Rosie (L) and Sophia Grace arrive for the 43rd annual American Music Awardsheld at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles in 2015. Sophia Grace, who is now 19, announced she is five months pregnant this weekend.
Oct. 23 (UPI) — British singer and Internet sensation Sophia Grace has announced on social media that she is five months pregnant.The 19-year-old celebrity’s 8-minute YouTube video has gotten more than 1 million views since it was posted on Saturday.Standing in front of a wall of pink and blue balloons, Sophia Grace said she recently had her 20-week scan and everything was fine.
“I’m sure a lot of you are going to be very shocked because it probably was unexpected, but I was very shocked when I first found out. I’ve got used to it now and I am super, super happy about it,” she said.
“I can’t wait to share this journey with you guys. I’ll definitely have lots of different content than what I usually have. I guess my channel might turn into something new. I am super excited.”
Sophia Grace showed off her baby bump and shared two sonogram photos, but she did not reveal what the child’s sex is.
The star and her cousin Rosie earned global fame when they sang Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” while wearing pink tutus and tiaras on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2011.
Joseph Whittal, Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), participated in a two-day meeting of human rights experts and other significant stakeholders to discuss issues relating to trade and human rights in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) Agreement. He asserts that the recommendations of the meeting will be taken into consideration and put into practice.
The meetings, which were conducted in Banjul, Gambia, focused on “Inclusive Implementation of the AfCFTA with Participation of Vulnerable Populations.”
The meeting, being the 5th National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) forum was organized by the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) in collaboration with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at the core of the ACHPR public ordinary sessions.
The objective of the forum was to provide a platform for the African NHRIs, the ACHPR, the OHCHR, as well as the international human rights mechanisms it supports, and other key stakeholders to deliberate on issues with respect to human rights and a right to development approach in the implementation of the AfCFTA, focusing on the vulnerable and minority groups who are likely to be disproportionately impacted by the liberalization of trade if no human rights safeguards are executed.
The programme which comprised of expert presentations, panel discussions, and plenary sessions provided opportunities for NHRIs to discuss and make recommendations on thematic human rights issues. It also created a platform to exchange experiences on participants’ efforts in supporting the work of the ACHPR in promoting and protecting human rights and collective (people’s) rights in Africa.
Dwayne Johnson’s latest film, Black Adam has landed him his biggest domestic box office opening in a leading role, Deadline reports .
The DC superhero movie earned $67 million in its U.S. debut and $140 million globally, surpassing the opening for Johnson’s 2019 film Hobbs & Shaw, which earned $60 million during its launch.
From the jump, Johnson has been open about what a passion project Black Adam has been for him.
“I grew up a Superman [fan], and DC! But when I saw my first Black Adam comic, he was badass, he was cool,” Johnson told Complex at the film’s New York City premiere last week. “He had brown skin, so I identified with him. And I thought, ‘I want to be that guy!’ So that’s why I’ve been pushing for this movie for so long, for so many years.”
Johnson continued, “Hopefully, with Black Adam, little Black and little Brown boys, little boys of color and little girls of color, all kids, will look at Black Adam and the [Justice Society of America] and the cast and the color and the diversity that we have in our cast and crew, and go, ‘I can be that!’”
Despite its strong showing at the box office, reviews for the film have been decidedly mixed. Overall, audiences gave Black Adam a B+ on CinemaScore and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and introduces a new team of DC heroes called the Justice Society of America, which sees Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate.
So while this was Johnson’s first real foray in the world of comic book movies, its robust opening weekend ensures that it won’t be his last.
Kwadwo Safo Jnr., the chief executive officer of the Kantanka Group of Companies, has given his opinion on the mounting calls for key ministers to step down due to the mishandling of the economy, which is now looking for aid from the International Monetary Fund.
Citizens have repeatedly demanded that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta step down over the past few months due to the country’s current economic situation, which have adversely affected all economic indicators.
But Kwadwo Safo Jnr. taking to his Twitter believes no minister of state must be made to resign and insists government must rather create a business environment that would propel private sector growth.
In a separate tweet on October 21, 2022, Kwadwo Safo Jnr also raised concerns over the whereabouts of the captain of industries, especially during an economic crunch.
“What is happening? Why are all industry captains quiet? What is wrong with the management of this country? It is clear there is a huge problem,” he stressed.
See his tweets below:
Meanwhile, the Ghana cedi has in the past few weeks experienced unprecedented depreciation against the US dollar.
The currency has now been ranked by Bloomberg as the worst-performing currency in the world against the US dollar, overtaking the Sri Lanka Rupee.
Checks by GhanaWeb Business to some forex bureaus in Accra show the cedi is selling around GH¢15.65 to the dollar as of October 24, 2022.
The development has resulted in the closure of businesses in parts of the Ashanti region and the Central Business District in Accra.
A private jet that crashed off the Costa Rican coast on Saturday is thought to have been carrying the German businessman who owns Gold’s Gym.
NBC Chicago reports that Rainer Schaller was listed as a passenger on the flight manifest, alongside five other passengers. According to The New York Post, Schaller’s partner, Christiane Schikorsky, their children, and a fitness trainer were also onboard the airplane.
The flight couldn’t be found Friday after around 6 p.m., apparently crashing into the Caribbean. On Saturday, Costa Rican authorities discovered pieces of the aircraft in the ocean, 17 miles away from the airport in Limon, a resort town in Costa Rica. Two bodies and luggage were also found. The bodies haven’t yet been identified.
“We have recovered some pieces of the plane that were washed in by the tide, and two bodies,” Public Security Minister Jorge Torres said.
The aircraft was a nine-seat Piaggio P180 Avanti, made in Italy. The plane was headed for Limon from Mexico. Authorities launched an initial search but it was postponed because of bad weather.
It’s not confirmed that Schaller is the same man who owns the fitness and gym outlets, like Gold’s Gym and McFit, which he operates in 48 countries under the RSG Group. RSG purchased Gold’s Gym in 2020 when it filed for bankruptcy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ghana Library Authority has received the $3.2 million Children’s Library that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) created to encourage reading and education among children (GLA).
The facility at Nima’s Airport Residential Area, close to Kawukudi Junction, began construction in 2015 and was finished last year.
The multi-purpose one-story library has roughly 22,000 books and is packed with contemporary technology to make it easier for the visually and hearing handicapped to use the space.
In addition to the physical library, SSNIT also handed over a mobile library facility to the GLA.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony witnessed by the board members of SSNIT and officials of Ministry of Education and the GLA as well as pupils from schools from Kanda, the Director-General of SSNIT, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, said SSNIT had been involved in education over the years.
He said SSNIT started the Students Loan Scheme, which was later handed over to the Students Loans Trust and also financed the construction of students’ hostels and some community schools in some parts of the country.
“We believe that we need educated population, in order to get a good workforce, and, therefore, SSNIT this year launched supplementary readers developed in conjunction with the Ghana Education Service, to bring social security education to children at the younger age,” he said.
The Director-General said the supplementary readers would help children to learn about social security and retirement planning.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang described the facility as ultra-modern because everything about the facility such as registration to use the library as well as searching for books, was computerised.
In addition, he said the library had facilities for the visually and hearing impaired to read and learn, conference rooms, computer room, first aid room and media viewing room.
Asked of the cost of the facility, he said about $3.9 million was budgeted for the project, but between $3.1 and $3.2 million was used to complete the project.
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adu-Twum, in a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Pre-Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Nana Baffour Awuah, said education remained a priority of the government, most importantly, Pre-Tertiary education.
He commended the SSNIT for financing the construction of the Children and Mobile Library for use by children from two years to the pre-tertiary level.
Dr Adu-Twum entreated the GLA to take good care of the facility to benefit the not children around the Airport Residential Area, and the country as a whole.
The Chief Executive Officer of GLA, Hayford Siaw said the new Children and Mobile Library, which had the capacity to serve 169 pupils, brought to 61 new libraries constructed around the country since 2016 and 14 in Greater Accra Region.
Although the cost of Dzata cement is a little less expensive, some sellers of GHACEM, Diamond, and Dangote cement vary the price of a bag of the product from GH77.00 to GH85.00.
The cost of cement is rising, which will have a significant impact on construction.
“The cost of operations is rising as a result of the importation of some materials used in the production of cement.
“When the factory price (wholesale price) of a 50 kilogramme of a bag of cement was about ¢59.00, it was based on an exchange rate of about ¢7.60 in June 2022,” the report stated.
Mr. Otchere-Darko warned NPP members to cease comparing their party’s accomplishments to those of the NDC since doing so was not wise given the current economic climate, notwithstanding Mr. Addo’s assertion that the NPP cannot equal the NDC in the country’s development program.
Communicators of the two parties have been making spirited arguments about which of the two parties have been the better manager of the economy and the comparisons have been triggered by the depreciation of the local currency and other challenges facing the economy.
Mr Otchere-Darko urged members of his party to stop comparing NPP’s achievements with NDC over ‘politics of equalisation’ as it was not prudent amidst the economic hardships being experienced by the citizenry.
