The Black Stars are set to kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign on November 13-21, 2023.
They will begin by hosting Madagascar at home and then facing Comoros in an away match.
Following that, the next set of qualification matches is scheduled for June 3-11, 2024, with Ghana playing away against Mali and returning home to face Central African Republic.
The senior national team will then take on Chad in a home match before traveling to Madagascar as guests between March 17-25, 2025.
Additional qualification matches have been planned for September 1-9, 2025, and the final matchday is scheduled for October 6-14, 2025, where Ghana will face Central African Republic and Comoros, respectively.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted in Canada, USA, and Mexico, taking place between June and July 2026.
The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has instructed its personnel to resort to offline voter registration if they encounter difficulties with the online registration system during the ongoing Limited Voter Registration campaign.
This decision comes in response to reports of network connectivity issues affecting the online registration system, leading to delays in the registration process at certain centers on Tuesday morning.
The EC had initially stated that the online registration system would enable the immediate detection of double registration during the registration process.
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, explained to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday evening that there were some “initial hitches” with the system on the first day but assured that the situation would improve as the exercise continued.
“We have asked them (officers) to switch offline if they encounter challenges.
“All those registered offline, the system will review their identities and if their names appear on the multiple list they will not vote,” Dr Quaicoe said.
Dr. Quaicoe noted that, in general, the registration process went smoothly, with the exception of disruptions caused by rainfall in many parts of the country.
The registration, in compliance with Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution, is currently taking place at the 268 District Offices of the Electoral Commission.
Although registration was scheduled to commence at 0800 hours, some centers experienced delays in connecting to the EC’s online registration system. In certain monitored centers, the exercise did not commence until as late as 1000 hours.
The registration will continue until October 2, 2023.
Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has expressed his backing for the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr Ernest Addison, to remain in his position.
He opposes the Minority’s call for his removal or resignation in the wake of the Bank of Ghana’s financial losses in 2022.
In a write-up on September 14, the Finance Minister asserted that Dr. Ernest Addison is a dedicated professional who is actively contributing to the country’s development.
“Governor Addison is a competent professional of quiet courage. In these nearly seven years, we have worked together to ensure: the inviolability of the banking system; the establishment of the Consolidated Bank of Ghana (CBG) and the Development Bank of Ghana; the raising of over $10 billion in the Eurobond market and AfriExim bank.”
“He brought inflation down to single digits of 7.9% for the first time; and managed an impressive period of currency stability in our country including the implementation of the Gold-for-Oil programme.
“It is either simply the height of irony or a sad reflection of the state of public discourse in our country that this man, steps up in a period of unprecedented global economic meltdown and domestic economic crises, and he is being pilloried for his good work.”
The Minority in Parliament has criticized the Governor of the Central Bank and his deputies following the announcement of a GH¢60.8 billion loss for the year 2022.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, has raised concerns about Dr. Ernest Addison’s decision to allocate $250 million for the construction of a new central bank headquarters while the Bank is facing financial challenges. He has accused the BoG Governor of resorting to printing money to fund this project.
“The Bank of Ghana does not have money but spending $250 million for a new head office, which means he is printing additional money to finance this project,” Dr Forson alleged.
During a news conference held on Monday, August 8, Minority Leader Dr. Forson declared that if Dr. Addison and his deputies do not step down from their positions, the NDC will organize and rally concerned citizens to occupy the central bank.
But in a response, the BoG explained that the current “building also does not have the required strength to withstand the expected imposed significant earthquake loads that would be expected to occur in the Accra area.
It said, “Based on the above and looking at the strategic objective of positioning Ghana as the financial hub of the subregion, with prospects of a potential Headquarters for a future regional Central Bank, the Board and Management of the Bank considered a new Head Office building as the most important priority project to support the operational efficiency of the Bank.”
The Bank said it also places it “in a very good position to be the host of the regional Central Bank as we currently host the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) of the Sub-region.”
On the matter, the Finance Minister has appealed to the Ghanaian populace for their support in the construction of the new headquarters for the Bank of Ghana (BoG).
He emphasized that the central bank requires a modernized infrastructure to align with its evolving operations, especially as Ghana is the host country for The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) headquarters and aspires to become the financial services hub of the continent.
“With respect to the BoG’s new headquarters, the evidence is clear that decisions to build had already been made long before these ‘losses’ occurred.”
“It is important for us to support such a critical institution to modernise its operations and have a befitting office space for a country that hosts the AfCFTA and has the vision to become the financial services hub of the continent.”
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has appealed to the Ghanaian populace for their support in the construction of the new headquarters for the Bank of Ghana (BoG).
He emphasized that the central bank requires a modernized infrastructure to align with its evolving operations, especially as Ghana is the host country for The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) headquarters and aspires to become the financial services hub of the continent.
“With respect to the BoG’s new headquarters, the evidence is clear that decisions to build had already been made long before these ‘losses’ occurred.”
“It is important for us to support such a critical institution to modernise its operations and have a befitting office space for a country that hosts the AfCFTA and has the vision to become the financial services hub of the continent,” he said in a write up issued on Thursday, September 14.
Mr. Ofori-Atta additionally expressed his backing for the Governor of the central bank to remain in his position, opposing the Minority’s call for his removal or resignation in the wake of the bank’s financial losses in 2022.
He asserted that Dr. Ernest Addison is a dedicated professional who is actively contributing to the country’s development.
“Governor Addison is a competent professional of quiet courage. In these nearly seven years, we have worked together to ensure: the inviolability of the banking system; the establishment of the Consolidated Bank of Ghana (CBG) and the Development Bank of Ghana; the raising of over $10 billion in the Eurobond market and AfriExim bank.”
“He brought inflation down to single digits of 7.9% for the first time; and managed an impressive period of currency stability in our country including the implementation of the Gold-for-Oil programme.
“It is either simply the height of irony or a sad reflection of the state of public discourse in our country that this man, steps up in a period of unprecedented global economic meltdown and domestic economic crises, and he is being pilloried for his good work.”
The Minority in Parliament has criticized the Governor of the Central Bank and his deputies following the announcement of a ¢60.8 billion loss for the year 2022.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, has raised concerns about Dr. Ernest Addison’s decision to allocate $250 million for the construction of a new central bank headquarters while the Bank is facing financial challenges. He has accused the BoG Governor of resorting to printing money to fund this project.
“The Bank of Ghana does not have money but spending $250 million for a new head office, which means he is printing additional money to finance this project,” Dr Forson alleged.
During a news conference held on Monday, August 8, Minority Leader Dr. Forson declared that if Dr. Addison and his deputies do not step down from their positions, the NDC will organize and rally concerned citizens to occupy the central bank.
But in a response, the BoG explained that the current “building also does not have the required strength to withstand the expected imposed significant earthquake loads that would be expected to occur in the Accra area.
It said, “Based on the above and looking at the strategic objective of positioning Ghana as the financial hub of the subregion, with prospects of a potential Headquarters for a future regional Central Bank, the Board and Management of the Bank considered a new Head Office building as the most important priority project to support the operational efficiency of the Bank.”
The Bank said it also places it “in a very good position to be the host of the regional Central Bank as we currently host the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) of the Sub-region.”
The Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has pledged a generous sum of GHC 1,000,000 in support of the Mumbies Foundation, a health-focused non-governmental organization.
This contribution is intended to assist in addressing the Hepatitis B issue prevalent in the region.
According to a press release issued by the Mumbies Foundation and endorsed by its Project Manager, Israel Adorbley, the initiative, known as the HepaGuard Project, aims to safeguard liver health, enhance public awareness, and create a lasting impact in the Effutu Municipality and surrounding areas.
The statement also underscores that this initiative is entirely funded by the legislator, who also serves as the Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, as his commitment to the well-being of all Ghanaians, with a particular focus on the residents of Effutu and its vicinity.
“Hepatitis B, a silent epidemic affecting communities in Ghana and worldwide including the Effutu Municipality. The HepaGuard Project is set to change that. It is more than a campaign; it is a movement toward better health and brighter futures, driven by the vision and support of Hon Alex Afenyo-Markin,” the statement added.
The statement underscores the instrumental and substantial financial support provided by the MP to the Mumbies Foundation. He has consistently collaborated with the foundation to promote education and screening programs for Hepatitis B within the municipality since its establishment.
Additionally, Mr Afenyo-Markin, while in Parliament, emphasized the importance of incorporating Hepatitis B treatment into the National Health Insurance Scheme. This would help economically disadvantaged individuals in our society access affordable treatment, as Hepatitis B treatment can be expensive.
The MP also conducted a stakeholders’ engagement meeting at the Ebenezer Methodist Cathedral, located at Winneba Taxi Rank, on Tuesday, September 12.
During the meeting, he briefed members on the necessity of his financial commitment to fund screening and vaccination initiatives, particularly for the youth, with the aim of bringing healthcare services closer to the community.
Furthermore, Mr Afenyo-Markin informed attendees about Effutu’s upcoming hosting of this year’s ECOWAS Parliament and called for collaborative support to ensure its success, surpassing the achievements of previous events.
A total of 48 children have tested positive for the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to the Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
This figure is part of the 405 positive test results out of the 2,106 individuals screened for the virus. Among those affected are 68 pregnant women and 189 young adults.
Mr Afenyo-Markin shared this information during a town hall meeting and encouraged residents to participate in screening and vaccination programs.
“We have got some alarming figures in the area of health. This is because a healthy body brings a healthy nation. 2106 of people were screened and 405 tested positive for the virus. This includes 68 pregnant women, 148 children, and 189 youth.
“Hepatitis B destroys our liver and may not show signs until it reaches the chronic stage. A lot of our people are dying slowly from this disease. But as a Member of Parliament, I can’t sit and watch this destroy my constituency,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin has therefore committed an amount of GHS1million, in support of the Mumbies Foundation, a health-focused non-governmental organization, to help with the screening and vaccination of people within the constituency.
“I encourage all to take part in the exercise,” he said.
According to a press release issued by the Mumbies Foundation and endorsed by its Project Manager, Israel Adorbley, the initiative, known as the HepaGuard Project, aims to safeguard liver health, enhance public awareness, and create a lasting impact in the Effutu Municipality and surrounding areas.
HBV is transmitted through contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person. It can be spread through unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing needles or other drug injection equipment, from an infected mother to her newborn during childbirth, or through contact with contaminated items such as razors or toothbrushes.
HBV infection can be acute or chronic. Acute infection is a short-term illness that can lead to symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fatigue, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite.
Many people with acute HBV infection recover on their own. However, some individuals develop chronic HBV infection, which can lead to long-term liver damage, cirrhosis, and an increased risk of liver cancer.
Hepatitis B is preventable with a highly effective vaccine. Vaccination is recommended for all infants at birth and for individuals at risk of exposure, such as healthcare workers, people with multiple sexual partners, and those who use injectable drugs.
Hepatitis B is a global health concern. It is estimated that over 250 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HBV, leading to more than 800,000 deaths each year due to complications like cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The Effutu Municipality in the Central Region has reported concerning statistics concerning the Hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, revealed that out of 2,106 individuals screened for the virus, 405 received positive test results. Among those affected are 68 pregnant women, 148 children, and 189 young adults.
Afenyo Markin shared this information during a town hall meeting and encouraged residents to participate in screening and vaccination programs.
“We have got some alarming figures in the area of health. This is because a healthy body brings a healthy nation. 2106 of people were screened and 405 tested positive for the virus. This includes 68 pregnant women, 148 children, and 189 youth.
“Hepatitis B destroys our liver and may not show signs until it reaches the chronic stage. A lot of our people are dying slowly from this disease. But as a Member of Parliament, I can’t sit and watch this destroy my constituency.
Mr Afenyo-Markin has therefore committed an amount of GHS1 million to help screening and vaccination of people within the constituency.
“I encourage all to take part in the exercise,” he added.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a viral infection that primarily affects the liver.
HBV is transmitted through contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person. It can be spread through unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing needles or other drug injection equipment, from an infected mother to her newborn during childbirth, or through contact with contaminated items such as razors or toothbrushes.
HBV infection can be acute or chronic. Acute infection is a short-term illness that can lead to symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fatigue, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite.
Many people with acute HBV infection recover on their own. However, some individuals develop chronic HBV infection, which can lead to long-term liver damage, cirrhosis, and an increased risk of liver cancer.
