TIG Post

Author: Andy Ogbarmey-Tettey

  • Sudan: Fighting happening in Omdurman despite ceasefire

    Sudan: Fighting happening in Omdurman despite ceasefire

    Despite a 72-hour ceasefire mainly holding, fighting is still occurring in some areas of Sudan.

    Fighting broke out near TV and radio buildings in Omdurman, a city next to the capital Khartoum, according to Mohamed Osman of the BBC.

    People are having trouble getting access to food and money, our correspondent continues, and there is no fuel and a shortage of doctors.

    The ceasefire, which was set to end on Friday, has apparently been extended for another 72 hours by the army head of Sudan.

    According to the Reuters news agency, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan gave the plan from the regional African body Intergovernmental Authority on Development initial clearance.

    The proposal suggests sending envoys from the Sudanese army and rival group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to Juba in South Sudan to discuss the details.

    The current ceasefire began at midnight local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday bringing a pause to a conflict which erupted on 15 April amid a power struggle between the leaders of the army and the RSF.

    Sudan reportedly sees ceasefire between army, RSF

    People in Khartoum and Omdurman are finding it difficult to find clean water and food and access to cash, our correspondent says.

    Explosions and gunfire could still be heard on Wednesday, with warplanes in the air, although it was quieter than before the ceasefire and the situation was good enough for evacuations to continue.

    Our correspondent says he and his family find it difficult to sleep because of the explosions and shooting.

    Gangs have also been looting homes and empty buildings, targeting cars and vehicles, he adds. Local people fear what will happen after the ceasefire ends.

    Both sides still man checkpoints but these are fewer in number as some troops have withdrawn to other areas.

    The warring factions both claim to control important places like airports and army headquarters. There is no internet access and phone lines are poor.

    At least 459 people have been killed since the fighting broke out though the actual number is thought to be much higher.

    Earlier the World Health Organization said it expected “many more” deaths due to disease, a lack of access to food and water and disruption to health facilities.

    Several countries have evacuated their nationals since the ceasefire took hold.

    A boat evacuating more than 1,600 people from dozens of countries arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and both Germany and France say all their citizens have now left the country.

    Nigeria begins to evacuate students in Sudan

    The first flight bringing British national home landed at Stansted on Wednesday, via Larnaca in Cyprus.

    Some 536 British nationals have been evacuated from Sudan on six flights, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said.

    The chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission confirmed to the BBC that evacuations of stranded Nigerian students in Sudan had started.

    It is thought there could be up to 5,000 Nigerians living in Sudan, and that 3,500 of them are students.

    However, a UK-born student in Sudan said she did not have enough petrol to get to rescue flights.

    Samar Eltayeb, 20, from Birmingham, has been sheltering with a relative outside Khartoum since fighting began.

    The third-year medical student at Sudan’s National University has been waiting to be evacuated to join her parents and siblings in the UK.

    “We have have no gas, and the petrol stations are empty,” Ms Eltayeb said. “There’ll be constant flights within the next few days, but if I can’t find gas to get there, then I’m stuck.”

    Buses carrying evacuees are continuing to leave Khartoum despite soaring prices of fuel and bus tickets.

    Meanwhile, former Sudanese politician Ahmed Haroun said that he and other former officials are no longer in jail.

    Reports emerged this week of a prison break at Kober in Khartoum- where Ahmed Haroun was serving a sentence alongside Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s former president.

    The Sudanese army said Bashir was moved from the prison to a military hospital before the fighting erupted.

    Both Bashir and Haroun are facing charges by the International Criminal Court for their alleged role in the atrocities in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

    On Tuesday, Haroun confirmed in a statement aired on Sudan’s Tayba TV that he and other Bashir loyalists who served under him had left the jail – but said he would be ready to appear before the judiciary whenever it was functioning.

  • Nigeria begins to evacuate students in Sudan

    Nigeria begins to evacuate students in Sudan

    Evacuation efforts for Nigerian students stuck in Sudan have begun , according to the chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.

    Students are seen waiting outside for buses in a video released on Twitter by Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

    These buses, according to Ms. Dabiri-Erewa, are loading pupils before departing Sudan.

    She stated that they would first be flown to Egypt and then Nigeria.

    It happens just a short while after we spoke to a university student in Khartoum who was anxiously anticipating assistance from the Nigerian embassy but felt abandoned.

  • Zelensky and Xi Jinping engage in first phone call after Russia invasion

    Zelensky and Xi Jinping engage in first phone call after Russia invasion

    The first communication between the two leaders since the start of Russia’s conflict, according to Ukraine’s Volodymr Zelensky, was a “long and meaningful” phone chat.

    In addition to the nomination of an ambassador to Beijing, Zelenksy said on Twitter that the call would “give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations.”

    China confirmed the call and said that it “always stood on the side of peace”.

    Unlike the West, Beijing has sought to appear neutral on the Russian invasion.

    But it has never hidden its close ties to Moscow, or condemned the invasion, and last month President Xi paid a two-day state visit to Russia.

    He referred to President Vladimir Putin as his “dear friend”, proposed a vague 12-point peace plan and insisted that China stood on the right side of history.

    However, he made no commitment to providing Russia with weapons.

    Within days of the visit, President Zelensky invited the Chinese leader to visit Kyiv for talks, noting they had contact before the full-scale war but nothing since it began in February 2022.

    In a readout of Wednesday’s phone call, China quoted President Xi as saying that China, “as a responsible majority country”, would “neither watch the fire from the other side, nor add fuel to the fire, let alone take advantage of the crisis to profit”.

    That statement appears to be a swipe at China’s biggest international rival, the US, which has provided the most help towards Ukraine’s response to the Russian war.

    But the likelihood of China helping to end the war appears remote, not just because Russia has shown no readiness to withdraw its forces from Ukraine’s sovereign territory – a key demand from Kyiv.

    Critics have also questioned the idea of Beijing acting as a mediator, citing not only Mr Xi’s firm friendship with Russia’s leader but also China’s soaring trade with Russia and its refusal even to speak of an “invasion”.

    But President Zelensky has repeatedly reached out to the Chinese president, an acknowledgement that China’s vast wealth and global influence could swing the outcome of the war.

    On Wednesday he appointed a former minister, Pavlo Ryabikin, as ambassador to Beijing.

    China’s 12-point plan to end the war was immediately criticised by Ukraine and the West. It included a proposal for unilateral sanctions to be dropped and failed to offer clear plans for Ukraine’s future security or for territory seized by Russia.

    However, in its readout on Wednesday, Beijing did announce its willingness to engage directly with Ukraine, by sending a special representative on Eurasian affairs to Kyiv and other capitals for “in-depth communication” on a political settlement.

    Xi Jinping has had recent diplomatic success by persuading Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties. While it is possible he may have developed a taste for the role of a key international stakeholder, there may also be an economic element to his intervention.

    China’s flagging economy is still fragile after years of tight Covid-19 restrictions. 

    It is dependent on export trade and cannot fully bounce back as the war in Ukraine drags on.

    News of the phone call made headline news in China’s carefully controlled state media outlets, which printed China’s interpretation of the call.

    On Chinese social media sites, users appeared supportive, with many calling for peaceful dialogue and supporting what they saw as China acting like a responsible country.

    “China must break the deadlock and melt the ice!” read one typical comment.

  • Kudus returns to Ajax training ground

    Kudus returns to Ajax training ground

    Following a scare with an injury, Ghanaian international Mohammed Kudus is back in training at Ajax.

    The 22-year-old sustained an injury during Ajax Amsterdam’s 2-1 victory over Feyenoord in the Dutch Cup semifinals.

    Kudus started the game, but suffered what appeared to be a muscular injury and was taken out at the 60-minute mark. Portugal’s Francisco Conceicao took his spot.

    The attacker, who was formerly with FC Nordsjaelland, started working out again with his teammates on Wednesday afternoon.

    Kudus will be hoping to be fit ahead of their KNVB Cup final against PSV on Sunday at Stadion Feijenoord.

    Kudus is enjoying his most prolific season yet, with 18 goals in 38 games so far, while contributing 4 assists.

    He was part of Ghana’s squad that featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

  • Injured Joseph Aidoo to miss Elche game

    Injured Joseph Aidoo to miss Elche game

    The preparation for Celta Vigo’s forthcoming match against Elche could be difficult.

    One of their defense’s main players, Joseph Aidoo, is reportedly not likely to participate owing to an injury. The squad and their supporters, who had been looking forward to the game with great anticipation, are both disappointed by this news.

    Due to Aidoo’s absence, Celta Vigo will need to devise a fresh plan in order to sustain their performance and claim victory.

    With 36 points, Celta Vigo is in 13th place in the league and needs all three points against Elche to help their cause of remaining in the top division.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/celta-vigo-defender-joseph-aidoo-not-worried-by-lack-of-playing-time/

    Celta Vigo’s last two games in La Liga ended in defeat, 2-0 against Real Madrid and 1-0 against Baba Iddrisu’s Mallorca.

    Joseph Aidoo has been a key player for the Sky Blues this season. The 27-year-old has made 29 appearances and scored two goals.

  • Prof Frimpong-Boateng is not guilty of illegal mining – CHRAJ

    Prof Frimpong-Boateng is not guilty of illegal mining – CHRAJ

    The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has refuted claims that former Minister of Environment, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, is involved in illegal mining activities in the country.

    Per reports, the former minister has acquired some mining concessions illegally.

    But according to CHRAJ Commissioner Joseph Whittal, investigations carried out by the commission prove that the allegations levelled Prof Frimpong-Boateng are spurious.

    He however clarified that the former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) has legal concessions he had difficulty operating due to resistance from a community he failed to identify.

    “We investigated allegations made against Prof Frimpong-Boateng. We went in and did a very thorough investigation, came out with our report, a 116-page report, and the offshoot is that he was not involved in any illegal mining concessions,” Mr Joseph Whittal is quoted to have told TV3 on April 25, 2023 by MyJoyOnline.

    Prof Frimpong-Boateng not involved in galamsey - CHRAJ
    CHRAJ Commissioner, Joseph Whittal

    Prof Frimpong-Boateng has been the talk of town for several days after a report on the work of the IMCIM submitted to the presidency surfaced on online tabloids.

    The 37-page report, dated March 19, 2021, fingered a number of political and government figures of directly and indirectly being involved in illegal mining.

    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.

    “I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the national to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers, or relatives engaged in illegal mining. Most of them engaged Chinese working for them. 

    “I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do. There are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace,” Prof Frimpong-Boateng said in his report.

    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.

    Meanwhile, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor and Parliament to investigate the matter thoroughly.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • 3 individuals arrested for their alleged involvement in Tarkwa gold-buying shop robbery

    3 individuals arrested for their alleged involvement in Tarkwa gold-buying shop robbery

    The Police have arrested three suspects in connection with a robbery attack on a gold-buying shop at Akoon-Tarkwa in the Western Region.

    The suspects, Ezekiel Stephen Oghenekaro, Samuel Amoashie and Fatawu Awudu together with three other suspects armed with weapons are reported to have attacked the gold buying shop on 18th April 2023, and made away with an unspecified amount of money.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/cctv-footage-of-how-gang-robbed-gold-buying-agency-in-tarkwa/

    Following the attack, the Police launched an operation on the gang and arrested three of the suspects in the bush around Benso and Esuosu townships.

    In a public notice on social media, the Police revealed that a search conducted on them led to “the retrieval of three motorbikes and a sack fully loaded with an unspecified amount of money believed to be the booty from their attack on the shop.”

