A one-week observation has been held at the Presbyterian Senior High School park in Tema Community 11 in honor of the late Ekow Blankson.
The event saw sympathizers, his family, colleagues from GhanaWeb, and friends in attendance.
On Monday, October 3, 2022, actor and GhanaWeb’s Commercial Manage, Ekow Blankson, painfully kicked the bucket. The news of his demise left many shocked and devastated.
Following his demise, a candlelight vigil was held in remembrance of the deceased where a book of condolence was made available to friends, colleagues, and the general public to pay respect to the departed soul.
A virtual book of condolence has also been opened on www.ghanaweb.com for loved ones to leave their well wishes.
The family has announced that Mr. Blankson will be buried on December 17, 2022.
Check out some of the photos from the one-week observation below:
American rapper, Jay Z, has a song “Forever Young” (originally performed by Alphaville) where he brags about how he’d stay evergreen and continue doing all the great things in the future as he has done in the past.
He talks about tomorrow with such confidence because he perceives time can never erase his ingenuity.
Well, anytime I hear this “Forever Young” song, I giggle because for all these years of my existence, I am yet to meet a single man or woman who has never grown old. I am yet to see a single person who has been able to cheat time, thus staying young forever. “Forever Young” is a scam!
When old age arrests you, no matter how strong you are, you will have to give in. When life’s expiry date comes knocking, there’s nowhere to run to. No matter what a good athlete one is, when age catches up with them, they can’t run. No one will be young forever no matter what!
In a matter of time, what you used to do would soon be your pastime. Your body can’t fight the same diseases it used to wrestle when you were younger. You may not be able to work as exuberantly as you used to when you were younger.
Anytime you see an age ceiling fixed to the collar of any vacancy, know that it’s a reminder that no one will be young forever. Anytime you see the aged, be reminded that there sits your future!
I recently watched a memorable video of an old lady who, on her sick bed, was watching herself on TV dancing. Here was a telecast of her first TV appearance as a young woman. Then only 18, she looked so spotless and innocent on the screen unlike her current state where she was drowning in wrinkles. This experience communicated one timeless message to me― being young is not timeless!
If you knew you had only today to be young, what would you change about yourself? If you knew that if tomorrow came, you won’t be as active as you are today, what would you focus your energy on instead? Well, the truth is that you had better planned your life with all urgency now because you won’t be this strong tomorrow.
Tomorrow comes with old age. It comes with the inability to do more no matter how much you desire to. Most of the privileges that may come to you as a young man may be useless to a sexagenarian, for instance. Life’s opportunities are time-bound. Always remember not to waste them!
Chase your dreams as much as possible now that you have the strength to. Pursue your ambitions to the best of your abilities. Be passionate about your purpose. There’s no better time than now. When it has all been said and done, you’d know you did your best.
You won’t be young forever so invest in your future. A day may come when life will write you off no matter how skilled you are. Invest now into that day. Each move of yours should have that day in mind.
Don’t let retirement take you by surprise. Don’t expend all your energy on fruitless ventures. Don’t waste your wealth on unprofitable lifestyles. Always remember you won’t be forever young.
Invest into your personality. Invest into properties. Invest into people. Life is a cycle of investment. Someone invested in us to be who and what we are today.
We also need to invest in others to be better people tomorrow. We can invest our time or even space. Our days on earth are only a few. We can’t afford to not share them with others.
You won’t be young forever. Don’t waste your time on relationships that are heading nowhere. Time and tide wait for no man… and that man may be you. Plant yourself in soils that appreciate your presence. Life is too short to always be begging to be loved.
“Forever Young” is only another scam so stop chasing after all the youthful pleasures that will only leave you as a miserable adult. A recklessly lived youth will only be an adulthood of needless regrets.
Learn from those who made the same errors. You don’t have enough time to be living other people’s mistakes all over again.
When infidelity comes knocking, remember you won’t be young forever. You can’t afford to spend your old age with “unbudgeted-for children” from your past. When alcoholism comes calling, remember you won’t be a youth forever. When anything that looks like a waste of time comes begging, remember time is not on your side!
We ought to live today with tomorrow in mind. Today is a product of the choices we made yesterday. Guess what, our choices today are gradually moulding us into what we’d be tomorrow. Each day comes with an opportunity to make great choices that can save us a lot of headaches tomorrow. Try as much as you can, always remember you will never be young forever.
Our days on earth are numbered. Each new day is a reminder that these days have been shortened by a day. Each brand new day inches us closer to the grave. So… if Jay-Z’s “Forever Young” is your favourite, well… I guess you have been scammed. No one ever remained a teen forever. Haha.
The writer is a playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications, an Accra-based writing company (www.scribecommltd.com). Order for copies of his animation book, Animuonyam The Bully Stopper, via 0243752793.
A public health emergency operations centre has been inaugurated in Ho.
It will serve as a central location to coordinate operational information and resources for the strategic management of public health emergencies by facilitating better planning, faster identification of public health and disease threats for timely response.
The $180,000 facility was set up by the government with the support of the US government and the Republic of Korea.
It brings to four the number of such centres in the country. The others are located in Sekondi in the Western Region, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, and Tamale in the Northern Region.
Advice
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, who inaugurated the centre last Thursday, advised managers of the facility to ensure that it was not only put to effective use, but maintained regularly.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye said globalisation, trade and travelling had led to an increase in the spread of diseases for which reason countries were required to continuously develop, strengthen and maintain their capacity to respond promptly and effectively to public health threats.
Project
The Korean Ambassador, Lim Jung-Taek, said the centre was a joint initiative by Korea and the US as part of a global health security agenda project.
“It is our hope that through this support, the regional capacity to respond to any public health emergency will be improved,” he said.
The envoy added that in the midst of global health threats it was essential to have localised commanding chains to coordinate data-driven decisions, hence the establishment of the centre.
The Country Director of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Moo Heon Kong, also said that “the establishment of the emergency operating centre is crucial now more than ever to respond to health emergencies”.
In a speech read on her behalf, the US Ambassador, Virginia E. Palmer, commended the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the GHS and other stakeholders for their vision in helping to put up the centre.
“From vaccines to oxygen equipment, long-term health infrastructure investment and coordinated health information, the US government is as committed as ever to our decades-long public health collaboration with Ghana,” she said.
Gratitude
For his part, Dr Letsa expressed gratitude to KOICA and the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for their invaluable support to the region over the years.
A flag-hoisting ceremony was held at Sogakope in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region to mark this year’s World Food Day.
The celebration was under the theme: Leave no one behind, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.
The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture responsible for Crops, Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Moses Anim, Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, and officials of the country offices of the World Food Programme (WFP) and other agencies of the United Nations jointly lifted high the flags of Ghana and the United Nations, to fly at full mast.
The ceremony at the Sogakope JHS ‘B’ Park was preceded by a mini durbar which was attended by traditional rulers, personnel of the security agencies, students and members of the public.
Rallying call
Mr Addo who presented the keynote address, said the World Food Day was a rallying call to humanity to prioritise food and nutrition security as a collective responsibility.
“We need to build the require resilience, and from the shocks of both natural and man-made crisis,” he added.
In that regard, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture said the country must maintain the appropriate strategies to promote solutions to the intractable problems of humanity.
He said the exponential increase in population on a fixed land should not be a major source of concern of the country.
Rather, Mr Addo said it should rather serve as a call to action targeted at increasing food production to match the alarming population growth.
He gave an assurance that the government would continue to invest in agriculture as a priority to fully unlock the sectors’ potential to address the food needs of the citizenry.
“This will be pursued through collaboration and partnership with allied agencies and development partners”, he explained.
Earlier, Mr Anim said the government had demonstrated unfading support to improving the productivity of the fishing sector.
He said the ministry was currently undertaking a review of the fisheries legislation to strengthen the regulatory framework to address lapses in fisheries governance to meet interventional best practices.
For his part, Dr Letsa said there was the need for global concerted efforts to tackle the challenge of food insecurity.
“Therefore, the World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organisation should assist nations like ours too access fertilizer at cheaper costs on the global market,” headed.
A Representative of the Country Director of the WFP, Barbara Clemens, said while food was available globally, it was not easily accessible, underutilized and sourcing it was unstable.
She revealed that more than 828 million people across the globe went to bed hungry every day.
Lost nutrients
For those who could access it, they lost nutrients to traditional food preparation methods, said the representative of the WFP Country Director.
“While some may have access to available foods, it is not consistent owing to an over reliance on seasonal crop cultivation, mainly because of dependency on rain for food production,” she further said.