Hepatitis B is preventable with a highly effective vaccine. Vaccination is recommended for all infants at birth and for individuals at risk of exposure, such as healthcare workers, people with multiple sexual partners, and those who use injectable drugs.
Hepatitis B is a global health concern. It is estimated that over 250 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HBV, leading to more than 800,000 deaths each year due to complications like cirrhosis and liver cancer.
There is an anonymous quote that says “banks are to the economy what the heart is to the human body. They cycle necessary capital through the whole and they are barely noticed until pressure, necessity, or crises.”
In much the same way, our Central Bank these past almost seven years has been prudent, strong, resilient, and functioning efficiently, and been barely noticed until the interruption of unprecedented global events.
Our Central Bank’s assets have grown almost in tandem with the size of our financial sector and economy. From GHS53b in 2016, the Bank’s assets have grown by nearly one and half to GHS126b as at the end of 2022.
The foundation has never been conspicuous – our revenue has more than doubled since 2016, with total revenue increasing from GHS32b in 2016 to GHS96.7 (end December 2022). The size of our economy has also more than doubled from a GDP value of GHS219.6b in 2016 to an estimated GHS610.2b by the end of 2022; and more pragmatically the number of active contributors on the SSNIT register has increased from 1.3 million in 2016 to over 1.8 million in 2022.
We can all attest to the progress made in digitization, infrastructure, the armed forces and police, public spending on education, agriculture (cocoa and PFJ), health, and school feeding among others. Indeed, spending on the education sector including our universities, second-cycle institutions and basic schools collectively constitute about 20% of tax revenue – and includes compensation, goods and services, and GETFund spending on infrastructure, while the health sector consumes about 8-10% of tax revenue, among others.
However, the vision for and progress in social mobility and economic freedom is often in budget conflict with short-term macroeconomic volatility, where the activist roles of fiscal and monetary policy, and if blessed with a Keynesian benefactor or fiscal windfall, must be deployed to ensure that these gains are not eroded.
This is especially the case in instances where the volatility is mainly induced by cataclysmic events such as pandemics and geo-politics – the controls are often outside the remits of small open economies with independent central banks like Ghana.
It is within this context that since 2017 and especially between November 2019 and now, both the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana have shown the strongest collaboration yet to reset the financial architecture and to keep the economy strong.
In managing its balance sheet, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) issues currency, conducts foreign exchange operations, invests its own funds, engages in emergency liquidity assistance, conducts monetary policy operations, and liquidity management, last but not least, for a developing country, serves as a banker to Government which role may include bridge financing to support budget, in line with the applicable laws. In essence, this makes the central bank balance sheet, in the long run, central to its operations.
However, as many central banks, including Bank of Ghana, moved away from pursuing quantitative targets of monetary policy towards price targets, dominance of the Central Bank’s balance sheet as the key metric has waned in many economies and in academic literature as well.
In practice, many central banks have incurred losses, and we can cite as examples, the Bank of Jamaica, the central banks of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Philippines, Singapore, Turkey, and UK. Historically, some central banks have operated with negative equity (as a result of losses) yet fully met their policy objectives, as long as they remain policy solvent.
The pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war have reinforced and increased the number of Central banks that have moved into negative equity and have thrown light into this ‘new normal.’ Thus, the Central Banks of Chile, Czech Republic, Israel and Mexico have experienced years of negative equity.
The Reserve Bank of Australia fell into negative equity in 2022 due to valuation losses on its bond holdings, and the bank stressed that it will not affect its mandate or operational efficiency. And unheard of in the modern financial setup, the German central bank, that citadel of fiscal purity, recorded a loss in 2022.
The US Federal Reserve Bank in April 2022 also declared a negative equity position, on account of the rapid rise in rates that began in 2022, renewed interest expenses on commercial bank reserves deposits, and low income on its security holdings, including US Government securities. In fact, as indicated by the Brookings Institution, “the Fed’s cumulative losses came to more than $52 billion as at the end of April 2022, exceeding its paid-in capital and surplus, and in effect, leaving it in negative equity.”
(I cite these examples just to make the point that hitherto unheard of things have been happening in central banks around the world recently.)
Accordingly, as the focus shifts from direct targets of money supply to interest rates as operational targets, the framework for analysing central bank balance sheets has shifted, enabling central banks to play more interventionist roles in the economy than before.
As seen during the 2007 global financial crisis and the COVID era, over $16 trillion of quantitative easing (QE) was reported to have been spent by the G7 countries.
The modern economic policy consensus is clear: central banks can and do run on negative equity and they can make losses to support economic recovery; and these losses will not be counted as failure as in commercial banks and enterprises.
In fact, as some critics of the Central Bank in our country do observe, the primary objective of a central bank is not to make profit but to be managed as a financially sustainable institution. We must in these extraordinary times deploy all the instruments we have available and sail together through this odyssey. The call for us as Citizens, is not to be seen as punishing the Bank of Ghana for pitching up to support the greater public good!
It is probably a good time to recall the wise words of the late Professor P.A. V Ansah that even as we educate and inform, we must foster national cohesion because “…national cohesion is the foundation upon which any and everything is built.”
The Government’s debt operations that commenced in 2022, and executed this year, has had a significant impact on Bank of Ghana’s balance sheet while reducing the amount of money spent on interest payment for the
Government. As of 2022, the Central Bank held about GHS42.3b of Government’s domestic debt, out of the total (domestic) debt stock of GHS194.3b. This debt holding, in addition to others, resulted in a loss impairment provision of about GHS48b for the Bank in 2022.
As indicated by the IMF, the BoG was the loss absorber for the debt exchange to ensure that in light of the concessions to other domestic bondholders, its burden share of the debt exchange will enable the economy to still achieve the overall objectives of the Exchange – the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme will ensure the NPV of the stock of public sector debt is halved from the then 105 percent of GDP (later recalculated as 89%) to 55 percent of GDP by 2028, thereby putting the country on a sustainable debt trajectory.
As indicated by the Board of Directors of the Bank in their 2022 annual reports, all efforts will be made to restore the balance sheet of the Bank in the medium term, continue to improve the efficiency of their operations, and resort to the Government for recapitalization over the medium to long term if necessary. There is, therefore, no need for a direct attack on the leadership of the Central Bank.
As the Minister for Finance, I do have opinions about the reforms needed to strengthen the governance of many financial institutions including the Bank of Ghana.
But this requires a positive and sober national debate on the governance structure; should we, for example, revisit a separate chairmanship and governorship (such was the case prior to governor Dr. Agama’s years) and whether our democracy and institutional experience support Governors playing both board leadership and management roles as enshrined in our laws. We also need to have the discourse for policy clarity on what the operational independence of the central bank implies, especially in a Lower-Middle Income Country and transformational economies such as ours.
I do personally believe that central banks must have independence in executing their monetary policy mandate especially if it is based on a price target, where the Government sets the price targets, and Central Banks, in our case, BoG, independently uses its operational tools to achieve it.
Governor Addison, just like me, has faced major economic hurdles since 2017, inheriting a derailed IMF programme and a highly impaired and ethically strained financial industry from our predecessors, having to navigate the serious revenue shocks on the back of Covid-19 and distortions to our supply chain induced by both COVID-19 and international geopolitics. In resolving these, we have all had to make sacrifices, and the BoG balance sheet was significantly affected.
With respect to the BoG’s new headquarters, the evidence is clear that decisions to build had already been made long before these “losses” occurred. It is important for us to support such a critical institution to modernize its operations and have a befitting office space for a country that hosts the AfCFTA and has a vision to become the financial services hub of the continent.
Governor Addison is a competent professional of quiet courage. In these nearly seven years, we have worked together to ensure: the inviolability of the banking system; the establishment of the Consolidated Bank of Ghana (CBG) and the Development Bank of Ghana; the raising of over $10 billion in the Eurobond market and AfriExim bank.
He brought inflation down to single digits of 7.9% for the first time; and managed an impressive period of currency stability in our country including the implementation of the Goldfor-Oil programme. It is either simply the height of irony or a sad reflection of the state of public discourse in our country that this man, steps up in a period of unprecedented global economic meltdown and domestic economic crises, and he is being pilloried for his good work.
The challenges that confront us are surmountable, as we can all bear witness to the fact that the economy is beginning to turn the corner, and we are confident that “He who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion” (Phil 1:6).
Some developments appear expensive in the short term but will actually turn out to provide the right impetus for more innovation and reforms and a can-do spirit for the long term. l will urge this mindset for us to address our common future. I therefore ask for restraint in our choices and actions as we pursue our democratic rights… for “’All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up” (1 Cor 10:23). National cohesion should remain paramount for us all.
These are critical times when the two institutions, MoF and BoG, have synchronized their efforts to achieve expedited responses from the IMF, the World Bank, the Paris Club, and China to enable us to rebuild confidence and for our economy to turn the corner in record time as evidenced by a 4.2% growth in GDP, declining inflation, and a stabilized currency.
We have in the past few weeks successfully completed the DDEP with over 90% tendering of cocoa bills, domestic dollar bonds, and pension fund investments while making the first DDEP coupon payments of GHS2.4 billion to honour the government’s obligation to domestic bondholders on 22nd August 2023 and about GHS2.3 billion on 5th September 2023 to pension funds bondholders. We are in like manner, looking forward to successful negotiations with the Paris Club and our Eurobond investors.
This should be a period to build hope and hitch all our wagons together in order to take our community across the Jordan. This is a period in which we must as a nation work with equanimity and dispel any cloud of nihilism. We cannot continue to contend with the old Promethean punishment which frustrates the steady regeneration of our economy.
We must be mindful and deliberate in fighting with a fierce sense of urgency to guarantee economic freedom and social mobility for all and critically social cohesion. We must work together with a spirit to build up and not to tear down, as we progress our democracy.
I am confident that working together, this nation will not only prevail, but enjoy prosperity for “Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language… and now, nothing will be restrained from them which they have IMAGINED” (Genesis 11:6).
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
The Minority in Parliament is calling for the immediate resignation of Joseph Boahen Aidoo, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
According to the Minority, Aidoo’s management of the cocoa sector has been marred by mismanagement, leading to the worsening conditions of cocoa farmers.
They assert that he is no longer suitable for the CEO position.
Addressing the media in the Ashanti Region, Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson emphasized that despite the announcement of a 68 percent increase in the producer price, the cocoa sector is facing significant challenges and is in a state of decline.
“Clearly, something is amiss at COCOBOD because we are seeing the production of cocoa coming down to the lowest in the last fifteen years and we have also seen them recording massive losses since 2017. Last year, according to their own audit report, we declared a loss of GH¢2.4 billion in one year and so I don’t see why the CEO should be in office despite these happenings.”
The Minority has leveled accusations of incompetence and corruption against Aidoo, asserting that he has failed to implement necessary reforms aimed at enhancing the cocoa sector.
Additionally, the Minority has criticized the government for what they deem as shortchanging cocoa farmers by setting the price of a cocoa bag at GHC1,300. According to them, cocoa farmers should have received a minimum of GHC2,500 per bag.
During an interview on Eyewitness News, Eric Opoku, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament, strongly criticized the government for providing cocoa farmers with what he described as inadequate compensation.
He expressed deep concern over the remuneration given to cocoa farmers, emphasizing that this season presents an ideal opportunity for cocoa farmers to reap substantial benefits from their produce.
Poland has decided to part ways with manager Fernando Santos, a move that comes after only six games under his leadership.
The 68-year-old, renowned for guiding Portugal to victory in Euro 2016, assumed the role in January and notably oversaw a remarkable 1-0 friendly triumph over Germany in June.
However, Santos’ tenure witnessed the Polish national team suffering three defeats in five competitive matches, including embarrassing losses to Moldova and Albania.
Santos faced substantial criticism in Poland for his tactics and for not attending domestic matches, and the team’s recent 2-0 loss to Albania on Sunday was the final straw for his superiors.
In an official statement, the Polish Football Association expressed gratitude to Santos for his efforts, while the departing manager conveyed his appreciation for the opportunity.
The string of disastrous results has left Poland in fourth place in their Euro 2024 qualifying group, necessitating favorable outcomes in other matches to have a chance at securing a top-two finish.