He stressed that there was a need for the party to focus more on highlighting the government’s policies, programmes and social interventions instead of bantering with NDC which should not be the posture of the party in the wake of economic difficulties.
“NPP should not play the politics of equalisation with the NDC on inflation, interest rates and depreciation of the cedi since the world is facing an economic crisis like never before in a time of peace and Ghana has been hit hard because our economic recovery is being delicately managed in a pre-COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Otchere-Darko postulated.
The country is currently reeling under intense economic pressure due to consistent increments in the rate of inflation, depreciation of the cedi, increasing debt stock, unemployment and high cost of living still rising by the day compelling the Ghana Union of Traders to close down their shops over hardships.
The government is on the verge of concluding negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on interventions that can transform the country’s economic fortunes.
Reacting, Mr Addo insisted that the NPP had performed poorly and could not win the ‘equalisation game’ against the NDC regime because the NPP’s penchant for ‘reckless spending’ and ‘Ponzi-like borrowing’ was the cause of economic woes.
He indicated that NPP could not win the equalisation game because Ghana was not the only country hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but reckless borrowing had accounted for the worst economic performance ever recorded.
“These engagements do not augur well for the NPP, hence the need for the party to draw the attention of citizens to what the government is doing to alleviate their plight,” Mr Addo noted.
The former president described the situation as critical and expressed doubts about whether the nation can even survive till an IMF programme is achieved given that the economy appears to be headed for a disaster.
On Friday, October 21, he addressed the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in his office. He said that Ken Ofori-Atta, the minister of finance, had been concealing himself behind a dire economic situation while instead portraying a picture of prosperity.
“The government should come clean and tell us, ‘What is the state of the economy?’ You must put everything on the table,” he said.
“That is why I called for a national dialogue. I said, bring the best brains together. I have been president before, it served me well. I called the Senchi Forum, it didn’t reduce my stature as President.”
He said if immediate action is not taken, “it will be catastrophic for all of us”.
Ghana is currently at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeking a $3-billion cushion to save the ailing economy.
They contend that the government’s introduction of mini-buses will only make the country’s traffic problems worse.
“The people present (at the launch last Friday) are all okada riders. None of them are ready to use any automobile for anything because it is not about the car,” said Michael Kofi Owusu, a head of the Okada Riders Association.
It is what we take away from that experience (okada) and how our clients always ask us to help them.
• An initiative to phase out okada business has taken off last Friday
• But okada operators believe the CODA initiative cannot replace their trade
• Leader of the okada riders want government to legalize their business
Michael Kofi Owusu, a leader of Okada Riders Association, holds that these cars defeat the very essence of the transportation need that they render and that the mini-cars will only compound Ghana’s traffic challenges.
He explained on Accra-based Citi FM’s Eye Witness News last Friday that members of the association had not at any point been approached for any stakeholder engagements prior to the introduction of the initiative.
“The people there (at the launch last Friday), they are all okada riders, none of them is ready to use any car for anything because it is not about the car. It is what we get out from that thing (okada) and how our customers always want us to come to their aid and then be of help.
“From where I stand, nobody had any stakeholder discussion with us, nobody called us to say anything. We only heard that that is what the government is doing. Nobody engaged us in any talk ….” he stressed.
On the subject of the illegality of the okada business, he admitted it was illegal but submitted that with the booming nature of the trade, it was time for the government to consider legalizing and properly regulating the ecosystem.
“No I said we are not going for it,” he responded when asked again if his members will go for the cars.
The views of Michael are roundly rejected by CODA CEO, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, who on the same programme said the programme had been oversubscribed on the day of the launch.
“As we speak, it is overly subscribed, he said, disclosing that 70 riders took their cars home after the October 22 launch,
He stressed the livesaving priority the cars provide as compared to bikes, stating: “Are you minded to die, or you are minded to live? Are you minded to operate in a more comfortable, safer environment than an environment that can give you death?”
The launch of the CODA Drive, an initiative by the Coastal Development Authority to replace motorbikes with cost-effective cars while keeping the riders safe on the roads currently has 200 cars available to be distributed.
The first batch of beneficiaries will pay GH¢25,000 for the cars and be expected to pay up to GHs41 only each day to offset the cost.
The CEO of CODA also said that it is hoped to bring 200 more of the cars into the system every quarter while aiming to make them better.
Godwin Annor, General Manager of Cadmus Investment Limited, the company in charge of bringing these cars into the country, announced that for the first 1,000 kilometers on the car, no beneficiary will be charged for it.
The fuel tanker of the car can also be filled with as little as GH¢60, he added.
He explained that this is all to make sure that the riders are able to make a profit for themselves.
On October 20, the business tycoon made the following remarks at the University of Cape Coast’s (UCC) 60th anniversary celebration:
“Many of the difficulties we are facing as a nation are at the heart of our voracious thirst and high demand for any and everything foreign,” he noted.
“Personally, I feel that unless and until concrete measures and actions are implemented to have an integrated economy, which has at its core, less dependence on foreign goods, I am afraid our economic challenges would be further exacerbated.
“Without a doubt, we should start with what we eat. I think it is unconscionable that most of the tilapia we consume comes from China. Our frozen chicken comes from the Netherlands and the US and, of course, we continue to rely on Burkina Faso for our onions and tomatoes.
“Now, I’m told China is exporting cassava and Gari and Yams. The cost of food is a major part of any nation’s economy and it behoves on all of us to do whatever we can to improve accessibility and affordability.”
The Chancellor of UCC during his speech noted that the University is supposed to lead in ensuring efficient implementation of the government’s agriculture policies.
Sir Sam Jonah said, “my charge to UCC is that we lead the national effort in ensuring that we use cutting-edge technologies and research to assist with the efficient implementation of government’s agriculture policies.
“Our School of Agriculture must lead the charge in the production of improved varieties of our local foodstuffs, better yielding crops, cheaper poultry and aquacultural feeds etc. We are entrusting you with the responsibility of ensuring we grow what we eat and eat what we grow.”
He continued: “In this regard, I expect you to establish and forge strong partnerships, bonds and collaborations with institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research and other relevant local bodies pertinent to the development of our Agricultural sector.
“This urgency and scope of the current global challenges and our own, highlights the importance of cooperation. This is my charge to you and I believe that as a University the success in this endeavour will make us more relevant in the noble fight for our economic emancipation. We owe this to this country.”
UCC @ 60 durbar saw past and present officials of the University, including former Vice Chancellors and Chancellors, in attendance. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was the Special Guest
He claims that as of September this year, the government owed contractors roughly $10 billion.
At a news conference in Accra, Mr. Cherry stated that there are currently 10 billion Ghana cedis in arrears.
Even with the figure, we are being kind.
Sincerily, the total amount would be higher if we were to add the interest on interest from delayed payments.
“So just imagine, government owing contractors such debt portfolio, see what it can do for the economic fiber of the country. so the reason why people are crying that there’s no money is because government has failed to pay contractors,” he stated.
He also called on government to announce how much proceeds from the E-Levy has been pumped into infrastructure development.
Meanwhile, government in August this year announced that it will terminate the contract of contractors who fail to meet the deadline of the Agenda 111 project.
He indicated that contractors must ensure that the timelines spelt out in the contract were met.
As part of the government’s larger industrialization plan, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has supported the One-District, One-Factory initiative as a means of creating a domestic infrastructure that can survive the ambiguities of exogenous shocks to the Ghanaian economy.
In this regard, the president emphasized that the Eastern Region alone has completed 1D1F enterprises, with an additional 16 projects in varying levels of completion that will soon be launched as well as an additional four projects that are just in the project conception phase.
The performance and success of the completed 1D1F projects across the country, with regards to minimising unemployment and shoring local production, has thus far, been a clear indication of President Akufo-Addo’s long-held belief that Ghana’s path towards self-reliance is largely premised on the country’s determination to industrialise.
According to the President, who began a three-day tour of the Eastern Region on Friday, 21 October 2021, “the whole purpose of the policy means having factories and enterprises here in Ghana, which will substitute the ones that are coming from abroad. That is the whole purpose of the policy. Instead of importing XYZ, you’re going to have them made here.”
He added: “When we said we wanted to implement 1D1F and certain strategic industrial policies, we were told it couldn’t be done, but today, everyone is talking about how important it is for the Ghanaian economy to lessen its dependence on foreign goods and foreign services.”
“Now, people are beginning to understand that, indeed, we had the foresight, we knew exactly what we needed to do to bring substantial progress, real progress not intermittent progress, but substantial progress, which is going to be strong and resilient. That is what I’ve noticed is ongoing,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo indicated further: “By the time we are through, then the commitment of a 1D1F would have been established. And we can only strengthen the industrial development of the country, which is very important to note that foreign import dependence will not inure to our growth. We have the panacea, the solution, and the government is working towards it”.
President Akufo-Addo’s 1D1F initiative is meant to change the nature of Ghana’s economy from one which is dependent on the import and export of raw materials to one which is focused on manufacturing, value addition and export of processed goods from raw materials that are largely found in the districts across the country.
