TIG Post

Author: Andy Ogbarmey-Tettey

  • EIU projects 1.3% GDP growth rate for Ghana in 2023

    EIU projects 1.3% GDP growth rate for Ghana in 2023

    The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts that Ghana’s GDP would grow by 1.3% in 2023, which will cause a substantial slowdown.

    This falls short of the World Bank’s and the IMF’s predictions of 1.8% and 1.6%, respectively.

    The UK-based group predicts that real GDP growth will decline in 2023 due to the impact that rising prices and monetary tightening will have on private consumption and investment.

    Government spending would thereafter decrease.

    According to its 2023 Country Report on Ghana, growth will be moderate in 2024 as tightness continues, but it will quicken up in 2025–2027 as new projects come online, driving an increase in gold and oil export revenues.

    “Growth will slow to 1.3% in 2023, as a cost-of-living squeeze, public spending cuts and monetary tightening by the BoG will cause domestic demand to contract for the first time since 2014. Reduced consumption and sustained cedi depreciation will, however, help to boost net exports, the sole growth driver in 2023 and the main factor behind our growth forecast of 2.3% for 2024″, it added.

    Further, EIU said macroeconomic instability and a public debt crisis will weigh on Ghana’s business environment and its ambitions to become a West African trading hub.

    A weak regional regulatory environment, poor transport links and low foreign trade, except in commodities, will also hamper progress.

    Continuing, the EIU said it expects the government to remain committed to fiscal consolidation in 2023-27 in a bid to bring the public finances and debt back onto a sustainable path, underpinned by an International Monetary Fund programme.

    The 2023 budget includes measures to both widen the tax net and extend spending cuts.

    In line with EIU expectations, in mid-April 2023, President Akufo-Addo assented to three new revenue-raising bills: the Income Tax Amendment Bill, the Excise Duty Amendment Bill and the Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill.

    It added that the bills will boost revenue over the forecast period, helping to shrink the fiscal deficit to 7.1% of GDP in 2023 (from an estimated 8.3% of GDP in 2022) and steadily to 4.4% of GDP in 2027.

    It stressed that “despite revenue mobilisation measures in the 2023 budget including the reintroduction of road tolls, a 2.5-percentage-point rise in the value-added tax (VAT) rate, to 15%, and an increase in excise duties, a slowing economy will keep revenue/GDP ratio below potential in 2023″. 

    However, it concluded that the quickening economic growth will push up the ratio in 2024-27, adding “increasing administrative efficiency under IMF guidance will also boost revenue in 2023-27, as will an increase in the trade tax take in 2025-27, driven by rising gold and oil output”.

  • Two feared dead in Elubo road accident

    Two feared dead in Elubo road accident

    A collision at Elubo between a cargo truck and an articulated vehicle hauling used clothing is believed to have killed two people.

    The articulated truck was reportedly traveling from the Takoradi end of the route toward Elubo on Saturday when the cargo truck traveling in the opposite way suffered a blown tire, which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

    The driver and his conductor were killed as a result of the collision with the articulated truck.

    Eyewitness narratives claim that the cargo truck driver ended up trapped in the wreckage of the car, severely mutilating his body.

  • Galamsey: Jamal Seidu pushes for Akufo-Addo’s resignation

    Galamsey: Jamal Seidu pushes for Akufo-Addo’s resignation

    In view of what has been called a failure to win the war against illegal mining in the nation, a lawyer and former military captain, Jamal Tonzua Seidu, says President Akufo-Addo should step down.

    The constitution stipulates that the President must resign from office if his actions appear to jeopardize the security of the populace, according to Jamal Tonzua Seidu.

    Saying that illegal mining (galamsey) is a historic policy failure, in his opinion, is a grave understatement.

    “To say that galamsey is a historic policy failure is a gross understatement. Now, what I expect to see therefore is that I expect to see our President on the account of this embarrassing failure to resign in terms of what his mandate is under Article 58 of the constitution.”

    “Article 69 tells us that if the conduct of the President amounts to what brings that height of disrepute or inimical to our economic welfare or wellbeing, or even undermines our security, that should be a ground for the President to be removed from office,” he said on JoyNews on Saturday.

    President Akufo-Addo

    Explaining his assertions, Mr Seidu said the credentials of President Akufo-Addo before assuming office projected him as someone who could wage a war against the menace but has rather performed below expectations.

    The lawyer has questioned the viability of the policies formulated to curb the situation. According to him, what he termed as the “defective formulation of the policy” was not done in ignorance but rather deliberately. To curb illegal mining issues, Mr Seidu said the government must get the framing of issues in its policies right.

  • ExxonMobil records $11.4bn profit in first-quarter

    ExxonMobil records $11.4bn profit in first-quarter

    The rising demand for oil and gas contributed to the oil giant ExxonMobil’s profits more than doubling in the first three months of this year.

    The US energy company claimed that cost-cutting initiatives also helped to boost first-quarter profits to a record $11.4 billion (£9.1 billion), up from $5.5 billion the year before.

    Despite declining oil prices and a $200 million loss from windfall taxes the corporation paid in Europe, the increase occurred.

    Chevron, a rival US oil company, also announced an increase in profits.

    It generated about $6.6 billion between January and March, a 5% increase from the same period last year. It also paid a windfall tax or “energy profits levy” in the UK worth $130 million.

    Next week Shell and BP are both set to report their latest results.

    Like other big energy companies Exxon has faced criticism about how much it has returned to shareholders off the back of high oil and gas prices.

    It said shareholders would receive $8.1bn including dividends and $375m in share buybacks.

    ExxonMobil said the rise in profits included a $3.4bn after-tax reduction to exit Russia.

    “We delivered a first-quarter record despite the fact that energy prices and refining margins are softening a bit,” chief financial officer Kathryn Mikells told Reuters.

    The biggest contributor to the better-than-expected earnings came from strong production growth, driven by the start-up of new offshore developments and refining facilities, she said.

    Exxon is currently caught up in a legal case with the European Union – it is suing the EU in an attempt to stop its new windfall tax on oil firms.

    It has accused Brussels of exceeding its legal authority, calling the measure “counter-productive” and argued, along with other players in the sector, that the tax would discourage investment.

    Peter McNally, an industry analyst at Third Bridge research firm, said Exxon’s output had exceeded expectations. The firm’s oil and gas production was the highest since 2019.

    “The key driver was surging oil production in Canada, but profitability was dragged lower by the collapse in US natural gas prices,” he said.

    Mr McNally said the company’s refining business continued to be a “star performer”, delivering earnings of more than $4bn for the fourth consecutive quarter.

  • Barker-Vormawor, another lawyer ready to assist Prof Frimpong-Boateng in defamation suit

    Barker-Vormawor, another lawyer ready to assist Prof Frimpong-Boateng in defamation suit

    Following the defamation lawsuit brought by lawyer Gabby Otchere-Darko against Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, private practice lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor has offered to provide free legal services to the professor.

    Richard Amarh, another Ghanaian attorney, has also shown interest in assisting his colleague.

    “If he calls you and you need hands, I will be there to assist you for free,” Mr Amarh said.

    According to Barker-Vormawor, the former environment minister and chair of the inter-ministerial committee on illegal mining as a former heart surgeon saved his brother’s life.

    Barker-Vormawor said “My little Brother was born with a hole in heart. He was operated on at 6 months old at the Cardiothoracic Centre Professor Frimpong-Boateng established.

    I was in Primary school at the time. One day while my brother was on admission, I walked to the Ghana Commercial Bank and handed them my lunch money. I wanted to deposit it in the Cardio Fund which used to be advertised on TV. I remember the cashiers pinching my cheeks and being so impressed. They had no idea about the trauma in my life at the time.

    Professor Frimpong-Boateng saved my brother’s life. If he needs me to represent him in this defamation suit Gabby Othere-Darko has brought against him, I will do it for free. Shalom.”

    Private legal practitioner Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has filed a defamation lawsuit against former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng over what he says are defamatory words he wrote against his person.

    Leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko (R) and former Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng (L)

    The lawyer is seeking GHC10 million as general damages including aggravated and/or exemplary damages.

    He is also demanding an apology and a retraction of the words written by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng (defendant) about his person.

    The plaintiff is also praying to the court to restrain Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, his servants, agents or assigns through a perpetual injunction from repeating similar or other defamatory words against him.

  • When Akufo-Addo was arrested and fined for reckless driving in 1980

    When Akufo-Addo was arrested and fined for reckless driving in 1980

    On March 20, 1980, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was found guilty in a civil case by an Accra High Court, and a 45,000 [old Ghanaian cedi] fine was imposed.

    This came about following a case of reckless driving in which the politician and the plaintiff, one Mr. Woledzi, spent 13 years moving through the magistrate courts before reaching the High Court.

    Mr. Woledzi filed a lawsuit against Mr. Akufo-Addo seeking damages for the harm and loss he suffered as a result of an accident involving the plaintiff’s car and his own.

    The plaintiff was seriously injured in the accident. He demanded to be awarded ¢100,000 for personal injuries and loss sustained by him as a result of the defendant’s negligence and breach of statutory duties.

    In both his pleadings and evidence during the trial, the plaintiff maintained that his car was stationary and parked on a flower bed in the middle of a dual-carriage road when he was hit by the first defendant.

    The first defendant however, denied that the plaintiff’s vehicle was stationary at the time of the accident and contended that the collision was due to the Woledzi suddenly and without due care and attention driving across his path.

    Mr Woledzi was represented by Michael Atidika while Nana Akufo-Addo’s lawyer was Amoako-Glover.

    The case was presided by Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow one of the three High Court judges who were abducted and murdered on June 30, 1982.

    At the time of delivering her judgement, Justice Koranteng-Addow observed the state of the plaintiff who was 41 years at the time of the accident as “different.”

    “His appearance is terrible; his mouth is twisted to one side and it droops. This was caused by the loss of sensitivity on the right [p.440] side of the face. His eyes are so pronounced with the squint and he walks gingerly without co-ordinating his limbs. He moves as if he is going to trip at any moment. He still continues to take treatment for the after effects of his injury. He was in a coma for three weeks after the accident, but he remained in hospital for six months for his treatment. The broken arm was set in P.O.P,” the judge wrote.

    “He had a fracture which would not unite with P.O.P. so a plate was inserted in the left-upper arm; and this would cause pain,” she further observed

    The judge also noted that the plaintiff “still carries the plate in his arm. He still complains of pain in the right blind eye.”

    Among other effects, Mr Woledzi was also assessed to have suffered brain damage, total blindness in his right eye and a loss of hearing in his right eye.

