According to pictures of the miniature explosives strewn throughout a town, Russian forces appear to be using them to harm and kill Ukrainians.
Although they resemble toys, the explosives, which are prohibited by international law, have the potential to be fatal when used.
They typically fall in large numbers from rockets, mortars, or aircraft without exploding. When pressure is applied, they can explode with as little as 5 kg.
In photos provided to The Sun by the Halo Trust, a mine clearing organization originally supported by Princess Diana, several mines can be seen strewn over the Ukrainian town of Hrakove, which lies close to Kharkiv.
The bombs, officially called PFM-1 mines, can be spotted hidden in the grass, scattered on park benches and lying by the side of the road.
Because of their plastic shape and small size, it’s feared children will pick them up thinking they’re toys.
Members of the Halo Trust are now desperately working to clear the area, a process which will probably take years to complete.
Tape has been left around a rock to highlight a ‘butterfly mine’ lurking in the grass (Picture: Halo Trust)
Ukrainian authorities say a number of people, including five children, have already lost limbs to the explosives, also known as petal mines because of their shape.
It’s understood Russian forces dropped the mines in the area last year to cover their retreat.
Banderivka – not her real name – is a deminer from Lviv. She said: ‘Soldiers and civilians are still getting injured by these mines. The Russians sometimes cover them up as they retreat so we don’t even see them.’
‘When you see one, you know there around another 700 of them around you.’
Bomb disposal remove deadly banned ‘butterfly mines’ in Izyum and Balaklia
‘The worst thing about them is kids are drawn to them – they look like a plastic toy on the ground – and sometimes they pick them up.’
She said Ukrainian troops often use low-tech solutions to clear the mines, such as shooting them or throwing something at them.
Benderivka urged the West to put pressure on Russia to stop using devices like the butterfly mine.
Ukraine signed up to the Ottawa Treaty banning the mines and Russia declared war said it would scrap its stockpile – something Russia has been unwilling to do.
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of using the explosives in the breakaway region of Donetsk, something Kyiv has denied.
Most of the bombs, many decades old, were manufactured in the former Soviet Union making it hard to determine who dropped them.
A village in southern Ukraine called Mykolaiv that was once home to thousands of people had to be evacuated after the mines were left scattered around the area, according to the Halo Trust. Only 150 people remain.
Paul McCann, the Halo Trust’s communications director, said the butterfly mines remain explosive for a long time.
Live ones are still being found in Afghanistan, he explained, putting innocent civilians at risk years after the war ended.
He told the Sun his colleagues at the NGO often say: ‘One day of fighting amounts to a month of mine clearance.’
Clearing the explosives across Ukraine will cost about £30 billion, according to the World Bank.
But Paul said if the international community comes together to cover some of the costs, they can use drones and remote armoured vehicles to get the job done safely.
The Majority leader cum Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has refuted claims that the Akufo-Addo led administration has bloated the number of Justices at the Supreme Court.
Setting the record straight, he said what the President has done is to replace potential Justices of the court who are due for retirement soon.
Responding to questions posed by the host of Kumasi-based Ashh Fm, Oderfour Quasi Kay, on Thursday April 13, 2023, the leader of Government Business linked the president’s nominations to the Supreme Court to that of effective delivery of justice rather than political expediency as speculated by the opposition NDC.
He mentioned names such as the Chief Justice, H.L Justice Annin Yeboah, H.L Justice Dotse, and some other Justices of the Apex Court who are due for retirement in few months from now.
He emphasized that, for effective and efficient administration of justice, and to ensure continuity of cases, the president could not have waited until the final exit of those due before he could nominate others to replace them.
The leader of Government Business, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, took time to engage the grassroots on what had pertained during the last session of Parliament.
Political pundits, and the grassroots would attest to this undeniable fact that Ghanaians would grossly miss the astute legislator when he finally bows out of Parliament for his constant interactions with the grassroots which keeps them informed at all times.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has, over the years, made conscious effort to engage the grassroots and to educate them on the happenings in Parliament with the slightest of opportunities available for him to do so without hesitation.
This is in spite of his busy schedules as the Majority Leader, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Leader of Government Business and the Vice Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, amongst others.
He concluded by extending his heartfelt condolences to the families of the two departed souls of the Members of Parliament who have joined their ancestors in Eternity.
The lookalike of King Promise has revealed that the musician bought him a Hisense phone even though he requested an iPhone 12.
The doppelganger whose real name is Richard and hails from the Central Region had an exclusive interview with Ghpage where he made some revelations.
According to him, his nickname is Rovers GH but the King Promise junior came as a result of his striking resemblance with the “Oh Yeah’ hitmaker adding that he is a king in his family so his new name is something normal to him.
He revealed that he started imitating King Promise way back in 2017 when he was in Senior High school.
On how he got a phone from King Promise, he disclosed that someone stole his phone from a car and due to that he wasn’t going on Tiktok to share new videos so he thought of a plan to get a new phone.
The plan was to do anything within his power to make sure King Promise gets him a phone so the first thing he did was to record himself holding a bible and on his knees begging for a phone but that didn’t work.
He repeated the same act but this time with the Quran and that is what worked for him.
King Promise responded to that video saying he was going to get him the phone so he shouldn’t worry.
Fast forward he received a phone from his team it wasn’t the iPhone 12 or 13 he requested and was expecting but rather a Hisense phone.
Though he wasn’t happy at first they explained to him that King Promise is the brand ambassador of Hisense and it wouldn’t nice for him to buy a different brand of the phone for him.
Kuami Eugene’s lookalike, Abrokwah has exclusively revealed that he wants to meet the Rockstar but he has some fears.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GH page, Abrokwah disclosed that he realized that he shares a striking resemblance with the singer during his SHS days when his teachers and colleagues.
According to Abrokwah who claims to hail from Asuom in the Eastern Region but currently resides in Accra, It is his dream to meet the ‘Angela’ hitmaker but he’s afraid he will bounce him when he approaches him.
In the course of the interview, Kuami Eugene’s lookalike clarified that he has never used Kuami Eugene’s brand to charge for shows.
Abrokwah explained that the trending video of him performing at an event is a false representation of his character because he isn’t an imposter as alleged by a set of critics on the internet
Abrokwah claimed that the event was a TikTok awards ceremony and he was called on stage to perform at the event by an organizer.
He additionally vehemently denied the claims that he charged for the show.
Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr is heartbroken over the sluggish level of development of Ghana’s industrialisation sector despite seven years of the introduction of the Akufo-Addo government’s flagship One District, One Factory programme (1D1F).
Speaking in an interview on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Friday, Kwesi Pratt said that even though he takes no delight in criticising the government, the 1D1F after seven years of implementation has had a meaningful impact on Ghana’s economy.
He explained that the programme was not targeted and has not fundamentally impacted Ghana’s economy, with the country still importing meagre things like toothpicks.
The veteran journalist, who is the managing editor of the Insight Newspaper, added that if proper steps are not taken to transfer Ghana’s economy, the country will continue running to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help.
“Look, what we need to do is to industrialise in a way which changes the order of things now.
“All of these One District, One Factory factories, how have they been able to alter our import dependence? As we sit here, when you go to every supper market… you find drinking water being imported.
“Toothpicks are still being imported; this is after 7 years of One District, One Factory, seven years! Where are we going,” he asked.
He added that the factories under the programme should be able to have an impact on Ghana’s economy like the Atuabo Gas Plant, which significantly affected the country’s dependence on gas imports.
“The Atuabo project is one project, and yet it had a fundamental impact on the economy,” he said.
Investigations are being conducted into whether Rishi Sunak failed to disclose that his wife owns stock in a daycare center.
Some of the initiatives outlined in the Budget are purportedly going to be advantageous for the nanny and childminder company Koru Kids, whose shareholders include Akshata Murty.
Last month, when MPs questioned the prime minister about why the childcare policy favored private companies, they demanded that he “come clean” about the shares.
He omitted bringing up Ms Murthy’s stock in the company when he spoke before the Liaison Committee.
A fortnight earlier, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a pilot of incentive payments of £600 for childminders joining the profession.
Questioning why the sum doubles to £1,200 if workers sign up through an agency, Labour MP Catherine McKinnell asked if Mr Sunak had any interests to declare.
‘No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way,’ he said.
Koru Kids, which is one of six childminder agencies listed on the Government’s website, welcomed the new Budget incentives as ‘great’.
At the time the possible conflict emerged, Mr Sunak’s press secretary said the interest would be included in the updated statement of ministers’ interests, due out in May.
Parliament’s standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg opened the inquiry into the PM under rules demanding MPs are ‘open and frank’ when declaring their interests.
Downing Street said Mr Sunak will clarify how it was declared as a ministerial interest, rather than to the Commons.
‘Members must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders,’ the standards watchdog wrote.
A No 10 spokeswoman responded: ‘We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.’
King Promise‘s look alike known as Richard aka Rovers GH has come out to plead with the musician to get him an apartment in Trassaco.
For some weeks now, the story of lookalikes has been trending on social media with some people expressing concerns about this new trend.
It has been alleged that these lookalikes are booked to perform at shows and they end up getting paid for performing the songs of the main artiste without seeking their permission.
But the King Promise look-alike has denied the allegation saying though he is the look-alike of the musician, he never performs his songs but rather he(Rovers Gh) is also a musician so he performs his songs.
Speaking in an interview with Ghpage TV, he disclosed that though he is yet to meet King Promise, he wants the musician to get him a place to stay in Trassaco.
According to him, he doesn’t mean he wants a single room in the chosen area but rather an apartment with a huge and comfy bed for him to sleep on so he can have peace of mind and do his look-alike job well.
More than 100 animal rights protesters who attempted to interrupt yesterday’s Grand National have been detained.
At Aintree, protesters attempted to run onto the racetrack, scaled fences, and at least two of them used adhesive and lock-on devices to attach themselves to a jump.
When National runners were in the parade ring, the protestors, who were later detained for public nuisance and criminal mischief, broke down security gates, causing a 12-minute delay.
When the race started, a horse was destroyed after falling at the first fence – the second to die at Aintree on Saturday and the third at the festival – prompting campaigners to call for jump racing to be banned.
Activists also staged a sit-in protest causing chaos for those coming too and from the race on the M57.
The motorway was closed at around 5.15pm, causing delays for more than an hour following the race.
Merseyside Police said: ‘We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of views, but criminal behaviour and disorder will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.’
Force Assistant Chief Constable Paul White said: ‘Today, as you’ve seen, there’s been a significant protest in relation to the running of the Grand National.
‘This began earlier this morning, there’s been a number of protests outside and then that resulted earlier on today at about 5pm with numerous people trying to incur onto the course, which we, in partnership with the event organisers, and members of the public as well, have managed in the main to stop and and ultimately the event took place – albeit with a slight delay.’
He said protesters tried to access the course from a number of points at the far side of the track, but were removed ‘swiftly’.
He said: ‘The perimeter of the course is four to five kilometres long so you know, that is a significant resource required to try and cover every area of that.
‘We put a proportionate policing plan in place and, by and large, we were able to stop the vast majority entering onto the course, a small number did get onto the course, but, very quickly, they were removed, again in partnership with the event organiser, private security and police officers and staff.’
Mr White said 118 people were arrested including some pre-emptively held before the race, and others over a protest on the M57 where activists glued themselves to the carriageway.
Protester Sarah McCaffrey, a shopworker and student, said: ‘Whether it’s for food or for fun, our use of animals and nature is symbolic of a relationship beyond broken.
‘We’re a nation of animal lovers, but the pain these beautiful creatures experience daily does not do that label justice. We need to find ways of loving animals that don’t hurt them.
‘I truly believe that we are a nation of animal lovers, every one of us.
‘I know everyone coming to Aintree to view the races today would say they love the horses; however, the suffering experienced by them should shock us all.
‘That’s why I’ve decided to put my body between those horses and death on the racecourse, rather than gamble with their lives.’
Campaign group Animal Aid said jump racing should be banned after Hill Sixteen suffered a broken neck at the first fence in the Grand National and was put down.
Horse Dark Raven died earlier on Saturday, and Envoye Special on Thursday, while the group said two other horses fell at the Grand National and were taken away in horse ambulances with life-threatening injuries, and the fate of another faller, Castle Robin, in an earlier race, remained unknown.
Animal Aid’s horse racing consultant Dene Stansall said: ‘Jump racing must be banned to prevent the brutal horrors seen today at Aintree and this week, from happening again.
‘Innocent race horses’ lives taken from them in the name of entertainment and gambling. Aintree, the worst of all racecourses, is a disgrace and the Jockey Club and British racing should hang their heads in utter shame at what we have seen over the past three days.’
Many racegoers at Aintree did not seem to notice the protest and cheered on the horses as they passed.
Christine Maybin, 29, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, at the races with Dwayne McGurk, 31, said: ‘We noticed the delay but we didn’t know it was because of protesters, we thought they were fixing the fences.’
Mr McGurk said: ‘The delay didn’t affect us, we just got another drink in. We’ve had an unbelievable day here.’
Earlier on Saturday, Merseyside Police said three people had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, with a 25-year-old woman from London and a 55-year-old man from Greater Manchester arrested outside the racecourse on Saturday, and a 33-year-old woman from the London area held in the Greater Manchester area earlier in the day.
Nathan McGovern a spokesperson for Animal Rising, said: ‘These actions show that the police are spending more time chasing peaceful protestors than addressing the real issues that exist, such as our broken relationship with animals and the climate emergency.’
A police dispersal zone was put in place around the racecourse amid the threat of disruption.
Traffic was blocked by protesters on the M57 motorway at around the same time as activists attempted to get on to the racecourse at Aintree.
There were delays of more than an hour on the road, which runs from the M62 to Aintree.
Pictures showed protesters wearing pink T-shirts on the carriageway.
An Aintree Racecourse spokesperson said: ‘We respect the right to peaceful protest but sincerely hope that Animal Rising reflect on whether their proposed actions are legitimate and responsible.
‘Their actions could endanger the horses they purport to protect, as well as jockeys, officials and themselves.
‘As you would expect, we are working closely with Merseyside Police to ensure we protect the safety and enjoyment of everyone, including all participants, human or equine, at the Grand National.’
Following the delay, Corach Rambler – trained by Lucinda Russell and ridden by Derek Fox – won the feature race.
During a routine operation, a Russian surveillance plane and two fighter fighters were intercepted near to Estonian territory.