Thus far, the One-District-One-Factory initiative, which has seen the ongoing construction of 296 factories across the country, of which 125 have been completed, is part of the foundation on which the Akufo-Addo government is we are building a comprehensive industrialisation programme, inspired by the development of strategic anchor industries, such as the emerging automotive industry and the co-ordinated exploitation for the entire domestic value addition of our bauxite and iron ore resources.
“I am hopeful that, by the end of my term, the full complement 296 factories will be in operation to help provide quality domestic alternatives to the consumption needs of Ghanaians and reduce substantially our dependence on imports. We do not only account for the youth as labour in the 1D1F programme, but also as managers and owners. Indeed, 58 of these factories are wholly owned by young people who have received direct government support”, he added.
Akosua Manu, the National Youth Authority’s deputy chief executive officer, has pleaded with investors and world leaders to fund green jobs.
She delivered these comments during a panel at the just finished Blue Earth Summit in Bristol, United Kingdom.
The politician/environment activist believed that funds should be given to young people, particularly those living in rural regions, by the public sector, the commercial sector, and other relevant stakeholders in order to promote youth innovations and activities on climate change.
She also urged providing the resources needed to establish a green economy and empowering youth to choose green careers.
“I believe that young people have the capacity to effect change through creativity and innovation. They need to be supported with funding and resources to enable them to champion the green economy,” she emphasised.
The Deputy CEO of the National Youth Authority further urged developed countries to fulfill their financial commitments and pledges toward addressing climate change. She reiterated that developing countries in the global south are the hardest hit by climate change, and require urgent funding to develop adaptation strategies. She also called for global north-global south collaboration to address climate change effectively.
Akosua Manu hinted at efforts by the National Youth Authority to collaborate and support young climate activists to champion Ghana’s climate agenda. According to her, the National Youth Authority, under the leadership of its CEO, Pius Enam Hadzide, is committed to advancing the work of climate activists and youth-led organisations in Ghana. This was evident in the NYA’s sponsorship and participation at the just-ended Local Conference of Youth on Climate Change (LCOY Ghana).
Speaking on the issue of illegal mining in Ghana, she reiterated government’s commitment to addressing the menace. She further argued that tackling illegal mining and other environmental crimes requires a concerted effort.
The Deputy CEO of the National Youth Authority shared the stage with Nadia Owusu, (Youth Advocate), Abraham Bugre (climate change consultant and researcher), and Emmanuel Ameyaw (Ghanaian journalist and Communications Specialist). They espoused diverse stories on climate reality in the global south and youth mobilisation for climate action.
Due to the high cost of production, some farmers have given up on their operations, and those who are still in operation worry that because they cannot afford enough fertilizers for their farms, harvests will be of low quality.
So that they can restart their businesses, they are pleading for help and support.
The Ukrainian government delegation is on a fact-finding mission to ascertain the plight of the farmers as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine is a major exporter of fertilizer to Ghana.
The Volta Region is thus noted for its high rice production rate in Ghana. The region thus contributes huge tonnes of paddy rice to the country’s rice production capacity.
According to the farmers even though the rainfall pattern has been favourable this year, their major challenges are the high prices of fertilizer and other agricultural inputs.
He noted that previous years saw them producing huge tonnes of rice, due to government subsidies on fertilizers, but such incentives have been scrapped.
“Most of the farmers quit the business because they don’t have capital or money to buy the inputs. So few farmers try their best to still be in the business. As you can see the rice on this field needs fertilizer and now the fertilizer Uriah one bag costs 500 Ghana cedis and unfortunately that 500 Ghana cedis too the fertilizer itself is not in the system to buy,” he added.
The Ukrainian government delegation has been in the country to engage the Ghanaian government on the effects of the Russian-Ukraine War on key sectors of the economy and the way forward.
After a tour of some rice farms in the district, a member of the delegation, Oleg Nivievskyi said fertilizer production levels have dropped significantly in Ukraine, and export channels have been blocked due to the Russia invasion.
“The war in Ukraine challenges International rules of trade. Trade is what is needed to bring fertilizers from other countries to Ghana and this is not happening right now because Russia challenges that. Things have to be restored so that the trade can also begin smoothly between Ghana and her partners and respect for trade rules and not by uncertain behaviour of Russia as we are seeing.”
Another member of the delegation, Olexiy Haran thanked the Ghanaian government for their support and empathy for the people of Ukraine who have been devastated by the war.
JP Morgan, a leading global investment bank and provider of financial services, has issued a warning that Ghana’s proposed debt restructuring initiative may worsen the position of the local currency.
The US-based company claims that the trend may be significant even if Ghana’s central bank temporarily tightens or loosens its foreign exchange (FX) purchasing strategy in order to support the cedi.
In a recent Emerging Market Quick Take article on the Ghana Cedi’s performance, JP Morgan ascribed the loss to the Bank of Ghana’s decision to buy dollars from mining and oil businesses, which unintentionally decreased the amount of foreign exchange available in the inter-bank market.
The global investment bank further attributed the loss of confidence in the domestic economy, which it believes has drained FX reserves and resulted in volatility.
“The cedi has now weakened by around 60% against the US dollar this year, as uncertainties about the need for, and extent of, debt restructuring increased. The drain of FX reserves year-to-date means the Bank of Ghana (BoG) now has limited firepower to smooth FX volatility.”
It continued, “However, we believe the main trigger for the move to 14.875 (mid) in spot over recent days can be traced to BoG’s decision to purchase dollars from mining and oil companies, inadvertently reducing FX availability within the inter-bank market.”
JP Morgan added that, “Although the current account deficit (CAD) is only moderately wider, the loss of confidence domestically has resulted in a significant drain from the financial account, even though portfolio outflows have been relatively limited.”
“Based on our risk-reward scorecard, Ghana now looks attractive, but we expect concerns about the scope of debt restructuring to continue dominating, potentially leading to even more GHS weakness, even if an increase in FX forward auction sizes or reversal of the FX purchase policy results in short-term respite for the cedi”, it explained.
Further touching on the Bank of Ghana’s decision to purchase dollars from mining firms, JP Morgan said the move has rather resulted in a squeeze and increased pressure in the FX market.
At the present, the BoG has not increased the size of the fortnightly FX forward auctions and continues to issue at $25 million although demand has reached $100 million per auction.
“To reduce volatility, we believe the BoG may need to use proceeds from mining sector FX purchases to increase interventions, or alternatively, reverse the FX purchase policy. Since the policy was implemented, the central bank reports that it had purchased around $84 million as at end-September [2022] and expects to have purchased $500 million by year-end,” JP Morgan advised.
The second week of October saw a 16% undersubscription of Treasury Bills.
The Bank of Ghana‘s auctioning results for the government securities tender held on October 21 indicated that the T-bill was undersubscribed by GH260 million.
Through the selling of T-bills, the government made a total profit of GH1,301,000,000.
Additionally, the interest rate for the 91-day and 182-day T-bills increased slightly to 32% and 33%, respectively.
Broadcasters were criticized by FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Saturday for what he called unacceptably low offers for rights to screen the Women’s World Cup next year.
Offers of just one per cent of the value of men’s World Cup rights deals have been rejected, Infantino said, for the tournament that starts in July in Australia and New Zealand.
The men’s World Cup has driven FIFA’s expected overall income toward $7 billion US for the four-year commercial cycle that ends in December after that tournament in Qatar.
“100 times less, even more than 100 times in some occasions, then this is not acceptable,” the FIFA leader said at a news conference ahead of the tournament draw. “I don’t want to mention them, but those who are there, they know it.”
The time zones in Australia and New Zealand mean many games, especially in the group stage, will be played in the nighttime hours in lucrative markets in Europe and the Americas.
“We are not going to accept this,” Infantino said of the broadcast offers, “because we know that the viewing figures for these broadcasters in some big footballing countries for the men’s World Cup or for the Women’s World Cup are actually very similar, meaning their commercial income is very similar for men and for women.”
Infantino took a further jibe at broadcasters who he said pushed FIFA to treat women’s soccer more equally on issues such as World Cup prize money.
The 32 teams at the men’s World Cup in Qatar will share $440 million in prize money, while a prize fund of $60 million was proposed for the first 32-team women’s edition in 2023.
“In some countries, they are quite good at telling us that we should give more emphasis on equal opportunities, on equality, on non-discrimination, on treating men and women in the same way which is, of course, what we have to do, and we try to do that to the best of our ability,” Infantino said.
“It’s important that everyone puts actions, as well, behind words and we all start to treat women’s football the same way.”
FIFA has changed the commercial model for the Women’s World Cup to earn its own income instead of simply being packaged as an add-on for broadcasters and sponsors doing deals for the men’s tournament.
Infantino suggested a further push for equality for women’s soccer, noting that Olympic tournaments have 16 men’s teams and only 12 for women.
“Women should have 16 teams as well at the Olympic Games,” he said. “These are some discussions we are going to have.”
