One of Africa’s most prominent businessmen, Sir Sam Esson Jonah, has entreated government to put into consideration the livelihoods of citizens when drafting policies meant to assist the recovery of the economy.
Addressing the fifth session of the 55th graduation of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the Chancellor of the institution, Sir Sam said citizens are not being shielded but rather government is playing the blame game.
According to him, “this is not the time for blame game.”
“We are facing unprecedented times against the backdrop of complex, volatile and uncertain economic and geopolitical developments.
“This situation has fostered a growing sense of hopelessness and helplessness, particularly among our youth, a development which has the potential to undermine the security and stability of our nation,” the UCC chancellor said.
Sir Sam Jonah described the economic situation as “very challenging,” with interest rates and inflation at intolerably high levels.
With the local currency also volatile, the business executive, who chairs the boards of a number of companies across the world, said it made for “a dangerous cocktail.”
“As we have been witnessing, there are no pretty policy choices for dealing with this situation,” he said.
In his opinion, the way forward is to take “our decisions with empathy and a keen understanding of the impact of our actions on the lives of our citizens.”
“My advice to key policymakers is that the times we live in call for a healthy dose of humility in decision making as we navigate the difficult path of economic restructuring,” he added.
The ceremony was for persons who completed various postgraduate programmes of study in the 2021/2022 academic year.
It was graced by the Paramount Chief of the Oguaa traditional area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, some Members of Parliament (MPs) and the academic community.
Make challenges opportunities
Turning his attention to the graduates, Sir Sam said they must view the challenging times as an opportunity for growth, innovation and change.
He said their UCC journey had given them the essential skills needed to weather the current storm and they must now be versatile, innovative and adaptable.
“You have also learnt that in life, success in any endeavour is a product of hard work, commitment, dedication, discipline and of course, the right attitude.
“Let me remind all of you that it is during the most trying moments in history that true leaders emerge and your education has provided you with the tools to become those leaders,” he said.
Sir Sam urged them to be creative and passionate as that would help them to make a positive impact on society.
He further encouraged them to stay curious, never stop learning and should not shy away from challenges.
“Your journey may not always be smooth but persevere because it is through adversity that we grow stronger and wiser.
The future of our nation lies in your hands,” he added.
On Wednesday, the UK and Ireland officially bid to host Euro 2028. Among the venues mentioned were the stadiums of Everton, Tottenham, and Newcastle United.
There are ten venues total in the bid: Wembley Stadium, Hampden Park, Principality Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Etihad Stadium, St. James’ Park, Villa Park, Hampden Park, Aviva Stadium, Casement Park, and the new Everton stadium, which is still being built.
While several games were played at Wembley Stadium and Hampden Park during Euro 2020, England also hosted the 1966 World Cup and Euro 96.
England also served as the host nation for the 2022 Women’s Euro, which ended with a victory for the country.
The bid claims the UK and Ireland is: “Committed to delivering a record-breaking tournament with more tickets than ever before to grow a more diverse and inclusive game,” saying there will be almost three million tournament tickets available.
Today, the UK and Ireland final bid to host UEFA EURO 2028 has been submitted.
The bid shows how our nations are collaborating to stage an historic football festival for all of Europe and take the tournament to new heights.#UKIreland2028
Mohammed Kudus is still certain that he would one day be named African Player of the Year.
The Ajax forward has been performing well for his club and nation.
On the Ajax TV program “Ask The Pro,” the 22-year-old was questioned about his future as a potential award winner.
He said, “I believe everything is possible in this world so definitely yeah I will be chosen one day.”
The former FC Nordsjaelland attacker is currently nursing a knee injury picked up in Ajax’s’ 2-1 win over rivals Feyenoord in the semifinals of the Dutch Cup.
Kudus has starred in the 2022-2023 season for the Dutch champions scoring 11 goals and adding two assists in 26 league games in the Eredivisie.
He featured in both games for Ghana against Angola in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers prior to picking up the injury in the tempestuous game against Feyenoord.
Kudus scored two goals and had an assist in three games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and was by far Ghana’s best player at the tournament.
Charles Leclerc has begged fans to cease visiting his home and respect his privacy.
The Ferrari driver is unaware of how information about his home address in Monaco became public after his watch was stolen in Italy the previous year.
Leclerc is happy to welcome supporters off-site, but he has strict rules about their showing up on his property.
“For the past few months, my home address has somehow become public, leading to people gathering beneath my apartment, ringing my bell, and asking for pictures and autographs,” Leclerc wrote on Instagram.
“While I’m always happy to be there for you and I truly appreciate your support, please respect my privacy and refrain from coming to my house.
“I’ll make sure to stop for everyone when you see me on the streets or at the track, but I won’t be coming downstairs if you visit my home.
“Your support, both in person and on social media, means the world to me, but there is a boundary that should not be crossed.”
Leclerc has suffered two DNFs in the first three races of the 2023 season and has just six points to his name.
Speaking after last week’s Australian Grand Prix, Leclerc said: “[It is] just extremely frustrating. I mean, it’s the worst start to the season ever, really. It is really frustrating.”
Didn’t drive well enough and a messy Q3 means we’ll only start P7. But the race is tomorrow, and I’ll give everything to come back 👊 pic.twitter.com/L8mEWOXN1e
Alhaji Karim Grusah, the owner of Ghana’s top division team King Faisal, has accused former player Ibrahim Tanko of failing to care for the team.
Tanko played for the Isha Allah club before joining Borussia Dortmund in search of better opportunities. He is currently the head coach of the Black Meteors.
Grusah claims that the 45-year-old coach left his childhood team to assume the position of technical director for the Accra Lions due to financial considerations.
The outspoken football administrator attacked Tanko harshly for not expressing gratitude when he needed him the most.
“Osei Kuffour has done his best. For Ibrahim Tanko, it was my brother who brought him to the team but at the time we needed a coach, he turned his back to us. He rejected us and accepted to be the technical director of Accra Lions because of money”
“Because I couldn’t afford his demands, Tanko also didn’t think about the good things I have done for him years ago” he is quoted to have said by FootballGhana.com.
Ibrahim Tanko is currently the technical director of Accra Lions who has been impressive this season in the Ghana Premier League.
The FA Cup semifinals will be organised at Dr. Kwame Kyei Stadium, according to FA Cup committee member George Ofosuhene.
King Faisal advanced to the semifinals in the quarterfinal matches by defeating Ghana Premier League leaders Aduana Stars 3-1 on penalties. Skyy FC defeated Mysterious Ebusua Dwarfs 1-0 in the second minute on Eric Antwi Konadu’s goal, advancing them to the semifinals.
Nsoatreman FC, a newcomer to the Premier League, also scored in the first half to defeat Real Tamale United, a three-time finalist, and secure a spot in the semifinals.
Dreams FC defeated Legon Cities 1-0 in overtime to advance to the semifinals.
“Well, the semifinals we will play the two here it will be a doubleheader here and I think it is going to be one of its kind. Abrankese Dr. Kyei Sports Stadium because if you look at this stadium and we want to develop football I think we should also promote things like this,” he is quoted to have said on Peace FM.
“So that the whole world will see what is also happening here. And I must say that you see flood lights working everything is intact those visiting us everybody is impressed so I must say you see I am happy it is exciting,” he added.
The Grand Prix of the Americas will not be attended by Marc Marquez this weekend as the Repsol Honda rider continues to heal from a hand injury.
In the Portuguese Grand Prix last month, the six-time MotoGP champion broke the first metacarpal bone in his right hand.
After having surgery, he missed the Argentine Grand Prix.
Marquez had been anticipated to make a comeback this week at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, but he revealed on social media on Tuesday that his knee has not yet entirely healed.
“I have just had a CAT scan and it was confirmed that the bone is still in the process of healing,” he said.
“After talking with the medical team led by Dr. Ignacio Roger de Ona, we have decided not to take any risks and therefore I won’t be able to ride in Austin.
“I will continue working and rehabilitating as I have been doing so far to be able to get back on the bike as soon as possible.”
Three Ligue 1 clubs in France are reportedly interested in signing Solomon Kessi, a young sensation from Ghana.
In nine games during the U-19 Championship, the 18-year-old has been outstanding for the RC Lens youth team, scoring four goals and dishing out two assists.
Due to his remarkable performance this season, Kessi, who is on loan from the Ghanaian Soccer Bridge Academy, has caught the attention of several big clubs in the French top division.