    In a total summation of GH¢45,000.00, the judge awarded the plaintiff damages made of up of pain and suffering, loss of amenities, disfigurement and disability as well as cost.

    “The plaintiff is deformed; the squint and the twisted mouth have deformed him. He is a man who has lost his self-confidence due to his present appearance. In his present condition there is little he can enjoy; a man who is so affected and afflicted with pain can hardly be said to enjoy full amenities of life. He has also lost his pension rights.

    “Lastly, his inability to make a living to support himself and family – he is 54 years old; he was only 41 at the time of the accident. Considering the heights he would have attained in his job if he had not been disabled by this accident, he should be compensated for that loss. His damages should take seriously into account his pension rights which he lost and his total incapacity. I assess his damages at ¢45,000,” the judge ruled.

  • We have improved licensing system for small-scale miners – Minerals Commission CEO

    We have improved licensing system for small-scale miners – Minerals Commission CEO

    Claims of delays in providing licenses for small-scale mining have been refuted by the Mineral Commission’s chief executive.

    Martin Kwaku Ayisi stated that the “small-scale mining licensing system has been significantly improved” in an interview that aired on Joy News on Saturday.

    He emphasized that it was simple to apply for a license and that license applications may be submitted online and accepted at any time.

    He said as at the time the former Environment Minister Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng filed a report on galamsey in 2021, the licensing applications were paper-based.

    According to him, in that era, miners had to go and locate their district offices, look for officers and do paperwork which takes about a week. However, it is no longer the case.

    Except for Ghana, he claims that the improved system that allows miners to apply for licenses on weekends is not in place in Africa.

    “Samson, I am not boasting but you can apply for a small-scale licensing in the very minute you are speaking. I don’t know whether Akuba is aware. You can apply for a small-scale licence Monday to Sunday – 24 hours…,” he clarified.

    His comments come after an Assistant Lecturer at the Mining Engineering Department of the University of Mines and Technology, (UMaT), attributed the rampant illegal mining activities to the overwhelming hurdles that are faced when securing lands.

    Akuba Bezaba Yalley said the procedures involved in securing lands are unnecessarily hectic and daunting, with some people being denied applications.

    This, she says discourages even people who want to do right by the laws.

    “I have gathered that in fact, the way and manner in which people actually want to do the small-scale mining are actually frustrating.

    “So at the end of the day, the system itself is kind of promoting illegal mining. Someone who wants to acquire a license has to go through a whole lot of frustration. A license is supposed to be issued in about four months, the person would have to wait for about three or four years.

    “Applications, even if they’re to be denied, they are to bring out some reason why those applications are to be denied or even delayed – they do not get feedback. So at the end of the day, it looks like even those who want to do things right are kind of discouraged,” she said.

  • Book with ‘propaganda’ questions on National Cathedral sparks fury on social media

    Book with ‘propaganda’ questions on National Cathedral sparks fury on social media

    What appears to be a text book for primary schools has left many Ghanaians on social media concerned.

    The said book presented questions on the controversial national cathedral project which has been suspended due to lack of funds.

    The set of questions with a number of possible answers sought to find out the location of the project, the individuals who stood against the project and the reason for such action.

    For many, the set of questions (290 and 291) smacks insensitivity as it downplays and trivializes the reason their are opposed to the project.

    Among those with such assertion is FixTheCountry convenor, Barker-Vormawor. In a Twitter post, he said “I am shocked that some Ghanaians are angry bcos the national cathedral debate has apparently found its way into a textbook of sorts. What they SHOULD be angry about is the poor framing of questions 290 & 291 & answer choices. Read carefully.”

    Other users say they are unable to fathom how propaganda politics found its way into the educational system.

    They are demanding the identity of the author and want to know whether this book, whose title is yet to be made known to the published, has been authorised for use.

    National Cathedral

    The national cathedral project meant to thank God for how far he has brought Ghana has been shrouded in secrecy, according to reports.

    MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the government of embezzlement and misappropriation.

    Aside from his revelations that have won anger towards the project, some Ghanaians say the construction of the project is untimely.

    According to them, government cannot prioritise a cathedral over their standard of living and wellbeing, which they say has worsened due to government’s bad choices in the running of the economy.

    But President Akufo-Addo has assured that the national cathedral project will be completed. This is because some Ghanaians think it is the right and best thing to do.

  • EIU predicts further delay in IMF approval for Ghana

    EIU predicts further delay in IMF approval for Ghana

    Given the involvement of numerous parties, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) projects that the International Monetary Fund board approval for Ghana would be postponed due to protracted external debt-restructuring negotiations.

    The UK-based company predicted that Ghana would reach restructuring agreements on its public external debt during 2023–2024, involving both official and private creditors. This prediction was made in its 2023 Country Report on Ghana.

    This will incorporate a mix of write-offs, maturity extensions, and interest rate decreases.

    “We expect official creditors to agree to a deal in 2023, and this, combined with the domestic debt restructuring that has already been secured, should provide enough reassurance to reduce Ghana’s risk of debt distress and allow the IMF to approve the agreed programme”.

    “However, there is a material risk that IMF board approval will be delayed owing to prolonged external debt-restructuring negotiations, given the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the process”, it cautioned.

    Already, there had been mixed expectations of the IMF support programme by May 2023.

    Ghana first requested an IMF extended credit facility (ECF) programme in early July 2022 against a backdrop of unsustainable debt levels, soaring debt-service costs, a severely weakened currency and large twin fiscal and current account deficits.

    The local-currency debt swap that was announced by the government in early December 2022, and confirmation of plans to launch an external debt-restructuring programme, paved the way for the government to reach a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a three-year, $3 billion ECF arrangement on December 12, 2022.

    Soon afterwards, in mid-December, the country announced the suspension of payments on most of its external debt, setting the stage for a restructuring process.

  • Ghana, UN sign $517m deal to aid accomplishment of SDGs

    Ghana, UN sign $517m deal to aid accomplishment of SDGs

    The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023–2025 has been ratified by both the Ghanaian government and the UN.

    According to the Ministry of Finance, the agreement signed on April 28, will help Ghana achieve its plan for economic reform and resilience while also accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    The contract was signed on behalf of the Ghanaian government by Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of State in the Finance Ministry.

    The three-year, $517 million agreement between Ghana and the UN will enable institutions and individuals to develop the economy inclusively and provide everyone with equal access to fundamental social services.

    Additionally, it will strengthen the institutions’ ability to maintain long-term security and peace in Ghana and the surrounding region.

  • REGSEC wants curfew hours imposed on Bawku Municipality reviewed

    REGSEC wants curfew hours imposed on Bawku Municipality reviewed

    A reassessment of the curfew imposed on Bawku Municipality inhabitants is being requested by the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC).

    The curfew should be adjusted from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with immediate effect, REGSEC has suggested.

    Following a critical evaluation of the circumstance in Bawku, the REGSEC made the recommendation at its meeting on Friday, April 28.

    A statement by the Office of the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council said, “The Regional Security Council (REGSEC) at its meeting on Friday, 28th April 2023 reviewed the general security situation of the region and upon a critical assessment of the situation in Bawku, it recommended that the curfew hours imposed on the Bawku Municipality be reviewed from 10 pm – 4 am to 6 pm – 6 am with immediate effect”.

    REGSEC expressed hope that its views will help to temporarily help manage the security situation in the area.

    “This in our candid view would temporarily help manage the security situation in the area. Please accept our assurance of the highest esteem in this regard,” REGSEC stated.

    The protracted chieftaincy dispute in Bawku has left scores of people dead and others sustaining injuries.

    About 10 people were reported dead in recent disturbances.

    The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, during a working visit at the Bawku Naba’s palace on Saturday, April 15, 2023, assured the people of Bawku in the Upper East Region that, government will use legitimate means and the rule of law to resolve the protracted ethnic conflict in the area.

  • Communities are now embracing galamsey – Ellembelle DCE claims

    Communities are now embracing galamsey – Ellembelle DCE claims

    The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle, Francis Kwasi Bonzah, has said the some communities are beginning to turn down their resentment towards illegal mining activities due to its prevalence.

    Speaking to JoyNews, he said the menace “is becoming so much prevalent that even the communities are beginning to accept it”.

    He is therefore pessimistic about the effectiveness of government’s efforts to end galamsey across the country.

    Francis Kwasi Bonzah

    To prevent this from happening, he called for focus on coming out with solutions instead of the blame game.

    “It must be nice with the name-calling but I don’t think that we should be focused with the name-calling. Let us look at the solution; the problems we all know but what are the solutions?” he asked.

    He suggested the enforcement of laws such as the Minerals and Mining Act as a means to deal with the mining issues in the country.

    His comment comes in the wake of a leaked 2021 report authored by former Environment Minister, Prof Frimpong Boateng naming some individuals he claimed hindered his efforts and the committee he chaired in addressing the canker.

    The report also cited a number of government officials and public officials allegedly involved in ‘galamsey’ activities in the country. But some of the officials cited in the report have responded to the report in an attempt to clear themselves from wrongdoing.

    Meanwhile, one of the names in the report who is a Lawyer and member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has sued former Environment Minister, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng for defamation and is demanding GH¢10m in damages.

  • ‘Expensive’ cargo transportation in Ghana to be addressed – Africa Shippers Councils

    ‘Expensive’ cargo transportation in Ghana to be addressed – Africa Shippers Councils

    The Union of African Shippers’ Councils (UASC) has stepped up efforts to reduce the rising transportation costs in the shipping and logistics sector, a development ascribed to the high cost of doing business at African ports.

    According to the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa has transport costs that are, on average, 50% higher than those in other parts of the world. These prices account for a sizeable share of the total cost of commodities.

    To address the issue, the UASC’s Committee of Experts on Transport Costs on 25th and 26th April 2023 converged in Ghana to discuss and exchange ideas, share experiences, and explore ways to reduce the cost of transportation in international cargo. The move is to ultimately help in improving the competitiveness of member states to mutually benefit port service providers and shippers with the role out of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

    The meeting held at the Ghana Shippers’ House in Accra was the third in a series of meetings by the Committee after which a report will be submitted to the General Assembly of the UASC for consideration in May 2023.

    Chairman of the Standing Committee of Experts on Transport Costs Mr. Abayomi Adewuyi of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council explained that the terms of reference for the two-day Committee meeting included a careful analysis of the factors resulting in the high cost of transportation of goods as well as recommendations to address them.

    The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) Ms. Benonita Bismarck updated the committee on measures being taken by the government of Ghana to address the incidence of high transport costs in international trade.