[KOMUNIKAT] Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej informuje, że z dniem 13 września 2023 roku trener Fernando Santos przestał pełnić obowiązki selekcjonera reprezentacji Polski. Szczegóły… ⤵️
It remains uncertain whether Poland will name a successor to Santos before their next qualifying match against the Faroe Islands in October.
Even if Poland fails to secure a top-two finish in their group, they will still have a chance to earn a spot in Germany next summer through the play-offs. Among the nations that do not advance, the top 12 teams in the 2022-23 Nations League will compete in semi-final and final matches to secure one of the last three qualifying positions.
Euro 2024 could potentially mark the final major tournament for the legendary striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored three goals during Santos’ ill-fated tenure.
What has been your most memorable moment of Fernando Santos' term as selekcjoner?pic.twitter.com/hy3YsBJ31E
A 13-year-old fifth-grade student from Saint Francis Primary School in Dakompilayiri, located in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region, has decided to pause her education and delve into farming to secure funds for purchasing sanitary pads.
Khadijatu Bawuma, who resides with her 68-year-old paternal grandmother in Dakompilayiri, shared in an interview with Myjoyonline.com that she found herself compelled to temporarily halt her schooling in order to gather the necessary funds to buy an ample supply of sanitary pads.
This decision was driven by the need to prevent any embarrassing incidents of staining her clothing, an unfortunate occurrence that had happened to her on numerous occasions while attending school.
“I don’t have anybody to help me financially. At first, it was my grandmother but now, she says she doesn’t have. So, she (grandmother) asks that I use a piece of cloth but I can’t wear it and go to school with it. Because from experience, it will disgrace me again.”
“So, anytime my flow is due, I stay away from school and now, I’m tired of doing that because friends are all aware and some even gave me names. But once I’m here on the farm with my grandmother, our focus is to get money to enable me to buy enough pads and fend for ourselves,” Khadihatu Bawumah said.
Felicia Bawumah, the grandmother, asserted that the teenager’s biological mother deserted her when she was just four years old and left her marriage.
She further explained that after Khadijatu’s mother took this action, the girl’s father also relocated to the southern region and has not returned for the past nine years.
“See how weak I am with this young one. What else can I do; I don’t have a husband. I’m a widow and my children are not here too. So, she is here with me on the farm because she started having her monthly flow and said she wouldn’t wear clothes. But me too I can’t afford the pads. And it’s always like this every month but this time around, she wouldn’t go back,” the grandmother indicated.
Khadijatu Bawumah was initially discovered by our news crew while she was diligently involved in weeding a two-acre maize farm.
Madam Felicia earnestly appealed to anyone who could offer assistance to come to her grandchild’s aid.
“If we get help from anywhere for her, I’ll be very happy because I need her to be better than me tomorrow,” Felicia added.
Young Khadijatu Bawumah, in her conversation with MyJoyOnline, shared her aspirations of pursuing a career as a professional nurse or a teacher, as she has a deep affection for both professions.
Upon hearing about the teenager’s situation from our news team, a retired educationist and the chief of Dakompilayiri and Kunkuya, Eku-Ewilawura Amos Seidu, paid a visit to the farm. He graciously made an undisclosed financial donation to Khadijatu through her grandmother to assist her in obtaining the necessary sanitary pads.
“She needs to get back to school. At least, she can buy sanitary pads that might last for two months or so. I’ll also try and visit you anytime I come to the community, but use the money very well,” he said.
As a part of the intervention, the retired educationist generously donated a beehive enclosure and arranged for Khadija and her grandmother to receive training in bee-keeping. They were joined by 60 other women in this program, aimed at helping them establish a business and boost their income.
Data from the World Bank has shown that Ghana experienced the highest exchange rate loss in Africa between January 1, 2022, and January 1, 2023, with a depreciation of nearly 40%.
The World Bank notes that exchange rates across the region largely depreciated during this period, leading to increased costs for imported goods, including food and energy.
The Bretton Wood institution said countries such as Ghana that practice “crawl-like arrangements” recorded very sharp exchange rate depreciation. This was due to the expensive fiscal measures that are often used to limit the pass-through of exchange rates to inflation, with the resulting deteriorating fiscal position potentially further stressing exchange controls and exacerbating inflationary pressures.
“One key concern for managed and crawl-like arrangements is the possibility that parallel markets can influence exchange rate movements. Capital controls that often accompany such arrangements can lead to scarcity of forex reserves, forcing the government to prioritize specific transactions and charge a premium for official foreign exchange transactions”.
Sudan ranked second, experiencing a currency depreciation of approximately 23% during the same period. Following closely were Malawi (-20%), The Gambia (-16%), and Madagascar (-10%), securing the third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively.
Fitch Solutions has provided a forecast, indicating that the Ghana cedi is expected to close at ¢11.40 against the US dollar by the end of 2023. This projection is lower than the earlier ¢12.40 estimate made earlier in the year when Ghana had yet to finalize an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package.
The UK-based firm is also anticipating a further improvement in the exchange rate, with ¢10.90 to one US dollar in 2024. This is expected to be driven by anticipated inflows resulting from the International Monetary Fund program and an increase in investor confidence.
One of the witnesses in the leaked tape over the ousting of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) being probed by a Committee set up by Parliament has reiterated his innocence.
COP Alex Mensah, who was present in an in-camera hearing today over the leaked tape, engaged the press after providing his evidence to the Committee chaired by Mr Samuel Atta Akyea.
COP Alex Mensah, who in earlier testimonies informed the general public that he never made comments that suggested that he sought to remove the IGP from office, said he will be validated at the end of the investigations.
When asked what his message to Ghanaians was, the police officer said “The truth will come out”.
He made this statement after initially refusing to engage the press on the development of the case.
Although he refused to reveal striking details, he made mention that he is content with how the case has been handled. In his opinion, the committee has ensured the hearing has been fair.
“I am very very happy (with the process). Very fair hearing. Very fair. The process, everything is going on well.”
He informed the public to expect “strong evidence,” which would be made public by the committee.
“Everything is ready. I am not ready to comment on anything. I will only tell you everything is ready,” he added.
Earlier today, Minister for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, and former Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bugri Naabu appeared before Parliament’s adhoc committee.
The two did not provide any details to the media.
Meanwhile, the seven-member committee appointed by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to investigate the leaked audio involving the Anti-IGP has temporarily suspended its proceedings until Monday, October 2, 2023.
The committee’s chairman, Atta Akyea, made this announcement during a media briefing held after the session on Wednesday, September 13.
In his response during the parliamentary committee’s investigation into the leaked audio, Dr. Dampare emphasized the fundamental duty of a police officer to provide services to the citizens. He made it clear that former President Mahama is just one of the Ghanaian citizens to whom he would readily offer his services if required.
One of the officers implicated in the leaked tape had previously claimed that clandestine meetings were taking place between Mr. Mahama and the Inspector General of Police.
However, when questioned before a parliamentary committee, Dr. Dampare categorically stated, “I don’t visit former President John Dramani Mahama, and he doesn’t visit me. I’m a professional police officer, we are servants of the people, including the former president. Whoever is involved, as long as there is a police service to be provided, I have a constitutional duty and responsibility to get it done”.
Moreover, Dr. Dampare vehemently denied any involvement in clandestine dealings with the former president, categorically dismissing such allegations as baseless falsehoods.
He asserted his commitment to carrying out his duties without bias or prejudice, stating, “I’m a policeman who is not into politics. I’m not into politics, I’m a professional police officer, and I don’t do such things.”
When questioned about the appropriateness of an IGP interacting with the former president, Dr. Dampare clarified, “The position of Inspector General of Police, and by extension, every police officer is to serve the good people of this country, of which the former president is one of those. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
IGP Dampare's brilliance shines through in his responses to questions about visiting former President John Dramani Mahama. pic.twitter.com/qjKyxWbQjo
COP Alex Mensah, one of the witnesses in the leaked tape over the ousting of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) being probed by a Committee set up by Parliament, says he is content with how the case is being heard.
He made this known to the media following an in-camera hearing today over the leaked tape, which saw the presence of Minister for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, and former Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bugri Naabu.
Although he refused to reveal striking details, COP Mensah noted that the committee chaired by Samuel Atta Akea has ensured the hearing has been fair.
“I am very very happy (with the process). Very fair hearing. Very fair. The process, everything is going on well.”
He informed the public to expect “strong evidence,” which would be made public by the committee.
“Everything is ready. I am not ready to comment on anything. I will only tell you everything is ready,” he added.
He was optimistic that “The truth will come out”.
In earlier testimonies, COP Alex Mensah refuted making comments that suggested that he sought to remove the IGP from office.
The leaked tape in question, which suggests that the IGP’s presence could prevent the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) from breaking the 8, according to Mr Atta Akyea may be doctored.
He made this statement after the committee got hold of a new audio tape presented by Bugri Naabu.
In the meantime, the seven-member committee appointed by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to investigate the leaked audio involving the Anti-IGP has temporarily suspended its proceedings until Monday, October 2, 2023.
Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee responsible for investigating the leaked audio involving Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare’s removal, Samuel Atta Akyea, has raised doubts about the authenticity of the viral tape.
Speaking to the media in Accra on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, Atta Akyea suggested that the tape circulating on social media appears to have been altered.
He pointed out that the version of the tape presented to the committee by the former Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Daniel Bugri Naabu, is longer and differs from the shorter version that has been widely circulated.
“It seems to be the case, because the second tape is a long conversation,” Atta Akyea said.
The viral leaked tape involving IGP Dampare has sparked significant discussion and debate. Earlier, Bugri Naabu had confirmed the tape’s authenticity when he appeared before the committee.
This leaked tape features a conversation between Bugri Naabu and three senior Police Officers – COP Alex Mensah, Superintendent George Asare, and Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi. In the tape, they discuss a plan to remove the IGP to allegedly assist the NPP in manipulating the 2024 elections.
During his appearance before the committee on Tuesday, Dampare vehemently denied the allegations made against him by these Police Officers. He emphasized that these baseless accusations had caused immense pain to his family.
Additionally, he refuted any involvement in a conspiracy to secretly record conversations involving the three implicated police officers.
The IGP further rejected any insinuations that he maintained regular contact with the opposition party’s flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama.
He disclosed that the accusations made by the Police officers had inflicted considerable distress on his family.
On Wednesday, the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, and the legal representative for the Inspector General of Police, Kwame Gyan, participated in a private session with Parliament’s ad-hoc committee investigating the leaked tape.
The confidential hearing also included the three senior police officers implicated in the covert recording, along with their legal counsel.
They made all these allegations just to cover up probably the shame associated with what they got themselves into in the first place.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has conducted a ballot for its potential flagbearers in preparation for the delegates’ conference scheduled for November 4, 2023.
During the ballot held in Accra on September 13, 2023, Kennedy Agyapong drew the first slot, followed by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who selected the second slot. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the former Minister for Agriculture, chose the third slot, while Francis Addai Nimo, former MP for Mampong, secured the fourth slot.
The party’s national election committee oversaw the ballot. The NPP intends to use the national delegates’ conference to elect its flagbearer for the 2024 general elections.
The NPP’s flagbearer race currently involves four prominent contenders: Ken Agyapong, Dr. Bawumia, Dr. Akoto, and Alan Kyeremateng, who withdrew from the race after the Special Delegates Conference.
Ken Agyapong, a prominent NPP Member of Parliament representing Assin Central, has been an outspoken critic of the government and has pledged to bring about change if elected as the flagbearer.
Dr. Bawumia, the current Vice President, is considered the frontrunner and is favored among the party’s intellectuals due to his reputation as a dependable leader.
Dr. Akoto, a former Minister of Agriculture, is recognized as a technocrat with expertise in his field.
The NPP, Ghana’s ruling party since 2017, aspires to secure a third term in office in the 2024 general elections.
The party faces a formidable challenge from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by former President John Mahama, who seeks to return to power in 2024.
The 2024 general elections are expected to be closely contested, with the NPP and NDC emerging as the primary contenders.
Veteran journalist, Kwame Sefa Kayi and psychologist Prof Joseph Osafo, have expressed shock to news regarding the theft of bolts holding the corrugated metals in the Motorway tunnel that connects Tema Community 18 to Borteyman.
According to reports, about 1,400 of the 2,000 bolts holding the bridge to the motorway concrete have been stolen.