The three aircraft were spotted in the NATO member’s flight area’s north-west region as they were flying toward Kaliningrad.
Friday saw RAF Typhoons and members of the German Air Force race to the area over the Baltic Sea.
This is the fifth time in six weeks that Operation Azotize, NATO’s Baltic air policing squad, has intercepted Russian jets.
The two forces are currently working side-by-side as part of Operation Azotize to protect the eastern flank of NATO’s border (Picture: RAF)
One of the aircrafts was identified to be a Russian Air Force IL-20 Coot-A plane headed for the Russian exclave, which borders Poland.
It was being escorted by Su-27 Flanker-B fighter jets, the RAF said in a statement.
‘We often see Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea and so this was a routine intercept for us,’ it added.
‘Nevertheless, the importance of intercepting these aircraft and our commitment to the collective defence of NATO airspace remains steadfast and resolute.
‘What this intercept has proven is that together with our German allies, we are able to act with speed and decisiveness to effectively ensure the Alliance’s security.’
The RAF and German Air Force are operating Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets out of Amari Air Base in Estonia as a combined force.
MujaahidAbdul: “Distance between umbilicus and pubic symphysis go reach 1KM”
NgoziPreshy: “Her body was slimfitted”
officialkally_chichi: “Omo go collect your money from the doctor! He no try at all! This is an improper fraction”
2much_opoTBdope: “The Navel went on a Sojourn”
ritauch22875530: “E be like say the knifing no knife well the doctor tape no correct”
RefugeeonEarth1: “The thing don almost reach the thoracic region.. doctor na you suppose answer this o”
SantosUg2: “What women can not do to attract men does not exist !!!!”
OkwuluStephen: “This isn’t belly button anymore it’s diaphragm button. These lot ain’t just tired of Photoshop and they can’t do us the honour of doing a good one at that”
Vice president of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has alleged that ‘notorious gold smuggler’ Alistair Matthias still has access to top government officials.
He says the mining leases of Alistair Mathias, who said he smuggles $40 million worth of gold from Ghana in a documentary by Al Jazeera, are still valid.
In a tweet shared on Sunday, Simons said the gold smuggler still has strong ties in the government and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The IMANI vice president was surprised that despite the revelation made by Alistair in the Al Jazeera documentary, the government of Ghana has not acted.
“Alistair Mathias’ revelations to undercover journalists posing as criminals in search of a money launderer have opened a can of worms in Ghana. Analysts see a web of corruption & intrigue entangling security chiefs, govt ministers & even a Supreme Court Judge.
“Even more intriguing is a link to cracks in the ruling party that led to a bizarre military operation against a gold mining company owned by Mathias’ one-time partners. Meanwhile, Mathias’ Ghana mining leases continue to be valid & his access to top govt officials continues,” parts of the tweets he shared read.
What Alistair Mathias said about Akufo-Addo:
Alistair Mathias, who smuggles $40 million worth of gold from Ghana every month, disclosed the kind of close relationship he has with Ghana’s president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Alistair Mathias, who is a gold trader with expertise in designing money laundering schemes for Africans, said that his work has given him access to every president or head of state on the continent.
Speaking in the final episode of the undercover investigations of gold smuggling in Africa by the Investigative Unit of Al Jazeera, Alistair Mathis, who is one of the main characters in the video, boasted about his relationship with the Ghanaian president.
He (described as a financial architect) told the undercover reporters, who had posed as Chinese criminals seeking to launder dirty money from Africa, that his relationship with Akufo-Addo is a close one.
He also claims that the Ghanaian president is his lawyer.
“There’s no head of state or president that either of us can’t get to on this continent. Next door in Swaziland, the king is a close friend of mine. Zambia’s president is a close friend of my friend. DRC Congo, the president has invited me several times to come and build a refinery.
“Ghana’s president is a good friend of mine. In fact, he was my lawyer. Cyril Ramaphosa here; I know him. I know his kids,” he bragged.
Also, Kow Essuman, a legal counsel to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged Ghanaians to ignore allegations by Alistair Mathias, a Canadian gold smuggler, that the president is his law.
In a tweet shared on Sunday, April 16, 2023, Kow Essuman said that neither President Akufo-Addo nor his law firm has come in contact with Alistair Mathias.
He added that the statements made by the gold smuggler were mere fabrications.
“The President has not been in private practice since 2000, neither has the President nor his law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co, acted as a lawyer for this Alistair Mathias or Guldrest.
“The President does not know this Mathias or Guldrest. Ignore the spurious allegations,” the tweet he shared read.
A black youngster in Missouri was fatally shot by a homeowner after he went to the wrong residence to pick up his younger brothers.
Ralph Yarl, 16, a high school student in Kansas City, was bringing his twin younger brothers back from a neighboring location on Thursday, April 13.
Yarl’s family claimed that when he went to pick up his siblings, he did not have his phone with him. He was going to pick up his brothers from a house on Northeast 115th Terrace, but by mistake he ended up at a house on Northeast 115th Street.
Just before 10.00pm, Yarl pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell at the wrong address. After opening the door, the homeowner shot the teenager twice, hitting his head and arm.
Yarl was on his way to pick up his twin younger brothers when he arrived at the wrong home (Picture: Facebook)
The teenager was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, but is now expected to survive. ‘Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,’ his family said in a statement.
The shooter, who has not yet been named, was taken into custody by police and detained for 24 hours. He was released the next day without any criminal charges filed against him.
The result lead to widespread public outcry over the weekend, which have included protests and demonstrations in the streets of Kansas City.
‘There can be no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect after admitting to shooting an unarmed, non-threatening and defenseless teenager that rang his doorbell!’ said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is now representing Yarl and his family. ‘We demand swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.’
On Sunday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Police Chief Stacey Graves said that the case was still under investigation, after which the shooter may still face criminal charges. Investigators are currently waiting for Yarl to recover in order to get a statement from the victim.
‘The homeowner was released pending further investigation due to the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim, forensic evidence, and compile additional information for a case file to be presented,’ Graves said. ‘A person can be held up to 24 hours for investigation of a felony, at which time they are to be charged or released.’
The police chief said that investigators were working throughout the weekend to compile the necessary information to present the case to the local prosecutor’s office for charges.
‘We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process,’ Graves said. ‘We want the community to know we are committed to justice, in this case and every case, and work every day to seek that justice for all victims of all crimes.’
She continued: ‘I want everyone to know that I am listening, and I understand the concern that we are receiving from the community.’
Graves also said that the case currently does not appear to be racially motivated, but that might change after further investigation.
‘The information that we have now – it does not say it is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case,’ Graves said. ‘I do recognize and understand the community’s concern and the community’s response.’
Meanwhile, Yarl’s family has started a GoFundMe to help cover his medical expenses. The fundraiser has raised over $800,000 as of Monday morning.
According to his family, Yarl is a high school junior and plans to attend Texas A&M University. He attended Missouri Scholar’s Academy, which recognizes 330 of the state’s top academic students.
He is also a gifted musician, and one of the top ranked bass clarinet players by the Missouri All-State Band.
Ghanaian gospel artiste, Celestine Donko, known for her soulful voice and uplifting gospel music, has shared some insights into her life as a musician and a mother at the just-ended Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Xperience Concert in Ho in the Volta Region.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb’s Doreen Abanema Abayaa, she cited the fact that, despite not being at home with her kids all the time, they had grown accustomed to her absence with the help of their caretaker.
“It’s actually easier now because my kids are grown up. My first daughter is sixteen, and so they are able to manage, but we do have a caretaker who takes care of them,” she said.
She went on to explain how having her husband as her manager has also made things easier for her.
“I just came back from London yesterday, jumped on a flight to Kumasi, and from Kumasi to here, but it’s easier when I am on the road with my husband, who is also my manager. He understands that we are together, so it makes things easier,” the hitmaker added.
Sharing a little advice with up-and-coming acts, Celestine believes that patience and perseverance are keys to achieving success.
“I will say that God’s time is the best time. Don’t just give up; sometimes you may be singing so well and nobody knows you. You sing on the stage and nobody sings along, we’ve been there before, but God’s timing, it has a way of launching you,” she advised.
She also encourages aspiring musicians to stay committed to their craft and to continue practicing.
“So being committed to church music and keep being committed to the choir. That’s where you get the dream, the practice, and the experience. When the time is up, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing can cover you,” she shared.
US-based Ghanaian filmmaker, Kobina de Graft-Johnson continues to blaze the trail for Ghanaian filmmakers, as he has been selected for a prestigious grant at the Black Web Fest in New York, for his outstanding work as an indie filmmaker.
His short film, ‘Barely Made,’ was chosen from a pool of talented applicants and will be screened at the film festival on April 29, 2023, to celebrate the work of Black filmmakers in the diaspora.
Kobina de Graft-Johnson is a rising star in the independent film community both in New York and Ghana, and his work has been praised for its unique perspective and powerful storytelling. The selection of his film for this grant is a testament to his talent and dedication to the craft of filmmaking, after taking the bold step to ditch his accounting career.
‘Barely Made’ explores themes of identity and womanhood, and tells the story of how a young Ghanaian-American woman called Adwoa navigates the murky waters of corporate work-life, romantic relationships and her social life. The role was brought to life by critically acclaimed actress and singer-songwriter Abena who has starred in several comedy central and Netflix movies.
The film has already garnered critical acclaim and has been praised for its bold and thought-provoking message.
The Black Web Fest is an organization created to increase diversity in media and entertainment, and help Black creators build sustainable careers. By selecting Kobina’s work, they have created an accessible programme and services where they will leverage technology to better serve the community.
Sharing his excitement to be part of this year’s festival, Kobina says, “it’s really a great feeling to have hard work recognized. I am super excited to share this pilot with the world now. As an indie filmmaker there are daily challenges of trying to put a vision on screen, but with God, hard work, a great team and vision, we were able to complete it.”
Self-acclaimed life coach, Solomon Buchi, has taken to social media to share his thoughts on issues relating to Morrocan footballer Hakimi Achraf and his wife’s divorce which has gone viral.
According to him, it is important to trust one’s wife with finances adding that any man who cannot do this has no business getting married in the first place.
His comment comes after a 24-year-old Hakimi, whose wife, Hiba Abouk, 36, filed for divorce and allegedly demanded half of his property but got nothing because his properties were all registered in his mother’s name.
The footballer and his spouse have since been trending on social media with netizens sharing varied opinions on their situation.
But sharing his opinion in a series of tweets, Solomon Buchi described as weird, the Hakimi’s act of registering his properties in his mother’s name.
“This seems pragmatic, but it is not right and ideal. I can imagine the mammoth defense that some mummy’s boys will get today. Putting all your fortunes to your mom’s name as a married man is off,” parts of his statement read.
Read the full statement below:
“Your next of kin should be your wife not your mother. Your assets should have your wife’s name on them too. This is biblical marriage; you have become one in Holy Matrimony. If you can’t trust a woman with your riches, don’t marry her. Why marry who you don’t trust with your ALL?
This will probably get a lot of pushback from the redpilled movement, because of the recent Hakimi’s case: a successful footballer whose wife filed for divorce and division of his assets and properties, only to discover that he put all his fortunes in his mother’s name. This will probably get a lot of pushback from the redpilled movement, because of the recent Hakimi’s case: a successful footballer whose wife filed for divorce and division of his assets and properties, only to discover that he put all his fortunes in his mother’s name.
Hence, she has nothing to gain from the incentivized western divorce culture. This seems pragmatic, but it is not right and ideal. I can imagine the mammoth defense that some mummy’s boys will get today. Putting all your fortunes to your mom’s name as a married man is off.
It shouldn’t be so. And yes, women who also marry rich men, with intentions to incentivize the marriage through later divorce are wrong too, but we can’t correct a wrong with a wrong. Literally, the scriptures states that a man needs to leave his father and mother to be married.
This means a re-prioritization: after marriage, your wife becomes your number one. Your mother is still your mother, but you’re not one with her, she’s one with your dad. Respect them, but your immediate priority is your wife, and everything about you, she must have access to.
As much as these sad things happen, I’m trying to reconcile us to how things should be. Christian men shouldn’t be thinking in this manner: willing all you have to your mom as a married man. Nah.
And men, do your due diligence before you marry. If you can’t trust her, don’t marry her, because marriage without trust is like roommates living together. Hakimi did it doesn’t make it right. Don’t start off wrong. Things still work the right way.
Christian marriage is not a place to fight to protect; it’s a place to give. Something must give. Something must be at risk. We don’t truly love, if we aren’t risking anything.”
Ghana’s Dancehall artiste, TsaQa has highlighted the importance of musicians possessing high self-esteem which is crucial in their careers.
This ability, he explains, enables performers to be more confident whenever they mount the stage to entertain music lovers.
When GhanaWeb’s Doreen Abanema Abayaa caught up with the hitmaker at the VGMA Xperience Concert in the Volta Region after his performance, TsaQa was proud to have won the hearts of this new audience who cheered him on while on stage.
The ‘Accra Funfooler’ crooner told GhanaWeb the motivation behind his widely-talk about stage performance.
“That is how it’s supposed to be, we are doing this for the people. When you are up there (on stage) you have to make the crowd happy. That’s what you got to do, that is it.
“We come from far, you understand. We’ve been through a lot before getting here so whenever we are on stage, we just express our feelings. The positive energy that we will give to the people…I know what my audience wants. They want to get positive energy, nobody wants low self-esteem,” he said.
This young talent admitted that his rise to fame hasn’t been without challenges. He wishes to inspire and get on board other aspiring talents in Ghana through his success story.
“Most times I don’t want to talk about the challenges I experienced because I want to inspire others. I have an agenda to engage the youth out there,” he added.
TsaQa has bagged a nomination at the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Usung category with five others. This year’s event comes off on May 6, 2023.
The Accra Digital Centre is the latest to be disconnected from the national grid by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) over failure to pay outstanding debts.
With many big corporate names already being victims of the recent disconnection exercises of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Accra Digital Center has become its latest culprit.
The exercise, which was undertaken on the morning of Monday, April 17, 2023, was because the Center owed the power company a substantial amount of money for unpaid power use.
According to a myjoyonline.com report, the action was undertaken by the Accra West Region office of the ECG as part of their revenue drive aimed at complementing a national effort at recovering some GHS 5.7 million owed by its customers.
The areas that the ECG targeted for its Monday activity are those around the North Industrial Area in Accra.
It will be recalled that the ECG has stated recently that unless it can pay off an outstanding $1 billion it owes some Independent Power Producers (IPP), it risks a major shutdown.
