th January 2019, which has since brought peace and development to the Dagbon State.
Addressing the Chief, President Akufo-Addo explained that he should have, ordinarily, begun his tour of the Greater Accra Region, which he started on Thursday, 21st October, by paying a courtesy call on the new Ga Mantse, to, as it were, seek his permission and blessings before embarking on the tour.
However, following the ceremony of gazetting of the new Ga Mantse at the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs on Thursday, the President indicated that he believed it will be wholly appropriate that he deferred his visit to the palace of the new Ga Mantse to Friday, to be able to congratulate him officially.
He reassured King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II that he will give everything within his power to help the new Ga Mantse unify the Ga State, stressing that a united Ga State will help provide a conducive environment for the central government to function and help improve the living standards of the people
“The pledge you’ve made to maintain peace in Accra is most welcome, and we must all play our part to address the remaining chieftaincy issues in the country. We’re looking forward, as a government, to work with the traditional authorities to help transform the nation,” the President stated.
President Akufo-Addo also took the opportunity to thank Ga Mantse and Ga people for their support during the last election, even though his party, the New Patriotic Party, lost seven (7) seats it once held in the Greater Accra Region. “He was, however, confident that “we will get back all the seats we lost in the 2024 elections. because we are working towards it,” he added.
On his commitment to ensuring that Accra becomes the cleanest city in Africa, the President said, that commitment is still valid, and that “addressing the sanitation issues in Accra is of utmost importance before I leave office in January 2025
Rapper Samuel Adu Frimpong popularly known as Medikal has been arrested.
According to Starr News sources, the arrest is in connection with an old video on social media in which the hiplife musician was seen brandishing a gun. He is currently at the Accra Central Police Command.
Three others who appeared in court with him Kojo Owusu Koranteng, Shatta’s personal assistant, Eric Vanetor, a graphic designer and Iddrisu Yussif, a beautician were charged for abetment of criminal publication of false news.
All the accused persons pleaded not guilty and have been remanded into police custody.
EIB Network’s Court Correspondent Murtala Inusah reports that the court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Marvin Essandoh while remanding the accused said the interest of the public is paramount.
Joe Osei Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament has backed calls for more Ghanaian youth to venture into entrepreneurship.
Mr. Osei Owusu, who is popularly known as Joe Wise, said the call by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta is a right one.
He bemoaned the miseducation of a lot of Ghanaians and the archaic mentality they have about white collar jobs.
Speaking on Kumasi-based Ultimate 106.9 FM, he described miseducation as the phenomenon of attending school for certificates with no regard for employable skills, vocational and technical competence that could lead to entrepreneurship.
He explained, “We are miseducated because as soon as we go beyond secondary school, we think that we are not supposed to work with our hands. An engineer doesn’t want to touch dirty oil.”
He always wants to be wearing an overcoat and give instructions to people instead of us creating with our minds.”
“If they were those in government when Covid-19 virus broke out, we would have buried t he country. We would be buried by now. All of us… RIP,” Akufo-Addo said.
President Akufo-Addo says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would have brought the economy on its knees had the Covid-19 pandemic hit during their tenure.
According to him, his assessment of the economy since he took over in 2016 does not show that his predecessor had the capacity to surmount the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“So if those responsible for the 3.4% rate of growth and for the inflationary pressures that were so evident in Ghana at the time… if they were those in government when Covid-19 virus broke out, we would have buried the country. We would be buried by now. All of us… RIP,” he said on Accra-based Peace FM on Thursday.
His comments come in the wake of concerns from a cross-section of the public, especially the opposition NDC that government is hiding behind the pandemic to justify what they describe as economic mismanagement.
Last month, former President John Mahama said government’s expenditure and the desire to spend beyond the country’s means has plunged it into a crisis.
“This has been the luckiest government under the Fourth Republic. They have benefitted from 60% of all the oil revenue accruing to Ghana since we began producing oil; they have had more than twice the total tax revenue available to us… In addition, they had access to over $200 million from the Stabilization Fund we set up and got Central Bank Financing of ¢10 billion.”
“All of this notwithstanding, they have the least to show in terms of tangible gains or capital investments. Therefore, this government must accept that it is their mismanagement of the economy that have plunged us into the current crisis, not necessarily Covid-19,” he said at the NDC’s Professionals Forum lecture series at the University of Ghana.
But speaking on the Accra-based station as part of his tour of the Greater Accra Region, President Akufo-Addo expressed surprise at such assertions.
“I’m surprised to hear some of these accusations, especially the lips from which they come,” he said.
He insisted his administration is working assiduously to surmount the wide range of global hindrances accompanying the pandemic.
“When I took over in 2017, the last year of the predecessor government, the rate of growth of the economy was 3.4%. The lowest in over 20 years. Our first year, the rate of growth was over 8%, second year 7%, third year, six-point something. On average, the growth rate of the economy between 2017 and 2020, the onset of Covid, was 7%. The 7?onomic growth made us one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, not just on the African continent,” he said.
Accra is ahead of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Shenzhen (China), Moscow (Russia), Paris (France) as well as many other world-class cities.
Ghana’s capital city, Accra, is the second most expensive city in the world in terms of the property price to income ratio, according to Numbeo.
Numbeo, a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, quality of health care, and other statistics, explained that the Price to Income Ratio is the basic measure for apartment purchase affordability.
“It is generally calculated as the ratio of median apartment prices to median familial disposable income, expressed as years of income,” the site stated.
This comes amidst agitations about the city’s high cost of property prices, contributing to the #FixTheCountry Movement.
Accra is ahead of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Shenzhen (China), Moscow (Russia), Paris (France) as well as many other world-class cities.
In the United States of America, Memphis is the most affordable city per property price to income ratio in the world.
Numbeo also revealed that Accra has the world’s highest Mortgage percentage income ratio, followed closely by Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Tehran (Iran) in second and third places, respectively.
Mortgage as Percentage of Income is a ratio of the actual monthly cost of the mortgage to take-home family income.
“Average monthly salary is used to estimate family income. It assumes 100% mortgage is taken on 20 years for the house (or apt) of 90 square meters which price per square meter is the average price in the city centre and outside of city centre,” the site explained.
Memphis once again had the lowest Mortgage as a percentage of income to ratio.
Meanwhile, Accra has the lowest loan affordability in the world.
“Loan Affordability Index is an inverse of mortgage as a percentage of income,” the site said.
This means it is costlier to access a loan in Accra compared to other cities, including Lagos (Nigeria), Kabul (Afghanistan), Sao Paolo (Brazil) and Stockholm (Sweden) etc.
Numbeo is a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, health care quality, and other statistics.
This year it collected data from 482 cities across the world
President Akufo-Addo has clapped back at the Chief of Aflao in the Volta region over his criticism against his government on an abandoned E-block school started by the NDC in Aflao.
The Paramount Chief Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti had given government four months to complete the community day senior high school which had stalled since 2016.
“After senior high school education, the next degree that my people have to do is to go to border and go and do kayayo, no school.
“The only school that we have is the RC Senior High School that belongs to the Catholic Mission Minor Seminary. So this thick population has no place to go and people sit down in that big hall called parliament and not thinking about Aflao, a place after the Tema Harbour , the next revenue generation is from the Aflao border.
“I had to push the former President Mahama for the structure to be constructed over there. I had to be running from here to Accra begging. Should we beg for education?,” the Chief fumed in a meeting with the Minority caucus when they visited him earlier this week.
Speaking in an interview with Peace FM Thursday, the President said most of the schools started by Mr Mahama have been completed by his government.
“Many of the E-blocks are being worked on across the country.
“Is he [Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti] the one to give the minister ultimatum, then he should go ahead and complete the project,” he told host Kwami Sefa Kai
Comedian Funny Face says one of his friends gave him ‘wee toffee’ when he was discharged from the psychiatric hospital.
According to him, he insulted Fada Dickson, Emmanuel Adebayor and Bola Ray because he was under the influence of a substance. Appearing before the Kaneshie District Court, presided over by His Worship, Kofi Oheneba-Kuffour, the ‘Cow and Chicken’ actor admitted that he was mentally unstable.
According to him, he did not come to court with his lawyers because he believes that he caused his own problems.
When asked by His Worship Kofi Oheneba-Kuffuor why he did not come to court with his lawyer, Funny Face explained in a Starr FM report that, “My Lord, I have lawyers but I feel they shouldn’t come. I caused my own problems because I didn’t take my drugs. I have mental issues.”
Known in real life as Benson Nana Yaw Oduro Boateng, the ‘Cow and Chicken’ actor told the court that, his recent problems came about when his baby mama, Vanessa, took his twins, Ella and Bella, away.
He further accused his baby mama of playing with his mind.
“My Lord, I love girls (children) and once she (his wife) took the twins away, I went off. She was pregnant when she left with my twins. She knew I love children, so she was playing on my mind,” Funny Face said.
“My Lord, do you know, Adebabayor? He is my friend; he gave me two cars. I insulted him Fada Dickson, I insulted him.
“My Lord, do you know Bola Ray? insulted him, too,” he said. “It is my friend who gave me ‘wee’ toffee.”
The prosecutor prayed to the court for the accused to be sent for psychiatric re-examination but Funny Face indicated that, he does not want to be taken to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, he prefers any other hospital.
Funny Face explained further, he suffered so much when he was on admission at Korle bu because the people there “fart too much,” leaving the courtroom with spontaneous laughter.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has lamented the current challenges that students seeking legal education in the country are saddled with at the moment.
He expressed hope that solutions to these challenges would be found to ameliorate the difficulties.
“I myself, I think that the idea of more and more lawyers in the system is good for the health of the nation. We have a country that is governed by the rule of law. It means we need to have lawyers in virtually all aspects of our national life guiding the development of the country so that the rule of law really makes sense,” he said on Accra-based Peace FM Thursday October 21.
Earlier in the week, the aggrieved 499 law students who were denied admission, despite passing the 2021 Ghana School of Law entrance exam appealed to him to intervene.
The students said their supposed failure was a travesty of justice, a situation that should be corrected immediately.
At a press conference in Accra on Monday October 18, they said “on 15th October, 2021, we petitioned the Office of the President, appealing to His Excellency to use his Executive authority to come to our aid, in our quest for justice and to vindicate our fundamental human rights as enshrined in Chapter 5 of the 1992 Constitution of our dear country. As we speak, we are yet to receive a response from the high office of the President.
“We are nonetheless confident that President Akufo-Addo, who, for all intent and purposes, has proven to be a renowned human right lawyer and freedom fighter, would rise to the occasion and do justice to our legitimate grievances. We appeal to the President, who also happens to be a member in permanent good standing at the bar, to cause his official Representative on the GLC, the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame Esq, who is clothed with powers under the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), to order the General Legal Council and for that matter the Ghana School of Law, to comply with their own rules of engagement and within the confines of the law, by admitting the remaining 499 candidates who passed the entrance exams.
“This, respectfully, is not too much to ask for, Your Excellency. It is the reason why we voted for you, and we humbly beseech you to do exactly that,” the said.
The students subsequently, hit the principal streets of Accra on Wednesday, October 20, to register their displeasure over what they describe as maltreatment and injustice meted out to some of their colleagues.
They submitted a petition to Parliament and the Presidency after protesting in the streets for hours.
Among other things, they requested for the immediate admission of the 499 candidates into the Ghana School of Law. They also called for the decentralization of the legal education in the country.
Asked what will happen to these 499 students, the president admitted that nothing can be done as there is no space for them.
“For the time being, there is no space in the law school for them. This is the problem. There are several others before them who have also fallen into the same pit. Maybe this group have decided to be more vocal than their predecessors,” President Akufo-Addo added.
“It is unfortunate. I cannot pretend that this is a happy coincidence for me at all. On the contrary I’m very disturbed by it. I’m hoping that soon the cooperation of the various stakeholders; the general legal council, Chief Justice himself, attorney general and myself, we will find a solution to this
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said he has no evidence suggesting that persons who have presidential ambitions in his government are distracted and have lost focused on the jobs assigned to them.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will need a new leader for the 2024 election as the President’s mandate expires.
Persons who have shown interest to succeed Mr Akufo-Addo include Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, Boakye Agyarko, Minister of Food and Agriculture Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Mr Joe Ghartey.
Speaking on Accra-based Peace FM on Thursday, 21 October 2021, Nana Akufo-Addo said despite showing interest in the presidency, these persons are not distracted and still focused on their jobs for the good of the country.
He said: “I’ve no evidence their ambition is interfering with their work. On the contrary, I continue to see in the cabinet, in the government, people who are working strongly for the state.”
Explaining his point, Nana Akufo-Addo said “You can see Owusu Afriyie Akoto, he’s busy working on the agricultural projects to maintain our industrial agenda. He’s working very hard. Wherever I go, I see this one village one dam. [With Kyerematen] every day the country is seeing our commitment to build factories and industries.
“Bawumia is the chairman of the economic management team and also has the position as vice president and we see the big efforts that the economy is making in very difficult circumstances.
“All of them are working and I’ve no feeling it is affecting their job or I’ll have to act. Assuming someone’s ambition is affecting his job, the president cannot be unconcerned”.
He advised the NPP that in choosing his successor, “we should’ve a transparent, credible, acceptable process for choosing our next flagbearer
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has made a candid admission that he wants a presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who can unite the party after its primaries.
“I want a candidate who can manage the cracks that will emerge after the party’s primary because these cracks have the tendency to affect the state,” he stated.
He noted that the cracks that will emerge after the presidential primary has the potential to affect the state if not properly managed.
Nana Akufo-Addo said the only way to manage these cracks if they emerge was to elect a candidate who is formidable and can unite the party.
The president made said this on Accra-based Peace FM on Thursday, 21 October 2021.
“As a leader of the party who will be exiting soon, all I want to see is fairness in the processes towards all the personalities yearning to succeed me as leader of the party,” he noted.
The President said the only way to prevent cracks emerging after the presidential primaries is fairness in the processes.
An Accra Circuit Court has today, Thursday, 21 October 2021 remanded dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale and three other accomplices into police custody for a week.
They were remanded during their first appearance in court.
Shatta Wale (Charles Nii Armah Mensah) was arrested in connection with a staged gun attack on him.
The dance hall artiste is in court for his alleged involvement in the creation and circulation of information intended to cause fear and panic.
He is in custody with three of his crew members who staged the fake act.
The fake act was staged by the entertainer and his crew after one Bishop Steven Akwasi Appiah, also known as Jesus Ahuofe, prophesied on Accra100.5FM on 28 September 2021 that a popular dancehall artiste called ‘Charles’ would be shot dead on 18 October 2021 just as Lucky Dube was shot dead in South Africa.
A former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo does not remember that his party made a promise ahead of last year’s elections, to establish a harbour in Cape Coast in the Central Region.
Ahead of the elections, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who was the running mate to Mr Akufo-Addo promised that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was going to build a harbour in that part of the country.
He said at the campaign launch in Cape Coast that “The people of Cape Coast, I have good news for you, we are building a new harbour in Cape Coast and a new airport in Cape Coast.”
But President Akufo-Addo has said that was not part of his promises.
“The commitment was never to a harbour; it was to a landing site,” he said on Cape Coast-based Eagle FM on Monday October 18.
In series of tweets reacting to this, Mr Kwakye Ofosu said “[Former] President Mahama expanded Tema Port to make it the largest in West and Central Africa. As for Prez Akufo-Addo,he doesn’t even remember that he promised the folks in Cape Coast a Harbour.”
PREZ MAHAMA EXPANDED TEMA PORT TO MAKE IT THE LARGEST IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA. AS FOR PREZ AKUFO-ADDO,HE DOESN’T EVEN REMEMBER THAT HE PROMISED THE FOLKS IN CAPE COAST A HARBOUR. PIC.TWITTER.COM/1VWSU2BXXW— Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) October 21, 2021
He added “What is it with President Akufo-Addo and Ports and Harbours?If he is not appointing a CEO for the non-existent Keta Port,then he is denying ever promising to give the people of Cape Coast a Harbour.”
WHAT IS IT WITH PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO AND PORTS AND HARBOURS?IF HE IS NOT APPOINTING A CEO FOR THE NON-EXISTENT KETA PORT,THEN HE IS DENYING EVER PROMISING TO GIVE THE PEOPLE OF CAPE COAST A HARBOUR.🤦🏿— Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) October 21, 2021
The president said that infrastructure project was never a part of the list of commitments tabled before him for his second term
Cape Coast harbour saga: I goofed, forgive me, says Akufo-Addo
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he goofed in saying that he never promised to building a harbour in Cape Coast in the Central Region.
He has, therefore, asked the residents of Cape Coast to forgive him for the blunder during a recent radio interview.
Speaking on Accra-based Peace FM on Thursday (21 October) President Akufo-Addo admitted, “I must confess, I made a mistake.”
The president speaking on Cape Coast-based Eagle FM on Monday said the Cape Coast harbour project was never a part of the list of commitments tabled before him for his second term.
“I never said I was going to build a harbour in Cape Coast. I said I was going to build a landing site like what I’ve done in these six other places in the Central Region. Cape Coast will also have its landing site, and the construction of that will start next year.”
He added “The commitment was never to a harbour; it was to a landing site,” he said.
Watch the video below:
Video Player00:0001:02
However, ahead of his Greater Accra tour, he said, “I made a mistake, let me just confess it. I made a mistake in looking at the manifesto, I tried to do that before I go, I saw one page which talked about the landing site, I didn’t go further to see. But in any event even with the mistake, I think still we have to rethink a lot of things.
“We have a harbour in Elmina which is being developed liked that, obviously Takoradi [too]. We have another one projected for Cape Coast before we go further down. I think some rethinking has to go on, for us to be able to find what the value for money arrangement is ….”
He added, “But it was a mistake and I have to apologise to the people of Cape Coast and the Central Region for that mistake. Presidents are human, after all, we are not supermen
The National Association of Law Students (NALS) has presented a petition on the aggrieved 499 law students who did not gain admission into the law school despite scoring more than the usual 50% pass mark in the 2021 Ghana School of Law entrance exam.
The petition, among other things, is pleading with Parliament to intervene and ask the General Legal Council and the Management of the law school to immediately reverse their decision and admit the students.
Leaders of the Association who are dissatisfied with the last minute changes in the overall scoring marks for admission after the students have already finished writing their exams, pleaded with the leadership of Parliament to act fast to prevent any further actions from the aggrieved students.
The pass mark for the entrance exams has always been a total of 50% in both sections. However, for this year’s exams, the rule has been changed and candidates have to score at least 50% in each of the sections.
Receiving the petition on behalf of the Leadership of Parliament, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu noted that the petition would be discussed and Leadership will take the appropriate steps to address the concerns of the students
This comes just on the heels of a two-day tour of the Central Region.
The tour of the Greater Accra Region will, first of all, take the President to the Ga Mantse Palace, where he will pay a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse to announce the start of the tour.
His first inspection duty will be at the Agbogbloshie Reclaimed Land Site, from where onion sellers were driven away last month.
After lunch, he will then move to the Adentan Constituency, Nanakrom to be precise, to inspect work on the dualisation of the Nanakrom road.
He will then cap the day with an inspection of the Accra Intelligent Traffic Management Project.
Day 2 will see the launch of the ‘Operation Clean Your Frontage’ under the Let’s Make Accra Work Again initiative by the regional minister, Henry Quartey.
He will then meet all members of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) of the Region as well as chief executives (MMDCEs) at the GNAT Hall to end his day.
Saturday, October 23 will then see the President meet the Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa.
His tour of the Greater Accra Region will end with a courtesy call on chiefs of Amasaman at the Nsakina School Park, as per his itinerary
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said the African can be as successful as any other, and has, therefore urged the youth to acquire the necessary mental and physical skills to take their rightful place in shaping the continent’s destiny.
Dr Bawumia said this when he represented and delivered a speech on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the ongoing YouthConnekt Summit on Wednesday, 20 October 2021.
He further challenged Africa’s youth to take a lead role in positioning the continent as the giant of the future, with the large and growing human resource at her disposal.
The YouthConnekt Africa Summit is an annual convening that connects youth from across the continent and beyond with policy influencers, political leaders, public/private and development sector institutions to engage, discuss, design, and accelerate youth empowerment efforts at the continent level.
In addition, every year the summit creates a platform for a larger number of young people from all over the world to learn and engage in YouthConnekt Africa’s youth development programs.
YouthConnekt Africa Summit provides a platform for all partners involved in youth development to synergize around policies, programs and partnerships that will connect youth for continental transformation.
The top speakers at this year’s event include Paul Kagame President of Rwanda, Mr. Jung-taek Lim Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ghana, Mustapha Ussif Minister of Youth & Sports, Ghana and Rosemary Mbabazi, Minister of Youth and Culture, Rwanda
Council of the University of Ghana has confirmed the appointment of Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo as the Vice Chancellor of the country’s first university.
She now becomes the first female VC of the University.
On Wednesday, October 20, a firm decision was taken to make Prof Amfo, the Pro-Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, the substantive Vice Chancellor with effect from Tuesday, October 26.
Profile
Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo was born in Kumasi. Following her nursery education at the then University Primary School (now KNUST Basic School), she continued her basic education at Services Primary School (Takoradi) and Goldfields Schools Complex (Tarkwa). She had her secondary education at Holy Child School (O’ Level, 1988) and Archbishop Porter Girls’ Secondary School (A’ Level, 1990). She proceeded to the University of Ghana, from 1991 to 1996, for a Bachelor’s degree in French and Linguistics. Both her MPhil (2001) and PhD (2007) degrees in Linguistics are from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, where she studied with sponsorship from the Norwegian government under the then Quota Programme. Professor Amfo has received additional training in higher education management and leadership from Harvard Business School, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and INSEAD, France.
Professor Amfo’s career in academia started in 2001 as a Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics after her Master’s degree. In 2007, the same year she obtained her PhD degree, she was promoted Senior Lecturer. Her promotion to Associate Professor was in 2011, and Professor in 2017. Professor Amfo’s research interests are in the linguistic sub-discipline of Pragmatics, which allows her to explore the role that context plays in our conversational interactions and how that influences communication in different domains. Her research resulting in several publications in nationally and internationally reputable journals such as Acta Linguistica Hafnensia, Current Issues in Language Planning, Discourse and Society, Ghana Journal of Linguistics, Journal of Pragmatics, Journal of West African Languages, Legon Journal of the Humanities, Lingua, Linguistics, Nordic Journal of African Studies, Nordic Journal of Linguistics, Pragmatics, and Studies in African Linguistics, have covered the role of function words in communication, information structure, grammaticalisation, language use in specific domains such as health, gendered contexts, politics, religion and migratory contexts. Her (edited) books and book chapters have been published by Ayebia Clarke Publishing Company, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Novus Press, Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) and Sub-Saharan Publishers. Her recently (2018) co-authored textbook on Therapeutic Communication Competencies for Nurses and Midwives, commissioned by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, is published by DigiBooks.
Professor Amfo has acquired extensive multi-cultural experience through various professional engagements in twenty countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. These engagements include giving competitive and invited talks, serving as external assessor and engaging with research and professional collaborators. She has been an external examiner for a number of Universities including University of Nairobi, Kenya; University of the Western Cape, South Africa; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway; Stockholm University, Sweden and University of Education, Winneba.