A group of gunmen numbering about 10 are reported to have attacked workers of the Gomoa Fetteh Salt Industry Limited, a salt and real estate company in the Central Region.
Many workers are said to be terrified following the incident on Wednesday.
In a release dated October 13, 2022, and signed by the director of the company, Amos Appiah, he debunked accusations that the workers were land guards.
One of the injured workers
The letter indicated that the injured, many of whom are security guards and administrative staff of the company, were there to protect the property and the over 3,000 acres of land at the site.
A letter sighted by Adomonline.com shows that in view of the activities of land guards in the community and encroachment of lands, the management of the company, in July 2022, wrote to the Central East Police Regional Command, to assist with police officers to patrol the vast area.
They further notified the police that they were going to hire private security officers to complement the police effort at protecting the land.
Mr Amos Appiah also called on the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah and the Inspector General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare to swoop the area and arrest all individuals involved in land guard activities.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bosome Freho in the Ashanti Region, Yaw Danso, has been suspended over his alleged involvement in illegal mining.
According to a letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development sighted by Citi News, the suspension is to allow for investigation into the claims.
Some members of his Assembly had already called on President Akufo-Addo to take a serious look into the allegations.
Speaking with MMDCEs at a special meeting last week, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Mr. Danso had been invited to defend himself against the charges.
The Bosome Freho DCE had been the subject of controversy after some of his assembly members tried to pass a vote of no confidence against him.
The assembly members accused Mr. Danso of causing divisions within their ranks and withholding resources meant for their work.
Residents along the coast of Shama in the Western Region have expressed worry over the unending murky nature of the coastlines stretching several kilometres due to illegal mining activities (galamsey).
Debris from the heavily polluted Pra Riveras a result of illegal mining activities, aside from changing the colours of hitherto a good-looking blue sea, are deposited on the shore, making it highly unattractive to tourists and even members of the communities.
Unsuccessful clampdown
The Shama District, which is endowed with a beautiful coastline, an estuary and long Ramsar site toward the estuary, and creates a perfect ambiance for all manner of birds and breeding ground for fish species, is now muddy and not fit for purpose.
As the illegal mining activities intensify again after unsuccessful clampdown, the source of the Pra River ends in the Shama.
Interestingly, the Shama is not really known for illegal mining, but quarry and agriculture (farming and fishing). Unfortunately, its coast is now bearing the effect of these illegal activities as the murky and heavily polluted river enters the sea.
Residents say the situation is denying them of the needed investment, as investors who have bought land in the area to develop into beach resorts are shying away.
At Anlo Village towards Komenda in the Central Region and also towards Aboadze direction, the beaches have lost their sparkle.
The resumption of illegal mining activities on the Pra River, which enters the sea at Anlo Village, has polluted the entire coastline, turning the blue sea into brown (high turbidity level).
Some residents who spoke to the Daily Graphic during a tour, said water from the Pra River, which enters the sea through the estuary, was once fresh and clean and served as a source of drinking water for the riverine communities.
The Pra River, which hitherto had clean and fresh water with active aquatic life, is now muddy due to illegal mining activities, according to the residents along it.
Muddy river/sea
Some told the Daily Graphic that because the estuary and part of the sea had become muddy, it was making it impossible for fishing in the Pra River and that shallow part of the sea.
This is attributed to the high turbidity level of the sea and the river, which has disturbed the natural habitat for river species; therefore, the river and the sea have lost their glory.
The residents opined that if the fight against illegal mining succeeded, the turbidity improved and the river and sea regained their glory, those who owned parcels of land at the beachfront in the area would move in to develop them into resorts.
That, the communities said, would lead to the opening of their settlements and create job opportunities. They said although they were not into mining, the activities of illegal miners had caught-up with them.
No more fishes
A fisherman in Shama, Godfred Egyir, said when they were young, the stretch from Shama Apo towards the estuary to Anlo Village where various types of fishes bred was a place they used to get great catches.
“We got cassava fish and other types of fish there. We used hook and line to fish as well but today the story is different, we have lost it all,” he lamented.
The other fishermen who do not venture into deep seas, he said, used drag nets and still got very good catches.
“The sea was nice and blue but today the sea is thick brown, dirty and unattractive to aquatic life,” he added.
Another fisherman, Egya Kwesi, said “in its original state the river was giving us food, today we don’t have the fish species anymore, ‘apoofee’ which is a snail with a turreted spiky shell and all small fishes are all gone because of the current state of the river due to galamsey.”
Daboase
From the coast of Shama, the team visited Daboase, where Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) takes its supply for processing and the situation was dire.
The quality of water from the Pra River is treated and supplied to residents in the twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi. The team found that even though the water level was up, it had high turbidity and still flowed with debris that created problems for the plants.
The current turbidity (cloudiness) of the Pra River from the records is about 3,000 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) while the colour is 9,014 HU (Hezen Units), which is not the best, some officials said.
The acceptable turbidity value for drinking water is five NTU, while values of 80-150 NTU are acceptable for other water uses as appropriate, according to the Water Resources Commission.
Shutdown
The Communications Manager of the GWCL in charge of the Western and Central regions, Nana Yaw Barima Barnie, said if the current trend continued unchecked it would get to a point where the company would no longer be able to process the Pra River for drinking.
“Very soon the water pumps will not even be able to abstract this kind of excessively polluted water, since they were designed to abstract water and not to de-silt it, the silt and others are too much for our operations,” he said.
Nana Barnie explained that at a point water collected looked like mud, which is not meant for the pumps; and if it continued this way, the plant might be shut down.
He said: “If those carrying out the illegalities are not aware of the dangers, and threat to water supply – reality will soon set in and we will feel the repercussions if the illegal activities force the system to shut down.”
“Imagine the needs and uses of water; let’s ask ourselves if the system shuts down what will happen to domestic use, our hospitals, schools and other institutions that rely heavily on treated water supplied by Ghana Water,” he asked.
Nana Barnie called for swift interventions and support from all stakeholders to deal with the galamsey menace, since it has dire consequences for the nation.
Other effects
Other experts are of the view that the illegal mining activities release mercury and arsenic element into the environment, which accumulate in the water, where they convert into toxic methylmercury and enters the food chain.
Mercury contamination is said to be a significant public health and environmental problem because methylmercury easily enters the bloodstream and affects the brain.
Arsenic element is a naturally occurring metal found in the earth’s crust as the miners agitate the riverbed in search of gold. It occurs in various forms: elemental (metallic) arsenic; combined with other elements such as oxygen, chlorine, sulfur (inorganic arsenic); or combined with carbon and hydrogen (organic arsenic).
He stated that the use of electronic data collection for the first time to conduct the census, undoubtedly had yielded the desired results which emphatically buttressed government’s agenda for digitalisation of the economy.
The 2021 PHC General Report contained disaggregated data on the main census results and features 11 volumes presenting findings from the different modules of the census questionnaires.
The General Report was released in Volumes 3A,3B and 3C.
The Volume 3A presents population size, sex, composition and population density by region, district and type of locality (urban/rural).
The Volume 3B presents statistics on age and sex profile by region , and type of locality while the Volume 3C presents background (socio-demographic) characteristics on the population by region, and type of locality.
Mr Amoah ,who chaired the launch of the reports, stated that the government recognised the important role data played in the development policies and setting agenda of the country, especially for implementing sound economic growth and development to improve the lives of the population.
“Indeed, data from the 2021 PHC will enable us to measure the social and economic status of our nation, and to receive the invaluable inputs necessary for charting the road maps for achieving the targets and indicators envisioned in our national development agenda,” he stated.
Mr Amoah said his sector ministry would continue to collaborate with the GSS to ensure effective utilisation of the census data to trigger the needed development at both the local and national levels of the country.
Key takeaways
Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, who launched the report, said the reports presented important disaggregated data for research, policy and planning.
He said the disaggregated data, such as presented in the General Report, were critical to identifying vulnerable populations in order to ensure that no one was left behind in the development process.
He said the data revealed significant high incidence of unregistered marriages, a population growth rate in urban areas that required multi-sectoral effort to improve living conditions of people in both rural and urban areas while there was a considerable decline in household sizes such as welfare, housing, environment among others.
Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, the Government Statistician, has admonished field officers for this year’s Demographic and Health Survey to exhibit a high sense of professionalism in the discharge of their work.
The exercise, slated for Monday, October 17, 2022, across the country, will involve 18,540 households and done by 200 field enumerators.
Prof Annim said this at the launch of the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey in Winneba in the Central Region.
The cost of the survey is estimated at 4.2 million dollars.