The revenue mobilisation drive has so far helped the ECG retrieve GH¢2.5 million of unpaid debts across the country, the report added.
Reflecting on his journey, Camidoh shared with Doreen Abanema Abayaa that “I hustled here. Coming from Afloa, this is the place that gave me the foundation that made me come out in Accra and push myself out there.”
Speaking about his music career, Camidoh expressed his satisfaction with the way things were going.
He said, “My music is fly, and we are having a good time with it. We love it, and we are just having fun with it.”
However, he also mentioned that his challenge was not getting enough sleep because he loved what he was doing.
Despite being nominated in six categories for the VGMA, Camidoh noted that he was confident about his chances of winning.
“I was nominated in six categories for the VGMA. To win, the fans need to vote, they vote. The body is saying we are fit for the plaques. The fans need to vote. I am confident about all of them,” he said.
When asked about his plans for the future, the artiste stated that he would like to collaborate with every big name in the music industry, but only when the time was right.
“I love everybody, I just want to collaborate with everybody at the right time. People with the right vibe. You know what I am saying, it’s just a step at a time. But right now, I am meeting a lot of them, and it’s just God’s blessing. Anyone that comes across the line, we will make it happen,” he stated.
Before signing out with Doreen, the ‘Sugarcane’ artiste advised aspiring musicians to believe in themselves, saying, “they should keep believing in themselves so when the time comes, the world will have no other option than to believe in you.”
In a murder that was seen on live television on Saturday, a former legislator in India’s parliament who had been convicted of kidnapping was shot dead with his brother while police were accompanying them for a medical checkup.
Intense video of the men being slain was carried on television and posted on social media. Atiq Ahmed, a former politician, has his turban blown off as a shooter is seen reaching over police shoulders to put a weapon at his temple.
After his brother Ashraf Ahmed was shot, the two victims died shortly after, and police immediately captured three men they believed to be responsible for the murder.
Media reports say the assailants had been posing as journalists. One surrendered immediately after the shooting, while officers subdued the other two suspects.
They had been among a crowd that had gathered as the two brothers, allegedly kingpins in a local criminal organization, were being brought, handcuffed from a hospital Prayagraj city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening.
After carrying out the slaying, the suspected gunmen shouted Hindu religious chants.
Fearing the possibility of violent unrest in the wake of the killings, the Uttar Pradesh government barred gatherings of more than four people across the entire state.
“The state government imposed restrictive orders after the killings of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf Ahmed who were members of a large mafia involved in land grabbing and in murder cases,” said a senior police official.
“We don’t want any form of protest to gain momentum,” the official said on conditions of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak with the press.
The state government, controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, has ordered a judicial probe into the killings.
Last week police shot dead Atiq Ahmed’s son in Jhansi city. He had been wanted in connection to a murder case that was being investigated as part of a wider crackdown into a land mafia operating in Uttar Pradesh.
Police in Uttar Pradesh have killed more than 180 suspected criminals during encounters over past six years.
The head of the opposition Samajwadi Party, said the slaying of his ex-party member while in police custody demonstrated the failure of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to bring law and order to Uttar Pradesh.
“When someone can be killed in firing openly amidst the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public,” said Akhilesh Yadav, chief the opposition Samajwadi Party, in a tweet.
Member of Parliament(MP) for Madina Francis-Xavier Sosu has been discharged by the Kaneshie District Court.
It would be recalled that Francis-Xavier Sosu had been hauled before the Kaneshie District Court by the Ghana Police Service over a demonstration he led with his constituents to drum home the need for better roads in the Ayi Mensah-Danfa electoral areas on 25th October 2021.
He was charged with three counts of causing unlawful damage contrary to section 172(1)(b) of Act 29, obstruction of traffic contrary to section 9(f) of the Public Order Act and Causing Danger to road users contrary to section 22(a) of the Road Traffic Act, 2004.
However, the charges were vehemently denied by Hon Sosu who insisted he was doing his parliamentary duties to hold the government accountable and acted within the law’s limits.
But on Monday, April 17, 2021, the Kaneshie District Court presided over by His Honour Oheneba Kuffour discharged the lawmaker for want of prosecution.
Reacting to his discharge, the Member of Parliament said this discharge clearly confirms his stance that the Police were behaving contrary to the law.
He further indicated that the attempted arrest by the police during the demonstration and subsequent attempt to arrest him at his church and the interdiction of his police officer were arbitrary capricious and deliberate attempts by the police to maliciously prosecute him for doing his duties as a sitting member of parliament doing his lawful duty within the limits of the law.
A nomadic kingdom that traded on the Silk Road, constructed elaborate graves for its dead, and conquered far-off areas on horseback ruled the Asian steppes for three centuries starting in 200 BC.
Known as the Xiongnu, the empire experienced conflict with its powerful adversary, imperial China, which led to the building of the Great Wall, some of which still exist today.
The empire and its inhabitants, however, have long been forgotten by history due to the lack of written records, with the exception of those created by Chinese chroniclers who considered the Xiongnu to be barbarians. A significant political force from that time is now coming to light thanks to ancient DNA data and the findings of recent archaeological digs.
An international team of scientists have completed a genetic investigation of two cemeteries along the western frontier of the Xiongnu empire in what’s now Mongolia: an aristocratic elite cemetery at Takhiltyn Khotgor and a local elite cemetery at Shombuuzyn Belchir.
The scientists sequenced the genomes of 17 individuals buried in the two cemeteries and found an “extremely high” level of genetic diversity, making it likely that the empire was multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual, according to the new study published Friday in the journal Science Advances.
The genetic diversity was found within individual communities, suggesting that the empire wasn’t just a patchwork of homogenous groups united by a common cause.
“We now have a better idea of how the Xiongnu expanded their empire by incorporating disparate groups and leveraging marriage and kinship into empire building,” said senior author Choongwon Jeong, an associate professor of biological sciences at Seoul National University,in a news release.
Of the individual graves studied, the ones with the highest status belonged to women, suggesting that they played a particularly powerful role in Xiongnu society. Elaborate coffins featured golden sun and moon emblems that were Xiongnu symbols of power. One tomb contained the remains of six horses and a chariot.
“These elite women possessed the materials not only for displaying their status (e.g., belts and necklaces) but also for enacting power, such as prestigious wares for hosting politicized feasts,” said Bryan Miller, project archaeologist for the study and assistant professor of Central Asian art and archaeology at the University of Michigan.
“They were highly venerated with ample offerings from all those who attended their funerals, demonstrating their continued social importance within their communities throughout their lives,” he said via email.
The study also revealed information about the lives of Xiongnu children. Adolescent boys, like men, were buried with bows and arrows. Boys younger than 11 were not.
“Children received differential mortuary treatment depending upon age and sex, giving clues to the ages at which gender and status were ascribed in Xiongnu society,” said study senior author Christina Warinner, associate professor of anthropology at Harvard University and group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in a statement.
Ursula Brosseder, prehistorical archaeologist at the University of Bonn, said the research provided deeper insight into the social fabric and society of the Xiongnu using genetics as a tool.
“I am excited to see more studies of this kind in the future,” said Brosseder, who was not involved in the latest study. “Since I was one of the people who pointed out that mature women were buried withthe most prestigious items, I am excited to see that genetics corroborates this view.”
Brosseder added that the Xiongnu had often been misunderstood because most of the information about the regime, and others that originated on the Eurasian steppe, comes from texts from imperial China and ancient Greece, where largely nomadic herders were viewed as inferior.
The Xiongu left a powerful legacy that inspired later nomadic regimes that originated on the Eurasian steppes such as the Mongols and Genghis Khan, Miller said.
“‘Xiongnu’was the name of a dynasty not a people, per se; but that dynastic regime greatly impacted the peoples within its realms and left a powerful legacy in Eurasia,” he said via email.
“Many subsequent groups appropriated the potent name of Xiongnu (or Hunnu) as they established their own regimes, leading to the perpetuation of so-called ‘Hunnic’ entities even as far as that of Attila and the Huns at the edge of Europe centuries after the demise of the Xiongnu in Inner Asia.
“And it was this potent legacy…that the Mongols took up when they created their own empire many more centuries later.”
A woman identified as Simone Jae has taken to Twitter to disclose that she is married to a man she met on a dating app.
Simone said she matched with her better half on the app in 2019 but ignored him and started talking to him in 2020.
“We met on a dating app in 2019. I ignored him and started responding in 2020. I finally invited him over. He came over with wine. We watched TV, had a great convo, hunched and have been stuck since. Now, I cook, I clean and I shu..I get my way! I love it here. ,” she posted, accompanied by a photo of them together,” she wrote.
The actress and dancer said she was from a failed relationship when they met and didn’t want to get into a new one too soon.
She revealed she invited the guy to her place, and from there, they started dating.
In the post, the musician celebrated his 47th birthday by sharing a photo of himself wearing blue boxer shorts as he went shirtless.
Moesha Buduong couldn’t help but comment on the photo, saying, “You trying to overtake me. May God forgive me my eyes @mrsokyeame. Happy birthday to my favourite Ghanaian singer.”
Her comment although seemed both playful and flirty, touched on the musician’s attractive physique while wishing him a happy birthday.
Aside from Moesha’s comment, the post has sparked a lot of controversies, with some people finding the image inappropriate and others praising Okyeame Kwame for being confident and comfortable in his skin.
Meanwhile, some netizens have questioned whether sharing such an intimate photo on social media was appropriate.
Regardless of the controversy, Okyeame Kwame seems to be taking it all in stride.
In his post, he admitted that he was afraid of getting older but now feels freer and younger at heart than ever before. He even joked about reaching the ripe old age of 100.
Chaos, terror, and rage rippled throughout Russia when Vladimir Putin attempted to rally hundreds of thousands of civilians to fight in his invasion of Ukraine last September.
After the Russian parliament passed a law making the nation’s conscription program more effective, contemporary, and difficult to escape on Wednesday, many felt those emotions again.
Irina, a 51-year-old psychologist whose son is of mobilization age, told CNN from Moscow, “We have been anticipating the second mobilization wave for a long time now, and this is the beginning.” These changes have already made me feel uneasy and anxious, therefore they have already had an impact.
The new bill – passed by lawmakers on Wednesday, and awaiting only Putin’s signature before it becomes law – is, according to the Kremlin, an unremarkable streamlining of Russia’s biannual conscription process.
It would allow for the electronic delivery of military call-up papers, in addition to traditional letters, and bans those liable for military service from traveling abroad. It also includes tough penalties for those who ignore a summons – barring them from getting a loan, moving into a new apartment, registering as self-employed and driving a vehicle.
But CNN spoke to a number of Russians who dismiss the Kremlin’s reassurances, and say the move lays the groundwork for another attempt to force Russians onto the battlefields in Ukraine.
“This is the second wave,” Irina said. “Of course, they have to feed this war with fresh meat all the time.
“During the first wave they used police raids to round up conscripts. People didn’t like that. So now they are trying to concoct something different,” she said.
“This may well be an attempt to avoid the full-scale manhunt they employed before, which caused so much panic,” added Artem, 25, who dodged the September mobilization despite receiving a call-up. “I am not at all convinced these measures will help to avoid a rampant mobilization like in autumn last year.”
But he is certain of one thing: if another attempt at mass mobilization arrives, he will not comply. “My relatives, not fit for army service, can drive my car if they take away my license,” he said. “I don’t own any real estate. And the traveling ban has more of a psychological effect on me than practical – or I would have left long ago.”
He is confident his friends and family would take a similar approach. “It will prompt them to take more measures to dodge. Some will leave, others – move to their country homes, still others – forge their documents,” he said. “Everyone will have to find some ways around this somehow.
“None of the people I know – my friends and aquaintances will go to conscription centers,” concurred Irina. “They will employ anything to avoid getting there,” she said.
“It’s better to be sent to prison than be killed.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that the new bill is meant only to “fix the mess” that followed September’s controversial partial mobilization order.
It was a rare admission of failure that reflected how damaging that initial effort was. The order was beset by issues, and prompted thousands of Russians to flee to the border.
Asked during a regular call with reporters if the Kremlin is concerned that the impending new law would trigger another wave of mass exodus of Russians, Peskov said: “Absolutely not. It has nothing to do with mobilization, it has to do with military registration.”
“I don’t believe a word of this,” Alexey, a 41-year-old lawyer from Moscow, told CNN. While he is not within the official age range for mobilization, he does not expect the Kremlin to stick to their own guidelines when calling up recruits.
“Now it will be much easier to mobilize me, given how digitalized life in Moscow has become,” he said.
Currently, conscription documents in Russia must be hand-delivered by the local military enlistment office or through an employer. The new bill makes an electronic summons – uploaded to a government portal called Gosuslugi – equal to the traditional method, and does not take into account whether it has been read.
Russia’s Defense Ministry routinely conscripts men for compulsory military service twice a year, in spring and autumn. The spring conscription this year will apply to 147,000 citizens aged between 18 and 27 and will take place from April 1 to July 15, according to an official document published by the government.
Officials say the changes are related to this process, which was ongoing in Russia before it invaded Ukraine last year. But the memories of September are felt intensely among young men and families around the country.
“I have no trust in today’s authorities in Russia. I fear for my son even more than about my own life,” said Alexey, whose son falls within the official age range for conscription.
The prospect of leaving Russia has been a realistic one for many who oppose the war, and who have avoided or fear a call-up.
“Should (the war) drag on and intensify, and if there is a real second wave of mobilization, then I think some will try to leave (Russia), of course,” said Olga, a 48-year-old woman who hopes her son, who is 16, will be admitted to technical college and therefore become exempt from mobilization.
“I feel very badly about this war. And same goes for all other wars and any deaths by force regardless of the cause,” she said. “I would prefer for wars to be fought only by professional military or volunteers.
But fleeing is a difficult proposition. Artem told CNN he is exploring the possibility, but sees few options and fears being unable to find work abroad.
“I do not rule out leaving Russia but I don’t see how, if they impose the ban on draft dodgers traveling abroad,” added Irina. “I don’t see a solution here.”
“And even if it were possible, finding work and accommodation abroad is not so simple. Many of those who had left in autumn last year had returned,” she said. “But, of course, I would feel much better had my son been living in another country. My daughter had left two years ago and I worry about her much less than I would, had she been here.”