Professor Amfo is currently Dean of the School of Languages at the University of Ghana. She previously served as the Head of the Department of Linguistics (2013 – 2014). She has participated in the governance of the University of Ghana through her service on several statutory and adhoc boards and committees. These include her current membership of the Business and Executive Committee, and University and College of Humanities Academic Boards. She has served on the Boards of the School of Graduate Studies (2012 – 2016) and Office of Research Innovation and Development (ORID [2014 – 2018]). She previously served as the Chair of the Management Board of the University Basic School (2011 – 2016), the College of Humanities Senior and Junior Staff Appointments and Promotions Committee (2014 – 2018) and the Mentoring and Professional Development Sub-committee of the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA), University of Ghana (2010 – 2013). She was the University of Ghana’s representative on the Catholic University College Appointments and Promotions Committee (2011 – 2016). She currently chairs the School of Languages Management Committee and is a member of the College of Humanities Advisory Board. Professor Amfo is a life member of the University of Ghana Alumni Association and a member of its Council. She also serves as a Tutor of Mensah Sarbah Hall.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities on Legon campus and at the Accra City Campus, Professor Amfo has (co)supervised four undergraduate students, eighteen Master’s students and five PhD students for their long essays and theses. She is currently supervising one PhD student and co-supervising two others. Her passion for mentoring particularly younger professional women has driven her to organise and or facilitate several capacity building training programmes in both the public and private higher education sectors, as well as in other public and private organisations. She has been a consultant trainer for the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana. Professor Amfo is currently an Advisory Board member of the Coalition of People Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Harmful Practices (CoPASH) – A UNFPA supported programme.
Professor Amfo is a member of several professional associations including the Society of Communication, Medicine and Ethics, International Pragmatics Association (where she serves on its Consultation Board; the first African to serve in this capacity since the Association’s establishment in 1986), West African Linguistics Society and Linguistics Association of Ghana (where she served as President from 2010 – 2014). She is a pioneer fellow, senior scholar and Chair of the Steering Committee of the African Humanities Program of the American Council of Learned Societies. She is also a fellow of the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD), Commonwealth Professionals Fellowship and the prestigious International Women’s Forum Leadership Program. Professor Amfo has recently been awarded a Georg Foster Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Professor Amfo is a Christian who worships at Praise Community Church, Adenta. She is married to Frank Amfo and the couple have been blessed with three lovely children – Yoofi, Maame Araba and Efua Benyiwa
Controversial dancehall artiste Shatta Wale is still in police custody and will appear before court tomorrow Thursday, October 21, 2021.
A Police team on Wednesday afternoon took him for a search in his house after which he was returned to custody.
KWESI TV 24 sources say the Police are ready with their charges against the popular musician and his colleagues who are also in custody.
Shatta Wale reported himself to the Police on Tuesday evening after his house was surrounded by dozens of officers following claims that he was shot by unknown gunmen.
His Personal Assistant was the first to announce on social media that his boss had been shot. The PA, Nana Dope, is also in custody.
The ‘Bullet’ hit maker has however apologised for the fake news
A prophet from Prophetic Hill Chapel, Nigel Gaisie is advocating for the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram Constituency to be allowed to contest unopposed in the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) upcoming primaries.
On the Anopa Bↄfoↄ morning show on October 18, 2021 the clergyman revealed that efforts will be made at sabotaging Samuel Nartey George popularly known as “Gyata” in his quest to run for the third time as MP at the primaries.
The legislator, currently serving his second term, is one of eight Parliamentarians who presented the anti-LGBTQ+ bill titled “Bill on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values” to Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on June 29, 2021.
The bill seeks to criminalise activities including the promotion, advocacy and funding of the community, which has received support from a section of the public including religious organizations and civil society groups.
But Mr. Nartey George’s opposition, according to Nigel Gaisie, will rise on the back of the lead role he plays in the fight against the legalization of the LGBTQ+ activities.
“They [LGBTQ+ promoters] will fight him to lose the primaries…I have seen as a prophet that he has put his hands on his head grieving over the loss of his seat…They will do everything for him to lose it.”
“If I were to be them [NDC leaders] and if it is within their laws and by-laws, I would let Sam George go unopposed to make a statement to the world” Prophet Nigel added.
Lauding the anti-LGBTQ+ advocate for this braveness at pushing for the bill to be passed by Ghana’s Parliament, the leader of the church noted that Sam George’s works will remain a legacy in the annals of history even if it does happen that he loses the seat.
Report reaching KWESI TV 24 indicates that Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ghana to the Republic of Italy, Eudora Quartey-Koranteng has passed away.××
She died on Wednesday 20th October, 2021, in Rome after a short illness.
Ambassador Quartey-Koranteng served the country since 2019 when she replaced Tangoba Abayage. She recently hosted President Akufo-Addo in Serbia where she is accredited to as well when the president attended the NAM meeting.
She left behind her husband and two children.
Mrs. Quartey-Koranteng during her mission promoted the various programmes of the government to improve the human resource capacity of local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary further shared government’s commitment to make Ghana an active player in the 21st century world arena under the “Ghana Beyond Aid” initiative which is aimed at building a self-sufficient Ghana that could partner investors.
Ambassador Quartey-Koranteng once noted that the “Free Senior High School”, “Planting for food and jobs” and “One-district-one-factory” are some of the key projects currently being aggressively implemented throughout Ghana.
She reiterated Ghana’s offer of a viable environment for business, and called for more Italian investors to consider Ghana, a business destination.
She succeeded Paulina Patience Tangoba Abayage who was Minister for the Upper East Region
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commissioned the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point, a 330/34.5 kilo-volt substation designed to improve the supply and distribution of electricity for consumers in the northern areas of Accra.
Funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to the tune of US$47 million, the Supply Point, according to the President, is testimony to Government’s commitment to improving electricity supply in the country.
Commissioning the project on Wednesday, 20th October 2021, the President stated that the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point, whose construction commenced in February 2019, “is also the fourth Bulk Supply Point in Accra, it is the first three hundred and thirty kilo-volt (330kV) Bulk Supply Point in the capital, and it is the most technologically advanced substation in Ghana”.
Siting of the BSP in Pokuase, he explained, was informed by the rapidly increasing load demand for electricity from this part of Accra, as Pokuase and its environs have become load points for power demand, hence being strategically positioned for the presence of such a critical power infrastructure.
“The essence of constructing the sub-station is to improve power supply quality and reliability to some three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) existing customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Pokuase, Kwabenya, Legon, Nsawam and neighbouring communities,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo continued, “It is also planned to reduce significantly technical losses in the Ghana Grid Company’s (GRIDCo) transmission system and the ECG power distribution system, ultimately contributing to improving their financial viability.”
Beyond the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point, the President stated that Government is carrying out several other initiatives and projects to ensure that the country is able to meet its increasing power needs, arising out of the country’s growing population and Government’s industrial agenda, through initiatives such as the One-District-One-Factory policy, amongst others. Besides the Pokuase substation, which was commissioned, work is also ongoing on the Kasoa Bulk Supply Point, which will be the second largest bulk supply point in Ghana.
“The fifty-million-dollar (US$50 million) BSP project , again, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation under the Ghana Power Compact Programme, will benefit some two hundred and forty-one thousand, five hundred and eight (241,508) ECG customers, and contribute to substantial reduction in transmission losses in GRIDCo’s transmission system. The Kasoa project is expected to be completed before the end of this year,” the President added.
Further, he told the gathering that the national transmission backbone, under construction from the coast to Bolgatanga, had a gap between Kumasi and Kintampo, which has since been completed a few weeks ago.
“Completion of this portion of the Kumasi/Bolgatanga transmission line project will ease the load on Kumasi sub-stations, and become the instrument of power transmission within the Ashanti, Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions, and in parts of northern Ghana. In addition to this is the ongoing Tema to Accra transmission line upgrade project to accommodate an increase from one hundred and sixty-one kilo-volts (161KV) capacity to three hundred and thirty kilo-volts (330KV) capacity,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo thanked the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the United States government for their continued support; MiDA for its effective oversight of the project; Elecnor S.A., the main contractors for the procurement, supply, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of the project; as well as management and staff of GRIDCO and ECG.
He also thanked the Minister for Energy, Hon. Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and his predecessors for their leadership in helping to deliver this project.
President Akufo-Addo stated in conclusion that that “the Akufo-Addo government remains fully committed to ensuring safe, stable and affordable power supply in this country. As we focus on realising the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda, which has industrialisation as its crown jewel, it is imperative that we pursue this goal with dogged determination, to help ensure that every nook and cranny of this country has access to electricity as the main driver of our vision
The Member of Parliament (MP) of the Hohoe constituency of the Volta Region, John-Peter Amewu has refuted claims by the former flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the seat through arm twisting tactics.××
According to him, the claim of Mr. Mahama and the NDC is evident of the fact that they have lost touch with reality and hence have no idea whatsoever of the level of hard work, unity and sacrifice that went into winning the Hohoe seat from the NDC.
Mr. Amewu who has been described by many as a history maker for his exploits in the Volta Region and Hohoe in particular stressed that Hohoe was not won on a silver platter, but with a unity in purpose and commitment.
The Railway Development Minister made the assertion in Ho during the Volta Regional Annual Delegates Conference last Tuesday, October 19, 2021; a day after the former NDC flag bearer made his claim in Ho.
Since 1992, the NDC has been holding the Hohoe seat until the last election when John Peter Amewu who was then the Energy Minister, won the seat for the NPP for the first time in history.
The historic feat was reached with 26,952 votes in his favour as against 21,821 votes for his major competitor from NDC, Prof. Margaret Kweku. The victory left many in disbelief considering the fact that in 2016, the NDC’s Bernice Adiku Heloo secured 35,437 as against the NPP’s Marlon Praises Anipa’s 6,462.
Despite the over 5000 vote difference and proof of the broken grip of the NDC in Hohoe, Mr. Mahama and the NDC still believes the historic NPP victory was chalked through ‘arm twisting’.
“There are 18 constituencies in the region (Volta), you gave us 17 and I know that even Hohoe we would have won but for the arm twisting that took place,” he said on Global FM in Ho last Monday during his ‘Thank You’ tour.
Responding to the claims of the NDC flag bearer, Mr. Amewu stressed that unity was the secret behind winning the Hohoe seat. “That is how we won Hohoe; we won Hohoe because we were united,” he reiterated.
He added that what was achieved in Hohoe could be achieved in other constituencies in the Volta region because, “The Volta Region presents the growth of the NPP in Ghana.”
Mr. Amewu announced that “Hohoe is not better than Anlo, Ketu South or Ketu North. Former Chairman, Kenwuud is from Ketu North. If Hohoe can do it, then Ketu North Can also do it.”
He added that Hohoe was won because he looked beyond his personal interest and focused on the greater good.
He commended the regional executives, particularly the Chairman, Makafui Woanya for the hard work to increase the party’s votes in the 2020 elections, but called for a ten-year strategic plan to annex Volta region from the hands of the NDC.
This he said can be made possible with adequate and consistent support for the Volta region by the National Executives and other well-meaning members and financiers of the NPP
The paramount Chief of the Aflao Traditional area, Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti, has given the government a four month ultimatum to open the e-block community day senior high school which has stalled since 2016.
The ¢9 million project which was part of some 200 classroom blocks the erstwhile Mahama administration started was supposed to have some 26 classrooms attached and 5 departments including a science block.
Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti speaking with the Minority side of the Education Committee who toured the uncompleted school buildings in the Ketu South constituency says, government’s approach to education is appalling.
“After senior high school education, the next degree that my people have to do is to go to border and go and do kayayo, no school.
“The only school that we have is the RC Senior High School that belongs to the Catholic Mission Minor Seminary. So this thick population have no place to go and people sit down in that big hall called parliament and not thinking about Aflao, a place after the Tema Harbour , the next revenue generation is from the Aflao border.
“I had to push the former President Mahama for the structure to be constructed over there. I had to be running from here to Accra begging.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Mr Yofi Grant has said that Ghana is well positioned to dig deeper into the rapid Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) growth especially in green investments and technology.
In a tweet on the World Investment Conference 2021, he said ” Revealing trends in Global FDI & associated developments. Ghana is well positioned to dig deeper into the rapid FDI growth especially in green investments and technology.”
In September this year, he revealed that Ghana is expected to generate $3billion from Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in 2021.
He said this to journalists on the sidelines of the GIPC Annual Investment Summit dubbed #SparkUp2021! On Tuesday September 7.
According to him, the revenues will come from the Agric sector and also infrastructure, among others.
“As at middle of the year, despite the weak position by UNCTAD [the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development], we are seeing some very interesting numbers. In the first half, a total of 122 projects (ie, 94 new projects and 28 upstream existing projects) have brought in foreign direct investment of US$829 million,” he said.
“This gives a 32.15% increase on what we saw in the first half of 2020, which was US$627 million.”
In last year, Ghana saw a surge in FDI inflows, recording an impressive 2.6 billion dollars’ worth of inbound investments for the year.
The trend defied the anticipated steep decline in FDI flows as a second wave of COVID 19 infections threatened to cripple the Ghanaian economy.
A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development placed the pandemic-induced decline in global FDI at 42 percent. The fall was however highly uneven across developing regions: -37% in Latin America and the Caribbean, -18% in Africa and -4% in developing countries in Asia.
While Ghana had initially witnessed a plateau in FDI inflows during the first wave of infection and its ensuing lockdowns, investments well along saw a rebound on the back of government policy responses to mitigate the impact of the health pandemic on businesses.
Total investment inflows thus peaked to US$2,796.49 million in 2020, with a total FDI value of US$2,650.97 million for Ghana. The FDI value of US$2,650.97 million illustrates a significant increase of 139.06% over the FDI value of US$1,108.93 million recorded in 2019.
With the considerable inflow of investments, some 279 projects were registered within the year. This comprised 129 newly registered projects, 131 upstream developments and 19 free zones activities -dispersed across eight regions, with Greater Accra registering the highest number of 231 projects. Cumulatively, some 27,110 jobs are expected to be generated from the aforementioned registered projects.
For the year under review, some countries that stood out as the nation’s leading sources of inward investments included, China, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and the Netherlands.
In terms of the sector allocation of the investments, the manufacturing sector with 57 projects recorded the largest FDI value of US$1,270.53 million. This was followed by the services and mining sectors with FDI values of US$656.19 million and US$ 424,32 million respectively.
On the domestic front, additional equity (cash and goods) totaling US$69.28 million was ploughed back as investment from 172 already existing companies, whereas GHC1,438.91 million was obtained from 52 wholly Ghanaian-owned ventures.
While this trend of strong performance in Ghana’s inbound FDI amidst the global health pandemic could be attributed to a combination of factors including effective government policy responses, an easing of travel restrictions and more importantly the delivery and expected future development of vaccines in-country, the GIPC’s notable efforts as the leading Investment Promotion Agency also played a pivotal role in attracting investors.
Moreover, as Ghana steps into an era of liberalized trade under the AFCFTA, there’s even stronger commitment from the Center to boost investor confidence and ultimately harness valuable investments for Ghana, now Africa’s Business Capital
Transport fares are expected to go up by Monday, October 25, according to the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU).
The percentage at which the increment would be done is immediately not known but according to the Union, it is as a result of the fuel price increment.
The Industrial Relations Officer of GPRTU, Accra branch, Alhaji Abass Imoro, said they have met with the Transport Ministry on the issue and the only thing left for them is to increase the fares by next week.
“The rate at which our fuel prices are increased, I don’t want to preempt anything because there could be another increment soon,” he stated.
Earlier, the Union had warned that it would soon consider increment in transport fares should the current trend of fuel price increments continue.
The Union noted that at the last increments in transport fares, they had projected up till December, 2021 for any varying decision but the rate at which fuel products are being increased arbitrarily, they may be compelled to increase it before December.
Effective Sunday, October 17, a litre of fuel cost GH¢6.80 at some oumps, a situation which has caused many a Ghanaian anxiety.
Reacting to the issue on 3FM’s Sunrise on Wednesday to host Alfred Ocansey, Alhaji Imoro said “do not blame us if we increase it”.
“Government came up with a sharing policy and we have done our part but they have not. So, hopefully, by next week, we shall increase transport fares.”
Alhaji Imoro said “as we speak now, those who are not in any union have increased their fares. The floating trotro drivers have increased their fares”.
Energy expert Kojo Poku said “the government is not taking the impact of fuel price increase seriously”.
He said all the levies on fuel products have transferred unto the consumer, making life difficult for Ghanaians.
Mr. Poku urged the media to prevail on the Finance Ministry to render accounts to the people of Ghana on the stabilization levy.
“The Finance Ministry must account for the GH¢1.26 billion Price Stabilization Levy”.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will officially commission the newly constructed 580MVA Pokuase Bulk Supply Point Substation (BSP) today October 20, 2021.
The Pokuase BSP, constructed at a total cost of $64.72 million, is Ghana’s largest power substation and the fifth bulk supply point to be constructed in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
Construction work on the project began in 2019 and was completed in May 2021.
Funding for the project was provided by the United States Government through its agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), as part of the Ghana Power Compact II Programme.
The substation would improve and raise the operational and financial efficiencies of ECG and GRIDCo and increase the quality and reliability of electricity supplied to homes, offices, small, medium and large business enterprises in parts of Greater Accra.
Over 350,000 current customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) living in Pokuase, Nsawam, Achimota, Kwabenya, Haatso, Agbogba, Adenta, Anyaa Sowutuom and their environs are already noticing improvements in the quality of electricity supplied to them since it was energised by GRIDCo.
President Akufo-Addo will be joined by the US Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan, Nii Oto Kwame V, the chief of Pokuase and Klorkai Densua IV, Queen-mother of Pokuase, as well as officials of MiDA, ECG, GRIDCo and Ministry of Energy to cut the ribbon and unveil a plaque to formally commission the BSP
“We will remain ever grateful to you, our President; and to God for the rare gift of visionary leadership in governance and in administration that he has given you to serve this nation. It is without doubt that God has indeed ordained you to lead Ghana onto a path of self-reliance and economic freedom. Clearly, you are the Moses of our time.”
These were the words of Otumfuo Amoah Sasraku III, Paramount Chief of Twifo Hemang Traditional Area, when the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, paid a courtesy call on him today Tuesday, 19th October 2021, as part of his two-day working visit to the Central region.
Otumfuo Amoah Sasraku III applauded the President for his decision to embark on a tour of the country, adding that “irrespective of the remote nature of our communities and its nearly impassable roads, you are still able to touch base with us and offer solutions to our concerns.”
According to the Chief, “even in the absence of the luxury of time to state the life-changing interventions the President has instituted to the benefit of Ghanaians, I cannot be silent about the huge school projects that are dotted all around our communities; many of which are completed, whilst others are at varying stages of completion.”
He continued, “This exemplifies the President’s renown as an avowed proponent of universal education for our young ones. A lot has already been said about the Free SHS policy and Free School Feeding Programme. It is now a thing of the past to hear people ask for handouts to pay the school fees of their wards. This is a personal testimony and we are. The kids and their parents are therefore grateful”
Concluding, Otumfuo Amoah Sasraku III also mentioned the construction of Community Small Water Systems across the traditional area, to take care of the water and sanitation needs of the people, as yet another example of the achievements undertaken by President Akufo-Addo in the area.
There were murmurs in an Accra High Court yesterday when it turned out that the soldiers caught in the plot to overthrow the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government demanded GH¢50,000 each as reward during and after the execution of the illegal constitutional action.××
The demand was part of series of discussions held between the alleged coup plotters who had planned to use violent means to topple the government because they said democracy was not helping Ghana.
The court also heard how Dr. Frederick Yaw MacPalm, the medical doctor who is the alleged mastermind of the coup plot had promised the soldiers positions in his administration when he takes over power.
The prosecution’s third witness, Staff Sergeant Awarf Kojo Sule made the revelation when he took his turn to testify in the trial of the ten who are before the court on charges of high treason and abetment of high treason.
Led in his evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, the witness told the court that somewhere between April and May 2018 he was approached by one of the accused persons, WOII Esther Saan, who informed him about the intended plan to overthrow the government.
He then informed the court how Dr. MacPalm during their first meeting sold his idea for a coup, indicating that both the ruling NPP and the NDC had failed the youth of the country.
Staff Sergeant Sule told the court that he went to Col. Ansu (rtd.) and narrated what had transpired at the meeting, and the Colonel directed him to go and see Major General Omane Agyekum, who in turn called the Director of Defence Intelligence to discuss the issue.
The witness told the court that his superiors asked him to feign interest in the coup plot, and he was given audio and video recording devices to capture all his conversations with Dr. MacPalm and the group.
He narrated that he recorded his meetings with the group, and during one of those meetings, they discussed how to get other security personnel and soldiers to join the cause to overthrow the government.
He said they were also given Tecno mobile phones with SIM cards to aid their communications, and discussions were also held using Gota phones for their communications.
Key Installations
Staff Sergeant Sule told the court about how Dr. MacPalm had called him to prepare a sketch map of some key installations that will be targeted during the coup d’état.
“I gave the sketch to Mr. Bright to be given to Doctor. After he (MacPalm) reviewed the maps he raised a lot of concerns about the targeted places so he asked me to meet BB and the group so that we will re-draw the map and add some key installation areas like Air Force Base, Accra, Military Academy Training School Armoury at Teshie and Base Ammunition Depot, Tema.”
President’s Capture
The court also heard how the coup plotters’ plan included what to do with the President and his officials once they are captured during the coup, and WOII Esther Saan suggested that the President should be eliminated when captured.
“We also discussed about where we are going to send the President and his administrators when they are captured. I suggested that I have an uncompleted building at Adenta Housing and WOII Saan suggested again that ‘that man must be killed’,” the court heard.
“My Lords, at this meeting GH¢50 MoMo (mobile money) was sent to myself, Mr. Bright, Sylvester Akanpeon and WOII Esther Saan’s MoMo numbers by Mr. Bright who told us that it was Doctor who asked that the money be given to us to buy credit on our Tecno mobile phones so that we will not use our main mobile phones to communicate,” he added.
Weapons
Staff Sergeant Sule also testified about the group’s plans to acquire weapons to facilitate their plans, and this included Dr. MacPalm disclosing that he had some police officers at the Kotobabi Police Station and some in the Eastern Region who had promised to give him assault rifles.
He told the court how Dr. MacPalm recruited Donya Kafui from Alavanyo in the Volta Region to manufacture pistols and Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs) for the ‘operation’.
H said Dr. MacPalm gave Donya a total of GH¢7,000 for the manufacturing materials and Donya managed to manufacture ten pistols and 22 IEDs.
The court heard how Dr. MacPalm, Donya Kafui and the witness went to a beach to test two of the pistols which led to the arrest by soldiers from the Southern Command at Teshie.
The witness told the court that his video and audio recordings of meetings of the group were downloaded onto an external hard drive which was tendered, and would be played today when the court resumes sitting
A former Minister of Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has sued the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi for defamation.