According to reports, AS Monaco, Olympique Lyon, and Olympique Marseille are prepared to compete for the youngster’s signature during the forthcoming transfer window.
Meanwhile, RC Lens has an option of acquiring Solomon Kessi on permanent basis before the expiration of the season-long loan deal.
The attacker was an integral member of the T.I Ahmadiyyah SHS (Real Amass) squad that won the Ashanti Regional Inter-Schools soccer competition in 2018.
He was offered a season-long loan deal with an option to buy from Ghanaian lower-tier side Soccer Bridge Academy after a successful trial period in August 2022.
In an interview with the BBC late on Tuesday, Elon Musk said that since taking over Twitter, the firm had let go of more than 6,000 employees.
The social networking site now only has 1,500 employees, down from under 8,000 at the time of his acquisition, according to Musk.
The layoffs represent over 80% of the company’s workforce.
At Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, the billionaire CEO told the British broadcaster that it’s “not fun at all” and at times “painful.”
The world’s second richest man said that “drastic action” was needed when he came on board, because the company was facing “a $3 billion negative cash flow situation.” That left Twitter (TWTR) with only “four months to live,” he estimated.
“This is not a caring [or] uncaring situation. It’s like, if the whole ship sinks, then nobody’s got a job,” Musk said.
Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion last October.
After initially offering to take over the company in April 2022, he attempted to get out of the deal, citing concerns over how many bot accounts it had. He has since radically overhauled Twitter: firing top executives, slashing jobs and enacting new policies on how user accounts are verified or labeled.
Since then, Twitter is now “roughly” breaking even and advertisers are returning to the platform, he told the BBC.
Musk also pledged to revise the label applied to the British broadcaster, from “government-funded” to “publicly-funded” after the BBC objected.
The designation was added over the weekend. The BBC had protested the move, saying that it “is, and always has been, independent.”
“We are funded by the British public through the licence fee,” it said at the time.
Musk also weighed in on US scrutiny of TikTok, saying that while he was not a user of the Chinese-owned app, he was usually “against banning things.”
“I mean, it would help Twitter, I suppose, if TikTok was banned, because then people would spend more time on Twitter and less on TikTok,” he mused.
“But even though that would help Twitter, I would be generally against banning of things.”
Musk also cracked jokes during the interview, saying that he was “no longer the CEO of Twitter” and had been replaced by his pet dog, a Shiba Inu named Floki.
Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, has cautioned President Akufo-Addo against his recent indifferent statements on the subject of LGBTQ criminalisation in Ghana.
According to the Dormaahene, Ghana’s current leaders have failed to explicitly make known the stance of majority of Ghana with regards to same-sex relations.
He noted that Ghanaian tradition abhors homosexuality and would not accept such acts. He insisted that the leaders must be “bold” and inform the Western world of the country’s decision.
“We want the West to know that there is no way we are going to accept LGBTQIA+. We support all African countries including Uganda who are enacting laws against these activities.
“Our custom is that if a man sees a woman he likes, he goes with his family to engage the family of the woman and they marry and this is what the Bible also supports. We will never accept marriage between a man and a man or a woman and a woman.
“I plead with our current leaders, anytime they speak about this issue of LGBT, they fail to go straight to the point. They are warm and cold on it. If you’re speaking on this issue, be bold and speak directly that the customs of the people of Ghana do not support them,” he said in Twi.
He made the statement at a gathering in Dormaa, in a video shared by Abranpredease TV on Wednesday.
The Dormaahene, who is also a High Court judge in his private life, also said that if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout and other assistance pledged by the Western countries are preconditioned with Ghana accepting LGBT activities, then the government should reject these offers.
He also criticised the Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, for saying that LGBTQ is a human rights issue during her three-day visit to Ghana, saying “when she was coming to Ghana did she come with a female as her husband or a man”.
What Akufo-Addo said:
At the joint press conference, both President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Kamala Harris were confronted with the issue of the criminalization of LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.
Responding to the question at Jubilee House, in Accra, on Monday, March 27, President Akufo-Addo refuted the suggestion that Ghana already had an anti-LGBT law.
He said that the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 (Anti-LGBTQI bill), which was championed by “only a hand full of MPs”, is currently being considered by Parliament.
Akufo-Addo added that even if the bill is passed, it will still have to be ratified by him. He also said that the anti-LGBT bill has been modified.
“The legislation was a private members bill; it is not an official legislation of the government but it is one that is being muted by a hand full of private members.
“My understanding from the recent discussion I had with the chairman of the committee is that the substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the Attorney General,” he said.
Data Zone bundle sales have been halted, according to Scancom PLC (MTN Ghana). On April 5, 2023, this came into effect.
The business says that this is because the package offer was reviewed in accordance with the Significant Market Power (SMP) directives that were applied to MTN Ghana in June 2020.
According to a public notice, the package offer is not to be the cheapest in the industry.
“We are currently engaging and collaborating with the Regulator, as we seek alignment on a revised Data Zone Bundle to be reinstated as soon as possible,” the notice added.
Members of the general public will be notified “in due course of further developments”.
Following the suspension and the delayed clarification, MTN subscribers took to social media to register their displeasure over the bundles suspension.
@MTNGhana@Citi973 MTN GHANA didn't see it fit to tell us what has happened to our ZONE DATA BUNDLE. They have behaved with impunity and that's gross disrespect to the general public. They rather direct you to use *141# or *138# as if we don't know those exist.
MTN Ghana says it deeply regrets the delay in its communication on the matter.
Data Zone Bundle is an innovation by MTN Ghana which previously gave customers a 1-day validity bundle at discounted rates at the point of purchase. Subscription was through the short code 135.
An anonymous homosexual man has revealed that many Ghanaian men swindle their wives under the guise of marriage to hide their actual sexual orientation.
According to Stephen (not his real name), his numerous sexual escapades have been with married men who are yet to come out of the closet or come to terms with their sexuality.
Speaking with GhanaWeb, he noted that these men pretend to be happy at home in order not to appear suspicious, but engage in same-sex activities in the shadow.
“Because, I’ve had instances where I’ve been with married men – a lot of married men, to be honest, a whole lot: who have their wives thinking they are in a happy home but then at the end of the day, when they pick their bags to go to work, they come to me before they go home,” he narrated.
Stephen’s revelation comes at a time when talks of criminalizing same-sex activities (LGBTQ activities) have heightened.
Parliament is considering Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill also known as the anti-LGBT bill which would ban one from identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and its related activities when it becomes law. Culprits would risk jail term.
Due to the high possibility of the passage of the bill which has been recommended for approval by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Stephen says he would get involved in a heterosexual relationship to stay off the radar – an action he considers unfair on the part of the woman.
He however noted that he would secretly continue having same-sex relations.
“A typical example, if I’m to marry in Africa, I will definitely marry a woman… I’ll still do men even in the absence of my wife; in secrecy, I’ll still do men, which I don’t think is fair to anyone’s daughter,” he said.
Nonetheless, Stephen insisted that in order not to “put your sister or anyone through such; I’d rather live my truth.”
At the Monte Carlo Masters, Stan Wawrinka made an impressive comeback triumph, but Andy Murray was eliminated in straight sets.
Both players, who have won three Grand Slam titles, had different results against Tallon Griekspoor and Alex de Minaur in their opening round matches.
Wawrinka, who hasn’t competed since Indian Wells last month, defeated the Dutchman with a score of 5-7 6-3 6-4, while Murray was easily defeated by the Australian with a score of 6-1 6-3.
“It was really important to stay calm with myself,” Wawrinka said. “In the first round you need to find your game. I am happy to get through. It was important to fight until the end.”
Brushing up for another week of action-packed tennis 🧹
Roberto Bautista Agut saved a match point in the second-set tie-break as he fought back to overcome Filip Krajinovic to prevail 5-7 7-6 (12-10) 6-1.
Dominic Thiem is also through following a 6-1 6-4 win over Richard Gasquet but 11th seed Cameron Norrie is out after suffering a 6-3 6-4 loss to Francisco Cerundolo.
Black Stars head coach, Chris Hughton, says he has confidence in the crop of players that comprise the senior national football team.
Speaking to SuperSport, the 64-year-old stated that he believes in the potential of his players, and therefore certain of getting good results.
“Getting results is about believing in the players and with what we have, I believe we have a talented group of players.”
“It is also about getting the right dynamics in the team and ultimately, it is about choosing the right materials to get the results,” he added.