It is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Global Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, the International Labour Organization, the Danish International Development Agency, and the government of Ghana.
The field officers are expected to adhere to the United Nations principles of quality statistics.
The principles include relevance, impartiality, and equal access, professional standards and ethics, and accountability and transparency.
The Professor said the survey was designed to provide data for monitoring the health situation of the population in the country.
The primary objective of the survey, he stated, was to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators.
The field enumerators will collect data on malaria, fertility levels, marriage, sexual activity, fertility preferences, awareness and use of family planning methods, breastfeeding practices, nutrition, childhood mortality, and others.
He said the field officers were put through rigorous training both in theory and practice to deliver on their responsibilities.
The Government Statistician urged the public to cooperate with the officers by providing complete and accurate information to ensure a successful survey.
Dr Kerzia Malm, Programme Manager, National Malaria Control Programme, commended the GSS for the collaboration and the need to include malaria as part of the indicators.
She was hopeful that the survey would provide information on malaria for policy decisions and help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The participants pledged to conduct a successful exercise.
Consumers should expect to buy petrol and diesel for almost GH¢13 and over GH¢15 per litre respectively in the coming days.
Analysts have cited the rise in the price of commodities on the world market and the continued depreciation of the cedi against the dollar as the main causes for the expected increases.
Petrol currently sells for about GH¢11 per litre while diesel stands at about GH¢14 at most fuel stations.
Speaking to Citi News, Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana, Duncan Amoah, said “give or take, we are looking at something in the region of 10 percent for both petrol and diesel.”
“Overall, we are simply expecting that prices will go up at the pump due to the numbers we have within the industry.”
“The depreciating cedi doesn’t bode well for petroleum pricing, judging by the fact that we are importing almost everything we consume in the country,” Mr. Amoah added.
He expects petrol prices to get as high as GH¢17 per litre.
He believes the winter period will lead to an increase in the demand of natural gas and eventually affect fuel prices.
“In the space that natural gas gets squeezed and directed towards the liquid fuels as well, any demand on the liquid fuels will also contribute to the upward adjustments of our domestic fuel prices.”
Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, says he is determined to rid Accra of illegal on-street parking which is progressively worsening the traffic situation in the national capital.
He said some drivers, private and public, had conspicuously disregard designated parking areas and had resorted to parking at the wrong sides of the roads and inconveniencing other road users.
The Roads and Highways Minister was leading a team from the Ministry to conduct a routine inspection on portions of the ongoing construction of the La Beach Road Completion Project.
The First Phase of the project, 16-kilometres, which starts from the Independence Arch of the Black Star Square in Accra through Osu, La and Teshie to Nungua, is being undertaken by China Ganzu International Corporation for Economic and Technical Cooperation (CGICETC).
Currently, the expansion of the single carriageway in a dual carriageway is progressing.
The second phase; Coastal and Meridian roads – Nungua barrier to Tema, a 10.60-kilometre stretch, spans from Nungua barrier to Tema.
The 26.6-km project is estimated at $100 million, with China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Company Limited (CRMBEGCL) being the other contractor.
The scope of work includes a two-way, four-lane urban road, traffic signal system and related auxiliary works, as well as a three-tier interchange at the Nungua Barrier.
The Roads and Highways Minister, who uses that stretch of road from Tema to Nungua Barrier, had witnessed an unusual gridlock on the newly constructed Tema beach road as a result of a broken-down truck on the inner lane from Tema Community Three.
The broken-down container truck which was still being worked on at the time of the team’s visit, had caused heavy traffic on the stretch despite its recent dualization.
Mr Amoako-Attah, visibly incensed about the situation, questioned why contractors had allowed the vehicle to be repaired on the road, aware that it was a busy stretch and such “indiscipline” would cause congestion on the road and inconvenience the motoring public.
He said in the event that vehicles were broken-down, there must be some urgency to immediately tow them away as such illegal acts hampered the normal flow of traffic, inconvenienced commuters and even caused road accidents.
The Road and Highways Minister said the penchant of some drivers who park haphazardly on highways and caused discomfort to other road users would not be countenanced.
“All of us must help; fixing the country is a good thing and a good call, but if the Government has to fix the country, I have to help in that regard and you must also help to fix the country. It is a collective effort; we must all play our individual roles to fix the country.” Mr Amoako-Attah advised the driver of the truck as he sought pardon for his wrongdoing.
He directed consultants of the project that “any vehicle that breaks down on the road, don’t allow them to repair it on the road because apart from causing inconvenience to the motorist and the danger it poses, the oil spillage from such broken-down vehicles affects the asphalt which is at a great cost to government.”
“Under no circumstance should any truck or vehicle be repaired in the middle of the road,” the Roads Minister stressed, and stayed on the Tema Beach Road until the vehicle moved from the road.
Mr Bonne Acquah, Resident Engineer and Consultant, Lot 2, La Beach Road Completion Project, who was on site at the time of the Minister’s visit, said efforts to get the truck off the road had initially proved futile but had to be immediately repaired.
He, however, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the Second Phase of the project.
The Ghana Statistical Service has dismissed Professor Steve Hanke, a US Professor of Economics, Purchasing Power Parity approach in computing inflation, saying, it is not the conventional mode for computing consumer inflation.
According to the GSS, his methodology is not the internationally recognised and accepted standard for computing consumer inflation, adding “a major weakness of the Professor Steve Hanke-Purchasing Power Parity (SH-PPP) approach is the erosion of country specificities.
In a statement, it said globally, measures of Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) and inflation are based on the Consumer Price Index Manual: Concepts and Methods.
This it said should satisfy the conditions including importance of items, disaggregation, exhaustiveness and contextualization.
For instance, it said for contextualization, the GSS approach produces statistics that consider country-specific living arrangements. This accounts for price/quantity adjustments when the use of weighing scales is not predominantly used in the determination of prices and other modes such as ‘olonka’ and baskets are more common.
The GSS added that The Steve Hanke Purchasing Power Parity (SH-PPP) proposition for computing consumer inflation mainly relies on the role of exchange rate, as it is used to equate a country’s local currency and the world’s reserve currency, the U.S. dollar.
Three assumptions that underpin the use of SH-PPP for computing consumer inflation, it added, are countries facing high inflation rates, all goods and services that are important (share of total consumption expenditure) in individual countries are internationally tradeable and comparable as well as the presence, stability, and accuracy of exchange rate data.
The GSS added that Ghana has yielded to the demands for transparency in the production of Consumer Price Index and Inflation, followed scientific and professional standards and ensured country relevance, without compromising international procedures.
This is evidenced by the publication of the technical guidance for the compilation and computation of CPI and Inflation in 2020, which is accessible on its website. This publication uses international standards such as the United Nations’ Classification of Individual Consumption.
The CPI is based on a fixed basket of goods (such as food and clothing) and services (such as repairs and school fees) that are purchased by households.
The basket has 307 items and their corresponding weights (share of expenditures).
Prices are collected on the different brands and service providers of these 307 items leading to approximately 39,500 price quotations collected monthly from 7,726 outlets across the country.
Following word that Gunna had again been denied pre-trial release, Kim Kardashianhas spoken out amid the growing criticism surrounding the larger YSL case.
“Imagine sitting in a jail cell for 155 days with no bond when the only evidence against you is a ticket for an unrelated window tint and someone saying you weren’t in a gang,” Kardashian said in multiple-part posts shared to Instagram Stories and Twitter on Thursday night. “That’s where my friend Sergio finds himself today after having his bond denied for the third time despite there being zero evidence that he committed a crime.”
Gunna’s third bond motion was rejected this week, with a judge asserting the same witness intimidation argument used in prior rejections. Gunna’s legal team, meanwhile, has repeatedly noted there is “no evidence” against their client that would support holding him until trial.
“The State has presented no evidence to support its claims of dangerousness and has dismissed the only serious overt act (75) that was present when the first bond hearing was held,” Gunna’s legal team explained in the third motion.
In her statement, Kardashian pointed to several aspects of how Gunna has been treated since the case began, including calling out the witness intimidation argument.
Radio personality Kwame Tanko has alleged that the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor was almost slapped at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council.
According to him, the individual who almost slapped the Minister is involved in galamsey and could not fathom why a “small boy” wanted to disgrace him.
The individual, who he failed to name allegedly said “when did you come into the party, how much of your money has been used to run the political party? You want to disgrace me and spoil my job”.
He said it took the intervention of people around to stop the man from slapping the young, vibrant Minister.