Adding four women’s teams would need more than 70 athlete quota places when the International Olympic Committee is asking some governing bodies to make cuts to help find space for new sports and control organizers’ costs.
The world’s two largest producers of cocoa will not attend the gathering, which is the premier international conference on cocoa sustainability, according to Reuters.
Both the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) of the Ivory Coast have stated that the reason for their boycott of global chocolate corporations is because these businesses oppose policies that would increase the income of farmers.
Therefore, “the Chief Executive [Joseph Boahen Aidoo] is not attending the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) meeting in Belgium and none of the executives at Cocobod will be there,” he affirmed.
Boafo accused the multinational chocolate companies of waging a silent war against a farmers’ premium, the Living Income Differential, as a direct rejection will give them bad publicity.
Adding his voice, the Director General of Ivory Coast’s Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC), Yves Brahima Kone, also said he will not be in attending this or any other industry meetings.
He further stated that sustainability programmes launched since 2008 and aimed at tackling issues such as child labour have also benefited companies more than farmers.
Two premiums paid on Ghana and Ivory Coast cocoa beans to help alleviate farmer poverty have in recent years suffered massive discounts by chocolate companies, eroding the intended purpose.
The origin differential, an additional premium paid for the quality and reliability of cocoa beans and the Living Income Differential is a fixed amount of $400 agreed on for every tonne of cocoa sold by Ivory Coast and Ghana.
In July both regulators said they would no longer sell cocoa with a negative origin differential, fixing it at zero for Ivory Coast and at +20 pounds sterling ($22) per tonne for Ghana.
COCOBOD and CCC explained that some of the world’s major chocolate makers and cocoa traders are pushing for origin differentials as low as negative 200 pounds sterling per tonne.
“We are considering new ways to address this issue with the industry, including banning access to our cocoa farms for their sustainability programs,” The Director General of CCC said.
The World Cocoa Foundation Partnership meeting will be held from October 26-27 at The Hotel in Brussels, Belgium.
After learning that Accra is the second most expensive city in the world, he made the remarks.
“If Accra becomes congested, it would be wise to designate Sunyani as the capital of Ghana given its position and tranquility.
The location is strategic for businesses and clean and orderly, according to him.
“Considering the location of Sunyani and the peaceful nature of it, it will be prudent we make Sunyani the capital of Ghana if Accra is congested. The place is neat and tidy as well as strategic for businesses”, Executive Director of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBRE), Newlove Asamoah noted.
According to Newlove Asamoah which is the world’s largest cost of living database, a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, the classification is due to the property price to income ratio.
Newlove Asamoah also revealed that Accra has the world’s highest Mortgage percentage income ratio, followed closely by Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Tehran (Iran) in second and third place, respectively.
Speaking to the development, in an interview, MyNewsGh.com monitored, the economist is of a strong view that, it is time for the government to move Ghana’s capital from Accra to other regional capital to ensure development cuts across the border.
“It is undeniable facts economic hardship and congestion in Accra are unbearable. Things can be well if we decide to decentralize the governance system and move the capital from Accra to other regions. That could be Sunyani or Eastern Region the capital of Ghana”.
“Comparing the living standard of Ghanaians living in the capital Accra to other places, it is undeniable facts that the survey is real and factual which the government must take urgent steps to address”, he urged.
“We’ve made everything centred in the capital. Everything we have to travel to Accra and we put pressure on the limited resources there. Housing, transportation etc become burdensome for us”, the Executive Director of CEBRE pointed out.
Ghana’s group opponent for the 2022 World Cup, Portugal have announced a 55-man provisional squad.
The final squad for the Mundial is expected to be named on November 10th.
Portugal will play their final rehearsal against Nigeria on November 17 at the Istagio Jose Alvarade in Lisbon.
Fernando Santos side will open the campaign against Ghana in Group H.
Existing veterans such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, and Rui Patricio, as well as Manchester City players such as Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo, and Portuguese players who are playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers with Hwang Hee-chan were also selected.
Below is the full squad:
Goalkeepers: Diogu Costa (FC Porto), Rui Patricio (AS Roma/Italy), Anthony López (Olympique Lyonne/France), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers/England), Rui Silva (Real Betis/Spain)
DF: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United/England), Noonu Tavares (Olympique Marseille/France), Noonu Mendes, Danilo (Paris Saint-Germain/France), Nelson Semedou (Wolverhampton Wanderers/England), Hubin Dias , Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/England), Cedric Soares (Arsenal/England), Thierry Correira (Valencia/Spain), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Fabiu Cardoso, David Carmo, Pepe (FC Porto), Diogo Leicci (Union Berlin/Germany), Jose Ponte, Thiago Jalou (Lille/France), Gonzalu Ignacio (Sporting CP), Domingus Duarte (Getafe/Spain), Mario Hui (Naples/Italy) , Rafael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund/Germany)
Forwards: Andre Silva (Leipzig/Germany), Paulinho (Sporting CP), Ricardo Horta (Braga), Daniel Podense, Gonzalu Geddes (Wolverhampton Wanderers/England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Portugal) ), João Felix (Atlético Madrid/Spain), Jota (Celtic/Scotland), Pedro Gonsauves (Sporting CP), Fernando Trincan (Sporting CP), Rafael Reang (AC Milan/Italy), Vitina (Braga).
The constant depreciation of the native currency, the Cedi, is frequently cited as a reason why international investors may flee the country.
This explains the phrase “poor investor confidence,” which refers to an investor’s reluctance to participate in investment possibilities in a certain nation due to a concern over losing both their main investment and any profits they may have accrued from it.
Before investing their money in the local economy, investors consider a number of additional aspects in addition to inflation (the overall increase in prices).
In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, serial entrepreneur Shakemore Timburwa said that the most striking factor that most investors take into account is the safety of their assets in the nation.
Investors, he also said, want their monies in safe political and economic environments.
Political environments, in that, no political party can terminate a contract of an investor due to partisan politics because the investor, is an independent person in business with government.
The serial entrepreneur told GhanaWeb’s Ernestina Serwaa Asante in the exclusive interview, “The first thing is to look for the safety of my investment. Am I going to return from the investment I am injecting within the economy? As long as that question is not answered correctly, whereby I don’t feel safe to say I am injecting my money into the economy and then there’s rumours sufficient times for me to return the investment, I will never come.”
“But once I feel the safety of the political, economic environments and inflation rate within the country, then I can be confident as an investor,” he added.
Mr Timburwa stressed that, “Every country suffers from inflation, depreciation and value addition of their currency. When you are looking at these as an investor, the issue is not really about inflation. Yes, it plays a critical role. If I feel safe, even if the inflation is high and I can do my project, It’s okay.”
“It is a tough time but I expect that the rate will slow down. The rate will slow down because at this moment, it is very hard to find dollars to buy and most of the people we have, are giving up on buying dollars and are slowing,” he said.
“Very soon there will be no dollars in the market and we are going to see some stabilization because the government will announce domestic debt restructuring package,” Joe Jackson added.
Bloomberg on Thursday, October 20, 2022, reported that Ghana’s local currency – the cedi – has depreciated in value by 9.6%.
This, the news portal said, makes the total loss of the cedi in 2022 almost 52%, the highest recorded in 22 years.
Some internet users contend that youth unemployment is caused by laziness.
Others, on the other hand, assert that young people have a window of opportunity in farming that they should take advantage of, but they fail to do so.
Bridget Otoo, a broadcast journalist, criticized people who label young people as lazy because they don’t seem to be involved in farming in a series of tweets seen by GhanaWeb.
According to the presenter, farming is expensive, making it difficult for young people to undertake.
“Farming is expensive. Let’s be honest, it is even beginning to look like the rich people are the ones doing the farming,” she stated
“People talk about farming as if they are giving out free lands, paying for labour and the youth are refusing to do it. Even me, my dad gave me farmlands, we’ve not been able to find money to put it to use. Not having money is not equal to being lazy”, she explained.
The president mentioned that the action is a part of his government’s anti-galamsey actions in an interview he gave while on a recent three-day tour of the Eastern Region.
Additionally, he added, “We have greatly enhanced the degree of sanctions against those who indulge in galamsey.”
“Today, Ghanaians who get involve will get a 15-year minimum sentence if convicted and foreigners will get as long as a 25-year imprisonment if convicted,” said the president.
Also, he said the anti-galamsey team, ‘Operation Halt’, has been given a boost to undertake its task.
“The problem was that we disengaged too quickly, once the first plot has gone through, this year we have decided to use the whole year to maintain Operation Halt, especially, the fight on our river bodies,” he said.
“Surveyors have taken charge of impactful machines, excavators and chanfang and they are being destroyed because it is our major problem in our mining.”
He intimated that answers to the devaluation of the cedi is at the department of economics at the University of Ghana.
“There is a book there called Economy of Ghana 101. Every politician should read it. We should go to the people at the economic department of the University of Ghana, get the book and read it,” the managing Editor advised.
He stressed the challenges with the cedi are embedded in the book adding that the issues dealt with in the book have to do with the country’s import and export structure of the economy.