    “Initiatives aimed at improving the transport infrastructure in the country include the expansion of our seaports, construction and expansion of airports and international highways. We are also working towards improving our regulatory environment to reduce bureaucracy, human interfaces in trade transactions and to eliminate illegitimate charges at our ports, to reduce the cost of doing business”, she noted.

    Participants of the meeting of experts were drawn from the Secretariat of the Union of African Shippers’ Council and six (6) member states namely Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola, Togo, Senegal and Ghana.

  • Over 1.9m MTN SIM cards reconnected

    Over 1.9m MTN SIM cards reconnected

    Following the national SIM re-registration exercise, MTN Ghana has reconnected 1,954,295 SIM cards that had been cut off.

    3,804,940 SIMs are now left that are not connected. 5,759,235 users were dropped by MTN Ghana in November 2022.

    Once the affected subscribers had finished their biometric capture, the connection was restored.

    The National Communications Authority (NCA), in a letter dated March 20, 2023, instructed all operators to disconnect any numbers that had not finished their Stage 2 registration (the biometric capture) by March 31, 2023.

    In response to that, MTN Ghana disconnected an additional 37,146 SIMs in March 2023, bringing the total disconnected SIMs per the regulatory directive to 5,796,381.

    The NCA in a subsequent letter dated April 13, 2023, further directed that, all disconnected SIMs should be delinked from the SIM registration database effective April 17, 2023.

    Consequently, 3,842,086 of the disconnected SIMs have been delinked from the SIM registration database.

    MTN Ghana explained that it is committed to the national SIM re-registration exercise and will continue to deploy resources and work with the regulator to accelerate SIM re-registration for all subscribers.

  • US Central Bank admits to failing to monitor collapsed SVB

    US Central Bank admits to failing to monitor collapsed SVB

    The biggest bank failure in the nation since 2008 occurred last month when Silicon Valley Bank fell, and the US central bank has claimed that it did not act with “sufficient force and urgency” in its supervision of the institution.

    One of the primary conclusions from the Federal Reserve’s study into the occurrence is the conclusion.

    It raised concerns about the state of the banking sector throughout the world.

    First Republic, another US lender, is still having problems as of the time of the assessment.

    According to reports, US regulators are preparing a potential rescue plan for the troubled company, which was the country’s 14th-largest bank at the end of the previous year.

    Michael Barr, the Federal Reserve‘s vice chair for supervision, who led the review, said the US central bank should toughen its rules in response to what it had learned from SVB’s demise.

    “Federal Reserve supervisors failed to take forceful enough action,” he said, pointing to regulatory standards that were “too low”, supervision that did not work with urgency, and risks to the wider system posed by troubles at a mid-size bank that Fed policies had missed.

    “Following SVB’s failure, we must strengthen the Federal Reserve’s supervision and regulation,” he said.

    Jerome Powell
    Image caption,Jerome Powell said he was confident the recommendations would lead to a more resilient banking system

    The head of the Federal Reserve, chairman Jerome Powell, said he welcomed the “thorough and self-critical report”.

    “I agree with and support his recommendations to address our rules and supervisory practices, and I am confident they will lead to a stronger and more resilient banking system,” he said.

    The report from the Fed was one of three published by US officials on Friday, detailing regulatory lapses that contributed to the failures of SVB and Signature Bank last month.

    Both banks catered to business customers and ran into trouble after the US central bank raised interest rates sharply last year which is when customers started to withdraw money.

    SVB’s subsequent announcement that it needed to raise funds last month prompted panic and billions of dollars were withdrawn overnight, forcing regulators to step in.

    A pedestrian walks by a First Republic Bank office in San Francisco, California.

    The fears then spread to other firms, including Signature Bank and First Republic, which suffered $100bn in outflows last month.

    Shares in First Republic, worth more than $120 apiece at the beginning of March, fell more than 40% on Friday to below $4, as questions swirled about its future.

  • UNIMAC urged to become an RTI training center

    UNIMAC urged to become an RTI training center

    The University of Media Arts and Communication (UNIMAC) graduating class of 2022 has urged management to take into account utilizing the exceptional opportunity provided by the Right to Information (RTI) Law to become a dedicated training center for information officers that the government will hire for public institutions.

    The first congregation of UNIMAC’s valedictorian, Vincent Amedzake, urged the organization’s leadership to turn UNIMAC into a facility for training information officers in his final address.

    Amedzake mentioned that “We’re also hoping that management will leverage the unique opportunity presented by implementing the Right to Information Law to become a dedicated training center for Information Officers that the government will employ for public institutions. We encourage deans of faculty and heads of departments to explore this possibility.”

    The Right to Information Law (RTI), passed in 2019, aims to promote transparency and accountability in governance. The law grants citizens the right to access information held by public institutions and requires these institutions to provide such information upon request.

    The class believes that the university has the resources and expertise to train information officers to meet the growing demand for such professionals in public institutions. The UNIMAC can also establish partnerships with the government and other institutions to ensure that its graduates are well-placed in the job market.

    “We believe that UNIMAC has the potential to become a training center for information officers, and we hope that our appeal to the management will be taken into consideration. This will not only benefit students but also contribute to promoting transparency and accountability in governance,” Mr. Amedzake said.

    With the implementation of the RTI Law, there is a growing need for information officers who are trained in handling and providing access to information. By becoming a training center for information officers, UNIMAC can provide students with valuable training and internship opportunities in this field. This will not only help students gain practical skills but also prepare them for a career in public service.

    Among other things, Amedzake stated that communication is an essential component of any organization today and therefore called on the university to foster a robust and mutually beneficial relationship with industry, corporate Ghana, and start-up organizations to facilitate students’ mandatory internship and national service placement. The class also suggested that UNIMAC reintroduce exchange programs to provide students with diverse learning opportunities.

    He also appealed to the management of the University, the Dean, and Heads of the Department of the Faculty of Public Relations, Advertising, and Marketing, as well as the leadership of IPR-Ghana to reach a consensus, allowing PR students to take the necessary IPR membership and professional accreditation exams in their final year, just as accounting students in other universities are able to write ICAG exams while in school.

    “We hope this will create a smooth transition for students to become accredited and recognized PR professionals. The Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies can also revive the GJA-GIJ Chapter to help link journalism students to their mother association,” he added.

    Over the weekend, the University of Media Arts and Communication graduated over 1,500 diploma and undergraduate and graduate students who studied different programs at its first-ever congregation event at the University’s North Dzorwulu campus.

  • IMCIM report: I was cast as a saboteur, lawless person – Gabby to court handling defamation case

    IMCIM report: I was cast as a saboteur, lawless person – Gabby to court handling defamation case

    Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has noted that the defamatory remarks for which he is suing former environment minister Prof. Frimpong Boateng damaged his reputation in the eyes of the public at large.

    On page 9 of his lawsuit, Gabby cited Frimpong-Boateng’s remarks in reaction to his (Gabby’s) initial denial of any involvement in promoting the interests of those engaged in unlawful small-scale mining (galamsey) on April 19.

    Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng
    Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng

    Gabby listed six reasons, claiming that the former minister’s retort to him often meant that:

    a. That Plaintiff is a saboteur

    b. That Plaintiff is disloyal

    c. That Plaintiff is a law onto himself

    d. That Plaintiff is an obstruction to the fight against Galamsey

    e. That Plaintiff acts with impunity

    f. That Plaintiff obstructs justice

    The suit continued: “By reasoning of the foregoing Plaintiff has been greatly injured in his credit, character and reputation, and has been brough into public scandal, ridicule, distress and embarrassment and has thereby suffered damage.”

    It is on the basis of the above that he is seeking aggravated and or exemplary damages.

    Background:

    Nearly a week ago, a report authored by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, the former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) in 2021, was released containing the names of NPP officials who are allegedly hindering the fight against illegal mining.

    Some of the known names mentioned in the report include the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Gabby Otchere-Darko, Laud Commey, Joseph Quam, among others. While they have denied any wrongdoing, some alleged that Frimpong-Boateng was equally at fault.

    Prof Frimpong-Boateng in his 36-paged report wrote that Gabby pestered him when the IMCIM was about dislodging the Imperial Heritage.

    His report recalled how Gabby Otchere-Darko, a cousin of the president and an influential member of the ruling NPP, called him on phone to question his decision to order for the dislodgment of equipment of a Mining Company Imperial Heritage which Prof. Frimpong Boateng argues was mining illegally with a prospecting license in forest reserves.

    “We were ready to dislodge Imperial Heritage from Kobro Forest when Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko called to inform me that he was the lawyer for Heritage Imperial Limited, a company that was destroying the Kobro and Apaprama Forest Reserves and in the process had also polluted and diverted the course of the River Offin, as can be seen in the satellite images below. I informed the President about the behaviour of Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and he promised to deal with it.”

    Gabby in turn averred that the former minister had twisted the job of a lawyer to mean interference.

  • 3 public servants being tried for non-declaration of assets released

    3 public servants being tried for non-declaration of assets released

    Three of the four public officials who were accused by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for failing to register their assets have been released by an Accra High Court.

    This came about when they neglected to turn in the OSP-provided asset disclosure forms.

    The OSP had notified the court that it had submitted a nolle prose qui stating that it had no grounds to continue prosecuting the three policemen.

    The officers are Senior Custom officials John Abban and Peter Archibald Hyde, both of whom work as Civil Servants in the Office of the Vice President of the Republic.

    Mr Issah Siedu, another public servant, who was also accused, was however not discharged.

    Meanwhile, Issah Seidu has sued the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Customs Division, one Alex Takyi, a businessman and others over 10 containers of rice believed to have been imported from Vietnam of which the businessman claims it was from Thailand.

    The matter is currently pending at Accra High Court in relation to the ownership of the rice.

    The OSP contended that it would amend Seidu’s charges pending further investigation by the office.

    The OSP earlier held that it was fulfilling its mandate by going after public officials who may be breaching the law as established.

    However, after much publicity by the OSP’s office, it came to light that on January 6, 2023, Mr Keck Osei had submitted his forms to the OSP before he was charged on February 9, 2023.

    In the case of Mr Hyde, on the day he was charged, he had earlier in the morning proceeded to the OSP to present his forms, but he was asked by the office to go and come back in the afternoon, only to be given a criminal summons when he returned to that office.

    The two others, namely Mr Seidu and Mr Abban, submitted their forms later.

  • It is disrespectful to tell Ghanaians things are getting better – Sammy Gyamfi

    It is disrespectful to tell Ghanaians things are getting better – Sammy Gyamfi

    The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) claims that the government is not doing enough to improve the situation of Ghanaians in its national communications officer.