Though the Kremlin has been quick to downplay the significance of the move, its provisions and timing are convenient for a military bogged down in stalemate in its ground campaign in eastern Ukraine, after months of grinding combat which has bled their manpower and weaponry.
Western officials last week told CNN they believe Russia has a problem generating “trained military manpower.”
“[Russia has] acknowledged that they needed 400,000 more troops and that’s not just for the conflict [in Ukraine], but also to fulfill new formations which are going to be put on the new border with NATO and Finland,” the officials said in a briefing on Wednesday, answering a question from CNN.
“How they generate that is unclear at the moment,” the officials added, noting that a new wave of call-ups would pose risks for Moscow. “Whether the population can sustain another round of mobilization and whether the Kremlin actually wants to test the population’s resilience to that it is unclear at the moment, but the fact they haven’t done would indicate to us that they have some concerns about that.”
The war appears to remain generally popular in Russia – a sentiment reinforced by relentless propaganda on state-controlled media outlets – but analysts have noted that September’s mobilization order was a turning point for many Russians, bringing the realities of conflict home to families across the country.
For those who oppose the conflict, it only hardened their opposition. “Is it the second wave? (It) seems very much so,” Artem said. “But any wave of mobilization is intended to supply the front with more meat.”
Summing up his feelings, and referring to Putin by his first and middle names, he added: “Try and recall all of the most eloquent obscenities you know … that would be my view on the war, the draft and everything to do with Vladimir Vladimirovich’s system of governing.”
The deputy minister of trade and industry, Michael Okyere Baafi has refuted claims that the government’s implementation of three revenue taxes will cause businesses to fail.
According to him, the government’s intention is not to cripple businesses but to tax businesses that have expanded over the years to rake in more revenue domestically.
In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb’s Ernestina Serwaa Asante at the AfCFTA Business Forum held in Capetown South Africa, Mr Baafi said the taxes will help government embark on infrastructural projects for the benefit of Ghanaians.
The three new revenue bills passed by parliament; Income Tax Amendment Bill, Excise Duty Amendment Bill, and Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill aim at raking in about GH¢4 billion if the bill is implemented.
“The intention of government is not to cripple or sabotage businesses. That’s not what government has in mind. Government’s interest is to encourage people to do business and also when they do businesses and when they grow, those businesses are supposed to pay more taxes to government so that we can be able to undertake projects like very good infrastructural projects like roads, other things that will benefit car users and users of social services in the country,” he told GhanaWeb Business.
He stressed that taxation “[It] is a normal way for government to generate more revenue domestically.”
The Growth and Sustainability Levy is expected to raise approximately GH¢2.216 billion in 2023, while the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2022 which amends the Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) is expected to yield revenues of approximately GH¢1.29 billion.
The Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2022 amends the Excise Duty Act, 2014 (Act 878) and is expected to yield approximately GH¢455 million.
But some Ghanaians including the business community have tongue-lashed parliament for passing the three revenue bills.
They have called on President Akufo-Addo to not assent the bill into law.
They explained proper stakeholder engagement with the business community for there to be a consensus.
May 23, 2023, has been scheduled for the Kumawu by-election, following the death of the MP for the area, Philip Basoah.
On this day the Electoral Commission will hold a by-election to elect a new member of parliament for Kumawu in the Ashanti Region on May 23.
The EC which made this known in a press statement issued on Monday, April 17, and signed by its chairperson, Mrs Jean Mensa, said the by-election will be co-inducted in accordance with Article 112 (5) of the Constitution. .
“The Electoral Commission wishes to announce for the information of the general public that following the debt of the Member of Parliament for the Kumawu Constituency; Hon. Philip Basoah, the seat of the constituency in Parliament has vacant.”
“In accordance with Article 112 (5) of the constitution as amended, the Electoral Commission will hold a by-election in the constituency on Tuesday, the 23rd of May, 2023.
The Commission in the statement added that it will receive nominations from prospective candidates from May 2 to May 5 at the Sekyere Kumawu District Office of the EC.
“Accordingly, the Commission will receive nominations from prospective candidates for the election of a Member of Parliament for the said constituency.
“The nominations will be received at the Sekyere Kumawu District Office of the Commission from 2nd May to 5th May.
The by-election became necessary following the death of the NPP MP, Philip Basoah.
He died at the age of 53 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Mr Philip Basoah was born on Tuesday, November 18, 1969.
The late Mr Basoah was a member of the sixth and seventh Parliament.
The International Monetary Fund wants Egypt to enact more of the reforms that Cairo has committed to before it conducts the first review of the country’s $3bn rescue package, Bloomberg News has reported.
The Washington-based lender wants Cairo to privatise certain state assets and allow flexibility in the Egyptian pound to make sure the review is successful, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said last week that the fund was preparing to carry out the review but did not say when it might take place.
Egypt is required to pass the review to access the second tranche of its loan worth about $354m.
Jihad Azour, the IMF’s director for the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, said during a press conference last week that a flexible exchange rate would help protect Egypt’s economy from external shocks and the state should allow the private sector to “create growth and create more foreign currencies”.
The IMF in December announced a deal to provide $3bn to debt-ridden Egypt over nearly four years, including immediate access to $347m.
Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have also offered support, although billions of dollars in pledged investments have yet to materialise as they seek clarity on the progress of the country’s financial reforms.
Egypt’s economy has been hammered by rising oil and food prices due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, with the Egyptian pound losing half of its value against the dollar since March.
About one-third of the country’s 104 million people live in poverty, according to government figures. Many Egyptians depend on state subsidies to keep basic goods like food affordable.
As part of the IMF deal, Cairo has agreed to sell stakes in several dozen state-owned companies this year and pledged to shift to a flexible exchange rate, although the pound’s stability has raised questions about the government’s commitment to its reforms.
A generation of landlords with buy-to-let mortgages are retiring and selling up, leaving fewer properties to rent, an estate agency has said.
Hamptons Estate Agents estimates around 140,000 people who bought property in the 1990s to rent out sold them last year to fund their retirements.
The agency warned numbers were likely to continue rising and new landlords were not filling the gap left behind.
Younger people do not have the money to invest in rental properties, it said.
Hamptons said its research was based on its network of agents and data from the Office for National Statistics. It added it was reflective of the entire rental market which currently has a pool of 2.75 million landlords.
Age was the dominant reason for the exodus, but lower-than-average returns on investments, the general economy, tax and regulatory changes were also to blame, it said.
Researcher Aneisha Beveridge said this “combination of everything” meant older landlords had simply had enough.
While rents for new tenants were relatively high, “quite a high proportion” of older landlords had long-term sitting tenants that achieved relatively low returns, Ms Beveridge said.
“But some are not selling up all of their properties, they’re just selling one or two so they can afford a cruise or time on the golf course or to be able to help their families,” she added.
The research found about 96,000 landlords will turn 65 each coming year across Great Britain.
It said this was in addition to the 924,000 who were already over the age of 65, and that between 2010 and 2022 the number of landlords retiring annually had doubled.
The agency found London was most affected as many of the first buy-to-let mortgages were used for new, low-rise city centre flats – the highest proportion of properties being sold by long-term landlords.
Hamptons also noted the departing landlords left a gap in the sector that was not being filled by a new generation of investors.
“The numbers don’t stack up,” Ms Beveridge said. “Look at how the demographics have changed for younger people struggling to afford to own their own home, let alone a buy-to-let.”
The agency said while house price growth continued to slow, rents were still rising sharply.
While there was a little more choice of rental properties this year compared with 2022, overall the number of rental homes on the market seemed to have found a “new normal” at nearly two-thirds below pre-pandemic levels.
Campaign group Generation Rent, which works to raise awareness of the issues facing tenants, said “we shouldn’t be surprised” by the trend of ageing landlords selling up.
Spokesman Dan Wilson Craw said: “For nearly the past three decades the government has relied on amateurs saving for retirement to provide a large proportion of the nation’s homes.
“The real problem is the chronic failure to build enough homes in places where people want to live.”
Government secured GH¢1.79 billion from the sale of treasury bills in its latest auction held on April 17, 2023.
The auction saw an oversubscription of GH¢125.58 million even though interest rates have been rising.
The target for this week’s auction was GH¢1.66 billion.
Also, interest rates have increased slightly to an average of between 19.74% to 26.9%.
According to the auction results from the Central Bank, the government secured GH¢1.48 billion from the 91-day bill, GH¢227.11 million from the 182-day bill, and GH¢87.81 million from the 364-day bill.
Interest rates however increased slightly to 19.74% for the 91-day bill, 22.47% for the 182-day bill, and 26.9% for the 364-day bill.
Deputy Finance Minister John Kumah has assured that interest rates will come down in the next few months.
According to him, the government is putting up measures to ensure that the rates drop further than it has in recent times.
“At the moment T-Bill rate in January was at about 35%, today it is below 20%, and we are still forcing it down.”
“So that in the end once we tackle inflation and it also comes down, we are now going to see the cost of borrowing coming down within reasonable limits for businesses to have the liquidity to operate,” he was quoted by asaasenews.com.
He added, “So if you don’t have a solid macro-economic environment, businesses will suffer and we are working to restore a healthy macro-economic environment so that businesses will do well.”
The first deputy speaker of parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu is furious about what he claims is excessive exploitation of Ghanaians by GUTA members.
According to the Bekwai MP, GUTA has lost the moral right to complain about tax hikes alleging that members of the association under-declare their products and also overprice their goods to gain huge profit margins.
Joewise who is unhappy with the current development was reacting to concerns raised by GUTA over the introduction of the 3 revenue bills approved by parliament.
According to the association, their members are already struggling with their businesses insisting, the 3 revenue measures will impose addition hardship on them.
But in an interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV, Joewise accused members of the association of dishonesty, insisting they (GUTA) are ripping of the Ghanaian consumer.
“GUTA should be fair to this country. They are always taking about taxes and yet they are over-exploiting Ghanaians and I am saying this without fear. I bought these tiles you see in China, some of the highest grade you can get.
But I bought less than a fraction of what they (GUTA) sell it on the market which even the weakest in China. I also payed import duties They are dishonest, they are under-declaring and inflating the prices to make huge profits on any product”. He told morning show host Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
He further argued that Ghanaians are not paying enough taxes to cushion government realize its revenue target. Comparing Ghana to other African countries, the first Deputy Speaker noted that inspite of low tax collection in Ghana, 90% of African countries cannot match Ghana in terms of development.
“If GUTA were to pay the right taxes on imported products, it should reflect in how much revenue we generate. Government runs a budget deficit every year and is compelled to borrow to finance the budget. So the truth of the matter is that we (as a nation) are not paying enough taxes.
…90 percent of West Africa countries cannot match Ghana in terms of development and infrastructure yet they pay more taxes than us. And yet the educated ones among GUTA are always complaining about taxes”. he explained.
In Colombia, hundreds of families must decide whether to leave their homes and way of life or risk the destruction caused by a forthcoming volcano eruption.
One of Colombia’s tallest mountains, Nevado del Ruiz resides in a heavily populated farming region and is notorious for its enormous 1985 eruption, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.
According to Colombia’s Geological Service, the volcano has been on orange alert since March 30 and this indicates that “an eruption is likely within days or weeks.”
Towns and villages around the mountain have been asked to evacuate, with local and national authorities declaring a state of emergency. Most nearby schools have gone back to pandemic-era home learning plans and local municipalities are stockpiling first aid kits.
On April 5, Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the voluntary evacuation of about 2,500 families in the area as a precaution, but many locals have refused, saying they are more worried about leaving their livelihoods and belongings behind than about potential lava flows.
While it’s unclear how many families in total have evacuated, Tolima’s civil protection unit director Luis Fernando Velez told local newspaper El Tiempo on Thursday that only a small fraction – just 87 people – had left their homes under his agencies’ watch.
The slopes of the Nevado del Ruiz, located between the Tolima and Caldas provinces in central Colombia, are fertile grounds for local farmers, who say leaving their cattle behind would ruin them.
The local government in the province of Tolima has announced plans to evacuate up to 12,000 cattle, out of a total of over 43,000.
Omar Valdes, Tolima’s rural development secretary and the officer in charge of the cattle evacuation, said farmers were resisting the evacuation order because of previous bad experiences.
“In previous occasions they evacuated, floods [caused by the volcano] didn’t affect their farms and when they came back the farmers found that most of their goods and cattle had been stolen,” he explained.
Eruptions from the Ruiz volcano can be particularly lethal, according to scientists at the Smithsonian Institute’s Global Volcanism Program, because the top of the peak is permanently capped by a layer of snow and ice. Once in contact with the lava, the snow and vice would instantly melt, flood over the slopes of the mountain in torrential mudslides called lahars.
Such a tragedy struck on November 13, 1985, the last massive eruption of the volcano, which is collectively known in Colombia as the Armero Tragedy. On that occasion, just a couple hours after the Ruiz volcano began to erupt, a river of mud, rocks, lava, and icy water swept over the small town of Armero. The flood killed over 23,000 people in a matter of minutes.
Many local residents still remember the trauma of that day, but few are willing to gamble their livelihoods on geologists’ warnings alone. The same volcano erupted in 2012 without causing any deaths.
While Tolima and Caldas are part of the relatively wealthy coffee-growing region of Colombia, most economic activity is run by small-scale farmers who own a limited number of animals and tend to small parcels of land and for whom the cattle and agricultural equipment they own are their most valuable belongings.
Though the increasingly active volcano is monitored daily by dozens of probes, it is impossible to forecast exactly whether it will erupt, let alone when. Still, there are troubling signs.
“Right now, the volcano is ejecting steam, ashes, gases, and closer to the crater there’s been a high level of seismicity,” said Luis Fernando Velasco, the Director of Colombia’s risk management unit UNGRD, in a video statement last week.
Recently, the ground around the volcano has been shaken by hundreds, sometimes thousands of small tremors per day. And on Friday, a column of ashes and smoke originating from the volcano rose onto the sky for over 1500 meters (approximately 5000 ft), according to a report by the Colombian Geological Service.
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has urged all African nations to band together and create a roadmap to guarantee that the continent can supply all of its energy requirements.
Delivering his address at the ongoing Africa Development Conference (ADC) hosted at Harvard University, the Chief Executive Officer of GNPC, Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah, indicated that, one key energy challenge in Africa is the absence of a continent policy document that would ensure Africa countries collaborate to meet its energy needs.
He explained, “Indeed, an assessment of Africa’s situation will reveal that there currently exists a policy overkill, with each country holding diverse positions on how to advance the continent’s energy agenda.”