    All the suspects were subsequently put before the Tarkwa District Court on 21st April, 2023 and have been remanded into lawful custody to re-appear on 3rd May, 2023.

    Police intelligence operation is currently ongoing to get the remaining gang members arrested to face justice and we shall surely get them.

  • Meet Ghana’s female Chief Justices since independence

    Meet Ghana’s female Chief Justices since independence

    Ghana is set to have its third female Chief Justice in history. President Akufo-Addo has announced his intention to nominate Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to replace Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah, who is due to retire on May 24, 2023.

    If her nomination is accepted by the Council of State and approved by Parliament, Gertrude Torkornoo will follow in the footsteps of Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.

    Out of the 14 Chief Justices Ghana has had since independence, 12 have been men and only two have been women. The late former President Kwame Nkrumah appointed Sir Kobina Arku Korsah (Esq) as Ghana’s first Chief Justice.

    Sir Kobina Arku Korsah (Esq), Ghana’s first Chief Justice

    Here are the stories of the two women who have broken barriers to occupy the position of Chief Justice:

    Here are the two women who have broken all odds and occupied the position of Chief Justice, which has mostly been accessible to men.

    Georgina Theodora Wood

    Georgina Theodora Wood was the first woman to hold the position of Chief Justice in Ghana. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor appointed her in 2007.

    Wood studied at the University of Ghana, Legon, and received her undergraduate degree in 1970. She then proceeded to the Ghana School of Law and graduated in 1972.

    Her first professional role was as a Public Prosecutor and Deputy Superintendent in the Police Service, which she carried out for three years following her training with the Ghana Police Service in a post-graduate officers training course. In 1974, she was appointed as a Magistrate of the District Court.

    Former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood

    Wood rose through the judicial ranks in this position and eventually made it to Ghana’s Supreme Court. In 2002, the President of Ghana nominated her to be a candidate for Chief Justice, but she declined the candidacy for unspecified reasons. She was later appointed as a justice of The Gambia’s Supreme Court in 2003.

    Wood underwent additional training to become an advocate for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and participated in a learning program at the World Bank. She also contributed to the creation of a Ghanaian ADR program with a court component and chaired the group that drafted the manuals for the ADR trials in the Commercial Court of Ghana.

    In addition to obtaining an honorary degree (LLD) from the University of Ghana in 2008, Lady Justice Wood was awarded the Order of the Star of Ghana in 2007, Ghana’s highest national honour, for her public service. She remained Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana until her retirement in 2017.

     Sophia A. B. Akuffo 

    Right after the reign of Georgina Theodora Wood came Sophia A. B. Akuffo. President Akufo-Addo in 2017 appointed her to the role of Chief Justice. This gave her the title of the second female Chief Justice of Ghana.

    The septuagenarian (73) studied law at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana. She pursued a higher education at the Harvard Law School in the United States of America and obtained an LLM degree.

    Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo

    In 1975, she was a Barrister-at-Law from the Ghana School of Law. She worked for about 20 years as a lawyer in various positions before being called to the bench in 1995.

    Among them were  Service Personnel with the Legal and Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ghana, U.V. Campbell & Co. and W.E. Fugar & Co, Legal Officer and Deputy Corporation Secretary of Ghana Airways Corporation, Legal & Relations Manager/Company Secretary for the Mobil Oil Ghana Group from 1982 to 1992. This included Mobil Oil Liberia Ltd and Mobil Oil Sierra Leone Ltd.

    She worked as a legal consultant from 1992 until 1995, when Jerry John Rawlings, the late president of Ghana, appointed her to the Supreme Court. 

    Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo and President Akufo-Addo

    Her efforts did not go unnoticed, as President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo nominated her in 2017 for the position of Chief Justice, the highest legal position in Ghana.

    Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo (yet to be approved)

    Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, the current Chief Justice-designate, who turns 62 in September this year completed her Professional course in law at the Ghana School of Law in 1986.

    After law school in 1986, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo did her national service with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Legal Aid Center in Accra.

    Justice Gertrude Araba Esabaa Torkornoo is a Supreme Court Judge

    Her pupillage was with Fugar & Co, where she went on to become an Associate and later, a Director of the firm. In January 1997, she set up Sozo Law Consult and became the Managing Partner.

    After 18 years of law practice, Justice Torkornoo was invited to join the judiciary in 2004 as a Justice of the High Court of Ghana.

    In October 2012, she was promoted to the Court of Appeal and rose to become a Justice of the Supreme Court, the apex court, in 2019 after her appointment by President Akufo-Addo.

    She is well known for being one of the Supreme Court judges who presided over the 2020 presidential petition case between John Dramani Mahama and the Electoral Commission and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    She holds an LLM in Intellectual Property Law from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, USA and a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in International Law and Organizations from the then International Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, Netherlands.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Tottenham players to pay back fans money spent on Newcastle game tickets

    Tottenham players to pay back fans money spent on Newcastle game tickets

    The fans who traveled to Newcastle for Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing have been promised a ticket reimbursement by the Tottenham players.

    Cristian Stellini, the temporary manager, was fired yesterday by chairman Daniel Levy due to a poor performance at St James’ Park.

    Additionally, Tottenham, who will be overseen by Ryan Mason through the end of the current campaign, will pay for the match tickets for those who were there when the Tyneside stadium collapsed.

    A statement released on Twitter said: “As a squad, we understand your frustration, your anger. It wasn’t good enough.

    “We know words aren’t enough in situations like this but believe us, a defeat like this hurts.

    “We appreciate your support, home and away, and with this in mind we would like to reimburse fans with the cost of their match tickets from St James’ Park.

    “We know this does not change what happened on Sunday and we will give everything to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday evening when, again, your support will mean everything to us.

    “Together — and only together — can we move things forward.”

    United, who are presently holding down the final Champions League slot in the Premier League, are six points behind fifth-placed Spurs.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/take-a-look-at-the-potential-man-united-sevilla-lineups/

    While Mason’s team made a kind gesture by paying for the tickets to the game on Sunday, it is unclear how the news would be received by the fans who would have paid a significant amount to travel.

    The players, though, will hope the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium supporters support them when Erik ten Hag’s team visits since European qualifying is still up for grabs.

  • Reduce gates fees to get more attending local games – Kwabena Agyepong to GPL

    Reduce gates fees to get more attending local games – Kwabena Agyepong to GPL

    Kwabena Adjei Agyepong, a former general secretary of the New Patriotic Party [NPP], has asked Ghana Premier League clubs to lower entrance prices to draw more spectators to games.

    Poor attendance has been reported at all of the stadiums this season.

    The former pundit underlined in an interview that it would be much more prudent economically to lower gate fees rather than raise pricing.

    He continued by saying that since reasonable admission prices can draw more spectators to the stadiums, clubs should do so.

    “I think perhaps we should work with the clubs to also reduce the cost. I think that filling the stadium like Kumasi, with 50,000 people paying Ghc5.00 is better than making it Ghc20.00 and just a thousand or two thousand people if you watch the mathematics,” said the former broadcaster told Kumasi-based LUV FM.

    “Times are hard, with all respect those who watch football are people who struggle but they love the game. They have to travel and now we know transport fares are high, they have to eat and so therefore the ticket prices we have to look at it, and then encourage them [fans] and let’s mount a deliberate campaign,” he emphasized.

    Meanwhile, the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League games continue today and Thursday in the matchday 28 games at the various stadia.

  • We are not withdrawing from ICC – SA Presidency

    We are not withdrawing from ICC – SA Presidency

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) withdrawal plan announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa has been clarified by the South African administration.

    On Tuesday, Mr. Ramaphosa announced that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) had decided to leave the ICC due to “unfair treatment” during a state visit by the president of Finland.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/opposition-in-south-africa-pledges-to-protect-putin-against-icc-arrest/

    But the presidency acknowledged in a statement on Wednesday that Mr. Ramaphosa had regretfully erred.

    It was stated that the nation still formally ratifies the Rome Statute.

    With Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled to visit South Africa later this year, there is pressure on the government to make a decision.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/it-is-crucial-for-me-to-know-your-viewpoint-putin-tells-soldiers/

    A warrant for his arrest has been issued by the ICC in relation to the situation in Ukraine.

  • Former Sudanese politician accused of war crimes breaks jail amid ceasefire

    Former Sudanese politician accused of war crimes breaks jail amid ceasefire

    An ex-politician from Sudan who is wanted for alleged crimes against humanity claims that he and other ex-officials are no longer in jail,

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has accused several people, including Ahmed Haroun, who was being detained in Khartoum’s Kober prison.

    Reports emerged earlier this week of a prison break at Kober – where Ahmed Haroun was serving a sentence alongside Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s former president.

    On Tuesday, Haroun confirmed in a statement aired on Sudan’s Tayba TV that he and other Bashir loyalists who served under him had left the jail – but said he would be ready to appear before the judiciary whenever it was functioning.

    In an audio message circulating on social media, Haroun claimed the group had been aided in their escape by prison guards and the armed forces.

    “We made a decision to protect ourselves due to lack of security, water, food and treatment, as well as the death of many prisoners in Kober,” Haroun told al-Sudani, a daily newspaper with ties to Bashir.

    Bashir himself – who is 79 – is currently at a military hospital in police custody, and was moved there before hostilities broke out, according to the Sudanese army.

    The former president was ousted by the military after mass protests in 2019, and had been serving a jail sentence for corruption.

    He is accused by the ICC of leading a campaign of mass killing and rape in Sudan’s Darfur region, which he denies.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/opposition-in-south-africa-pledges-to-protect-putin-against-icc-arrest/

    For his part, Ahmed Haroun played a key part in the Sudanese government’s brutal response to two long-running and still unresolved civil wars – in Darfur (from 2003) and South Kordofan (from 2011).

    He was indicted by the ICC in 2007 for his alleged role in the atrocities in Darfur, which has been described as the first genocide of the 21st Century.

    Haroun faces 20 counts of crimes against humanity and 22 counts of war crimes allegedly committed in the early 2000s when he served as the country’s interior minister. The charges include murder, rape, persecution and torture.

    Haroun, who has also previously denied the ICC charges, was a member of Bashir’s inner circle for much of his 30 years in power and was arrested in 2019 following the coup against the veteran leader.

    Since then, the country has experienced frequent unrest and several other coup attempts.

    A ceasefire between rival military forces seems to be mainly holding.

    The desire for a durable peace, however, is questioned on all sides.

    A severe power struggle between the leaders of Sudan’s regular army and a competing paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), gave rise to the battle, which started on April 15.

    Sudan’s interior ministry has accused the RSF of breaking into five prisons in the past few days – including Kober, which Bashir had already left.

    Police said the raid led to the killing of several prison officials, adding that the RSF released all who where being held there.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/who-issues-a-biological-risk-warning-following-sudanese-rebels-seizure-of-a-lab/

    The RSF has denied the allegations, claiming instead that the military “forcibly evacuated” the facility as part of a plan to restore Bashir to power.

    Plenty of Sudanese will believe this is just the latest example of Gen Burhan, leader of Sudan’s armed forces, trying to restore Bashir’s Islamist lieutenants to the forefront of Sudanese politics.

    The ceasefire in Sudan has allowed several countries to evacuate their nationals from the country. A second evacuation flight rescuing UK nationals from Sudan has landed in Cyprus, while a boat evacuating more than 1,600 people from dozens of countries has now arrived in Saudi Arabia.