Mr. Spio-Garbrah is taking the action because he claims Mr. Wontumi called him a thief on a live TV show in September 2020.
In the writ sighted by citinewsroom.com, it said Mr. Wontumi (1st defendant), called the plaintiff a thief on a political show on a TV owned by him on Thursday, September 10, 2020.
According to the writ, Mr, Wontumi said: “All that Inusah Fuseini is saying is that even him, Inusah Fuseini is a thief. If you mention Spio-Garbrah’s name he is a thief, Sylvester Mensah is a thief, Johsua Alabi is a thief, all their Presidential candidates are thieves so if John Mahama is a thief then let us allow him to continue stealing”.
It is not clear yet what specifically was being discussed during that TV show that elicited the supposed comments by Wontumi.
“The Plaintiff says that the defamatory words were uttered, without caution by the defendant in a malicious manner with the intent to cause damage and injury to the plaintiff’s hard-earned global reputation.”
The Plaintiff quantifies the value of his global reputation as being in excess of ten million dollars, hence the request for that amount as compensation.
“General damages equivalent to the global reputational value of the Plaintiff as quoted in paragraph 10 of the Statement of Claim.”
The Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) has aborted the decision to withhold salaries of workers who fail to obtain a Ghana card.
The decision to suspend the directive was taken after a meeting held by officials of the Ministries of Employment and Labour Relations, Finance and the CAGD on Tuesday October 19
A communiqué issued after the meeting asked the CAGD to “port the names of public sector workers in their existing databases onto the NIA platform and thereafter inform the various institutions of any unregistered staff that may exist.”
The CAGD had in an earlier statement on Wednesday October 13 indicated that from 1st December, 2021, all government workers without the Ghana Card were not going to be paid salaries.
Portions of the statement said “By this notice, all existing and prospective Government workers arc to ensure they are registered with the NIA and have obtained their Identity numbers.”
“As part of Government of Ghana’s efforts to deliver speedy, secured and verified payroll services to government employees and pensioners while reducing the risk of undeserving payments or claims, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) is collaborating with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to have a harmonized database to facilitate biometric and unique identification of all workers on the government payroll,” the statement added.
Labour unions rejected this move. They said they were not consulted in the decision by the CAGD.
The unions say even though the motive is good one, the timing is wrong since Accra and Kumasi are not the only cities that constitute Ghana.
They therefore warned the Department to halt such threats if it wants peace in this country.
The Deputy Secretary-General of Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, in an interview on 3FM’s Sunrise on Thursday said “it is very very unfortunate that the controller will sit and make such decision.
“The laws governing salaries must be respected and TUC says no no to it and we are calling the Controller to do the needful”, he told Sunrise Host, Alfred Ocansey on Thursday.
Mr. Ansah explained that “doing the needful means that all the stakeholders must be brought on board to decide on the issue because Accra and Kumasi is not only Ghana. We have remote areas”.
“I don’t want to believe it. They must do the needful by calling on the labour unions and talk about it because it is a good thing but wrong approach”.
Ningo Prampram Member of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George also said there was no law backing the decision by the CADG to stop paying salaries of workers who fail to obtain the Ghana card.
Speaking on this matter on the Key Points on TV3/3FM Saturday October 16, Sam George said “Everything is regulated by law, salaries are not regulated by LI 2111, the NIA is behaving as though LI2111 is the law that governs everything in this country, no.
“It regulates you (NIA), it doesn’t regulate registration of SIM cards. It is LI 2006 that has not been amended. Payment of salaries is regulated by Workman Compensations Act, there is the Labour Act.
“That is what governs the payment of salaries, you cannot withhold my salaries because I don’t have (Ghana Card), there is no law backing it.
“I have been a civil servant before, I worked at the Ghana Civil Service, before coming into active politics. In 2010 I went and did biometric verification, he (NIA official) works in the Public service, the Controller and Accountant General through the Ministry of Finance holds the biometric data of the 800,000 government workers, they don’t need a Ghana card to verify who they are paying
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has inspected work on the Central Oil Mills Limited, a wholly Ghanaian owned agro-processing company located at Jukwa Mfuom/Asamanso in the Hemang Lower Denkyira District of Central Region, which specialises in oil palm development and palm oil processing, and is operating under Government’s 1-District-1-Factory initiative.
President Akufo-Addo visited the factory, on Tuesday, 19th October 2020, on day two of his two-day tour of the Central Region.
As part of the Government’s industrial transformation agenda, Central Oil Mills, established in 2010, was identified as one of the potentially viable but distressed companies.
To this end, an organisational audit was conducted by a team of technical consultants from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, who recommended the company to the Ghana EXIM Bank for support under the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme.
Ghana Exim Bank, on 21st November 2018, approved a medium-term loan facility of GHS12 million for Central Oil Mills Limited to undertake three main activities.
These are the rehabilitation and expansion of an existing primary crude palm oil processing factory at Jukwa-Mfoum, the establishment of a brand new secondary (value-addition) oil palm processing factory at Jukwa-Asamanso, with capacity to process vegetables (Canned and bottled products), and the expansion and development of oil palm plantation.
The Bank subsequently approved a supplementary loan of GHS2 million for the project, thus bringing the total loan approved for the project to GHS14 million.
The new factory at Asamanso and the expansion work at Mfuom are about 95% and 90% completed respectively, and are both expected to be fully completed by 30th November 2021.
The project involves the expansion of an existing oil palm mill with an initial capacity of 2,400 metric tonnes of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per annum into a bigger mill with a minimum capacity of 12,000 metric tonnes of FFB per annum on a single shift, with capacity to do double shifts.
With a yield of 20%, this will produce 2,400 metric tonnes of palm oil per annum which could be processed into secondary canned and bottled products. In addition, through the revitalisation process, the company has increased its storage capacity from 30 metric tonnes to 150 metric tonnes.
The company has rehabilitated its existing oil palm plantation and has initiated the process to expand its plantation by 200 acres per annum over five years. This is being supported by the acquisition of new trucks, and farm implements to support cultivation and transportation. The company also has existing nucleus farms at Jukwa Mfuom and its environs and also about 50 out-grower individuals.
The project is expected to create a minimum of 200 direct jobs from its current skeletal workforce of 30 persons when fully operational. More than 500 indirect jobs will be created within two years at both factory sites and from the plantation.
Buyers from South Africa, Italy, Netherlands and Nigeria are already in discussions with the company for export of finished products, thus opportunity to generate foreign exchange for the country
The twins born with both sex organs with Kojo Ansah(M)
They were born in 1993 at a village in Yilo Kobo Municipality in the Eastern Region with a rare disorder of sexual differentiation that is; they have both female and male reproductive organs.
Due to the condition of the twins, their parents were thrown into a state of confusion over their gender but upon advice, gave the twins feminine names – Akweley and Akorkor, pierced their ears to wear earrings and wore female attires.
However, as they grow up with their hormones and biological make-up developing, these twins feel and physically appear to be male than females hence opted for a change of gender, names and the dress they wear.
But they faced resistance from both family and teachers. The situation coupled with stigma forced them to drop out of school at class six.
“Our Parents say they discovered that we have female and a bit of male organs. But we were declared females and were named Akweley and Akorkor. But when we grew up we saw ourselves as males. So we were reluctant to wear female uniforms to school, we insisted they give us male uniforms but the school authorities too resisted. So we dropped out of school at class 6”.
Akweley and Akorkor have lived with the condition and stigma without any clinical support.
The psychological stress, however, didn’t deter them from pursuing their football career. One of the twins had a call up to join the Black Queens of Ghana, under 20 team, however was dropped after his condition was detected by a medical doctor assigned to declare the gender.
“We were very good footballers so we relocated and joined a football club at Sekesua. I got a call up to Black Queens under 20. They called a doctor and the doctor came to the camp and examined us and said I am a male so they dropped me from the squad”.
The twins have since been striving to learn a vocation to make a living, however, quit due to stigmatization.
Unable to bear the stigma of relatives and neighbours they continue to relocate from one village to another to hide and farm for a living.
The only person who gave them hope was their father but his death on July 20, 2018, has left them hopeless.
These intersex twins say they continue to have suicidal thoughts.
“We are suffering from stigma so unable to live in one community. People pointing their fingers at us. Our family too is stigmatizing against us. So now we are hiding in villages. We don’t stay in one place for long. We even ditched learning driving because of the stigma. Sometimes suicide thoughts come to our minds. Sometimes they call as evil Children,” the twins told Starr FM’s Eastern regional correspondent Kojo Ansah.
The twins want the sexual disorders corrected but cannot afford the medical process hence appealing for public Support to undergo the necessary medical procedures.
“We sometimes feel pains below our abdomen. We see ourselves as men now we want our names changed from females to males. We also want public support and NGOs to help us undergo the necessary surgical procedures”
Statement by Dr.Yirenky a Urologist
Dr Frank Yirenkyi, a healthcare practitioner and Urologist at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua who examined the condition of the twins said they have rare congenital which could be corrected through a complex medical procedure.
“We have done a lot of investigations about them, physically examined them and we found out that physically they appear to be male but it is very unfortunate when they were given birth at the initial stages their parents thought they are females because they were more prone to female physical appearances, but as they are growing now we can see that from the facial outlook they look like males, they have a beard, their breast is not well developed but when it comes to their genitalia, we found out that they have both vagina and a penis which is well developed per our investigations,” He said.
“Our preliminary investigations show that their hormones are more prone to male sex because there have a high level of testosterone in them but the further investigations also show that they have undeveloped uterus and ovaries. They have undescended testicles and well-developed penis and vagina”
“The society needs to be tolerant towards such people because before people may choose to be part of these group, people must really understand them to find out why they are in this situation because I have seen several peoples in such condition and sometimes they are being stigmatized. It is only a few people who can come out and report to the health care personnel so that their problem can be treated. So the LGBTQ+ that we are talking about I think the society needs to help them understand their problems and be tolerant to them and help solve their problem.”
Advise to Parents
Dr Frank Yirenkyi advised parents that “as soon as they give birth to their children, they should take a critical look at their genitalia so that they can examine it in the hospital so that if there is anything unusual the health care personnel can investigate it right at the infant stage for it to be corrected to help the parents know the type of name to be given to the child. For instance, if the person is of mixed genitalia, and you give the person a particular name and later you find out that is the opposite direction then that is when the people in the community stigmatize against them.”
“These are hormonal disorders that affect the chromosomes so we need to be careful about the type of medicine or drugs we take in when we are pregnant. All these can affect and their hereditary also so that if we are aware that there is such disorder in a particular family then one has to be careful in choosing a partner for marriage.”
The Energy Ministry says assertions by the opposition National Democratic Congress that fuel prices have gone up unimaginably is false.
In a response to the NDC’s press conference accusing the government of a hike in fuel prices, the Public Relations Manager for the Energy Ministry, Kwasi Obeng-Fosu, in a statement said the government does not determine fuel price in the country.
According to the Ministry, despite the attempt by some Oil Marketing Companies (OMC’s) to increase fuel prices, competition in the system would not allow it to go up.
“Ex-pump prices have not increased by 7% as purported by the NDC. As of today Total Energies is the only OMC that has revised its price upwards from GHS6.52 per litre to GHS6.80 per litre; that is a 4.29% increase. Other OMCs are yet to announce their prices for the new window. We believe competition will even force this increase further down to a level below 3%,” the PRO stated.
The National Democratic Government has accused the Akufo-Addo Government of lying to Ghanaians about fuel prices whiles in opposition.
The party is demanding an immediate reduction of fuel prices in order to relieve Ghanaians from what they describe as choking hardships the current administration has imposed on the nation.
The Party through its National Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi, at a press conference held Monday, stated, “It will be recalled that a gallon of petrol and diesel was sold at about GHc16 in December, 2016 when the NDC/Mahama administration was leaving office. The NPP-led by their then Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Bawumia, lambasted and berated President Mahama for this and promised to scrap some taxes on Petroleum products, particularly the Energy Sector Levies and the Special Petroleum Tax so as to significantly reduce the prices of fuel.”
Below is the full response from the Energy Ministry.
Responses to the NDC Press Conference on Rising Fuel Prices on 18th October 2021
“Ex-pump prices have not increased by 7% as purported by the NDC. As of today Total Energies is the only OMC that has revised its price upwards from GHS6.52 per litre to GHS6.80 per litre; that is a 4.29% increase. Other OMCs are yet to announce their prices for the new window. We believe competition will even force this increase further down to a level below 3%,” he stated.
Ex-pump prices have not increased by 7% as purported by the NDC. As of today Total Energies is the only OMC that has revised its price upwards from GHS6.52 per litre to GHS6.80 per litre; that is a 4.29% increase. Other OMCs are yet to announce their prices for the new window. We believe competition will even force this increase further down to a level below 3%.
Since the implementation of the price deregulation policy in July 2015, the responsibility of setting ex-pump prices lies with the various Bulk Import, Distribution and Export Companies (BIDECs) and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). As a result, changes in prices at the pumps almost every two weeks are not dictated by government but are a direct response to changes of prices of petroleum products on the world market and the strength of the Ghana Cedi (GHS) against the US Dollar (USD), as well as the keen competition amongst the various players competing to sell their products to the motoring public.
Areas of the price build-up of petroleum products controlled by Government is in the form of the taxes and levies imposed on these products. It is important to note that the sum of the taxes on petrol in January 2009 was only 28 pesewas per litre and rose to about 146 pesewas per litre by December 2016. This represents a 426% increase in the taxes and levies. From January 2017 to date the sum of taxes has increased by only 30% from 146 pesewas to 190 pesewas per litre.
Prior to assumption of power by this government the Special Petroleum Tax (SPT) was an ad valorem tax of 17.5% on the ex-depot price of petroleum products. The rate was reduced by Government to 15% in March 2017 and was further converted to a specific tax of 46 pesewas in February 2018. At today’s price of GHS6.52 per litre, the SPT would have been about 83 pesewas per litre, if not for the earlier interventions made by government. This shows that the current Government envisaged the hardships of Ghanaians and took proactive steps to reduce the burden accordingly.
To add to the above, the government has on several occasions between December 2017 and February 2020 intervened in the pricing of petroleum products by either reducing or completely removing the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levies (PSRLs) in the price build-up to cushion consumers from the impact of rising prices of products on the world market. These interventions have cost government about GHS510 million in revenue loss over that period.
As mentioned above, the price of fuel is also influenced by the exchange rate. The exchange rate saw rapid depreciation of about 237% between January 2009 and December 2016 when it moved from around GHS1.22/USD to GHS4.10/USD. From January 2017 to date, the exchange rate has moved from GHS4.1/USD in January 2017 to around GHS6.2/USD representing a depreciation of just about 51%. Under the current Government, it has depreciated at a slow rate and in recent times, almost remained stable when most currencies were trending downwards moving from around today; this is about 51% depreciation.
The price of petroleum products on the world market is something government has no control over and it is not Government that dictates the prices of fuel at the pumps in Ghana as it did before July 2015. It is worthy to note that the price of petrol on the world market in December 2016 was about $504 per metric tonne. This has increased by about 55% to around $783 per metric tonne today. If prices on the world market today were at the levels they were in December 2016, the price of petrol for example would have been about GHS5.49 per litre.
The ex-pump price of petrol saw a cumulative increase of about 357% between January 2009 and December 2016 (from GHS0.82/Lt to GHS3.75/Lt). However, the price has increased by only about 60% from January 2017 to date (from GHS4.06/Lt to GHS6.50/Lt).
All of the above point to the fact that indicate that the prices of petroleum products would have been much much higher today if the NDC was still in power.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday, 18th October 2021, inspected ongoing work on the construction of the 31.2-kilometre Assin Praso-Assin Fosu Road, which is part of the project for the rehabilitation of the National Trunk Road.
The project, estimated at a cost of $50 million, is being funded by a grant from the Government of Japan, and involves the rehabilitation of the 31.2km of road between Assin Fosu and Assin Praso; the dualization into a 4-lane carriageway of a 1.2km Assin Fosu township roads; the reconstruction of the railway underpass bridge; and the reconstruction of drainage structures between Assin Fosu and Assin Praso.
The contract for the contract was awarded on 15 th November 2019, with the commencement date set for March 2020. Due to the onset of COVID-19, construction of the road was suspended from 18 th April 2020 to 15 th March 2021.
The road project, when executed, will significantly enhance the social-economic lives of the people in the Assin area, facilitate the movement of goods to and from the Takoradi Port, ensure easy access to markets and services, guarantee reductions in road accidents and road user costs, and improve travel time.
The Assin Praso-Assin Fosu road is being constructed by Shimizu Dia-Nippon Joint Ventures, and is expected to be completed on 31st November 2023.
Nyamkomase-Assin Jakai Road
At Assin Jakai, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the 15-kilometre Nyankomase-Assin Jakai road. The project includes the construction of feeder roads from from Fante Nyankomase through Assin Jakai, Abaasa to Framase Junction; the Assin Jakai town roads; and the Jakai-Abein Feeder Roads.
The Nyamkomase-Assin Jakai is being constructed by Top International Eng. Ghana Limited, and is expected to be completed on 19 th October 2023. The road, when completed, will provide access to farms for residents in the Assin South District, and access to social facilities like schools, CHPs compound and clinics will be greatly enhanced
Prophet Nigel Gaisie, the leader and founder of the Prophetic Hill Chapel has said there is no possibility that Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia can become president of Ghana.
Nigel Gaisie said on Angel FM on Monday, October 18, 2021, that the leadership of the country for the next two and half decades have been revealed to him by God and that Bawumia does not feature in any of the revelations.
He claimed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is being advised to step down at some point in his second term to allow Bawumia to finish the term as President.
Whiles that looks certain to happen in the spiritual realm, Nigel Gaisie does not see Bawumia’s presidency going beyond 2024.
Nigel Gaisie was emphatic in his statement that Bawumia will never ascend to the presidential throne in the country.
“A president in West Africa will resign before his time. It’s an Anglophone country. There is a greater agenda to make way for his successor. I don’t see Bawumia becoming president in the next 20 or 25 years. I saw him wearing President’s Akufo-Addo’s shoe so the likelihood is that President Akufo-Addo will resign for him to take over but it will not go beyond 2024. That one is established. I have seen our leadership for the next 25 years and Bawumia is not part.
Nigel Gaisie also prophesied that Ghana will in the next 25 years have a president whose accumulated years as president will surpass the eight years constitutional limit.
He explained that though the said person will have the mandate of ruling for one term, he will govern for two terms instead of one.
“Ghana will have a certain president who should rule for only four years but will stay for eight years. This is what I have seen in the vision,’ he said.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is expected to go neck-to-neck with Trade Minister Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen in the race for the next NPP flagbearer slot.
According to renowned pollster Ben Ephson, the two are the leading figures to succeed Akufo-Addo.
He however advised that it will be in the interest of the party to pick a person other than the two for the flagbearer position for the 2024 elections.
“I suspect it is early days yet but given the tempo and the way it is going, in the end, they may have to perhaps find a compromise candidate outside the two because it will be dirty,“ he said on Joy Prime.
The Ashanti regional branch of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited(ECG) effective Wednesday, October 20, 2021, will embark on a mass disconnection exercise across the region.
The exercise dubbed “Operation correct and collect all debt” will affect state broadcaster’s Ashanti regional branch head office which hosts Garden City radio and TV.
According to the Ashanti Regional ECG Managing Director, David Asamoah, the mountain of debt owed by public entities is affecting their operation in the region.
He revealed the state broadcaster is for instance owing ECG debt of about two million Ghana cedis without any effort to settle it.
He said the Kumasi airport company among other commercial and private entities will also be affected by the same exercise.
The Kumasi Kejetia market which power supply was disconnected and restored on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 same-day through the intervention of the Kumasi City Mayor Samuel Pyne will also be disconnected for owing over 2.1 million cedis.
The ECG Ashanti MD disclosed that currently, there’s shortage of prepaid meters in the region, and have difficulties restocking to meet the demand of their clients as a result of lack of money.
The ECG, therefore, is urging all clients across the region to settle all their accumulated debts before Wednesday, October, 20, 2021, or suffer disconnection by the said date.
The “operation correct and collect” aims at correcting all inappropriate bills and collecting all debts ECG customers are owing their power suppliers.
Residents of Cape Coast who have been waiting on the construction of a new harbour since the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) won its re-election bid in 2020 may have their hopes dashed.
According to President Akufo-Addo, that infrastructure project was never a part of the list of commitments tabled before him for his second term.
“The commitment was never to a harbour; it was to a landing site,” he said on Cape Coast-based Eagle FM on Monday.
It was the first stop on his two-day tour of the Central Region as part of his annual working visits to the country’s 16 regions.
Justifying his statement, President Akufo-Addo referenced Page 88 of the NPP’s 2020 Manifesto, dubbed Leadership of Service: Protecting our Progress, Transforming Ghana for All.
Per the document, he outlined a few of the sites slated for the Central Region, which he said are at various stages of completion as far as Phase One is concerned.
The sites listed “involves Senya Berekum which is 92% nearly 93% complete, Elmina – 13% complete, Moree 78% complete, Winneba – 57% complete, Gomoa Fetteh 19% and Mumford 79 to 80% complete.”
This was in response to a question about plans for the project, which had been bandied about by the people of the region.
However, the President clarified that the party actually pledged to put up a landing site as captured in the 2020 manifesto and earmarked for execution in 2022.
“I never said I was going to build a harbour in Cape Coast. I said I was going to build a landing site like what I’ve done in these six other places in the Central Region. Cape Coast will also have its landing site, and the construction of that will start next year.”
However, Myjoyonline.com’s perusal of the policy 2020 manifesto uncovered a paragraph that may be the basis of the region’s aspiration over a harbour that they believe would have improved the fortunes of the town’s coastal communities.
Page 160 of the document highlights some infrastructure development to be expected when the NPP secures power in the general elections.
This portion touches on several initiatives, including the commencement of the construction of “a new harbour in Cape Coast, and a new airport in Cape Coast.”
During his address at the launch of the party’s manifesto in August 2020, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also disclosed that “for the people of Cape Coast, I have good news for you. We are building a new harbour in Cape Coast and a new airport in Cape Coast.”
Meanwhile, on the idea of an airport in the region, President Akufo-Addo explained that consensus about the location among other studies is complete.
“The commitment to build the airport in Cape Coast, that one is 100% committed, work is ongoing it, and I think very soon, just as we have seen with Wa, Ho, Sunyani – its almost complete, Cape Coast will get its own airport,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo’s tour in the region will involve the commissioning and inspection of projects under Government’s 1-District-1-Factory initiative and the inspection of ongoing road projects in the Region.
• Captain Smart says President Akufo-Addo wants to legalise LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana
• He says, some lobbyists have given the country money
• He challenged the gov’t to issue a statement to debunk his claims
Blessed Godsbrain Smart, a. k. a. Captain Smart, the host of ‘Onua Maakye’ programme on Onua FM, has alleged that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will soon legalise the LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.