Meanwhile, he said he believes that the cedi is heading toward its natural place.
“You know every animal has a habitat and the cedi is heading towards its natural habitat. When Kwame Nkrumah gave us the cedi its value was comparable to the pound sterling. But by the time we got towards the later part of Rawlings tenure one dollar was GH¢10,000” Mr. Kuranchie told Starr News.
Mr. Kuranchie, however, added that the redenomination about 16 years ago by former President John Agyakum Kuffuor was not helpful and “his government could not explain why cedi was equivalent to the dollar after the redenomination.”
“So until we sit and answer that question and address it and begin to passionately deal with that problem. The cedi will continue to head to its natural place and we are heading to a very deep and dark place.
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has said Ghanaians should not panic over the high depreciation of the Cedi.
The woes of the Ghana Cedi continue to deepen as the currency has depreciated and reaching GH¢17.5 to 1$.
But, Ken Ofori Atta believes the economy will bounce back soon and the Cedi stabilized following measures being put in place by the government.
“…It is a bit perplexing but as you know, typically we go to market at the beginning of the year and get our 2 billion, this we were not able to do. We were able to get our 750 from AfroExim and in the summer – August or so things stabilized a bit. Then we moved on traditionally as we do with the ASL (Annual Syndicated Loan) of COCOBOD and that came in very strongly. So it’s a bit perplexing to see where it’s going.”
“Of course, typically in October, people are importing for Christmas, and maybe there’s a rush for that. But my expectation is that once we also conclude with the Fund that will lead to the Fund’s disbursement early next year. With the support we are getting from countries like Germany, France etcetera, we are confident that we’ll get the resources needed. So we really will want people not to panic or be rushing for that pressure on the currency. I think it is unnecessary and we are in good shape,” Mr Ofori Atta said in an interview in Washington.
Workers from Africa, Asia are yet to receive reparations with 28 days to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Since preparations for the global showcase began, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI), among other human rights groups, have exposed how migrant workers were abused.
The abuses have resulted in deaths and injuries. There have also been reports of serial wage abuses and exorbitant recruitment fees.
The reports drew the attention of the tournament’s major sponsors, committed to working towards reparations through a remedy fund and improving working conditions in Qatar’s construction industry.
HRW’s deputy Middle East director, Michael Page, said he was worried the World Cup might kick off without migrant workers receiving justice.
He added in a statement: “With 30 days left until the tournament, there is a slim window for FIFA and Qatari authorities to correct course and commit to remedying past abuses that have stained the 2022 World Cup.”
HRW interviewed the families of migrant workers who died on construction sites and several workers injured or abused in the line of duty.
With promises of good returns working to prepare the biggest soccer showcase, many Africans paid exorbitant recruitment fees to get jobs in Qatar but were underpaid.
An Indian parent, whose child died in Qatar, told HRW he was struggling to pay back the money his son took from villagers in his hometown to apply for a job.
“My son went to Qatar after borrowing [R17 000] from many villagers. Now everyone keeps asking for it.”
He said: “They say that I must have received compensation for my son’s death, but I haven’t received a single rupee. How will I repay them? I don’t even have land to sell to pay them.”
In its final report ahead of the tournament, AI said while there was a notable change in Qatar‘s labour laws, weak institutions saw “human rights abuses persist on a significant scale”.
“With the World Cup looming, the job of protecting migrant workers from exploitation is only half done, while that of compensating those who have suffered abuses has barely started,” said the human rights organisation’s Steve Cockburn.
HRW and AI urged football governing bodies from Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, and Cameroon – the African countries participating in the global tournament – to take a stand.
However, a month later, none came out to condemn the workers’ treatment.
She claims she is astounded by how the entire executive branch of government, headed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been unable to solve the continuous depreciation of the Ghanaian cedi against other currencies, particularly the US Dollar.
“Check out the dollar in US. Ken Ofori-Atta, you had support from the public. The way the dollar has beaten Bawumia, Ofori-Atta amazes me.
They don’t even understand what is going on, she said.
“Some of the utterances of the President are very annoying. A president talking at sensitive times like this, you would have to sympathize with us. Because some of you (politicians), you don’t buy fuel, do not pay for electricity bill and water bill. Everything has been dumped on us (citizens)”, Sally explained.
Speaking on Matter dey with Doreen Avio on Hitz FM, Sally said, “I know that Nana Addo, Dramani, they can’t do anything for us. I know when I say this, a lot of people will go like I am NPP. I have never voted. But I believe in the Bible.”
Many Ghanaians, including well-known figures, have lamented the economic situation, with some even demanding for the resignation of Ken Ofori-Atta, the finance minister.
While many Ghanaians, particularly the young, criticize the government for being incompetent, Kwadwo Safo Jnr, CEO of the Kantanka group of firms, disagrees.
He accused the youth of not being willing to venture into entrepreneurship; especially farming because of their lazy attitude.
In a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb, the entrepreneur said, “Youth in farming is the way forward. In every small way anyone can. Plant something. Government isn’t responsible for it all. NO. We the citizens should also take responsibility. The youth of today are honestly lazy. Nobody wants to get his hands dirty.”
It would be recalled that in October last year, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta admonished young people in Ghana to create their own jobs.
According to him, government’s payroll is full and has no more room for employment in the public sector.
“I can tell you that because we are spending about 60 percent of our revenue on renumerating some 650,000 people, and that is not sustainable,” he added.
Kumawood actor and musician, Kwadwo Nkansah Liliwin has finally revealed why he dumped his first wife for his current partner.
About 5 months ago, the actor’s new marriage sparked issues around his previous relationship with his ex-wife, who is speaking up about their divorce.
The backlashes followed after photos emerged from a ceremony where Lil win married another lady identified as Maame Serwah.
Reports that followed after the pictures went viral alleged that the actor’s current wife is based in America.
Speaking in an interview with Zionfelix, Lilwin addressed the pressing accusations of wickedly dumping his first wife after making it in life.
Although the actor refused to emphatically state why he divorced his first wife but he used the analogy of a ‘road journey’ to explain why his marriage with his ex-wife, Patricia Afriyie could not last forever.
In his own words;
It’s not by force to stay in marriage till the end. Just as you impregnated two women at the same time, it’s not your wish but things happen. You can’t force it, it’s a journey. For instance, it’s not all cars that travel from Accra to Kumasi that arrive safely. Some either get burnt, collide and damaged on the way. That’s how life is. You start with someone and the person gives up at a point. You cannot force that person to continue. A lot of wealthier men have even left their wives,”
As more and more people distance themselves from the artist formerly known as Kanye West, an anti-Semitic group unabashedly showed their support for Ye with a banner that hung over the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Oren Segal, vice president of ADL Center on Extremism, shared a photo on Twitter showing seven people delivering a Nazi salute as they stand near a banner which reads, “Kanye is right about the Jews.” Another sign read, “Honk If You Know.”
The Anti-Defamation League considers the white supremacist group, which shall remain nameless, to be aligned under a common goal to “cast aspersions on Jews and spread antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories.”
West has come under fire following a series of appearances in which he delivered anti-Semitic remarks after vowing to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” on Twitter. In a baffling interview with Piers Morgan, Ye refused to apologize for his previous comments before expressing remorse towards “the people that I’ve hurt,” ascribing his behavior to being hurt and trying to do the same onto others.
In light of his remarks, Vogue’s famed editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has decided to cut ties with West, and Balenciaga has reportedly done the same. George Floyd’s family has also filed a $250 million lawsuit against him for falsely claiming on the since-pulled Drink Champs podcast episode that Floyd didn’t die at the hands of the Minneapolis police officers, specifically Derek Chauvin.
Crystal Dunn struck deep into injury time with her first goal since giving birth to send the Portland Thorns to the NWSL final with a 2-1 win over San Diego Wave.
Dunn, who came on as a second-half substitute, welcomed son Marcel in May and returned to the NWSL in September.
Taylor Kornieck had opened the scoring for Casey Stoney’s San Diego, before Portland’s Raquel Rodriguez equalised.
They will face Kansas City Current in Saturday’s title game in Washington DC.
“I’m still replaying the moment over and over again,” said United States midfielder Dunn of her 93rd-minute strike. “It was incredible.
“Seeing the ball drop in front of the goal frame, I was like alright Crystal, here’s your moment, hopefully you hit it as hard as you can and don’t let anyone block the shot.”
She added: “It’s really hard for me to process that, five months ago, I gave birth.
“There was part of me that thought, maybe I just take the rest of this year off, maybe I hit reset and start fresh in 2023. But for me, I always wanted to end this year the best way that I could and that was working extremely hard to get back on to the pitch.”
Dunn’s goal came 156 days after she gave birth, with Portland head coach Rhian Wilkinson joking: “I have food in my fridge older than that.”
Sunday’s game marked the first time in NWSL history that two female head coaches were on the touchline in a playoff match.
The Thorns – previously crowned NWSL champions in 2013 and 2017 – are the first team in league history to reach four Championship games, having also reached the final in 2018.