    Sammy Gyamfi claimed that the current economic crisis is unfairly affecting the populace.

    He claimed that as a result, anyone who asserts that the economy is recovering has no regard for Ghanaians and their suffering.

    On Thursday, April 27, Mr. Gyamfi encouraged the government to focus on saving the economy rather than obtaining unauthorized credit during an appearance on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen program.

    He claimed that, rather than using catchphrases, that was the government’s current most essential responsibility.

    “We must speak the truth which reflects the hardship the country faces. Today, if anyone tells you that all is well, it means the person is insulting you and that the person does not respect you. 

    “To say that things are getting better is to insult the insensibilities of suffering Ghanaians whose living conditions keep worsening by the day.”

    National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi

    Ghana is currently before the Bretton Woods Institution for a $3 billion bailout. 

    As a result, government has renegotiated its domestic debt and is on course with foreign partners as well. 

    However, critics of government have argued that the government went to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) late. 

    As a result, the country which is struggling with its worst economic crisis in a generation, secured a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in December for a $3 billion loan, though asking lenders to provide financing assurances is a condition for the IMF’s board to sign off the programme.

    Meanwhile, the Chinese government has given a strong indication that it is willing to help Ghana secure the balance of payments bailout from the IMF.

    According to the Chinese government, it has an obligation to ensure the Ghanaian economy does not collapse. 

  • Banks urged to focus on risk management, disclosure, others

    Banks urged to focus on risk management, disclosure, others

    Institutions in the banking sector have been entreated by the Central Bank to focus on strategies such as risk management, innovation, stakeholder engagement, transparency and disclosure and collaboration.

    This is to ensure they remain resilient in times of uncertainty. The Bank of Ghana holds the assertion that sustainable banking is a crucial tool for addressing challenges of uncertainty and volatility in the global economy.

    Deputy Director of Banking Supervision, Ismail Adam, said by integrating Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into banks’ decision-making processes, banks can create long-term value for both society and investors, while promoting a more sustainable and equitable future.

    Deputy Director of Banking Supervision, Ismail Adam

    Speaking at the launch the Integrated Environmental, Social and Governance (IESG) programme for Ghana, he said one of the key challenges facing banking business is uncertainty and volatility of markets and economies, but sustainable banking can help address these challenges by promoting risk management with a forward-looking view, as well as helping to build more resilient and sustainable economies.

    He further that the Bank of Ghana has undertaken a number of activities towards the implementation of the SBPs and therefore it is his expectation that this project would complement the efforts of the Central Bank and leads to the full implementation of the SBPs across the banking industry as well as within Bank of Ghana itself.

    Some key activities undertaken by BOG include building the capacity of staff on the SBPs as well as getting a dedicated office within the bank to oversee the full implementation SBPs, developing a road map to ensure banking industry training on all the principles by the end of 2023 and analysing four rounds of reports received from the banks, beginning March 2021 to September 2022.

    Mr. Adam said the reporting templates received from the banks suggest a steady progress with the implementation of the SBPs with average compliance rate at 53.37% as of September 2022.

    The programme builds on two previous IFC initiatives in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana that culminated in the launch of Ghana’s Sustainable Banking Principles, in 2019.

    All Ghanaian banks have now signed on to the principles, thereby recognizing that a holistic approach to risk management must include ESG considerations.

  • Minority threatens to oppose new MoU for zero financing by BoG

    Minority threatens to oppose new MoU for zero financing by BoG

    Any attempt by the Bank of Ghana to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Finance Ministry for zero financing for the government will be opposed by the Minority in Parliament.

    Former Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who represents the people of Tamale South disclosed this information to the media.

    According to him, the MoU between the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance is “laughable”.

    “A serious country must be run seriously and run guided by a legal framework that protects the State and protects its institution. The Bank of Ghana is in breach for having to overdraft and lend government beyond the stipulated legislation within the amended Bank of Ghana Act.

    “But MoU, what is the weight of MoU within the parameters of the Ghanaian constitution and Ghanaian law?” he questioned.

    Former Minority leader and Member of Parliament for the Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu

    Speaking with Joy News, the legislator said the Finance Minister must be present before Parliament for legislation on zero per cent financing of government by the Bank of Ghana.

    As a result, he noted that anything short of legislation passed by parliament will not be accepted.

    The International Monetary Fund is, among other things, demanding that government enters into a binding agreement with the Bank of Ghana for zero financing of government programmes.

    The bank is said to have provided over GH₵40 billion in support to government in 2021 and according to the central bank, the funding saved the economy from collapse.

    Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank meetings told JoyNews that government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in compliance with the IMF order.

    Meanwhile, the Ghana Association of Banks says its members will henceforth grant loans to only productive projects as it defends its decision to participate in the domestic debt exchange programme.

    This is despite the participation resulting in severe impairment of the assets of the institutions with some nearing insolvency.

  • NDC to win 2024 elections due to ‘poor’ NPP governance – EIU

    NDC to win 2024 elections due to ‘poor’ NPP governance – EIU

    The Economic Intelligence Unit has noted that the current economic hardship and fall in standard of living will cause electorates to abandon the New Patriotic Party (NPP) come 2024.

    In its latest assessment, the EIU has projected a change in government – where the ruling party hands over power to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

    “Our baseline forecast is that economic hardships, the fallout from debt restructuring and poor governance will create an anti-incumbency wave and push the electorate to seek change.

    “The NDC therefore stands a strong chance of winning the 2024 presidential poll,” parts of the report read.

    Also, the NDC is tipped to have the “majority” in Parliament.

    The 8th Parliament is a hung Parliament

    The London-based analyst reiterated that the shift in power shall be “driven by anti-incumbency sentiment and public discontent with the current government over worsening living standards.”

    The Member of Parliament for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampong, has also communicated that the NPP will work tirelessly to ensure the NPP retains power.

    The recent report however does not indicate whether whoever stands as flagbearer for the NDC could increase or thwart the party’s chances.

    In EIU’s previous report, it did indicate that the opposition party can revitalise the prospect of victory with a fresh presidential candidate. But that projection was quashed by the National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, who said former President John Mahama remains the best candidate.

    Meanwhile, EIU expects “policy to continue to focus on ensuring macroeconomic stability,” irrespective of who retains power.

    Also, it anticipates that the new government “will face similar economic challenges to those its predecessor did” however, the “overall political stability will be maintained, as Ghana’s main parties and citizens have faith in the country’s well-established democratic institutions and confidence that any transfer of power will be fair”.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • CSIR Food Research Institute plans to make research finding commercial

    CSIR Food Research Institute plans to make research finding commercial

    The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Food Research Institute (FRI) is in search of partnership to commercialise all of its research findings.

    According to the Director of the Food Research Institute, Professor Charles Tortoe, a unit has been created to serve as the interface between research findings and other commercial entities who may be interested.

    Prof Tortoe made this known at the launch of a new product, made out of soya and millet, serving as a beverage and known as “Agbenu ” which was the outcome of a research finding carried out by the FRI.

    “Agbenu” is an Ewe word derived from “Agbenudunu” meaning “life giving.”

    “This product basically is to enrich nutritional content, improve macro and micro nutrients in our systems when we take it,” Prof Tortoe explained.

    He said by the launch of the product, the FRI had made it a commercial entity and was looking forward to a commercial uptake.

    The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored the FRI to conduct the research into the product, dubbed the GC-Fermented Foods-Soy Milk-burkina in Ghana.

    Two sibling research scientists, Dr Richard L. K. Glover and Dr Mrs Mary Glover-Amengor, led the research titled, the “Grand Challenge on Integrating Tradition and Technology for Fermented Foods for Maternal Nutrition.”

    Prof Tortoe said the FRI and the CSIR were looking forward to commercialising their research findings.

    “In the past there has been this issue that research always rests on the shelf and we are changing that. We are taking the bull by the horn and commercialising all our research findings so that it can become accessible to SMEs, and individuals who want to go into commercialisation.

    He said the Institute was coming out with more unique products such as the Agbenu product which they were seeking to commercialise to individuals and processors and in so doing “we are improving all the value actors on the soya value chain, we have the farmers, processors, marketers and traders who are all being enriched. Because there will be more production of the soya, more processing of it and more market.

    “We look forward to this product being commercialised in a manner that will be all over the country and be exported to neighbouring countries.

    Dr Glover, who is also the Scientific Director, African Science Technology and Policy Institute, Pretoria, South Africa, said GC Fermented Food project was to investigate the effects of intake of soymilk-burkina, a novel Ghanaian indigenous fermented milk and millet beverage (smoothie), on the gut microbiome and nutritional status of women of reproductive age from 15-49 years living in the Volta and Oti Regions of Ghana.

    The specific aim was to assess microbial quality in soymilk- burkina and also to determine the effects of soymilk-burkina on the gut microbiome diversity and nutritional status of Ghanaians.

    Dr Mrs Glover-Amengor, who works with the FRI on her part, said Burkina, as the drink that migrated from Burkina Faso is affectionately called in Ghana, is made with either dairy/ powdered milk or soy milk and millet.

    However, the Soymilk substitution would enhance the nutritional and health benefits of burkina, while the use of soymilk in its production would ultimately boost the soybean market with finings being promoted, to enhance livelihoods of local farmers in Ghana.

    Professor Paul Bosu, Director General, CSIR, commended the two siblings for leading the research and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for collaboration with some institutions in Ghana: namely, the CSIR, the University of Health &Allied Sciences (UHAS) and NOGUCHI, University of Ghana (UG) to conduct the research titled the ‘Effect of soy milk burkina intake on gut microbiome and nutritional status of Ghanaian women.

    He expressed the joy that the output of “this study was to be a pilot data evaluating the effects of traditional fermented foods on gut microbiome and health axes in local populations.”

    That he said had helped in ‘bringing’ out the Agbenu product.

  • 65 smuggling drugs in toothpaste tubes arrested in Vietnam

    65 smuggling drugs in toothpaste tubes arrested in Vietnam

    For importing 50kg of heroin into Vietnam, some of which were disguised in toothpaste tubes, police have detained 65 people.

    It comes after the arrests of four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants last month who were discovered to have the tubes in carry-on luggage following a flight from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City.

    Although they claimed to have been hired to transport 60 kg of toothpaste, they were actually carrying ecstasy, ketamine, and cocaine.

    Image caption: Crack cocaine

    Even though it has some of the strictest drug regulations in the world, Vietnam is a major center for drug trafficking.