He added that, “As important as it is to pull each other along in the attainment of our energy goals, progress is hampered by the fact that Africa remains a huge continent with different countries espousing fragmented ideas on how to meet the energy needs of our respective countries.”
On his part, the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who served as the Guest Speaker identified the continent’s inability to solve the basic problems of a unique identity for the African population, financial inclusion, payments systems, functioning digital address systems, efficient public service delivery that support the African economy as the major bane to the development of Africa.
Vice President Dr Bawumia intimated “For many years after independence we have been trying to transform our economies without data and transparent systems. Without data and systems African countries cannot participate in the fourth Industrial Revolution”.
The Vice President further called on Africans to realize that, all the challenges he has stated are possible to be achieved when backed by a strong political will.
The Accra Digital Center’s power was disconnected by the Accra West regional taskforce of the Ghanaian electricity company for owing over GH600,000 debt.
The operation is a part of a larger countrywide effort by ECG to recover money that consumers owe.
This week is supposed to be the last for the National Exercise. As a result, the taskforce is actively organizing its funding.
Citi News sources say an amount of GH¢2.5 billion has been generated so far.
“About GHS 25 million has been collected from our special load-tariff customers which is quite substantial, and I hope that we will be able to give more details on the amount retrieved once the exercise is over. It is more frustrating dealing with customers who are owing but more difficult is realizing those who are engaging in illegal connections. We encourage people to pay for the power they use because we will clamp down on these illegalities”, the Accra West Regional Public Relations Office, Fred Baimbil-Johnson.
The team is currently heading to the AirtelTigo office to carry out similar exercises.
The ECG on March 20, 2023, embarked on a nationwide revenue mobilization exercise.
The company is targeting to collect a debt of about GH¢5.7 billion owed by various ministries, departments and agencies, state-owned enterprises, postpaid and prepaid customers across the country.
Several state companies including Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) from the national power grid. Others like the Accra International Conference Center, public hospitals and schools.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) launched a statewide revenue mobilization initiative to recover all outstanding bills totaling GH5.7 billion from its consumers, and as a result, has recovered half of its entire arrears.
The one-month experiment targets private consumers, companies, organizations, state agencies, and ministries, departments, and departments for power already used from 2022 to this year.
ECG announced that it would embark on a revenue mobilisation exercise from March 20 to April 20, 2023, to recover all debts owed by all categories of customers, including state owned enterprises (SOEs).
Consequently, the company was temporarily closing down all its administrative offices to deploy its staff to be collectors on the field during the one-month period.
However, the engineers, technical staff and the operations, as well as the customer care units, are to be at work to attend to customers.
Managing Director of ECG, Samuel Dubik Mahama, explaining the rationale for deploying all administrative staff to be collectors for the ECG said the debt situation had reached worrying levels, thus it had become important to ensure that it was improved to preserve the integrity of the company.
He said while the company had an idea about the debt situation, the picture was better painted after ECG upgraded its digitlisation process, hence the need to reverse the situation before it negatively affected its operations.
He pointed out that GH₵500 million was used to off-set debt of some public institutions including GH₵200m for Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Ghana Police Service GH₵120 million among others.
According to him, ECG is considering GH₵1.2 billion tax offset using the debts of some state institutions to clear tax obligation owed Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The ECG boss was confident that if all the over 4.5 million consumers with prepaid and postpaid being 50 percent pay their bills, ECG will be worth GH₵2 billion a month company.
He mentioned that at the time he assumed office, the company was making about GH₵125 million a month and recording over 100% revenue losses.
In order to curb revenue losses, he implemented end-to-end digitalization which has increased revenue significantly.
As part of the reforms, he said bulk vendors increased from 400 to over 1,000 leading to revenue increase.
Quota vending rises from GH₵100million to GH₵200million a month
Mahama revealed that revenue from quota vending rose from GH₵4.6 million to GH₵13 million a day which translates into a monthly increase from GH₵100 million a month to over GH₵200 million a month.
The veteran Ghanaian actor, Abusuapanin Judas, has been spreading joy and positivity to his social media followers since his return.
The veteran actor has been sharing heartwarming videos featuring the same woman in his recent videos, now confirmed to be his wife by blogger Sammy Kay.
In a post the blogger shared, it read, “Abusuapanin Judas and his beautiful wife,” he captioned it on April 16, 2023.
Judas’ return to social media has been nothing short of exciting after he made headlines for sharing videos and photos of his wife cradling their newborn baby.
On April 3, 2023, the actor, whose real name is Tweneboah Kodua, took to TikTok to share a slideshow of his wife without any captions except for hashtags.
In the photos, his wife radiated joy and contentment as she lovingly cradled the newborn in her arms, and in other photos, she walked hand-in-hand with Judas while pushing the baby in a trolley.
A viral video of a young Ghanaian boxer who was drowned in emotions whiles delivering his ‘victory speech’ has caught the attention of netizens.
33-year-old Fred Gyimah popularly known as ‘Freezy MacBones’, won his match against British boxer, Darryl Sharp, at the Copper Box Arena in London.
But in spite of his stunning performance, the emotions expressed in his post-match interview was another highlight of the night.
Freezy MacBones was almost drawn to tears whiles recounting his struggles to stardom.
“I work hard toward my dream and I never gave up, never gave up never let anyone let me down. I push myself to the limit. I don’t sleep I am running, 3am, 4am like a madman. People see me like what is this guy doing? Now, this is the answer to them. I am so proud of myself, my mum, my family out there they are watching me. I have made them proud. I came from nothing, where there is no light, no water. Come on bro there is God,” he stated in an interview with Queensberry.
Scores of celebrities have reacted to MacBones’ victory and reaction in the said video which they claim is relatable.
The likes of Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Edem, Flowkingstone, 50 cent, Floyd Mayweather and many others have expressed how the young boxer’s words and expression have inspired them.
Check out the posts below:
🫣 sorry but can’t keep this inside .. thank you everyone for supporting and love . Appreciate y’all .
Ghanaian actress, Roselyn Ngissah, has earned a nomination for the “Best Actress in a Comedy Movie and TV Series” category at this year’s Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).
Roselyn is the fifth Ghanaian to win the prestigious award after the likes of Lydia Forson, Gloria Sarfo, Adjetey Anang, Pascal AKA, and Raquel.
In 2020, Gloria Sarfo won for her role in ‘Perfect Picture: 10 Years Later’, which was Ghana’s sole nomination at the event.
In 2018, Adjetey Anang and Lydia Forson won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively at the AMVCAs.
Adjetey Anang won for his role in the Ghanaian movie, Keteke, and Lydia Forson was celebrated for her role in the Nigerian film, Isoken.
Ghanaian movie director, Pascal Aka, and singer Raquel also grabbed an award at AMVCAs in 2022.
They earned a plaque for Best Soundtrack for their movie, ‘Gold Coast Lounge’.
However, this year’s highly anticipated Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) awards nominations list has been released.
The coveted awards, which honours exceptional performances in entertainment, are now in their ninth edition.
The awards organizers, MultiChoice, rolled out the list of nominations into various categories on the evening of Sunday, April 16, 2023.
Some members of the Ho Central Traders Association in the Volta region, have called for the removal of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the area from office.
They have embarked on a demonstration to register their displeasure about alleged actions taken by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and officials of the Assembly.
The traders’ allegations included the formation of a market management committee by Mr Divine Bosson, the Municipal Chief Executive and Assembly officials without the inclusion of the Market Queen and other executives of the Association.
They also claimed that the market toll and other charges had been increased by the Assembly without consulting them for their input.
It was based on these and other reasons why the traders took to the streets of the city carrying placards with inscriptions such as, “the MCE must go, Mr President we want a change now, the MCE is too authoritative, the MCE must go for harassing the traders and the MCE is not ready to work with market executives and we need proper security system in the market.”
The demonstrators started their procession from the market area through the Civic Centre, walking along the principal street to the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), where they presented a petition to the Regional Minister and a copy sent to the Municipal Assembly.
The traders, in their petition signed by Madam Joyce Norvixoxo, the Market Queen, to Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, alleged that upon the assumption of office, Mr Bosson had refused to work with the Market Queen and other executives of the Traders Association.
“As we write, our Queen Mother has just been arrested and detained for three and half hours by the Police upon the instruction of the MCE just because she was trying to resolve a problem between market women where one called the MCE…”
The traders said they had observed that Mr Bosson had the intention of using the NIB, the police and his foot soldiers to harass members and the Market Queen, for no apparent reason.
They stressed that the Market Queen and the executives were not operating on their own but were duly selected and appointed by Mamaga Akua-Dei II, the Paramount Queen of the Asogli State, chiefs, and elders of the State, and witnessed by members of the Assembly under the former MCE.
The traders said they had been suppressed to their fullest limit by the actions of the current MCE and his foot soldiers and hence called on the Minister to intervene to address the situation.
Mr Augustus Kwaku Awity, the Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, who received the petition on behalf of the Regional Minister said a committee would be constituted to investigate the issues and appropriate actions taken to address them.
Responding to the allegations, Mr Bosson said, the supposed market queen only assumed the position when her ailing mother, the designated market queen got indisposed, and claimed that no document at the Assembly had ever given anyone a right to operate as such.
He said there were adverse findings against Madam Norvixoxo in the distribution of stalls and extortion, for which the Assembly found it difficult to work with her.
Mr Bosson, however, confirmed the formation of a new Market Management Committee to maximise revenue collection while an invitation to the traditional leadership for a representation was yet to be actualised.
Following a boom in inexpensive commodities, Poland and Hungary have banned the importation of grain and other food items from Ukraine.
The goal of the action, according to the Polish prime minister’s office, was “to protect the Polish agricultural market against destabilization.”
In response, Ukraine stated that it “regrets the decision of its Polish counterparts” and was prepared to assist Poland in an inquiry into any potential abuses.
István Nagy, the minister of agriculture for Hungary, declared on Sunday that the country will temporarily outlaw the import of grain, oil seeds, and other agricultural products from Ukraine, claiming the action was required “in the absence of meaningful EU measures.”
The European Commission condemned the move, saying it was not for individual members to decide trade policy.
“It is important to underline that trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable,” the commission’s Arianna Podestà told CNN.
When Russia invaded Ukraine it blocked ports and sea routes used to export Ukrainian grain to Africa and the Middle East.
Fearing widespread famine, the European Union lifted duties on grain from Ukraine to ease distribution to those global markets.
Ukrainian grain has since flowed into Poland but much of it has remained in the country, bringing down the price and causing Polish farmers to suffer significant financial losses.
Farmers across central and eastern Europe have been demonstrating against Ukrainian grain imports.
Protesters blocked traffic and border checkpoints with tractors along the border between Romania and Bulgaria, in an effort to prevent Ukrainian trucks from entering their country.
Local producers say they cannot compete with the price of Ukrainian grain and have demanded compensation from the European Commission.
Anger grew after the European Commission announced a draft decision to extend duty-free and quota-free imports of Ukrainian grain until June 2024, prompting the resignation of the Polish agriculture minister.
There has been similar opposition in Bulgaria, where producers have complained of warehouses full of products they cannot sell.
“Bulgaria is in solidarity with Ukraine, but a local glut is being created on the agricultural market, because instead of export corridors our countries are becoming warehouses,” Bulgaria’s agriculture minister Yavor Gechev said.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that Ghana has completed all prior actions in order to be supported for its economic recovery program.
According to IMF Director for Africa, Abebe Selassie, the only outstanding issue was the confirmation of financing assurances from external creditors.
He, however, noted that expecting a resolution to the matter are expectant when the Paris Club meets again this week.
Speaking at a press briefing on the sidelines of the April IMF Spring Meeting, he said all the measures required to present Ghana’s programme to the IMF Executive Board were complete.
“On the status of the programme with Ghana, we had reached staff-level agreement, as you know, last December. And we are now comfortable that all of the measures required for us to present the programme to our Executive Board are complete, except for the required financing assurances from external creditors.
“We are very comfortable with all the steps that Ghana has done, and that is why we are also urging creditors to step forward and provide the financing assurances needed for us to present the programme to the Board as soon as possible.
“We are very optimistic and keeping fingers crossed this will happen in the next few weeks,” Mr Selassie stated.
The IMF, he noted, is encouraged by the steps that the Ghana government had taken over the last several months since the programme request.
“It’s been a very difficult time of course, very difficult, very significant, measures that have had to be taken, and the initial steps that the government has taken are very encouraging,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, has commended Ghana for taking the bold actions necessary to enable it get support from the world for its economic recovery programme.
She further commended the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta as being proactive in engaging bilateral partners.
In an interview, Mr Ofori-Atta said “we have had a very positive and successful mission at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, with a lot of goodwill and support for our economic programme.”
He said the government was expectant of good news about financing assurances very soon, to enable the country present its programme to the IMF Board for approval.
Ghana’s participation in the spring meetings also saw the formal unveiling of the roadmap of the Accra- Marrakech Agenda which would culminate at the World Bank/ IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco in October this year.
On the sides of the Spring Meetings, the Ghanaian government delegation also met with officials of the United States of America (US) treasury, private sector investors, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the USDFA and the US EximBank, as part of efforts to strengthen the ties of friendship and economic cooperation between the two nations.
Radio New Zealand says ‘government-funded’ label does not reflect broadcaster’s editorial independence.
New Zealand’s public radio broadcaster has threatened to leave Twitter following Elon Musk’s decision to label certain media accounts as “government-funded”.
Radio New Zealand’s head of content Megan Whelan said on Monday that the label, which Twitter uses to describe outlets that “may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content”, does not reflect the broadcaster’s editorial independence.
“Not only is our editorial independence protected by the law, we guard it vigorously,” Whelan said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“Over the next few days, we will be considering our options, including talking to Twitter to have the label removed or revised, or as other public media around the world have done, leave the platform.”
RNZ’s statement comes after publicly-funded National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service in the United States quit Twitter in protest against what they view as Musk’s efforts to undermine their legitimacy.
Twitter has in recent days added the “government-funded” label to publicly funded outlets, including the UK’s BBC, Canada’s CBC, Voice of America and Al Jazeera, after an earlier decision to apply a “state-affiliated media” tag to NPR drew a backlash.
Before Musk took control of Twitter last year, the “state-affiliated media” had been reserved for government mouthpieces such as China’s Xinhua and Russia’s RT.
Musk later suggested the NPR decision was a mistake, saying it “might not be accurate” to describe the broadcaster as state media.