    Hundreds of people evacuated from Sudan arrive in Saudi Arabia by boat
    Image caption,Hundreds of people evacuated from Sudan have arrived in Saudi Arabia by boat

    Volker Perthes, who is the UN special envoy to Sudan and is currently in the country, said on Tuesday that the 72-hour pause in fighting still appeared to be holding together.

    But gunfire and explosions continued to be reported in Khartoum and the nearby city of Omdurman.

    “There is yet no unequivocal sign that either [side] is ready to seriously negotiate, suggesting that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible,” said Mr Perthes.

    The ceasefire, which began at midnight local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday, is the latest attempt to bring stability to the country after fighting broke out nearly two weeks ago.

    At least 459 people have died in this conflict so far, though the actual number is thought to be much higher.

    Thousands more are reported to have fled Sudan and the UN has warned that this is likely to continue.

    There is also concern for those who are left behind, with an estimated 24,000 pregnant women currently in Khartoum who are expected to give birth in the coming weeks.

    Mr Perthes also said that many homes, hospitals and other public facilities had been damaged or destroyed in residential areas near the army headquarters and airport in Khartoum during the fighting.

    Source: BBC

  • BDCs importing petroleum at prices lower than gold for oil programme – BOST CEO confirms

    BDCs importing petroleum at prices lower than gold for oil programme – BOST CEO confirms

    The Managing Director of the state-owned Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST), Edwin Provencal, has confirmed that some private bulk distribution companies (BDCs) have been importing petroleum products at cheaper rates than imports under the government’s gold for oil programme.

    The gold for oil programme is a government initiative under which the state, through BOST, is importing petroleum products and paying with gold instead of foreign exchange.

    It was rolled out in response to recent depreciation in the value of the cedi against major international trading currencies and government’s inability to raise loans on the international markets, leading to a sharp fall in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/gold-for-oil-consignment-is-much-more-expensive-than-other-sources-dr-acheampong/

    The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), the representative body of the BDCs, has however pointed out that the gold for oil programme, has produced what might have been an unintended consequence whereby the BDCs are not getting the foreign exchange they need from the central bank to import petroleum products at competitive rates.

    The Chief Executive of CBOD, Dr. Patrick Kwaku Ofori, has often argued that if members of the chamber received almost the same preferential treatment as BOST is receiving under the golf for oil programme, they could help ensure energy security and a lowering of petroleum prices at the pump.

    Speaking on Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme, Mr. Provencal confirmed and conceded that BDCs are landing products at cheaper rate and at more competitive pricing than BOST is able to, even though government guarantees BOST’s forex allocation and underwrites its trading risks.

    “In the last three weeks or so we [BOST] brought in products at about 50 [USD per barrel] but some BDCs brought in products at almost 45 [USD per barrel].”

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/conceiving-gold-for-oil-scheme-kept-me-awake-at-night-bawumia/

    The efforts of the BDCs, Mr. Provencal went on to say, have provided opportunities for BOST to go to the international markets to negotiate for competitive prices for oil imports under the gold for oil programme. All this, he said, is contributing to the reduction in fuel prices at the pump.

    He defended the gold for oil programme by suggesting that the preferential treatment BOST is receiving is only a temporary intervention to deal with the forex exchange and debt crises confronting the country, and that once the crises are resolved normalcy will be restored by allowing market forces to prevail again.

    Speaking on the same programme, Dr. Patrick Ofori, welcomed Mr. Provencal’s admission of the BDCs contributions. He however lamented reduction in forex allocations to the BDCs from the Bank of Ghana, pointing out that such cuts could result in increased costs at the pumps as BOST is not quite as able as the BDCs to import cheaper products under the gold for oil programme.

    He also warned that the preferential treatment BOST is receiving threatens the financial viability of most BDCs.

  • DDEP drags banks into heavy debt

    DDEP drags banks into heavy debt

    Prior to the Bank of Ghana’s deadline of April 30, 2023, local banks have started releasing their 2022 Financial Statement.

    However, their profitability situation has been significantly impacted by the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

    Nearly all of the banks who published their results had losses, according to the 2022 Audited Financial results  sighted by the media.

    One of these is Standard Chartered Bank, which posted a loss of 66.4 million in 2022 as opposed to a profit of 410.8 million in 2021, Joy News reports.

    Despite earning an astounding $807.7 million in interest revenue in 2022, this is the case.

    As a result of the effect of the DDEP, the tier one bank made an impairment of ¢1.18 billion in 2022.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/individual-bondholders-accuse-senyo-hosi-of-doing-govts-bidding-withdraw-from-ddep-committee/

    Similarly, Republic Bank registered a loss of ¢66.8 million in 2022.

    It posted a net interest income of ¢370.6 million, but a ¢237 million loss on financial assets and other costs triggered the loss.

    Again, GCB Bank lost ¢568 million in 2022, despite recording net interest income of ¢2.09 billion.

    FNB, Stanbic, Zenith heavily impacted by DDEP

    Parent companies of First National Bank, Stanbic, Zenith and Guaranty Trust Bank have already hinted of significant losses by their Ghana subsidiaries due to the impact of the DDEP on their operations. This will therefore require additional capital injection to turn things around.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/23-banks-in-ghana-will-continue-to-lose-gh6-1-bn-ddep-analysis/

    For instance, Standard Bank said it was ready to re-capitalise its Ghanaian unit after making provisions to cover more than half of its holdings in the nation’s debt.

    FirstRand Limited, Africa’s biggest bank by market capitalization, also hinted of writing off more than half the value of its holdings of Ghanaian bonds as the country grapples with a restructuring of its sovereign debt. 

    The banks had also indicated of slowing down lending until the Ghanaian economy improves.

    The loss position of the banks means shareholders may not enjoy dividend for the 2022 financial year.

    Societe Generale records ¢110.6m

    Meanwhile, Societe Generale Bank is one of the few banks that recorded a profit in 2022.

  • Akufo-Addo calls for unity to check maritime-related crimes in Gulf of Guinea

    Akufo-Addo calls for unity to check maritime-related crimes in Gulf of Guinea

    Chairperson of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo has called on sister countries of the Commission to strengthen their efforts in tackling  activities of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.

    For over a decade, container ships, fishing vessels, and oil tankers have been attacked by pirates.

    Out of the 90 global piracy and armed robbery incidents reported between January and September 2022, 13 occurred in the Gulf of Guinea region. In the same period in 2021, 27 cases were recorded.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/pac-refers-maritime-authority-to-ag-for-prosecution/

    Despite the decline, President Akufo-Addo has noted that the Commission cannot rest on its oars but ensure it totally eradicates the activities of pirates.

    “It is important that we have some serious discussion on these items in order to come up with strategies geared towards strengthening peace and security in winning the fight against maritime-related crimes in the region, such as piracy, illegal unreported and, unregulated fishing, arms trafficking, pollution of the environment, smuggling, fuel and crude oil theft.”

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/crew-onboard-ghanaian-vessel-captured-by-pirates-released/

    The president made the plea while addressing the 3rd Extraordinary session of the Assembly of heads of state in government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

    This was the first in-person summit of the Commission since. The COVID-19 pandemic resorted to the use of virtual channels to communicate.

    As part of measures to safeguard the Gulf of Guinea, President Akufo-Addo proposed a possible expansion of the membership of the Commission to include all 19 coastal states of the geopolitical Gulf of Guinea.

    This, he said, was “for effective collaboration of our navies, Coast Guards, and other relevant maritime security agencies in the geopolitical space of the Gulf of Guinea.”

    Data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) shows that at the beginning of 2023, the number of pirate attacks on the world’s oceans reached a 30-year low.

    Between January and March, there were 27 pirate attacks and armed robbery on ships, compared to 37 instances during the same time period last year.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • I don’t see contenders, they are my brothers and sisters – Piesie Esther on 2023 VGMA Gospel Song award race

    I don’t see contenders, they are my brothers and sisters – Piesie Esther on 2023 VGMA Gospel Song award race

    Gospel musician Piesie Esther has said she is unfazed about who will emerge victorious in the race for the 2023 VGMA Gospel Song award.

    Celestine Donkor, Diana Hamilton, Joe Mettle, Perez Musik, Bethel Revival Ministries, Ewurabena and MOG Music are those competing for this award.

    Despite the big names nominated, Piesie Esther says she is not worried since she does not see the nominees as rivals.

    According to the “Waye Me Yie” star, these are brothers and sisters working to spread the word of God.

    “I am not terrified seeing them nominated for the same category as me because we are brothers and sisters doing the work of God.”

    According to her, she wasn’t surprised to be nominated in seven categories because she believes it is the will of the Lord.

    She further stated that the best songwriter is one category she is looking forward to because she knew ‘Waye me yie’ would go far and it has and she is grateful to God.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • PURC holds 2023 Africa Electricity Regulatory Peer Review and Learning Network

    PURC holds 2023 Africa Electricity Regulatory Peer Review and Learning Network

    The 2023 African Electricity Regulatory Peer Review and Learning Network (PRLN) was hosted by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Ghana’s economic regulator.

    Participants in the five-day workshop included CEOs of electricity regulatory institutions from Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, and South Africa.

    In order to promote experiential learning and sharing among the CEOs of the energy regulatory organizations in Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, and South Africa, PRLN was created as an international forum.

    The programme, which is hosted under the auspices of Energy Industry Captains, is supported by the University of Cape Town (UCT) Power Futures Lab, in collaboration with the European Global Energy Transformation Programme (GET-Transform).

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/details-of-the-power-purchase-agreement-between-ghana-and-aksa-energy/

    The programme in Ghana comprised a one-week comprehensive review of the energy sector, which focused on engaging and interviewing major stakeholders (the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI); Trades Union Congress (TUC); Ghana National Chamber of Commerce; Ghana Chamber of Mines; Media; Ministry of Energy; Power generators, transmitters and distributors) in the sector; the overview of Ghana’s power sector; the strategic & policy environment; the regulatory governance and performance as well as regulatory substance, and impacts.

    The PRLN, which is rotational among the countries represented on the team, noted that African electricity regulators can best learn from each other and improve on their performances through the conduct of periodic in-depth peer reviews of the electricity regulatory systems in each selected country.

    The objectives of the Africa Electricity Regulatory Peer Review and Learning Network (PRLN) among others are to enhance leadership and management capability among African electricity regulators leading to increased credibility, transparency, and robustness of regulatory decisions.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/ghc24-9-m-retrieved-by-purc-from-nedco-in-three-regions/

    It is also geared towards enhancing the overall investments and development outcomes through improved performances of the continent’s electricity industry.

    The Peer Review and Learning Network in Ghana comes at a time when Ghana’s Electricity Regulatory Framework in 2022,  was adjudged by the African Development Bank as the 4th best, improving three points from the previous 7th position in 2021 on the  African Continent.

    This exercise was carried out across a number of key metrics by the African Development Bank’s Electricity Regulatory Index for Africa.

    The Chief  Executive Officers present at the programme were: Dr. Ishmael Ackah (Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, Ghana), Ing. Ziria Tibalwa Waako, (Electricity Regulatory Authority, Uganda), Mr. Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria (Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Kenya).

    The others were Mr. Nhlanhla Gumede, (Member of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa) and Mr. Pinehas Mutota, (General Manager,  Economic Regulation; Electricity Control Board of Namibia).

    Source: MyJoyOnline

  • Bayern likely to meet stern competition in bid for Kolol Mauani

    Bayern likely to meet stern competition in bid for Kolol Mauani

    Markus Krosche, the sporting director at Eintracht Frankfurt, claims that Bayern Munich is not the only team interested in signing Randal Kolo Muani.