Chris Hughton also spoke about the relevance of preparation. According to him, a “good team spirit, good team organization, togetherness and desire from the team to win a football match” are also needed.
“At the international level, I have learned that you would need real desire from the players because they represent the team,” he added.
Hughton will wrap up the qualifying game against Madagascar and the Central African Republic in June later this year.
The former Premier League will be hoping to lead the Black Stars to end the country’s 41 years trophy drought in Ivory Coast next in the 2024 Afcon.
Chris Hughton signed a 21-month deal as the head coach of the Black Stars, replacing Otto Addo.
The National Communications Authority (NCA) has announced to the Ghanaian public that it is coming out with a short code for individual subscribers to verify the number of SIM cards associated with a Ghana card.
The NCA is introducing a short code to prevent subscribers from trooping into the offices of telcos to verify the number of SIM cards associated with a Ghana card.
This comes after reports that SIM cards linked to peoples’ Ghana Cards are on the rise.
On its Facebook page on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the NCA indicated that the short code will be operational by the end of April 2023.
This is because testing by telecommunications service providers is yet to be completed and approved.
“The NCA and the Telcos have already been actively working on a short code for Individual Subscribers to verify the number of SIMs associated with a Ghana card; you just type the short code on your phone, and after a verification process using your Ghana card pin, the number of SIMs associated with the Ghana card will be displayed,” a part of the statement read.
Currently, all SIM cards that have not been re-registered with a Ghana card have been blocked from receiving voice and data services.
The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation began the SIM re-registration exercise in October 2021 as part of efforts “rid the country’s cyberspace of fraud, monitor and track down persons who use their phones for criminal activities.”
On March 31, 2023, subscribers who had linked their Ghana cards to their SIM cards but failed to complete the re-registration process had their SIMs disconnected.
The kidnapping of 80 persons last week in northern Nigeria has been denounced by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In Zamfara state, many of those taken hostage were women and teenagers who had been gathering firewood.
ECOWAS demanded the release of the kids in a statement.
It’s unclear who carried out the abductions. Armed criminal gangs frequently demand ransom while kidnapping people in Zamfara. This latest episode in a string of brutal crimes in Nigeria.
Armed gangs killed more than 70 people in two separate attacks in the central state of Benue last week.
On Friday, a camp for internally displaced people in the area of Mgban was targeted by gunmen and dozens killed.
And a week ago, a number of residents were shot in the remote village of Umogidi. Some were decapitated.
Bright Simons, the vice president of IMANI Africa, has provided some clarification about claims that the government of the United Kingdom (UK) has prohibited the hiring of health professionals from Ghana and 53 other nations.
Simons claims that contrary to popular belief, Ghanaian healthcare professionals are still permitted to come to the UK, but that active recruitment from Ghana and the other countries on the list has been suspended by local recruitment firms.
The UK government red-listed recruitment from the 54 countries, according to the IMANI vice president, in a series of tweets sent out on April 10, 2023, because the World Health Organization (WHO) has been requiring it to do so since 2020.
He added that the WHO had placed Ghana on its safeguard list to prevent the requirement of health professions from the country because they are needed locally.
“Reports that the UK has now placed Ghana & Nigeria on a ‘red list’ of countries from which nurses, doctors & care workers cannot migrate to the UK to work is NOT correct. Rather, Ghana & Nigeria have been on a WHO Safeguard List barring ‘active recruitment’ since 2020.
“The List, based on WHO’s 2010 Global Code of Practice, is voluntary. The UK has been lax in enforcement despite domesticating the code. WHO reaffirmed the list in Jan 2023 & pressure from UK health unions increased on the UK to comply & stop recruiting from Red List countries.
“The List, based on WHO’s 2010 Global Code of Practice, is voluntary. The UK has been lax in enforcement despite domesticating the code. WHO reaffirmed the list in Jan 2023 & pressure from UK health unions increased on the UK to comply & stop recruiting from Red List countries.
“Red List Health Workers themselves are not barred from migrating. But their “active recruitment” is barred. What this means is that employment agencies must not seek to attract health workers from such countries. The issue is that many intending migrants rely on such agencies,” parts of the tweets he shared read.
1/ Reports that the UK has *now* placed Ghana & Nigeria on a "red list" of countries from which nurses, doctors & care workers cannot migrate to the UK to work is NOT correct. Rather, Ghana & Nigeria have been on a WHO Safeguard List barring "active recruitment" since 2020. pic.twitter.com/SNbxXzTS2D
3/ Red List Health Workers themselves are not barred from migrating. But their "active recruitment" is barred. What this means is that employment agencies must not seek to attract health workers from such countries. The issue is that many intending migrants rely on such agencies.
In a statement, the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK stated that the listed nations have a UHC Service Coverage Index below 50 and a doctor, nurse, and midwives density below the worldwide median (48.6 per 10,000 population).
The list doesn’t stop specific health and social care workers from applying on their own initiative and without being targeted by a third party, like a recruitment agency or employer, to health and social care employers for employment in the UK. This is known as a direct application.
The countries placed on the red list of ‘No active recruitment’ under the code are Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia.
The rest are Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Republic of Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The video of a guy publicly calling for the death of the United Nation’s envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, has alarmed the organization, according to a statement.
The man has accused Mr. Perthes of meddling in the nation’s politics.
An elderly Sudanese man is heard on the tape, which has been making the rounds on social media, viciously attacking the UN representative before pleading for a fatwa to have him put to death.
The incident happened during a meeting held by Islamist parties linked to the ousted former leader, Omar Al Bashir.
In a statement, the organisers said the man’s comments did not represent their views.
The Sudanese government has been requested by the UN to look into the event.
Sudan is currently experiencing a political crisis as a result of leaders missing their deadline to form a civilian-led government this week. Current reform negotiations have been derailed by conflicts between military factions.
Last year, thousands of Islamist protesters called for the German diplomat to leave Sudan, accusing him and the UN of meddling in the country’s politics.
Sudan has faced near weekly demonstrations since the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power from a civilian government in October 2021.
Talks for the military to hand over power to a civilian led government have stalled due to differences within military factions.
Two South African football club officials who were held in a Libyan hotel for nearly three weeks due to a money dispute say they feared for their safety during the experience.
“When you see how Benghazi is – vandalised buildings, the army – you will get scared. We don’t see that often in South Africa,” physio Tebogo Amos Dhlomo told journalists on Tuesday.
After the game, they were held at the hotel due to unpaid bills, according to South African media reports.
Uncertainty surrounds the issue, however a club official is cited on the news24 website as blaming problems with electronic payment systems for forcing cash payments.
According to other accounts, the matter was settled as a result of the South African sports ministry’s intervention.
Mr Dhlomo and media manager Rufus Matsena returned home on Sunday but narrated their ordeal on Tuesday at a media briefing attended by government officials.
Residents of the Ethiopian city of Debrebirhan have told the media that at least two civilians who had sought refuge in a displacement camp have died during clashes there as protests in the nation’s Amhara region grow more violent.
Last week, when Ethiopia’s federal government announced a proposal to disband the Amhara region’s special forces, protests broke out. Locals worry that the change may leave the area vulnerable to attacks.
The revisions are one of the conditions of a peace agreement that the federal government and former rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed last November to put an end to the war.
Residents have told the BBC that Tuesday’s clashes between federal security forces and local militias in Debrebirhan, 130 km north of the capital, Addis Ababa, stayed for hours.
According to one resident, the two individuals killed were sheltered in a camp in the city after fleeing ethnic-based violence in the country’s western Oromia region.
Another resident said protesters raided a police department in the city, vowing to free people detained in connection with a massive anti-government rally on Sunday.
There have been eight different statements from federal and regional authorities since protests began in which they argued the integration of the special forces into the national army or police will strengthen the country’s security apparatus, but the protests have continued.
The unrest was reported in the Amhara capital, Bahirdar, on Tuesday.
In the latest statement, the head of the ruling Prosperity Party’s regional branch blamed the violence on “failure to create awareness”, and said the government was ready to resolve any issues through dialogue.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the president of Zimbabwe, has accepted an invitation to the coronation of King Charles III, which will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London.
On Tuesday in the nation’s capital, Harare, the president and the UK ambassador met to talk about the upcoming coronation.
Ambassador Melanie Robinson tweeted a picture of the meeting in which they also talked about “trade, investment projects and the importance of peaceful, free and fair elections later this year”.
“The president has been invited and has accepted that invitation and will be travelling to London for that,” Ms Robinson is quoted as saying by the state-owned Herald newspaper.