This unfortunate act was discovered recently following an assessment by the Ghana Highway Authority on the bridge which showed signs of imminent danger.
Reacting to this on Peace FM’s Kokrookoo show, the host, Kwame Sefa Kayi, seemed puzzled, struggling to comprehend the rationale behind an action that could have led to the death of many lives.
“You just can’t comprehend this. People have stolen 1,400 bolts. They have been stolen. So we could be there one day and this tunnel just collapses. So someone could be buried under debris when this happens. This is the kind of country we live in. You just can’t understand why this is happening,” he said.
On the matter, Prof Joseph Osafo, noted that followers in recent times, have proven to rebel against the ideas of a leader who seeks to bring about development.
“We are really legends. Most often, reports blame leaders for not doing well, but now the issue of followership has surfaced. You can be the best leader, but if the followers don’t want you to succeed, they will make sure you don’t,” he said.
The missing bolts are said to have compromised the structural integrity of the bridge, making it susceptible to collapse if not repaired immediately.
The collapse of the bridge could have divided the motorway into two, cutting off Accra from Tema, according to the Principal Engineer at the Bridge Division of the Ghana Highway Authority , Aaron Nana Amponsah.
Stolen bolts
As such workers from the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the Ghana Highway Authority last Saturday, September 9, began replacing the stolen bolts to prevent a catastrophe.
The tunnel was closed to traffic to allow the workers to carry out the initiative without any disruption.
Former MP, Catherine Afeku, seeking to reclaim the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Constituency seat has thrown her weight behind Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia ahead of the New Patriotic Party’s November primaries.
Madam Afeku used to side with former Trade Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen. But after his withdrawal from the race over alleged involvement by the party leadership, whom he says had thrown their support being one candidate, Madam Afeku had to make a choice with regards to what ship she joined ahead of the primaries.
In an interview on Adom FM, the former MP noted that after several consultations and deliberations, she has decided to side the Vice President, who is considered a front runner, and not the Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
She said: “I have engaged the leadership of the party, I have slept and thought about it. I serve the party but I have to make a decision and I throw my support, engery and talent to Dr Bawumia.”
Madam Afeku noted that Mr Kyeremanten’s withdrawal from the race did take a toll on her, but as a politician, she has to take into account the trend in the party, and, as such, will support the Vice President.
“His (Alan Kyerematen) withdrawal hurt me, but I have to support a candidate and I choose Bawumia,” she said.
The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has expressed his view that the interrogation of Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, regarding the tape discussing his potential removal from office, was unjustified and avoidable.
Sulemana Braimah believes that this questioning has established an undesirable precedent, as it occurred during the parliamentary committee’s investigation into the matter.
During an appearance on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, September 13, he emphasized that such precedents should not be encouraged or tolerated.
“Are we saying that if tomorrow we hear a judge on tape saying that this CJ is the worst we have. With this Chief Justice, if there should be an election petition, there is no way this party or that party will win. This CJ belongs to this party or this party, this CJ has been calling Mahama or Mahama Ayariga or Hassan Ayariga…are we saying we will do a parliamentary probe and interrogate the CJ or if we hear the a general on tape saying that the current CDS is the worst CDS, he is a supporter of the opposition or PNC or CPP and he speaks to the CPP leader everyday. With this CDS, there is no way the NPP can break the eight. Are we saying that we are going to set up a parliamentary inquiry and interrogate the CDS?”
“That is really unthinkable and why would we want to go on this path? I think this exercise is really needless and we must say it as it is,” he said.
On Tuesday, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare appeared before a parliamentary committee investigating a viral tape containing discussions about his potential removal from office.
During his testimony, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) refuted several allegations made against him by COP Alex Mensah and Superintendent George L. Asare.
Dr. Akuffo Dampare also revealed that he was not involved in the decision to interdict the three officers; instead, this decision was made by the Police Council, and he recused himself from it.
He further stated that he has refrained from participating in any decisions related to the matter since it first surfaced.
However, Mr. Braimah expressed the view that the questioning of Dr. Akuffo Dampare was unnecessary.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>In fact, I think IGP Dampare’s administration is actually the best so far. <a href=”https://t.co/RCmwisBSvh”>pic.twitter.com/RCmwisBSvh</a></p>— Dr. George (@GeorgeAnagli) <a href=”https://twitter.com/GeorgeAnagli/status/1701611087748317274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>September 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Following his sentencing to 15 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to steal, abetment of crime, and money laundering, a businessman, Frank Kwesi Obeng, reacted vehemently in the circuit court.
Upon hearing the verdict, Obeng reportedly questioned, “Do you recognize me from somewhere? Why have you sentenced me to 15 years in jail?” He then proceeded to remove his shirt and approached the judge aggressively.
Fortunately, the prosecutor and a court warrant officer intervened in the nick of time, escorting the trial judge, Mrs. Evelyn Asamoah, to her chambers.
Obeng was subsequently escorted out of the courtroom without his shirt and sandals, leaving him bare-chested.
Several supporters present in the courtroom also expressed their doubts about the complainant’s claims and objected to the court’s judgment.
Additionally, Joyce Safowaa, Obeng’s wife and accomplice, who was found guilty on charges of conspiracy to steal, abetment of crime, and stealing GH₵712,229 belonging to the complainant, Mavis Toffan, also stood in the dock.
Safowaa is to serve 10 years imprisonment, to which she shouted amidst tears: “God, I am dreaming”! and sat in the chair in apparent disbelief.
At the conclusion of the trial, Judge Mrs. Evelyn Asamoah issued the following orders:
All landed properties and a Toyota Venza, believed to have been acquired through proceeds from the crimes, are to be handed over to the complainant.
The items in a shop owned by the convicts are to be released to the complainant.
The convicts, Joyce Safowaa and Frank Kwesi Obeng, are required to reimburse the complainant an amount totaling GH₵712,229.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah, presented the case, explaining that the complainant, Mavis Toffan, is a businesswoman residing in Accra. She is the proprietor of MAVOBED Enterprise, specializing in children’s clothing and baby accessories. Her business includes a large store in Okaishie and a warehouse where she stores her goods.
According to the prosecution, Toffan regularly imported goods from China and occasionally received deliveries from fellow traders in Okaishie.
Joyce Safowaa and Frank Kwesi Obeng, both residents of Accra, were in a romantic relationship. Safowaa worked as a salesperson in the complainant’s shop for 13 years and had gained her trust. Toffan entrusted Safowaa with the keys to both her store and warehouse, even during her business trips to China.
In 2013, Obeng convinced Safowaa to steal from Toffan to start their own business. They rented a store in Weija to execute their plan. Safowaa’s access to the keys made it easy for her to pilfer goods from the store and warehouse, which they used to stock their Weija shop. She would discreetly transfer the stolen goods to Obeng, who would then transport them to their shop in a BMW saloon car.
This theft continued until their Weija shop was full, and they restocked it as needed. Safowaa sometimes ordered goods in Toffan’s name but diverted them to their shop.
In 2015, Obeng used the proceeds from the stolen goods to rent a store in Kasoa for nine years at GH¢45,000. They moved their shop from Weija to Kasoa and also purchased a Toyota Venza for GH¢45,000 to facilitate the transportation of stolen goods. Obeng further bought a plot of land in McCarthy Hill for GH₵10,500 with the stolen funds.
The complainant only discovered the theft in 2016 when her business began experiencing financial difficulties and declining profits. In January 2018, she initiated an investigation and reported Safowaa and Obeng to the police. During interrogation, they admitted to the offenses in their statements.
The complainant led the police to the couple’s shop, where she identified goods worth GH₵80,000, some of which had her name embossed on them. She produced receipts as evidence of her ownership, while the couple could not provide any purchase documents. An inventory was taken of the goods at the Kasoa shop.
“The audit report revealed that between the years 2013 to 2018, Safowaa stole goods worth GH₵712, 229.”
The capacity of businesses in Ghana to actively engage in global trade and exports is significantly hampered by challenges related to access to finance and the high cost of funding.
This issue was highlighted in the World Trade Report 2023, which was released in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 12, 2023, during the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Public Forum Conference.
The WTO’s assessment focused on Ghana as one of four West African countries evaluated for their ability to secure financing for trade and exports through banking institutions. The report disclosed that “limited and expensive access to trade finance” significantly restricted these countries’ trade expansion efforts.
Furthermore, the report revealed that trade finance in Ghana and the other four ECOWAS countries only supported 25 percent of their import and export activities, which was notably lower than the African average of 40 percent and the global average of 60-80 percent.
It also emerged that there was high rejection rate when it comes to trade finance with “small businesses and women owned SME application” which the report said is “disproportionate”.
The report suggests that trade finance accessibility for new SMEs could be enhanced to improve coverage. Additionally, it anticipates that the four countries, Ghana included, may experience an annual trade growth of 8 percent, equivalent to US$13 billion.
In an interview with Joy Business, Ralph Ossa, the Chief Economist at the WTO, highlighted that Ghana would need to address market failures that currently restrict trade finance opportunities for businesses.
“Maybe there might be the need for government to also step in as well as some international institutions to deal with this challenge”, Mr. Ossa said.
“Is there a reason why banks are not supporting these businesses and what needs to be done to correct this problem? Trade finance overall in Africa is not well developed as trade finance in North America and this has contributed to this high trade cost that we are measuring”, he added.
In her statement, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, called for coordinated efforts to address trade financing gaps. She stressed the importance of leveraging technology and training to facilitate knowledge transfer and support capacity building for small businesses.
The WTO trade report also highlighted several other key issues:
The report advocated for a concept termed “Re-Globalization” in response to early signs of fragmentation in global trade.
It confirmed that geopolitical tensions were starting to impact trade flows.
However, the report argued that despite these challenges, international trade was still thriving, suggesting that claims of de-globalization were not strongly supported by the available data.
The publication pointed out the expansion of digital services trade, the growth of environmental goods trade, and the resilience of global value chains, all of which contributed to trade’s ability to withstand recent global crises.
Regarding the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum:
The WTO is utilizing its flagship event, the “WTO’s Public Forum,” to concentrate on promoting sustainable trade.
The Public Forum serves as the WTO’s most significant outreach event, providing a unique platform for stakeholders worldwide, including civil society, academia, business, government, international organizations, and the media, to engage in discussions about the latest developments in global trade and propose ways to enhance the multilateral trading system. This event brought together more than 2,000 representatives from various sectors.
It appears former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bugri Naabu, is a man of few words, as his lips remained tight on commenting about how the probe into a leaked tape on plans to oust the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has developed.
On Wednesday, Mr Bugri Naabu returned to Parliament to face the adhoc committee again following testimonies by IGP Dr George Dampare, Supt Emmanuel Gyebi, COP Alex Mensah and Supt George Asare.
COP Alex Mensah and Supt George Asare both noted that the tape in the public domain that was recorded by Chief Naabu has been doctored.
Chief Naabu is expected to address this and more refuted claims. Ahead of the in-camera hearing, the media approached Chief Naabu for his comments on the investigations so far.
He refused to speak, explaining that “If I talk here, it means that it’s against the rules of the law.”
Asked whether he has heard the commentaries on the matter so far on social media, Bugri Naabu said “I don’t want to talk about it, now.”
This remark did not prevent the media from pushing further. An insistent male voice then asked if he, Bugri Naabu, is sad about the development of the case.
The response was not expected. Chief Naabu who seemed to have drawn inspiration from a widely circulated funny video said “my friend, forget about it.”
He added: “I’m not ready”. The journalist in question and Bugri Naabu smiled after the comment. The journalist then informed Chief Naabu he would expect his cooperation after the in-camera hearing.
The phrase “if you don’t get it, forget about it” became viral after a man tried to explain what C.V. is. Definitely not aware of its meaning, he tried to snub the interviewer with the comment.
Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has called on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to enhance its public education efforts regarding the forthcoming changes to the current driver’s license.
The DVLA has recently announced its intention to phase out all old driver’s license cards that were issued before September 2017, replacing them with smart driver’s license cards.
This transition will be implemented immediately and continue until March 31, 2024, after which all old card driver’s licenses will be deemed invalid by the DVLA.
Mr. Agbodza, who has expressed reservations about this decision, emphasized the importance of the DVLA effectively informing the public about the upcoming alterations to the driver’s license system in a Citi News interview.