Their semi-final was watched by more than 22,000 people in Providence Park, after Thorns players asked the crowd to turn up following the release of the Yates Report earlier in the month.
An independent investigation found abuse and misconduct “had become systemic” in the US top-flight. It was launched in 2021 following allegations made against North Carolina Courage’s English head coach Paul Riley, who also previously coached Portland.
Ghana forward Augustine Okrah was on target for Simba SC in their 1-1 draw against archrivals Young Africans SC in the Kariakoo Derby on Sunday.
The 29-year-old put up an impressive display as his side sealed a point in the Tanzanian Premier League at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.
Okrah gave the visitors the lead in the 16th minute of the game after he was played through by Zambia international Clatous Chota Chama to make it 1-0.
But Burkina Faso player Stephane Aziz Ki scored on the stroke of halftime to draw Young Africans level.
The former Ghana Premier League top scorer has scored two goals and provided one assist for Simba SC in the Tanzanian Premier League this season.
Okrah joined Simba in July after a successful season with Bechem in the Ghanaian top-flight and the FA Cup and has been one of the consistent players for the club.
The investments of farmers at Mmofra, a cocoa growing community in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region, are going to waste due to the deplorable nature of the roads linking the town to the nearest market centre.
The situation had made it impossible for farmers to transport their cocoa and other farm produce to Mumuni Camp, the closest market centre, Mr Joseph Owusu, an opinion leader and cocoa farmer, told the Ghana News Agency on Friday.
He said: “The cocoa buying companies have stopped coming to the community to purchase our cocoa because of the bad nature of the road”.
“Though the community is one of the highest producers of cocoa in the region, produce buyers hardly purchase our cocoa because they cannot come here.”
Mr Owusu said traders, especially foodstuff dealers, who managed to go to the town with hired cargo trucks took advantage of the farmers inability to convey their produce to the market and offered prices below the realistic market value.
He said they had no choice but to agree to those prices to prevent their produce from getting rotten and incurring huge financial losses.
Mr Owusu said the situation had adversely affected their socio-economic lives, with parents and guardians finding it difficult to finance their children and wards education.
Madam Elizabeth Acheamotah, a cocoa famer, said the road was so bad that only tractors, motorbikes and tricycles could ply it,” adding: “The road has been in that state for more than eleven years.”
She said the fares charged by the tricycle, popularly called ‘Aboboyaa’ were based on the number of hours spent on the road, which also affected their health due to its bumpy nature.
“It takes about three to four hours to cover the distance, though it should have been shorter time than that if the road were in good shape,” she added.
Some residents who spoke to the GNA pleaded with the government through the District Assembly and the Regional Coordinating Council to facilitate rehabilitation of the roads to save them from their predicament.
Popular Kumasi-based Radio Presenter Yaa Nicky has made some profound revelations following her exit from Dr Kwaku Oteng’s ABN Radio One to Media General’s Akoma FM all in Kumasi.
Yaa Nicky formerly with ABN Radio One raised to become a force to be reckoned with in the Kumasi Media Sphere as a result of the show she hosted in the evenings on the aforementioned radio station.
She hosted a late-night adult show where she talks about matters regarding sex and marriage. Her style of approach to hosting the show got her to the bar as the listeners loved every bit of her delivery on the radio.
Her stay at ABN Radio One was short-lived after she was shown the exit door from the station by DJ Kwaku Slim, one of the most influential radio/Media personalities we have in Ghana.
DJ Slim is currently the Business Manager for ABN Radio One.
In an interview with GHpage TV’s Rashad Kojo Emmanuel, Yaa Nicky bared it all stating that she was asked by DJ Slim to halt her show, in other words, she was sacked without any reason.
Yaa Nicky went on to say she when was at Radio One, she somewhat became the face of the station even though her show was aired once a week. This was due to the fact that she did the extra for the station.
The cedi is now worth GH15.65 as of October 24, 2022, down more than 50% over the past few months when compared to the dollar.
Consumers are currently quite concerned about the rate of inflation since their purchasing power is declining, which is causing them to scream.
Oil
The price of the product shot up to GH¢1000 from an earlier price of GH¢550 earlier this year. Some retailers have even pegged their prices at GH¢1200. Ghanaians have been agitated over the price increment as some believe traders are taking advantage of the situation to shortchange customers.
The price of a 50kg bag of cement is now above GH¢80.00, as the manufacturers’ input costs rise due to the depreciation of the Ghana cedi.
“Some of the materials used in producing the cement are imported, hence the increasing cost of operations.
“When the factory price (wholesale price) of a 50 kilogram of a bag of cement was about ¢59.00, it was based on an exchange rate of about ¢7.60 in June 2022,” the report stated.
The 5kg bag of rice currently costs GH¢112 from an earlier cost of GH¢50 at the beginning of the year.
Averagely, the price of the commodity has risen by more than 50% in the last 3months.
Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr Sir Sam Jonah, has challenged the State to leverage on the current challenges bedevilling the country to restructure the economy, starting from the agriculture sector.
He observed that Ghana’s economy, since independence, had been largely import-driven and the insatiable appetite for “everything foreign” was central to her challenges.
Speaking at the 60th Anniversary grand durbar of the UCC, Dr Sir Jonah indicated that the hardship, albeit global, presented the best opportunity for Ghana to start producing its own goods.
“Unless and until all of us take concrete measures and actions and implement them to have integrated economy, which will make us less dependent on foreign goods, I am afraid that our economic challenges will be further exacerbated,” he said.
The cost of food was a major component of every country’s economy and, therefore, it behoved on all stakeholders to take critical steps to improve accessibility and affordability.
“It is unconscionable that most of the tilapia and frozen chicken Ghanaians consumed are imported from China and the Netherlands and also rely on Burkina Faso for onion and tomatoes.”
Sir Sam Jonah said the Chinese, having taken over and destroyed the country’s lands, were now producing cocoa and exporting cassava, gari and yam.
Figures from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that Ghana’s inflation soared to a record 37.2% in September from 33.9% in August, with food as a major driver.
Additionally, the country’s currency has assumed a free fall against the dollar with a dollar selling around 14 cedis, a situation that has sparked public hue and cry, especially among traders.
The free fall of the cedi means that there is higher demand for the dollar than there is supply due to overdependence on foreign countries for most of Ghana’s needs.
He, therefore, charged the UCC to lead the national effort in using cutting edge technologies and research to assist with the efficient implementation of the government’s economic and agricultural policies.
“Our School of Agriculture must lead the change in the production of improved varieties of our local foodstuffs, better yielding crops, cheaper poultry and aquaculture feeds among others,” he said.
“We are entrusting this school with the responsibility of ensuring that we grow we what we eat and eat what we grow.”
Dr Sir Jonah urged the university, as the best university in Ghana and West Africa, to establish strong bonds with relevant institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and other local bodies pertinent to the development of agriculture.
“As a university, the success in this endeavour will make us more relevant in the noble fight for our economic emancipation.”
Two former presidential aspirants and a private legal practitioner have called for a national consultative dialogue to find lasting solutions to the country’s economic challenges.
The Government, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have attributed Ghana’s economic hardship mainly to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Dr Abu Sakara Foster, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) Presidential Candidate in the 2012 elections, Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, an Independent Presidential Candidate in the 2020 elections, and Mr Martin Kpebu, a private legal Practitioner, in a discussion on a local television station on Saturday said the country needed a consensus to surmount the challenges.
Dr Abu Sakara, who is the Founder of the National Interest Movement – a non-partisan civil society platform, said Ghana had reached a point where the ideas of political parties alone could not solve its challenges.
He said: “Drastic situation requires drastic measures, and we need to call for a national meeting to build consensus on, which way to go. We must accept and admit that no one group of people in Ghana can solve the problems.”
“We have a crisis, and we must first contain it by accepting that it’s a collective work to solve the situation. We must come together, build consensus, face reality and come up with long term plan,” Dr Abu Sakara, emphasised.
He called for a fundamental reform to the constitution to bind Governments to go by the country’s long-term national development plan for inclusive and sustainable growth.
On governance, he called for a shift from the attitude of “borrowing to spend” to having a prudent and fiscally disciplined economy that invested in agriculture and manufacturing.
“We must grow the economy through agriculture and manufacturing and adjust trade and investment policies into these areas. There must be an underlying conveyor belt to transition small-scale farms and agribusinesses into medium-scale and large-scale in the long term,” the Agronomist said.
Also speaking on reforms, Mr Yeboah said the time had come for Ghana to make changes to the 1992 constitution, which he noted had some defects that Government in power exploited to their advantage.
“We need to change the constitution, until the constitution is changed, we can’t develop. The NDC(National Democratic Congress) and the NPP (New Patriotic Party) are benefiting from the defects in the Constitution,” he said.
Mr Kpebu called for a constitutional process to remove both President Nana Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, from office, stressing that they had failed to fulfil the Article 36 requirement of the constitution.