    Bayern, the defending Bundesliga champions, are scrambling to find a talented striker to join them at the end of the season after finding it difficult to replace Robert Lewandowski after he left for Barcelona earlier this year.

    Following a successful debut season with Frankfurt in Germany’s top division, French international Kolo Muani has been linked with a transfer.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/little-over-month-and-tuchel-is-allegedly-battling-to-keep-job-as-bayern-board-makes-plan-for-new-calls/

    The 24-year-old Kolo Muani is reportedly wanted by prominent former Bayern president Uli Hoeness to improve Thomas Tuchel’s attacking options.

    However, Krosche told German broadcaster Sky Sport: “So far there have been no specific enquiries, neither from Bayern nor from others.”

    Krosche is nevertheless alive to interest in the former Nantes player, who has managed 13 goals and 10 assists in 28 Bundesliga games for mid-table Frankfurt, converting 20.31 per cent of his chances.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/sadio-mane-told-to-join-psg-after-bayerns-stuggles/

    “Bayern Munich are not the only club occupied with him,” Krosche said. “On the other hand, Randal still feels very comfortable with us, and he also has a lot of development areas that he can work on very well with us.”

  • Akufo-Addo’s garden has not been used for galamsey – Abuakwa South NPP claims

    Akufo-Addo’s garden has not been used for galamsey – Abuakwa South NPP claims

    Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Eastern Region’s Abuakwa South constituency have refuted allegations made in the contentious report of the former Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) that galamsey was taking place directly in the garden of President Akufo-Addo’s home in Kyebi.

    Contrary to claims made in the report written by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation and chairman of the IMCIM, no anonymous youth organizer of the NPP in Kyebi had engaged in illegal mining in a region close to the president’s home, according to a statement released on Tuesday and signed by Felix Nyarko Acheampong, the party’s constituency communications officer, and Julius Okyere, the constituency secretary.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/akufo-addos-garden-at-kyebi-residence-allegedly-hit-hard-by-galamsey/

    “In the first place, to state that “the Youth Organizer of the NPP in Kyebi” is involved in any kind of illegality, is only vague, as such allegation falls short of indicating what level of the party structure the said Youth Organizer occupied at the time of the supposed incident. Was he/she a Polling Station, Constituency, Regional or National Youth Organizer? There is nothing like a local Youth Organizer anywhere in the NPP Constitution.

    “Indeed, if his reference to Kyebi is meant to indicate that the supposed wrongdoing is attributable to a certain Constituency Youth Organizer, then the Constituency executives wish to emphatically state, that the then Constituency Youth Organizer has never been associated whatsoever, with galamsey operation; hence, rendering this allegation short of substance.

    “Secondly, the very location of the President’s Kyebi residence in itself, makes it impossible for any illegal mining operation to take place even close to it. Except those who do not know the house, everyone would attest to the fact that the President’s house is not obscured, as it is closely surrounded by many other houses. For that matter, to suggest that an illegal mining operation has taken place near the walled house, to the extend that it affected parts of a supposed garden in the house, only lives much to be desired about what method at all was
    used for such operation.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/akufo-addos-office-reacts-to-prof-frimpong-boatengs-report/

    “To add to the above, the President does not even have a garden, so to speak, in his Kyebi residence; therefore, to state that a section of his garden was affected, is nothing but palpable falsehood. The Learned Professor would have, perhaps, been forgiven if he had only maintained that such report got to him through a phone call placed to him by Mr. Eric Antwi of the office of the President; but to have continued to say that he personally followed up to see with his very eyes, the supposed incident, simply casts a huge slur on the integrity of both the Former Minister and his work as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee. We entreat well meaning media houses to come to the President’s residence in Kyebi to check and double check the facts on the ground, and compare same with the allegations contained in that section of Professor Frimpong-Boateng’s report.

    Below is the Abuakwa South NPP statement

    Abuakwa South NPP denies Nana Akufo-Addo has any garden used for galamsey
    Abuakwa South NPP denies Nana Akufo-Addo has any garden used for galamsey
    Abuakwa South NPP denies Nana Akufo-Addo has any garden used for galamsey
  • All of the 73 Ghanaian students in Sudan are safe, ready for evacuation – Deputy Foreign Minister

    All of the 73 Ghanaian students in Sudan are safe, ready for evacuation – Deputy Foreign Minister

    Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Dr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, has assured the safety of Ghanaian students and other nationals in Sudan.

    There are 73 students in the Northeast African country and according to Dr Ampratwum-Sarpong, “none of them has been harmed, and we have all of them safe in a place.”

    They will be evacuated together with three other Ghanaian football players in the country.

    “The plan is to evacuate them to the nearest country which is Ethiopia”, he added.

    Earlier this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration announced its preparedness to evacuate Ghanaian nationals trapped in Sudan’s conflict.

    The Ghana Embassy in Cairo, Egypt which has concurrent accreditation to Sudan, working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Honorary Consulate is working to ensure this.

    Thousands of people have been displaced in Sudan as a result of a deadly war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

    Khartoum has been the epicentre of the violence, with civilians suffering the most. Over 300 deaths have been reported.

    Countries such as Egypt, South Africa, Turkey, Kenya and the UK are all working to evacuate their nationals and diplomats.

  • Mahama takes political campaign tour to Western North Region

    Mahama takes political campaign tour to Western North Region

    Prior to the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) May 13 presidential primaries, former president John Dramani Mahama is campaigning in the Western North Region as part of his 16-region political tour.

    This forms part of his political initiatives ahead of the upcoming 2024 general elections.

    The potential NDC presidential flagbearer has already met with nearly 251,000 delegates while touring 179 constituencies in ten regions.

    Before moving on to the Ashanti Region for phase two of his campaign there, Mr. Mahama would spend two days touring nine constituencies in Western North.

    The former president is campaigning on the theme, ‘Building the Ghana we want Together’, assuring the rank and file of the NDC that the campaign for victory,2024 will be anchored around the party’s branches and wards.

    “I will do all I can, as I have always done, to provide the necessary campaign logistics and it will be your duty and responsibility as branch executives to work hard and mobilise all the votes in your electoral areas for a decisive win in December 2024”, Mr. Mahama has stated.

  • Suhum resident kills to preserve his avocado tree

    Suhum resident kills to preserve his avocado tree

    It is reported that one Oto Acquah has gunned down a staff of Qnet who attempted plucking avocado from his premises.

    The news came to light after the suspect reported the incident to the Suhum Police Divisional Command.

    The unfortunate incident, per reports, occurred at Kwasi Larbi, a suburb of the Suhum Municipality in the Eastern Region on Saturday night around 11:30 pm.

    According to sources, the deceased, who is yet to be identified, went with some of his colleague staff and upon returning home around the suspect’s enclave, went to the suspect’s house to pick some avocados in the compound.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/ugandan-cane-farmers-switching-to-hass-avocado/

    However, the suspect who has been wild in the area and has been accused of chasing children for picking his avocados from his compound, when he saw the victim picking the fruits at night went to pick up his AK47 gun from his room and gunned down the victim.

    The deceased, a source confirmed, died instantly. His colleagues who were walking with him reportedly fled from the scene.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/highway-authority-urges-drivers-to-avoid-effiduase-suhum-road-after-downpour/

    The suspect thereafter allegedly kept the body in his compound late into the midnight before going to the Police station to report the matter.

  • Govt to provide single source of identity verification for all local businesses – Bawumia

    Govt to provide single source of identity verification for all local businesses – Bawumia

    Efforts are underway to ensure a single source of identity for all businesses, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating in Ghana.

    According to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the government has commenced engagement with the Global Legal Entity Identification Foundation (GLEIF).

    While speaking at the ceremony of the 53rd General Assembly of the World Trade Centers Association in Accra, on Monday, April 24, explained that the “logical next step in Government’s integration and economic development agenda is to enable Ghanaian businesses to partake in a globally accepted verification process to give them credibility and global reach.”

    The theme for the five-day conference is “Towards African Economic Integration and Enhanced Global Presence”.

    The government believes the time is ripe following the successful roll-out and acceptance of the Ghana Card as the single source of identity for Ghanaians and persons living in Ghana.

    In his keynote address, the Vice President entreated the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat to come on board and work on a legal identity for all businesses across Africa.

    “That will make it much easier for transactions within Africa, amongst businesses and beyond because there is a single unique global legal identity for all businesses and that’s what we should be working towards,” he added.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/intra-africa-trade-is-the-only-way-to-help-boost-african-economies-afcfta-boss/

    GLEIF manages a network of partners, the LEI issuing organisations, to provide trusted services and open, reliable data for unique legal entity identification worldwide. 

    Taking advantage of the Global LEI Index empowers market participants to cut costs, simplify and accelerate operations and gain deeper insight into the global marketplace.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Stellini leaves interim role at Tottenham

    Stellini leaves interim role at Tottenham

    Cristian Stellini, Tottenham’s temporary manager, has left the team as a result of Sunday’s 6-1 humiliation at Newcastle.

    Following Antonio Conte’s resignation last month, the Italian was appointed manager till the end of the current campaign, with Ryan Mason helping with first-team responsibilities.

    However, Stellini, who served as Conte’s No. 2 until just four games ago, has already left his role. Mason, an ex-midfielder, is now in charge of the club’s six remaining Premier League games.

    In a statement realeased on the club’s website, chairman Daniel Levy said: “Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable. It was devastating to see. 

    “We can look at many reasons why it happened and while myself, the board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine. 

    “Cristian will leave his current role along with his coaching staff. 

    “Cristian stepped in at a difficult point in our season and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and his coaching staff have conducted themselves during such a challenging time.

    “We wish him and his staff well. Ryan Mason will take over head coach duties with immediate effect. Ryan knows the club and the players well. 

    “We shall update further on his coaching staff in due course. 

    “I met with the player committee today — the squad is determined to pull together to ensure the strongest possible finish to the season.”

    During Stellini’s short-lived reign, Spurs also drew 1-1 with Everton, beat Brighton and lost 3-2 to Bournemouth, leaving the North Londoners six points adrift in the top-four race.

    Mason, 31, will hope to galvanise his troops for the visit of Manchester United on Thursday night, ahead of a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday.

  • Nigeria receives Tinubu after visit to France

    Nigeria receives Tinubu after visit to France

    Nigeria’s president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has expressed readiness to kick start work ahead of the May 29th handing-over date.

    The President-elect returned to Nigeria on Monday evening after about a month trip to Paris, France.

    He was received by a mammoth crowd of enthusiastic associates and supporters who thronged the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja where his plane touched down.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/bola-tinubu-to-be-sworn-in-as-president-despite-court-cases/

    The President-elect was in the company of his wife, Senator Remi, and son, Seyi.

    Among those at the airport to receive him were Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger), former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff.

    Also at the airport were former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the All Progressives Congress, APC Deputy National Chairman, North, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Deputy National Chairman, South, Barrister Emma Enekwu, and National Woman Leader, Dr. Betta Edu.

    There were also Senators Barau Jibril, Adeola Olamilekan Yahyi, Opeyemi Bamidele, Dayo Adeyeye, Sabi Abdullahi and Adelere Oriolowo as well as Secretary of the recently-dissolved Presidential Campaign Council, Hon. James Faleke, Hon. Babajimi Benson and Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Director of media and publicity in the dissolved Presidential Campaign Council.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/tinubu-resting-in-paris-london/

    Speaking to the tumultuous crowd who followed him home, the President-elect said: “I’m happy to be back. I have rested, I’m refreshed and I’m ready for the task ahead.