A February 9, 2023 ruling of the High Court presided over by Justice Francis Obiri continues to generate controversy.
This decision granted a request by some students that the University of Ghana puts its residence re-allocation policy on hold.
This new policy among other things seeks to convert the Commonwealth Hall into a Hall of residence for first-year students and graduate students.
The court also in a March 16 ruling declined a request by the University to cross-examine some of the students regarding certain claims they had made in court documents.
These two decisions form a key part of an application by the University asking that Justice Obiri recuses himself from the case because of his connection to the Commonwealth Hall Fraternity while a student.
Copies of these decisions that explain in detail why the judge arrived at these conclusions have popped up.
See full ruling on cross-examination of students;
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF JUDICATURE,
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, COMMERCIAL DIVISION “2”
HELD IN ACCRA ON THURSDAY, THE 9TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2023, BEFORE HIS LORDSHIP FRANCIS OBIRI
RULING
On 16th January 2023, the Plaintiffs/Applicants (hereinafter called the Applicants) filed a motion before this Court. The motion is seeking an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Defendant by itself, its officers, servants, agents, and whatsoever manner:
From going ahead/taking any steps to implement its new residency policy decided on 26th October 2022 and captured in the minutes of the said meeting signed by Professor Awandare (Chairman) and Pascaline K. Songsore (Secretary) and forwarded to the Vice Chancellor by letter dated 10th November, 2022.
Mandatory order directed at the Defendant to remove from the Commonwealth Hall, all persons newly placed in residence in the Commonwealth Hall, pursuant to the 26th October 2022 new residency policy.
From in any manner interfering with the accrued residency rights of the Applicants and all continuing students of Commonwealth Hall, prior to the new policy.
The motion is supported by affidavit and exhibits. I wish to quote the relevant paragraphs of the affidavit in support in this ruling.
That by a Letter of Admission dated the 20th of December, 2021, the 5th Plaintiff was admitted into the Defendant University to pursue a four (4) year full time study leading to the award of a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Education. (I attach herewith marked as exhibit A, is a copy of the 5th Plaintiff’s letter of Admission in verification)
That Exhibit A is in essence a replica of the admission letters of all the applicants except for the names, the addresses, images of the students and the courses offered to study.
That upon the University’s direction, I applied for and was awarded residence at Commonwealth Hall which is one of the five (5) traditional halls of the university pursuant to which I proceeded to complete registration formalities after which I took residence in the hall. (I attach herewith marked as Exhibit B a copy of the 5th Plaintiff’s Residence Allocation letter in verification.
That allocation of halls of residence is on competitive basis and even if allocated, is time-restricted and in terms of costs, the traditional halls are preferred and the most sought after.
That the alternative to the traditional halls is the University of Ghana Enterprises Limited halls residency which is nearly thrice the cost of the traditional halls. (I attach herewith marked as Exhibit C and C1 copies of the schedule of provisional residential fees for 2022-2023 academic year for traditional halls and the university of Ghana Enterprises Limited schedule of fees for the 2022-2023 academic year in verification.
That had we being allocated residence in the University of Ghana Enterprises Limited Halls; we could not have taken it for the reason that we cannot afford the charges that come with residence of those halls.
That by a long-standing residence arrangement and practice of the University, once a student takes up residence in the traditional halls, the student has a right of residence in that hall for the duration of the course of study, subject to proven breach of an existing regulation of the University, punishable by loss of the right of the residence in the hall.
That documentary evidence of the residency policy and the practice of the University being that residency in halls cover the duration of the course can be seen in the University’s published residency policy notice dated, the 7th of December, 2021 titled “Notice of Student Residency in University Managed Halls; 2021/2022 academic year”. (I attach herewith marked as exhibit D is a copy of the document titled “Notice on Student Residency in University Managed halls; 2021/2022 Academic year in verification).
That by items 1 and 2 of Exhibit D, the residency board of the University underscored its residency policy and practice and its recognition that a deviation of the long-standing policy and practice of residence in halls being for the duration of the course can only be prospectively done on conditions expressly spelt out in the offer of accommodation to new students.
That the other applicants are resident students of Commonwealth Hall who I met upon taking residence in the hall and who I have lived in the hall with for the period of the academic year spanning January 2021 to September 2022 when the academic year came to an end.
That I am advised and verily believe same to be true that with our allocation of residence at Commonwealth Hall, (Hall) a right of residence for the duration of our respective courses accrued to me and the other applicants subject only to the loss of our right of residence on a proven breach of a pre-existing rule of the University’s basic law punishable by loss of the right of residence.
That I and my colleague applicants successfully completed our academic work and went temporarily out of the residence when the University went on Summer Vacation with a reasonable expectation of returning to our residence in early January, 2023 to continue our courses.
That on the 28th of December 2022, I received via WhatsApp messaging a link from some colleagues on one of our group platforms. When I followed the link, it led me to a notice from the University that said the following:” Following the University Council’s approval of new residential arrangements for the 2022/2023 academic year, you have been reallocated a bed in a different hall of residence. Kindly follow the steps below to accept your offer and secure a bed”. The notice then directed that I log in for my newly allocated hall and room number. (I attach herewith marked as Exhibit E an image of the notice that the link led to captioned of the “New Residential Arrangement academic year” in verification.)
That I was to discover well after the fact that the university had sent an email to me and the other applicants on 14th of December 2022 in which they advised that the university council had approved recommendations of the residence board for changes to student residence arrangement in reaction to repeated incidences of violence involving students. (I attach herewith marked as exhibit E is a copy of the print out of the email titled Arrangements for students’ residence from 2022/2023 academic year in verification)
That by bullet point one of, the new arrangement advised by the University, the other Applicants and I were informed that with effect from the start of 2022/2023 academic year, “All continuing students of Commonwealth Hall and continuing male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall will not return to these halls or to any of the traditional halls. They are to be randomly assigned to available rooms in any of the UGEL and private hostels. Continuing female students of Mensah Sarbah Hall and students with special needs in both halls will not be affected by this measure”.
That our enquires carried out sometime in the beginning of the year revealed that the changes in residence policy were decided by a meeting of the Residence Board of the University which took place on the 26th of October 2022. The minutes of which were forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor of the University by the Pro-vice Chancellor (Academic and Students Affairs) by a letter dated the 10th of November 2022. (I attach herewith marked as Exhibit G and G1 the cover letter dated the 10th of November 2022 and the minutes of the meeting of 26th of October 2022 respectfully for ease of reference in verification)
That by the statute of the university of Ghana, the Residence Board of the university is the primary body responsible for student residence matters and by convention, the university has the following representation for each traditional hall of residence:
Head of Hall (Hall Master)
Senior Tutor
President of the Junior Common Room
That in breach of the age long, well established, and hallowed convention of the university. The three representations of Commonwealth Hall were not invited to the Residence Board meeting of the 26th of October, 2022.
That the fact of the failure to invite the statutory and conventional representations of Commonwealth Hall, the hall was unrepresented and was not heard as a principal party adversely affected by the policy decision.
That the decision contained in exhibit G1 which is the basis of the policy to truncate our rights of residence in the Commonwealth Hall for the duration of our courses has created the invidious and unjust situation where I and the other applicants who do not have even the remotest connection to the so-called disturbances are now being punished without as much as even being accused much more heard on alleged wrong-doings that we know nothing about.
That the issues tabled at the meeting on 26th October 2022, the failure to invite our hall representatives and the gleefulness with which the university has trumped due process, good conscience, our right to be heard and the snatching away of our accrued rights of the residence of the hall suggest that the meeting of 26th October 2022 was convened mala fides with a pre-conceived goal to victimize the hall and its residents.
That I am advised and verily believe same to be true that the Defendant did not act in accordance with its own laws when it purportedly made the decision it is seeking to implement as its new residence policy.
That I am also advised and verily believe same to be true that the decision to truncate the right of residence of continuing students of Commonwealth Hall was made in gross disregard of the Defendant’s own statutes and conventions and without due process.
That the avowed intent of the Defendant is to implement the new residency policy and infringe on the accrued rights of the Plaintiffs and their colleagues.
That I am further advised and verily believe same to be true that I can in the circumstances seek an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the Defendant from implementing the new residency policy and also seek in the same application a mandatory order directed at the Defendants to remove those it has wrongfully placed in the hall in the implementation of the residence policy and for the status quo to be maintained pending the trial of the instant suit.
The motion was served on the Respondent on 17th January 2023 at 12:50 p.m. The return date for the motion was 7th February 2023. On 7th February 2023, when the case came up for hearing, the Defendant/Respondent (hereinafter called the Respondent) had not filed any affidavit in opposition.
The Court granted the Respondent’s counsel leave to file affidavit in opposition if any by 2 pm on 8th February 2023.
The Respondent filed its affidavit in opposition on 8th February 2023 at 2:40 p.m. I wish to quote the relevant paragraphs in this ruling:
I am advised by Counsel and verily believe same to be true that the instant application for interlocutory injunction is frivolous, vexatious, incompetent and without merit and has no basis in law.
That the said application is moot and dead upon arrival as the Respondent complied with and implemented the Respondent council’s policy on residence on December 28, 2022, prior to the filing of the instant application.
I deny that the Respondent has implemented any decision of the University dated October 26th, 2022. The said decisions which were recommendations of the Residency Board forwarded to the Academic Board of the Respondent, subsequently became the Respondent University Councils policy on the residency of all students which policy by the Respondent Council is sanctioned by law to implement amidst other rights and powers.
10. I deny the deposition in paragraph 10 of the Applicants’ affidavit in support that the cost of residence at University of Ghana Enterprises Limited Hall is nearly thrice the cost for the traditional halls.
I deny paragraphs 11 and 12 of the Applicants affidavit in support and say that the residency of students of all the halls including Commonwealth Hall and Mensah Sarbah Hall terminated at the end of the academic year 2021/2022 as has been the policy of the Respondent University. As such, at the commencement of the academic year 2022/2023, and in the absence of an offer of allocation and or re-allocation of rooms to students for the academic year, no student could claim residency in any hall of the Respondent University. No student has a right of residence perse in a hall of residence in the sense that he/she is automatically to a room and a bed.
I deny paragraphs 13 and 14 of the Applicants’ affidavit in support and say that the University reserves and has always reserved the right to amend or change its policies including the residence policy. That the communication referred to in paragraph 13 was itself a change in residence policy at that time. The University reserved the right to change the policy as indicated in exhibit D.
17. I deny paragraphs 18, 19 and 20 of the Applicants’ affidavit in support and says, no such hardships or inconveniences will be visited upon students as nearly all continuing students have accepted re-allocations of halls made to them by the Respondent and have paid for same, in any case, the Respondent has indicated its willingness to support all students who have financial challenges related to taking up the new residency.
18. I deny paragraphs 23, 24 and 25 of the Applicants affidavit in support and say that by their own showing, Exhibit G was a communication requesting the recommendations of the residence board to be brought to the attention of the Academic board for consideration, clearly evidencing that the recommendations of the residency board were not final.
The re-allocation of Commonwealth Hall and Mensah Sarbah halls to freshmen is a lawful residential policy of the Respondent Council made within the boundaries of the law and not a punitive measure meted against a targeted group.
25. In response to paragraph 37 of the affidavit in support, I say that 3rd party rights have already accrued in the halls as per the Applicants own showing, new students have already been allocated to the rooms in Commonwealth and Sarbah Halls and are already in actual occupation of the rooms. A complex web of interest has already been created.
I am advised by counsel and believe same to be true that this Court may not consider the prayer of the Applicants in paragraph 38 of the Affidavit in support unless it has heard and considered the interest of the innocent students who are currently in occupation, who the Applicants pray that they be removed from their current accommodation. That to do so will not only be unfair but it will also be unjust.
28. I deny paragraphs 40 and 41 of the affidavit in support and say that the status quo presently is the already allocated residency of Commonwealth and Mensah Sarbah halls to freshmen who have already paid and occupied these halls and the re-allocation of other halls of residence to continuing students including the applicants both done prior to the filing of the instant application.
The grant of the instant application will adversely affect the Respondent as well as all students both freshmen and continuing students who have already been allocated rooms and taken residency in the various halls pursuant to the Residency policy of the Respondent.
The court decided to give its decision based on the documents filed in support and in opposition to this application. Afterall, there is no law which says, a motion can only be decided when it has been moved formally. Once the return date is due which in this case was 7th February, 2023, the court can decide the application as per the documents filed.
See: REPUBLIC v COURT OF APPEAL; EX PARTE EASTERN ALLOY CO. LTD [2007-2008] 1 SCGLR 371
Injunction implies an order of a court directed at a party to do or refrain from doing a specific act which may be continuing or is yet to commence.
The Black’s Law Dictionary, 9th Edition, with Bryan A. Garner as editor in chief defines injunction as follows: “A Court order commanding or preventing an action. It goes further to state that in a general sense, every order of a court which commands or forbids is an injunction; but in its accepted legal sense, an injunction is a judicial process or mandate operating in personam in which upon certain established principles of equity, a party is required to do or refrain from doing a particular thing”.
It further defines preliminary injunction as “a temporary injunction issued before or during trial to prevent an irreparable injury from occurring before the court has the chance to decide the case. It is also called interlocutory injunction”.
The Osborn Concise Law Dictionary, 8th Edition defines Injunction as “an order or decree by which a party to an action is required to do or refrain from doing a particular thing”.
Injunction is a matter of judicial discretion by the court and not as of right. The Black’s Law Dictionary, 9th Edition, defines judicial discretion as “the exercise of judgment by a judge or court based on what is fair under the circumstances and guided by the rules and principles of law. A court’s power to act or not to act when a litigant is not entitled to demand the act as a matter of right”. The same judicial discretion is sometimes described as legal discretion.
In the exercise of judicial discretion, the 1992 Constitution of Ghana gives the parameters within which such powers are to be exercised. Article, 296 (a) and (b) of the 1992 Constitution provide that:
296 “Where in this Constitution or in any other law discretionary power is vested in any person or authority-
that discretionary power shall be deemed to imply a duty to be fair and candid;
the exercise of the discretionary power shall not be arbitrary, capricious or biased either by resentment, prejudice or personal dislike and shall in accordance with due process of law”.
See: DJAN v YEBOAH-AFARI [2013] 62 GMJ 127 CA
Injunction under our civil jurisdiction in cases pending before the High Courts and the Circuit Courts are regulated by Order 25 or C.I.47.