“If you fundamentally want to change driving licenses, I feel that even before you go out talking about this, you do it the other way round. Carry the public along in terms of consultation and the interest groups such as the drivers, transporters, and everybody on how the law will work and embark on public education so that by the time you write the letter and give a deadline for the change, the average driver knows.”
The Prestige Centre located at DVLA Head Office provides an incredibly convenient and hassle-free services. Locate us on 1 Jawahalarl Nehru Road in Cantonments Accra. pic.twitter.com/dIstfZqUqL
Former Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has criticized the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) for providing a platform for President Akufo-Addo to criticize his predecessor, John Dramani Mahama.
According to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, such happenings indicate that the association is in cahoots with the ruling party, as it has allegedly deliberately offered its platform to President Akufo-Addo to attack his opponents.
He made this observation in an interview on Citi FM following the 2023–2024 Ghana Bar Conference held on Monday, September 11, 2023.
He said: “First of all, nobody is surprised that the legal wing of the NPP, also known as the Ghana Bar Association, has given its platform to President Akufo-Addo and the Attorney-General to throw tantrums and attack the person of the former president. It vindicates the position you raised that Ghana’s entire judicial and legal architecture is an NPP appendix.”
Former President John Dramani Mahama has claimed that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has selected individuals with close ties to the ruling party to hold positions within the judiciary.
Mr Mahama contended that President Akufo-Addo’s appointments to the judiciary seem to be a deliberate strategy aimed at installing judges who might lean toward his interests once his tenure ends.
The 2024 National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer proposed that the president’s actions are designed to protect himself from accountability once he finishes his term in office.
Mr. Mahama said: “Currently, the judiciary is packed with NPP-inclined judges because this government has carried out a deliberate policy of putting their people onto the bench.”
“He has appointed the biggest number of judges onto the bench, it is more than 80 towards 100 and counting. You can see what the current president has done. He has packed the court, and we know they have packed the court because they want to avoid accountability after they have left office.”
He made this assertion while addressing the closing ceremony of the 3rd Annual Lawyers Conference of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Saturday, September 2.
During his address at the 2023 Bar Conference in Cape Coast, President Akufo-Addo seized the opportunity to reject former President Mahama’s allegations. He strongly denied the accusation that he had appointed judges with political bias in favor of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the bench.
Referring to former President Mahama’s comment as ‘extremely dangerous,’ President Akufo-Addo said “Not only are these concepts of ‘NPP’ and ‘NDC’ judges new in our public discourse, they are also extremely dangerous, and represent the most brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by any allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic.”
The Ghana Bar Association’s PRO, Saviour Kudze, expressed disapproval of the President’s use of their platform for political campaigning, distancing the association from his comments.
He said, “Akufo-Addo also said even though he said President Mahama didn’t do well, and all that I admit, fine, that was all. But the only aspect I have a little concern about is going ahead to urge people to more or less vote against him. I don’t think that it was proper for him to use the platform for that.
“Because condemning what President Mahama said, many more people have already done it, the Ghana Bar Association too has done it, but to go ahead to say that because of what he said people should more or less vote against him, I think that to me amounted to doing some political campaign on our platform which to me is not acceptable,” he said.
In August 2023, the year-on-year inflation rate saw a decrease to 40.1 percent, down from the 43.1 percent recorded in July 2033, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Food inflation also experienced a decline, dropping to 51.9 percent from the previous month’s figure of 55.0 percent.
Remarkably, for the first time this year, the inflation rate for imported goods was lower than that for locally produced items. Imported products registered an inflation rate of 36.2 percent, while locally produced items recorded 42.4 percent.
The announcement was made by the government statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim during a press briefing.
He clarified that the 40.1 percent figure signifies that in August 2023, the overall price level was 40.1 percent higher than it was in August 2022.
Expanding on the specifics, Prof. Annim noted that the food inflation rate for August, at 51.9 percent, marked a decrease of 0.427 percent compared to the preceding month’s food inflation of 55 percent.
“Non food inflation was 30.9 percent compared to last month’s non-food inflation of 33.8 percent”, he said.
In July 2023, the year-on-year inflation witnessed a slight increase, climbing to 43.1% from the previous month’s 42.2%, as indicated by data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
The overall inflationary pressure was primarily driven by a notable increase in Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation, which surged to 55.0%.
Conversely, Non-Food Inflation stood at 38.3% in the same period.
In terms of regional disparities, the North East Region posted the highest inflation rate at 64.0%, whereas the Greater Accra Region recorded the lowest inflation at 31.8%.
In recent times, Government statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, has counseled decision-makers to critically examine the issues causing the rise in food inflation.
He emphasized that compared to non-food inflation, food inflation has regularly increased by around 20 percentage points.
The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) is advocating for enhanced security measures and the introduction of risk allowances for its members, prompted by recent attacks at the Tamale District Court.
On August 28, irate residents stormed the Tamale district court during the trial of a man accused of selling drugs to young people. This mob threw stones at the court, resulting in the injury of a police officer, and a confrontation between the police and the agitated youth, including an exchange of gunfire.
JUSAG has vehemently condemned this violent act, deeming it barbaric. In response to the incident, the association is calling for increased security measures at court facilities and is urging for the implementation of risk allowances for its members.
During the 2023 Judicial Service Staff Durbar and Open Forum held in Cape Coast, JUSAG’s President, Mr. Samuel Afotey Otu, emphasized that this incident serves as a compelling reason for its members to be considered for risk allowances.
“As members of the judicial service, it is our solemn duty to nurture and protect the justice system. We have the immense responsibility of shaping the future of our nation by upholding the principles of justice and the rule of law.
“As we do this and more, let us enhance security in our Courts to protect and safeguard staff, judges and magistrates and our clients.
“The recent incident of attack at the Tamale District Court is a wake-up call on the service to relook at our security protocols. It also sends a signal that all employees of the service are at risk.
“And with this inherent risk, provision of risk allowance should not be seen as too much for staff,” Mr Afotey Otu charged.
Tamale district court attacked by a mob this morning. They police had presented persons who were arrested for trading in ‘illicit drugs’. The resident who have lost trust in the police believe the dealers would be let off #NewsNightpic.twitter.com/ei27zeeMTJ
The Minister for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, has appeared before Parliament’s adhoc committee currently investigating an alleged leaked tape that discusses plans to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
On Tuesday, the committee’s Chairman announced that this session would be conducted in a closed-door setting. Additionally, Chairman Samuel Atta Akyea mentioned that the remainder of the day’s questioning of witnesses would also not be open to the public.
This development arose as it was revealed that certain individuals allegedly linked to the tape had been summoned by officials from the National Investigations Bureau (NIB).
On August 31, one of the senior police officers implicated in the leaked tape, who was allegedly part of the plot against Supt Emmanuel Gyebi, expressed surprise when his name was mentioned during the testimony of Daniel Bugri Naabu.
Bugri Naabu
According to the officer, he received information suggesting that the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) had called in individuals involved in the alleged plan to remove the IGP, but he was not questioned.
He stated that he later reached out to one of his colleagues heard on the tape for clarification and was advised to disregard the matter.
“When I heard that my name has been mentioned before the Committee that I was part of the people or I was the person who had agreed to meet that witness at Afrikiko to accompany him to the president, that is when I called Mr. Asare and he told me that this has never happened and he doesn’t know why my name is being brought up.
“(He added that) they have even been invited earlier on by the NIB, National Investigations Bureau and my name was never mentioned. I have not been invited so that is why I was so surprised that all of a sudden I am hearing that this is what has happened.,” he told the Committee.
In light of these developments, National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah has been summoned to testify today. He is presently in the conference room and will be the first to provide his testimony.
Supt Emmanuel Gyebi and Supt George Asare have also been observed arriving at Parliament for the proceedings.
Additionally, Bugri Naabu, the former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has made an appearance for further investigation.
During his appearance before the committee on Tuesday, the Inspector-General of Police refuted all allegations made against him by the officers. He categorically denied any involvement in orchestrating the recording of the leaked tape, which purportedly contains discussions about his removal.
Dr. Dampare strongly dismissed these allegations, deeming them unsubstantiated and lacking evidence. He emphasized that these accusations not only had a detrimental impact on his family but also tarnished the reputation of the police service.
They made all these allegations just to cover up probably the shame associated with what they got themselves into in the first place.
The Upper East Region branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed serious concerns regarding recent assaults on party executives.
These concerns have arisen in the wake of the tragic killing of the former Vice Chairman of the Party in the region, Williams Akanyele, allegedly by unidentified assailants.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 6.
Furthermore, the party has reported another attack on Martin Ariku, the Chairman of the Binduri constituency, which took place approximately two weeks prior to Mr. Akanyele’s tragic death.
In an interview with Citi News, the Regional Communications Officer, Jonathan Abdallah Salifu, called upon the police to expedite their investigations into these incidents.
“We are entreating the police to speed up investigations into some of these attacks, especially on our members because we don’t know whether they are politically inclined targets or it has anything to do with the ongoing conflict in Bawku.
“We cannot specifically tell what the reason is but we are equally asking the police to speed up investigations and then make sure that they get the public informed as to what they know about the cases because there is too much fear in the region.”
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, made an appearance on Tuesday before a parliamentary probe committee tasked with investigating a widely circulated audio recording containing discussions of a plot to remove him from his position.
During his testimony, the IGP refuted several allegations made against him by Chief of Police (COP) Alex Mensah and Superintendent George L. Asare.
Dr. Akuffo Dampare also revealed that he was not part of the decision-making process to place three officers on interdiction.
He clarified that this decision was made by the Police Council, and he had recused himself from it.
Furthermore, he mentioned that since the issue came to light, he has consistently distanced himself from all related decisions.
During his appearance before the committee investigating the matter on Tuesday, September 12, he emphasized that he refrains from involving himself in such cases.
“I recused myself from the process. So I was not part of whatever decision that was taken to interdict or not interdict anyone.
“It is a matter that was considered at the Police Council and they handled it in my absence. Anytime any issue about this particular incident is discussed anywhere within the police leadership, they feel my absence I think, and I believe that is the right thing to do.”
Shortly after his testimony, images of the IGP and the officers who had accused him circulated widely on social media.
Many netizens saw these photos as a demonstration of his strong camaraderie with his subordinates and highlighted the unity within the Ghana Police Service.
This contrasted with the public perception created by the embattled police officers, which, according to many, painted a different picture.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has emphasized its commitment to closely observe the ongoing limited voter registration process, even in the midst of its legal action against the Electoral Commission (EC).
On Tuesday, September 12, the NDC lodged allegations against the Electoral Commission, asserting that the voter registration process was intentionally made challenging in areas where the party enjoys significant support.
The ongoing limited voter registration aims to register more than 1.3 million individuals who have reached the age of 18 since the previous registration exercise in 2020.
The 21-day registration initiative commenced on Tuesday, September 12, with a planned conclusion on October 2.
During a press briefing, the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, asserted that party members are committed to overseeing the exercise to prevent any potential manipulation by the Electoral Commission.
“We are ready, very ready but we care for the poor registrants who must cater for the costs and constraints of being registered to vote. We currently have our agents and officers in all 268 district offices of the Electoral Commission countrywide and we are keenly and actively monitoring the process.
“We will ensure that the manipulation of the EC and the NPP to rig the process are defeated and defeated soundly.”
The NDC has accused the Electoral Commission of manipulation in the limited voter registration, warning that failure to call the EC to order could lead to severe consequences.
Barcelona is contemplating a potential move for Erling Haaland in 2025, at which point the Manchester City superstar could become available for £150 million.
While LaLiga rivals Real Madrid have long been considered frontrunners for Haaland’s signature when his tenure with Manchester City concludes, 90min reports that Barcelona is interested in entering the race.
At present, Barcelona’s frontline is led by Robert Lewandowski at Camp Nou, but the 23-year-old Haaland is seen as an ideal candidate to succeed the 35-year-old Lewandowski.
Following an impressive debut season in the Premier League, Manchester City is already working on securing a new contract for their star striker.
Haaland had signed a five-year deal with the Etihad last summer, which included various release clauses, prompting club officials to seek new terms to safeguard their interests.
Additionally, there are reports that City’s Bernardo Silva might make a move to Catalonia in the upcoming summer transfer window, despite recently extending his contract.