Article 36 (1) states that: “The State shall take all necessary action to ensure that the national economy is managed in such a manner as to maximize the rate of economic development and to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every person in Ghana and to provide adequate means of livelihood and suitable employment and public assistance to the needy.”
Mr Kpebu said: “The President and the Vice President should go, and there should be a buffer of experts constituted to support the Speaker of Parliament who will then take over as President because he is from the other side of the political divide.”
“We need a Kumepreko demonstration and then Parliament takes up from there. One third of MPs (Member of Parliament), let’s make the efforts to remove Akufo-Addo from office otherwise it will be an indictment on all of us,” the private legal practitioner said.
The Government has admitted to the economic hardship and confident that measures taken and the ongoing negotiations with the IMF for a loan support programme would help alleviate the sufferings of Ghanaians in the shortest time possible.
Recall that about 4 months ago, Swedru-based singer Patapaa Amisty took over social media trends after accusing award-winning blogger Zionfelix of trying to destroy his marriage.
As complained by Patapaa, Zionfelix hurriedly travelled to Germany to meet his wife after he learnt that they had some little misunderstanding.
The matter which nearly destroyed Patapaa’s marriage was later resolved and peace was restored.
It seems all is still not well between Patpaa and his German wife Liha Miller with reference to his latest interview with Mc Ogee of Adinkra FM in America.
As claimed by Patapaa, his wife travelled to Nigeria to feature in skits without his consent.
According to the ‘One Corner’ hitmaker, in some of her contents, she showed more than enough flesh which is an abomination for a married woman to exhibit such a character.
He fumed that in one of her skits, a certain rasta guy removed her panties on set and that particular shameful video later got to his family who heavily berated him for marrying such a callous wife.
Patapaa disclosed that it was such that particular video and the many others that nearly marred his marriage because the pressure from his family to put his wife in order became unbearable.
In protest of the high cost of doing business in the nation, thousands of shopkeepers in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region, have threatened to close over 8,000 stores on November 5, 2022.
The traders, who are members of six separate associations in Kumasi City, have instructed their associates to halt imports for the first two weeks starting on Monday, October 24, 2022.
The traders are mainly from the Ashanti Regional branch of the Importers Association, Kumasi Togo Agents and Traders Association, Clothes Sellers Association, T-Shirt Sellers Association, Materials sellers Association, Babies and Children Wear Dealers Association, and Headscarves Dealers.
Speaking to OTEC News Kwame Agyenim Boateng on Sunday, October 23, 2022 the Public Relations Officer for Importers Association, who doubles at the Deputy Secretary for Kumasi Togo Agents and Traders Association Nana Yaw said they will be compelled to close over 8,000 shops in Kumasi City on November 5, 2022 if nothing changes.
He explained that the local currency’s inability to compete with the Dollar and the CFA was negatively impacting their businesses.
“This protest is a signal to the government to have a sense of urgency to salvage the situation”
“We are pleading with the government do something to stop the depreciation of the cedi and the high rate of inflation to reduce the hardships faced by Ghanaians,” he added.
The Savannah Region has 70 per cent of the hydrocarbon deposits in the northern belt for crude oil exploitation.
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is currently exploring ways to tap the hydrocarbon deposits in the Region for petroleum production.
The Region also has large deposits of gold, especially in the western side; large deposits of clinker in Buipe for cement production, granite and 100,000 hectares of fertile land for agricultural production.
The Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) would, therefore, create an enabling environment for investors and help them to secure land for investments.
Mr Muhazu Saeed Jibril, the SavannahRegional Minister, made this known during a media encounter in Accra on Sunday dubbed: ” The Minister’s Press Briefing on the State of the Regional Reports”.
The Minister said the RCC would explore the manufacturing, mining, agricultural and tourism potentials of the Region through public-private partnerships to accelerate the growth of the local economy for job creation and eradicate poverty.
He highlighted key agricultural, health, road and educational infrastructure as well as the Government’s flagship policies and programmes being implemented in the Region.
In all, 80 educational infrastructure projects including classroom blocks and dormitories were ongoing, 37 health projects such as hospitals under Agenda 111, community-based health posts and clinics were under construction and three warehouses for food storage as well as 1,424,526 improved seedlings were distributed to 18,349 farmers in the Region.
Damongo, Salaga and Daboya town roads were also being asphalted while the Ghana Highways Authority and the Feeder Roads Department had been undertaking routine maintenance of urban and feeder roads across the Region.
“We’re putting so much resources and expertise in place to ensure that the Savannah Region is calm and peaceful because, that is the only way we would be appealing enough and can attract investors,” Mr Jibri opined.
“No investor would be attracted to a situation of conflict, violence and insecurity. By extension, no development takes place in a situation of insecurity,” the Minister added.
In that regard, Mr Jibril said the Regional Security Council (RESEC) had been engaging with its counterparts in the Northern Region to resolve land boundary disputes between traditional authorities following the creation of the Region in 2019.
The Minister for instance, mentioned some land and boundary litigations between some traditional authorities; which result in occasional tribal clashes such as Nanton Naa in Nanton District in the Northern Region and Kikpandi Wura in the North East Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
The Wasipewura in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region and Tolon Naa in the Tolon District of the Northern Region.
“I’m convinced that with peace and unity, the Savannah Region will become a beacon of development for the nation,” Mr Jibril emphasised.
He thinks the cedi can have long-term stability under a monetary structure akin to a currency board.
However, Dr. Kwakye cautioned that the economic administrators must establish the currency board gradually.
I concur with Prof. Hanke that the cedi can only have long-term stability under a monetary system akin to a currency board.
But we should advance in that direction gradually.
The complete modalities can be figured out, according to a 3news report by Dr. John Kwakye.
He noted in his October 20 tweet that the cedi has depreciated by 43.98% against the US dollar since January 2022 to be placed 4th on his weekly Hanke’s currency watchlist.
He said, for the cedi to gain its strength and appreciate against the US dollar, the President together with the managers of the Ghanaian economy must install a currency board.
“The Ghanaian cedi has depreciated against the USD by 43.98% since Jan 2022, which is why #Ghana takes the 4th place in this week Hanke’s #CurrencyWatchlist. To save the cedi, GHA must install a #CurrencyBoard, NOW,” Prof. Steve Hanke’s tweeted.
The Cedi has recently been classified by Bloomberg as the worst-performing currency against the US Dollar.
Currently, the Cedi is trading at above GH¢14 to a dollar at some forex bureaus. The depreciation rate is a contributory factor for the ongoing shop closures ordered by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).
According to the group, the fast depreciation of the Cedi is eroding their profits and also increasing the cost of doing business.
Chairman of the National Chapters Committee of Accra Hearts of Oak Elvis Herman Hesse says no one is bigger than the club including Board Chairman Togbe Afede.
His comment comes in the wake of the seeming impasse between the supporters and the board after the Phobians poor showing got them eliminated by Malian side Real Bamako in the CAF confederations cup preliminary stages.
Management of the club has come under a barrage of criticism for overseeing yet another disastrous campaign in Africa coupled with the clubs poor start to the suspended Ghana premier league
Some irate supporters nearly attacked some management members just on the heels of their game against Real Bamako – calling for the exits of Vincent Sowah Odotei and Alhaji Akambi
But board chairman Togbe Afede has affirmed his confidence in duo which has not gone down well with majority of the supporters.
“The NCC supports Accra Hearts of Oak and not individuals and we must also admit that the club is very big and bigger than all of us,” Elvis Herman Hesse told Untoldstories TV GH.
“Infact it is even bigger than the board chairman himself. We also know that everybody shall pass and maybe Accra Hearts of Oak alone will remain and so we don’t target individuals.”
“When it doesn’t go well we the supporters speak our minds but not because we don’t like somebody, ” he added.
According to Steve Hanke, founder and co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics and professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, Ghana’s economy is currently in free fall.
He claims that as of Sunday, October 22, 2022, the country’s inflation rate in West Africa is 109 percent.
In a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb, the economist reiterated his point that it is only a currency board that can help stabilise the depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar.
He noted that just as the then Gold Coast had a currency board between 1913 to 1958, present-day Ghana needs a currency board else debt default is just around the corner.
Prof Hanke’s assertion that a currency board can stabilise the cedi has been reaffirmed by Dr. John Kwakye, Director of Research, Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
He told 3news in a report that a currency board-type monetary system can give the cedi lasting stability but warned that installing the currency board must be done progressively.
“I agree with Prof. Hanke that only a currency board-type monetary system can give the cedi lasting stability. We should, however, move progressively towards it. The full modalities can be worked out.”
This is a 2.0 percent month-on-month increase from the 33.9 percent rate recorded in August 2022.
However, the rate is also 37.2% higher than that of September 2021.
Year-on-Year inflation varied upwardly by 2.2 percentage points between August (31.7%) and September (33.9%) 2022.
Food inflation was 37.8% while non-food inflation was 36.8%.
Inflation for locally produced items was 35.8% while inflation for imported items was 40.7%.
Western Region recorded the highest food inflation (47.0%) and Eastern Region, the highest non-food inflation (42.0%). Eastern Region recorded the overall highest inflation (41.0%) followed closely by Western Region (40.2%) and Greater Accra Region (39.3%).