According to him, he has been following comments made by government officials on both the mainstream and social media since the discussion of LGBTQ+ activities broke.
“Critically, we have analysed what they [government officials] have written on Social Media. I have followed all the CSOs [and] surprisingly, they are quiet. Now majority members against LGBTQ+ shockingly refused to sign the bill which was presented to Parliament by Sam Nartey George and some of his colleagues…,” Captain Smart said on his show on Monday, October 18, 2021.
He further alleged that, the LGBTQ+ lobbyists have given the government some huge sums of money and now, the NPP government, under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is ‘tight-lipped’ and want to legalise LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.
Captain Smart without providing any evidence repeatedly alleged, “This government wants to legalise LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.”
“If the government thinks what I am saying is not the truth, within 48 hours they should issue a statement to clarify their stance on the LGBTQ+ bill currently before the Ghanaian parliament,” he stressed.
About the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
Sam Nartey George led an eight-member legislative group that drafted a Private Members’ Bill titled: “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, Bill 2021,” which seeks to comprehensively outlaw activities of the LGBTQ+ community.
Currently, the bill has been laid before the house and referred to the appropriate committee for consideration.
The Ningo Prampram MP has strongly defended the need for the bill which he insists is a necessity in preserving the moral and cultural values of Ghanaians in general.
Sam George insists that LGBTQ+ tendencies are not human rights but preferences that need to be regulated within the context of what Ghanaian society and culture accept.
The bill has the full blessing of Speaker Alban Bagbin who is on record to have said he is pro-life and will ensure that the bill is passed into law as soon as possible.
• John Mahama believes the NPP is fueling bad democracy
• The former president is in the Volta region on a ‘Thank You’ tour
• The 2020 elections recorded some violence at polling centers
John Dramani Mahama has questioned the kind of democracy that the ruling New Patriotic Party is superintending over in the country.
Making references to incidences from the 2020 general elections, among others that support his claims, the former president lamented that the ruling party, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is fostering an ill democracy in the country.
Asked a direct question, “Is there hope for the NDC in 2024?” during his interview on Global FM in Ho, while in the Volta region for his Thank You tour, and monitored by GhanaWeb, here is what the former president said:
“Why not? I mean for a party that went from 4 point something million votes to 6 point something million – almost 6.3 million, how can you say there is no hope? There definitely is hope but for a lot of scheming that took place, the NDC would have won the 2020 elections. I do believe that we did win but a lot of things went untoward.
“And so even though power didn’t come into our hands, it doesn’t mean that we do not have the prospects of winning. I mean, we won the majority in parliament but you saw what happened on the day. Many of the collation centers, they injected soldiers in there and forced the electoral officers to pronounce results that were not real.
“When you take Sehwi Wiawso, the collation center where I won the presidential, that polling station ballot box – the parliamentary, was asked to be brought to the regional collation center instead of the district collation center, and on the way, it got missing. And based on that, they declared the NPP the winners. Those are some of the things that happened and it could have changed the narrative,” he said.
John Dramani Mahama also lamented the growing instances of election-related disturbances, questioning the model of democracy that is being practised in the country today.
“In Sene West, luckily a judge sorted that out: when they were losing, they picked a ballot box and run away. I mean, what kind of democracy is this? I was looking at something this morning, Municipal Chief Executive in Cape Coast, and they said 77 votes out of 63 – people assembled there were 63 and somebody was saying that some people took some of the ballot papers and run away. I mean, what kind of democracy is the NPP fostering in this country?” he quizzed.
The former president is in the region as part of his Thank You tour of the country, just right after completing the same exercise in the Central region.
As part of the two-phased tour of the region, President Mahama will meet the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, and the Asogli Traditional Council.
He will also hold an interaction with Religious Leaders at Dela Cathedral, Ho Kpodzi.
Other activities lined up include a visit to the residence of late Comrade Courage Worlasi Danku where he will commiserate with the family and sign a book of condolence in memory of the late Deputy Regional Youth Organizer at Sokode Gbagble.
Mr. Mahama will also meet party stakeholders at the G.M. Afeti Auditorium, Ho Technical University.
Former Minister of Energy, Mr Boakye Agyarko says he stands a better chance of leading the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to Election 2024 as a flagbearer.
He is of the conviction that NPP delegates will buy into his vision and give him the nod.
Confirming that he will contest the next presidential primary of the NPP, Mr Agyarko said there are no questions about his interest.
In a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM on the sidelines of the Greater Accra Regional conference of the NPP last week in Accra, Mr Agyarko said he has the experience to “Break the 8” year rotation of governance between the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mr Agyarko was among the 17 contestants who wanted to lead the NPP in 2007 for Election 2008 but were beaten overwhelmingly by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
His presidential ambitions are still alive. Already Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyerematen, former Minister of Railways, Mr Joe Ghartey and Minister of Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto are the ones whose names have come up as interested flagbearers.
Asked about the difference between 2007 and now in the Citi FM interview monitored by Graphic Online, Mr Agyarko said “it is a different race [now].”
“2008 I was relatively new. 2008 it was a smaller electoral college of less than 5000 people. Now it is an electoral college of 205,000, so it is a different ball game all together. It is not just experience…, it is about the fact that the party people will get to know you better so that, you’ve served this party for a long time and you’ve been loyal to this party and they have a better basis of evaluating you,” he said.
He disagreed with a suggestion that his removal as Minister of Energy will have an effect on his contest.
“Who said that when you serve in government, you have a fixed tenure? You don’t. You serve at the pleasure of the president, so to think that you didn’t serve your full term, it is only the president and his Vice, who have a term. You can be a minister for two weeks and the president will decide to dispense of your service. So there is no fixed tenure.”
“At the end of the day, I will make my case to the electorate and it is up to them to decide my fate. I’m not going to dribble and dabble in what is in the past. For me it is totally unnecessary, it is the delegates who will make up their minds on my competence and the desirability to have me as their president.”
A total of 60,000 female students in Senior High Schools in three regions in the country are benefiting from Girls-in-ICT programme.
The programme, initiated by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Huawei Technologies, Ghana, focuses on cyber security and will benefit female students in the Ashanti, Eastern and Central regions.
It is aimed at providing ICT education to girls in the second cycle institutions as well as equip them with basic cyber security fundamentals to help them stay safe in the cyber space.
The beneficiary schools in Ashanti Region include Wesley Girls Senior High School (SHS), Yaa Asantewaa Senior High School, St Louis, Serwaa Nyarko, Kumasi Girls, the Adventist Girls SHS, St Mary’s Girls, Afua Kobi Ampem Girls, St Monica’s, TI Ahmadiya and Prince of Peace.
In the Eastern Region, Methodist Girls, Aburi Girls, Krobo Girls, Diaspora Girls, St Roses , Islamic Girls and St Mary’s Vocational and Technical Institute are the beneficiary schools.
Holy Child, Wesley Girls and Mfantsiman Girls in the Central Region will also benefit from the programme.
Topics being treated include the Child Online Protection Provisions in the New Cyber Security Act 2020 and the SMART Acronym which explains how to stay safe online.
The girls are also being trained on risk associated with the use of internet which include fake news; cyber bullying, sextortion, cyber stalking, among others.
On the Cyber Security Point of Contact, the girls would be sensitised to the need to report all cyber-related issues confronting them to the National Cyber Security Authority on short code 292 for prompt response and necessary assistance.
According to the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the initiative was part of efforts to continue empowering the youth with the digital skills they urgently needed to thrive in the new technological era.
She expressed the hope that much enthusiasm would be generated among girls to enhance ICT education in the country.
The Girls-in-ICT is an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), aimed at introducing young girls to basic ICT skills.
THE Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission has commenced a nationwide operation to ensure the removal of all unapproved lamps from vehicles.
According to Police the offenders will be prosecuted when necessary which forms in line with the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, L.12180.
The Police in a statement noted that “Over the last four days alone, unapproved lamps on more than 300 vehicles have been removed by the joint team in the Eastern, Northern and Western North Regions”.
The statement added that the exercise shall continue in all regions across the country until we get rid of this dangerous practice.
Also, research indicates that the installation of unapproved lamps on vehicles negatively affects the vision of other motorists especially at night, thereby causing road accidents.
“We want to use this opportunity to sensitize vehicle owners about the dangers associated with the use of these lamps and caution them against the installation of such unprescribed lamps on their vehicles” the statement added.
The Police also warned those already having unapproved lamps should voluntarily remove them before the team catches up with them.
They, however, urge the public to support us in this endeavor to protect lives and property on the roads
The Ghana Police Service has launched a dog patrol initiative in the country’s capital, Accra.
The initiative, under the K-9 Unit of the Service, will see personnel with highly-trained security dogs under leash strategically positioned for operational patrols.
The police announced on Monday, October 18 that this innovative exercise is “aimed at increasing the visibility of personnel, improving intelligence gathering, tracking of contraband goods and improving upon other aspects of criminal investigations”.
It comes barely two months after the horse patrol was launched a few weeks after Dr George Akuffo Dampare was appointed Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The police say plans are underway to extend the dog patrols to other regional capitals.
“We shall continue to pursue multiple Security and Visibility Modules to increase our interactions with the public and aggressively fight crime in our communities
Majority Leader and Minister for parliamentary Affairs
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has questioned the relevance of regional executives of political parties.
In his view, their role was redundant except during elections, arguing that the main job is done at the polling station, constituency level.
He believes that these structures are catalysts for corruption since prospective candidates have to brie their way through to get the various positions.
Speaking at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs engagement with political parties on Monetization of politics in Ghana – A focus on Solutions, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said “so, colleagues let’s look at the way we are resorting to elections, to select the leaders of our party from polling stations though electoral areas. And then we have constituency and then we have regions, then we have the national party, elections at every level.”
“Yet, we know that even at polling stations, the grassroots level, people have to be paying some kola and buying drinks, even there to get elected as polling station secretary, chairman, women organizer, where from this?”
“We are doing a complete disservice to ourselves and we pretend that nothing is wrong with it. When we come out in the open, nobody wants to admit to it because he/she wants to profit from the existing structures.”
He indicated that “I’m aware of article 55 (5). I’m also aware of article 55 (9) which provides that the national executive officers should be chosen from all the regions.”
“By extensive reasoning, if you come to the regional executives, I honestly do not think that apart from the purpose of coordinating the affairs of various constituency parties, I’m not even too sure of the relevance of the regional party structures.”
“In elections, they may be coordinating campaigns, apart from that what do they do? Because the real stuff is at the polling station level, the constituency level, The regional executives, what do they do, tell me? And even there people have to pay to get elected. Are we begin candid with ourselves?” he quizzed.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday, 18 October 2021, opened engineering laboratories and workshops at the Cape Coast Technical University, as part of his 2-day working visit to the Central Region.
The engineering workshops and laboratories consist of an automotive section; a mechanical engineering section which is divided into a welding unit and a fabrication unit; a civil engineering section; and an electrical and electronic section.
The Akufo-Addo Government is upgrading facilities in a number of Technical Universities and Technical Institutes by constructing workshops and installing the equipment for the use of these institutions.
It will be recalled that Parliament, in March 2018, approved a concessional loan agreement between the Government of Ghana and the EXIM Bank of China for an amount of US$119 million to finance “The Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Equipment in Polytechnics and Technical Institutes”.
Subsequently, Parliament in July 2018 approved the supplementary contract agreement, as well as the commercial contract between the government of Ghana and AVIC International Holding Corporation of China for the implementation of the project.
The Ghana-China Project on upgrading and rehabilitation of Technical Universities/Polytechnics and Technical Institutes will include two (2) polytechnics, eight (8) technical universities, and thirteen (13) technical institutes with construction of workshops, offices and laboratories.
The project is designed to support Government’s efforts, within the context of developing human capital, as well as resolving the key development challenge of the low quality of skills produced by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector in the country
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the Komenda Sugar Factory that was built by the Mahama administration was not functioning when he came into office as President of Ghana.
He said the factory had collapse.
Mr Akufo-Addo wondered why the factory was not being operationalised if it was that important for the previous administration.
Asked about the way forward for the factory while speaking on Eagle FM in Cape Coast on Monday October 18 as part of his tour of the Central Region, he said the Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen had been working hard to get the factory opertaionalised.
“We are told by him that that is not his way of looking at things he will build the roof, and once the roof has been built then he will come down and then lay the foundation . You know that a house that is built this this will collapse, just as Komenda collapsed
“The way forward is what Alan Kyerematen, the very dynamic and energetic Minister of Trade and Industry has been trying to do. First of all, our inheritance, a lot of money has gone into the Komenda initiative. It is important for us and yet nothing is happening, it was a stands still when we came into office.”
His comments come just four days after former Mahama replied his critics who claim he built the Sugar Factory without providing raw materials to feed it.
Mr Mahama said there was an arrangement in place to provide raw materials for the factory.
The 2020 presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) stated that he studied economics in School hence, was fully aware that a factory could not be established without making raw materials for it.
He explained that the Indian government had asked for the factory to be built and later apply for funds to support the production of raw materials.
The Akufo-Addo administration accused Mr Mahama of establishing the factory with making plans for raw materials.
But speaking Cape FM on Friday October 15, Mr Mahama said “When this government came they said the sugar wasn’t their priority and so they abandoned the 26million dollars the Indian government asked them to apply for .
” They didn’t apply and so they left it and the factory is just there.
“Do you think I am a fool to build a factory and I won’t make provision for raw materials? I am not that foolish, I read economics and so I knew what the vision was.”
The $35 million factory, built from an Indian EXIM Bank facility, has not worked since its commissioning in 2016.
The factory was revamped to revive the local production of sugar, thereby reducing the importation of the commodity
He told the Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Council, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, that all is set for the takeoff of the project as feasibility studies are near completion.
President Akufo-Addo gave this commitment on Monday, October 18 when he paid a courtesy call on the Oguaamanhen at his palace ahead of his two-day tour of the Central Region.
The airport project was announced by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in its 2020 manifesto, which was launched in Cape Coast that year.
But 10 months into his second term, no signs of the project have been seen.
President Akufo-Addo assured the gathering at the Oguamanhen’s palace that by the first quarter of 2022, sod will be cut for the project to begin.
He said if his new timelines are not me, the people of Cape Coast should hold their “son” Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, responsible.
“But I know how committed he has been in seeing this project come to fruition,” President Akufo-Addo observed.
The President conceded that the government was contemplating between situating the airport between Sekondi-Takoradi and Cape Coast but the latter was settled upon.
He also assured of a facelift of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital, assuring that he will charge the Ghana Health Service (GHS) when he gets back to office to take a look at the facility though it is not part of the flagship Agenda 111 projects
The Coastal Development Authority (CODA) has informed prospective applicants and the general public of the modalities for the purchase and payment of Bajaj Qute vehicles under the CODA Drive initiative.
The modalities shall apply to all applicants and beneficiaries of the initiative, a statement said.
CODA Drive is an intervention to improve livelihoods and create employment by facilitating transportation for individuals and small businesses within the Coastal Development Zone.
To qualify as a beneficiary of the CODA Drive initiative, an individual or small business: 1. Must be a member of any farmers, fishers, taxi drivers, ‘Okada’ riders or ‘Aboboyaa’ riders association for at least a year; Must be resident within the Coastal Development Zone (Oti, Volta, Greater Accra, Central, Western and Western North regions); Must possess a valid driver’s license, minimum Class B.
“Must be a member of CODA Credit Union and possess a CODA Credit Union membership card.
“Must complete an application form that should be endorsed by two guarantors.
Must submit completed forms to the regional office of CODA for further processing
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticized the Akufo-Addo administration over the rampant increase in fuel prices.
The National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi said at a press conference in Accra on Monday October 18 that , the rampant and persistent increase in the prices of fuel products are a direct product of the insensitive and bad leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
He explained that “The introduction of a raft of new draconian taxes on Petroleum products such as; the introduction of 20 pesewas Energy Sector Levy on every liter of diesel and petrol; the increase of 18 pesewas in ESLA per Kilogram of LPG; the introduction of a 10 pesewas sanitation (‘borla’) tax on every liter of diesel and petrol; the introduction of a 1% COVID levy on NHIL & VAT, by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government, coupled with the free-fall of the Ghana Cedi which has been occasioned by their gross economic mismanagement, are the major factors responsible for the persistent and steep increase in the prices of fuel products.
“The introduction of these regressive and draconian taxes by a group of people who berated the erstwhile Mahama regime for ‘over-‘taxing’ Ghanaians and a group who promised to move Ghana from taxation to production when elected, smacks of deception and insensitivity of monumental proportions.
“The cascading effect of these draconian tax measures, have among other things, led to an escalation in the prices of fuel products, transport fares, building materials, food products and other commodities on the market, without a commensurate increase in incomes, thereby making cost of living unbearable for the vast majority of Ghanaians. This is the cause of the excruciating economic hardships Ghanaians are currently experiencing,” he said.
Below is his full statement…
STATEMENT DELIVERED BY THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICER OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS, SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ., AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD AT THE PARTY’S HEADQUARTERS ON THE PERSISTENT INCREASE IN FUEL PRICES BY THE AKUFO-ADDO/BAWUMIA-NPP GOVERNMENT.
Monday, 18th October, 2021
Good afternoon distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the media. It is my singular honour to welcome you on behalf of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to this press conference which is intended to address the high and unbearable cost of living that Ghanaians are experiencing under the watch President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Bawumia, which has been largely been occasioned by steep increases in the prices of the Petroleum products over the last four (4) and half years.
Permit me to state from the word go, that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government has shown itself to be callous and does not appear a give a hoot about the plight of Ghanaians. Otherwise, what can be the justification for the rampant and persistent increases in fuel prices we are witnessing in Ghana today.
As you may be aware, Ghanaians have once again been slapped with another increase in pump prices of fuel by the insensitive and clueless Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration. Only yesterday, the price of diesel and petrol was increased by 7%. This is the ninth (9th) consecutive time in the year 2021 alone, that the prices of petroleum products have gone up. This has increased the price per gallon of diesel and petrol from about GHc21.00 as at January this year, to about GHc31.00 currently.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the rampant and persistent increase in the prices of fuel products we have witnessed under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and his deceptive Vice, Dr. Bawumia, are a direct product of their insensitive and bad leadership.
The introduction of a raft of new draconian taxes on Petroleum products such as; the introduction of 20 pesewas Energy Sector Levy on every liter of diesel and petrol; the increase of 18 pesewas in ESLA per Kilogram of LPG; the introduction of a 10 pesewas sanitation (“borla”) tax on every liter of diesel and petrol; the introduction of a 1% COVID levy on NHIL & VAT, by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government, coupled with the free-fall of the Ghana Cedi which has been occasioned by their gross economic mismanagement, are the major factors responsible for the persistent and steep increase in the prices of fuel products.
The introduction of these regressive and draconian taxes by a group of people who berated the erstwhile Mahama regime for “over-taxing” Ghanaians and a group who promised to move Ghana from taxation to production when elected, smacks of deception and insensitivity of monumental proportions.
The cascading effect of these draconian tax measures, have among other things, led to an escalation in the prices of fuel products, transport fares, building materials, food products and other commodities on the market, without a commensurate increase in incomes, thereby making cost of living unbearable for the vast majority of Ghanaians. This is the cause of the excruciating economic hardships Ghanaians are currently experiencing.
It will be recalled that a gallon of petrol and diesel was sold at about GHc16 in December, 2016 when the NDC/Mahama administration was leaving office. The NPP-led by their then Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Bawumia, lambasted and berated President Mahama for this and promised to scrap some taxes on Petroleum products, particularly the Energy Sector Levies and the Special Petroleum Tax so as to significantly reduce the prices of fuel. I am sure you would recall how the NPP in their 2016 manifesto described ESLA as a nuisance tax and promised to scrap same when elected. Unfortunately, many Ghanaians, fell for these lies and voted for the NPP. Little did they know that this and other similar sugar-coated promises of the NPP were pure sophistry.
Instead of scrapping the ESLA as promised, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government has collateralized it for a loan which has extended its intended duration from five (5) years to now fifteen (15) years, and increased it by over 20%. As if that was not enough, this government introduced a new Energy Sector Levy of 20 pesewas on every liter of diesel and petrol just this year. Additionally, they have introduced a sanitation (“borla”) tax of 10 pesewas on every liter of petrol and diesel.
As a result of this and other increases in existing taxes on fuel such as; the increase of the BOST Margin from 3 pesewas to 9 pesewas per liter representing an increase of 200%; the increase in the Fuel Marking Margin from 3 pesewas to 5 pesewas representing an increase of 67%; and the increase in the Road Fund Levy from 41 pesewas to 46 pesewas, a gallon of petrol and diesel which was sold at about GHc16.00 in December 2016 is today is selling at about GHc31.00. This is almost double the price they berated NDC/Mahama administration for.
It is therefore clear from the foregoing facts, that the high increase in the prices of fuel products we have experienced in recent time, is largely as a result of the many draconian taxes and tax increases this government has callously introduced on fuel. That is the major contributing factor.
Friends from the media, this astronomical increment in the prices of fuel commodities by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and its concomitant effect on transport fares, have led to steep increases in general prices of goods and services thereby making life unbearable for the vast majority of Ghanaians.
A cursory look at the Construction industry, with a focus on the prices of building materials reveals a very worrying trend that is of major concern to many Ghanaians. A 50kg bag of cement that was sold at GHc27.00 in the year 2016, is being sold at GHc52.00 and in some cases above this price today. A tonne of iron rods (16mm) that was sold at about GHc2,800 in 2016 is today going for GHc5,300, while a packet of aluminum roofing sheet that was sold at about GHc520 in 2016 is being sold at about GHc1,200 today. Similarly, PVC pipes (20mm) that used to sell at about GHS3.00 in 2016 is today being sold at GHS8.00. Electrical Cables (Cable metal – 16mm) that used to sell at GHS700 in 2016, is today selling at GHS1,553 while the 1.5mm Cable metal, which used to sell at GHS78 is today selling at GHS167.
Distinguished friends, the situation is even more dire in the case of food products, where a bag of maize that used to sell at GHc170.00 in 2016, is today selling at GHc450.00, while a cup of Beans that used to sell at GHc1.50 is selling at GHc5.00 today. Also, an “Olankor” of Gari that used to sell at GHc5.00 in 2016 is today selling at GHc12.00, while a bucket of onion that used to sell at GHc15.00 in 2016 is selling at GHc40.00 currently.
Also, a bag of sachet water that used to sell at GHc1.50 in 2016 is today selling at GHc4.00 while a sack of “konkonte” that was sold at GHc200.00 in 2016 is being sold today at GHc600.00. Again, a pound of cow meat that was sold at GHc9.00 in 2016 is today being sold at GHc17.00, while one chicken (broiler) that used to sell at GHc35.00 is today selling at GHc70.00 cedis.
Additionally, a bottle of Frytol Oil that used to sell at GHc130.00 in 2016 is today selling at GHc285.00. Similarly, a crate of eggs that used to sell as at GHc12.00 in 2016 is today selling at GHc26.00, just to mention a few. This picture looks scary for many Ghanaian families and households, as it has become a constant struggle for many to afford three (3) square meals a day.