“You know if I wasn’t there and I don’t have evidence, I won’t talk. When the President was in Kumasi to meet Chiefs and MMDCEs the Lands and Resource Minister was almost slapped. The person who wanted to beat him up questioned his locus in the party. When he raised his hand to slap the Minister, they held his hand,” Kwame Tanko said on Kumasi-based Angel FM.
The fight against illegal mining known in the local parlance as galamsey has come to the fore in National discussions.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who in the past vowed to put his Presidency on the line to ensure that Ghana wins the fight against the menace destroying the country’s water bodies and forest reserves has reiterated his commitment to the fight.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has indicated that the fight has been left in the hands of the Military and if it fails, the Military will be blamed for the failure.
For thousands of years, the eggs of a species of water insect have been consumed as a ‘food of the Gods’ which has come to be known as Mexican caviar.
Lake Texcoco, a shallow body of water on the outskirts of Mexico City, is home to an aquatic insect of the corixidae family, which is technically a water fly that most locals refer to as a mosquito. That confusion is less important, though, as it’s the insect’s eggs that people are interested in. Known as ahuautle – loosely translated as ‘seeds of joy’ – the tiny delicacies are about the size of quinoa seeds and have a pale golden color. They have been consumed since the days of the Aztec Empire, but today only a handful of fishermen are known to still be harvesting the eggs, and few young people even know about the existence of this unusual ‘caviar’.
Farmers harvest ahuautle by placing hand-woven reed nets just under the water’s surface for up to three weeks. During this time, the water flies lay thousands of their eggs on the reed, which are then extracted and left out to dry in the sun until all the moisture is gone.
Ahuautle is usually served as croquettes, mixed with flour and eggs and fried in hot oil. They are reportedly delicious, but few restaurants in Mexico City still have them on the menu, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, insect eggs aren’t as popular with younger generations, and most young people don’t even know such a thing as an edible water fly exists. Then there is the growing problems in sourcing the raw ingredients that restaurants are struggling with.
Harvesting ahuautle is a dying tradition in Mexico, with only a few farmers still practicing it on the fast-drying Lake Texcoco. This scarcity has caused the price of ahuautle to skyrocket in recent years, even though the demand for insect eggs hasn’t exactly been going up. In 2019, the BBC reported that the price of a small jar of ahuautle started at 400 Mexican pesos ($20), while a kilo of beef cost four times less. That only made the nickname “Mexican caviar” even more popular.
So how does this unusual food taste? Well, we haven’t tried it yet, but according to those who have, it’s an acquired taste. Ahuautle is said to have a strong fishy taste reminiscent of the tiny dried shrimp used in East Asian cuisine.
Interestingly, ahuautle isn’t the only dish known as “the caviar of Mexico”. It shares that nickname with ‘escamol’ a mix of larvae and pupae of two different species of ants.
The Government of Ghana has received 10 million euros from the European Union to support food security in the country following the adverse impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the economy.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony of the facility, the European Union Deputy Head, Pieter Smidt Van Gelder, said the gesture is to support Ghana’s agric value chain in the wake of global uncertainties.
“I am glad to announce EU is allocating 10 million euros to Ghana and we will sign the cheque in due course. The funds will support families to grow crops so that they can generate income and make food readily available and affordable in local markets”.
“The action will also promote climate smart and ecological approaches in a number of agri-business including soya-beans, shea vegetables”, he added.
On his part, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru said the support is timely and will go a long way to support the Agric sector.
“The programe is consistent with the sector’s flagship ‘Planting for Food and Jobs Programmes’ and ‘Planting for Export and Rural Development. I have no doubt that it will go a long way to improve the livelihood of beneficial regions and the country at large. This 10-million-euro pledge by the EU has therefore come at an opportune time to support the most vulnerable populations to cope with the ramification of the Russia invasion of Ukraine and the resultant impact on food security”.
Receiving the cheque on behalf of government, a Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, commended the EU for the gesture and stated that it will help support the sustainable development of selected number of agri-business value chain.
“The support from the EU which is aimed at enhancing food production and the resilience of food systems is welcomed. The proposed action we note, will promote crops specific, agro ecological system and approaches as well as support the sustainable development of selected number of agri-business value chain, including shea, bee-keeping, soybeans and vegetable”.
Rutin chicken, a domestic hybrid dubbed ‘the world’s smallest chicken’ has become incredibly popular in China lately, fueling a veritable pet craze.
Technically, the rutin in chicken is not a chicken. It is a cross between a quail and a partridge, but people have dubbed it the “world’s smallest chicken” and the nickname stuck. To be fair, it fits too, as the birds are about the size of an average human fist and weigh only about 50 grams. They are super cute as well, and their size makes them suitable for relatively small enclosures that come with lights, plants, stairs, and even dollhouse-like sleeping quarters.
Rutin chickens get their name from rutin, or vitamin P, a flavonoid found in citrus fruits and several other plants, but also in the eggs of this adorable bird. And speaking of eggs, the birds are apparently very productive egg layers, which only adds to their popularity. However, rutin eggs are even smaller than quail ones and comparable to the size of a five-cent coin. Luckily, the birds lay eggs for about 300 days out of a year.
Although much more suitable to apartment conditions than actual chickens, thanks to their small size, rutin chickens do require more maintenance than cats and dogs. For one, the temperature is really important, with recommended temperatures ranging from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius for adult chickens, and from 35 to 38 degrees for chicks.
Smell is also an issue with chickens, and rutins are no exception. Luckily, there are solutions available in the form of herbal litter – rice husk, wood chips, tea stalks, sawn wood, soy flour – combined with biological ferment to form a fermentation bed that can automatically decompose the rutin chicken poop.
The popularity of rutin chicken in China has skyrocketed in recent years, with a simple search on Douyin (TikTok) turning up thousands of videos from enthusiasts. Many of them feature lavish terrariums complete with heat lamps and all sorts of amenities for the birds, while others focus on the animals or the daily ritual of collecting their eggs.
Mini-chickens are widely available on online shopping platforms like Taobao, with many snatching them up simply because they are the trendiest pets money can buy.
As for the real world’s smallest chicken, that title goes to the pompous-looking Serama breed.
Some of the expected tough contests include the one featuring Prempeh College, St. Thomas Aquinas and Ofori Panin SHS.
In that contest, the defending champions will face an old foe bent on revenge. The Kumasi-based school clinched their fourth title in 2017 after beating St. Thomas Aquinas in a close contest in Accra.
St. Thomas Aquinas, who were denied their second title in that grand finale which went to the wire, has since failed to make a convincing impression worth their status.
They have suffered successive defeats at the one-eighth stage of the competition which relegates them to the regional qualifiers. One of those defeats came at the hands of Prempeh College, in a failed revenge bid for Aquinas in 2020.
CONFIRMED: Fixtures for the second day of the #NSMQOneEighth Stage.
But their story may just change with a chance handed them to do a number on the very opponent who inflicted the 2017 defeat on them.
Meanwhile, St. Augustine’s College will also come up against Tamale Islamic Science SHS and Achimota School. This is another contest that is already pregnant with predictions.
From the one-eighth stage, there is no redemption for losing schools as they had at the previous stage of the tournament. Only total victory can push a school forward.
It’s all or nothing!
2022 NSMQ
The 2022 National Science and Maths Quiz is produced by Primetime Limited and sponsored by the Ghana Education Service in partnership with Absa Ghana and supported by GOIL, Prudential Life Insurance, AirtelTigo, Dano Milk, Newmont, Accra College of Medicine, Academic City University College and Y FM.
The broadcast of the National Science & Maths Quiz on JoyNews is supported by Virtual Infosec Africa, Virtual Security Africa, Vita Milk, Cowbell, Alumni by Enterprise Life, Faytex Toilet Roll, Ace Medical Insurance, Azar Group, Kings Group Limited, Family Health Medical School, DBS, KORBA and Lumetrust from Pharmatrust.
Seasoned Ghanaian music producer and sound engineer, Appiatus, has touted his achievements, saying, he has more hits than his American counterpart Dr Dre.
Appiatus said if he was living on the other part of the globe, like America where the structures work in the music industry, he would have progressed further than he has in Ghana.
Born Appiah Dankwa, the multiple award-winning producer called for better structures in Ghana’s entertainment industry.
Speaking on the Class Morning Show on Class91.3FM on Friday, 14 October 2022, the popular Kwabena Kwabena’s ‘Aso’ beat maker being compared to Dr Dre said: “If I was in America, Dr Dre will be nothing, I’m sure I have more hits than him.”