Transport (68.7%) recorded the highest rate of inflation in the Eastern Region, for food inflation in the Western Region, Fish and Other Seafood had the highest rate of inflation at 64.0%.
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has signed an agreement to extend a loan facility of 60 million dollars to the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo).
A statement issued by the Bank, copied to the Ghana News Agency said the signing ceremony took place in Lome, Togo, its head office.
Dr George Agyekum Donkor, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, EBID, signed on behalf of the bank, while Mr Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDco, signed for the Company.
The facility is to finance the installation and upgrading of transmission lines in Ghana.
Dr George Agyekum Donkor (r) and Mr Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, exchanging files.
Dr Donkor said as ECOWAS Member States worked towards post COVID-19 economic recovery, it was necessary to expand regional electricity connectivity to accommodate growth.
Therefore electricity infrastructure expansion in the sub-region is a key sector that must be given the necessary attention.
The Bank’s total commitment to Ghana stood at 250 million dollars as of October 12, 2022, he said.
He reiterated the Bank’s commitment to continuously finance infrastructure projects across all sectors of the economies of ECOWAS Member States to accelerate recovery and development of the Sub-region.
The project is in line with the Bank’s strategic objectives and aligned perfectly with Ghana’s Agenda for Jobs II.
Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, GRIDco, said projects to be undertaken with EBID’s facility were part of a broader plan to upgrade infrastructure for improved efficiency and increase power transmission within Ghana and other West African countries such as Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Ivory Coast.
While appreciating the confidence reposed in GRIDCo by EBID, he noted that the completion of the project would lead to reduction in technical losses to enhance businesses and livelihoods in Ghana and the ECOWAS sub region.
Mr Blay-Amihere commended the President of EBID and his team for their dedication and professionalism that saw the expeditious completion of the credit process and the consummation of the transaction.
Present at the ceremony were Mr Kofi Demetia, Ghana’s Ambassador to Togo, Mr Philip Owiredu, the Managing Director of Calbank PLC., and executives from C-Nergy Ghana.
EBID is a leading regional investment and development bank, owned by the 15 ECOWAS Member States.
These are Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Based in Lomé, Togo, it is committed to financing developmental projects and programmes covering diverse initiatives from infrastructure and basic amenities, rural development and environment, industry, and social services sectors, through its private and public sector windows.
Chairman of the National chapter’s Committee of Accra Hearts of Oak Elvis Herman Hesse says Hearts of Oak board should not be only fixated on building facilities but also be concerned about the club’s inability to compete and win trophies in Africa.
Accra Hearts of Oak dominated and conquered Africa when they won both the CAF Champions League and super cup titles in 2000.
The Phobians again made history in 2005 when they won the maiden CAF confederations cup title at the expense of their bitterest rivals Asante Kotoko.
But for almost two decades, the Rainbow club have struggled to rub shoulders with the elites on the continent and this is why Elvis Herman Hesse is admonishing the current board and management of the club to work towards.
“If we don’t compete at the highest level in Africa, the name Accra Hearts of Oak will not be recognised by FIFA or CAF no matter the facilities or infrastructures we put up,” he told Untoldstories TV GH.
“What is the position of Accra Hearts of Oak and Kotoko on the list of top clubs in Africa? Infrastructure alone can not measure a club’s successes.”
“We appreciate the facilities but the target and standard of Accra Hearts of Oak is very high. We know that he is doing his best but our supporters are such that they’ve seen trophies a lot.”
Individuals who encountered prepaid system challenges despite making payment will, from Monday, October 24, to Friday, October 28, be compensated by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
This, however, did not take place, thereby prompting an “extensive engagement with management of the ECG”, and the PURC, according to a statement by the Commission.
After discussions, it has been decided that affected customers can visit the district offices of the ECG or the regional offices of the PURC to begin the compensation process on any day throughout the week to be compensated.
Alternatively, they can visit the websites of both the PURC and the ECG to “complete and submit forms for consideration for compensation,” the statement added.
Also, customers who are eligible for compensation must be informed by the ECG and receipts must clearly state the compensation.
Between the end of September to beginning of October 2022, many prepaid users complained that they were unable to purchase power credit via the prepayment meter system, even though the ECG said the problems had been fixed.
The power distributing company on Monday, October 3rd 2022, stated that it had resolved the nationwide prepaid metering system vending issues that consumers were encountering.
Nonetheless, many claims they still face these difficulties, also customers who thronged the ECG offices were forced to leave unattended.
Currently, the issue has been resolved, and the ECG has attributed the challenge to a technical glitch.
Meanwhile, the ECG is expected to keep operating till 8 PM at all impacted areas as earlier directed by the PURC in its statement dated October 4, 2022.
Also, the electricity service provider is to employ temporary staff to ensure that affected customers are speedily attended to and credited with the approved compensation.
He asserted that Ghanaians should have faith in him and trust that, in his capacity as president, he will be able to address the issues facing the nation.
On Sunday, October 23, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo concluded his three-day Eastern Regional tour by speaking at St Mark Anglican Church in Kyebi.
“I am aware of the difficulties Ghanaians are experiencing, and I implore you to have faith in me to overcome them because this too shall pass.”
The Cedi has recently been classified by Bloomberg as the worst-performing currency against the US Dollar.
Currently, the Cedi is trading at above GH¢14 to a dollar at some forex bureaus. The depreciation rate is a contributory factor for the ongoing shop closures ordered by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).
President Akufo-Addo has commissioned the Nsawam Skills Acquisition, Vocational and Reformation Camp at the Nsawam Prisons in the Eastern Region for use.
This happened on Saturday, October 22, 2022.
The edifice comprises fully furnished 320-capacity dormitory blocks for the inmates, a skills training centre in carpentry, tailoring, a state-of-the- art ICT Lab, Administration block, and a Chapel that would also serve as classroom.
Included in the facility is a Kitchen, a dining hall, laundry, inmates’ washrooms, seven sentry posts, two mechanized boreholes, offices, an infirmary, a visitors’ lounge, a shop, CCTV Installations, and other ancillary and recreational facilities.
Constructed by the Church of Pentecost, in furtherance of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) detailing the respective roles of the Ghana Prisons Service and The Church of Pentecost, the facility is the second to be commissioned, after the maiden one at Ejura was handed over to the Ghana Prisons Service a year ago.
At the ceremony, part of his three-day tour of the Estern Region that began last friday, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that “this is an example of the collaboration between the Church of Pentecost and the government.
“We saw it during the height of the COVID crisis, when the church made available its facilities in the Gomoa Fetteh area, and also organized food for the needy at the time. It shows the commitment of this church towards contributing to resolving the socio-economic problems of our nation. All Ghanaians should therefore join me in saying a big ‘ayekoo’ to them.”
The President said the church of Pentecost, by the act, had demonstrated exceptional leadership in its desire to maintain and grow a partnership with the state to address the problems of the country.
“I can say with confidence that this ceremony is the highlight of my 3-day working visit to the region. I say so because we’re witnessing today, a very important example of the collaboration that we seek in this country, between the government and several stakeholders in our nation, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations and independent institutions in our nation.”
“Apostle, (Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Church of pentecost) your leadership of the church has already been commended by the General secretary, I want to add my voice to that commendation, about the sterling work that you’re doing in the name of Christ and the Christian community in our country, it’s exceptional and we must recognise it,” he stated.
The Camp is the second of such facilities that are being constructed by the Church of Pentecost. The church has indicated that three others were in the offing, two of which are expected to be commissioned by the end of the year.
Apostle Nyamekye said the Ejura Prison camp project constructed last year was already yielding some dividends.
He said that the vision of the Church “is hinged on a three-pronged approach, one of which is partnering with the Government for the socio- economic development of the nation.
“As a church, we believe that we have not only been called to worship God but to also serve God’s purpose within the society. It is from such a conviction that we are gathered here to commission this prison camp project,” he added.
Currently, 36 inmates are being trained in different trades including tailoring, kente weaving, leatherworks, carpentry, and metalworks. A good number of the inmates have already been trained at the workshop and have since been discharged.
Apostle Nyamekye noted that prison overcrowding was a key contributory factor to poor prison conditions around the world, and was also arguably the biggest single problem facing prison systems.
“Such overcrowding and associated challenges prevent prisons from fulfilling their proper functions,” he noted.
Apostle Nyamekye indicated that the Ghana Prisons Service was experiencing acute overcrowding in its holding facilities across the country. “Available statistics at the time of crafting our vision 2023 strategic document in 2018, indicated an overcrowding rate of 50.43% (i.e., 50.43% beyond the normal capacity).”
“As of last Thursday, October 20, 2022, there were a total of 14,957 inmates in our prisons, as against the maximum capacity of 9,850. Using the Nsawam medium security prisons as a case in point, Mr. President, this holding facility was built to hold a total of 850 prisoners, but currently, the facility is holding 3,187 prisoners. This represents over 275% above the required capacity,” he stated.