Order 25 rule (1) of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I. 47) provides the procedure for dealing with interlocutory injunctions.
The order is as follows:
“25 (1) the Court may grant injunction by an interlocutory order in all cases in which it appears to the Court to be just and convenient to do so, and the order may be made either unconditionally or upon such terms and conditions as the Court considers just”.
Order 25 Rule (1) thus gives discretionary power to the court to grant injunction where it deems it just or convenient to do so.
Further, Order 25 Rule 1 (2) requires a party to an action to apply for the grant of injunction before or after trial of the action whether a claim for injunction was included in the party’s writ, counterclaim or third party notice.
Order 25 Rule 1 (3) requires an applicant or a party seeking an injunction to attach to the motion paper and the supporting affidavit, a Statement of Case containing full arguments and the legal authorities to be relied on.
Order 25 Rule 1 (4) enjoins a respondent who desires to oppose the application to file an affidavit in opposition as well as Statement of Case containing full argument and legal authorities to be relied on.
See: SRAHA v AGBOSU [2013] 63 GMJ 108 CA
The Applicants and the Respondent in this case have complied with all the provisions under Order 25 Rule 1(1), (2), (3) and (4) of C.I. 47.
I have already indicated in this ruling, that the grant or refusal of interlocutory injunction is within the discretion of the court. It is not a matter of right by a party but a discretionary order by the court.
See: AGYEI & ORS. v SIMILAO [2012] 1 SCGLR 127
Again, the law is settled that the court will always be guided by the following principles to determine whether to grant or refuse an application for interlocutory injunction.
Whether the Applicant has a legal or equitable right at law which the court must protect by maintaining the status quo ante until the final determination of the case.
Whether on the balance of convenience, the Applicant will suffer irreparable injury or greater harm which could not be adequately compensated in damages if the application is not granted.
Whether the applicant case is not frivolous nor vexatious.
Whether on the face of the affidavits and the exhibits, there is the need to maintain the status quo ante pending the determination on case.
Whether the application discloses a prima facie case, for the purposes of preserving the status quo or to hold the circumstances surrounding the matter in dispute in the action.
Whether there are serious questions of law to be tried at the hearing.
Whether it will be fair, just and or equitable to grant same.
See: VANDERPUYE v NARTEY [1977] 1 GLR 428 CA
OWUSU v OWUSU-ANSAH & ANOR [2007-2008] 2 SCGLR 870
METTLE v LANDS COMMISSION [2008] 1 GMJ 190 CA
BRAM-LARBI v THE REGISTRAR & 2 ORS [2010] 28 MLRG 148 CA
PETERSON v KUSI [2010] 26 GMJ 83 CA
CENTRACOR RESOURCES LIMITED v BOOHENE [1992-1993] 4 GBR 1512 CA
NANA BONSIE & ORS v AGYENIM BOATENG & 3 ORS [2012] 52 GMJ 206 CA
18TH JULY LIMITED v YEHANS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED [2012] 1 SCGLR 167
Again, injunction can also be granted to prevent a party from not complying with a valid subsisting order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
See: MICHAEL ANKOMAH-NIMFAH v JAMES GYAKYE QUAYSON & OTHERS (NO.2) [2022] 176 GMJ 446 SC
The law recognizes that, there may be situations where an interlocutory application can dispose of the substantive matter where the justice of the case so demands. However, those glaring cases are limited. In those situations, the facts are normally undisputed. It is therefore trite law, that in interlocutory applications, adjudicators must avoid making definitive findings on disputed issues particularly where the facts are not only material but for some reasons obscure or highly contentious.
See: IN RE BOB KWAME & CO. LIMITED; GYINGYI v BERNARD AND ANOTHER [1989-1990] 1 GLR 87 CA
At this stage, I am only seized with the affidavit evidence and the pleadings and not the oral evidence. However, it is both the pleadings and the oral evidence which make up a case.
My duty at this stage is to examine the substantive application in this case, the affidavit in opposition etc., as well as the exhibits attached. I will then consider whether the Applicants have a right at law or in equity and, whether their claim is not frivolous or vexatious, and should be protected until such time that the injunction order may be dissolved by the court.
See: NATIONAL LOTTERY AUTHORITY v AIRTEL GHANA [2011] 36 GMJ 190
The law is also settled, that even a person in possession of a property can be restrained by injunction from disposing such property.
See: IN RE YENDI SKIN AFFAIRS: YAKUBU II v ABDULAI [1984-1986] 2 GLR 231 SC
I have considered the pleadings, the affidavits, the Statement of Case as well as the annexures by both parties. I am satisfied that there are triable issues to be tried in the main case. For example;
Whether the Applicants ought to have appealed against the decision of the Respondent, dated 26th October 2022 to the Appeal’s Board of the University of Ghana or were right in coming to court.
Whether the Applicants were heard before the 26th October 2022 decision was taken by the Respondent’s Residency Board.
Whether the Applicants acquired equitable rights as resident students of Commonwealth Hall, and if so whether that right can be revoked unilaterally by the Respondent.
I am also satisfied, that the Applicants application is neither frivolous nor vexatious and raises serious questions of law for determination.
However, having considered the above factors, the next important factor to consider is balance of convenience. The question to pose is whether damages would be an adequate remedy if the application for injunction is granted or refused?
In the case of NDEBUGRE (NO.1) v THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL, AKER ASA & CHEMU POWER COMPANY LIMITED (NO.1) [2013-2014] 2 SCGLR 1134, the Supreme Court per Akamba JSC held at page 1138 as follows “it is a basic principle of injunction law, that prima facie, a court will not grant an injunction to restrain an actionable wrong for which damages are the proper remedy”.
The Supreme Court, again in the case of WELFORD QUARCOO v ATTORNEY-GENERAL & ANOR [2012] 1 SCGLR 259 per Date-Bah JSC in explaining balance of convenience held at page 260 that “the balance of convenience, of course, means weighing up the disadvantages of granting the relief against the disadvantages of not granting the relief. Where the relief sought relates, to a public law matter, particular care must be taken not to halt action presumptively for the public good, unless there are very cogent reasons to do so, and provided also that any subsequent nullification of the impugned act on omission cannot restore the status quo”.
See also, GHANA INDEPENDENT BROADCASTERS’ ASSOCIATION (NO.1) v ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA COMMISSION (NO.1) [2017-2020] 1 SCGLR 498
RANSFORD FRANCE (NO.1) v ELECTORAL COMMISSION AND ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2012] 1 SCGLR 689
HARUNA IDDRISU & 2 ORS v ATTORNEY-GENERAL WRIT NO. J1/19/2022, DATED 4TH MAY, 2022 SC
Coming back to the case before me, from exhibit B, the 5th Applicant, and the other Applicants as they have averred in their affidavit in support were offered residential accommodation in Commonwealth Hall by the Respondent.
There is no indication on exhibit ‘B’ that it was to last for a year. Exhibit ‘B’ is coming from the Respondent. It is on the letter heard of the Respondent. There is no indication that it was forged or procured by the Applicants by recourse to fraud.
Exhibit B is an official record and therefore presumes to be authentic, genuine, and properly done under sections 37, 148 and 162 of the Evidence Act, 1975 (NRCD 323).
See: JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA v NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO- ADDO [2021] 171 GMJ 473
BROBBEY & OTHERS v KWAKU [1995-1996] 1GLR 125 SC
DUPAUL WOOD TREATMENT & ANOTHER v ASARE [2005-2006] SCGLR 667
Again, per exhibit D, the Respondent informed the Applicants and others who were in residence that they would not lose their residency before they finish their courses.
It is trite law that when one gives a tacit assurance to another and the innocent party relies on it, the one who gave the promise will be estopped subsequently, by his conduct from denying the existence of the promise or the assurance given earlier to the innocent party. This type of estoppel has received statutory and case law blessings. It is provided under Section 26 of the Evidence Act as follows:
“Except as otherwise provided by law, includes a rule of equity, when a party has, by his own statement, act, omission, intentionally and deliberately caused or permitted another person to believe a thing to be true and to act upon such belief, the truth of that thing shall be conclusively presumed against that party or his successors in interest in any proceedings between that party or his successors in interest in any proceedings between that party or his successors in interest and such relying person or his successors in interest.”
See also,AFRIKANIA MISSION CHURCH v SEBA CONSTRUCTION LTD [2013] 59 GMJ 176 CA
AGO SAI & OTHERS v KPOBI TETTEH TSURU II [2010] SCGLR 762
T.K. SERBEH & CO LTD v MENSAH [2005-2006] SCGLR 341
OBENG & OTHERS v ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH, GHANA [2010] SCGLR 300
Furthermore, I am of the view that exhibits B and D have created some equitable rights on behalf of the Applicants as to their residential accommodation which was offered to them by the Respondent which must be protected.
Again, granted that the Respondent intends to create any right on behalf of fresh students who are to be at Commonwealth Hall, that right should not override the earlier equitable right obtained by the Applicants by virtue of exhibits B and D.
The law is settled that when two equitable rights are created, the first in time must prevail. And as in this case, the right created or conferred on the Applicants for years must prevail over any right which is yet to be created or was created few weeks or months ago in favour of fresh students.
I am also of the view, that the anxiety, the trauma that will be caused to the Applicants who were in residence at Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana if their residential status is changed contrary to exhibits B and D will be greater than those who are yet to take up residence or who are fresh students.
As to whether the Respondent’s Residency Board resolution dated 26th October 2022 and the letter referencing it dated 10th November 2022 have any basis in law or not would be considered during the trial.
However, in the meantime, considering all the exhibits or the annexures as well as the pleadings, I am of the humble view, that the inconvenience which would be caused to the Applicants and all continuing students of Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana if the application is not granted would be greater than the inconvenience which would be caused to fresh students if the application is granted.
Of course, equity and good conscience will even suffice that it would be inconvenient to dispossess one who is already in possession or who has been in possession for months or years than one who is yet to be in possession or who has been in possession for some few days or weeks.
I am of the considered view, that it will be fair and just to grant the application pending the determination of the case.
Consequently, I hereby restrain the Respondent, either by itself, or its officers, assigns, privies, agents, workmen or anybody working under the Respondent’s instructions from going ahead to implement the decision of the Respondent per its Residence Board emergency meeting, dated 26th October 2022 against the Applicants and all continuing students of the Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana.
The status quo as to the continuing students of Commonwealth Hall, should be maintained as it used to be before the meeting of the Residence Board of the Respondent, dated 26th October 2022.
This order is to be in force until the final determination of the case. The effect is that the residential status of the continuing students of Commonwealth Hall University of Ghana should not be disturbed until the final determination of the case.
All the Applicants are to file one undertaking that if they lose the case, all of them will compensate the Respondent with an amount of GH¢30,000.00. The application therefore succeeds. No order as to cost.
SGD.
FRANCIS OBIRI
JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT
See full ruling on the injunction:
THE SUPERIOR COURT OF JUDICATURE
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE COMMERCIAL DIVISION “2”
HELD IN ACCRA ON THURSDAY THE 16TH DAY OF MARCH, 2023
BEFORE HIS LORDSHIP FRANCIS OBIRI
–
RULING
I have read the documents filed in this application by the Respondents/Applicants for leave to cross examine the deponent in the contempt application. I have also heard the submissions for and against the application by the lawyers for the parties.
Under Order 38 rule 2(3) of C.I.47 upon which the application to cross examine the deponent to the contempt application is anchored, the court has discretion whether to grant it or not.
Secondly, it is trite law that a deponent to an affidavit in support of an application under Order 20 of C.I.47 must be able to disclose his source of information. The deponent even need not be a party to the application. The requirements as to the contents of affidavit or the capacity of a deponent to swear to an affidavit under Order 20 of C.I.47 is applicable to all applications.
Order 50 of C.I.47 which is on committal for contempt does not provide a different criterion as to who can depose to an affidavit in contempt proceedings. And if the framers or the makers of C.I.47 wanted an application under Order 50 of C.I.47 to have different criteria, they would have stated so expressly. That is why even a law clerk can depose to an affidavit on behalf of a client his firm represents. The deponent only must disclose his source of information which he believes to be true.
See: 18TH JULY LTD v YEHANS INTERNATIONAL LTD [2012] 1 SCGLR 167
What the law mandates a deponent to do is not to withhold material facts.
See: THE TRUST BANK LTD v G. K. APPIAH AND SONS LTD AND OTHERS [2011] 2 SCGLR 894
In this case, the deponent to the affidavit is one of the applicants and not even someone who is not a party in respect of the application.
Again, it is the law that an application belongs to the applicant and not the deponent to the affidavit. Therefore, the deponent to an affidavit need not be one who has capacity to bring the application.
Consequently, in an application to invoke the jurisdiction of the court, the capacity of the deponent to the affidavit may not be necessary. What is relevant is the capacity of the Applicant.
See: THE REPUBLIC v HIGH COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) ACCRA, EX PARTE NANA OWUSU AFRIYIE AND ANOR (FIRST ATLANTIC BANK – INTERESTED PARTY) [2021] 172 GMJ 424 SC
Even in strict criminal cases, a deponent to an application need not be the party in the case. The deponent must only disclose information based on what he knows to be true. There is no law which says, if a party swears to an affidavit on his behalf and on behalf of another person, he should attach any document as evidence of consent from the other Applicant or person.
I am therefore of the view that the court will not honour the invitation extended to it by the Respondents Applicants to grant their application under Order 38 of C.I.47. The application fails and same is dismissed. The case is adjourned to 3rd April, 2023 at 12:00 noon
The GHS22 billion “fiscal offset” in the 2023 budget, according to former finance minister Seth Terkper, could impede the implementation of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program if caution is not exercised.
He stated that about a month ago, he drew attention to the problem of arrears the government owed suppliers, contractors, employees.
“We noted that they are as important as the ongoing debate on domestic & external public debt,” he tweeted.
He added ” We must stress: every government has to deal with arrears in every Budget. Hence, the issue is [a] how to sought to improve on the method of compilation & reporting: and how this effort was distorted in the 2017 Budget.
“We show the 2016 “offsets” & bailout “footnotes” appear to resurface in the 2023 Budget; but to paint a positive picture. If not addressed, it will [a] retard progress under an IMF programme; and haunt a new government [NDC?]. Case in point? Single Spine. Tune in.”
Regarding the IMF deal, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said the government expects the IMF board approval of the deal it is seeking with the Fund by May this year.