The reality is that “kromAyeshe”!. Times are very tough, the system is hard and pockets are dry. Car owners are suffering; Taxi drivers are suffering; “Trotro” drivers are suffering; “Trotro Mates” are suffering; Uber drivers are suffering; Bus drivers are suffering; passengers are suffering; And Ghanaians in general are suffering. Sadly, the state of economic hardships and hopelessness in the country keeps worsening by the day with no end in sight- all as a result of the insensitive policies and bad leadership of the deceptive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government.
The question we would want to ask President Akufo-Addo and his “419” Vice President, Dr. Bawumia is; what has happened to their much-touted promise to move Ghana from taxation to production when elected? What has happened to their campaign rhetoric that Ghanaians were being over-taxed by the NDC/Mahama administration and their promise to develop Ghana through tax incentives?
It bears reminding ourselves that in the run-up to the 2016 general elections, these masters of political chicanery, President Akufo-Addo himself, ably assisted by his jocular “419” Vice, Dr. Bawumia, told Ghanaians in the Akan language that: “Yete Sika nso ekom de y3”, to wit, Ghanaians were sitting on money, yet we were starving. Now, the question we ought to be asking is, where is the money they claimed we were sitting on?
You would further recall that in the run-up to the 2020 general elections, Dr. Bawumia and President Akufo-Addo asked the Ghanaian electorate to give them four (4) more years to do more for them? Is the imposition of draconian taxes on Ghanaians which has led to persistent increases in fuel prices what they meant by “4 more to do more”?
Today, Ghana’s economy is in shambles. Our national currency, the Ghana Cedi continues to depreciate at an alarming rate against all the major international currencies, while government continues to cook fictitious economic figures ostensibly to paint a different picture. The US dollar which was trading with the Cedi at about GHS4.00 to a dollar as at December 2016, is today trading with the Cedi at about GHS6.2 to a dollar. This situation continues to erode profit margins of businesses, particularly importers, and is one of the major factors which are contributing to the escalation of fuel prices and the prices of general goods on the market, most of which are imported. Yet, the Vice President and Head of the Economic Management Team, Dr. Bawumia who was once touted by the NPP as their economic messiah is no where to be found.
What is even sad in all this is that, instead of focusing on the stabilization of the national currency and the introduction of economic measures that can provide relief for our people, the government has chosen the lazy and callous option of shifting all the burden on Ghanaians in order to finance their luxurious and opulent lifestyle. In the midst of hardships and economic difficulties, President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia have chosen to live luxuriously like Arabian Kings, at the expense of the already-burdened Ghanaian taxpayer.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is no gainsaying the fact that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government is the luckiest and most resourced government in Ghana’s history. They have borrowed more than any government in the history of Ghana and have had access to revenue from three (3) oil fields in addition to tax revenue of over GHS157 billion, which is almost double the tax revenue (GHc83 billion) that accrued to the NDC/Mahama administration. Yet, this government has next to nothing to show relative to developmental projects. Instead of investing in the productive sectors of the economy, they have virtually wasted all these resources on consumption-related expenditures, profligacy and corruption. Their misplaced priorities are the bane of the ailing Ghanaian economy and the main reason why Ghanaians are suffering in a manner never seen in the history of this country.
It is instructive to note, that in the midst of persistent fuel price increases and ever-rising cost of living, financial allocations to the Office of Government Machinery have galloped from GHc79 million in the year 2017 to GHc823 million in the year 2021, representing a 937.73% rise. And what is this money being used for? Is it being used for productive projects and programs that can stimulate the economy, create jobs and improve the livelihoods of Ghanaians? The answer is a big No. Rather, all these monies are being applied mainly to financing the luxurious foreign travels of President Akufo-Addo in hyper-expensive private jets which sometimes cost the Ghanaian taxpayer as much as $20,000 US dollars per hour.
In the last three (3) months alone, the taxes of suffering Ghanaians worth over GHc10 million, equivalent to 100 billion old cedis have been wasted by this government on the renting of hyper-expensive private jets for President Akufo-Addo’s trips to Europe, the UK and the United States of America. This was after they wasted a whopping GHS64 million on similar trips of the Presidency in only nine (9) months in the year 2019. Sadly, this is happening at a time our state Presidential Jet, the Dassault Falcon 900 Ex which was bought by the Kuffuor administration at a price of $45 million is available and in a pristine condition.
Ladies and gentlemen, imagine the developmental projects these monies could have been used for in the health sector, or the education sector or the roads sector, or the energy sector, among others, for the benefit of the people, if government had set its priorities right and shown a modicum of sensitivity to the plight of the suffering masses.
Even in the Energy Sector, the corrupt Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration continue to plunder the assets of State Own Enterprises such as the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), BOST, GNPC among others. I’m sure you have heard about the brazen and unprecedented thievery that is going on at TOR currently, where 105,927 litres of Gas Oil, 18 drums of electrical cables and other valuable assets worth about GHc42 million (420 billion old Ghana cedis) have vanished into thin air. Yet, this corrupt and wasteful government continues to demand more revenue from suffering Ghanaians through the imposition of draconian taxes on the prices of fuel, with its ripple effects on cost of living, as I have amply demonstrated with indisputable facts.
Friends, it is the height of insensitivity and a monumental betrayal of the trust of Ghanaians for President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia who promised to protect the public purse, to turn around and engage in this obscene and unprecedented plunder of the public purse, while at the same time, inflicting severe hardships on Ghanaians. It is very offensive for the President, His Vice Dr. Bawumia and other government officials to continue to display such odious ostentation, particularly at this time that majority of Ghanaians are suffering and cannot make ends meet. And, it is about time we told them that we the people of this country are no longer willing to pay for their opulent lifestyles.
We in the NDC are not surprised that dishonest President Akufo-Addo and his deceptive Vice, Dr. Bawumia are being exposed time again for the many lies they rode on into power. This is because we have always known that even though a campaign of deceitful promises can bring one into power, their true character will always expose them in the fullness of time. Lies they say, have a short life span.
The NDC wishes to add its voice to the call by well-meaning Ghanaians for government to sit up and stabilize the Ghana Cedi through prudent economic management so as to stabilize fuel prices and the prices of imported products in general. More importantly, we wish to call on the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government, to scrap some of the unnecessary taxes they have heaped on the price buildup of petroleum products so as to drastically reduce same.
We hold the view, that the two months suspension or zero-rating of the Stabilization and Recovery Levy of 14 pesewas and 16 pesewas per Litre of diesel and petrol respectively, is wholly-inadequate, insufficient and cannot bring about any significant reduction in the current prices of fuel products. In fact, given the fact that, the price of a gallon of diesel and petrol has increased by close to GHc10.00 in this year, 2021 alone, it is an insult to the sensibilities of suffering Ghanaians for government to offer to reduce the price of fuel by a paltry 63 pesewas, which is the net effect of the zero-rating of the Stabilization and Recovery Levy government has announced.
We therefore wish to call on the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government to as a matter of urgency scrap:
the Special Petroleum Tax (SPT) of 46 pesewas on a liter of diesel and petrol. It will be recalled that the SPT was introduced by the erstwhile NDC/Mahama administration sometime in 2016 when crude oil export price fell far below government’s budgetary projections. The objective was to shore up government’s revenue for development purposes. But given the fact that crude oil export price has increased from below $40 to above $80 per barrel currently, far above the government’s budgetary projection of $54.75 per barrel, it is untenable for government to still maintain the SPT on the price of petroleum products now, and same should be scrapped immediately. This is particularly so, when government’s revenue from the oil sector for the second quarter of this year 2021, went up by almost 60%, equivalent to US$89.1 million, as compared to oil revenue for the same period in the previous year.
In the same vain, we call on government to scrap the newly introduced taxes on fuel products such as the Energy Sector Levies of 20 pesewas on a liter of diesel and petrol and
the new sanitation levy (“Borla” tax) of 10 pesewas on a liter of diesel and petrol, as same is totally needless and useless.
We also demand that the new increase of 18 pesewas on a kilogram of LPG must be scrapped.
And finally, we wish to call on government to consider the review of other existing taxes on fuel products in line with proposals submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Energy by the Chamber Of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) and other stakeholders in the downstream petroleum sector.
Distinguished friends from the media, these demands are not borne out of cheap politics or partisanship, but the realities we presently find ourselves in and are intended for the collective good and welfare of all Ghanaians.
We wish to remind President Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia to respect and uphold the sanctity of their political pact with the Ghanaian electorate. The Ghanaian people did not bargain for this level of tax burden on the prices of petroleum products in the 2020 December 7 Polls. Governance at all times must be about the advancement of the collective good and not the narrow interest of a select few. This government has become too removed from the stark realities of the Ghanaian people and it is about time they got back on track.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, we project that if government listens to us and does as we have advised, the prices of diesel and petrol will come down drastically. This will stabilize the ever-rising prices of general goods and services and go a long way to ameliorate the plight of suffering Ghanaians. But should government fail to heed our wise counsel as they always do, prices of general goods and services will continue to soar, hardships in the country will continue to worsen to gargantuan levels and all of us, irrespective of our political affiliations, except the few privileged ones in government, will continue to suffer.
As you do know, the last quarter of the year usually presents an opportunity for many to turn around their economic fortunes as we prepare for the yuletide. However, given the persistent increases in fuel prices we are witnessing and the ever-skyrocketing prices of goods on the market, it looks like we are heading for the worst Christmas ever for the Ghanaian people. We cannot allow the hardships we are experiencing to continue. We demand that things are changed by government for the better, and that change must happen now!
Thank you for your attention.
Signed, SAMMY GYAMFI National Communication Officer, NDC
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that the current nature of the Free SHS policy, if not altered, will be a major contributor to the astronomically increasing unemployment in Ghana.
He linked this to the fact that over the years, young people prefer to migrate into the major centers because of job opportunities.
This, according to him is because chunk of these graduates do not have technical skills and therefore look up to a governmental organization for employment.
He alternatively suggested that more attention should be given to technical and vocational training, so as to equip Ghanaian youths with the necessary skills to help them opt for setups and entrepreneurship rather than relying on the few employment opportunities in the public sector.
The 2020 Running Mate for John Mahama and a Former Education Minister, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang also added that there was the need to plan ahead before the implementation of the Free SHS.
“Per the current birth rate, the country should start planning towards increasing infrastructure in the education sector. This will help prevent unforseen pressure on the current partially insufficient ones that we have.” she said.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has assured new graduates from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) and all Ghanaians youths across the country that the next budget statement of the government will prioritize programmes that will support the youth become their own bosses.
He said the government is determined to create the enabling environment for the youth to create their enterprises.
This, according to him, will reduce the over-reliance on the government for jobs and also lessen the burden on the payroll.
He revealed that 60 per cent of Ghana’s revenue is spent on salaries and remuneration for workers on the government’s payroll.
He described this situation as unsustainable.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony at UPSA on Friday October 15, he said “So, the future for you with regards to jobs is the most important thing at this stage. We have gone through a period where most people look for jobs from government etc. That payroll is full because we are spending some 60 per cent of our revenue on remunerating some 650,000 people and that is not sustainable.
“The question then really is has UPSA trained you to be entrepreneurs, and your question will be where the financing is coming from. But you do, in you, have the skills set to be able to do what you have to do.
“Our responsibility as government is to create the environment and the macro stability, currency stability and ensure that you have access to the relevant skills and financing.
“This budget that we are going to be doing is going to really focus on the youth and we will have a programme here, looking at the youth and demands and how we can structure, in the next two or three years, the Ghana Obaatanpa Programme to ensure that you become your own bosses and you become entrepreneurs.
” So there is a new world out there , it is not a factory that employs ten people, but individuals like you employ two or three of four five people to create that energy for our country to transform
Assembly members of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly have confirmed the President’s nominee, Ernest Arthur amidst confusion.
The election was the 3rd time after two failed attempts to secure two thirds of the votes to enable him confirmed.
He polled 45 yes votes while 18 people voted no. 63 assembly members out of the 64 were present.
There was heavy police presence at the Center for National Culture in Cape Coast where the voting took place.
Voting started and ended successfully but confusion broke during the counting of ballots when someone believed to be an NDC sympathizer dipped his hands into the ballot box and attempted to run away with the papers.
Not even the presence of the Omanhen of Oguaa Traditional area Osabarimba Kwesi Atta could stop the confusion.
The Police had a difficult task calming the crowd, TV3’s Central Regional Correspondent, Thomas Cann, reported.
Some of the assembly members said they do not accept the results and have since vowed not to recognize Ernest Arthur as the MCE for Cape coast.
Crime scene experts have examined the scene and the bodies have been conveyed to the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
Police in Accra say they are probing a case involving the death of two children at Alajo, a suburb in the capital.
The bodies of the two children, both aged three, were found in the passenger seat of a broken-down Mercedes-Benz saloon car parked at a mechanic shop.
The Nima Divisional Police Command has taken over the case to establish the circumstances leading to the death.
This was announced by the police in a statement signed by Director, Public Affairs, Superintendent Alexander Kwaku Obeng on Sunday, October 17, 2021.
Crime scene experts have examined the scene and the bodies have been conveyed to the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
“We wish to advise parents and guardians to take the safety of their children seriously and to always keep an eye on them whenever they are out to play”, the police’s statement further cautioned.
In the meantime, the police have also entreated automobile mechanics to enclose their shops to control access to unauthorized persons, including children.
According to the police, children and other suspicious persons found loitering around mechanic shops should be reported to them for further action.
His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, Former President and the 2020 Flagbearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2020 will from today, Monday, October 18, 2021, take his nationwide ‘Thank You’ tour to the Volta Region.
As part of the two-phased tour of the region, President Mahama will meet the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, and the Asogli Traditional Council.
He will also hold an interaction with Religious Leaders at Dela Cathedral, Ho Kpodzi.
The former President will also grant a live radio interview at Global FM.
Other activities lined up include a visit to the residence of late Comrade Courage Worlasi Danku where he will commiserate with the family and sign a book of condolence in memory of the late Deputy Regional Youth Organizer at Sokode Gbagble.
Mr. Mahama will also meet party stakeholders at the G.M. Afeti Auditorium, Ho Technical University.
The second phase of the tour will allow him to pay a courtesy call on the Volta Regional House of Chiefs.
The visit is to show former President Mahama and the NDC’s appreciation to the traditional rulers and the people of the Volta Region for their massive support during the 2020 general elections.
John Mahama will be accompanied by his running mate, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman and General Secretary respectively, national executives, and other party stalwarts from the region.
Komenda Sugar factory, which cost Ghana a whopping 35million US dollars has been abandoned in grass farms since it’s inauguration in 2016 by former President John Dramani Mahama.
The factory, aimed at primarily producing sugar for consumption by the entire country as a measure to cut down importation coat is unable to produce a cube of sugar to the market.
John Mahama in an interview with a local radio station in the Central Region accused current Akufo Addo’s government for neglecting phase two of the project.
This has sparked some criticism within some well meaning Ghanaians on social media as Mr. Mahama admitted the fact that the factory was established while the raw materials for production was not ready.
Some section of the Public has overtime pointed accusing fingers at him for poor and unplanned execution of the factory project. The Ex President however explained that the initial agreement and funding means necessitated the need for the factory before planting of the raw material.
Former President John Dramanihas re-stated his opposition to the Agyapa deal.
The deal, he says, will be bad for the youth because it will invariably mean “mortgaging the future of the youth”.
According to the former president, the Agyapa deal is inconsiderate because it is a plan to mortgage the future of the country and Ghana’s youth to fund Akufo-Addo’s present-day desires.
Explaining the rationale behind the Agyapa deal in an interview on Cape 93.3FM, Mr. Mahama said, “they are mortgaging Ghana for everything. They have sold everything for loans. Now they don’t have anything to sell anymore. It is our gold that is left, that is the Agyapa they want to do”.
“Because they see that they’ve sold the utensils, they’ve sold the chairs in the hall, the bed in the bedroom has been sold, now they are looking for the next item to sell. They have settled on the windows to sell. That is our gold, which they want to sell this time. They want to use that to go and collect over one billion dollars”, he lamented.
He said government has always received a 10% stake as gold royalties, which royalty the Akufo-Addo government is intent on mortgaging for loans to spend today.
He fingered Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, accusing him of being a happy participant because his company always gets a percentage from the loans raised.
The 2020 National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate said the government has benefited the most from Ghana’s resources and accrued the most revenue, but this has not reflected in the development of the country, and on the living standards of the people.
He observed that President Akufo-Addo, through his cousin the Finance Minister, has mortgaged the Energy Sector Levy and the GETFund for many years, which he says imposes the burden of payment on the youth who would be paying the debts for many more years to come.
“Even though the ESLA bond we brought was supposed to be for five (5) years, today the last ESLA bond they did they have extended it to between 20 – 30 years. It means you and I; our children and our grandchildren will continue paying the loan until beyond 2030. GETFund has been mortgaged for the next 15 years. This means all contributions we pay for GetFUND will only go toward paying loan and not for anything else”, he disclosed.
“Our children will pay and pay and pay but won’t be able to finish paying. Our grandchildren will take over from them and continue paying the debts” he added.
Mr. Mahama, therefore, warned that “If we don’t halt this trend government appears set on, it will get to a point where we can no longer pay our debts
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the policies and programmes initiated by his government, since taking office in January 2017, are bearing fruit. and have impacted the lives of all Ghanaians.
Speaking at the centenary celebration of the Ash Town Seventh Day Adventist Church, on Saturday, 16th October 2021, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that he came into office with the goal of improving the living standards of the Ghanaian people.
“After my first term in office, our achievements were visible for all to see, and that is why the Ghanaian people were good enough to repose their confidence in me again, and gave me four more years to do more for them,” he said.
Whilst acknowledging that life is still not easy as it should be, the President noted that there are solid reasons for all Ghanaians to hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Recounting the passage in Jeremiah 12:2, which says “You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit”, he told congregants at the Church that “likewise, the policies and programmes being implemented by my government have taken root, they are growing, and they are bearing fruit”.
President Akufo-Addo continued, “In this Church, at least, I am sure we have parents here whose wards are beneficiaries of the Free Senior High School policy. We have achieved a number of noteworthy successes, and even though the pandemic of COVID-19 has derailed temporarily our progress, we remain on course, and will build back Mother Ghana much strongly.”
Reiterating his vision for the progress and prosperity of Ghana, the President stated that his vision to build a Ghana Beyond Aid remains constant, adding that “with the help of the Church, I am confident that we can realise this vision”.
Centenary Celebration Thanking Almighty God for the growth of the Ash Town SDA Church, President Akufo-Addo stated that, since its establishment a century ago, the Church has impacted positively not only on the lives of congregants, but also on residents of Ash Town and Kumasi.
“From humble beginnings, this Church has grown into what it is today – a dynamic and integral part of this community. You have lived up to the aspirations of the forebears of this Church, Edward Sanford and Karl Rudolph, who first came to the shores of the Gold Coast, first landing at Apam, moving to Cape Coast before spreading out to the Ashanti Region, and other parts of Ghana,” the President said.
He continued, “Successive priests and congregations are to be applauded for these achievements, and for the many years of service and fellowship to country. You have been a good example of what it means to love one another and give cheerfully to those in need, and I have no doubt that this legacy of ministry and compassion will long grace this Church”.
The President’s prayer was that the Church will continue, for the next one hundred years (100 years), to spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, win souls, and serve the people of Ghana and Almighty God.
He also asked congregants to “pray for me, the government and the people I have appointed to various positions, that we exercise our responsibilities with humility and integrity, and pray for Ghana, that she remains united and continues to strive for progress and prosperity
Dozens of Qnet Agents and hundreds of recruits have been arrested by Police in Koforidua.
The special operation carried out by Police and Ambulance service Personnel from the Counter-Terrorism and Concentration Camp located in Huhunya on Friday targeted places where Qnet agents operate and target their victims.
The suspects include some West Africa Nationals. Some women with their children were among the recruits found at the premises of the Qnet branches. They have been arrested for defrauding hundreds of victims under false Pretenses.
Starr FM Investigation
Starrfm.com.gh published on March 15, 2021 that scores of Ghanaians and some West African nationals risk being scammed by agents of network marketing company Qnet Ghana.
Many Independent Representatives (IRs) in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, operating as agents of the company are using what appears to be deceptive business modules to recruit people as independent representatives.
On the first week of 11th January 2021, Starr News Eastern Regional Correspondent Kojo Ansah initiated investigations into the operations of Qnet agents in Koforidua following complaints of possible scam.
It was quite difficult establishing location of at least six Qnet agents operating in parts Koforidua. They operate in rented bedroom apartments without signposts.
At Koforidua Adweso-Mile 50, an agent was found operating from a walled four-bedroom house. A number of desperate unemployed youth well-dressed with some in suit and tie were found seated under tents in the house. A few minutes later, a self-acclaimed pastor came to worship with them and delivered a motivational message.
Ushered into a room after disguising as potential customer interested in joining the network marketing company, five persons including two (2) ladies were already seated in the room. They had come after an Independent representative introduced the direct selling business to them.
Twenty (20) minutes later, a young man came to the room to introduce the business modules. He first convinced the prospective Independent Representatives about the credibility of the company citing numerous sponsorship packages by Qnet for FIFA, CAF, , Manchester City WHO, UNICEF, ECOWAS among others.
He said worthy medical doctors, Journalists, Musicians, Politicians and some rich men in Ghana including Kennedy Agyapong, late former President Jerry John Rawlings were into the business.
He demonstrated that an Independent Representative could get initial commission of $225 for the first month and as high as $76,725 monthly commission after four years of joining the network marketing company and advertising its products to other customers who also refer others.
A young man who identified himself as Elvis Nelson Ayittey -Manager and Qnet agent, explained that to be registered as an Independent Representative, the individual must buy a form of at least Ghc100 and pay at least Ghc4,200 for the purchase of a product online and additionally pay Ghc400 hostel fee.
He added that after payment, an online dollar account would be created for the individual to receive payment of commission twice daily after referring two others to also purchase a product
“To join this company, you have to purchase a product before. I hope he mentioned the prices to you. The least priced products are the chi -pendant which is ghc4,200 and the bio-dic is Ghc4,300. There is a way that we can do it for you to secure an account but without. getting the product that is paying ghc2,800. The company operates in 184 countries,42 is in Africa so they use one common platform. So, we are going to create international account for you so that you can use to get the product. This business is a form of E-commerce so you can do it to attach any work that you do. If you want to come and stay here add just Ghc400 to the amount to make it ghc4,600 or Ghc4,700” He said
“The advertising of the product is not about the number of people that you are going to advertise to. It is a form of teamwork. I started this business 16th of April last year things have changed in my life. I have many people. I have an office at Cape coast. Every week you will get commission. If you get 60 people under you, you will make $5000 every week. So, try and join.so are you going to fill the form. For the money, you can pay in installment. The forms are from GH100 upwards “The manager was captured on tape .