Following the implementation of land reforms during the administration of former long-time leader Robert Mugabe, Britain’s relations with Zimbabwe deteriorated.
Both the US and the EU continue to impose sanctions on organizations and leaders in Zimbabwe, including President Mnangagwa.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, has begun the campaign for his party to maintain control as he looks to serve another 20 years in office.
Six opposition groups have united to fight him in the strongest way yet in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections on May 14.
In addition to dealing with high inflation, Turkey is still recovering from twin earthquakes that have killed 50,000 people. Inflation would be reduced to single digits, according to Mr. Erdogan and the AK Party, a pledge already made by his rivals.
Under President Erdogan, Turkey has become more autocratic, and the opposition wants to change that.
Any candidate that can secure more than half the presidential vote on 14 May is the outright winner. Failing that, the race goes to a run-off two weeks later.
Whichever party wins the parliamentary vote is seen as having a psychological advantage if the presidential election goes to a second round.
Erdogan’s challenge
Turkey’s voters have been polarised for years, but Mr Erdogan, 69, is under pressure as never before. Turkey has become increasingly authoritarian under its current leader, who runs Turkey from a vast palace with much of the media controlled by his allies.
He has ruled Turkey since 2003, initially as prime minister but then as president since 2014, dramatically increasing his powers three years later after a failed 2016 coup. His AK Party has been in power since November 2002.
Increasing numbers of Turks have blamed him for soaring inflation, because of his unorthodox refusal to raise interest rates. The official inflation rate is just above 50%, but academics say it is actually higher than 100%.
Image caption,President Erdogan’s government has been criticised for its response to the twin earthquakes
Turkey’s president and ruling party have also been widely criticised for failing to adapt Turkey’s construction practices before the 6 February earthquakes and for mishandling the search and rescue efforts afterwards.
Millions of Turks were left homeless in the 11 provinces affected by the quakes. Since many of them are seen as Erdogan party strongholds, the election could be won and lost in the east.
His AK Party is rooted in political Islam, but he has forged an alliance with the ultra-nationalist MHP.
Six opposition parties – one candidate
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, comes across as a mild-mannered, bookish opponent and he has presided over a string of election defeats at the helm of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
But this time could be different as he is fighting as a unity candidate for six opposition parties, ranging from his own centre-left party and the nationalist Good party to four smaller groups, which include two former Erdogan allies one of whom co-founded the AK Party.
Image caption,Kemal Kilicdaroglu has agreed that the leaders of his alliance will all share the role of vice president
Mr Kilicdaroglu also has the unofficial backing of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish HDP, which is running for parliament under the banner of another party, the Green Left, because of a court case alleging links to Kurdish militants.
His selection was not universally popular, because some considered the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara as better candidates after they took control of the cities in 2019 for the CHP for the first time since 1994.
A former civil servant who is part of the Alevi minority, Mr Kilicdaroglu led a 24-day march for justice in 2017 which was seen as the biggest show of defiance against President Erdogan’s rule for years.
His Nation’s Alliance, also known as the Table of Six, are united in their desire to return Turkey from the presidential system created under Mr Erdogan to one led by parliament. To change the system, they need to win 400 of Turkey’s 600 MPs, or 360 MPs to take a proposal to a referendum.
The leaders of the other five members of the alliance have agreed to take on the roles of vice-president.
Splitting the vote
Turkish opinion polls are notoriously unreliable, but any chance Mr Kilicdaroglu had of winning the election outright in the first round appears to have been dashed by the decision of a former centre-left party colleague, Muharrem Ince, to join the presidential race.
Mr Ince, 58, was the Republican People’s Party presidential candidate in 2018, but left two years later because of differences with Kemal Kilicdaroglu, He now runs the secular nationalist Homeland Party and has faced accusations of diluting the opposition vote and playing into President Erdogan’s hands.
But he has a strong presence on social media and young voters in particular have been impressed by his dance moves on TikTok.
One other candidate with little chance of significant success is ultra-nationalist Sinan Ogan, but he too has the potential to be a kingmaker.
How does the vote work?
To enter the 600-seat parliament, a party needs to attract 7% of the vote or be part of an alliance that does. That is why alliances have become so important in Turkey, and the six-party opposition have highlighted changing that as one of their proposed reforms.
Image caption,Meral Aksener, leader of the Good Party, is one of the main backers of the opposition alliance
Turks vote for party lists rather than candidates under proportional representation, so seat numbers correspond to votes cast per party rather than alliances. In some seats, the opposition has agreed to fight under one party banner.
Candidates running for the Green Left instead of the pro-Kurdish party are part of the Labour and Freedom Alliance.
Under the Erdogan reforms, it is now the president who chooses the government, so there is no prime minister. And if his broad People’s Alliance fails to win a majority in parliament, he may struggle to rule in the same way as now. The pro-Erdogan People’s Alliance currently has 334 MPs.
Mr Erdogan has already served two terms as president, so a third appears to go against the rules of Turkey’s constitution.
But Turkey’s YSK election board ruled that his first term should be seen as starting not in 2014 but in 2018, when the new presidential system began with elections for parliament and president on the same day.
Opposition politicians had earlier asked the YSK to block his candidacy.
How would the opposition change Turkey?
The Kilicdaroglu-led Nation’s Alliance alliance wants to restore Turkey’s parliamentary system and reform the presidency, removing the head of state’s right to veto legislation, cutting the post’s ties to political parties and making it electable every seven years.
The six parties also want to kickstart Turkey’s decades-long bid to join the European Union and restore “mutual trust” with the US, after years of fractious relations during the Erdogan years.
They have pledged to bring inflation below 10% within two years and send Syrian refugees home voluntarily. Turkey currently hosts some 3.6 million Syrian refugees.
A public health nurse at Holy Family Hospital, Techiman has advised nursing mothers against fasting while breastfeeding.
Engaging the media amid the Ramadan Islamic celebration, Zulfawu Ahmed revealed that lactating mothers who abstain from food deprive their children and themselves of nutrients needed for growth and good health.
She noted that there is a possibility of dehydration in children as water comprises the majority of human breast milk, low Intelligence Quotient (IQ), as well as loss of micronutrients such as zinc, potassium among others.
“There is the likelihood that it will reduce calorie and water intake. It can cause dehydration. We know that milk – more than 50 percent is made up of water. So if a woman is dehydrated, it means that the milk supply will be affected. The baby won’t get enough breastmilk.”
“If the child gets low micronutrients, it will obviously affect brain growth. The child could grow with a low IQ,” she added.
Public health nurse at Holy Family Hospital, Techiman, Zulfawu Ahmed
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure are less common among women who breastfeed. This implies that lactating mothers who abstain from breastfeeding risk suffering from these illnesses.
Human milk consists of 87% water, 1% protein, 4% lipid, and 7% carbohydrate (including 1 to 2.4% oligosaccharides). It also contains minerals calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
Breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates.
Breastfed babies are also less likely to have ear infections and stomach bugs.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar mandates eligible Muslims to fast between 29 to 30 days.
Children who have not reached puberty, the elderly, those who are physically or mentally incapable of fasting, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and travellers are exempted from participating in the fast.
Afghanistan is at the biggest risk of famine in a quarter-century, according to the U.N. food agency, and it urgently needs $800 million over the next six months.
After the Taliban took power in August 2021 and the economy collapsed that followed, aid organizations have been supplying food, education, and health care assistance to Afghans. However, a Taliban decree that forbade women from working for domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations last December has had a significant negative impact on distribution.
Although the U.N. was not a party to this restriction, it claimed last week that Afghan women were no longer permitted to work for its agencies there because of the Taliban-led government. The restriction has not yet been addressed by the authorities.
The World Food Program stated that female staff members are actively involved in delivering the organization’s food and nutrition support and that it will “make every possible effort” to maintain this.
“The WFP urgently needs $800 million for the next six months to continue providing assistance to people in need across Afghanistan,” the organization said. “Catastrophic hunger knocks on Afghanistan’s doors and unless humanitarian support is sustained, hundreds of thousands more Afghans will need assistance to survive.”
A recent charity auction has broken the most expensive automobile license plate was sold in Dubai.
Plate D 5 bought by Businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni in 2016 for 33 million dirhams ($8.9 million) has been outshined by plate number P 7 over the weekend, sold for 55 million dirhams, equivalent to $15 million.