Mundo Deportivo suggests that the Portuguese playmaker has negotiated a release clause in his contract, enabling him to depart for £50 million at the conclusion of the current season.
The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has strongly emphasized that the selection of judges for the judiciary is primarily driven by meritocracy.
He highlights that appointments to the lower courts are openly advertised in newspapers.
During his address at the 2023 Ghana Bar Conference held in Cape Coast on Monday, Mr. Acheampong Boafo clarified that applicants for these judicial positions are not required to disclose their political beliefs or affiliations as part of the appointment process.
“It is instructive to state that same as the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court where nominations are made by three parties namely the government represented by the Attorney General, the judiciary, and the Bar, appointments to lower courts bench and high court are pursuant to advertisements in the dailies inviting persons qualified to apply,” he said.
“There is never a requirement that an applicant has to show his political affiliation,” he added.
This matter has gained significant attention in recent times, sparked by former President John Mahama’s claim that President Akufo-Addo has intentionally populated the courts with judges leaning towards the NPP.
During his speech at the NDC Lawyers Conference held in Akosombo on September 2, Mr. Mahama accused President Akufo-Addo of appointing individuals affiliated with his party to the judiciary with the aim of swaying judicial decisions in their favor. He went further to encourage NDC lawyers to be prepared to assume positions within the judiciary in order to restore a balanced composition on the bench.
“Our lawyers, some of you must be prepared to go onto the bench, I know that some of you have very lucrative legal practices you will not want to leave and go onto the bench. But you can see what the current President has done; he appointed the largest number of judges onto the bench. More than 80 towards hundred and counting.”
“He’s packed the court and we know that they’ve packed the court because they want to avoid accountability after they have left office.
“So, all manner of people who have been known to be partisan, to have been executives of their party who are in the legal profession have been leapfrogged onto the Superior courts and other places,” he said.
The President underscored the perilous nature of Mr. Mahama’s statement, asserting that such remarks should not emanate from a figure of his stature, as they pose a significant threat to the nation’s advancement.
Speaking at the Ghana Bar Conference held at the University of Cape Coast on Monday, September 11, President Akufo-Addo characterized this incident as the most audacious assault ever witnessed by the Ghanaian Judiciary throughout its history.
He thus urged the public to call out the former president for such “reckless” comments that he says sought to jeopardise the Judiciary.
“I have gone into this matter in detail because of a new issue which has been introduced into our public discourse by no less a public figure than the fourth president of the fourth republic perennial NDC Presidential Candidate John Mahama who has told the world that I have packed the courts with so-called NPP judges and that one of the key purposes a putative NDC victory in 2024 will be to enable him to balance the courts with so-called NDC judges.”
“Not only are these concepts new in our public discourse but they are also extremely dangerous and represent the brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by allegedly responsible politicians,” he said.
Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson, emphatically asserts that in the upcoming 2024 elections, no candidate within the New Patriotic Party can articulate the party’s narrative better than Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East maintains that Dr. Bawumia’s active collaboration with President Akufo-Addo in governance positions him as the most qualified leader to spearhead the party’s aspirations of ‘Breaking the 8-year cycle’.
She highlights Dr. Bawumia’s significant contributions as Vice President, citing his remarkable achievements and undeniable impact that serve as a testament to his capabilities.
During an interview with Citi TV on Tuesday, September 12, Madam Koomson passionately called upon all loyal members of the NPP to unite and rally behind him in order to secure victory in the November 4 election.
“Dr. Bawumia is the very one who can break the ‘8’,” she said. “He has worked with President Akufo-Addo for the past eight years. He knows where we started from and where we are now. So he has a story to tell.”
“Apart from Dr. Bawumia, nobody can tell the story of the government, and that is why we are all supporting him,” she said.
In the New Patriotic Party’s Super Delegates Congress, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emerged as the frontrunner. Out of the 10 candidates who had initially picked up forms to contest the central presidential primaries slated for November 4, Dr. Bawumia secured the top position. After tallying the results from all 17 polling centers across the country, Dr. Bawumia garnered an impressive 68.15% of the total votes cast.
Following him was Kennedy Agyapong, the MP for Assin Central, who secured 14.3% of the total votes. Alan Kyerematen, the former Trades Minister, took the third position with 10.29% of the total votes, while former Agric Minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto came in fourth with 3.90%.
Interestingly, there was a tie between Francis Addai Nimoh and former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, both receiving 0.98% of the total votes cast. Consequently, a runoff was scheduled for Saturday, September 2, but the National Council decided to intervene and constitute an electoral college comprised of the National Council members to break the tie between Mr. Agyarko and his competitor, Francis Addai Nimoh.
Regrettably, Mr. Boakye Agyarko formally withdrew from the upcoming runoff election in response to this decision.
Some of us have always held unadulterated conviction that governance is a serious business, and as such, it requires a forward-thinking, serious, and committed candidate to bring about the needed progress.
Nevertheless, this has not always been the case in Ghana’s democratic dispensation. We have more often than not been relying on lousy economic managers whose main preoccupation is to amass wealth to the detriment of the poor and disadvantaged Ghanaians.
Trust me, anybody who holds an isolated thinker’s view that the ecumenically diffused coronavirus and Russia/Ukraine conflict have nothing to do with Ghana’s economic challenges is being economical with the truth.
The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration, before the insidious coronavirus, made important gains towards macroeconomic stability, including inflation, which declined to a single digit and within the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG’s) tolerance band; buoyant growth, averaging about five percent, over six percent in 2017-18) and a primary surplus in 2017 for the first time in 15 years (IMF 2018).
Take, for instance, the then-director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Cristine Lagarde observed that the Ghanaian economy, before the unspeakable coronavirus, was in a better place than it was in the previous years under the John Dramani Mahama administration.
That being said, despite the absence of a pernicious coronavirus or Ukraine/Russia impasse during the Mahama administration, Ghanaians became fed up with the extremely harsh conditions amid corruption allegations (Bus branding, Brazil World Cup, SADA, SUBA, GYEEDA, SSNIT, MASLOC, NCA, Ford Expedition Vehicle, amongst others).
If Mahama is not taking Ghanaians for granted, how on earth would he consider returning to the presidency given the dreadful errors in judgment during his tenure in office?
Let us be honest, it is quite erroneous for anybody to assert somewhat anecdotally that Ghana’s economy under Mahama (3.4% growth and 15.4% inflation) was better than the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia record before the insidious coronavirus (8.6% growth and 7.5% inflation).
Where was the sound economic foundation when the Mahama administration wilfully dragged 14% economic growth in 2011 to 3.4% by December 2016 in the absence of the deadly coronavirus.
How can Mahama and cohort claim excellence in economic management when single-digit inflation took a flight to 15.4% by December 2016 in the absence of the Russia/Ukraine war?
How can Mahama audaciously claim a solid economic foundation when the agricultural sector grew in negative figures consistently in the absence of the armyworm invasion?
Where was the favourable economic foundation when the industry sector grew appallingly over the years?
How can Mahama proudly beat his chest and claim ownership of a solid economic foundation when the GDP shrunk from GH47 billion in 2011 to GHC40 billion by December 2016?
Where was the sound economic management when the erstwhile Mahama administration spent profligately thereby raising Ghana’s debt from $9.5 billion in 2009 to a staggering $122.4 billion by December 2016 in the absence of the globally diffused coronavirus or Russia/Ukraine conflict?
Where was the solid economic foundation when former President Mahama unabashedly claimed that his administration had edaciously consumed all the meat on the bone?
The fact of the matter is that the late Mills left a sound economic growth of 14% and Mahama reversed it to 3.4%, the late Mills left the agricultural growth of 7.4% and Mahama dragged it to 2.5%, the late Mills single-digit inflation was reversed to 15.4%, GDP of GHC47 billion shrunk to GH40 billion by Mahama.
It was, therefore, not quite surprising when the unhappy 56.5 % of the electorates voted Mahama out in 2016 and 51.2% voted against him in 2020.
Ghana’s economic growth, just before the inexpressible coronavirus, stood at around 8.6% from 3.4% in December 2016.
Interestingly, in the first two years of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration, the industry sector recorded the highest growth rate of 16.7 percent, followed by Agriculture at 8.4 percent and services at 4.3 percent.
Services share of GDP decreased from 56.8 percent in 2016 to 56.2 percent in 2017. The sector’s growth rate also decreased from 5.7 percent in 2016 to 4.3 percent in 2017.
However, two of the subsectors in the services sector recorded double-digit growth rates, including Information and Communication at 13.2 percent and Health and Social Work at 14.4 percent.
The Industry sector, the highest-growing sector with a GDP share of 25.5 percent, had its growth rate increasing from -0.5 percent in 2016 to 16.7 percent in 2017. The Mining and Quarrying subsector recorded the highest growth of 46.7 percent in 2017.
The Agriculture sector expanded from a growth rate of 3.0 percent in 2016 to 8.4 percent in 2017. Its share of GDP, however, declined from 18.7 percent in 2016 to 18.3 percent in 2017. Crops remain the largest activity with a share of 14.2 percent of GDP.
The Non-Oil annual GDP growth rate decreased from 5.0 percent in 2016 to 4.9 percent in 2017. The 2017 Non-oil GDP for industry recorded a growth rate of 0.4 percent, compared with 4.9 percent in 2016. Growth in the fourth quarter of 2017 reached 8.1 percent compared to 9.7 percent in the third quarter (GSS, 2018).
In Mahama’s time in office, the previously single-digit inflation and budget deficit doubled astronomically.
Ghana’s economic growth slowed for the fourth consecutive year to an estimated 3.4% in 2015 from 4% in 2014 as energy rationing (dumsor), high inflation, and ongoing fiscal consolidation weighed on economic activity (World Bank, 2016). Besides, the Mahama administration nauseatingly dragged the economic growth from around 14% in 2011 to around 3.4% as of December 2016.
In addition, the high inflation rate remained elevated at 18.5% in February 2016 compared to 17.7% in February 2015, even after the Central Bank’s 500 bps policy rate hikes (the inflation stood at 15.4% as of October 2016).
Ex-President Mahama, regrettably, did not work his socks off to improve the socio-economic living standards of Ghanaians.
Take, for example, former President Kufuor worked studiously and quadrupled Ghana’s GDP to a staggering GH28 billion in 2008, and the late Mills inherited oil in commercial quantities and managed to increase the GDP to GH47 billion by 2011.
But Mahama disappointingly dragged the GDP to an incredible GHC40 billion as of December 2016.
Former President Mahama and his NDC administration failed to end the dumsor, failed to implement the one-time NHIS premium, jobs were not readily available for the jobless, the economy sunk deeper and deeper into the mire, they reneged on their promise to keep ‘lean’ government, Ghanaians became poorer and poorer, sleazes and corruption escalated to immeasurable proportions, endless borrowings amongst others.
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
The Youth Wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is demanding an apology and a retraction from the Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, for what they describe as his deliberate spreading of false and misleading information about the limited voter registration exercise.
The NDC youth assert that Salam Mustapha falsely accused their party of planning to create disturbances at registration centers, which they believe was an attempt to stir public sentiment against the NDC.
“We in the NDC unequivocally deny any plans and activities as stated by the ruling party’s National Youth Organizer and urge all Ghanaians and international allies to ignore such ridiculous and infantile display of leadership weakness by Salam Mustapha,” a statement issued by Deputy National Youth Organiser Osman Ayariga said.
“We condemn such irresponsible and violent behaviour by a leader who is supposed to promote peace and embrace tranquility in all his operations and utterances on national discourse.
“He must withdraw the lies and disturbing commentary and apologize or provide evidence if any to support his baseless allegations.
“Failure to do, he has to be invited by the police since his statement has the potential of causing fear and panic.”
Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha
The NDC youth claim it is rather the NPP that has intentions “of causing mayhem at the various registration centers with their notorious thugs as it has been the modus operandi of the incumbent to perpetrate violence during electoral processes and turn around to blame the NDC”.
They encouraged the citizens of Ghana to participate in the voter registration process without succumbing to intimidation stemming from the remarks made by the NPP Youth Organiser.
“The National Democratic Congress urges all Ghanaians that we will continuously practice the tenets of a responsible opposition with recourse to the laws of the country, demonstrate empathy and commitment towards the needs and development of the citizenry and protect public interest.”