Apparently, the Qnet agent has a school attached to the network marketing as new recruits are made to register for online diploma and degree courses allegedly affiliated to Quest International University. He said Diploma and Degree certificates will be awarded depending on the course one pursues. Quest International University had not replied email sent on January 13, 2021 to verify the genuineness of the alleged affiliation.
At Okorase, a community near Koforidua, where another agent was operating with same modus operandi, the story was not different. Over hundred youth were seen on the compound of the alleged Qnet agent going through training after paying huge sums of money to purchase a product online hoping to be registered as an Independent Representative to start earning the supposed commissions as assured.
The next stop this time around, was a house where nationals from West African Countries were similarly operating as Qnet Agents in Okorase. They are mostly Burkinabe, Nigerians and Malians. The agents convince their victims mostly from Mali and Burkina Faso that they have secured well-paid jobs in Ghana for them.
The victims are asked to pay huge amounts to enable them commence work. After paying the amounts, they are held hostage under the guise of being trained to work online as Qnet Independent Representatives. Mobile phones of the victims are seized to disable them from communicating to their families.
The victims are told to convince two persons each from their respective countries to come to Ghana under the guise of securing job opportunities for them before they could be released. Few days before, Police in Koforidua arrested dozens of West African Nationals at Bornya a suburb of Koforidua after one of the fresh victims escaped from the custody of the agent.
QNET has maintained that it is a direct selling company that provides customers around the world with unique high-quality products and services while giving customers the opportunity to build a sales business by promoting the products. Qnet sells products online to clients.
The company trades products ranging from energy, nutrition, personal care, luxury and collectables, accessories, cosmetics, vehicles, holidays and education among others
Under its business module, independent representatives” (IRs) of the company receive $250 commission after they introduce the products to six people, placing three people on their left and three people on their right, described as two ‘legs’. When an IR introduces a new customer who then becomes an IR if they so wish, the original IR benefits (by receiving bonus points) from the success of their recruit.
These bonus points build up on only one of the IR’s legs. The IR must then introduce the product for a new customer to purchase it and also become an IR to add up to the monthly commission.
Over 10,000 people working under Qnet in Ghana
Qnet claimed that its network had employed 10,000 people in Ghana who earn between 1,000-10,000 dollars per month.
On 22nd and 23rd February, 2018, Qnet Ghana organized its first-ever Absolute Living Expo which was attended by many stakeholders and the general public. Government agencies such as the Ministry of Trade & Industry, Ministry of Business Development were well represented.
Ghana’s largest business association, the Association of Ghana Industries was also represented at the Expo which took place at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Business Development, Mr. Joe Tackie, representing the Minister for Business Development said: “We are glad to have QNET in Ghana for the long haul. We are also very glad that QNET’s business module supports entrepreneurship. Having being in existence for 20 years and operating in about 100 countries across the world, we believe that Ghanaians will benefit immeasurably from the health, nutritional and entrepreneurial exploits QNET is introducing to Ghana.”
The Head of SME, at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr. Sampson Abankwa, representing the Minister for Trade & Industry added: “QNET’s entrance into Ghana is opening the space up for more entrepreneurial opportunities for the youth and Ghanaians in general”
Reaction on Findings of the investigation
Qnet Ghana responded to some of the findings in the investigation as follow. “Okay Qnet is a business company and every business require a starting capital……So for sure you need a capital to start with…. And become a representative….No one get to the top alone team work is a key in our business”
On the Quest International University Courses being offered as part of the business module, Qnet Ghana said “Education is part of our business sectors if you meet the requirements you can enroll in any of our Universities…. And start offering a course of your choice through digital platform e-learning”
On Foreign nationals holding people hostage
Qnet Ghana explained that “People From far places organizing themselves confining themselves into rooms are not part of the business model…. But from the understanding of new representative can decide to join hand in hand to find a house to stay in so they can build their business…… Note: Qnet is a Global Business of only you have the understanding you can do business with us from any angle ”.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has demanded the recall of some batches of Ceres 100% Juice from the Ghanaian market.
A statement on Friday, 15 October 2021, said: “The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Ghana, in collaboration with Transmed Ghana Limited, Accra, wishes to bring to the attention of the public, an ongoing recall of certain batches of Ceres 100% Apple Juice”.
The FDA noted: “This follows information received from the International Food Safety Network (INFOSAN) and the manufacturer of the product, Pioneer Foods Groceries (Pty) Limited, South Africa, confirming that extensive laboratory tests and consultations with their local supplier of the apple juice concentrate, revealed that it contained levels of mycotoxin-patulin higher than the regulatory threshold”.
“It is important to note that so far, most of the affected batches have been successfully retrieved and this includes all the 1-litre pack sizes”.
“The FDA’s market surveillance team is therefore working earnestly with the importer to remove all the affected products in trade and is calling on persons in possession of the above products to return them to any of the depots of Transmed Ghana Limited, nationwide or to any FDA offices across the country.”
The juice has also been recalled in Kenya and markets in Eastern and Southern Africa as well as Singapore
MINISTER OF Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, says the Agyapa Royalty deal is best way to go for Ghana to help monetise her minerals and find a way to leverage mining.
He has consequently charged the reconstituted board of the Minerals Income and Investment Funds (MIIF) to continue with the work that has been done to address and overcome “all the concerns against the Agyapa transaction.”
Speaking at the inauguration of the board, the Finance Minister stated that this would enable the government to market and create the first mineral royalty company in Ghana and in Africa “because it is good for Ghana.”
Mr. Ofori-Atta indicated that the Ministry would do all the necessary consultations and resubmit Agyapa to Parliament for consideration.
“You must continue with the work that has been done following the theme of the budget ‘Continuity, Consolidation and Completion’ and address and overcome all the concerns against the Agyapa transaction, so that we can go to the market and create the first mineral royalty company in Ghana and in Africa because it is good for Ghana.”
The Agyapa Royalty was proposed by the government last year as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to manage and monetize the country’s mineral royalties to finance key infrastructure projects.
However, some stakeholders, particularly civil society organisations (CSOs) working on extractives, anti-corruption and good governance, kicked against the move, asserting that there had not been enough consultation for their views to be reflected in the deal.
But management of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) at the time indicated that there had been erroneous assertions made in the media about the fund and its purpose.
The Public Relations Unit of MIIF, in a statement, noted that the MIIF was formed by Parliament pursuant to the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act, 2018 (Act 978) with the key objective of maximising the value of Ghana’s income from its mineral wealth for the benefit of the Ghanaians.
It insisted that the special purpose vehicle was also to maximise the minerals’ income in a sustainable and responsible manner with an aim to ensure that Ghanaians fully benefitted from the wealth created in the mining sector.
Mr. Ofori-Atta said “the Attorney General has looked at it. We had a few stakeholder meetings, and I think the new board should be energised to review that and go through the parliamentary process. I’m unequivocal that it is the way to go in terms of monetizing our minerals and finding a way to leverage mining
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has recalled some batches of Ceres 100% soft drink which is currently on the Ghanaian market.
According to the FDA, the product contains a higher amount of mycotoxin-patulin, which is above the acceptable level.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Ghana in collaboration with Transmed Ghana Limited, Accra wishes to bring to the attention of the public an ongoing recall of certain batches of Ceres 100% Apple Juice.
“This follows information received from the International Food Safety Network (INFOSAN) and the manufacturer of the product, Pioneer Foods Groceries (Pty) Limited, South Africa confirming that extensive laboratory tests and consultations with their local supplier of the apple juice concentrate, revealed that it contained levels of mycotoxin-patulin higher than the regulatory threshold,” the FDA said in a statement.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has sworn in 26 confirmed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Region.
Assembly members since September in the various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies in the Region have been voting to confirm or reject the nominees by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The process has been smooth for the nominated MMDCEs with only three out of the total number of 29 yet to be approved by the assembly members.
The three outstanding nolminees, Mordecai Quarshie of Ledzokuku, Mohammed Bashiru Kamara of Ga Central and Latif Amanor, Ningo Prampram could not secure the required number of votes from their respective Assembly Members to be confirmed as Municipal Chief Executives.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, speaking at the swearing in ceremony charged the MMDCEs to execute their mandate guided by the rules, regulations and procedures of the Local Government Act 2016 (Act 936).
He further implored them to ensure equitable distribution of developmental projects in all Electoral Areas devoid of Political biases for the total development of the Assembly.
The Head of Local Government Service, Dr. Nana Ato Arthur outlined plans by his outfit to organize some academic courses for key staff of the assemblies to enhance service delivery at the local level.
According to him, “I want to assure you that, your staff will be trained as soon as possible particularly Regional Coordinating Directors, engineers, and procurement officers on contract management, public financial management, etc. “The rationale behind this is to help bring on board the best management practices in achieving the objectives of the service. I wish to express my confidence in you and the expertise you are seeking to bring to bear.”
For her part, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources who doubles as the Caretaker Minister for Gender Children and Social Protection, Cecilia Abena Dapaah tasked the newly confirmed MMDCEs to deal with streetism and sanitation to ensure a safe society.
“One major problem is the street children we see around. They are everywhere, and they are a danger to all of us and society. I hope you find ways and means to deal with that issue properly,” she said.
Communication and Digitalization Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful also urged the MMDCEs to use digital platforms in collecting property rates and other services to enhance revenue mobilization
Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress, (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi has warned that it may be very difficult for the party to capture power if its current posturing on the political front does not change.
Sammy Gyamfi made the comments on his Facebook page on Friday.
According to him, if the NDC does not do an honest self-introspection and soul searching, it may never recapture power from the NPP.
Read full statement below:
“It’s about time we in the NDC did an honest self-introspection and soul searching.
“We cannot capture power from these power-drunk NPP despots with our current posture. There has to be a drastic change in our mindset, posture and actions relative to how we relate with the NPP on all fronts. It cannot be business as usual.
Former President John Mahama has said his government had plans of establishing a sugar cane farm around the Komenda sugar factory to provide the raw materials for production but that part of the project has been ignored by the Akufo-Addo government since taking office in 2017.
He told Cape93.3FM in an interview in the Central Region during his Thank You tour on Friday, 15 October 2021 that his vision for setting up the factory was to cut down on the almost $300 million spent annually to import sugar into Ghana.
“Phase I of the project was to build the factory and with phase II, the government of India gave us another $24 million for sugar cultivation and the out-growers”, Mr Mahama explained to Ohene Kwame David.
“When this government came, they said the sugar factory wasn’t their priority and, so, they didn’t apply for the $24 million and, so, they left it and the factory is just sitting there”, he bemoaned.
According to the 2020 flag bearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), the second phase of the project was designed to provide the raw material for the factory to make it self-sustaining.
“Do you think I’m a fool to build a factory and not make provisions for raw materials? I’m not that foolish. I did economics in the sixth form”, Mr Mahama pointed out.
“So, I knew what the vision was: get the factory first and, so, when we start producing, we’ll have a processing plant”.
“So, it was one of our priority projects”, he added.
He said: “There’s about 3,000 acres of land at Komenda, so, we planned doing a nucleus farm to feed the factory with raw materials and use the remaining balance of the $24 million to buy sugar from the out-growers in the area.”
“We’ll give them the planting materials because our sugar cane variety is very thin compared to the very think hybrid variety which has a lot of sugar in it”, he noted.
“So, the factory would buy the sugar cane from the out-growers”, he said.
“This government forgot about the second part”, he said, emphasising that “the Komenda Sugar Factory project has two parts: the plant and the sugar cane growing but they forgot about the second part, that is why the factory is sitting there idle and now they want to privatise it”.
“But even if you privatise it, you still need the support of the farmers to grow the sugar cane”.
“If we come back into government, by the grace of God, and they have not sold the factory yet, it’s a factory that can work to produce a very good percentage of Ghana’s sugar requirement and provide the youth in the area with jobs”, Mr Mahama said
President Akufo-Addo thinks the dispute between Ghana and some neighbouring countries over boundary issues could explode if care is not taken.××
That, he said was because “an extensive analysis of our borders for example shows numerous recorded cases of distractions at the boundary markings of our demarcated lands and maritime boundaries.”
This situation, according to the President “exposes us to security, economic and other developmental implications including setting the tone for potential conflicts with neighbouring countries” and that “we (referring to Ghana) still have a number of boundary disputes with our neighbours, both land and maritime.”
Thankfully however, he noted that “none of these challenges have been violent.
Based on these concerns, President Akufo-Addo has charged the Governing Board of the newly constituted Ghana Boundaries Commission (GhBC) to spearhead the amicable resolution of all existing border and maritime boundary disputes to avert any potential conflicts in the future.
This was when he swore in members of the Governing Board of the Commission which is chaired by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor this afternoon.
“We are told by the Institute of Security Studies that African maritime boundary disputes for example, that, unless resolved in a concerted and timely manner, will imperial both the long and short term implementation of maritime policies and strategies”, he noted with concern.
To that end, he stressed the need for African States and stakeholders to prioritize boundary dispute resolution, if a vital maritime economic development is to occur.
Meanwhile, he indicated that “there are also ongoing efforts to settle border problems with Burkina Faso in Paga, in the Kassena-Nankana district, and Sapeliga in the Bawku West District, both in the Upper East Region.”
“The vast amount of mineral resources along our borders including in the famous dollar power, in the Savannah Region, makes it imperative that we conclude these matters once and for all to forestall any potential needless conflicts”, he emphasised.
On his part, Chairperson of the Governing body of the Ghana Boundary Commission said their was consequential to the peace and security of the nation.
He therefore assured the President that the Board will work hard to protect Ghana’s territorial integrity.
Members Members of the Commission includes Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney – General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Nitiwul, MP, Minister for Defence, Lawrence Asangongo Apaalse, representative of the Minister of Energy, Nathaniel Amonoo Wilson, representative of Ministry of Transport and Samuel Seth Passah, represebtive of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
The rest are Osei Bonsu Dickson, Esq, representing the National Security Council, Emmanel Philip Owusu-Boakye, Ghana Revenue Authority, Surv. Michael Enam Dordor, FGhIS, Ghana Institute of Surveyors, Prof. Jerry Samuel Yaw Kuma, Ghana Institute of Geoscientists, Dr. Bukari Ali, Minister’s Nominee, Major General Emmanuel Wekem Kotia, National Coordinator, Ghana Boundary Commission, and a representative of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture yet to be nominated.
The Boundary Commission
Ghana Boundary Commission (GhBC) exist to ensure that Ghana’s land, maritime and air boundaries are effectively secured and managed within the framework of International Law, Peace and Security, and the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocols on African and Regional Integration.
It has as its mission to demarcate, delimit and manage Ghana’s international and internal boundaries, including settling boundary disputes through the implementation of National legislation, and Regional and International Conventions on boundary management and cross-border cooperation in Africa.
The goals of the Commission are to determine and demarcate the land boundaries of Ghana and delimit the maritime boundaries of Ghana in accordance with accepted principles of international law, protect and secure the interest of the Republic in determining and demarcating land boundaries and delimiting maritime boundaries of Ghana.
Other goals of the Commission are to adopt international best practices in the demarcation of land boundaries and delimiting of boundaries of Ghana, Promote effective and efficient management of the boundary demarcation and delimitation processes and ensure consideration of the interest of Ghanaians affected by the placement of boundaries
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Central Regional Communications Director, Emmanuel Kwesi Dawood, who was arraigned in court over allegation that he had sexual intercourse with his biological daughter and impregnated her, was yesterday remanded into police custody by a Circuit Court in Cape Coast.××
Dawood, 40, was remanded by the Circuit Court 2 presided over by Her Honour Dorinda Arthur-Smith, to re-appear on October 27.
Different Cases
There are two different cases that the Central Regional DOVVSU of the Ghana Police Service are currently pursuing against Dawood.
The police have filed a case of abetment of crime relating to a supposed illegal abortion he allegedly caused to be performed on the daughter, who claims the accused impregnated her, at the Circuit Court 1 and another case of incest and defilement which is before the Circuit Court 2.
Dawood was detained overnight on Tuesday and sent to Circuit Court 1 on Wednesday morning, where he was granted GH¢30,000 bail with two sureties, one to be justified, for the charge of abetment, and was asked to return to the court on October 27.
Circuit Court 2
At the Circuit Court 2 where he was remanded until October 27, Dawood was charged with three counts of defilement, incest and assault.
On Count One, the charge read: Defilement of a female child contrary to Section 101(2) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, and said Dawood had sexual intercourse with his daughter, Rita Arhin, in 2019.
For Count Two, Dawood was charged with incest, contrary to Section 105 (1) of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and the offence, the prosecution said, was committed against Rita Arhin in 2019 at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.
Count Three is for assault contrary to Section 84 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and the offence was that Dawood on August 27, 2021, at Agona Swedru, unlawfully hit and stepped on the abdomen of Rita Arhin, his daughter.
The charge sheet filed, was signed by ASP Daniel Mensah Gadzo.
Official Facts
According to the Central Regional DOVVSU, “the complainant in the case is Mavis Ayite, who is unemployed and the mother of the survivor or victim Rita Arhin, aged 18 years, who stays with her grandmother, Margaret Arthur at Otabilkrom, a suburb of Agona Swedru.
“Accused Kwesi Dawood, aged 40, is the biological father to the girl and stays in the same vicinity with the survivor and grandmother at Otabilkrom.”
Luring Daughter
“During the year 2019, on a day, accused lured the survivor who was then 15 years old into his matrimonial home and informed her that he used to love her mother so much but their love could not last long hence, he wanted to replace the love for the mother to her by dating her.
“Survivor told accused that she cannot do that but accused went ahead and forcibly had sexual intercourse with the survivor in his matrimonial room at Agona Swedru.
“After the act, the accused person promised to send the daughter abroad only if she did not disclose the ordeal to anyone, but if she revealed it her life will be very miserable.”
Sexual Partners
“The accused then released the girl and she went home but did not inform anyone. Accused and the survivor became sexual partners and their last sexual act was in the month of June, 2021 at Agona Swedru.”
Pregnant Daughter
“In 2020 survivor got pregnant but accused took her to one Atta Mensah who was not a medical practitioner at Agona Swedru and aborted the pregnancy for her. Survivor later informed her school counselor about all that she had suffered in the hands of the accused.”
Brutal Assault
“On August 27, 2021 after accused heard that the survivor has informed the school counselor, he attacked and subjected her to severe beatings. Survivor managed to run away to her grandmother. Complainant was informed later and she lodged complaint at Agona Swedru DOVVSU.
“Police medical report form was issued to the complainant to send the survivor to any government hospital for examination and treatment and report, which she did. Later the case was transferred to the Regional DOVVSU in Cape Coast for further investigations. Accused was arrested, cautioned and after investigations charged with the offence before the honourable court.”
Bold Claim
Initially, Kwesi Dawood said the woman (Mavis Ayite), who is ‘pushing’ the girl (victim) to make the allegation, was a TESCON member at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), and that it was an NPP agenda to discredit him.
Later on Adom FM on Monday, the same Kwesi Dawood said that it was his own NDC party elements who were behind the agenda he had accused the NPP of instigating, and said the NDC elements were doing that because the party’s internal election was drawing closer.
Initial Suspension
In the ensuing heat, the NDC Regional Secretary, Kojo Quansah, confirmed on Monday that Kwesi Dawood has been suspended by the opposition party.
“When we look at the position Kwesi Dawood is holding as Regional Communications Officer, and for him to be embroiled in such a case, we obviously, are sad,” he said.
“In party politics, all the executives are one body so anyone of us who is involved in a criminal case automatically will have negative effect on the whole party. It is Kwesi Dawood who is being alleged to have been involved in incest but technically, his conduct is affecting all of us.”
Mr. Quansah said “we haven’t told him to go and have sex with his daughter, but once it is alleged to have happened, we shall use Article 48 of our party’s constitution to take drastic decision against Kwesi Dawood.”
“It has worried all of us, especially the administrator of the region. How can I stand somewhere and say that we do not know anything about what Kwesi Dawood has done?” he queried, adding “we heard it as an allegation, and the victim has spoken, the mother of the girl has spoken and the police who are investigating the case have also spoken, so we cannot do any cover-up.”
“We want to put on record that Kwesi Dawood has been suspended as Regional Communications Director of the NDC. As a major political party, we do not condone such things. Even if our leader is found to have breached the law, we can take action against him.”
Counter Decision
The NDC through its General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said the party has quashed the decision to suspend Dawood.
He issued a statement yesterday saying, “The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has taken note of reports in the media that the Central Regional Communication Officer, Mr. Kwesi Dawood has been suspended by the Central Regional Executive Committee of the party over some allegations that are pending before a Court of Competent Jurisdiction.”
“Our attention has also been drawn to media interviews granted by the Central Regional Secretary of the party, Mr. Kojo Quansah in which he confirmed the said decision by the Central Regional Executive Committee.
“The Functional Executive Committee of the party at its meeting held today, 13th October, 2021 took the view that the suspension of Mr. Kwesi Dawood is not only prejudicial to the matter pending in Court, but that same violates the rights of a criminally accused person to a fair trial, the rules of natural justice and Article 46(1)(a)(c)(d) of the NDC Constitution.”
The statement said it was evident from the NDC constitution that “only the Functional Executive Committee at the national level of the party has the power to suspend an office holder of the party at the regional level,” and said “consequently, FEC has quashed the purported suspension of Central Regional Communication Officer, Mr. Kwesi Dawood by the Central Regional Executive Committee of the party, as same is wrongful and without regard for due process.”
“As a law abiding party, we do not and will not condone crime of any form. Neither will we judge an accused person unheard nor presume him guilty until proven innocent. Thus, the Functional Executive Committee will abide by the decision of the Court hearing the matter on the guilt or innocence of the accused person, before we decide on whether or not he should be subjected to disciplinary proceedings of the party.”
Chronology of Events
2003 – The girl’s mother (Mavis Ayite) became pregnant and Dawood said on radio that the woman said he had impregnated her. “We were in the same church. She was in the Girls’ Brigade and I was in the Boys’ Brigade. Somewhere in 2003, we were involved in fornication. It was a one off thing and that was all. I was even suspended from the church. Later they came back that she was pregnant. It was not even up to one month after the fornication. As a responsible man I said I had accepted it.”
2004 – The lady delivered. Dawood said “my family was actively involved in helping her till the time she delivered. We gave her a lot of things.”
2011 – In 2011, the girl would have been about seven or eight years. Dawood said on radio that he started taking the responsibility of looking after her including paying her school fees following passionate appeals from the woman’s father. “In 2010, there was serious flooding in Swedru and after the destruction, I moved to a new place, and Mavis’ father, now deceased, appealed to me to look after the girl who was growing up. He told me Mavis is not looking after the child and that it was the grandmother who was looking after the child.”
2011 -2017 – Dawood said he was looking after the child but she was not staying with him. “From 2011, looking after the child became my full responsibility. I have so many kids I am looking after. Some belong to me, others are adopted. This girl is not my child!”
2017 – In 2017, the girl moved to stay with him. She was about 14 or 15 years. “The girl started staying in my house in Swedru somewhere in 2017/2018. She was here until August this year (2021). She was staying with me as one of the children I have been looking after and she is not my biological daughter,” Dawood said.