    The 327 toothpaste tubes the flight attendants were carrying contained narcotics in around half of them. The women, who are currently out on bond, were reportedly oblivious of their contents, according to investigators.

    Vietnam jails a political activist for six years for participating in anti-state actions

    Police said this week that the 65 suspects had been arrested after they uncovered another six shipments of narcotics being smuggled into Vietnam via the same route.

    It is alleged they were directed by the same smuggling ring that hired the flight attendants.

    The 65 suspects are being investigated for various charges, including buying, selling, transporting and storing narcotics, local media reported.

    Police suspect the same syndicate often uses Vietnamese nationals studying and living in France to bring drugs into the country.

    Once the drugs arrive at Vietnamese airports, domestic delivery services transport them to an accomplice in Dong Nai province bordering Saigon.

    Vietnamese man has a school of wild river fish for a pet

    The drugs are then transported to multiple localities for distribution.

    Authorities say the amount of drugs seized via air routes into the country over the past three months has surpassed the amount of airborne drugs trafficked in the past five years combined.

    Ho Chi Minh City is a particularly attractive transit point for smugglers because of its proximity to neighbouring Cambodia.

    Those convicted in Vietnam of possessing or smuggling more than 600g of heroin or more than 2.5kg of methamphetamine face the death penalty. Production or sale of illegal narcotics above certain quantities is also punishable by death.

  • “On every loan, he has a commission” – Mahama lunges at Ofori-Atta over debts

    “On every loan, he has a commission” – Mahama lunges at Ofori-Atta over debts

    Former President John Mahama has blamed Ghana’s high debt on the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta’s alleged taste for loans.

    According to the former statesman, the Finance Minister is unable to stay away from acquiring loans for the country due to the commissions he reportedly receives from every transaction.

    “On every loan, he has a commission. That’s why he likes loans,” Mr Mahama said during a meeting at the Obogu Lorry Station as part of his campaign tour ahead of the 2024 general elections on Friday.

    He also asserted since the entire Akufo-Addo-led government benefit from the deals, the president is unable to relieve the Finance Minister of his responsibilities despite calls from the opposition and some Ghanaians.

    Ghana’s access to capital markets could take three or more years – Ofori-Atta

    Mr Mahama observed, insisting that is the reason why the Finance Minister continues to stay in office even when NPP MPs have called for his resignation.

    The presumptive Presidential Candidate of the NDC also alleged that Mr Ofori-Atta pockets commissions from the loan agreements.

    “They benefit from the loans,” he said on Friday.

    Per reports, over GH¢450 billion of loans contracted by the ruling party since assuming office in 2017.

    Ofori-Atta is blaming creditors for debt burden instead of accepting mismanagement – Prof Hanke

    Due to the continuous presence of Mr Ofori-Atta at the Finance Ministry, Mr John Mahama is of the notion that the government is running a ‘family and friends’ business with the state coffers.

    Meanwhile, government is working on restructuring its debt to win a credit facility worth $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order the economy currently in crisis.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Kwame Addo-Kufuor explains his Akufo-Addo ‘had no equal’ in the NPP statement

    Kwame Addo-Kufuor explains his Akufo-Addo ‘had no equal’ in the NPP statement

    Ghanaian politician, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor in his book, Gold Coast Boy (A Memoir), praised the country’s current president, Nana Akufo-Addo.

    He referred to Akufo-Addo as a ‘seasoned appointee’ with regards to his works during the John Agyekum-Kufuor’s administration.

    Dr Addo-Kufuor recalled the position the president held and the impact he made.

    He was given the portfolio of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General. He had been educated at Lancing College, Sussex, England; the University of Ghana; and the Inns of Court School of Law, London. Called to the Ghana Bar in July 1975, he co-founded the Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co. law firm and was its senior partner.

    “This reputable Chamber had trained many of the country’s contemporary lawyers, a number of whom had become justices of the court, attorney-generals, and more. A past President of the Greater Accra Branch of the Ghana Bar Association, Nana Akufo-Addo was the Director of the Human Rights Commission in Ghana, which last defended many journalists in court,” he wrote.

    Kufuor’s First Cabinet: The people of Ghana were lucky with calibre of appointees – Addo-Kufuor

    To some, most daring was the fact that Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor at a point suggested Nana Akufo-Addo was the back bone of the party as “he had no equal.”

    According to him, the president’s gift to wow the crowd completely with his speech was reason for the decision. The setting for his statement was the 2016 general election.

    “Nana Akufo-Addo had been elected leader and flagbearer of the party for the 2016 elections. Having sat next to each other in the cabinet for seven years, a few words about him would be in order. In parliament, our seats were never too far from each other. When he emerged the leader of the party in his first contest in the primaries in 2007, I as a contestant, was not completely surprised.

    “Unlike many of us in the contest, he had been deeply involved in political activity from many years before entering parliament in 1997. He, therefore, had had great exposure. His campaign machine was elaborate and well-resourced and had many experienced and loyal supporters.

    Addo-Kufuor now chancellor of KsTU

    “So far as his oratorical skills are concerned, he had no equal in the party. He, obviously, had taken a long time to prepare himself for political leadership, and he reaped the harvest with the time came,” he added.

    Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor also described the first cabinet of John Agyekum Kufuor as one with a high calibre of persons, whom he said the people of Ghana were lucky to have had.

    Some of these appointees were Alhaji Aliu Mahama as vice president, J H Mensah as Senior Minister, Nana Akufo-Addo as Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and later Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yaw Osafo-Maafo as Minister of Finance, Albert Kan-Dapaah as energy minister; and Hackman Owusu-Agyeman.

    Others were Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Dr. Richard Anane, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Pro. Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi and Kwadwo Baah Wiredu.

  • Chief Justice wants a fair and transparent Judicial Service

    Chief Justice wants a fair and transparent Judicial Service

    Chief Justice Justice Anin Yeboah has urged the Judicial Service employees to carry out their responsibilities with fairness and honesty.

    Speaking during the opening of two court buildings in the Central Region’s Gomoa Central and Agona East, the Chief Justice said that because they serve as ambassadors for the court, the staff’s work has a significant impact on whether or not the service has a positive or negative reputation.

    “I urge the staff of the Judicial Service, whose work will give meaning to the construction of this court to see themselves as ambassadors of the service and of the very concept of justice delivery.

    “This would impose on them a responsibility, to be honest, fair and transparent in all their dealings with the public who come to seek justice,” he said.

    Have confidence in the courts system – Chief Justice

    The district court will expedite the process of finding justice, according to Justice Anin Yeboah.

    The Gomoa Central and Agona East court is one of more than a hundred courthouses being erected throughout the nation to speed up the administration of justice in those locations.

    Meanwhile, the Chief Justice is set to retire in May this year as he turns 70.

    Meet Ghana’s female Chief Justices since independence
  • Rt Rev Dr Hilliard Dogbe named Chair of Christian Council

    Rt Rev Dr Hilliard Dogbe named Chair of Christian Council

    At the Christian Council of Ghana’s final annual general meeting, held on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dela Dogbe was chosen as the organization’s new chairman.

    He succeeds the Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante who served as Chairman of Council for two years.

    Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard K. Dela Dogbe is the Presiding Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E Zion Church), Western West Africa Episcopal District, an area covering Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo, with additional responsibilities over Angola and Namibia.

    He is the First Resident Indigenous Bishop of the A. M. E Zion Church in Ghana.

    Parliament, Christian Council, others’ reticence on DDEP disturbing – Bokpin

    Rt. Rev. Dr. Dogbe is a graduate of Trinity College at the University of Ghana, Legon, and Accra Academy. He holds degrees from Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra, Ghana, and Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, where he received a Master of Theology in Pastoral Care and Counseling and a Master of Arts in Practical Theology (Christian Education).

    Along with various certificates in leadership and management, he also possesses a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Practical Theology with distinction from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, the United States.

    The Rt. Rev. Hilliard Dogbe is a member of the Society of Pastoral Theology, an international professional body of pastoral theologians, headquartered in Decatur, Georgia. He has served as an adjunct professor in practical theology at Luther Seminary, and still teaches as an adjunct at Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon.

    Debt Exchange: Pray for God’s wisdom for Ofori-Atta – Christian Council

    As an ordained minister of the A. M. E. Zion Church, he has over 20 years’ experience in pastoral ministry and has also served for many years as an International Supervisor for Field Education for Princeton Theological Seminary, U.S.A.

    Dr. Dogbe has authored two books: “Alcoholism in the African Family: A Christian Perspective” (2011) and “The Church and Alcoholism in Ghana: A Practical Theological Interpretation” (2014).

    Bishop Hilliard Dogbe is married to Cynthia and they are blessed with two children.

  • Youth and Sports Minister urges UN to support Ghanaian businesses by young people

    Youth and Sports Minister urges UN to support Ghanaian businesses by young people

    As part of efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mustapha Ussif, the minister for youth and sports, has encouraged the UN to assist and invest in youth-owned small companies.

    The Minister made the request on day three of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum in New York during his second keynote speech.

    “The government and the UN can ensure the inclusion of young people in the majority of its initiatives such as Transforming Food Systems and Education, Digital Inclusion Programmes, and provide specific support to youth-focused programs on preventing violent extremism (PVE), among others,” the Minister proposed.

    He also advocated for investments in small-scale firms owned by youth, with soft loans, grants, capacity training, and exchange programs.

    Attaining SDGs: Youth and Sports Minister proposes UN support for young businesses owners

    These, he believes, will go a long way toward accelerating the achievement of the SDGs by 2030.

    He also used the opportunity to reiterate policies and programmes by the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, which he said are contributing towards achieving the aforementioned goals, such as the National Youth Policy 2022-2032 and its Implementation Plan (2022 – 2027), National Youth Volunteer Programme (NYVP), the inauguration of National, regional and district Youth Parliament, the construction of the 10 regional Youth Resource Centres which comes with auxiliary facilities such as a FIFA standard football pitch, an ICT Centre, an entrepreneur centre and a conference room, which are all being implemented by the National Youth Authority.

    The minister also urged the youth to choose peace and stability as the only way to create a meaningful collaboration that fosters personal and societal development.

    Member of the Youth Advisory Group of the. United Nations Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Taahir Bulbulia thank Ghana for sending health personnel to support Barbados during the Covid-19 pandemic. He emphasized that the support really helped his country to save a lot of lives.

    The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is an annual United Nations Youth Forum initiative organised as the main platform for youth to share their ideas at the global level.

  • Adam Mahama’s family unhappy about Gregory Afoko verdict

    Adam Mahama’s family unhappy about Gregory Afoko verdict

    The verdict of a jury made up of 7 people that tried Gregory Afoko, the man accused of killing Adams Mahama, the former regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been criticized by the bereaved family.