    “Forget about what the rumour mill may have told you. I’m strong, very strong.”

    Asked about about his plans for the country, he said he had been consulting and planning with a view to putting together a strong team so he could hit the ground running once he assumes office on May 29.

    The President-elect left the country on March 21 for Paris on a vacation after a hectic campaign and election season.

    Credit: Vanguard Nigeria via MyJoyOnline

  • First batch of Kenyans evacuated from Sudan arrive in Nairobi

    First batch of Kenyans evacuated from Sudan arrive in Nairobi

    On Monday night, an aircraft carrying the first group of Kenyans fleeing Sudan touched down at Nairobi’s airport.

    The scores of evacuees boarded a Kenya Air Force aircraft, where they were met by Aden Duale, the defense secretary.

    The foreign ministry reported on Monday that three evacuation programs were in operation, meaning that more evacuations are now taking place.

    As fighting rages on in Sudan, a steady stream of military planes from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia flew into Khartoum all day Sunday and Monday to remove foreign nationals who were evading enemy fire at the tense front lines of the city.

    A flight carrying 39 evacuees from chaos-torn Sudan lands in Nairobi as part of evacuation efforts. “The first successful evacuation flight that has delivered 39 evacuees of which 19 are Kenyans, 19 of Somalian nationality and one evacuee is from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Defence Aden Duale told reporters.

    “There was a lot of shooting and a lot of bombing going for almost 24 hours,” one evacuee tells AFP after disembarking the aircraft. 

    Scramble to evacuate

    Saudi Arabia led the first reported successful evacuations on Saturday. A boat from Sudan carrying nearly 200 people from 14 countries reached the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah late Monday, the Saudi foreign ministry said.

    So far, 356 people have been evacuated to the kingdom from Sudan — 101 Saudis and 255 foreigners from more than 20 countries, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

    Egypt’s military last week evacuated 177 soldiers, and on Sunday the foreign ministry said 436 citizens had left by land. More than 10,000 Egyptians are thought to live in Sudan.

    Over 200 Moroccans were taken to Port Sudan in convoys organised by their embassy, Rabat said Monday, adding that they would be flown home from there.

    Both Algeria and Tunisia have announced rescue operations.

    Jordan — whose military airports have been used for some rescue flights — said Saturday it had begun the evacuation of around 300 citizens with Saudi and UAE cooperation, while 52 Lebanese and 105 Libyans had also left on a Saudi naval vessel.

  • Sudan reportedly sees ceasefire between army, RSF

    Sudan reportedly sees ceasefire between army, RSF

    A truce in Sudan went into effect at midnight local time (22:00 GMT on Monday), and it seems to be holding.

    With prior cease-fires not being respected, this is the fourth attempt to put an end to the violence that started on April 15.

    After 48 hours of discussions, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) came to a 72-hour truce, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

    On Tuesday, there were reports of gunshots in the capital, Khartoum.

    There have also reportedly been reports of airplanes hovering overhead, but city dwellers have returned to the streets.

    Independently, both parties to the conflict, which has claimed more than 400 lives, declared their participation in the truce.

    The violence in Sudan, according to UN Secretary General António Guterres, runs the risk of igniting a “catastrophic conflagration” that might spread over the entire region and beyond.

    Residents in Khartoum have been ordered to stay inside since the violence started, and food and water supplies are running low.

    Some individuals have been compelled to drink water from the River Nile since the bombing damaged important infrastructure, such as water pipes.

    As battle raged in the core, heavily populated areas of the capital, nations scurried to evacuate their embassies and citizens.

    There will be hopes the ceasefire will allow civilians to leave the city. Foreign governments will also hope it will allow for continued evacuations out of the country.

    Egypt’s foreign ministry said on Monday that an attaché had been killed while driving to the embassy in Khartoum to help with the evacuation of Egyptian citizens.

    EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also confirmed on Monday that more than 1,000 EU citizens had been evacuated.

    South Africa, Kenya and Uganda are among the African nations to have announced the evacuation of their citizens.

    The UK government has announced it will begin evacuating British passport holders and immediate family members from Tuesday.

    On Monday, Mr Blinken said that some convoys trying to move people out had encountered “robbery and looting”.

    The US, he added, was looking at potentially resuming its diplomatic presence in Sudan but he described the conditions there as “very challenging”.

    Sudan suffered an “internet blackout” on Sunday amid the fighting but connectivity has since been partially restored, according to monitoring group NetBlocks.

    It is estimated that tens of thousands of people, including Sudanese citizens and those from neighbouring countries, have fled because of the unrest.

    Hassan Ibrahim, 91, was among them. The retired physician lives near the main airport in Khartoum, where some of the worst fighting has taken place, but has since made the perilous journey into neighbouring Egypt with his family.

    He told the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme they had escaped being caught up in a firefight between RSF fighters and the army but that a van travelling behind them had got hit. The family then boarded a bus to the border, which took 12 hours, only for them to be met by “crowded and chaotic” scenes as people waited to be given entry.

    “There were so many families with elderly passengers, children and babies,” said Mr Ibrahim. “The Sudanese are fleeing the country – it is a sad reality.”

    Eiman ab Garga, a British-Sudanese gynaecologist who works in the UK, was visiting the capital with her children when the fighting began and has just been evacuated to Djibouti on a flight organised by France. Her hurried departure meant that she was not able to say goodbye to her ailing father, her mother or her sister.

    “The country is dirty, there’s rubbish all over it,” she told BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight programme. “There’s sewage overflowing, it smells, so now we’re next going to have an outbreak of illness and disease, and there won’t be a hospital to go to there.”

    “We’re just looking at death and destruction and destitution.”

    Violence broke out primarily in Khartoum, between rival military factions battling for control of Africa’s third largest country.

    This came after days of tension as members of the RSF were redeployed around the country in a move that the army saw as a threat.

    Since a 2021 coup, Sudan has been run by a council of generals, led by the two military men at the centre of this dispute – Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces and in effect the country’s president, and his deputy and leader of the RSF, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

    They have disagreed on the direction the country is going in and the proposed move towards civilian rule.

    The main sticking points are plans to include the 100,000-strong RSF into the army, and who would then lead the new force.

    Gen Dagalo has accused Gen Burhan’s government of being “radical Islamists” and that he and the RSF were “fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress for which they have so long yearned”.

    Many find this message hard to believe, given the brutal track record of the RSF.

    Gen Burhan has said he supports the idea of returning to civilian rule, but that he will only hand over power to an elected government.

  • Kings’ De’Aaron Fox fractures finger

    Kings’ De’Aaron Fox fractures finger

    Despite having a fractured fingertip on his shooting hand, Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox will reportedly try to participate in Game 5 of his team’s series against the Golden State Warriors.

    The NBA’s first-ever Clutch Player of the Year, Fox, 25, is playing in his first-ever playoff series after helping the Kings reach the postseason for the first time since 2006.

    Fox has a 2-2 record in his first four games against the Warriors and has averaged 31.5 points, 7.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game.

    The home team has won each of the first four games, and with Game 5 headed back to Sacramento, a loss would hand the Warriors the chance to seal the series at home in Game 6.

    If Fox is unable to suit up, the Kings will need a special performance from fellow All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who has averaged 16.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the series. However, his field goal percentage has dropped from a career-high 61.5 per cent in the regular season down to 48.2 as the Warriors dare him to shoot jump shots.

  • Enrique Cerezo wants Messi, Ronaldo return to LaLiga

    Enrique Cerezo wants Messi, Ronaldo return to LaLiga

    Enrique Cerezo, the president of Atletico Madrid, wants to witness a LaLiga matchup between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo before both players hang up their boots.

    Messi spent 21 years at Barcelona before departing on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021. He has been frequently linked with a return to the club.

    Prior to playing for Juventus, Manchester United, and currently Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, Ronaldo had nine trophy-filled seasons at Real Madrid.

    Although there hasn’t been much discussion about Ronaldo returning to Spain’s top division, Cerezo thinks it would be in the league’s best interest if the two star attackers did.

    “It would seem fantastic to me if Messi returned to the league, the same as Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said while attending the Barcelona Open tennis final on Sunday. 

    “Both are still playing and it would be fantastic if they returned.”

    Cerezo was speaking ahead of Atletico’s 1-0 loss to Barcelona, which leaves Diego Simeone’s side 16 points adrift of the leaders and five behind second-place Real Madrid.

    Yannick Carrasco played a full part for Atletico, though he may find himself at Barcelona next season as the Catalan giants have the option to sign the versatile wide player.

    “Yannick is a very good player, fantastic,” Cerezo said when asked about Carrasco’s future. 

    “In the world of football, there are people who want to achieve many things and don’t get to, and others who don’t want anything and get it. I don’t know [what will happen next].”

  • Mexico, US want to host 2027 Women’s World Cup

    Mexico, US want to host 2027 Women’s World Cup

    FIFA has received four expressions of interest, including a combined candidacy from the United States and Mexico, to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

    With the hosts scheduled to be chosen in May of next year, Brazil, South Africa, and another combined bid from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany have already entered the competition.

    The only other potential host nation with prior hosting experience is Germany, who did so in 2011. The USA hosted the Women’s World Cup in 1999 and 2003, winning the latter event.

    The United States, Mexico, and Canada have already been selected to host the 2026 men’s World Cup.

    Federations hoping to host the tournament now have until May 19 to confirm their involvement in the bidding process. 

    FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said: “We are thrilled by the expressions of interest received, not least because they come from member associations with a strong football tradition representing four confederations, thus confirming the consistent popularity of women’s football across the world.

    “All member associations can rely on the most robust and comprehensive bidding process in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

    The 2023 edition of the tournament – taking place in Australia and New Zealand – will kick off on July 20, with the Matildas facing the Republic of Ireland and their co-hosts taking on Norway on the opening day.

  • Man Utd relentless on getting Kane – report

    Man Utd relentless on getting Kane – report

    Manchester United is prepared to step up its efforts to sign Harry Kane, the star player for Tottenham.

    The Red Devils reportedly intend to launch a proposal for the England captain, who is entering the final year of his contract and is unlikely to sign a new one, according to The Telegraph.

    When the club’s biggest asset’s contract expires at the end of the upcoming season, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will now have to decide whether to sell him or let him leave for free.

    United wants to complete their business quickly because they are aware that they cannot afford a transfer controversy and run the danger of losing out on other targets, such as Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

    It has been suggested Spurs would be willing to listen to offers in the region of £80million from overseas for Kane, 29, but will demand at least £100m from fellow Premier League clubs.

    A report in The Sun indicates United are willing to offer the striker a whopping £300,000-per-week contract to lure him to Old Trafford.

    The Red Devils are confident of landing Kane if Spurs finish outside the top four and that is now looking increasingly likely after Sunday’s 6-1 humiliation at Newcastle.

    Spurs host fourth-placed United on Thursday sitting six points adrift of them in the race for the final Champions League spot. 

  • Barcelona: Funding for Camp Nou renovation secured

    Barcelona: Funding for Camp Nou renovation secured

    Barcelona has finally obtained financing for the renovation of Camp Nou and the neighborhood.

    The club first announced restoration plans in 2014, but since then, a number of issues have prevented even a small portion of the work from being completed.

    But now that the season is over, the project appears poised to go up fast after Barca announced on Monday that 20 investors have contributed €1.45 billion.

    Barca assured concerned fans that “club assets were not used as a guarantee and a mortgage wasn’t taken out on the stadium”, with repayments set to be made in instalments paid at five, seven, nine, 20, and 24 years “with a flexible structure”.