Emirates Auction sold plate number P 7, which at first glance appears to be the number 7 alone with the P off to the side. The identity of the buyer is currently unknown.
The UAE regularly auctions off vanity license plates that the super-wealthy use to flaunt their rank and wealth in order to raise money for charity.
The proceeds will go to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s 1 Billion Meals Endowment, a global food relief effort. He is the ruler of Dubai.
Vanity plates have also fetched eye-watering prices outside the Middle East: Someone bought the single-letter “R” plate at auction in Hong Kong earlier this year for HK$25.5 million ($3.2 million).
Per reports, California plate MM, valued at $24.3 Million, takes the top spot for the most expensive license plate in the world.
“Two-character plates are the hardest to find in the U.S., and plates using the same letter for both characters are rarer still. In fact, there are only 35 of them in existence. This particular plate is also dished up with an NFT, making it more valuable still,” Luxe Digital adds.
Founder and Leader of the Charismatic Temple International Ministry, Rev. Paul Kusi Appiah is optimistic about Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia becoming President come 2025.
According to the man of God, although the Vice President is yet to declare his presidential ambition, he will become Ghana’s next president because “the victory of Bawumia is sealed and there is nothing anyone can do about it”
He again noted that “Dr Bawumia has already won the elections in the realms of the spirit.”
Rev. Paul Kusi Appiah prophesied that the Vice President “will sweep 10 regions out of the 16 in 2024.”
Dr Bawumia, he said, will be the most loved President ever, beating late President Atta Mills, who many regarded as “Asomdwe Hene.”
He therefore questioned the authenticity of men of God who have not publicly predicted the victory of the Vice President who believes the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will retain power following the next polls.
“I wonder why some Prophets can’t see the power of victory showing towards Bawumia. I don’t know if we have five Gods or so,” he quizzed.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in one of his recent posts on social media suggested that he may declare his presidential ambition shortly.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, the Vice President wrote “It is Possible!’, posting with the Ghana flag and the flag of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on all his social media pages.
This statement is ambiguous however some social media users are reading meaning into it. They believe this is a subtle way of indicating his interest in the NPP flagbearership race.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has called the bluff of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over their intention to withhold power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) come 2025.
Over the weekend, an NPP MP, Bryan Acheampong, the MP for Abetifi told party faithful that the Party would at all cost win the 2024 general elections.
He added that if the NDC dares to use threats and brute force in the 2024 election, the NPP will show them that “we have the men.”
Reacting to the Mr Acheampong’s statement, Mr Nartey George in a Facebook post over the weekend belittled the armor of the ruling party asking that “people who did a 6 month Military Course now threaten the NDC? I mean how?”
According to him, there is no need to get worried over “the rantings of scarecrows and hype simpletons into cult status.”
He has therefore challenged the NPP to stay true to their words.
“Can we go back to our old days? We are children of a REVOLUTION! Can we call these imposters out and dare them to try? Let’s stop glorifying folks who don’t deserve our attention and focus on what we have to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NDC want the Police to execute their mandate and invite the Abetifi MP in for questioning over his “treasonable” statement.
A new ultra-modern brick police station at Obo Kwahu in the Eastern Region has been commissioned by President Akufo-Addo.
The President was assisted by the Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akufo-Addo Dampare, and some members of the Police Management Board during the commissioning on April 8, 2023.
The facility was funded by Mr. Alex Tenkorang, a native of Obo Kwahu.
Per the Police, the security edifice is the first of its kind in the country.
Present at the commissioning were Chiefs and Queen Mothers of Obo and Obomeng, as well as some members of the Obo Kwahu community.
Obo Kwahu community and its environs in the Kwahu South District can now benefit from enhanced security.
After a video of the Dalai Lama acting inappropriately toward a boy went viral, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a South African opposition group, has demanded that Indian authorities detain and prosecute the Tibetan leader for child abuse.
The 87-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader can be seen in the video inviting a young child to “suck his tongue” while kissing him on the lips at a public gathering.
The incident seems to have occurred in February at the temple of the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala.
The Dalai Lama has apologized, saying that he regrets the occurrence, in response to a widespread international outrage over the matter.
In Tibet, sticking one’s tongue out might be a sign of welcoming.
The EFF said the “lame apology” should be rejected as it came a month after the incident.
Its statement said the Indian authorities needed to send a stern warning “to all those who dare to harm children that they will be prosecuted harshly regardless of their status”.
The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959, following an uprising against Chinese rule there.
A former cabinet minister who was serving a five-year sentence after being found guilty of abusing his position has been pardoned by Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera.
In 2020, Uladi Mussa received a six-year prison term for corruption related to the unauthorized issuance of passports.
According to Ken Zikhale Ng’oma, minister of homeland security, his release was a kindness gesture over the Easter season.
Between 1994 and 2019, Mr. Mussa served as a minister under four different presidents, and he is still a powerful politician in the nation.
He was involved in the passport scam when former President Joyce Banda was in office.
In 2019, the US government imposed a travel ban against him and his spouse over his role in the scandal.
Mr Mussa was released together with 199 other convicts, who “committed minor offenses and have demonstrated good behaviour during their stay in prison”.
They include a driver who was arrested and charged last year after refusing to give way to President Chakwera’s convoy.
A member of the Minority in Parliament, Alhassan Suhuyini, has alluded that some National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs were bribed by the government to approve its newly sworn in ministers.
Speaking on Pan African Television (Aljahi & Alhaji) over the weekend, the Tamale North MP indicated that an amount of GHS40,000 was all that was needed to turn the decisions of some members of the Minority.
He implied that the dire circumstances some MPs live in made them susceptible to bribes – a condition he does not affiliate with. Mr Suhuyini therefore stated that he would not be able to vouch for his colleagues with regards to being loyal.
“I know my colleagues. So if I use myself as a yardstick, I will be unfair. And I say that I can’t be tempted with money. But I know the situation that others live in. So when you give them a task at a time I know they can be tempted with money and I draw your attention to it, it is not because I can be tempted with money. So we need a strategy. Some people, GHC40,000 to raise that to file was such a big deal. Yes, it doesn’t excuse whatever they did. But that is judging them on your standard and not their standard,” he said.
The Tamale North MP noted that the betrayal could have been avoided should things have been put in their rightful places by the party leadership.
“It is condemnable, unacceptable that anybody in Parliament will sacrifice a party interest, National interest for that but people did. Could you have prevented it? I believe we could have a party, if we were honest and planned better,” he asserted.
On March 24, 2023, the Minority in Parliament came under intense criticism by the rank and file of the NDC.
The NDC MPs failed to uphold their word to reject the five individuals President Akufo-Addo had appointed to head a number of ministries.
Since then, it has been speculated that some MPs had been convinced by the government with a token. The exact MPs who were compromised have not been fished out since the incident.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Fiifii Kwetey, per reports, has however, provided an uncompleted list of loyal MPs who voted against the approval of then ministerial nominees.
So far, the identities of 46 loyal NDC MPs have reportedly been released by Mr Fiifi Kwetey via Whatsapp. It is believed that 39 MPs betrayed the party.
Kobla Mensah Wisdom Woyome (South Tongu MP), Gizella Akushika Tetteh-Agbotui (Awutu Senya West MP), Ernest Henry Norgbey (Ashaiman MP), Edward Abambire Bawa (Bongo MP), Yusif Sulemana (Bole Bamboi MP), Richard Kwame Sefe (Anlo MP) and Yao Gomado (Akan MP) are among those viewed as loyalists.
But the likes of former Minority leader and his ex-Chief Whip, Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mubarak respectively, are yet to find their names on the list.
Following the incident, Mr Muntaka Mubarak spoke against the fact that Party interests were being pursued in Parliament rather than national interest.
“We are taking too many entrenched positions on both sides, those in government taking too much entrench position, those in opposition taking extreme positions and I can tell you this is not helpful to our country, it is not helpful to us.
“The better both sides begin to think that there is a national interest above the NPP interest and above the NDC we will be sinking our country,” the Asawase MP stated.
Meanwhile, Mr Alhassan Suhuyini has entreated the leadership of the NDC to effectively liaise with the leadership in Parliament and stop acting like “coaches” directing what should be done in the House.
“Party leaders are not chosen to manage Parliament. They are not chosen to be coaches of Parliament. They are chosen to run the party alongside Parliament. So when you have debates in Parliament and the Parliamentarians win that debate, you expect the national organisers and women organiser, Chair and secretary to be massing people up on the street to complement what Parliament is doing.