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has expressed his concerns about certain aspects of the ongoing hearing on a leaked tape regarding plans to oust him by a Parliamentary Committee.
He was dissatisfied by the fact that the three witnesses; COP Alex Mensah, Superintendent Emmanuel Gyebi, and Superintendent George Asare were not obligated to provide evidence substantiating their allegations against him before he was called upon to testify.
The IGP, while providing his testimony before the Committee today, insisted that continuing to toe that line might unfairly benefit his accusers.
In his opinion, the attempts by previous witnesses to provide information to the committee did not sufficiently address the seriousness of the matter at hand.
“Honourable Chair, I think we need to look at this carefully. Because that is not fair. Having said that, I don’t have any tape, I don’t know about it. And they should stop it,” he said on September 12.
During his own appearance before the committee, on September 1, one of the witnesses, COP George Mensah, alleged that “intel suggests that what was used to tape the conversation was done by the current IGP.”
COP Mensah further claimed that Dr. George Akuffo Dampare masterminded the recording of their conversation and leaked the tape to the general public.
“He sent some people to do it, after which he went for it. So the tape, from my intel, is with the IGP, and he caused it to be leaked. So if this committee wants the tape, the right person to call before this committee is the Inspector General of Police,” he asserted.
However, the IGP firmly rejected this notion.
When the committee inquired about his reaction to these allegations, Dr. Dampare stressed that it is the duty of the accusers to provide sufficient evidence to support their claims before he is asked to respond.
He expressed his concern that these actions might be an effort to divert attention and recommended that they be thoroughly scrutinized.
“They are trying to twist it and divert attention. We allowed him to go on that fishing expedition, acting as octopuses in the quest to find something by whatever means to affect my person or my integrity,” he explained.
The IGP, along with all four previous witnesses, is scheduled to appear before the council on Wednesday.
They will also be joined by the National Security Minister, who was implicated by one of the witnesses in relation to an alleged NIB investigation.
IGP Dampare states that the accusations made by his colleagues, suggesting that he attained his position through political affiliation, are false, and he believes they may have said that to cover their shame pic.twitter.com/VRgtmyVwkw
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Jinapor, has assured the mining industry, particularly licensed large-scale mining companies in the country of the firm commitment and unflinching determination of government to protect their concessions by activating all the necessary security protocols.
Delivering the keynote address at the Mining for Development Forum held on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, the Lands Minister stressed the need for the mining companies, through the Chamber of Mines, to collaborate with the government to protect their concessions.
Speaking on the theme, “Ensuring The Security Of Operations in Ghana; The Role of Stakeholders”, Mr Jinapor noted that the fortunes of the large-scale mining firms have a direct bearing on the government’s economic projection, hence the need for an effective coordination to grow the sector and maximize its gains and benefits to the country.
While indicating his worry with reports of illegal invasion of large-scale mining companies, the Minister outlined two important pillars on which he believes, if implemented to the letter, will cure the menace of encroachment on large-scale mining concessions.
He maintained that these two factors are equally important and must work in tandem to attain the objective guaranteeing the absolute safety and protection of large-scale mining concessions.
“There are two ways of protecting mining companies in the country. Across the world, these issues of illegalities, contentions between the locals and the investors, conglomerates, or companies”, he stated.
“There are two fundamental pillars on which I believe we can chart our path. One, in my view, is brute enforcement. What you do with brute enforcement is that when such issues happen, you move in immediately uproot them, you sack them, arrest, prosecute and convict them”, he added.
Another aspect of securing large scale concessions, the Minister said, “is putting in place sustainable measures to carry the community with you. It is absolute important. Any group which suggests that just by deploying law enforcement agencies will resolve issues of encroachment of large scale enforcement will not work. The enforcement is absolutely important and the principle of carrying the community along is also important”.
Mr Jinapor also commended the Ghana Chamber of Mines for the program and urged them to work hand-in-hand with government to carry out short-term sustainable measures to develop their communities.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Miners, Sulemana Koney in his welcome address stated that the forum will afford the various stakeholders the opportunity to deliberate on the various means of ensuring the protection of concessions and contributing to the community and country development.
He commended the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources under the leadership of Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor for its consistent efforts in seeking to address the teething challenges of the large-scale mining firms.
The Forum also had in attendance the Deputy Minister responsible for Mining, Hon. George Mireku Duker, the Western Regional Minister, Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko, President of the Central House of Chiefs, Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu, players and captains of the Mining industry; and some security personnel, among others.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare has clarified that he was not involved in the decision to interdict three officers for their roles in a widely circulated leaked tape aimed at removing him from office.
Dr. Akuffo Dampare stated that the decision was made by the Police Council, and he had voluntarily removed himself from any involvement in the matter.
During his appearance before the committee investigating the incident on Tuesday, September 12, he emphasized that he refrains from participating in such matters.
“I recused myself from the process. So I was not part of whatever decision that was taken to interdict or not interdict anyone. It is a matter that was considered at the Police Council and they handled it in my absence anytime any issue about this particular incident is discussed anywhere within the police leadership, they feel my absence I think and I believe that is the right thing to do.”
A press release issued by the Ghana Police Service initially announced the interdiction of three senior officers due to their involvement in a contentious audio recording that allegedly contained a plot to remove the IGP.
The statement, signed by the Director of Police Public Affairs, ACP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, disclosed that the three officers—Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr. George Alex Mensah, Superintendent Mr. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, and Superintendent Mr. George Lysander Asare—had been placed on interdiction while further disciplinary processes were initiated in accordance with Police Service regulations.
However, this decision sparked diverse opinions. Subsequently, the Service later suspended the interdiction of the three officers.
“Following the interdiction of COP/Mr George Alex Mensah, Supt/Mr Emmanuel Eric Gyebi and Supt/Mr George Lysander Asare in connection with the leaked audio tape, the Police Administration would commence disciplinary proceedings into their conduct upon completion of the ongoing probe by Parliament.”
“In order not to prejudice the ongoing probe, the Police administration has suspended their interdiction,” the statement signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Frace Ansah-Akrofi read.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has submitted a motion for the confirmation of seizure and freezing orders pertaining to the “tainted properties” associated with the embattled former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
The hearing for this matter is scheduled for October 18.
On August 31, the Financial and Economic Division of an Accra High Court issued an order directing the Office of the Special Prosecutor to return all seized funds from Cecilia Dapaah within seven days.
Additionally, the Court ruled that it was unable to confirm the freezing of her bank accounts and other assets.
It’s important to note that Cecilia Abena Dapaah had contested the OSP’s application to freeze her accounts and seize her properties.
It followed the OSP’s filing of a motion for confirmation of the order of freezing and seizure of the former Minister’s tainted property.
The OSP said to facilitate investigations, it considered it necessary for the issuance of a “freezing order against the bank account and investment of the former Minister at Prudential Bank Limited and Societe General Ghana in accordance with Section 38 (1) of Act 959 and regulation 19 (I) of LI 2374”.
Subsequently, the OSP conducted searches in three residential properties associated with the former Minister at Cantonment, Abelemkpe and Tesano all in Accra.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) expressed its disagreement with the high court’s decision to reject the application for the seizure and freezing orders concerning Cecilia Dapaah’s assets.
The high court’s refusal was based on several grounds, including the application being filed outside the stipulated time frame. Additionally, the OSP was criticized for not disclosing transaction details in the accounts and for implementing the freezing order based on public sentiments without a proper investigation.
As a result, the Financial and Economic Division of the Accra High Court has instructed the OSP to return all seized funds from Cecilia Dapaah, with a stipulated compliance period of seven days. The court also clarified that it could not confirm the freezing of her bank accounts and other properties.
In response, the OSP, while respecting the court’s decision, issued a statement expressing disagreement with the court’s conclusion, deeming it erroneous.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has refuted any existing professional association with the former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu.
Appearing before the parliamentary committee tasked to probe the leaked tape that could lead to his removal from office on Tuesday, September 12, Dr Dampare said: “I do not have any working relationship with him [Bugri Naabu]”. he had never visited me in my office”.
When asked if he had enlisted Bugri Naabu to secretly record the leaked tape, the IGP unequivocally responded with a “No.”
Bugri Naabu himself confirmed the authenticity of the contentious leaked tape, asserting that he had hired someone to record the conversation. This confirmation was made during his appearance before the committee investigating the matter on Monday, August 28, 2023.
Superintendent George Asare informed the committee that Bugri Naabu had claimed he recommended Dr. George Akuffo Dampare to the President before his appointment as the IGP. He also alleged that his information suggested that the IGP had orchestrated the recording of their conversation with Bugri Naabu.
The IGP had previously requested that the three implicated senior police officers be excluded from the proceedings during his testimony in the ongoing leaked tape probe. However, the Chairman of the Committee, Samuel Atta Akyea, rejected this request, asserting that the IGP would not be harmed if those officers were present during his testimony.
The leaked audio purportedly captured a scheme by the NPP to remove the current IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, and manipulate the 2024 elections.
During his appearance before the parliamentary committee tasked with investigating the leaked tape on Monday, August 28, 2023, Bugri Naabu confirmed the authenticity of the audio recording.
In a candid admission, Bugri Naabu confirmed that the crucial conversation, which had stirred controversy, had indeed taken place in his office near the Osu Police Station, involving himself and three other high-ranking Police Officers named as Commander Asare, COP Mensah, and Superintendent Gyebi.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has emphasized that his appointment as the head of the Police Service is solely based on merit and not influenced by any other factors.
During his appearance before the parliamentary committee investigating the leaked tape discussing his removal from office on Tuesday, September 12, Dr. Akuffo Dampare stated that his dedication and diligence in performing his duties have been instrumental in his current position.
He underlined that he has rightfully earned his position and that it is not the result of any special favors or considerations.
“So in terms of my ranking in the police service, it has been purely based on my competencies, my academic qualifications and hard work because of the passion I have for the work. I have not at any point in time been called aside by any individual and granted me any favour,” he said.
Dr. George Akuffo Dampare received an invitation to appear before the Ad-hoc committee on Friday, September 8, in response to the allegations made against him by previous witnesses, which the committee deemed necessary to address.
Initially, the committee’s chairman announced that the hearing would be conducted privately on Sunday, emphasizing the need to protect national security by preventing certain issues from becoming public.
However, the approach has now changed, and certain parts of the investigation will be conducted publicly. During his recent address to the committee, Mr. Atta Akyea clarified that matters related to national security would still be subject to an in-camera session.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, is of the opinion that his successes and failures transcend beyond himself as an individual.
According to the IGP, the Police Service, which he leads, is a single unit, hence, his achievements belong to all in the Service and vice versa.
He made this comment on Tuesday when he appeared before a Parliamentary Committee established by Speaker Alban Bagbin to probe the leaked tape on the ousting of the IGP.
Dr George Akuffo Dampare noted that his administration is blossoming and cannot be described as the worst ever, as done by COP George Alex Mensah.
COP George Alex Mensah, who reappeared before the parliamentary committee tasked by Speaker Alban Bagbin to probe the leaked tape, on September 1, said “He (IGP) is not managing the police service well.”
On the matter, the IGP said: “By the grace of God and the honour done me by His Excellency the President, Nana Akufo-Addo Addo, we committed ourselves to transforming the organization to become the best institution in the country and a reference point for Africa and beyond in a team work fashion based on Genesis 1:26.
“So even granted that I am the worst, then all collectively are the worst, including my brother (COP Alex Mensah) who was serving in that capacity as member of the team that I lead.”
He therefore said: “So I think it was a slip of tongue on his part.”
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has indicated that the criteria for the promotion of police officers are vast.
He noted that one’s years at the Police Service do not override other requirements such as competency and vacancy.
The IGP made this known on Tuesday, September 12, during an appearance before the Parliamentary Committee tasked by Speaker Alban Bagbin with probing a leaked tape on the ousting of the IGP.
“The point that has to be made is that it is not a question about how many years you have been at the Service. We would have all loved to be promoted as soon as you are four years. Vacancy, competency, and other things factor into it. I was in my rank for six years, and I didn’t complain,” he said.
Eighty-two police officers have filed a suit against the Attorney General (1st defendant), the Ghana Police Service (2nd defendant), and the Inspector General of Police (3rd defendant).
The plaintiffs contend that the Ghana Police Service failed to promote them after they finished their studies under the organization’s study leave with pay policy.