    “This operation once again confirms the club’s credibility regarding the Spotify Camp Nou project, the epicentre for Espai Barca,” a statement added.

    “The project is essential when it comes to keeping Barcelona at the forefront of world sport, is one of the foundations for the club’s economic recovery and future viability and is a tool to enable continuation of the governance model, whereby the over 146,000 Club members are its owners.

    “In the coming days the club will hold a press conference regarding the details of the operation.”

    While Barca will play out the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign at Camp Nou, it had already been confirmed they are to move to the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic for next season.

    Barca reportedly hope to be back at Camp Nou in late 2024.

  • We don’t need to pour blood because of politics – Lecturer

    We don’t need to pour blood because of politics – Lecturer

    Dr. Christopher Ampadu, a lecturer at Pentecost University, has stated that expressing ideas and viewpoints in a positive way is what politics is really about rather than criticizing opponents or making statements that could incite a fight.

    The lecturer highlighted his concern about the ongoing pattern of harsh criticism and intimidation in Ghanaian politics at a panel discussion on Peace FM on April 20, 2023.

    “Most of the time, we think that politics is all about attacking one’s opponent or insulting one another. And upon doing all these things, you will get people cheering you up, attributing it to boldness and braveness.

    “Politics is gradually turning into provoking one another for the other party to react or respond. That is not politics. Politics is about democracy, we share opinions, so, whiles sharing our opinions then it means that we are selling our messages to the people of the country. Politics is not about fights or conflict. Or pouring of blood,” he said.

    Dr. Ampadu questioned politicians about whether they are willing to die for their conflicting words.

    “So, because of that, you don’t have to be saying words that have the potential of generating conflicts or that will cause loss of lives and properties, because you making such statement, are you ready to die?” he added.

  • We are putting things together for 2024 election – Ellen Daaku

    We are putting things together for 2024 election – Ellen Daaku

    A member of New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) communications team, Ellen Ama Ofosuaa Daaku, says the ruling party is working to resolve all of its challenges before the 2024 elections.

    Speaking on TV3, she said this is to ensure “Ghanaians vote for us again.”

    She noted that in a worse case scenario, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot be considered an alternative.

    According to her, “the NDC must put themselves together and make themselves a credible alternative.”

    Madam Ellen Ama Ofosuaa Daaku asserted that the NDC has already accepted defeat, linking this to the presence of the Electoral Commission Chair, Jean Mensa.

    “As it is now, it looks like they have already psyching their party followers because of Madam Jean Mensa who is still the EC chair, we are going to lose,” she said.

  • 2021 Galamsey report: Prof Quarm refutes having any concession in his name

    2021 Galamsey report: Prof Quarm refutes having any concession in his name

    Prof. Albert Joseph Quarm, a former Manso Nkwanta MP, has refuted accusations that he participated in unlawful mining.

    This comes after former Environment Minister, Prof Frimpong Boateng, submitted names of people in government who frustrated his effort to fight what is locally called ‘galamsey’. He captured this in his 2021 report on the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

    Mr Quarm’s name was on the list, where he was accused of abusing his role as a member of the Minerals Commission board to acquire concessions and sell them.

    According to the report, the former MP sold the concessions to private individuals, including party members for GH¢200,000 per concession.

    But in an interview on Friday, Prof Quarm said “I do not even have a single concession…I do not even have a concession in my name.”

    “It is a fabrication,” he added, stating that he will have his lawyers write to Prof Frimpong-Boateng to retract and apologise.

    “If he doesn’t do it, I will advise myself,” Prof Quarm said.

  • List of bigwigs named in Prof Boateng’s ‘galamsey’ report

    List of bigwigs named in Prof Boateng’s ‘galamsey’ report

    Former Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has claimed that Ghana’s efforts to address illegal mining activities popularly known as “galamsey” came to naught due to actions of some personalities.

    According to him, individuals and institutions mandated by the law to protect the environment failed to do so and rather worsened the situation when he was minister.

    From 2017 to 2020, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng said institutions such as the Lands Ministry, Minerals Commission and Forestry Commission neglected their responsibilities.

    In his report, he revealed some individuals who allegedly caused mayhem to the environment through direct or indirect means.

    Below is the list of personalities who are allegedly behind the current state of the country’s environment:

    • Gabby Otchere-Darko

    Mr Otchere-Darko who is a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is alleged to have phoned Professor Frimpong-Boateng to defend a company that was actively destroying the environment, especially the forests and River Offin in the Apaprama and Kobro Forests.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/gabby-otchere-darko-fights-off-claims-of-his-alleged-involvement-in-galamsey/

    This claim has been rejected by Mr Otchere-Darko, who says he engaged the professor to seek information on his client (Heritage) – a company that had permits to mine.

    • The late Sir John (Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie)

    Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Prof Frimpong-Boateng said, was actively giving out timber concessions, even in forests reserves for logging.

    He also “gave forestry entry permits to mining companies, both large and small scale, including those of foreign nationals for prospecting activities at a time when the President had put a ban on that activity.”

    According to him, he referred to Sir John as the greatest danger to the forests in Ghana in the presence of the president.

    • Charles Owusu

    Mr Charles Owusu, referred to as the Director of Operations at the Forestry Commission in the report allegedly helped Sir John acquire Chinese gangs to mine. He was also mining a forest reserve without any permit and destroying forests, farm lands, water bodies and the entire biodiversity.

    • All members of the IMCIM (except Joseph Kofi Adda and Akwasi Oppong Fosu)

    The Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) which was rolled out by President Akufo-Addo in 2017 to fight illegal mining was allegedly abandoned by a number of its members.

    According to Prof Frimpong Boateng, the following names contributed to its collapse: Peter Amewu, then Lands and Natural Resources Minister (MLNR); Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, former Chieftaincy & Religious Affairs Minister; Dan Botwe, who was the then Regional Re-Organisation and Development Minister; Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, the previous Monitoring and Evaluation Minister; former Lands Minister, John Peter Amewu; Ambrose Dery, the Interior Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, the Defense Minister and Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah.

    • Joseph Albert Quarm

    Joseph Albert Quarm, the former MP for Manso Nkwanta, allegedly used his position as a member of the Minerals Commission to acquire several dozens of large scale concessions in his district, ostensibly for community mining purposes.

    “He ended up selling these concessions to private individuals, including party member for two hundred thousand Cedis per concession,” the report added.

    • Laud Commey, Charles Nii Teiko and Frank Asiedu Bekoe

    The trio, said to be appointees at the Jubilee House, are accused of supporting illegal mining activities by interfering with investigations.

    • Isaac Adjei Mensah

    According to Professor Frimpong Boateng, the former Wassa East MP, has been actively mining in the Subri forest for years.

    • Mr S.K. Boafo

    The former Chairman of the Minerals Commission Board is said to have helped sabotage community mining which was conceptualized by the Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). He reportedly called the MCE of Asante Akim Central to block the commissioning of a community mining site.

    • Donald Entsuah

    Donald Entsuah co-owned the mining company C&J Alyeska, with a Canadian national, Simon Ayman. It is said that his company prevented communities from getting access to forest reserves to proceed to their farms.

    • Kweku Baako

    The journalist is said to have sided with C&J and published unsavory things about Prof Frimpong-Boateng with regards to his work meant to end illegal mining.

    • Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

    Mr. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has been accused of assembling a group of journalists from both NDC and NPP-affiliated media houses at the Forest Hotel in Dodowa to discuss a strategy to bring down Professor Frimpong-Boateng.

    The Information Minister has however denied the claims.

    “Over the years, I had nothing but great admiration for Prof Boateng’s public spirited works and as an inspirational citizen. I feel gravely offended over the false claims he has made and the hurtful conclusions he has sought to exact about me precisely because of the great esteem in which I have held him,” he is quoted to have said by Ghanaweb.

    • Yaw Osafo Marfo

    The then Senior Minister is accused of shielding one Seth Mantey who was apprehended for unlawful excavator sale.

    • John Ofori-Atta and Ekow Ewusi

    Mr John Ofori-Atta, a former Nation Al Security Coordinator for the Central Region and Mr Ewusi are said to have contracted Seth Mantey, to use his Bank account at the National Investment Bank for what was alleged used for money laundering.

  • Elements in Ministry of Lands, Minerals Commission sabotaged members of illegal mining committee – Prof Boateng alleges

    Elements in Ministry of Lands, Minerals Commission sabotaged members of illegal mining committee – Prof Boateng alleges

    Former Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has revealed how the Ministry of Lands with support from the Lands Commission allegedly sabotaged community mining which was conceptualized by the Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) to check illegal mining activities.

    In a 37-page report dated March 19, 2021, the former minister said although the community mining project which was rolled out by President Akufo-Addo in 2017 received support from many, the Lands Ministry decided to treat it with intense hostility.

    According to him, this became so following the appointment of Kwaku Asamoah-Cheremeh.

    “Some elements in the Minerals Commission, including Mr S.K. Boafo, the Chairman of the Minerals Commission Board supported the position of the Ministry of Lands,” he said.

    The contention between the Committee and two other bodies, he said, was due to a clash over responsibility.

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

    “Apparently, they were angry that the IMCIM was at the forefront in matters concerning small scale mining, which they said were among the functions of the Minerals Commission.

    The effect of this antagonism was that several community mining sites that the IMCIM had planned and were ready to be commissioned were effectively sabotaged and blocked by the Minerals Commission and the Lands Minister (Peter Amewu – then Lands Minister),” he added.

    Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng said some sabotaged community mining sites were located in Asante Akim area in the Ashanti Region.

    He claimed that a day before the commissioning of the sites by the IMCIM, Mr S.K. Boafo called the MCE of Asante Akim Central to block the event lest lose her job.

    According to him, this matter was brought before the Chief of Staff who advised that they work together “but that advise was not heeded by the Lands Ministry and the Minerals Commission.”

    Currently, the Lands Ministry and the Minerals Commission are being headed by Samuel Abu Jinapor and Barbara Oteng Gyasi respectively.

    Meanwhile, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has accused the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, of masterminding his removal from office in 2020.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Man who shot minor and her parents for rolling into his yard arrested

    Man who shot minor and her parents for rolling into his yard arrested

    A North Carolina man has been detained in Florida on suspicion of shooting a six-year-old child and her parents after a basketball rolled into his yard.

    After a two-day manhunt, Robert Louis Singletary, 24, reportedly turned himself in to police on Thursday night in Tampa.

    The girl and her mother were treated in a hospital and released, but the father, according to the police, suffered critical injuries.

    There are four first-degree attempted murder charges against Mr. Singletary.

    He will also face charges from the police for two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of felon in possession of a handgun.

    The guy was previously known to the police for reportedly using a sledgehammer to abuse his girlfriend in December.

    Police in Gaston County first received a 911 call at 19:44 local time on Tuesday (11:44 GMT) about the shooting.

    A neighbour told reporters that the shooting had unfolded after a basketball rolled into the suspect’s yard.

    Local residents told US media that when the children went to retrieve their ball, the suspect shouted at them. A father of one of the children went to the suspect’s door and remonstrated with him.

    Police said the suspect went inside his home and came out with a gun before he fired indiscriminately at neighbours. The father who had argued with Mr Singletary was not injured by the gunfire, said neighbours.

    The girl was treated for bullet fragments to her cheek. Her mother suffered a grazing bullet wound to the elbow. Her father was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

    The six-year-old has since spoken out about the shooting in an interview with a local ABC news channel.