“But what we have are Executives sitting on the bench coaching Parliament and that will not take us to victory. I say this at the risk of sometimes being ostracized. But our party leaders must begin to wake up and understand that the 2024 election will not be won in Parliament,” he cautioned.
On the other hand, President Akufo-Addo on April 4, 2023, swore into office his five new ministerial appointees approved by Parliament..
Trade Minister KT Hammond and his deputy Dr Stephen Amoah, Bryan Acheampong, the Agric Minister, Chieftaincy Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Dr Mohammed Amin Adams, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Minister of Local Government, Osei Bonsu Amoah took their oath at the ceremony which took place at the Jubilee House.
In his speech, President Akufo-Addo urged the ministers to uphold the interest of Ghanaians as their appointment comes at a critical time in Ghana’s history.
He noted that there is “enough time to make a difference and make a significant contribution to the development of the country.”
Around 1,200 migrants are being rescued by the Italian coast guard from overcrowded boats off the coast of Sicily in two massive operations.
On one of the fishing boats, there are about 800 passengers, while on the other, there are about 400.
Since Friday, the nation’s coastguard has already saved about 2,000 people through separate operations.
According to the German non-profit ResQship, at least two persons perished during the weekend’s boat crossings.
Despite efforts by the right-wing coalition administration to crack down on irregular migration, the number of migrants arriving in Italy has sharply increased in comparison to the same period last year.
The boat carrying 400 people, which is believed to have set out from Tobruk in Libya, was still without help late on Monday evening, according to an unofficial hotline for migrants in distress, Alarm Phone.
It said it had raised an urgent alarm with the authorities of Italy, Greece and Malta on Sunday.
German non-governmental organisation Sea-Watch International said two merchant vessels near one of the ships had been ordered not to help with rescue efforts by Malta while the boat was in Maltese waters. Instead, one of the ships had been allowed to supply it with fuel and water. The Maltese government has not commented on the matter.
Alarm Phone said that it had been in contact with people on board the boat, which is now in Italian waters south-east of Capo Passero. It said the boat was adrift and taking on water on Sunday. A woman on board also said it was without its captain and had several people in need of medical care.
An operation to rescue the 800 people on the other boat is also under way south-east of Syracuse, but the operation has been complicated by overcrowding on board, the Italian coast guard said. It was not immediately clear where the boat had set out from.
Other boats arrived at the Italian island of Lampedusa, one of the main arrival ports for people wanting to reach Europe, over the weekend.
At least two migrants died and around 20 others were missing after their boat sank on Saturday night, ResQship said.
According to monitoring group IOM Missing Migrants Project, more than 26,000 people have died or gone missing at sea in the central Mediterranean since 2014.
A forward with a promising future, Antoine Semenyo, has voiced his appreciation for renowned Ghanaian attacker Asamoah Gyan.
Semenyo, a forward for Bournemouth in the English Premier League, talked about his desire to emulate Gyan and succeed as a football player.
His remarks clarified the significance of having motivating role models to look up to as well as the effect role models may have on young football players.
“I used to watch him when he came to AFCON competitions and the World Cup. He was such a big player and I dream to be exactly like him,” he told GhanaWeb.
Antoine Semenyo scored Ghana’s only goal against Angola in the first leg of the Afcon 2023 qualifiers doubleheader last month at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
Born in England, Semenyo is of Ghanaian descent. He debuted with the Ghana national team in a 3–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification win over Madagascar on 1 June 2022.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has taken a swipe at President Akufo-Addo for raising the hopes of Ghanaians with regards to the period in which the country would obtain a credit facility worth $3billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Addressing members of the Diplomatic Corps at the Peduase Lodge in February, the president gave the assurance that the two parties will broker a deal by the end of March to ensure Ghana’s economy sees a recovery.
“I am confident that with the cooperation we have received from the members of the Paris Club and the People’s Republic of China, which sent a delegation from China’s EXIM Bank to Accra over the weekend to meet with officials of the Ministry of Finance, we shall be able to go to the Board of the Fund to conclude finally the agreement by the end of March,” he said.
However, it has been seven days since the deadline provided by the government elapsed and the government is yet to make a statement about the matter – a situation that has left the North Tongu MP dissatisfied.
In a social media post on April 5, 2023, Mr Ablakwa vented his spleen, arguing that the President Akufo-Addo-led government must answer to Ghanaians and provide reasons why Ghana is yet to conclude its engagement with the Fund.
“What should happen when a President and his top officials assure Parliament and the entire nation on multiple occasions that Ghana will secure an IMF bailout deal by March this year?
Should the citizenry, like their government functionaries, pretend that March didn’t end five days ago? Don’t Ghanaians deserve an apology and an explanation at the very least?” he quizzed.
“Leadership must respect the Ghanaian people,” the legislator added.
He insisted that the government must bear the brunt of its actions as it was cautioned by relevant stakeholders in the economy to be measured in its expectation of an IMF-credit facility in the shortest possible time.
“Why did so many experts, civil society and the opposition foresee that a March deal was ridiculously impossible, and yet President Akufo-Addo kept issuing firmer assurances including when he delivered his Message on the State of the Nation in Parliament,” Mr Ablakwa wrote.
To prevent such an incident from recurring, Mr Ablakwa has called for the amendment of Parliament’s Standing Orders (Order 174) to “expressly make an opposition MP the Chair of the Committee on Government Assurances and to provide for strict consequences for grand governmental deception.”
Background
The IMF staff and the Ghanaian authorities in December 2022, reached a staff-level agreement on economic policies and reforms to be supported by a new three-year arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) of about US$3 billion.
This was six months after Ghana officially commenced engagement with the Fund.
Current challenge
Ghana has not been able to secure financing assurances from its partners and creditors. For this reason, it has been unable to present its programme request to the Executive Board for approval.
China, Germany are among the countries yet to give Ghana the green light. Per reports, China is Ghana’s single biggest bilateral creditor with $1.7 billion of debt. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is however optimistic that China would come on board.
What has been said about March deadline
The Finance Minister has warned that the economy would collapse should Ghana fail to secure an agreement with the IMF by March.
Currently, it cannot be said that the economy has collapsed, but the country is facing an economic crisis.
Meanwhile, Former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, who stated that a March deadline was not achievable, is predicting the end of May 2023 as the likely date for which the Board of the International Monetary Fund will approve a programme for Ghana.
Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, on April 5, 2023, engaged officials of Siemens Energy SAS on re-equipping the National Interconnected Transmission System (NITS) as part of projects to be undertaken in the energy sector.
The Energy Minister during the engagement, noted that his focus is to strengthen the western segment of the NITS and increase transformation capacity for enhanced performance reliability.
The national interconnected transmission system is to comprise electricity plants and equipment within the borders of Ghana that are operated at any voltage higher than 36kV, as well as any supply equipment that are for shared or for common use.
Siemens Energy SAS at the Ministry of Energy
The system is to provide a fair, transparent, non discriminatory, open access, safe, reliable, secure and cost efficient transmission and delivery of electricity, but there have been a number of challenges.
Most often, transmission lines are overloaded and not properly maintained. Also, low water levels at the Bui reservoir has reduced electricity quality in communities close by.
According to Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, he stands committed to ensuring power supply reliability to Ghanaians, thus “the critical infrastructure of transmission continues to be prioritized for optimal delivery.”
“I look forward to a successful implementation of all the crucial phases of the project, seeking the necessary governmental approvals as we continue to work hard to keep the lights on for Ghanaians,” Dr Opoku Prempeh assured.
Siemens Energy SAS’ portfolio covers a wide range of applications to design, finance, build, operate and maintain a modern smart grid and power distribution systems.
Ghanaian social media users are still processing a strange crocodile-related incident.
According to a video that surfaced on Tuesday, April 4, a woman is seen singing incantations on the bank of a stream to call for the crocodile, who is believed to be a deity.
The community members are said to have offended the presumptive deity for some unknown taboo, and as a result, the deity has decided to punish them by seizing control of their water supply.
The beast was aggressively defending the stream’s banks, per the video.
According to the Twitter user @Eddie_wrt who shared the video, the incident happened in one of the Nzema towns in the Western Region.
During the ritual dispatch of the beast, a woman (fetish priestess) is heard on her knees begging the cold-blooded animal to accept the pacification of the people.
After minutes of a fervent plea, the crocodile is seen retreating slowly into the deeps of the stream.
Flanked by the bewildered residents, the ritualist throws a live fowl towards the crocodile which it grabs mid-air as it submerges under the water.