“On the continent in Africa, I’m one of the guys will large hits but the system in Africa does not help me, the system in Ghana does not help me, the royalty system, the music industry structures and when we were making the hits and having fun we didn’t think it will affect us in the future and its affecting us now,” he said.
Reminiscing how the music structures work abroad, Appiatus recalled “Sometime ago when Michael Jackson died, he made $4million from royalties from people streaming his music, and he was dead,” he said in awe.
With a smile he added “The system is working so if you’re not there, your family will enjoy so I pray that our system will work”.
Touching further on the structures, Appiatus advised “we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, people are already doing it, the question is how did they do it? We need the template and we do it, simple! It won’t change anything, it’s still music…”
Fast-rising Ghanaian musician and BET award nominee, Black Sherif, known in real life as Mohammed Ismail Sharrif has said he fears nobody in the music industry because no one can sabotage him.
According to the award-winning artist and “Kwaku the Traveller” hit maker he has not wronged anyone that would allow himself to be sabotaged by other people.
He is also of the view that even if people try to sabotage him, their evil works won’t get to him.
“Nobody go feel sabotage me. Naaa, I don’t believe somebody go feel sabotage me. I don’t believe, I don’t believe that, they go feel do but it won’t get to me because I no wrong nobody,” Black Sherif told DJ Reuben in an interview on LUV FM in Kumasi monitored by MyNewsGH.com.
Black Sherif after gaining fame last year with his song “Second Sermon” has been consistent with his craft.
His recent music titled “SOJA” is wonderfully received much attention from all over the world topping various music chat both online and mainstream media.
One of the most successful Gospel musicians Sonnie Badu has recently described Black Sherif as “Bob Marley of our time.”
Due to the nonpayment of Special Duty Allowance (SDA) and other administrative issues, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) staff in all sixteen regions of Ghana have threatened to stop providing validation services to public sector employees and, as a result, boycott the upcoming third quarter Consolidated Fund national accounts production.
In a latest petition dated October 11, 2022 intercepted by Starr News, the aggrieved staff stated that “Our petition has become necessary following the worsening conditions of all CAGD staff and failure on the part of leadership to prioritize our welfare. We are by this calling on management to address these issues within fourteen days failure of which we will advise ourselves including abstinence from the forthcoming production of 3rd quarter national accounts of the Consolidated Fund. No SDA, No accounts validation exercise”
Detailing their grievances they stated that “We, the staff of CAGD across the Sixteen Regions of Ghana hereby call upon you and your leadership to address the following issues bordering us, with immediate effect:2021 SDA be paid immediately and that of 2022 be paid by the end of the year whiles subsequent SDAs be consolidated into our monthly salaries”
Additionally, they demand that “maintenance allowances for 2021 and 1st,2nd and 3rd quarters of 2022 should, as a matter of urgency, be paid without further delay”
The angry Controller and Accountant General Department staff also want management to initiate steps to prepare and implement better salary structure to reflect what other staff in sister Departments enjoy.
The staff wants CAGD to be elevated to Authority to empower it to work independently.
“Besides ensuring efficient disbursements of public funds, the Department also withholds and pays taxes into the consolidated fund.
Steps should be initiated to make the department either a Service or Authority. This will enable the Department to ensure professionalism without undue interference”.
They are also demanding that “Transfer or posting grant for all CAGD staff be borne by the department henceforth. Management should see to the formation of a vibrant labour union for all staff of the department. This will put to rest, the perceived sabotage by CLOGSAG so far as our SDA is concerned”.
According to them, delayed releases to CAGD Regional Directorates should be addressed and the amount increased to enhance smooth administration of the offices.
They also want Chief Accountants of the Department to be placed on level 23 and ACAG moved to level 24.
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department is mandated by the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) to: “Receive all Public and Trust monies payable into the Consolidated Fund (done through its staff stationed in all government departments including the revenue collecting ones).
He asserted that all of that was about to change, despite the fact that some importers hold the view that the size and makeup of the Ghanaian insurance market make it inefficient and uncompetitive for underwriting cargo insurance.
In a speech delivered on his behalf at the beginning of a two-day maritime insurance course in Accra, Dr. Ofori revealed this.
The programme is being organized by the Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana (IBAG), the trade body of insurance brokers in Ghana, for insurance brokers and insurers within the Ghanaian insurance industry dubbed, “Essentials of Marine Cargo Insurance”.
Dr. Ofori said the National Insurance Commission (NIC) was grateful to the executives of the IBAG and Munich Reinsurance, South Africa for putting the two-day training together, especially at a time the insurance industry in Ghana was doing all it could to develop marine insurance.
He said there had always been a provision in the insurance Acts that requires all imports into the country, except for personal effects, to be insured with a local insurer.
“But this is yet to substantially impact our industry, simply because goods are usually imported on Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) instead of Cost and Freight (CFR) as prescribed by section 222 of the Insurance Act, 2021 (Act 1061), to the detriment of the local market,” he said.
He said with the support of the Maritime Protocol, Maritime and Aviation Insurance Data (MAID), and more importantly insurance expertise, the future looks promising.
Mr. Shaibu Ali, President, IBAG said the essence of the workshop was to reposition their members to take advantage of the new insurance law.
He noted that under the old insurance law the punishment that was given if one imports his goods without insuring them apart from personal belongings such as clothes, television set, and every other thing was fine.
“But the fines were not working because the importers were happy to pay the fines and walk away. So, this new law now says that if you import without insuring with the local insurer, you can go to prison for up to three years.”
He said the new laws were going to put some amount of urgency on the importers to look at insuring details.
Mr. Seth Kobla Aklasi, President of, the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), said Ghana imported goods worth $23.7 billion as of 2021, while the total export figure was only $22 million; saying “clearly, we are importing more than we are exporting. Whatever the case is, there is the need to protect our economy”.
He urged stakeholders in the insurance industry, especially insurance companies, to educate the public on the need for insurance so that there would be a win-win situation for all of them.
He said in the period that Ghanaians were in now, the most important thing anybody could do now was to insure because of uncertainties; saying “we do not need to leave anything to chance.”
Mr. Tawiah Ben-Ahmed, President, of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana (CIIG), who commended IBAG for organizing the workshop, said for CIIG to achieve its objective of ensuring that insurance practices were of the highest possible standards and in conformity to internationally accepted best practices, continuous professional development and training must be embedded in their way of work across all the bodies in the insurance industry.
According to predictions, fuel prices will rise by 10% on Sunday, October 16, 2022, and transportation costs would likely increase by 40% in the following weeks.
“Prices of fuel have been gradually growing even at a period when crude prices were cut at the world market,” the association’s statement, which was co-signed by its National Chairman Paa Willie, National Public Relations Officer (PRO), David Agboado, and Deputy Secretary Nana Owiredu, stated.
“As an association, we are promising the government, if they do not work on stabilising the fuel prices, we’ll not increase fares for the ordinary Ghanaian to suffer but we will shock the entire Nation.”
It added: “No amount of intimidation can stop us this time around.”
Speaking on 12Live on Class91.3FM, Friday, 14 October 2022, Deputy Communications Director, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Samuel Amoah explained the current condition of drivers.
“Now the commercial drivers too are suffering. A driver will go to work, at the close of the day, all the money that the driver will get, he’ll just send it to a filling station, to just go and give it to them and go home, empty handed.
“Likewise, in case you have a problem with your car, you’ll use all the money to go and buy spare parts, so we have come to realise that our businesses are going down and there’s pressure on us.”
The reports were dismissed by the ministry in a statement, which insisted that they were unfounded and meant to erode trust in Ghana’s financial industry.
In fact, they rather erode investor confidence and add to currency pressures.
Govemment’s engagements with the IMF, both In Accra and in Washington D.C., on a Programme to restore macro-economic stability, are progressing steadily.
The Post- Covid Economic Growth Programme is designed to bring growth, stability, and relief to our country.”
Following a meeting with the Regional Minister Simon Osei-Mensah and the Asantehemaa, traders and business owners in the Ashanti Region’s Kumasi city are starting to reopen their stores.
The Ghana Revenue Authority‘s decision to place tax officers in the shops of business owners to enforce tax compliance in the Kumasi metropolitan and the cost of doing business prompted the shopkeepers to go on a sit-down strike.
On Friday, October 14, 2022, the Regional Minister said in an interview with Accra 100.5 FM’s mid-day news that the decision to reopen the stores was made following his talks with GRA authorities, Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG), and the Adum Business Community.
He added that for the past three days, he had been holding series of meetings with the various stakeholders in the Kumasi metropolis to find a lasting solution to the impasse between GRA and traders.