    Mr. Afoko would need to face new charges as the jury was unable to agree on a verdict by a vote of 7-0.

    However, the jury found his co-accused Asake Alange guilty of conspiring to commit murder, and he now faces being hanged.

    For the past eight years, Mr. Afoko, the brother of former NPP Chairman Paul Afoko, has been on trial for the death of Adams Mahama.

    Gregory Afoko’s case to begin anew after 8 long years in court

    Reacting to this, lawyer for the Adams Mahama Family Anthony Namoo said “We are of the view that compelling evidence was led by the prosecution and so we are not happy about the outcome.”

    The late Adams Mahama

    “But whatever it is, it wasn’t also a very bad case because we have a mistrial 4-3 and having one person convicted and sentenced to death, I think that is fine,” he is quoted to have told JoyNews.

    Meanwhile, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame says the verdict shows the severe challenges with the Jury Trial in Ghana.

  • Ruling party official in Ethiopia, Girma Yeshitla, shot dead

    Ruling party official in Ethiopia, Girma Yeshitla, shot dead

    The leader of the Prosperity Party, which is currently in power in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, has been shot dead along with his security detail.

    According to a statement issued by the area’s communications office, Girma Yeshitla was ambushed some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital Addis Abe when he was returning from a business trip.

    The assassination was described as “shameful and horrible” by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who blamed it on unidentified “violent extremists” who he claimed preferred to settle disputes with weapons rather than via conversation.

    The murder occurred  after the federal government declared that a paramilitary group that had incited massive unrest and bloodshed in Amhara would be disbanded.

    Mr Girma faced strong criticism from opponents of the force’s dissolution, who saw him as one of the faces behind the move.

    The killing of senior politicians is not new in Amhara. In 2019, the regional leader and other top officials were killed in what was described as a failed regional coup attempt.

  • Military post attack kills 33 soldiers in Burkina Faso

    Military post attack kills 33 soldiers in Burkina Faso

    Thirty-three soldiers in north-east Burkina Faso have been killed in a suspected Islamist militant attack.

    Per reports, this is the second of such attack in a week.

    The military-led government in the capital Ouagadougou spoke for the first time on Thursday about last week’s killing of over 100 civilians by what local officials described as men in military uniform.

    The government has not said whether the attack on the north-western village of Karma was carried out by the army, but it called for a full investigation.

    Non-governmental organisations say over 10,000 civilians and soldiers have been killed in the long-running insurgency, and attacks have sharply increased since the start of this year.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • National Security captures two Chinese over power theft

    National Security captures two Chinese over power theft

    The managers of Fenice Metal Technology in the Tema region, two Chinese nationals, have been detained as a result of an underground illegal connection on Thursday, April 27.

    Following an informant’s tip to Samuel Dubik Mahama, the MD of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), about the anomalies, the taskforce entered the company with representatives from the National Security.

    Revenue Protection and Technical investigation manager, Ishmael Oku, per reports from Citinews said, “the facility had its separate transformer but managed to bypass the system through an underground cable to consume power without paying. Two-thirds of the power consumed goes directly without metering.”

    Sources say the company is into the production of electrical cables.

    “The culprits will be prosecuted, and the facility surcharged to recoup the power consumed over the period,” Ishmael Oku added.

    The company has been disconnected from the national grid and served illegal connection notice to report at the ECG office.

    Meanwhile, managers of Hillburi Hotel at Aburi are expected in court on Friday over similar crimes.

    The ECG took a break from its national revenue mobilization exercise on April 20, 2023, to review its operations and revenue targets.

    The one-month exercise uncovered several illegalities, fake meters, and recovered huge sums of debts owed to the company.

    But, the revenue protection taskforce is still on the ground, checking for illegalities that are contributing to the company’s system losses.

  • Gregory Afoko’s case to begin anew after 8 long years in court

    Gregory Afoko’s case to begin anew after 8 long years in court

    An Accra High Court, following a hung jury, has granted Gregory Afoko a fresh trial over the murder of Alhaji Adams Mahama, a former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    The case has been ongoing for eight years as the former NPP chair died in 2015 in a tragic acid incident.

    The decision to begin a whole new trial was taken on Thursday, April 27, 2023. The jury returned a 4:3 verdict over the charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

    Meanwhile, the co-accused, Asabke Alangdi was found guilty for conspiracy to commit murder and has been sentenced to death.

    The decision was taken by the court unanimously. However, the lawyers of the suspect are ready to file an appeal.

    In 2022, the High Court ordered the suspects to open their defence but the lawyers of Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangde filed a notice of appeal to challenge the order.

    On June 14, 2022, State Prosecutors closed their case after parading 16 witnesses, but lawyers of the accused persons filed a submission of no case to answer on the grounds that, the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses have not established a prima facie evidence against them.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Kyebi Traditional Council orders Prof Frimpong-Boateng to prove Akufo-Addo’s ‘galamsey garden’ claim

    Kyebi Traditional Council orders Prof Frimpong-Boateng to prove Akufo-Addo’s ‘galamsey garden’ claim

    Kyebi Traditional Council has called on former minister of environment, science, and technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, to provide evidence that galamsey took place in the President’s House in Kyebi in the Eastern Region.

    Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng in his  Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) report alleged that galamsey activities close to the President’s Kyebi residence affected parts of his garden which had to be quickly put back in shape by the Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

    But the statements in Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s report, in the opinion of the Traditional Council, are untrue and need to be treated with disdain.

    The Council has therefore asked Prof. Frimpong-Boateng to testify before it in order to support his galamsey report.

    Chief of Kyebi, Osabarima Marfo Kwabrane said: “he should come and show us where he saw galamsey happening. He should come here and prove to us and the whole world. My nephew [President] is not part of that thing [galamsey]. We need Prof. Frimpong-Boateng himself to come and show us where President Akufo-Addo was doing galamsey and correct our statement that all that we have said is wrong.”

    Also, neighbours of the president also denied the allegations, indicating that they have never seen illegal mining activities close to the president’s garden.

    “There is nothing like that here and that is why I am here with the Kyebi executives, and we are to ensure that we clear the president’s name. The reports of the president engaging in galamsey activities are not true.”

  • Nigeria: Removal of fuel subsidies suspended

    Nigeria: Removal of fuel subsidies suspended

    Nigeria has suspended the planned removal of subsidies on petroleum products by June this year, saying it was not a “favourable time for the action”.

    Nigeria’s Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed said the council would continue talks with the incoming administration.

    President-elect Bola Tinubu plans to stop subsidy payments once he assumes office in May this year.

    Nigeria begins to evacuate students in Sudan

    Earlier this month, the federal government secured $800m (£640m) in grants from the World Bank to scale up its national social programme ahead of removing its petroleum subsidies in mid-2023, aimed at reducing the impact of fuel subsidy removal.

    Africa’s biggest economy set aside 3.36 trillion naira ($7.3bn) this year to spend on petroleum subsidies until mid-year 2023 when it will cease payments.

    Nigeria receives Tinubu after visit to France

    Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest crude oil producers but imports petroleum products due to malfunctioning refineries.

  • Ya Ya the panda arrives in China after two decades abroad

    Ya Ya the panda arrives in China after two decades abroad

    Ya the giant panda arrived in Shanghai on Thursday after spending the previous 20 years on loan at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee.

    The journey of the well-known panda was extensively monitored online.

    Screenshots of Ya Ya’s flight path into Shanghai were published online.

    “Finally back at home!” cheered one user in response to the news.

    Others asked for a live broadcast of the arrival, which was reported by Chinese state media and claimed four of the top 10 trending topics on the social media platform Weibo.

    An image from Chinese broadcaster Phoenix News was particularly popular among Chinese social media users. It showed Ya Ya relieving herself before the trip and leaving the poop as a present for the zoo.

    The zoo held a farewell party for Ya Ya earlier in April and said it would miss the panda. Her departure marks the end of a 20-year loan agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens.

    Ya Ya was born Aug. 3, 2000, in Beijing. She lived at the Memphis Zoo along with Le Le, a male panda who was born July 18, 1998. Le Le died in February.

    The life expectancy of a giant panda in the wild is about 15 years, but in captivity they have lived to be as old as 38.

    Earlier in 2023, after the 20-year loan agreement ended without renewal, allegations of neglect and abuse circulated on Chinese social media alongside pictures of Ya Ya with her fur discolored and patchy.

    The Memphis Zoo said in a statement the panda’s quality of life was not affected by her fur condition, noting that they reported monthly to the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens about the panda’s health.

    According to the statement, “Ya Ya also lives with a chronic skin and fur condition which is inherently related to her immune system and directly impacted by hormonal fluctuations.”

    A veterinarian accompanied Ya Ya to care for her health needs on the way to Shanghai, the zoo said.

  • Asabke’s lawyers urge court to review death sentence as Gregory Afoko gets fresh trial

    Asabke’s lawyers urge court to review death sentence as Gregory Afoko gets fresh trial

    A 7-member Jury on Thursday afternoon found co-accused Asabke Alangdi guilty of the offence of conspiracy to commit murder. 

    Asabke Alangdi and Mr. Afoko who is the brother of former NPP Chairman Paul Afoko have for the past 8 years been standing trial over the murder of former NPP regional chairman Adams Mahama.

    State prosecutors are left with no other choice but to consider starting a fresh trial for Gregory Afoko.

    Asabke Alangdi’s lawyers are already questioning the verdict. On the charge of murder, the jury returned a 4-3 verdict of not guilty. This has left his legal team quite disturbed.

    “My lady will see that the accused person was charged for two offences. Just like the first accused the members of the jury were undecided on the charge which arguably is the more serious of the two offence. This decision is no doubt subject to several interpretations and consequences and decisions after today’s sitting. In mitigation, therefore, we respectfully pray this court to tamper justice with mercy to come up with a decision that is favourable to all. This is definitely not the last time we’ll hear about this case,” his lawyer stated.

    Breaking: Gregory Afoko acquitted; his accomplice sentenced to death

    Chief State Attorney Marina Appiah Opare however pointed out that the court did not have much of a choice.

    “It is very clear from section 24 of Act 29 that the punishment for conspiracy to commit an offence is the same punishment that is meted out to the substantive offence and in this case the substantive offence is murder and the punishment for murder is death so the punishment for conspiracy to commit murder is death. That is what the statute says. The hands of this court are tied. There are no lesser punishment.”

    The court agreed with this view and imposed the death penalty.