After this, the animal walks further back into the stream.
Amid thunderous cheers, a member of the traditional entourage steps into the stream to fetch some of the water, to symbolise that it was now safe to do so.
Watch the video:
Traditional leaders performing ritual to calm down an angry crocodile in Nzema, Western Region. pic.twitter.com/8xcaL45hSz
One of the largest iron and steel producers and traders in the West African region, B5 Plus Limited, has been cut off from the national grid for failing to pay the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) a balance of GH19.5 million.
ECG, which is pursuing every customer to reclaim about GH5.7 billion, was not satisfied with the company’s ability to pay off more than half of its approximately GH42 million debt.
According to the national task force of ECG, they were assured that the balance owed to the company would be settled this week.
However the steel company defaulted on its promise and when the task force arrived at the headquarters of the company in Tema, they were prevented from accessing the substation and so the disconnection was done from the source, and the feeders were taken away.
It is reported that managers of B5 Plus have threatened to connect directly to GRIDCo despite not having permission from the Ministry of Energy to do so.
“Any attempt by the company to connect directly to GRIDCo without settling its bills to ECG and getting the right authorization will have dire legal repercussions on their business,” the external communications manager of ECG, Laila Abubakari, stated.
The power distributor says it’s racing against time to settle power producers’ huge sums of arrears due to debt owed by ECG customers.
So far, numerous companies have been disconnected from the national grid, while many others have redeemed their indebtedness to avoid disconnection.
The disconnection exercise is part of a nationwide activity led by the managing director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Samuel Dubik Mahama.
All ECG offices have been shut to allow all managers and other staff to embark on the one-month revenue mobilization, which is expected to end on April 20.
According to a statement made by the Bank of Ghana (BoG), charges that are not disclosed to a borrower in a loan arrangement should be regarded as void.
The BoG also gave commercial banks and lenders the order to return those funds to the borrowers, referring to any borrowers who would go through such a situation as victims.
“Borrowers shall be due a refund of all such charges paid”, the BoG stressed in its statement titled Bank of Ghana’s Responsible Borrowing Guidelines.
It added that “victims” must report such acts to the regulator if the lenders fail to reverse the payments.
According to the BoG, it is embarking on the campaign to promote transparency in loan disbursement, as well as empower borrowers to “shop around” for better rates and loan conditions.
Responsibilities of Lenders
The central bank also directed lenders to make sure that before a borrower signs a loan agreement, they are given what is called “Pre-Agreement Truth” in lending statement (Similar to Proforma Invoice) that summarizes the terms and conditions associated with the loan.
This should disclose all the conditions that is contained in the loan agreement.
The regulator noted that this information on the ‘Pre-agreement Truth’ in lending statement should include:
a. Interest rate of the credit facility (indicating whether fixed or variable).
b. Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
c. Other fees and charges such as commissions, administrative or processing fees, commitment fees, insurance. d. Bundled products and services.
e. Repayment Schedule.
f. Penal charges or late payment penalties.
g. Penalty rates and any other charges associated with the product.
h. Security deposits or savings required as a condition to acquire the loan. i. Total amount to be paid back at the end of the loan period, among others
What should borrowers do before signing a loan agreement?
The BoG also advised borrowers that prior to signing any loan agreement, customers must read and ensure that they understand all the terms and conditions, and seek professional advice.
“They are also required to seek clarification from the lender in any language of your choice to gain the needed understanding of the loan product”, it added.
The BoG advised borrowers to look out for interest rate which in this case should be the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), which represents the total cost to be paid to the lender each year for the loan, expressed as a percentage.
“Note that the APR provides a broader measure of the cost that a borrower pays for taking a loan”.
The APR reflects not only the interest rate but also the other fees and charges that borrowers have to pay for the loan
Repayment of Loans
The BoG has also directed lenders that in circumstances where a borrower wants to pay off a loan, earlier than scheduled , lenders should provide the full outstanding amount to pay and allow the borrower 20 working days from the date of receipt of the written request to effect the full repayment.
It added that even though this will be associated with settlement penalty fee, it should not exceed 0.25 percent of the principal amount to be paid.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has designated Tuesday, April 11, 2023, as the opening day for nominations for the Kumawu seat.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 14, 2023, and the by-election’s parliamentary candidate will be chosen on Sunday, April 23.
Following the party’s national executive committee and national council meetings on Monday, April 3, the deadlines for the by-election in the Kumawu constituency were set.
The Party in a release also stated that it had “approved detailed Rules and Regulations to govern the conduct of the parliamentary primary election which would be made available to stakeholders. However, Nomination Forms will be available at the Constituency Party Office for purchase.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin on Friday, March 31 declared the Kumawu Parliamentary seat vacant following the passing of the late Philip Basoah on March 28, 2023.
The 54-year-old late Kumawu MP died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after he was found unconscious in his room on Friday, March 24, and rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
Before Parliament closed for recess on Friday, Speaker Bagbin disclosed that the Electoral Commission has been officially informed about the MP’s death and waiting for the conduct of a by-election within the next ninety days in accordance with Section 3 of the EC’s Amendment Act 1996 ACT 52.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) eulogized the late Mr Basoah saying “a gentle and astute politician whose contributions to the party, constituents, and the development of Ghana through his work in Parliament cannot be overemphasized.”
Jessica Pegula defeated Anna Blinkova in straight sets on Wednesday to go to the third round of the Charleston Open.
The third-ranked American in the world won 6-2, 6-0 in 65 minutes, taking 27 minutes to take the second set to love.
Despite being rated 63rd in the world, Blinkova was no match for Pegula, who won 71% of first serves and 66% of second serves. Pegula also created 10 break chances, winning 71% of them on the second serve from the Russian.
In the round of 16, the American will play Romania’s 15th-seeded Irina-Camelia Begu, who defeated resurgent 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-1 6-4.
Defending champion and fourth seed Belinda Bencic triumphed in the evening session, breezing past Canada’s Katherine Sebov 6-0 6-3 in 62 minutes.
Bencic will meet Shelby Rogers in the third round with the American edging countrywoman Caty McNally 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-1.
Ninth seed Madison Keys beat Hailey Baptiste 6-1 6-2, setting up a third-round clash with eighth seed Magda Linette who got past Varvara Gracheva 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-4.
Third seed Daria Kasatkina defeated Madison Brengle 6-2 6-1, progressing to face 38th ranked American Bernarda Para who beat Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-4.
Spaniard Paula Badosa won 7-5 7-6 (8-6) over 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez and will face Diana Shnaider who upset fifth seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 6-3.
Eugenie Bouchard’s campaign at the Copa Colsanitas was halted in the second round with a 6-0 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 loss to fourth seed Kamilla Rakhimova.
Despite saying that Tottenham is “a bit of a mess,” Harry Redknapp is adamant that his old team can still qualify for the Champions League.
Spurs tumbled out of the top four in the Premier League on Wednesday after victories by Newcastle and Manchester United put them three points behind the leaders with one game still to play.
The dismissal of Antonio Conte and the leave of absence taken by managing director of football Fabio Paratici due to FIFA extending his suspension in Italy globally have caused a tumultuous period for the club.
Conte’s former assistant Cristian Stellini is in charge for the rest of the season and Redknapp, 76, said: “They are in a bit of a mess.
“It was always going to be difficult keeping Conte after his outburst [post-match at Southampton] and it’s a strange situation at the club now.
“But they could still finish fourth in the league. I thought Liverpool were nailed on for the top four after they beat United 7-0 but their form has dipped.
Cristian Stellini is in charge at Tottenham until the end of the season
“I’m not sure what happens at Tottenham in the summer. It looked as if Julian Nagelsmann might go to Tottenham but now Chelsea are in for him after changing their manager.
“Mauricio Pochettino would be a popular choice but he could do Chelsea or Tottenham.
“Whoever comes in has got to bring in quality players in the summer. It doesn’t matter how clever you are, you’ve got to have good players.”
Redknapp twice led Tottenham to top-four Premier League finishes between 2008 and 2012 when Croatia star Luka Modric was a mainstay in midfield.
Modric’s Real Madrid contract expires at the end of the season and Redknapp would love to see the 37-year-old playmaker back in North London.
He added: “Tottenham need better recruitment, especially someone who can put their foot on the ball in midfield.
“I’d be looking at Modric if he leaves Real. I’d take him for two years.”