In the lawsuit filed at an Accra High Court on May 15, the officers led by Deputy Inspector Kofi Osal claim they were denied their deserved promotions as well as entry into the Police College after the successful completion of their studies during the 2017/2018 academic year.
They maintained that the agency refused to promote them despite duly notifying them of the situation and further appealing to be promoted.
The complainants are therefore requesting that the court issue an order directed against the 2nd and 3rd defendants to grant the plaintiffs who qualify for accelerated promotions.
They are also demanding that a permit is given to the plaintiffs who qualify to enter the Police College without further delay.
On the matter, Director-General of Services at the Police Head Office, COP Enoch Adutwum Bediako, has emphasized that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, is not under any obligation to grant promotions to specific police officers.
During a session with students of the Police Basic School as part of the Snatch Them Young Police Initiative, COP Bediako advised future recruits not to assume that longevity in the service automatically entitles them to promotions from the IGP.
“You cannot go and tell the IGP that, I have worked so I need promotion, as if he is obliged to promote you, whether you work or you don’t work. No. The answer is, it depends on how you have worked within the period then the IGP will promote you. So in future, if you become police officers put that in your mind.”
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has refuted claims that well-deserving junior officers who are due for promotions have been denied that opportunity.
This comes after some 82 police officers filed a suit against the Attorney General (1st defendant), the Ghana Police Service (2nd defendant), and the Inspector General of Police (3rd defendant).
The plaintiffs contend that the Ghana Police Service failed to promote them after they finished their studies under the organization’s study leave with pay policy.
But in his appearance before a Parliamentary Committee tasked with probing a leaked tape of his ousting, Dr George Akuffo Dampare denied this claim.
A member of the Committee, Mr Boamah asked whether the senior officers promotion that has not taken effect is as a result of the inaction from the Police Management Board, made up of Schedule Officers who assist the IGP in the day-to-day administration of the Ghana Police and not the Police Council.
The IGP replied: “That is the position because they are the people to promote and more importantly, recently, a meeting was held and some consideration has been done, but the most important thing is that everybody who is supposed to be promoted in line with our policies are being promoted.”
He added that: “The point that has to be made is that it is not a question about how many years you have been at the Service. We would have all loved to be promoted as soon as you are four years. Vacancy, competency, and other things factor into it. I was in my rank for six years, and I didn’t complain.”
In the lawsuit filed at an Accra High Court on May 15, the officers led by Deputy Inspector Kofi Osal claim they were denied their deserved promotions as well as entry into the Police College after the successful completion of their studies during the 2017/2018 academic year.
They maintained that the agency refused to promote them despite duly notifying them of the situation and further appealing to be promoted.
The complainants are therefore requesting that the court issue an order directed against the 2nd and 3rd defendants to grant the plaintiffs who qualify for accelerated promotions.
They are also demanding that a permit is given to the plaintiffs who qualify to enter the Police College without further delay.
On the matter, Director-General of Services at the Police Head Office, COP Enoch Adutwum Bediako, has emphasized that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, is not under any obligation to grant promotions to specific police officers.
During a session with students of the Police Basic School as part of the Snatch Them Young Police Initiative, COP Bediako advised future recruits not to assume that longevity in the service automatically entitles them to promotions from the IGP.
“You cannot go and tell the IGP that, I have worked so I need promotion, as if he is obliged to promote you, whether you work or you don’t work. No. The answer is, it depends on how you have worked within the period then the IGP will promote you. So in future, if you become police officers put that in your mind.”
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare has rubbished claims that his administration is the worst ever when compared to those of his predecessors.
His comment comes after claims by COP George Alex Mensah, one of the individuals being investigated for a leaked tape plotting the ousting of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
COP George Alex Mensah, who reappeared before the parliamentary committee tasked by Speaker Alban Bagbin to probe the leaked tape, on September 1, emphatically stated that in the history of IGPs, Dr George Akuffo Dampare is the worst.
“What I said yesterday, if you give me a chance, I’ll say so again. He is not managing the police service well.
“And for me, for the 31 years that I’ve been in the service, I can tell you that he is the worst IGP we have ever had in this country,” he said.
This assertion, according to the IGP, is false as his works have seen the Police Service being put on a great pedestal. Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee probing the leaked tape on his ousting, the IGP noted that his administration has achieved so much compared to what he, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, had come to meet.
He said: “By the grace of God and the honour done me by His Excellency the President, Nana Akufo-Addo Addo, we committed ourselves to transforming the organization to become the best institution in the country and a reference point for Africa and beyond in a team work fashion based on Genesis 1:26.
“So even granted that I am the worst, then all collectively are the worst including my brother (COP Alex Mensah) who was serving in that capacity as member of the team that I lead.”
He therefore said: “So I think it was a slip of tongue on his part.”
The IGP continued saying: “But let me speak to the issue, this is what it is. The current administration wants to be the best in terms of all those who have come before us. And we have a good reason for that. We are there, getting on to become the best in the history of the country.
“The reason we want to be the best and we are getting to become the best as a police administration under my leadership. When most of our forebears were there, we were, we saw what they did right and the challenges they faced.
“So being a graduate of management and leadership and a continuous student of sociology, psychology and philosophy, it is just clear that when you saw your forebearers were doing and have this opportunity, you surely should perform better than them. It is simple. You do what they were doing right. Learn from their mistakes and do better. There is no way you cannot be better than them.”
Dr George Akuffo Dampare therefore came to the conclusion that “it is not true that my administration is the worst. It can never be.”
According to the IGP, his ambition is to ensure the future generation of police officers do better than the current generation and right the wrong that may have been committed.
“We want those who come after us to be better than us by the same yardstick. They are watching us in terms of what we are doing, those we are getting right and the challenges that we are facing,” he said.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare says he is pained over the “unfounded” allegations levelled against him by his subordinates in the Police Service.
COP George Alex Mensah, one of the individuals being investigated for a leaked tape plotting the ousting of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has asserted that the Police service is well off without its current boss.
COP George Alex Mensah, who reappeared before the parliamentary committee tasked by Speaker Alban Bagbin to probe the leaked tape, on September 1, emphatically stated that in the history of IGPs, Dr George Akuffo Dampare is the worst.
“What I said yesterday, if you give me a chance, I’ll say so again. He is not managing the police service well.
“And for me, for the 31 years that I’ve been in the service, I can tell you that he is the worst IGP we have ever had in this country,” he said.
COP George Alex Mensah, however, did not provide justification for his assertion, as the committee noted that it would be unfair on the part of Dr George Dampare to be accused without his presence to agree or refuse.
Earlier, COP George Alex Mensah claimed that majority of officers in the Police Service are dissatisfied with the IGP.
But before the Committee today, Dr George Akuffo Dampare refuted these claims. According to him, he finds this assertion unfair as no shred of evidence has been brought against him.
“I am an innocent person, focusing on my job, working with my team members, all commands across the country to keep the country safe and make it to be at peace with itself. I’ve been asked to answer these allegations which are wide, baseless,” he said.
“I’m free in my spirit that this is just unfair. It is just unfair,” an emotional IGP emphasised.
The IGP quizzed whether there is an agenda to kill patriotism.
“Are we killing patriotism, that anybody can get up make allegations upon allegations and people who go across the country sometimes 48 hours without sleep, just keeping the country at peace to be called to answer allegations that are unfounded,” he said.
They made all these allegations just to cover up probably the shame associated with what they got themselves into in the first place.
There were no common grounds at the preliminary stage when the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare appeared before the Parliamentary Committee probing the leaked tape on the ousting of the IGP.
Counsel of the IGP, Kwame Gyan, in his earlier submissions raised concerns over the presence of other witnesses, including former Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Daniel Bugri Naabu, as well as COP Alex Mensah and Superintendent George Asare, during the period Dr George Akuffo Dampare gave his testimony.
“We strongly object to the presence of other witnesses,” he said.
But the Committee Chair, Samuel Atta Akyea, swept his comment under the rug, noting that “When they are here, it will not affect the IGP’s testimony.”
Mr Atta Akyea further noted that the witnesses would not be given the opportunity to talk or ask questions, hence their presence would amount to zilch.
His comments, however, did not sit well with the IGP’s counsel, who noted that as the witnesses would not make any contribution, their presence would not be relevant as the IGP gave his testimony.
For over five minutes, the duo went on arguing out their points. During this period, Mr Atta Akyea told Kwame Gyan that “I don’t want to have a banter with you.”
Finally, the Committee Chair asked the IGP‘s counsel whether their presence of the witnesses any way injure the IGP and the hearing.
“Can you tell this Committee the injury you will suffer if they are seated here, and then I take a decision. What injury are you going to suffer, I don’t get it,” he said.
In response, Kwame Gyan also posed a question to Mr Atta Akyea. He wanted the Committee Chair to explain how their absence would injure the Committee and the hearing.
“Honourable Chairman, in the event that they stay outside, what injury will they also suffer and what injury will the committee also suffer,” he asked.
Tired of the rebuttal, Mr Atta Akyea finally said: “The Committee is not only sitting today. And please mark my words carefully, you can wave your right not to speak and I wouldn’t worry at all. I don’t want to continue with the banter. I don’t need it.
These individuals and the IGP are going to continue after here. We are not ending proceedings today and some of the proceedings will be so important they will be in-camera,”
Following this, the Counsel of the IGP asked “is this the ruling of the committee so that the records will reflect.”
Mr Atta Akyea replied: “Yes, so that is it. I don’t know what else you want me to say. And if you want me to overrule my Vice, I will do that, yes. Because you have not satisfied me on one point”.
Following his remarks, Mr Gyan said, “the IGP is ready.”
Former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, is advising the government to exercise caution when it comes to celebrating the accomplishment of the first phase of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme.
Terkper has emphasized that despite progress, significant economic challenges still persist, including elevated levels of inflation and interest rates. Consequently, he believes that the government should refrain from lauding the narrowing of the primary balance as it falls short of the IMF’s intended targets.
In his discussion with Joy Business, Mr. Terkper emphasized the importance of the government not becoming complacent but rather continuing to put in efforts to rejuvenate the economy, with a particular focus on ensuring the sustainability of the country’s debt.
“If you consider when [inflation] it cross 40% that is another three fold, and you looking at debt at 57% of Gross Domestic Product, now closely to 100%. Even when you take out the contingent liabilities and others, if we are in the 90% right from 57% of GDP that is doubling of the debt to GDP ratio. I granted an interview and wrote a short article which said that we should not be made complacent by those who are in the position to know were Ghana’s economy is in at the moment”.
“I think it is particularly after the debacle of the BoG [Bank of Ghana] showing the extent to which the deficit [fiscal] was monetize, the economy was monetize which is the course of the inflation that we talking about. I think it is a bit too early especially for our friends from the international community to be singing our praises”, he added.
The former Finance Minister elaborated that while there is evidence of economic recovery, potential risks to the economic outlook still exist.
“I am not saying there hasn’t been any success so far in terms of the injection of foreign exchange by the multilateral institutions in particular into the economy to try and stabilise the situation, particularly significant flows of COVID-19 funds. During the COVID-19 period, about ¢60 billion which is six times what we have always use to turn around the economy was injected into the economy”.
“Remember no government has done a turnaround of the economy using more than $1 billion”, he added.
Suicide is a major public health problem with far-reaching social, emotional and economic consequences. It is estimated that there are currently more than 700000 suicides per year worldwide. We know that each suicide profoundly affects many more people.
This year’s World Suicide Prevention Day theme “Creating Hope Through Action” serves as a powerful call to action and reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and that through our actions we can encourage hope and strengthen prevention.
By creating hope through action, we can signal to people experiencing suicidal thoughts that there is hope and that we care and want to support them. It also suggests that our actions, no matter how big or small, may provide hope to those who are struggling.
These are warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide ⬇️
Severe mood changes
Social withdrawal
Expressing thoughts or plans about ending their life
Saying goodbye to close family and friends
Giving away valued possessions
Let’s talk about S-E-X
WHO recognizes every person’s right to sexual well-being.
The theme of World Sexual Health Day this year was ‘Consent!’, recognizing the importance of consent and mutual respect when it comes to sexual encounters. People should have complete and accurate information so they can make informed choices when it comes to their sexual and reproductive health.