He said the GRA has been directed to withdraw their tax officers from the shops of the business operators and maintain them at the big malls and shops in the Kumasi metropolis.
Mohammed Ismail Sharrif, better known as Black Sherif, has disclosed that back in Senior High School, he used to play beat for his friends during musical battles on a wooden desk.
In his second year at the Kumasi Academy Senior High School, he developed a love for music after some friends encouraged him to sing after hearing the songs he had written.
Speaking on BBC’s ‘This Is Africa’ podcast he mentioned that he knew from the onset that music was his breakthrough.
“It was in year two in High School. We used to do this rap competition at evening preps with the boys. I used to play the beat for them on the desk. They will be rapping, dissing each other…so one time, I dropped like four lines. They told me that this is hard and right from there, I knew something could happen,” he said.
The 20-year-old rapper released his maiden album ‘The Villain I Never Was’ on October 6.
Already, the album has topped charts in Ghana and performed better on global charts. It debuted on UK’s Top 10 album, according to Spotify Chart.
The award-winning rapper explained that his stage name Black Sherif means ‘Nobel African’.
“Black Sherif is my stage name, more like a nickname. I got it in High School. My real name is Mohammed Ismail Sharrif, when I realized that I wanted to go with music, I needed a stage name, something heavy but I didn’t want to switch my whole name. Sherif is Nobel and Black is my identity. So, Nobel African.”
He added: “I am Kwaku Frimpong, that is my spirit name because I am a Wednesday born and I am an Asante, my father is an Asante.”
According to former president John Dramani Mahama, the trade imbalance between China’s imports of goods to Africa and its exports to China, which are estimated to be worth $106 billion, must be closed.
He claimed that the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will strengthen free trade between the continent and China, but that since China is one of Africa’s largest bilateral trading partners and will remain so, attention should be paid to how this trade benefits countries on the continent as much as it benefits China.
In his keynote address to open the virtual Abuja Forum 2022 organised by Gusau Institute on Thursday, 13 October 2022, Mr Mahama noted that Ethiopia should be a model for Africa’s relations with China.
“Today, it is reported that there are more than 400 Chinese manufacturing investments here, in Ethiopia, and the goods they produce are exported into the US and sourced by some of the major American buyers.
“Why should the rest of Africa not look up to that model and get the support of China to develop same and contribute to a great industrialisation drive on the continent?” he quizzed.
He claims that if inflation does not slow down, it will soon be racing alone as earnings are finding it difficult to even perceive inflation’s far-off shadow.
The challenge is real, he lamented.
The inflation rate for September currently stands at 37.2%, which is the highest in the past ten years.
Compared to the 33.9% reported in August 2022, this is.
“If this inflation does not stop galloping, soon it will be racing alone on its own because incomes are struggling to even see the back of inflation’s distant shadow, never mind the many unemployed with no income. The struggle is real …”, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko wrote on his Facebook timeline.
Ghana is currently experiencing fiscal difficulties and a host of other economic challenges.
They were Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other fuels (68.8%); Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance (51.1%); Transport (48.6%); Personal Care, Social Protection and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (42.6%) as well as Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (37.8%).
The implementation of the utility tariff in September 2022 also influenced the surge in inflation in Housing, Water, Electricity and other fuels group.
This situation has therefore compelled citizens to revive their calls for the government to address the situation.
Kwarteng was fired after presenting a mini-budget that caused financial instability and outrage among Conservative Party lawmakers.
On September 23, Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled a staggering £45 billion in tax cuts together with a plan to reduce energy costs that is expected to cost £60 billion over the following six months.
This, according to various media reportage was a huge departure from the fiscal policy of the Johnson government, which had planned tax rises to pay for health and social care and to manage the post-Covid deficit.
Kwarteng claimed his ambitious plans would drive growth and reduce inflation. The financial markets disagreed: in the days after his announcement, lenders pulled mortgage packages, the pound hit a record low against the dollar, and the Bank of England started buying bonds at ‘an urgent pace’ to calm the markets and stop pension funds going bust.
In a high-risk strategy designed to revive Britain’s stagnant economy, the British of Ghanaian descent announced more than £400bn of extra borrowing over the coming years to fund the biggest giveaway since Tony Barber’s ill-fated 1972 budget.
The Guardian reported that the Conservative MP said tax cuts worth more than £55,000 annually to someone earning £1m a year were part of a new direction for the economy and were designed to help boost growth to 2.5% a year. Some Labour MPs described them as a “class war”.
The Treasury admitted there were no forecasts for the impact of the measures on growth and the gamble received a hostile reception not just from the markets and opposition politicians, but from economic think tanks and many Tory MPs, some of whom were aghast.
Ghanaian Musician, Esther Smith, has opened up about circumstances that led her to relocate to Germany.
According to her, she had to relocate from Ghana to Germany because of her son’s heart condition.
She says a machine was placed in her son’s heart in order to enable him to live so she had to relocate so he could get proper medical care.
Relocating she says helped her receive the best medical care and now her son is a footballer who is gradually making a good name for himself.
“I relocated from Ghana because of my son’s heart condition. My son had a battery in his heart and when the battery went off, it meant his life was being cut short. But now, he is safe and plays football.
“My son is doing well now and I’m happy about it,” she said.
Esther Smith said even away from Ghana and her son’s condition, she joined the Church of England Choir and kept on performing and that did not set her back.
Just after news broke that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, has been dismissed by the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Liz Truss, he wrote to accept his fate.
According to him, he accepted the position which he occupied for 38 days in full knowledge that the situation the country faced was incredibly difficult, with rising global interest rates and energy prices.
He said in a statement hours after his dismissal that, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, following the status quo was simply not an option.
“For too long this country has been dogged by low growth rates and high taxation – that must still change if this country is to succeed,” Kwarteng’s statement read in parts.
Dear Prime Minister,
You have asked me to stand aside as your Chancellor. I have accepted. When you asked me to serve as your Chancellor, I did so in full knowledge that the situation we faced was incredibly difficult, with rising global interest rates and energy prices. However, your vision of optimism, growth and change was right.
As I have said many times in the past weeks, following the status quo was simply not an option. For too long this country has been dogged by low growth rates and high taxation – that must still change if this country is to succeed.
The economic environment has changed rapidly since we set out the Growth Plan on 23 September. In response, together with the Bank of England and excellent officials at the Treasury we have responded to those events, and I commend my officials for their dedication.
It is important now as we move forward to emphasise your government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The Medium-Term Fiscal Plan is crucial to this end, and I look forward to supporting you and my successor to achieve that from the backbenches.
We have been colleagues and friends for many years. In that time, I have seen your dedication and determination. I believe your vision is the right one. It has been an honour to serve as your first Chancellor.
Your success is this country’s success and I wish you well.
Black Stars coach Otto Addo will likely name Orlando Pirates goalkeeper in his provisional squad for the World Cup. Coach Otto Addo hopes the goalkeeper who is currently injured will be fit in time.
In the matchday 11 contest of the ongoing 2022/23 football league season, Richard Ofori put on a fine show in the first half.
Just ten minutes into the second half, he suffered an injury and could not continue the game due to the pain he felt.
As a result, he was replaced by Siyabonga Mpontshane who played the remaining minutes of the league match.
While the severity of the injury is yet to be ascertained, Richard Ofori could spend weeks on the sideline.
It is unclear whether that will in any way affect his chances of making Ghana’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The tournament will only start next month but coach Otto Addo and his assistants are already finalizing the squad.
The game between Orlando Pirates and Amazulu ended 1-1 at the end of the 90 minutes.
The Black Stars of Ghana will play one international friendly game against Switzerland before heading to Qatar.
The government has pledged to continue with the objective of protecting investors’ interests in the financial sector.
In reaction to a publication that 94% of Tier 2 pension investments in government securities to be affected by a probable debt restructuring, it said the Government of Ghana since 2017, has always protected investors’ interests in the financial sector.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it must be recalled that the Government of Ghana since 2017, has always protected investors’ interests in the financial sector. Government will continue with this objective and ensure that investors’ best interests are upheld at all times”.
“These publications and “social media advisories” are without merit and are designed to undermine confidence in Ghana’s financial sector. Indeed, they rather contribute to pressures on the currency and undermine investor confidence”, it said in a statement published on the Ministry of Finance website.
It continued that government’s engagements with the International Monetary Fund, both in Accra and in Washington D.C., on a programme to restore macro-economic stability, are progressing steadily, adding, the Post-Covid Economic Growth Programme is designed to bring growth, stability, and relief to our country.