2019 – According to the girl, Dawood started having sex with her in 2019 when she was about 15 or 16 years.
2020 – The girl said Dawood impregnated her in 2020 and made her to do an abortion. He allegedly got his friend to administer an injection to terminate the pregnancy, and according to the victim, she bled for more than two weeks.
The girl’s mother said the person who performed the abortion is a doctor, and mentioned his name as Dr. Atta Mensah, but Dawood said it was not true although he admitted he knows the name Atta Mensah as an Assemblyman. “I know an Assemblyman called Atta Mensah. I didn’t send her to anyone to be injected. It is part of their fabrication.”
He then made serious allegations, including describing the teenager as a nymphomaniac.
He said “my neighbours told me the girl has become a deviant. She could invite boys from Accra to all have sex with her at the same time. Everybody in my area is aware of these things. She has been sleeping with many guys. People have been complaining to me about her lifestyle.
August 2021 – The girl claims that Dawood beat her up when he got to know she had informed her mother about the father’s incestuous act
Former President John Dramani Mahama has denied claims that he owns a Swiss bank account which has an amount of over $100 million.
According to him, he has only 3 bank accounts – ADB, Zenith, and Guaranty Trust bank -, hence any person who thinks otherwise can probe into that.
“I don’t have any foreign account anywhere, I have three bank accounts – ADB, Zenith, and Guaranty Trust bank. If you want to investigate me, investigate those banks, my money is all there,” Starrfm.com.gh reports he said this on Cape 93.3 Fm in Cape Coast.
Mr Dramani Mahama added that people who criticised him when he was in power have now become silent.null
“You made so much noise, and now you’ve all gone quiet. You’ve all been cowed. You can’t talk. There were all kinds of propaganda against me. They said Lordina and I have stolen $100 million into a Swiss Account. How would you get access to that kind of money? World Bank money doesn’t come to Finance Ministry. It’s with the BoG, how do I go to them to ask for such money and transfer it to a Swiss account?” he added.
His comment falls at the back of a publication by Pierre Wimhoven of the Associated Press News (APN) concerning President Mahama hiding $170 million in a foreign Bank account.
In the said article, the writer alleged that former President John Mahama and his wife, Mrs Lordina Mahama, hid a tune of $170 Million in a Swiss bank account.
It is alleged in the said article that World Bank and IMF officials are contemplating suspending aid to Ghana.
John Mahama has, however, denied this claim availing himself for further investigations.
• Ghana’s land borders have remained closed since March 22, 2020, as a measure against COVID-19 spread
• Mr Ablakwa said the situation is affecting land travellers
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has demanded the immediate opening of Ghana’s land and sea borders.
According to the North Tongu Member of Parliament of Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is being hypocritical in implementing an ECOWAS agreement that mandates member countries to open their borders before the end of July this year.
“ECOWAS agreed to a phased easing of restrictions in the sub-region with a 31st July 2021 deadline by which date all member states should open their land and sea borders for free movement of persons and goods,” he wrote in a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb.
He described President Akufo-Addo’s position on keeping Ghana’s borders closed as a sign not representing great leadership.
“From all independent assessments, it appears only Ghana has not opened its land borders with her neighbours within ECOWAS. This cannot be great leadership from ECOWAS Chair, Nana Akufo-Addo who presided over the Fifty-eighth Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Governments held on 23rd January 2021 via videoconference where these critical timelines were agreed.
“President Akufo-Addo, you are under a compelling obligation to open Ghana’s land borders now!” he demanded.
The government of Ghana in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak announced the closures of the country’s land, sea and air borders as a measure to curb the importation of the virus into the country.
Despite announcing the reopening of Ghana’s air borders on September 1, 2020, the government is yet to reopen Ghana’s land and sea borders to travellers.
Several concerns, including economic implications, have been raised on the continued closure of Ghana’s land borders.
Sharing such concerns in his Facebook post, Mr Ablakwa again wrote, “those of us privileged to travel by air must spare serious thoughts for our compatriots who far outnumber the few elite air travellers but still cannot travel via our land borders for more than a year and still counting.”
“Our policy interventions should not leave the vulnerable masses behind. They do not deserve the indirect economic sanctions we have imposed on them.
“It is not impossible to put in place practical public health measures that protect all from the pandemic just as has been done for air travel.”
Bernard Okoe-Boye, a medical doctor at the Ga East Municipal Hospital has given a medical or health justification in support of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill currently before Parliament.
The former Deputy Minister of Health also disclosed some health-related issues which he asserts are triggered by sexual acts between persons of the same sex.
The former lawmaker for Ledzokuku constituency explained that research indicates that homosexuals are more vulnerable to certain diseases due to the nature of their sexual intercourse.
Okoe-Boye, speaking on the October 14 edition of Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show, stated that the first sign of the Human Immune Virus was discovered among homosexuals.
“HIV was discovered among same-sex individuals. The first group that started exhibiting very unusual symptoms that physicians saw was from same-sex partners. It was peculiar amongst them and that’s where the research started.
“One of the things that is also identifiable with such a group is mental and psychological illnesses. If you take 100 heterosexuals and 100 same-sex people, the studies show that, they (same-sex people) have serious psychological issues.null
“Anorectal cancers which is a disease that has got to do with the back of a man, it is very high amongst same sex relations and we know why. The more you try to access a place not meant for it, the more you open yourself for disease,” he said on Metro TV.
Bernard Okoe-Boye also gave a hypothesis of how homosexuality is a threat to human existence and could create a procreation crisis in the near future.
“Anytime science proves that there is danger ahead, laws are made to get people out of that danger. What makes a society is a family. Today, people are saying that it’s nothing because we assume 98% of the society is heterosexual so it’s normal. What if in 50 years’ time, the homosexuals become 98% percent and the heterosexuals 2%. It means the human race will go extinct,” he said.
In light of this, Bernard Okoe-Boye wants Parliament to pass the anti-LGBTQ+ bill to guard against these things.
He explained that with the country’s health sector not in the best of conditions, it is important that the state initiates measures against practices that could create crises in the future.null
Background Parliament is expected to discuss a Private Member’s Bill submitted by some eight MPs. The 38-page bill before parliament, among other things, stipulates that, people of the same sex who engage in sexual intercourse are “liable on summary conviction, to a fine of not less than seven hundred and fifty penalty units and not more than five thousand penalty units, or to a term of imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than five years or both.”
The Bill targets persons who “hold out as a lesbian, a gay, a transgender, a transsexual, a queer, a pansexual, an ally, a non-binary or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female.”
The Bill also targets promoters and advocates of LGBTQ+ rights including, “a person who, by use of media, technological platform, technological account or any other means, produces, procures, markets, broadcasts, disseminates, publishes or distributes a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, or a person uses an electronic device, the Internet service, a film, or any other device capable of electronic storage or transmission to produce, procure, market, broadcast, disseminate, publishes or distribute a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill” as well as a person who “promotes, supports sympathy for or a change of public opinion towards an act prohibited under the Bill.”
As part of its provisions, the Bill outlines that a flouter can be sentenced to a jail term of not less than six years or not more than ten years imprisonment. At the back of the public support the Bill has received, a group of academicians and other professionals have expressed their opposition to the bill.
According to the group of 18, the bill, ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values 2021 Bill’, when passed into law, would erode a raft of fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said he is not afraid to open his three accounts for a probe to prove his incorruptible nature.
This was in response to what he claims were the vile lies and propaganda peddled against him while in government.
Speaking on Cape 93.3 Fm in Cape Coast, the former leader dismissed claims of owning a Swiss bank account insisting he operates just three bank accounts domestically including ADB, Zenith, and Guarantee Trust bank.
“I don’t have any foreign account anywhere, I have three bank accounts – ADB, Zenith, and Guaranty Trust bank. If you want to investigate me, investigate those banks, my money is all there.”
He said the media has spared his opponent (President Akufo-Addo) and his government from criticisms in respect of corruption matters compared to what was seen under his government.
“You made so much noise, and now you’ve all gone quiet. You’ve all been cowed, you can’t talk. There were all kinds of propaganda against me. They said Lordina and I have stolen 100 million dollars into a Swiss Account. How would you get access to that kind of money? Worl Bank money doesn’t come to Finance Ministry. It’s with the BoG, how do I go to them to ask for such money and transfer it to a Swiss account?
He claimed under him, all the corruption-related matters were dealt with frontally, saying that same cannot be said under his opponent’s government who shielded public officials embroiled in corruption allegations.
“BOST, Agyapa, PDS, missing excavators, and galamsey fraud with smoking-gun evidence have all been swept under the carpet. I recently heard the President talking about the names given to him by Ghanaians and sadly, he forgot to add the name Clearing Agent,” Mr Mahama said.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has said the mere allegations against public officials did not amount to improper conduct because the affected persons must also be listened to for their explanation.
He contends he has not shirked from fighting against corruption and will not retreat in ensuring that people manning state anti-graft agencies acted in the interest of Ghanaians.
“I don’t think that any government has mobilized resources to give opportunity for the anti-corruption agencies of the state to function efficiently as possible as this government has done. It is a matter of record,” he said in an interaction with Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition
• Former President Mahama has shot down assertions by Jean Mensa touting the 2020 elections as well organized
• Jean Mensa addressing the ECOWAS Parliament recently described the 2020 elections as historic
• But contrary to her position, Mr Mahama says the election was marred by unprecedented irregularities
The 2020 presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, has described the recent general elections as the worst organized in the history of Ghana.
According to him, the 2020 elections recorded irregularities on a scale never experienced in Ghana before.
His comments come after the Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Jean Adukwei Mensa speaking to an ECOWAS Parliament session held at Winneba on Wednesday, October 13, described the 2020 elections as a “historic” one which has become a model for other democracies in the world.
Reacting to the EC Commissioners comments Mr Mahama said: “2020 was Ghana’s worst election. If I was marking her, I would have given her an F. She is marking her own paper after the examination so she can give herself any mark she likes.”
He added, “Tell me which election in Ghana was ballot papers printed yet one million ballot papers were found elsewhere… We didn’t witness this under Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. She [Jean Mensa] knew there was ballot stuffing.”
Speaking on the election-related violence of the 2020 elections which resulted in the death of some eight persons, Madam Jean Mensa told the ECOWAS Parliament that the EC cannot be blamed for the unfortunate incident.
“Sadly, seven lives were lost and though this did not occur at our polling nor arise as misconduct on our part, one life lost is one too many. We are confident that our security agencies will share their investigations and recommendations for future learnings,” she said.
But, the former President Mahama questioned the circumstance leading to the record of deaths during the elections while insisting that it was wrong for the military to be deployed to polling stations on the election day.
“I have taken part in elections since 1992 as an MP. I haven’t seen a situation where soldiers were holding guns at collation centres. We normally have police, immigration officers etcetera there,” he added. “Eight people have died, which election did we have in Ghana that eight people perished?”
Former President John Dramani Mahama has indicated that the claim by Electoral Commissioner Mrs. Jean Mensa that Ghana’s 2020 polls were the best in history is nothing but a joke.null
According to him, Mrs. Jean Mensa could not make such a claim when she refused to account for her stewardship during the 2020 presidential petition.
Mr. Mahama opined that as someone who claims that the elections organized were the best, she should have made herself available for questioning during the petition.
The EC Chairperson has indicated that the electoral body saved the nation up to $90 million after spending over $700 million in the 2020 polls.
She said the EC managed to reduce the cost of the elections through prudent management compared to the 2016 polls.
She explained that the EC reduced the cost of the elections from $13 per person in 2016 to $7.7 in 2020.null
She was speaking at the opening ceremony of the high-level parliamentary seminar on the theme “Two decades of democratic elections in ECOWAS member states: Achievements, challenges and the way forward”.
She further described the polls as historic, transparent in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak and price hikes.
“I humbly refer to Ghana’s 2020 elections as historic for the transparency, credibility, cost-effectiveness, high turnout, and peaceful conduct that characterized them. So orderly, so methodical, so calm were the polls on 7th December 2020 that BBC Africa could find no other way to describe our elections than ‘boring’.”
But former President John Dramani Mahama insisted that the polls were not as credible as the EC chair claimed.
“In 2012, Afari Gyan was questioned in the box about the general elections. But in 2020, it got to our turn, the EC Chair Mrs. Jean Mensa, refused. You claimed the 2020 polls were credible, and yet, you refused to testify. You claimed to have organized the best election in Ghana but come and account, you are running away. If you knew the elections were credible, you should have accounted for your work, he added.null
The 2020 presidential candidate also expressed worry over the decision of the Supreme Court to rule against his petition.
“The way the court presided over the matter was problematic. We filed for interrogatories, but the court refused. We witnessed how in 2012, the court granted Akufo-Addo his request for interrogatories, but when it got to our turn, we were refused by a unanimous decision,” he stated when he paid a courtesy call on the Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan, Nana Nteboah Prah.
On his part, the traditional leader took the opportunity to ask Mr. Mahama and his political party to be clear on their position on LGBTQI+ activities.
He said such activities should not be entertained in our communities.
With regard to concerns that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) appear to be mute over the anti-gay and lesbian bill before Parliament, the General Secretary of the ruling party, John Boadu, has stated categorically that homosexuality is not part of their ideology as a centre-right political party.
According to him, it is rather the Social Democrats which the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) subscribes to, that is known in the world to be the sole promoter of the activities of the LGBTQ+.
Arguing his case on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ Morning Show, John Boadu noted that it is an undeniable fact that the social democrat groups condone homosexuality, and cited former US President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden to buttress his point.
“NDC is a social democrat. Social democrat is known in the world to be a promoter of the LGBTQ+. Social Democrat groups accept homosexuality and we should not run away from it. I am telling you the truth. President Obama is a social democrat and he implemented that homosexuality law in the USA. And so if the NDC wants to run away from the stance of the social democrat, they should do so”.
“But the NPP is a centre-right political party and we don’t accept homosexuality at all and the law that was passed by President Obama. That is why President Akufo-Addo has said that homosexuality will not be accepted under his watch as a President; not in his time as President of Ghana will the activities of the LGBTQ+ be accepted or legalised in the country,” he advanced.
He reiterated that even though the NPP government will not condone and entertain what he described as “nonsense behaviour” [ie homosexuality], the anti-gay and lesbian bill that is before Parliament should be well defined and cover all aspects of homosexuality which are not captured in the constitution.null
” . . discussion of the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill should find a way to tighten the definition that is in the constitution that bans homosexuality already . . . the definition of homosexuality and the time the constitution was drafted did not cover transgender, hence, the need to tighten the existing law.
“Right now, the new additions to the homosexuality issue have to be really defined well so that the law will be adequate to cover all the possible unnatural carnal knowledge or intercourse some people are engaging in,” he stated.
He, therefore, argued that a certain aspect of the bill that criminalises parents for not reporting their children who practice homosexuality, should be looked at again in the course of the discussion of the bill, since most of these unnatural sexual behaviours are hidden from parents.
“If we don’t look at this and allow the bill to pass, do you know that it is possible for some parents not to be aware of their children engaging in any criminal activities in the country? How do I report such a case to the police? So if the child is arrested, will the police arrest the parents as well for a crime they know nothing about?” he quizzed.
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) says it will not withdraw its directive ordering public sector workers to acquire a national identification card by December 1, 2021, or forfeit their salaries.
There have been agitations by a section of government workers and unions since the Department issued the directive on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, with some asking the Controller and Accountant-General to reconsider the directive and withdraw it completely or have the deadline extended.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday, Mr Cephas Narh Dosso, the Head of Public Relations at CADG, reaffirmed the Department’s directive, saying it was the best way to address challenges in the government’s payroll system.
He explained that Section 8(4) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), mandated the CAGD to, among other functions, receive, disburse and provide secured custody for public funds.
He said as a department that deals with about 500,000 government workers, it was necessary that it put in measures to ensure the integrity of the payroll at all times.
“We have a payroll that takes care of about 500,000 government employees nationwide. As a department, over the years, the CAGD has been instituting measures that will ensure that the integrity of the payroll is maintained at all times,” Mr Dosoo explained.
He rather urged the various public institutions and unions to educate their members to acquire the cards before the deadline.
Me Dosoo said: “We appreciate the concerns by our unions because they are our major stakeholders but, what we will say is that…we need to urge our colleague workers to avail themselves and go through the registration process. For now, the deadline is not today, and so the best thing to do is to avail ourselves.”
“When we get to the deadline we will review the data, and I am sure the right decisions will be taken by the right authorities,” he added.
The CAGD, in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, warned that government workers without Ghana Cards would not be paid from December 1, 2021.
The move, it said, formed part of the Government’s efforts to deliver a speedy, secured, and verified payroll service to employees and pensioners while reducing the risk of undeserving payments or claims.
The National Identification Authority, early this month, disclosed that more than 15 million citizens had registered for the Ghana Card.
However, out of the number, only 12 million had been issued with their cards. The NIA added that provisions were being made for the three million Ghanaians yet to receive their cards to get them.
Former President John Mahama is yet to overcome the defeat handed down to him 10 months after the 2020 presidential elections as he keeps churning out ridiculous excuses for his two embarrassing defeats in a row.
After blaming his polling agents for doing a shoddy job as exhibited during the election petition at the Supreme Court, Mr Mahama is now turning gun on the Electoral Commission (EC) for stealing the votes for the NPP’s Nana Addo dankwa Akufo-Addo.
John Mahama is accusing the Electoral Commission of thumb-printing more than one million extra ballot papers in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to the 2020 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), “over 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 favor of the NPP.”
The Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa speaking at the 2021 ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar in Winneba in the Central Region on Wednesday, described the 2020 general elections as historic, credible, and cost-effective.
Mrs. Mensa explained that the comparative cost of the election was reduced by 41% which is equivalent to $90 million.
She stated that the 2020 elections were a historic one for the transparency, credibility, cost-effectiveness, high turnout, and peaceful conduct that characterized it.
But Mr. Mahama addressing the Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan, Nana Nteboah Prah, recently, as part of his Thank You tour of the Western Region, disagreed with the EC and said over one million ballot papers were thumb-printed in favour of the NPP.
Mr. Mahama claimed “And, so, all these things dented the credibility of the polls and caused an embarrassment,” added that “I heard her [Jean Mensa] say ‘it’s the best election Ghana has ever had and yet you run away from scrutiny at the Supreme Court. So, how do you boast that it’s the best election ever
An 18-year-old taxi driver who found and returned huge money to a businesswoman has cried for “maximum protection” because some people are threatening him for the gesture, while others mock him, saying he “will live and die poor”.
According to the BBC, Emmanuel Tuloe, 18, a Liberian returned $50,000 (£37,000) after hearing the owner, Musu Yancy, appealing to the radio.
However, some people thought the young man from Gbolor Dialla on the border with Ivory Coast committed an irredeemable mistake for returning the life-changing money to the owner.
His plight gets worse when his friends see his car break down on the road. They tell him that if he had not returned the huge money to Musu Yancy he would not continue driving a rickety car.
“They tell me I will never get rich in my lifetime, they say because I returned such an amount of money I will live and die poor,” Emmanuel Tuloe told the BBC.
He had given the money wrapped in a plastic bag to his aunt for safekeeping, only to hear the owner making a passionate appeal to whoever may have found it to return it.
Reports say the businesswoman rewarded Tuloe with money and other items including a mattress that he intends to give to his grandmother.
However, his friends and other people in his community don’t think the reward is worth the exceptional honesty he displayed.
He recounted how he was threatened while attending a celebration party at Ms Yancy’s house and he had to return home quickly for his safety.
“I left and returned home because in the crowd were also people who were angry with me for returning the money, they even threatened me, and so right now I need maximum protection.”
Meanwhile, the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission expressed admiration for Tuloe’s action saying it is “deeply touched by the sincerity of the teenager”.
A few friends have also given him thumbs up and urged him to remain honest and sincere.
• Allotey Jacobs believes the STC has the potential to stop accidents on the Accra-Cape Coast highway
• The former NDC executive has bemoaned the spate of accidents recorded on the road
• The Cape Coast road has over the years witnessed several accidents leading to various numbers of deaths
Former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Allotey Jacobs, has lamented the spate of accidents recorded on the Accra-Cape Coast highway.
According to the former Regional Chairman, the road owing the carelessness of some drivers has become what he says is the “devil’s triangle” costing dozens of lives each year.
However, in his view, the best opportunity to deal with accidents on the Accra-Cape Coast highway lies in the state transport company, State Transport Corporation (STC).
He thus urged STC to ensure their operations are expanded to increase the number of trips to and from Cape Coast.
“There should be Cape Coast trips for mornings, evenings, and afternoons because the Cape Coast-Accra road has become the devil’s triangle and the only transport company that can save us is the STC,” he said.
Meanwhile, the STC is set to open a new terminal at Pedu Junction opposite the University of Cape Coast.
The terminal according to the Managing Director of the STC, Nana Akomea would be the prettiest and the most exciting STC terminal.
Nana Akomea who was appointed Managing Director by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has engineered a lot of progress for the state-owned company.
THE GREATER Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has proposed the suspension of recalcitrant members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) whose actions impact negatively on the party’s overall fortunes and ambitions.××
According to him, there was the need to instill discipline at all levels to help protect the integrity and consolidate the gains of the party.
He made this proposal while delivering a message during the party’s Greater Accra Regional Delegates’ Conference which is currently ongoing at the Teachers’ Hall in Accra.
The Regional Minister in his remarks lamented the abuse of social media by some members of the party who use it to among others, verbally abuse leaders and elders of the party.
“Social media has become a platform for us to insult leaders of the party. We wash our dirty linen on social media and when people are cautioned, they will tell you, ‘the party belongs to all of us.’
“There must be discipline in the party. If people misbehave, suspend them”, he suggested.
He also charged party supporters to be mindful of their utterances, especially on social media as they would have a far-reaching impact on the party.
“Mind your language! We’re already in power and therefore any inaction or misbehaviour of ours, will hurt our chances of retaining that power come 2024.”
Mr. Quartey, who also doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ayawaso Central constituency, admonished party supporters to be united while eschewing all forms of vices such as backbiting, gossiping and treachery in order not to repeat the 2020 incident where the party lost seven parliamentary seats in the Greater Accra Region alone.
“We sit here and say ‘break the 8’ and you’re holding meeting among yourselves to bring someone down. My duty when I was elected as Greater Accra Regional Minister was to ensure that I unite the party from the grassroots. Now are speculations that I’m becoming too powerful in the region. I am only trying to work with all of us to ensure that the party is strong at the base”, he intimated.
He asked all and sundry to let go of the past and unite to collectively break the 8, saying, “we shall continue to do our work and God will continue to be with us.”
“Let us work hard to retain power in 2024 so that in 2015, a new president will be sworn from the NPP
The General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Boadu, says the government’s ban on illegal mining activities affected the party in the Western Region during the 2020 election but stressed that the ban was for the good of the nation.
He said the NPP had majority parliamentary seats in the Western Region but after the 2020 election lost many, adding that, “Prestea Huni-Valley constituency was one of them and even in Tarkwa-Nsuaem constituency we nearly lost that seat.”