    “The bullet came back and the bullet went in my cheek,” said the girl, who is not being named by the BBC because of her age.

    She added that her father remained in hospital in Charlotte. He is being treated for a punctured lung and liver problems after he was shot in the back.

    Jonathan Robertson, who lives in the Gaston County neighbourhood, said: “They were playing basketball, and a ball rolled into his yard. They went to go and get it. It was just crazy.

    “We just never expected it in a million years. We never expected anybody would break a gun out amongst all those kids.”

    Gaston County Police Chief Stephen Zill said on Wednesday, “This sort of violence will not stand.”

    The shooting is the latest in a string of gun violence incidents across the US involving young Americans who are reported to have mistakenly approached the wrong person or home:

    • In Texas, 18-year-old cheerleader Payton Washington was shot and seriously injured on Tuesday after she mistakenly tried to enter the wrong vehicle in a parking lot near Austin, Texas
    • In New York state, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed on Saturday after a friend drove their car down the wrong driveway
    • Last Thursday in Missouri, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in the head and arm when he rang the doorbell at the wrong address.
  • Chief Imam declares end of Ramadan after sighting new moon

    Chief Imam declares end of Ramadan after sighting new moon

    On April 20, 2023, Muslims in Ghana broke their fast after seeing the new moon of Shawwal, the month that follows Ramadan.

    Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu spoke to the faithful late on Thursday after confirming the sighting of a new moon.

    He clarified that, in accordance with the announcement made this week by the Interior Minister, Muslims will offer the congregational prayers on Saturday, April 22, even though April 21 is the first day of Eid.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/muslims-deserve-two-holidays-to-celebrate-eid-ul-fitr-umaru-sanda/

    “In the exercise of his mandate as the National Chief Imam of Ghana, Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu has brought us here this evening to announce to us officially about the sighting or otherwise of the new moon of Shawwal marking the end of the month of Ramadan,” his spokesman said.

    On the details relative to the sighting of the moon, he stated: “Information that has come to the office of the National Chief Imam indicates that an authenticated information has come from the Ashanti Region with respect to the sighting of the moon, specifically in Kenyasi Troba in the Kwabre East District.”

    He said eight people had sighted the moon and made that information available to head of the Hilal (moon) committee of the Imam’s office which information was passed on and acted up by way of the announcement.

    “And in this regard, tomorrow (April 21), we are all not going to fast but as officially made known to us through the Chief Imam and the Minister of Interior, we are going to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday (April 22).”

    The national prayers is slated for Saturday at 10am, at the Independence Square in Accra.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/imam-stabbed-during-ramadan-morning-prayers/

    Meanwhile, some sections of the Muslim community will observe the Eid prayers today, one of the most prominent being by the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamah group. Their prayer is slated for the forecourt of State House.

  • Tottenham managing director, Paratici, resigns

    Tottenham managing director, Paratici, resigns

    Fabio Paratici has resigned as Tottenham’s managing director of football.

    The Italian, 50, exits after losing his appeal against a 30-month Italian Football Federation ban on certain football related activities, which FIFA extended worldwide.

    A club statement said: “Yesterday, Fabio was unsuccessful with an appeal against his Italian Football Federation ban on certain football related activities. 

    A club statement said: “Yesterday, Fabio was unsuccessful with an appeal against his Italian Football Federation ban on certain football related activities. 

    “FIFA ruled to extend the ban worldwide and, while there continues to be a dispute as to the scope and extent of the ban, the current worldwide ban prevents Fabio from fulfilling his duties as our managing director of football. 

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/paratici-steps-back-as-tottenham-managing-director/

    “Fabio has consequently taken the decision to resign from his position at the club with immediate effect to focus on his legal position in respect of the FIGC and FIFA rulings.”

    Spurs chairman Daniel Levy added: “This has been a stressful time for Fabio and his family. 

    “We wanted to ensure that we allowed for due process to be followed. Fabio is a man who lives and breathes football — we wish him well. 

    “As outlined in our year end results, we started several months ago to restructure our football operations and last week announced the appointment of Scott Munn as chief football officer to head up all the departments. 

    “We shall continue to strengthen our football functions over the coming months.”

    The FIGC Court of Appeal sentenced Paratici, who had been employed by Tottenham since the summer of 2021, to a two-and-a-half-year absence from employment in Italy.

    His involvement in charges of dishonest accounting at his former club Juventus, who received a 15-point deduction, led to the punishment being meted out.

    Despite an appeal, FIFA extended Paratici’s global suspension, and on March 31, he took an immediate leave of absence from his job at Spurs.

    On Wednesday, the Sports Guarantee Panel heard the appeal at the Italian National Olympic Committee.

  • Ronaldo, Beyoncé, other celebrities no longer have Twitter blue check

    Ronaldo, Beyoncé, other celebrities no longer have Twitter blue check

    On Thursday, the social media behemoth started deleting the formerly-desired blue tick verification from thousands of accounts.

    Elon Musk, the owner, is overhauling the social media company in an effort to make a profit.

    Users must spend $84 (£67) per year to subscribe to Twitter Blue in order to keep the check next to their name.

    Others kept their ticks while some lost theirs. Despite saying he would not pay to be verified, LeBron James still has a blue tick which is a “complimentary subscription” gifted by Elon Musk.

    The billionaire confirmed Stephen King and William Shatner also got the same deal.

    As the change happened, many formerly verified took to Twitter to joke about it, or mourn the loss.

    US Olympian Lolo Jones noted she’s still verified where it counts: her dating profile.

    Other users noted the irony that actor Jason Sudeikis had lost his verification, while Ted Lasso, the fictional character he portrays, had not.

    US rapper Ice T quipped the uproar over the checks was unnecessary.

    “The fact that we’re even discussing Blue check marks is a Sad moment in society,” he posted.

    The company first introduced the verification feature in 2009, after a former professional baseball player sued the social media giant over imposter accounts.

    The blue check became a status symbol and a sign of authority. But in the new Twitter-verse, Mr Musk wants users to pay to be verified.

    The decision to monetise verification could usher in a massive cultural and power shift on the platform.

    In the days before verification, Kanye West, Shaq and Ewan McGregor were among the first celebrities to speak out about being impersonated on Twitter. Now that the badges are gone, a celebrity’s follower count may become the only way to tell the difference between someone famous and an imposter.

    Within a few hours of losing verification, an account posing as Hillary Clinton, complete with the same profile picture as the former US Senator, “announced” she would again run for the presidency.

    Under Twitter’s new verification scheme, gold, grey and blue badges are meant to provide more context to how an account was verified.

    But the lack of verification is already causing confusion. In New York City, a new handle has claimed to be the “authentic Twitter account” representing the government.

    Experts warn these are the kind of tweets that could lead to the spread of misinformation.

    Mr Musk has tried to frame the decision to do away with verification as a way to democratise content on the site. But critics have argued the move will amplify disinformation as Twitter Blue subscribers will get prioritised rankings – Mr Musk has said that only verified accounts will appear in the site’s prominent For You stream.

    Social media monitors and experts fear the rise in paid verification will lead to an amplification of misinformation on the site. If that were to happen, it could scare off yet more advertisers – and undermine any extra revenue Twitter is getting from its verification subscription model.

    But Mr Musk said pain is a part of change.

    “I feel like we’re headed to a good place,” he told BBC News. “Overall, I think the trend is very good.”

    Source: BBC

  • UK Deputy PM resigns over bullying

    UK Deputy PM resigns over bullying

    Following an independent investigation into official charges of bullying, Dominic Raab, the British Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, resigned on Friday.

    Raab stated that the investigation had created a risky precedent but that he would continue to support the administration in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that was made public on Twitter.

    “I called for the inquiry and undertook to resign, if it made any finding of bullying whatsoever. I believe it is important to keep my word,” Raab said.

    However, he added: “In setting the threshold for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent. It will encourage spurious complaints against Ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving change on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people.”

    Raab’s resignation means a third senior minister has departed over their personal conduct since Sunak entered Downing Street in October promising a government of integrity.

  • Europa League: Sevilla show Man Utd the exit

    Europa League: Sevilla show Man Utd the exit

    Manchester United lost 3-0 in the away leg of their quarterfinal, giving Sevilla another opportunity to score twice, and as a result, they were eliminated from the Europa League.

    The game on Thursday at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan began with the score tied at 2-2 after two late own goals at Old Trafford.

    Youssef En-Nesyri contributed to United’s elimination with a brace following mistakes by David de Gea and Harry Maguire in the defense.

    Juventus will play Sevilla in the semi-finals after Sevilla advanced with a 5-2 aggregate victory thanks to goals from Loic Bade and other players.

    De Gea fed the ball into Maguire, who was quickly surrounded by three attackers on the edge of the penalty area and saw his attempted pass intercepted by Erik Lamela before En-Nesyri calmly slotted home.

    Sevilla continued to pose the greater threat and the VAR came to United’s rescue five minutes before the break when Marcos Acuna strayed offside before Lucas Ocampos brilliantly fired past De Gea.

    It was only a temporary reprieve as Ivan Rakitic’s corner looped up off Bade’s shoulder and over De Gea at the start of the second half.

    Ocampos somehow failed to add a third in a goalmouth scramble, allowing United to attempt their own two-goal comeback as Casemiro and Christian Eriksen went close.

    But any hopes of a United recovery were ended nine minutes from time when De Gea raced out of his box and failed to make clean contact with a clearance, giving En-Nesyri the opportunity to curl his shot around the stranded goalkeeper.

  • Sudan: UN, US, others call for 3-day truce to mark Eid-ul-Fitr

    Sudan: UN, US, others call for 3-day truce to mark Eid-ul-Fitr

    In order to put an end to the fighting in Sudan, which has claimed more than 300 lives in the past week, diplomatic pressure is being increased.

    The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, have been in conflict with the regular army.

    To celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, the UN, the US, and other nations have been calling for a three-day ceasefire.

    According to the RSF, a 72-hour ceasefire was agreed upon for humanitarian reasons. The army did not immediately respond with a statement.

    To coincide with the festival, the truce would start at 6:00 (04:00 GMT) on Friday, according to the RSF.

    However, the capital city of Khartoum still seems to be filled with the sound of gunshots and explosions.

    Two prior attempts at a ceasefire were unsuccessful.

    Last year, there was another agreement on transition, but by now the two men had become rivals who were unable to agree on how their armed forces could be merged into a single military.

    The head of the army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, earlier dismissed the possibility of negotiations with the RSF.

    The latest hope of a temporary truce came after UN Secretary General António Guterres appealed for a ceasefire to allow civilians to reach safety.

    The Eid ceasefire “must be the first step in providing respite from the fighting and paving the way for a permanent ceasefire”, Mr Guterres said.

    “This ceasefire is absolutely crucial at the present moment,” he added.

    Eid is the Muslim festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

    The UN has warned that between 10,000 and 20,000 people – mostly women and children – have fled Sudan amid bitter fighting there, to seek safety in neighbouring Chad.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also appealed to the warring military leaders separately to join a ceasefire at least until Sunday.

    Mr Blinken “expressed grave US concern about the risk to civilians, humanitarian and diplomatic personnel, including US personnel” from the fighting, the state department said.

    A Sudanese army statement said Gen Burhan had received calls from the Turkish, South Sudanese and Ethiopian leaders, as well as Mr Blinken and the Saudi and Qatari foreign ministers.

    People flee Khartoum, 19 April
    Image caption,People were seen fleeing Khartoum on Thursday

    The two military men at the centre of the crisis are Gen Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a former warlord known as Hemedti.