While the government works to ensure the release of funds for the payment of outstanding arrears, the Ghana School Feeding Secretariat is pleading with school feeding caterers to reconsider their decision to stop providing their services.
On Tuesday, April 4, some caterers who participate in the government’s school feeding program in the Ashanti Region went on strike in demand of arrears payment and an increase in the feeding grant.
The monies will soon be distributed, according to Alfa Siba, Head of Public Relations at the Ghana School Feeding Secretariat.
“We are engaging the relevant stakeholders and the caterers to see how best we can resolve the issue. Just last week, we paid the second term of the 2022 academic year to all the districts. So, we are appealing to the caterers to rescind their decision not to cook while we continue the engagements.”
“We are engaging the relevant stakeholders and the caterers to see how best we can resolve the issue. Just last week, we paid the second term of the 2022 academic year to all the districts. So, we are appealing to the caterers to rescind their decision not to cook while we continue the engagements.”
The caterers in their bid to get authorities to address their concerns petitioned the Ashanti Regional Minister on Monday, 3rd April 2023, but they however expressed dissatisfaction with his response to their concerns as they were ordered to leave.
World Cup champions Argentina, for the first time in six years, is at the top of the FIFA World Rankings.
In the March international break, Lionel Scaloni’s team defeated Panama and Curacao in friendlies. Last year, they defeated France in an exciting final to earn their third world championship.
In both games, captain Lionel Messi reached two milestones: he scored his 800th career goal in a 2-0 victory over Panama and then registered his 100th international goal with a hat-trick in a 7-0 demolition of Curacao.
Argentina previously held the top spot in the standings in 2017, but the Albiceleste fell as far as 12th the year after a disappointing World Cup performance in Russia in 2018.
Argentina replace rivals Brazil at the summit after the Selecao suffered a surprise friendly loss to World Cup semi-finalists Morocco in March, a result which sees them drop to third.
France are second in the rankings after their Euro 2024 qualification wins over the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, while the rest of the top 10 remains unchanged.
Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Emmanuel Asiedu-Mante, has passed away.
The 81-year-old is said to have to died on Monday night while at the Bank;s hospital in Accra. Prior to his demise, he battled with an illness.
Born in June 1942, he was the Deputy Governor of the central bank from May 29, 2001 to May 31, 2006.
Daniel Asiedu-Mante, son of the deceased while speaking to the media said “it is sad but we will take it a day at a time.”
The son said the family was due to meet this weekend to decide on the burial and funeral arrangement.
The late Asiedu-Mante worked with BoG for 38 years prior to his retirement in 2006 as Deputy Governor.
Also a former Chairman of the Board of Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited, he was instrumental in the introduction of the rural banking concept into the country.
He chaired the central bank’s Transitions Apex Steering Committee that was put together to formulate modalities for a regulatory regime for rural and community banks (RCBs).
The committee’s work led to the setting up of today’s ARB Apex Bank, a mini central bank for the RCBs, and the operationalisation of RCBs nation wide.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, has written to UK court officials pleading for clemency in the case of organ trafficking convictions for Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice.
Last month, it was determined that Dr. Obinna Obeta, 60, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and their wife Beatrice, 56, were responsible for transporting a 21-year-old street vendor to the UK from Lagos in order to profit from his kidney.
The Old Bailey was informed that the organ was for the couple’s 25-year-old daughter Sonia, who had been exonerated on the same crime.
Prior to the sentencing in the first such case under modern slavery statutes, set for May 5, the accused are still being held in detention in the UK.
In his letter, Mr Obasanjo said what the couple did was “condemnable” and “can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilised society”.
But he wants the court to consider Senator Ekweremadu’s sick daughter “whose health is in danger and requires urgent medical attention”.
He also told the court to consider “the good character of the senator” while sentencing him.
It’s unclear if Mr Obasanjo’s intervention will make any impact.
The former president did not indicate if he was acting on behalf of the Nigerian government, but introduced himself as a soldier who was commissioned into the British Army of the West Africa Frontiers Force, and who rose to become a full general in the Nigerian Army.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has stated that Zimbabwe intends to pass legislation making it illegal for foreign countries to hire its medical professionals.
The loss of medical specialists, according to Mr. Chiwenga, who is also the minister of health, is comparable to human trafficking.
He declared that individuals he accused of depriving the country of its human capital would face harsher punishments.
“If one deliberately recruits and makes the country suffer, that’s a crime against humanity. The people are dying in hospitals because there are no nurses and doctors. That must be taken seriously,” Mr Chiwenga said on Wednesday.
“Zimbabwe frowns at this heinous crime which is also a grave violation of human rights,” he added.
Local media say more than 4,000 nurses and doctors have left Zimbabwe since February 2021.
The UK’s National Health Service has been an attractive destination for Zimbabwean doctors and nurses as wages are far higher than those paid back home.
Last month, the UK halted the recruitment of Zimbabwean health workers after the southern African country was placed by the World Health Organisation on the red list, which denotes countries facing serious health personnel challenges.
According to the Zimbabwe Medical Association, the country has about 3,500 doctors for a population of 15 million people.
Zimbabwe is battling an economic crisis that has seen wages decimated by endless inflation.
Ignatius Osei-Fosu, the new head coach of King Faisal Football Club, presided over his debut game on Wednesday night as the squad squared off against Asante Kotoko in the Ghana Premier League.
The coach made a successful debut after leading his new squad to a scoreless draw with the opponent in Week 21.
Ignatius Osei-Fosu, the coach, remarked in his post-game interview that although his squad was prepared to win, they met a challenging opponent that complicated matters for them.
“It was a difficult game. Considering I had one session with the team. And we also went down by a man down. So we had to defend and not concede. We wanted to win, trust me, we wanted to win. But it’s football,” coach Ignatius Osei-Fosu.
After the Ghana Premier League game on Wednesday, coach Ignatius Osei-Fosu must now prepare his team for the MTN FA Cup quarter-final clash against Aduana Stars on Sunday, April 9.
The signing of the final deal to restore a civilian administration has been delayed once more by Sudanese officials as tensions between military factions grow.
Negotiations centered on a draft agreement that was scheduled to be signed on Thursday proceeded throughout the night.
Since the army toppled a civilian administration in October 2021 that had deposed longtime leader Omar al Bashir in 2019, Sudan has been experiencing political unrest.
Over the past year and a half, there have been violent street protests that have resulted in hundreds of deaths and numerous injuries.
The military decided on a timeline for transferring authority to civilians in December of last year.
But the negotiations have stalled due to disagreements over the unification of the national army and the dreaded paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling council Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The spokesman for the talks however said they were still determined to reach a consensus with the military.
The factions hope that a final peace deal will unlock millions of dollars frozen by the European Union and the US and help the country’s struggling economy.
On Wednesday night, as Ajax defeated Feyenoord 2-1 in the Dutch Cup semifinals, Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus injured his muscle.
After collapsing on the field, the 22-year-old was replaced by Francisco Conceicao in the 61st minute.
Since the team has not provided an update, it is currently unknown how serious the injury is.
Kudus’ lone goal in this campaign came against Twente in the round of 16, advancing Ajax to the quarterfinals.
Dusan Tadic opened the scoring in the 14th minute to shock the home fans after a fierce start to the game.
The hosts pulled level through Tomas Gimene’s header from an Alireza Jahanbaksh lofted pass.
Davy Klaassen scored the winner for Ajax to see them progress to the Dutch Cup finals.
Mohammed Kudus is still yet to score since the international break, after playing 90 minutes against Go Ahead Eagles over the weekend in the Dutch Eredivisie.
He featured for Ghana in the two 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying games against Angola.
In connection with her involvement in a scam involving iron sheets in the country’s northeast, Mary Goretti Kitutu, the minister of Karamoja Affairs, has been charged with corruption by Uganda’s Director of Public Prosecutions.
The issue involving the alleged theft of 5,500 iron sheets intended for catastrophe victims in the Karamoja region also involves the speaker of parliament and a few cabinet officials.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor said that Ms. Kitutu, who is presently being held by the police, would be charged in court on Thursday for corruption.
“The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has sanctioned charges of corruption and conspiracy to commit a felony against Hon. Kitutu Mary Goretti Kimono for diverting iron sheets meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme,” a statement said.
Police have been directed to produce the minister in court for plea taking.
She is expected to spend the Easter holiday in Luzira prison where she will be remanded by the Anti-Corruption Court after being charged, local media report.
President Yoweri Museveni has called for prosecution of all those found guilty.
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