Read the full statement below
The attention of the Ministry of Finance has been drawn to social media audiotapes and mainstream media publications speculating about a 94% discount of Tier 2 pension investments in government securities. Other publications also encourage a switch from securities to forex as a store of value.
These publications and “social media advisories” are without merit and are designed to undermine confidence in Ghana’s financial sector. Indeed, they rather contribute to pressures on the currency and undermine investor confidence.
Government’s engagements with the IMF, both in Accra and in Washington D.C., on a Programme to restore macro-economic stability, are progressing steadily. The Post- Covid Economic Growth Programme is designed to bring growth, stability, and relief to our country.
We, therefore, encourage all Ghanaians to disregard these publications, which are in no way reflective of the progress of work being done with the IMF.
For the avoidance of doubt, it must be recalled that the Government of Ghana since 2017, has always protected investors’ interests in the financial sector.
Government will continue with this objective and ensure that investors’ best interests are upheld at all times.
Ghanaian business moguls Dr Osei Kwame Despite, Ernest Ofori Sarpong, William Addo, among other big names graced the wedding ceremony of the son of Lawyer Stephen Boateng who is the CEO of the Kessben Group.
The ‘big men’ took the front row during the main traditional marriage, adorned in colourful kente fit for kings.
The wedding between Kessben’s son, Festus Boateng, and his sweetheart, Asomdwoe Adjei took place in Kumasi on Thursday.
The father of the groom had his rich and prominent friends add colour to the ceremony which was widely published by bloggers on Instagram and other social media platforms.
It was a display of rich Asante culture coupled with a showcase of kente cloths. Also, top wedding vendors, were employed to make the ceremony the talk of the town.
Former Asante Kotoko goalkeeper, Felix Annan, has blamed his former head coach, Maxwell Konadu after losing his playing position at the club which cost him his place at the Black Stars.
The former WAFA goalie was touted as the next Black Stars showstopper due to his exploits with the Porcupine Warriors.
However, having made Ghana’s squad for the 2019 Africa Cup Nations [AFCON], Annan lost his playing position at the club to Kwame Baah.
This was after Felix tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Francisca Yeboah, in a private wedding ceremony in January 2020.
The wedding ceremony took place mid-season ahead of Kotoko’s clash with arch-rivals, Hearts of Oak, in the 2019/2020 Ghana Premier League campaign.
However, speaking in an interview, the former Kotoko captain said the development at Kotoko affected his position in the Black Stars, but he never regrets marrying his wife in the course of the season.
“Even though I lost my position at Kotoko, I do not regret the decision I took to marry my wife in the course of the season,” he told Kumasi-based Nhyira FM.
“No way, I will never and ever regret marrying my wife. I don’t think I am unprofessional to fix my wedding ceremony on a league date.
“My wife and her family were based in the UK then and I had planned my wedding way back before we started the league because, at that time, there was no league.
“So, my wife and the family had to fly from the UK and we couldn’t change the plans,” he said.
The 27-year-old who now plays for US-based club, Maryland Bob Cats FC, blamed Maxwell Konadu for losing his position in the Black Stars.
“I have always been ready to play and represent my country ever since I received my first call-up in 2017.
“I had a lot of issues with my playing time at the club side which affected my chances at the Black Stars. I was just not playing and it’s not as if I wasn’t performing well, the coach [Maxwell Konadu] decided not to play me.
“Losing my position at Kotoko was one of the toughest times of my life. I wish I could get answers but I still don’t have them. I confronted Maxwell Konadu but I didn’t feel the need to make the issues public.
“I felt I was good enough but the coach at (Kotoko) then, [Maxwell Konadu] didn’t give me much playing time and that’s why I lost my position in the Black Stars,” He added.
Meanwhile, Felix Annan is not giving up on any future call-up at the Black Stars, as he is hopeful his time will come again.
“I have never given up. As far as I continue with my career, I am always ready and willing to push to be back again,” He concluded.
Meanwhile, Maxwell Konadu says he is not ready to talk about the allegations against him.
Prime Minister Liz Truss has expressed sadness at losing her longtime friend and colleague, Kwasi Kwarteng, from her ministry after dismissing him following a mini-budget presentation.
They both share the same vision for the UK and the same steadfast belief in the prosperity of the country, she said, adding that her fired appointee was “a long-standing friend and colleague.”
Thank you for your letter. As a long-standing friend and colleague, I am deeply sorry to lose you from the Government. We share the same vision for our country and the same firm conviction to go for growth.
You have been Chancellor in extraordinarily challenging times in the face of severe global headwinds.
You have set in train an ambitious set of supply-side reforms that this Government will proudly take forward. These include new investment zones to unleash the potential of parts of our country that have been held back for too long and the removal of EU regulations to help British businesses succeed in the global economy.
I deeply respect the decision you have taken today. You have put the national interest first.
Thank you for your service to this country and your huge friendship and support. I have no doubt you will continue to make a major contribution to public life in the years ahead.
A man has been electrocuted after he climbed a high-tension pylon in Kasoa in the Greater Accra Region.
According to eyewitnesses, the man, whose identity is yet to be known, complained about general economic difficulties and life’s struggles.
He then proceeded to climb the pylon.
Eyewitnesses said they tried to talk him out of his decision and urged him to come down but he ignored them and continued climbing.
The Police were, therefore, called to the scene.
However, he still refused to descend.
A man has climbed the High tension poles in Kasoa and according to eyewitnesses says he won’t come down despite the police on site. He says he’s tired of life and the economy.
Fans shouldn’t expect Drake and The Weeknd’s names to appear in this year’s Grammy nominations.
According to Pitchfork, the pair didn’t submit their respective albums for consideration this year, and are once again boycotting the awards show. While voters received ballots today with no inclusion of Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind and The Weeknd’s Dawn FM, the Toronto natives are still credited on other songs as guest artists. Their hit album cuts, “Sticky” and “Sacrifice,” also didn’t appear on ballots.
Drizzy has been at odds with the Grammy Awards and Recording Academy for some time, going back to 2017 when he won two awards that he said he didn’t want. He also slammed the academy for placing “Hotline Bling” in rap categories rather than pop. Last year, he pulled his songs after they were already sent in for consideration and he was nominated for Certified Lover Boy and “Way 2 Sexy,” which left an opening in both fields.
There has been some discord between Abel Tesfaye and the academy after he blasted the Grammys last year for failing to nominate After Hours and the hit album single “Blinding Lights,” saying he was fully snubbed and that he would be boycotting the awards show from then on.
“Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” he said. However, he still won an award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for Kanye West’s “Hurricane.”
In other Grammy news, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have also decided not to submit their joint album Silk Sonic for consideration. They won four awards this year for the lead single, “Leave the Door Open.”
The reports, widely circulated in the media, suggest that the military is to be held responsible for failures in the galamsey fight and has been attributed to the sector minister, Samuel Jinapor during a press update last Thursday.
In a statement, the Ministry said “for the avoidance of doubt, the Minister did not say the military is to be blamed for any failures in the fight against illegal mining”.
It clarified that, what the Minister said was to the effect that the military has been put fully in charge of the operations on the ground.
“The above comments have obviously been misunderstood by a section of the media”, the statement added.
GloRilla celebrated her Cardi B collaboration, “Tomorrow 2” in a special way, giving a luxury watch to the Bronx native.
Cardi share a clip of her in the studio with GloRilla, where she showed off the watch. “So, I’m in the studio with GloRilla, and I don’t even got no words to say,” Cardi said. “She gave me some Van Cleef earrings… but she also got me a fucking Patek, bro! Like, what the fuck! Nobody ever does something so beautiful but my man. Now you my woman! If that’s my man, you’re my woman. Fuck that.”
She also shared a photo of the Patek Philippe timepiece, which has a white watchface, embellished with gems and a white band. “Y’all look what @glorillapimp just gave me !!!!! I love her for fuvkin ever …I wanna cry but imma Gangsta!!!!” Cardi wrote in the caption.
The gift also came just after Cardi celebrated her 30th birthday on Oct. 11.
Earlier this month, Cardi and Glo celebrated their collaboration making it into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, grabbing the No. 9 spot. “COOOUUUUSIIIINNNN WE MADE THE TOP TEN
@GloTheofficial !!!!!” Cardi tweeted.
GloRilla is now preparing for the arrival of her EP, Anyways, Life’s Great… Slated for Nov. 1, the 12-song project is set to include “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi and “Blessed.”
The government’s anti-galamsey policies and strategies have come under fire from Asantehene, who claims they are shrouded in falsehood.
According to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the fight would remain a sham unless the appropriate individuals, particularly financiers, who are responsible for the illegal miningscourge are identified.