He told the investors on the sidelines of the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. USA on Thursday, April 13 that “We do at this time expect an IMF board approval in May and contemplate a rapid negotiation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with our creditors. We have made significant efforts on all fronts.”
He further assured the investors that the government had taken a number of steps to ensure that the challenges with the nation’s finances are tackled.
He told the investors on the sidelines of the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. USA that the country is undergoing debt restructuring as part of efforts to secure a deal with the IMF.
said “Ghana has done a number of things, first of all with regards to the Paris Club, we did travel to China, we sort support from India and the Saudis and really maintained open relations with the Club.
“We did get to the Club to let them know that we were worried about the track record of the common framework, we have had a good relationship, we really commend the Paris Club for the sense of urgency that they have and we are confident that they will be able to bring the assurances to the Bank in the coming week.”
He also indicated that Government intends to deepen the relationship with its external creditors.
“We reaffirm our commitment to work with our private and commercial creditors in all of our engagements,” he stressed.
According to him, his prediction is premised on the government’s fiscal consolidation measures established as it seeks a $3billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout by May 2023.
In their recent projections, Fitch Solution pegged Ghana’s fiscal outlook at 6.6 per cent while the IMF predicted that the fiscal outlook of the country will be pegged at 7.3 percent.
Speaking on the theme: “Ghana’s Medium-Term Outlook; Navigating through Economic Uncertainties amid an IMF at DBG/GAB economic presentation”, Professor Eric Osei-Assibey was optimistic that government will reduce its expenditure drastically to keep a positive economic outlook.
“The projection is that the fiscal outlook looks positive. There is going to be an improvement in the fiscal deficit which stood at about 10.4%. As of last year, 2020, it was 11.2%. This is going to reduce to about 6.6%,” he said.
He added that “What explains that is because of the front-loaded fiscal consolidation. We expect revenue performance to be good because of the new taxes bills that have been passed. We expect significant expenditure cut and government interest payment obligation will reduce for both domestic and external.”
Some 2,000 houses have been disconnected by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) over illegal connections.
The Accra East Region of the Electricity Company of Ghana conducted the operation on Friday at the Koiman New site in the Ayi Mensa Koiman Electoral Area.
During the exercise, it was noticed that almost all the houses in the area had been connected to illegal meters.
Atinka TV’s Ebenezer Madugu reported that only three (3) out of the about 2,000 houses were having approved ECG meters.
According to the ECG’s Accra East Regional Commercial Manager, Jonathan Asante, there are over 20,000 such meters in their area alone.
“They cannot even be described as meters. They are mere boxes. Assuming a house consumes one unit and a unit is sold for one Ghana cedi, we are losing over two million Ghana cedis in Accra East alone,” he explained
To stop the issue of illegal reconnection by the residents, the ECG officials decided to remove all the electricity cables in the community, leaving the residents in total darkness.
“If we leave the cables here, they will reconnect; The only way to prevent them from reconnecting is to take the cables away”.
Peter Geh, the Assembly member for the Ayi Mensa Koiman Electoral District, was mentioned by some locals when questioned.
A few minutes later, Mr. Geh appeared at the location. Although he acknowledged assisting residents in obtaining the alleged fake meters, he claimed he had little knowledge of how to identify a fake meter. He attributed the situation to his people’s inability to obtain a meter.
He alleged that one contractor, Solomon, from the Accra East ECG office was in charge of the installations.
Responding to the allegation, the Accra East Regional Commercial Manager of ECG, Jonathan Asante, said, “We don’t know any contractor called Solomon. An investigation will be conducted on this.”
The Communications Officer for ECG, Accra East Region, Mary Eshun, insisted that the process to get a meter is clear and straightforward.
She explained, “you rather experience the delays if you come through a middle man and ‘Goro boys”
The maker of Angry Birds video games has agreed to be bought by the Japanese gaming giant behind the Sonic the Hedgehog character.
Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings is paying €706m (£625m) for Finland-based Rovio Entertainment.
Rovio has said Angry Birds was the first mobile game to be downloaded one billion times, and the brand has also produced two Angry Birds movies.
Sega is seeking to tap into Rovio’s expertise in mobile gaming.
Last year, Rovio – which has about 550 employees across its eight-game studios around the world – said downloads across its stable of games had reached five billion.
Announcing the deal, Sega said its decision to buy Rovio had been driven by the need to “strengthen its position” in the global gaming market.
It said this market is projected to grow to $263.3bn by 2026, with the percentage of mobile gaming expected to increase to 56%.
Sega said it would use Rovio’s “distinctive know-how in live service mobile game operation” to help bring its own current and new titles to the global mobile gaming market.
It highlighted Rovio’s mobile gaming platform, Beacon, which it said had “20 years of high-level expertise in live service-mobile game operation” in the US and Europe.
“Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega’s long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field,” said Haruki Satomi, chief executive of Sega Sammy Holdings.
“I feel blessed to be able to announce such a transaction with Rovio, a company that owns ‘Angry Birds’, which is loved across the world, and home to many skilled employees that support the company’s industry leading mobile game development and operating capabilities,” he added.
Edward James, an analyst at Berenberg, said Rovio was “attractive asset” as it owns “one of the best and strongest brands in mobile games” in Angry Birds.
He added that the Beacon mobile gaming platform was “very useful” for Sega.
“Given the size of the Angry Birds franchise and the long duration nature of the titles, the depth of data and know-how of the Beacon platform is exceptionally valuable and near on impossible for Sega to build from scratch, at least in a reasonable time frame.”
Rovio’s revenues increased to €317.7m in 2022 from €272.3m in 2020, but over the same period its operating profits have fallen from €42.5m to €28.6m.
Rovio had a stock market valuation of $707m (£571m) by the close of trading on Friday, but shares in the company jumped by nearly 18% on Monday after the deal with Sega was agreed.
Sega Sammy is a Japanese global holding company formed by the merger in 2004 of video game giant Sega and Sammy Corporation.
Sega has produced several multi-million-selling video game franchises and is known globally for its Sonic the Hedgehog character, which has also featured in two movies.
The most powerful rocket ever developed is about to attempt a maiden launch.
The vehicle, known as Starship, has been built by the American entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.
It stands almost 120m (400ft) high and is designed to have almost double the thrust of any rocket in history.
Monday’s uncrewed demonstration will lift off from Boca Chica in Texas. The aim is to send the upper-stage of the vehicle eastward, to complete almost one circuit of the globe.
Mr Musk has appealed for everyone to temper their expectations. It’s not uncommon for a rocket to experience some kind of failure on its initial outing.
“It’s the first launch of a very complicated, gigantic rocket, so it might not launch. We’re going to be very careful, and if we see anything that gives us concern, we will postpone the launch,” he told a Twitter Spaces event.
“If we do launch, I would consider anything that does not result in the destruction of the launch pad itself to be a win.”
SpaceX will try to get Starship airborne at 08:00 local time (13:00 GMT; 14:00 BST).
It’s anticipated thousands of spectators will try to reach coastal locations on the Gulf of Mexico to witness the event.
Elon Musk is hoping to completely upend the rocket business with Starship.
It’s designed to be fully and rapidly reusable. He envisages flying people and satellites to orbit multiple times a day in the same way a jet airliner might criss-cross the Atlantic.
Indeed, he believes the vehicle could usher in an era of interplanetary travel for ordinary humans.
Image caption,The booster was held on the ground when its engines were ignited for a “static fire” test
The top segment of Starship has been tested previously on short hops, but this will be the first time it will go up with its lower-stage.
This mammoth booster, called simply Super Heavy, was fired while clamped to its launch mount in February. However, the engines on that occasion were throttled back to half their capability.
If, as promised, SpaceX goes for 90% thrust on Monday, the stage should deliver something close to 70 meganewtons. This is equivalent to the force needed to propel almost 100 Concorde supersonic airliners at takeoff.
Assuming everything were to proceed as planned, Starship will rise up and head down range across the Gulf, the 33 engines on the bottom of the methane-fuelled booster burning for two minutes and 49 seconds.
At that point, the two halves of the rocket will separate, and the top section, the ship, will push on with its own engines for a further six minutes and 23 seconds.
By this time, it should be travelling over the Caribbean and cruising through space more than 100km above the planet’s surface.
SpaceX wants the Super Heavy booster to try to fly back to near the Texan coast and come down vertically, to hover just above the Gulf’s waters. It will then be allowed to topple over and sink.
The ship is aiming to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere after almost a full revolution of the Earth, coming down in the Pacific just north of the Hawaiian islands. It’s been given protective tiling to cope with the immense heating it will experience during the descent. A bellyflop into the ocean is timed to occur 90 minutes after lift-off.
In the longer term, SpaceX expects both the booster and the ship to be making controlled landings so they can be refuelled and relaunched.
The company has been experimenting at Boca Chica with different approaches to building the steel vehicles.
There are various models waiting their turn to take flight.
One of the most interested spectators on Monday will be the US space agency, Nasa.
It is giving SpaceX almost $3bn to develop a variant of Starship that is planned to land astronauts on the Moon.
Garrett Reisman, a professor of astronautical engineering at the University of Southern California, says Mr Musk has the ambition to go even deeper into the Solar System.
“He sees Starship as potentially another giant paradigm shift, an incredible increase in capability – the capability to truly bring people on large scale to Mars,” the SpaceX advisor and former astronaut told BBC News.
“There’s a lot of potential benefit, but there’s also a lot of potential risk because this is very difficult. Nobody’s built a rocket anywhere near this big – twice as big as the next nearest thing.”
Ghanaian musician Okyeame Kwamehas got netizens talking about his post, launching a new underwear line on his 47th birthday.
On April 17, Okyeame posted a celebration of his life on Instagram, confessing that he prays for a long life on earth.
The well-known musician, who formerly ‘dreaded’ old age, now looks forward to getting older and spending his final years with the people he cherishes most.
“When I was turning 40, I was afraid. I thought I will be old, and weak. I was completely wrong. Today at 47, I have never [been] this free, this young, and this wild! Now I am looking forward to 100. Come what may, we move!” he wrote.
Okyeame Kwame did not only receive well wishes on his big day but got some good and wild compliments for the photo that captured him wearing just a boxer from his latest collection.
The eye candy post got fans talking with others testifying that Okyeame does not look his age.
“Happy birthday to me! The present I want from you is to buy my boxers for yourselves and for your loved ones. I’ve launched them today…” he announced.
For many, stories like these may seem like tales told in movies and other fictional pieces of work, but somewhere in Uganda, Ghanaian YouTuber Wode Maya has discovered a community where people purportedly ate humans.
In a Ugandan community called Rakai, one Asifa (a man) is alleged to have eaten human flesh.
Recounting the events to Wode Maya and his team, a native of the community Namazi (not his real name) narrated the ordeal of Asifa, who was accused of cannibalism. Namazi said what started as a mere rumour resulted in the arrest and subsequent persecution of Asifa.
“There were just speculations about cannibals. The reason as to why they were just speculations is because we had never seen a single piece of human flesh but what we saw was what happened but not the exact event of eating human flesh,” he said, but one day they were shocked to the core when they heeded to such reports.
“We were close, up the hill digging only to hear stories that Asifa has eaten human flesh only to reach there. All we found was human hair and human blood but no clothes with hair and blood in our sight. At that point it was nothing but commotion all over. Police and people raided the whole place . A man came claiming that these people had eaten his relative,” he added.
Asifa was subsequently arrested.
“He [Asifa] is tied with ropes in that very minute, his fellows summoned. Upon gathering people people started rioting and destroying the man’s coffee. Gunshots were heard – you know how the police handle situations. Upon handling the situation, everyone departed the scene. Days later, [the next day] Asaki came in to disclose his fellows; he was like ‘you people I was working with Bosco. Bosco’s children were brought. They had arrested them (Asifa, Bosco and co.) for eating people,” he said.
Video credit: Wode Maya
Despite the several claims and personal confessions from Asifa and his fellows, the natives were still skeptical about the whole story since there was still no substantial evidence regarding the claims.
“We were not sure if he eats people because we never saw any kinds of flesh, be it for frogs or snakes. We saw nothing but after a while when Asafu was brought, he narrates his story. Bosco and his sons are released from prison, revealing the exact clothes that they had worn during the practices with blood on them. We didn’t know if they had just slaughtered a rabbit, goat or cow. We never knew if it was their sheep. They also brought forward their pangas and everything was taken. They left and ever since they’ve never returned to the village. We are not sure if they ate people because we never saw any pieces of human flesh,” he said.
Reports of ‘men feasting on their fellow men’ in Uganda were rife in 2014. It was reported that a woman and a child were consumed by residents in Rakai, a town in central Uganda.
Apparently, all these events to date cannot be substantiated with any evidence, according to natives of Rakai.
A victim of the ‘cannibalism accusations,’ now an outcast of his community also recounted his ordeal of how he was accused, arrested and subsequently rejected by all after the accusations.
He appears to be the relative of another accused person.
Akello (not his real name), once a rich man has become a pauper following the series of events regarding allegations of him being a cannibal. According to him, the accusations came after he was prompted of the demise of his brother who died in prison, and (he, Akello) was going to pick up his corpse from the police.
“The Masaka police officers told me to pick up the motorcycle of the deceased. Three or four days after the burial, I drove to pick up my brother’s motorcycle in my own car. When I got Kibale, OCID told me that the motorcycle was involved in transportation of human flesh and they decided to investigate the matter and that’s how I remained in custody, taken to Rakai in Handcuffs and that’s how the accusation of being a cannibal came about, but I’m not a cannibal” he recounted.
He said he lost all his properties, including his cars, cattle, and even his wives were married off to other people after his incarceration.
The difficulty in making payments between trading members costs the African continent $5 billion annually.
As a result, a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) was created to bridge the gap by eliminating the cost involved in converting currencies to trade, President of Afrexim Bank, Benedict Oramah, has said.
PAPSS, which is operational in some countries including Ghana, will make it easier for businesses to send monies to their fellows in other African countries and pay for their goods and services without any stress.
It will also cut intermediaries who contribute to financial loss to businesses as the dependencies on foreign currencies, especially the US dollar will be cut short.
Speaking at the AfCFTA Business Forum in Capetown South Africa, Mr Oramah said, “The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is operational and begins to serve the countries that have signed to it making it possible to pay for the intra-Africa trade including contracts from infrastructural projects in African corridors.”
“Hopefully, in time, it will help reduce our debt dependence on foreign currencies,” he added.
The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System aims at enhancing the processing, clearing and settling of intra-African trade and payments.