    “The men and women you selected to try you have found you guilty you are hereby sentence to death by hanging. May God have mercy on your soul,” Justice Afua Merley Wood stated.

  • DDEP: Banks can still give out money to depositors – GAB dismisses ‘poor standing’ claims

    DDEP: Banks can still give out money to depositors – GAB dismisses ‘poor standing’ claims

    Claims that banks in the country are in a bad standing as a result of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) have been refuted by Ghana Association of Banks (GAB).

    The Association argued that despite losses incurred, the financial institutions are at a good place following a recent assessment of financial statements.

    Speaking on JoyNews on April 27, 2023, the President of the GAB, John Awuah said the capital position of banks are strong, while there is enough liquidity in the banking system.

    He stated that even though banks appear to have been negatively impacted, the situation was anticipated, hence adequate measures were put in place protect banks in the country.

    DDEP drags banks into heavy debt

    “As we speak, there is strong liquidity in the environment. I have not heard that anybody has gone to a bank and cannot get their money. The banking system has enough liquidity in the system”, he stressed.

    Mr. Awuah suggested that the strong liquidity in the financial system could be partly attributed to the decision by the Bank of Ghana to recently hike the policy rate again to mop up excess funds to help control inflation.

    He also pointed out that the Bank of Ghana has put in several measures to cushion commercial banks from shocks as a result of the debt exchange programme.

    “The central bank has put in measures to help banks to weather the storms where there are difficulties. The Bank of Ghana has given us time to rebuild our capital”, he said.

    He stated that the numerous measures in addition to the financial sector stability fund will help banks support the economic growth agenda by lending to businesses.

    DDEP: Ghana’s top banks record first significant loss

    DDEP impact on banks

    An analysis of the DDEP indicated that the 23 banks operating in in Ghana will lose additional ¢6.1 billion, due to reduced coupon rate and the extension of the maturity period from five to 15 years.

    According to the liquidity gap analysis by Dr. Richmond Atuahene and K B Frimpong, the 23 banks would have generated positive cash flow of about ¢10.1 billion over the period, from the original coupon rate of 19.3% per annum.

    But following the implementation of Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), the extension of maturity period and reduction of coupon rate will impact heavily on their earnings from investments in Government of Ghana Bonds.

    “This liquidity gap is a result of the drop in the average bond rate of 19.3% to weighted average rate of 9% per annum, thus leading to nominal negative liquidity gap of 10.3%. The liquidity gap is expected to get worse if the average customer deposit rate was around 10% per annum, but later declined to weighted average rate of 9% per annum”.

    “For example, Bank A with the bond value of ¢9,I06,452,000 and average coupon rate of 19.3% would have had cash flow of ¢1,821,290,000, but with the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme, the effective rate of 9% per annum will cause a drop in cash flow to ¢720,927,000, thus leading to liquidity gap of ¢1,100,363,000”, it added.

  • Pictures of Akufo-Addo’s Kyebi house pop up to quash galamsey allegation

    Pictures of Akufo-Addo’s Kyebi house pop up to quash galamsey allegation

    Claims by former Minister for Environment, Professor Frimpong-Boateng, about President Akufo-Addo’s residence being hit by illegal mining activities have been refused by persons with first-hand information.

    The former minister in his Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining report said a team had to be dispatched with excavators to restore the vegetation when he learned that the President’s garden had been invaded by illegal miners.

    But media engagements with caretakers of the president’s home have revealed that findings in the report are inaccurate.

    ‘Galamseyers’ invade Akufo-Addo’s family home at Kyebi

    A caretaker for seven years noted that since he started working, he is yet to sight any illegal mining activity happening at the compound.

    “Not at all. Security is here 24/7 so how can security be here and then we allow people to come in that we are coming to do galamsey? What is the purpose of the security being in the house?” he quizzed.

    Akufo-Addo's Kyebi garden wasn't used for galamsey - Caretakers reject Prof Frimpong-Boateng's report

    He further questioned how the excavators can be moved into the premises due to the size of the gate.

    Akufo-Addo's Kyebi garden wasn't used for galamsey - Caretakers reject Prof Frimpong-Boateng's report

    Security agents stationed at the premises, according to Elton Brobbey, noted that since President Akufo-Addo’s inauguration in 2017, there have always been police, military, and immigration officials on the premises at all times, making it difficult for anyone to gain access without clearance.

    Akufo-Addo's Kyebi garden wasn't used for galamsey - Caretakers reject Prof Frimpong-Boateng's report

    As a result, he asserted that the claim that illegal mining took place in the garden is untrue.

    He described the report as “serious propaganda.”

    Ghana’s galamsey situation is like Mexico battling cocaine – Presidential Staffer

    “I wonder why people with high positions can bring themselves so low to that extent of telling lies…I don’t see the point because there is a house here with trees in it up to this point, and I’m not sure how we were able to dig the gold, remove the trees, and replace them. So the trees speak for us, and I don’t believe we need to. The trees and the environment speak for themselves,” he added.

    Akufo-Addo's Kyebi garden wasn't used for galamsey - Caretakers reject Prof Frimpong-Boateng's report
  • Ghana’s galamsey situation is like Mexico battling cocaine – Presidential Staffer

    Ghana’s galamsey situation is like Mexico battling cocaine – Presidential Staffer

    Director of Local Government Services at the Office of the President, Dennis Miracles, has said it would be difficult to rid the country of illegal mining as it is deeply-rooted into society.

    He noted that the operation of illegal miners is that vast that an association has been created to aid their business.

    According to Dennis Micracles, “galamsey in Ghana is like cocaine in Mexico and Colombia, it is a whole cartel.”

    He therefore said “it needs many years of hard work, many years of dedication, many years of education and years of trying to cause attitudinal change in the people,” in order to get rid of the canker.

    Extortion, blackmail; tactics of the 3 coffee shop mafia in Galamsey – Baba Sidiq bares it all

    Successive government’s have put in new initiatives and tried to enforce existing laws but the issue of galamsey continues to linger.

    A recent report by the former Environment, Prof Frimpong-Boateng on the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), has suggested how some government officials have been fighting the initiatives to end galamsey.

    Stop galamsey now to protect Ghana’s cocoa industry – John Dumelo

    Among those accused are the late Sir John born Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Joseph Albert Quarm, the former MP for Manso Nkwanta, Laud Commey, Charles Nii Teiko and Frank Asiedu Bekoe.

    But a number of the accused have refuted the claims levelled against them. Mr Lord Commey has challenged the former minister to provide evidence to prove his case.

  • ‘I have done what any Health Minister would have done’ – Agyemang Manu to critics over ‘dying’ NHIS

    ‘I have done what any Health Minister would have done’ – Agyemang Manu to critics over ‘dying’ NHIS

    Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu has rubbished calls for his resignation over the poor state of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

    Former President John Mahama has asked the Health Minister to resign after admitting that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is on the verge of collapse.

    “He (Health Minister) has admitted that he has failed. He has not been able to grow the NHIS, and he says it has failed… he has no business being the minister for health. He should resign”.

    Reacting to his request, Mr Agyemang Manu accused the former statesman of employing propaganda tactics.

    He noted that he has done his best as Health Minister just as anyone in his position would have done.

    “An elderly respectable statesman like former President John Dramani goes on this lane into the gutter, in the gallery, doing propaganda that the health minister should resign.”

    “I came to work for the nation, and I have done what any Health Minister would have done,” he added.

    Govt has not paid health facilities for providing services under NHIS – Mahama

    The Health Minister’s comments go to communicate that he would not be resigning as asked.

    According to the Health Minister, he no longer uses the NHIS and instead prefers to pay for his medical care.

    He complained vehemently that people who are unable to pay are being denied access to medical treatments, claiming that the treatment given to NHIS card holders at the various clinics is subpar.

    This is not the first time the Health Minister has been asked to step down. He was asked to leave his position over the procurement of some COVID-19 vaccines executed by the Ministry of Health.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Félicien Kabuga’s assets in Kenya remain frozen – Court declares

    The assets of suspected Rwandan genocide perpetrator Félicien Kabuga in Kenya have not been released by a court.

    According to local media, the Kenya anti-corruption court denied Mr. Kabuga’s son Nshimyumuremyi Donatien’s request to provide his elderly mother access to rent from the property in the nation’s capital, Nairobi.

    The court upheld decisions of a lower court from 15 years prior.

    The 2008 lawsuit aimed to seize Mr. Kabuga’s property and use the earnings to pay genocidal victims and their families. Mr. Kabuga was wanted at the time.

    In her court-filed submissions, Mrs. Kabuga stated that there was no evidence to support Kenyan government claims that the contested property was obtained with proceeds of crime.

    She also claimed that there was no proof that Mr Kabuga used the rent collected from the house to evade arrest.

    Mr Kabuga, one of the key suspects of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, was arrested in France in 2020 after evading capture for about 26 years.

    He has been charged with several counts of genocide and crimes against humanity.

  • Govt has not paid health facilities for providing services under NHIS – Mahama

    Govt has not paid health facilities for providing services under NHIS – Mahama

    Former President John Dramani Mahama has said some health facilities are yet to receive money from the government for services provided that were catered for by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

    At a meeting with branch and constituency executives of his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Sefwi Adobokrom, in the Bia East Constituency, Mr. Mahama said holders of the NHIS card are being turned away from most health facilities because government is not paying their claims.

    The NHIS is not working, I now pay cash – Health Minister

    “Health facilities have not been paid since last year for services provided to card holders. How do you expect them to continue treating them”, he asked.

    Meanwhile, the former statesman has advised the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu to step aside from his role over his failure to ensure the sustainability of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

    Quit as health minister if you no longer have confidence in NHIS – Mahama tells Agyeman-Manu

    Mr Agyemang Manu has said that the Scheme is no longer effective, confessing that he no longer uses the programme and instead prefers to pay for his medical care.

    He complained vehemently that people who are unable to pay are being denied access to medical treatments, claiming that the treatment given to NHIS card holders at the various clinics is subpar.

    Reacting to the comments, the former President said “He (Health Minister) has admitted that he has failed. He has not been able to grow the NHIS, and he says it has failed… he has no business being the minister for health. He should resign”.

    Government is able to subside medical bills of citizens through the enforcement of the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), which is 2.5% levy on goods and services collected under the Value Added Tax (VAT).

    Also, government generates funds from “2.5 percentage points of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions per month; return on National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) investments and premium paid by informal sector subscribers.”