Mr Boadu said, “I am so gratified it caused us in the just-ended election but it was to protect our forest reserves, including water bodies from individuals who illegally tampered with it”.
The General Secretary disclosed this to the media during the Western Regional NPP annual delegates conference held at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa.
It was on the theme: “Consolidating our gains of 2020 election, the role of stakeholders.”
“We cannot sit down unconcern and watch few people destroy the country because of politics without taking any action. President Akufo-Addo took a bold decision and we supported him,” he said.
“In as much as we try to protect the environment, we would also provide alternative livelihood for people who have been displaced as a result of government decision to halt illegal mining in this region”
Mr Boadu said, “Currently if one gets a concession, the government would provide the needed machines and equipment that are environmentally friendly to these miners to enable them to go about their duties.”
“As we speak now, we have even procured 200 processing machines to be given to these miners to help them practise safe mining,” he announced.
He emphasized that the government would resolve this issue once and for all to ensure the safety of every citizen and the generations unborn.
Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, said the government would do more to transform the Region and assured residents to be patient.
He appealed to NPP supporters to protect the interest of the party to enable them to win the 2024 polls.
Mr Joe Ghartey, MP for Essikado-Ketan constituency, on behalf of the Western Regional NPP Parliamentary Caucus, charged the youth to be decorous in their behaviour and urged them to propagate the good work of the party.
“We cannot afford to leave Parliament because both sides in the house have 137 seats. We will, therefore, depend on the MMDCE’s and constituency executives to hold forth while we are away,” he added.
Mr Kojo Acquah, Municipal Chief Executive of Effia-Kwasimitim, who spoke on behalf of all MMDCE’s, said they would work tirelessly to ensure NPP break the eight years governance cycle in Ghana.
The NPP Western Regional Chairman, Mr Francis Ndede Siah, commended the NDC for cooperating in the confirmation of the five MMDCE’s and implored them to do the same for the remaining nominees.
Philip Fiifi Buckman, lawyer for Josephine Panyin Mensah, the Takoradi woman accused of faking her kidnapping and pregnancy, says the police prosecution team is yet to furnish his client with all intended prosecution documents.
Speaking to Citi News after the Presiding Judge for the Takoradi Habour Circuit A, His Honour Michael Cudjoe Ampadu adjourned the case to November 11, 2021, Mr. Buckman said they were in court for case management but could not proceed because the prosecutor failed to furnish the court and the defense team with all the necessary documents.
“We came to court today [October 14, 2021] for the prosecution to provide us with their documents which they intend to rely on for the trial. The law is that they have to disclose everything they intend to use for prosecution, including their witnesses, witness statements, and their evidence.”
“After that, we were to decide on a date for Case Management Conference, which we could have done today. Unfortunately, there were some documents which the prosecution needed to add, and the substantive prosecutor couldn’t also attend court today. So we have to send all the documents back to him to look through and when we come on the next adjourned date, we will do the Case Management, thus, if they serve us before we come to court. If they do not serve us before we come to court but serve us on that day, then we have to take another date for the case management. This is because we need to go through the documents to see that everything is in order,“ he said.
Josephine Panyin Mensah is currently on bail after she was charged with deceiving public officers contrary to section 251 (B) of the Criminal Offences Act and Publication of false news with intent to cause fear and panic contrary to section 208 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act.
She was at the court today in the company of her husband, Michael Simmons and the mother, Agnes Essel.
The Ho District Magistrate Court has sentenced 21-year-old Frank Fenuku Junior to 18 months imprisonment for defrauding by false pretence.
Thus, the accused defrauded members of the public through a fake police recruitment portal on Facebook.××
Prosecuting the case, Chief Inspector Clever Ayayee told the Court presided over by His Honour Mr. Akosah Amoampong Agyiri Yaw that on September 3, 2021, Police picked a fraudulent Facebook publication purporting to be making recruitment into the Police Service.
The said Facebook publication which contained the photograph and name of the Volta Regional Police Commander, DCOP/Mr. Edward Oduro Kwateng, misled the public to believe that it was created by the said officer.
It further misled the public to believe that the said officer created the page to assist interested applicants to be enlisted into the Ghana Police Service through a protocol allocation in the recent police recruitment advertisement.
Unsuspecting applicants fell victim to the fraud and sent money through a mobile money account that belonged to the accused.
This prompted an investigation into the false publication leading to the arrest of three suspects.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Frank Fenuku Junior who is believed to have been the brain behind the scam.
He was then arrested at Madina Zongo Juction in Accra.
Upon searching his hideout, Police retrieved SIM cards with numbers that were displayed in the fraudulent Facebook post.
The accused pleaded guilty to the offence of defrauding by false pretence and was convicted to 18 months on his own plea.
Pronouncing the sentence, His Honour Mr. Akosah Amoampong Agyiri Yaw considered his age and the fact that he was a first-time offender and convicted him to 18 months imprisonment to deter other young people from emulating the act
The Ghana Police Service has introduced shuttle services for its personnel across the country.
The move is to facilitate the movement of personnel from their residence to their duty points.
The program which has been implemented in fifteen (15) out of the eighteen (18) Police Operational Regions is intended to ease the burden of commute on officers, as well as to ensure that personnel who carry weapons for duty, do so under safe conditions.
The Police Administration has, therefore, deployed buses on designated routes with pick-up and drop-off points to ensure the safe and easy transportation of personnel, especially during the rush hour when movement along the roads is usually a struggle.
The Administration acknowledges that some members of the general public had expressed concern about the practice of police personnel boarding commercial vehicles with weapons and the possible danger posed to other occupants of these vehicles.
The spectacle of uniformed officers struggling to get on board vehicles during the rush hour is not good for morale in the service and does not inspire public confidence in the police.
The Administration is certain the shuttle service will reduce these concerns and ensure that both the police officers and the commuting public go about their duties in safety and dignity.
It is also expected to give some respite to officers and further boost their morale for enhanced performance.
Labour unions in Ghana say they were not consulted in the decision by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) to stop the salary payment of government workers if they do not possess a Ghana card by December 1.
The unions say even though the motive is good one, the timing is wrong since Accra and Kumasi are not the only cities that constitute Ghana.
The labour unions are not pleased with the directive by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to stop the salary payment of government workers if they do not possess a Ghana card.
The Deputy Secretary-General of Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, in an interview on 3FM’s Sunrise on Thursday said “it is very very unfortunate that the controller will sit and make such decision.
“The laws governing salaries must be respected and TUC says no no to it and we are calling the Controller to do the needful”, he told Sunrise Host, Alfred Ocansey on Thursday.
Mr. Ansah explained that “doing the needful means that all the stakeholders must be brought on board to decide on the issue because Accra and Kumasi is not only Ghana. We have remote areas”.
“I don’t want to believe it. They must do the needful by calling on the labour unions and talk about it because it is a good thing but wrong approach”.
The TUC Deputy scribe noted that “it must include all those who sit to deliberate on conditions of service but we were not consulted before the notice was put out”.
Mr. Ansah said the way forward for this is to put on hold the directives and call all the unions and deliberate on the issue.
“They don’t have to do anything that will mare the peace of this country. It is a god thing but the timing is wrong
Procedurally, they did not respect labour, either wise they are not going to do anything at the end of December.
Mr. Ansah urged workers not to sit but make the effort to register for the Ghana Card since it will definitely be used.
“Our workers must also do the registration”.
Deputy General Secretary of Federation of Labour Unions, Ken Koomson, also added that “the notice is just provocative. Salaries constitute a significant and important part of our conditions of service so employers must be very careful when dealing with salaries”.
He said “the rationale is purging the system of ghost names which is good but we were also not consulted”.
“This is an indictment on Ghanaians workers. It is unacceptable
THE GHANA Navy has foiled attempted pirate attack on a fishing vessel on the country’s territorial waters off South Aflao in the Volta Region.
The tuna vessel, christened AFKO 80 was operating 105 nautical miles south of Aflao when the attack occurred on Monday October 11, 2021 at about 2am.
Ghana Armed Forces Acting Director of Public Relations, Commander Andy La-Anyane, said in a statement issued Wednesday October 13, 2021 and copied DGN Online, that they successfully warded off pirates onboard two speed boats who suspiciously approached a Tuna vessel.
According to him, the operation was carried out without any casualty to the vessel and its crew as the vessel continues to be engaged in its lawful fishing activities.
Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu, recently stated that ransom negotiations had become the norm as kidnapping had become an attractive cooperative venture for pirates.
According to him, pirates often demanded nearly $50,000 minimum in ransom per crew member kidnapped.
He added that this was affecting Ghana’s fishing industry which recorded two separate attacks in June and August 2020, with two Koreans presently being held captive in the Niger Delta as the Korean Embassy in Ghana continued to negotiate for their release.
The Ghana Navy in recent times has doubled its patrols at sea to curb the numerous piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea making the country’s waters one of the safest in the Region. “The Ghana Navy in recent times doubled its patrols at sea to curb the numerous piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea making our Exclusive Economic Zone one of the safest in the Region,” he assured.
The piracy situation in the Gulf of Guinea has created a sense of insecurity in the Region.
In Ghana, the Navy has strived to maintain adequate security at sea to enable a conducive maritime environment for national development. Fishing vessels have often fallen prey to pirates within the Region.
Meanwhile, the Chief of the Naval Staff recently visited his counterparts in Nigeria, Benin and Togo as a way of seeking their cooperation to combat the regional menace.
Additionally, the Ghana Navy in its quest to curb this menace, decided to deploy armed naval personnel onboard fishing vessels in consultation with stakeholders in the industry all aimed at ensuring a safe and secured maritime environment for the smooth operations of fishing and commercial vessels.
The Ghana Navy, however, assures all vessels and their operators within the country’s maritime domain of the eagerness to protect all those engaged in legal businesses and also accost all those engaged in illegalities.
The Navy therefore seeks the cooperation of all partners to enable the nation to achieve a safe maritime environment for national development
A member of the Coalition of Lawyers, Academics and other Professionals calling for Parliament to scrap the Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill, Akoto Ampaw, says the Coalition does not support same-sex marriage.
According to Mr Ampaw, the group rather abhors the violation of human rights.
“Let’s be clear, we are not advocating as a group for same-sex marriage. Many of the people who seek to rouse public discontent against us are saying that we are promoting same-sex marriage. If you read our Memorandum, we do not say anywhere that we support same-sex marriage. We do not support any violation of their rights because they are human beings.”
The bill, titled “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021”, prescribes severe sanctions against various activities of the LGBT+ community.
But speaking on the GTV’s Breakfast Show, Lawyer Akoto Ampaw said the Bill is in direct conflict with a number of constitutionally protected fundamental freedoms and human rights.
“Every person, not even every Ghanaian citizen, is entitled to the enjoyment of the fundamental human rights guaranteed under the Constitution. And our position as a group is not that there are no limitations to those rights. Almost all the rights under the Constitution have limitations but the limitations raise a very high bar, you must be able to demonstrate that the restriction is necessary first, and secondly, the limitation is reasonable.”null
“The case is being made that the overwhelming majority of Ghanaians do not like gays and therefore there should be a law against them. We are treading a very slippery road because if the view of Ghanaians is that anything that the overwhelming majority do not like should be criminalised, then it means the Constitution has no place,” he said on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
“It means today that a small minority like the LGBTQ group has been targeted and their existence criminalised, tomorrow, God forbid, it could be some small religious group that people don’t like, they will criminalise them contrary to the constitution. The next day it will be other Minorities in the society and this was what happened under Adolf Hitler.’’
He disclosed that democracy evolves both the Majority rule and the protection of the Minority.
“97% should not be used as a basis for passing a law for 3% of the population. You do not simply say that because you are in the democratic society, everything that the majority says, even if it violates the interest of the minority, it should go.’’
He urged Christian organisations to be tolerant and not promote hate.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has applauded the ECOWAS parliament for the theme it chose for its high level regional parliamentary seminar in Ghana.
Mr Akufo-Addo addressed the forum on Wednesday, 13th October 2021.
He wrote on his Facebook page after the address that “I addressed the ECOWAS High-Level Regional Parliamentary Seminar, on the theme ‘Two Decades of Democratic Elections in ECOWAS Member States: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward’, held in Winneba in the Central Region.
“I applauded the ECOWAS Parliament for the theme of this seminar, the relevance of which is evident in the light of recent happenings in the ECOWAS Community, especially in Guinea and Mali.
“By choosing to address this topic at this time, ECOWAS’s Parliament has demonstrated vision, courage, and the spirit to search for solutions aimed at consolidating the democratic growth of the Region, and help realise the dreams and aspirations of the peoples of the Community for a democratic future.
Former president and 2020 flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has revealed that every Ghanaian would have to cough out up to GHC11,000 if the public debt stock accrued under President Akufo-Addo’s government is shared per head.null
“When I was the president, a relative of Akufo-Addo said if Ghana’s public debt was to be shared equally, every Ghanaian would have paid GHC 4,700; now under the governance of his own family member, every Ghanaian practically owes GHC 11,000 if our debts was to be shared per head,” he has indicated.
Speaking with party faithful as part of his THANK YOU TOUR of the Eastern region, he said the country’s economic fundamentals have fallen apart under the current dispensation, accounting for untold hardships on citizens.
He told the gathering that the solutions to all of Ghana’s problems were captured in the 2020 Manifesto of the NDC which was rejected by Ghanaians at the polls.
Mr. John Dramani Mahama maintained that the NDC is the only political party blessed with the managerial acumen to steer Ghana out of its current economic woes which have seen the local currency on a downward spiral against major foreign currencies like the dollar.
He also mentioned that the state of insecurity in the country is becoming alarming, in that Ghanaians have had to sleep with one eye wide opened for fear of being attacked by robbers at night.
Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has expressed fury over the LGBTQ+ community fighting for the legalization of their activities in Ghana.
There is currently anti-LGBTQ+ bill proposed by Ningo-Prampram MP, Sam George, before Parliament to outlaw homosexual activities and ensure any person who publicly identifies himself or herself as a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) faces a jail sentence or fine.
But an elite group has stood against the passage of the bill arguing it is a violation of fundamental human rights, hence incurring the wrath of many Ghanaians.
Their position has been interpreted by some Ghanaians as either they promoting homosexual practices or are members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo”, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, being against gay activities, likened them to animals.
”You are an animal If you are gay”, he fumed.
To him, the push for legalization or acceptance of homosexual practices in Ghana is an agenda by the Western superpowers but strongly believed their agenda won’t materialize in Ghana.
”The whole thing is targeted on Africans, more on Africans. You can’t go and do that in Thailand. You can’t go and do that in Indonesia. Why Africa? Why? The birthplace of civilization! What has happened to us?”, he expressed his disgust.
Former President John Mahama has urged the government to complete the numerous development projects initiated by the NDC government which have been abandoned to rot in the bush in the Eastern region.
He has bemoaned the numerous social infrastructure and economic projects abandoned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He made this known during a courtesy call on the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs in Koforidua on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, as part of his Thank You tour.
He said “Nananom, there’s a very worrying development that I cannot avoid talking about and that is the issue of abandoned projects… Governments are enjoined to continue the projects began by their predecessors.”
He stated that “Unfortunately, it will appear that after 2016, the new government that came, has either advertently or inadvertently refused to work on many projects that the previous governments started and I can name so many of them: there are road projects, hospital projects, school projects…I know in my brother Kwawumanhene’s jurisdiction, the famous Abetifi Hospital is crying for continuation and completion.”
“If you go to other places, there are many of such hospitals that have been abandoned. I’m happy to note that the Somanya Hospital has been completed but then it needs to be operationalised as quickly as possible.”
According to him, the President is focusing more attention on cutting sod for his Agenda 111 hospital projects than paying attention to the completion of several hospital projects.
“If some have been finished, at least, let them start working while you bring in the extra 111 or if some were ongoing, complete them and add the 111 hospitals. Unfortunately, it looks like there’s more attention in cutting sod for the new 111 hospitals than there is for completing the hospitals that are already under construction and, so, these are things that I think we need to draw attention to,” he added.
The Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, yesterday urged the Supreme Court to reverse what he described as ‘fundamentally flawed decision’ which removed Justice Clemence Honyenuga, a Supreme Court judge sitting as an additional High Court judge, from the trial of former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Stephen Opuni.
Main Trial
Dr. Opuni, together with businessman Seidu Agongo and the businessman’s Agricult Ghana Limited are standing trial on 27 charges of causing financial loss to the state, defrauding by false pretences, conspiracy to commit crime, abetment of crime, money laundering, corruption by public officer and contravention of the PPA Act in their dealings with COCOBOD between 2013 and 2016.
Together, they are accused of causing a financial loss of over GH¢217 million to the state through the sale and purchase of the controversial Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser, which the prosecution says was never tested.
Restraining Order
Five Supreme Court judges before the 2021 legal vacation, in a 3-2 majority, ruled that their colleague Justice Honyenuga cannot continue to hear the case on stated grounds of bias as complained by Dr. Opuni.
The panel, chaired by Justice Jones Victor Dotse, then granted an application by Dr. Opuni which sought a certiorari to quash portions of Justice Honyenuga’s ruling on a submission of no case as well as prohibit him from further hearing the case.
The majority made up of Justices Gabriel Pwamang, Agnes Dordzie and Umoro Tanko Amadu, in their explanation held that the exhibits excluded by Justice Honyenuga at the main trial were admissible under sections 117, 118 and 126 of NRCD 323, and that their colleague purportedly excluded that piece of evidence in error.
The minority decision delivered by Justice Jones Dotse and supported by Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson held that, “I have looked at the entire ruling in context and I am satisfied that, the learned trial judge stayed on course in his task of seeking to establish whether the prosecution has indeed established the key ingredients of the offences with which the applicant is facing before the trial court.”
Review Move
Not satisfied with the decision, the Attorney General (AG) filed an application for review urging the court to reverse its decision, arguing that the court had departed from settled principles.
At the hearing yesterday, all the five judges who heard Dr. Opuni’s application were present and per the rules two other Justices namely Prof. Nii Ashie Kotey and Gertrude Torkonu were added to the panel to decide the review application filed by the Attorney General.
Moving Application
Moving an application for review yesterday, the Attorney General argued that the decision by the ordinary bench to remove the trial judge “contained multiple fundamental flaws which occasioned miscarriage of justice.”
He said that the ruling sought to quash the High Court’s ruling on a submission of no case which it had jurisdiction to adjudicate, and there was no argument against that.
He said the only reason for the grant of Dr. Opuni’s application was the trial judge’s interpretation of the Evidence Act when he excluded certain exhibits and said if at all any error occurred in the exclusion of exhibits, it did not warrant the invocation of the supervisory powers of the Supreme Court.
He said the ruling by the ordinary bench will occasion irreparable damage to the Republic in the substantive trial if the ‘errors’ by the bench are not corrected.
Mr. Dame further argued that apart from the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision on the parties in the case, it has the tendency to open the door to the filling of similar applications by parties to shop for judges of their choice.
“Prohibiting a judge who has obeyed the judicial precedent of the Honourable Court strikes at the heart of the certainty of the law, with greater consequence on the administration of justice,” the Attorney General argued, and said that what Dr. Opuni has done can be interpreted to mean that he is deciding who should be the judge in his case.
He, therefore, urged the court to reverse the decision of the majority “as it contains errors that go against the administration of justice, not only in this case,” and added that “the refusal of this review permits lower courts to disregard without more, the binding precedents of Supreme Court Authority.”
Opuni Lawyer
Samuel Codjoe, counsel for Dr. Opuni, opposed the application by the AG saying that the application for review did not meet the threshold needed for the court to take a decision.
He insisted that the applicants were just rehashing the arguments made in the previous application which was granted.
He said the trial judge was clearly bias as he did not give the accused person the opportunity to open his case but instead predetermined and prejudged the case.
“He had made his mind and was going through the rituals while waiting to pronounce sentence,” Mr. Codjoe told the court.
He added that the majority was right in prohibiting the trial judge and prayed the court to uphold the decision.
President Akufo-Addo has narrated the tortous ordeal he went through when he lost two successive elections in 2008 and 2012.××
For him, it was but a painful ordeal he had to go through but had to endure in the larger interest of the country.
This was when he addressed high level parliamentary seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament under the theme ‘two decades of democratic elections in ECOWAS member states: achievements, challenges and the way forward’ in Winneba this morning.
He could not but admitted that “It is painful enough to lose an election. I can testify to that.”
He said “there will always be winners and losers in an election.”
That notwithstanding, he noted that “the pain should not come with a suspicion of having been cheated.”
Instead, he insisted that “the winner should be warmly congratulated and support extended to enable our many problems to be tackled.”
Then only he said will the winner have the peace of mind for the serious business of governance.
He therefore stressed the need for all stakeholders in the election process to work to ensure that there are no lingering questions about the legitimacy of an election.
That, he said was because “in the last 20 years, the world has come to acknowledge that elections in the ECOWAS community have been largely free, fair, and credible” with their outcomes generally being acclaimed and accepted.
The President thus noted that “it is vital we maintain this reputation and do not allow any manipulation of the electoral systems to achieve favourable outcomes.”
“The protection of the sanctity of the ballot box carries with it the subversion of good governance”, he said, whilst insisting that “good governance should and must be imparitivelyexclude political maneuvers to maintain power beyond constitutional requirements.”
“Let us all be aware that beyond that the marriage between the elected and the electorate becomes forced, the environment becomes toxic and the mandate becomes precarious”, he emphasised.
It is for this reason he said the Authority of Heads of States and Government of the ECOWAS which he chairs has asked the Commission to take steps towards an urgent review of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance to take account of contemporary developments.
He has since associated himself with the call members of tge ECOWAS parliament to contribute to this process of review
The member of Parliament for the Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka, has warned the diplomatic community that no amount of intimidation and threats will stop the MPs from passing the anti-LGBTQ bill pending before the house.
Speaking on Kumasi-based Abusua 96.5 FM, the Minority Chief Whip said Parliament is aware of plans to deny lead advocates of the anti-LGBTQ bill travel visa by foreign embassies in the country.
He warned that he will lead a demonstration for the closure of any embassy that will deny Sam Nartey George and other members of Parliament travel visas because of their advocacy for LGBTQ+ activities in the country to be criminalized.
“It’s against the constitution of Ghana for any member of parliament to be punished for expressing his or her opinion on national issues in the House of parliament. So, therefore, no embassy can punish any MP in this country to kowtow to their wish,’’ the Asawase lawmaker warned.null
He said, President Nana Akufo Addo’s interview with Aljazeera where the president failed to declare his stance on LGBTQ+ sexual activities has emboldened the homosexual community to increase their advocacy projects in the country.
“With the greatest respect to our President, Nana Akufo-Addo, his statement on Aljazeera was unfortunate. If he was bold like President Mills and John Dramani Mahama by letting the world know that Ghana will never accept LGBTQ+ activities they wouldn’t be doing the unfortunate advocacies we are seeing in the country of late”.
But the Asawase lawmaker maintained the minority in parliament is determined to ensure the bill is passed to uphold Ghana’s traditional norms and moralities in the interest of the majority of Ghanaians.
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