    Both served under the previous president, Omar al-Bashir, until they turned on him in 2019, after months of pro-democracy protests.

    They have large numbers of troops at their disposal. Gen Burhan has the regular military – around 120,000 strong – while the RSF has as many as 150,000, with a fearsome reputation for violence.

    They were part of a transitional administration that was supposed to pave the way for a democratic government.

    But in 2021 Gen Burhan staged a military coup, putting all that on hold.

    There are economic interests too, especially gold. It is the country’s biggest export, and Hemedti’s family has a big stake in it.

    It has strategic importance too. A lot of the gold goes to the United Arab Emirates. Russia’s Wagner Group, which has fighters in Ukraine, has lucrative mining interests too, which is very useful for the Kremlin.

    Sudan is Africa’s third biggest country. What happens there matters, to its neighbours and to the wider world.

    Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia and lots of other countries are vying for influence. And watching, nervously, to see if civil war is about to erupt.

  • They sold Ghana’s assets to foreigners – TUC pokes NPP,NDC

    They sold Ghana’s assets to foreigners – TUC pokes NPP,NDC

    Secretary-General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, has lamented the country’s poor economic state which has been worsened by successive governments.

    According to him, Ghana should have been at a good place since its Fourth Republic but that has not been the case due to deliberate mismanagement.

    He alleged that both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) have sabotaged Ghana by selling her assets to foreigners.

    “We know that even though we have been stable for the past 30 years politically, economically we are down to the extent that Ghana can now not pay our debts.”

    “These two parties – NPP and NDC – have sold all our assets to foreigners such that we now have to rely on debt to develop our country,” he said.

    He said there is nothing good to write home about when Ghana is compared to her sister countries in Africa.

    “Our incomes are terrible and even if we compare with our neighbours within the region, our incomes are among the lowest.”

    He called for a rethink, asking civil society to take up the responsibility of developing a roadmap for Ghana.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Ghanaian journalists are poorly paid, not given contracts and healthcare support – Report

    Ghanaian journalists are poorly paid, not given contracts and healthcare support – Report

    A report by the Communications Department of the University of Ghana and the Media Foundation for West Africa has revealed the ‘abusive’ and poor working conditions of journalists in the country.

    The report revealed that some journalists work for long months with pay and those who receive pay, receive woefully little.

    Again, it emerged that most media employees have no healthcare support and contracts, as well as counselling support should they experience trauma in their line of work.

    Also, “recruitment into the Ghanaian media is generally not transparent,” the report added.

    “There are no established structures for promotion in most media organisations; promotion is largely based on ‘whom you know’ and owners’/managers’ whims,” the report further noted.

    Per the report, data shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the worsening conditions in the media space. There has been a reduction of revenue and many job opportunities have been lost -social media and big tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter are likely to blame due to their presence in the information ecosystem. “Technological advancements…have also put major financial strains on media companies because they must retool and modernise their operations to remain competitive.”

    Some key findings in the report:

    FINANCIAL VIABILITY OF MEDIA

    ■ Generally, many media organisations in Ghana are not profitable; they only break even

    ■ The financial viability of many media organisations in Ghana is threatened.

    ■ Media in Ghana are creatively exploring new business models to stay alive; including digitization, conglomeration, events marketing and crowdfunding.

    ■ Digital technologies are fast-changing media financing models in Ghana.

    ■ Digital media are now a major source of income in the Ghanaian media.

    ■ One of the biggest threats to the financial health of the media is industry saturation.

    MEDIA OWNERSHIP AND REGULATION

    ■ In Ghana, media pluralism has not necessarily served the public interest, due mainly to concentration of media in a few hands.

    ■ Media ownership is shrouded in opacity.

    ■ There is a growing tendency towards media empire-building.

    ■ Political faces behind broadcast media ownership mean that partisan actors and governments can control public discourse.

    ■ The NCA has a laissez-faire attitude to questions about transparency in media ownership.

    ■ The current regime for broadcast regulation allows considerable power and influence to those whose conduct the media are supposed to check.

    SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS

    ■ There is a growing sense of insecurity among journalists in Ghana

    ■ Violations of journalists’ safety are quite common in Ghana.

    ■ Male journalists are more at risk of attacks than females.

    ■ Investigative journalists are the most at risk of attacks

    ■ State actors, including political appointees and police are the worst perpetrators of attacks on journalists.
    ■ Journalists feel that law enforcement agencies and the judiciary do little to protect their safety.

  • Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket explodes mid-air

    Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket explodes mid-air

    In a test flight that its creators, SpaceX, hoped would take the first step on a human voyage to Mars, the biggest and most potent rocket ever built launched from Texas but blew up within minutes.

    The 120-meter Starship rocket system launched on Thursday at 8.33 am local time (2.33 pm in the UK), following a launch that was postponed earlier this week due to a pressurization issue. About four minutes after departing the ground, it gained speed before beginning to spin at an altitude.

    It looked that the booster and cruise vessel of the rocket system couldn’t fully separate after takeoff, which may have contributed to the spacecraft’s failure.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/spacexs-starship-takes-off/

    SpaceX had earlier issued a warning that the chances of success were slim and that the test flight’s primary goal—regardless of whether the complete mission was accomplished—was to gather data. Even after the rocket burst, SpaceX employees continued to applaud.

    “As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation,” SpaceX said in a statement on Twitter, referring to the explosion.

    The Starship cruise ship, which is intended to eventually take up to 100 astronauts, was put on top of the Super Heavy booster rocket, whose 33 Raptor engines delivered the enormous power required for the unmanned sub-orbital test, making it the first “fully stacked” trial.

    The enormous spacecraft is over three passenger planes long and is 10 meters taller than the Saturn V rocket that launched explorers to the moon in 1969.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/spacex-starship-to-try-again-in-launch-of-historys-most-powerful-rocket-ever-developed/

    Musk said he developed Starship, previously named the BFR (heavily hinted to mean Big Fucking Rocket), so humans could eventually become an interplanetary species. To do this, he intends to begin the colonisation of Mars, which he said was needed to preserve humanity in case a planet-destroying event, such as nuclear war or an asteroid strike, wipes out life on Earth.

    SpaceX claims Starship, which has a payload capacity of up to 150 tons, will be able to transport dozens of people on long-duration interplanetary flights. It already has a privately funded trip for 11 people around the moon scheduled for this year, although that timing now appears unrealistic.

    The company has announced longer-term plans to also use the spacecraft as a shuttle for commercial travel on Earth, promising trips from London to Tokyo in under one hour.

  • Health, Finance Ministers accused of collapsing NHIS

    Health, Finance Ministers accused of collapsing NHIS

    The Health and Finance Ministers are to blame for the National Health Insurance Scheme’s (NHIS) failure, according to the Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Health Policy Research and Analysis.

    According to Dr. Thomas Anaba, both ministers co-piloted the program into a heavily indebted position that prevented it from carrying out its mandate in an efficient manner.

    He explained on JoyNews that before the appointment of both ministers, the program had never fared this poorly.

    He emphasized that the plan should have been able to function properly and without any hiccups at this point.

    Touching on Kwaku Agyeman Manu’s role in the schemes predicament, he said the Health Minister had misappropriated the little funds in the coffers of the Authority by paying nursing trainees and employing more than necessary staff.

    “The first thing he did was to appoint more Deputy Directors to the Authority [NHIA] drawing salaries and other things.

    “The other thing was to apportion some of the NHIA money to pay nursing trainee allowance. You don’t take money from service providers or patients to pay nurses in school.

    “They took some of the money to give to parliamentarians to act as PROs for the National Health Insurance. We kicked against it everybody was quiet, it continued,” he said.

    Dr Anaba emphasised that during the appointment of the Health Minister, the President touted him as the most qualified person to occupy the space but his performance proves otherwise.

    His comments come on the back of concerns by the health minister that he pays cash for healthcare because of extortion by some service providers under NHIS.

    “I pay when I go to Ridge Hospital. I pay when I go to UGMC. I don’t even present my insurance card…,” he said on Tuesday, April 18.

    Whilst speaking on Mr Ofori-Atta’s contribution, he added “the most important thing that has made the NHIS not to be functioning well is the refusal of the Finance Minister to transfer monies collected in the name of National Health Insurance as taxes to the Authority.”

    He stressed that despite the law which mandates the Minister to make payments, he failed to adhere.

    “The law says that the Minister must transfer monies collected in the name of NHIA  to them one month after that and report to the parliament about how the money has been disbursed,” however he added the minister had failed to do so.

    The Executive Director continued; “We have called several times for this to be done but all fall on deaf ears. characteristic of this government not paying heed to any calls from CSO, concerned Ghanaians, and listening to the plight of Ghanaians.”

  • Govt to construct fifteen-bedroom self-contained flats for GACL, DVLA and GMA – Akufo-Addo

    Govt to construct fifteen-bedroom self-contained flats for GACL, DVLA and GMA – Akufo-Addo

    As part of efforts to address accommodation challenges faced by public sector workers, the government is constructing fifteen-bedroom self-contained flats.

    According to President Akufo-Addo, the edifice will be occupied by employees of the Ghana Meteorological Agency, the Ghana Airport Company Limited, and the Greater Accra Regional Office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

    Speaking at the commissioning of the Kwabenya Police Barracks Project on Wednesday, April 19, the president noted that works are far advanced to ensure the implementation of the Aviation City Project.

    “I have been briefed that work is also far advanced on the construction of fifteen-bedroom self-contained flats for the Ghana Meteorological Agency, the Ghana Airport Company Limited, and the Greater Accra Regional Office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA). The completion of these projects is crucial to the implementation of the Aviation City Project,” President Akufo-Addo said.

    Since assuming office in 2017, the government has launched several initiatives aimed at addressing Ghana’s housing deficit, which currently stands at some two million units.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/president-akufo-addo-inaugurates-kwabenya-model-kindergarten/

    On Thursday, the Ghana Police Service received five hundred and fourteen (514) one- and two-bedroom self-contained flats, of which three hundred and twenty-two (322) have been completed and ready to be occupied. 

    Aside from residential purposes, the Kwabenya Police Barracks Project also provides a school with modern facilities, a clinic, an astroturf football field, a tennis court, a standby generator, a police station, a fuel filling station, a workshop enclave and other essential amenities.

    http://backend.theindependentghana.com/akufo-addo-adwoa-safo-inaugurate-school-in-kwabenya/

    This, the President said, “is further testimony of our unwavering commitment to provide decent accommodation and other facilities for our security personnel. Not only will this facility improve the welfare of our police officers, it will also enhance their capacity to serve our nation even more effectively.”

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and the developer the Lands Commission and Unique Development Company have been entreated to work in earnest and complete the remaining one hundred and ninety-two (192) housing units, and other facilities that make-up the second phase of the project.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Mamle Andrews appointed new Chief Director of Education Ministry

    Mamle Andrews appointed new Chief Director of Education Ministry

    The Ministry of Education has appointed Mrs Mamle Andrews as its new Chief Director.

    The ministry made the announcement on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

    Mrs Mamle Andrews is the new Chief Director of the Ministry of Education.

    According to the Education Ministry, it is “confident that her leadership and expertise will help to strengthen the education sector and improve the quality of education in Ghana.”

    They believe so due to her “wealth of experience having worked in various institutions in the country such as the Ministry of Information and some others.”

    The ministry therefore welcomed Mrs Mamle Andrews to her new role and wished her all the best in her endeavours.


    Source: The Independent Ghana