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Ghana, Austria sign agreements to deepen political and economic consultations, others

    Ghana, Austria sign agreements to deepen political and economic consultations, others

    President Akufo-Addo and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria, Karl Nehammer have agreed on key areas of cooperation primary on strengthening existing bilateral ties between the two countries. 

    The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU) on Political and Economic Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana and the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria which was signed by Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, and Amb. Peter Launsky-Tieffentha, Secretary General of the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs of  Austria.

    The other was an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Government of the Federal Republic of Austria on Defence Cooperation which was initialed by Hon. Dominic Nitiwul (the Minister for Defence) for Ghana and Amb. Peter Launsky- Tieffentha for Austria.

    There is no hope for Ghana to develop; there is no love among us – Austria-based Ghanaian

    This was upon the visit of the Austrian Chancellor to Ghana, the first of an Austrian Chancellor since bilateral ties begun between the two countries, today Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at the Jubilee House in Accra.      

    In his brief remarks after the bilateral talks, President Akufo-Addo disclosed that, “a major outcome of our meeting today, is the affirmation of our commitment to collaborate further on tackling emerging security threats within the region, particularly on issues of terrorism, border security and maritime barriers. We also have resolved to work together to promote democracy in the region, and reiterate and affirm our mutual stance against unconstitutional changes in government.” 

    Austrian Chancellor Nehammer and President Akufo-Addo

    He stated that, “Ghana has also called on Austria to lend it’s support to the African Continent Free Trade Area, whose Secretariat is located in Accra. The AfCFTA intends to link fifty-four (54) markets, covering 1.3 billion people with the combined GDP of some 3 trillion United States Dollars.”

    He added that, “by 2050, it will cover an estimated 2.5 billion people, and have over a quarter of the world’s working age population. Investment and business opportunities offered to the Austrian private sector, by the infrastructure, required to link these markets more effectively, are enormous.”

    President Akufo-Addo stated further that, due to the fact that vulnerable countries suffer the most devastating effects of climate change, the two countries have also agreed to cooperate on increasing efforts to limit global emissions towards achieving the 1.5 degree Celsius goal whilst working together to push for the expeditious  implementation of the process of UN Reforms, based on the Ezulwini Consensus and ensure  that the matter of UN reform, be restored as a priority item to the global agenda.

    “It is time to correct the longstanding injustice that the current structure and composition of the UN Security Council represent for the nations of Africa,” he added.

    Akufo-Addo in South Africa for DUA forum

    On the issue of migration, President Akufo-Addo bemoaned the high numbers of young people and added that, “Africans taking distressing risks across the Sahara and around the Mediterranean trying to reach a better life in Europe. Whilst we strive to provide the youth with the right environment in Africa, which will enable them enhance their skills, receive appropriate training and have access to digital technology and enhance economic opportunities.”

    He revealed that, he Austrian Chancellor and his delegation have reiterated their determination to champion the need for humane treatment of illegal migrants as well as the protection of both their human rights in accordance with international law both in Austria and in the European space. Our discussions also centered on the threats of Russian invasion of Ukraine, coupled with the effects the COVID 19 pandemic are having across the world.

    On the situation in Ukraine President Akufo-Addo, explained that, “the reason why Ghana led the fight for the liberation of the African continent from colonialism and imperialism and became of the five initiators of the historic Non-Aligned Movement is because of our history which has always been against great power domination of the affairs of the world.”

    Therefore, he continued, “It is this same principle, that led us to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of the motion condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and this is a position that we continue to hold. Great powers of whatever make, including friendly ones trampling on small nations is not something we will welcome and within our modest means, we will register our disapproval of that. “

    According to Chancellor Nehammer, Austria will work towards setting up an embassy in Ghana to assist and further deepen and  bi-lateral  engagements.

  • GHS2.5m not enough to plant 10 million trees – Green Ghana Project Committee

    GHS2.5m not enough to plant 10 million trees – Green Ghana Project Committee

    The GH2.5 million allocated for this year’s activity, according to Benito Owusu-Bio, Chairman of the 2023 Green Ghana Project, is grossly insufficient.

    In order to achieve its goal of planting 10 million trees, the government would need assistance from the private sector, according to Benito Owusu-Bio who spoke with CitiNews.

    “As we speak, our approved budget by the Ministry of Finance for the Green Ghana this year is GH¢2.5 million. But we are not going to say we won’t do it, so we have started appealing for funds. Last year we got in excess of GH¢2 million so this year, we expect that with the pledges and commitments, we will get something to shore up.”

    Government to spend GHS2.5m in planting trees

    Launching this year’s Green Ghana Project, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor said several factors accounted for the government’s failure to meet last year’s target.

    “On the maiden edition of the Green Ghana Day, we targeted 5 million trees and with your support, over 7 million trees were planted. Last year, we raised our ambition and targeted at least 20 million trees, and again, with your support, 24 million trees were planted, bringing the total number of trees planted to over 30 million trees.

    “So far, the field assessment report shows that, on average, we had a 72 percent survival rate last year as compared to the 81 percent survival rate in 2021. While adequate measures were put in place to ensure the survival of all trees planted, a number of external factors accounted for the survival rates including rainfall patterns, wildfires, and soil fertility,” he added.

    Schools under trees will be a thing of the past when I become President – Kwabena Duffour 

    Celebrated on the theme, ‘Our Forests, Our Health,’ Mr Jinapor indicated the reduction in the number of trees to be planted in this year’s Green Ghana Day will help create ample time for the nurturing of the already planted trees to enhance the survival rate.

    “The survival rate shows that we still have some 23 million trees to nurture. It is for this reason that this year, the government has decided to revise our target downwards to 10 million trees to give us some devoted resources and attention to the trees planted over the last two years while not wasting momentum on our quest to restore our degraded landscape.”

  • Govt provides data to back over 2m jobs created since 2017 claim

    Govt provides data to back over 2m jobs created since 2017 claim

    In support of his assertion that the Akufo-Addo administration has produced more than two million jobs in the last six years, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia provided statistics.

    He stated in a Facebook post that the list is to show “naysayers” who questioned the statistics that the facts are accurate, therefore must “do away with negative thinking.”

    Bawumia never said there are jobs everywhere these days – Office of Veep sets record straight

    The Vice President found it necessary to address the matter as some citizens cast aspersions on the work done by the government when Dr Bawumia delivered a speech at the national Eid-ul-Fitr celebration in Independence Square over the weekend.

    I have created over 7000 jobs – Ken Agyapong

    Attached comprehensive data which specified the ministry, the agency or department of the ministry in which the jobs were created as well as the number of jobs created under each category from 2017 to 2022.

  • Malnourishment affecting children in Nigeria

    Malnourishment affecting children in Nigeria

    Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has revealed that feeding centers in Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria, are receiving an unprecedented number of malnourished children in need of life-saving care.

    According to the medical organization, approximately 1,300 kids have been admitted to intensive care units since the year began, which is the most for this time period ever seen in Borno state.

    Per the report, by April, the number of severely malnourished youngsters admitted each week had doubled from January’s average of 75.

    The living conditions in some of the children’s previous detention camps—which are run by armed opposition groups—are quite terrible.

    Malnutrition in children increases in Upper East Region – GHS

    MSF is warning of an impending catastrophe if urgent action is not taken.

    A currency crisis and a fire which destroyed the main market in Maiduguri have made things worse.

    An ongoing insurgency in the region by the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, has left thousands dead, forced many more from their homes and resulted in a humanitarian crisis.

  • German evacuation efforts in Sudan allegedly delayed by the UK

    German evacuation efforts in Sudan allegedly delayed by the UK

    Senior German political sources have told the media that British attempts to remove its diplomatic workers from Sudan over the weekend slowed down efforts by other nations to save their own citizens.

    They claim that British forces entered Sudan without the consent of the Sudanese army while other European countries hoped to fly their citizens to safety.

    That was called “complete nonsense” by the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD).

    Germany, among others, had planned to use the airfield north of Khartoum from which subsequent evacuation operations have been conducted.

    But, the sources say, the “unannounced British military presence” so angered the Sudanese army that they refused access to the facility.

    Nigeria begins to evacuate students in Sudan

    According to one source, having landed without permission, the British had to pay the army before leaving.

    And negotiations to use the airfield meant that German rescuers “lost at least half a day” during what was, at the time, considered to be a very small window of opportunity.

    The MoD denied that it was responsible for any delay.

    In a statement, it said: “It is not accurate to suggest that Britain’s efforts to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan last weekend slowed-down Germany’s plans.

    “Operating in such complex circumstances will always come with challenges, but we have worked extremely closely with our French, US and particularly German partners who have facilitated access to the airfield throughout this week, and of course we remain grateful to the Sudanese Armed Forces.”

    Sudan unrest: UK citizens say they feel dejected as evacuation intensify

    Later, an MoD spokesperson said it was “complete nonsense to claim that we landed in Sudan without permission from the Sudanese army. We had permission”.

    After airlifting more than 700 people to safety on six flights from the airfield north of Khartoum that the UK is now utilizing for its evacuation operation, Germany has now concluded its rescue mission.

    German citizens made up about 200 of those who were transported to safety, while the remaining people came from 30 other countries, including the UK.

    Defense officials’ rage has been subdued in Berlin by the pleasure and joy that its mission came to a relatively successful conclusion, but military authorities are still reportedly “not amused.”

    Even Boris Pistorius, the defense minister, couldn’t help but poke fun.

    When asked why the UK had managed to get its embassy staff out on Saturday, while German flights only started on Sunday, Mr Pistorius said: “How shall I put it diplomatically? They ignored what the Sudanese had stipulated.”

    And, in Berlin, there are lingering traces of disdain for the UK government’s initial handling of the crisis.

    German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock may not have mentioned the UK by name but launched a thinly disguised attack on countries that, she implied, had abandoned their citizens and focused their rescue efforts only on diplomatic staff.

    “It was important to us that the [German] evacuation, unlike other countries, didn’t just involve our diplomatic personnel but all Germans on the ground and their partners.”

  • Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to negotiate over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

    Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to negotiate over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

    The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) remains the subject of ongoing trilateral negotiations, which Ethiopia states it is prepared to resume with Egypt and Sudan.

    Mesganu Arga, the state minister for foreign affairs, made the remarks while speaking with Mike Hammer, the US special representative for the Horn of Africa.

    “Regarding Gerd, he [Ambassador Mesganu] said Ethiopia is ready to resume the tripartite negotiations under the auspices of the AU,” the ministry posted on Twitter.

    Ethiopia-European relations must improve for Tigray to succeed – EU

    Construction and operation of the dam has strained relations between Ethiopia and Egypt, which demands a legally binding agreement on the dam.