Addressing members of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs, an unhappy Asantehene insisted that the arrest of laborers at galamsey sites, instead of the site owners, smacks of failure.
“I hate these lies. The fight is full of lies. I hate lies. They should give us a break. It is full of lies,” he said in Twi.
The government’s fight against illegal mining has hit a snag despite the introduction of military-led interventions such as Operation Vanguard, Galamstop and Operation Halt.
A recent Joynews Hotline Documentary, “Destruction for Gold”, shed light on destruction of farmlands, forest reserves and water bodies by illegal mining operations.
An emotional Asantehenedescribed as worrying, the trend where wrong people are targeted with no effort to arrest financiers, including those who procure excavators and heavy equipment, for the illegal act.
He also wants those who benefit from gold produced from illegal activities tracked and brought to book.
“You send military men to galamsey sites; they end up arresting labourers covered with mud. Can this man be the one behind galamsey?
“This is someone hired by a big fish to work at his site. Who is the final receiver of the gold?
“How come the one who bought excavators is left off the hook? The military as usual photograph a poor labourer whose body is always covered in dirt; a man who receives partly 200, 300 cedis from a financier.
“Then they say they have arrested galamsey operators. You will find nothing on that man when he is searched.
What then happens to the financier? How come he is not arrested,” he said in Twi.
“Are they saying they don’t know those behind galamsey in Ghana? The gold ends up being sold abroad. So who is behind the sale of gold abroad? Is it not the financier? How come he is not arrested?
Once the financier is arrested, we will put an end to galamsey so our water bodies can be saved,” he added.
Members of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs
The Asantehene has also warned that chiefs under his authority who profit from the illegal mining business would pay dearly for their deeds.
“Whoever has benefited financially from galamsey will surely pay for it. All of us would pay dearly if we decide to tackle the menace lackadaisically.
As for the government, they know the culprits but has failed to arrest them.
Their own is full of lies; they should give us a break
We are partly to be blamed. All of us must accept our mistakes and move the fight forward.”
Friday’s meeting was the first General Meeting of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs in 2022 chaired by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Ghanaian gospel musician Piesie Esther has narrated her journey in the music industry over twenty years of venturing into music.
Speaking in an interview on the DayBreak Hitz morning segment with Doreen Avio, the gospel musician told the host that the musical journey has been full of challenges and rough.
Piesie Esther recounted her past life and the struggles she went through before she caught up with fame. According to her, she had to go into trading and sold anything she believed would bring profits just to survive.
“20 years in music has been a rough journey for me. The family I came from loves God even though it was a poor family. That was back then”.
A few weeks ago, Gospel musician Piesie Esther disclosed that she has been sponsoring her music career for over two decades.
She said, “I’m celebrating my 20 years in the gospel music ministry and since I started doing music and I have never had an executive producer,” She revealed to Amansan Krakye.
Piesie Esther continued “It is by the help of God that has held us over all these years so if the Lord has been graceful to me till now for the past 20 years then God has been good to me.”
Freddie Gibbs has proclaimed that there’s only five other rappers out right now as good as him.
In an interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music, the Soul Sold Separately artist made the bold claim about his rapping talents. He suggested as such when he was asked about why he doesn’t take his various beefs with other rappers, namely Gunna and Benny the Butcher, all that seriously.
“I’m one to leave the street stuff in the streets and let the music play out how it’s going to play out. That’s why I don’t really care about really saying nobody name on my records and stuff like that,” he explained. “I don’t need to humiliate nobody to build up controversy, to be one of the best. I feel like some people need that. If you in the rap game and you need an enemy, hit up Freddie Gibbs, you know what I’m saying? I’m the perfect enemy for you because I’m not going to back down from you.”
He added that he’d rather make memes of other rappers, or tease them on social media than provoke them on a record. “I’m all about the comedy end of it, because rapping, they can’t really rap better than me,” he said. “It’s probably only five guys walking the planet Earth that rap as good as me. So I’m not worried about a rap battle, especially with somebody that I deem under here when it comes to rapping. So it is all fun and games to me.”
Gibbs didn’t say who the other five rappers are, but it’s a safe bet to assume at least a few of them showed up on his recent album, Soul Sold Separately. “I feel like a lot of these guys take themselves too seriously so they try to make you think it’s a serious thing, you know what I mean? When it’s really not,” he continued. “My track record speaks for itself. My people in the streets know how I get down. So that’s why I said I leave that in the streets. The streets take care of that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he said that he plans to release a deluxe edition before the end of the year, although he doesn’t have a specific release date yet. He also said that he hopes to win a Grammy, but only so that he can make his Mom proud.
Along with ensuring food security, the money will be utilized to try and lessen how Ghanaian agriculture will be affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The EU Office in Ghana underlined in a tweet that the funds will also “strengthen ongoing programming as well as EU’s planned support to the agriculture sector in Ghana.”
The full tweet read: “#TeamEurope announces €10 million support for #FoodSecurity and to help #mitigate the impact on agriculture in Ghana of Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Also to strengthen ongoing programme as well EU’s upcoming support to the agriculture sector in Ghana.”
The tweet was accompanied by two photos of the EU representative handing over a cheque titled: “EU SUPPORT TO FOOD SECURITY IN GHANA,” to the Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare.
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund, IMF, advanced different sums of money to the government to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
On the diplomatic front, Ghana has been one of the vocal African countries calling on Russia to stop its aggression on Ukraine. Ghana also voted YES in a UN resolution this week, condemning Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Foreign Minister picked Accra as one of three stops on his African tour that was truncated after Russian bombardments.
Seth Green had a run-in with an angry Bill Murray on the setof Saturday Night Live when he was just nine years old.
The Austin Powers actor shared the story during a recent appearance on the YouTube show Good Mythical Morning. At the time of his confrontation with Murray, a nine-year-old Green was a child actor, doing a spot on SNL in December 1981.
“He [Murray] saw me sitting on the arm of this chair and made a big fuss about me being in his seat,” Green recalled. “And I was like, ‘That is absurd. I am sitting on the arm of this couch. There are several lengths of this sofa. Kindly, eff off.’ And he was like, ‘That’s my chair.’ … And then my mom goes, ‘You know, since he’s the Bill Murray you should maybe give him his seat.’ And I go—I’ve never been more indignant, to be told— ‘Are you this much of a jerk? You’re this rude to tell a nine-year-old to get out of your… what is this power play?’”
Seth continued, “He picked me up by my ankles… he dangled me over a trash can and he was like, ‘The trash goes in the trash can. And I was screaming, and I swung my arms wildly, full contact with his balls. He dropped me in the trash can, the trash can falls over. I was horrified. I ran away, hid under the table in my dressing room and just cried.”
“They come back and come in my room like, ‘Hey, everybody knows Bill’s a dick, you know? He’s hosting the show. He’s probably really, like, nervous about it,’” Green added.
“’You be a pro, right?” he recalled. “’The show must go on. You be a pro. You’re a pro, right?’ And I was like, ‘I am a pro. I’m a pro.’”
Watch Seth Green recall his interaction with Bill Murray in the video up top.
Ghana has received positive news ahead of the 2022 World Cup which will be held in Qatar from November 20 to December 18. Defender Baba Rahman who plays for Championship side Reading has returned to first team training.
Rahman suffered a hamstring injury in practice during the international break in September, and a one-month absence was predicted.
The 28-year-old made his way back to training on Tuesday, and his teammates were excited to see him.
Rahman may play in Reading’s Championship game against West Brom on Saturday as they look to avenge their loss to QPR the previous weekend.
The former Schalke 04 defender has played three games in the Championship this season for Reading FC.
Beginning his career at Dreams FC, he played in the Ghanaian Premier League with Asante Kotoko. In 2012, he signed for Bundesliga club Greuther Fürth, where he spent two seasons. He then played for FC Augsburg before joining Chelsea in 2015 for a fee of £14 million, potentially rising to £22 million.
Emergency crews worked through the night, digging through rock to try to reach more survivors.
Video footage shows miners emerging blackened and bleary-eyed accompanied by rescuers at the facility in Amasra, on the Black Sea coast.
The family and friends of the missing could also be seen at the mine, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones.
The explosion is believed to have occurred at around 300m deep. Some 49 people were working in the “risky” zone between 300 and 350m (985 to 1,150ft) underground, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
“There are those whom we were not able to evacuate from that area,” Mr Soylu told reporters at the scene.
The cause of the blast is not yet known, and the local prosecutor’s office has begun an investigation.
Turkey’s energy minister said there were initial indications that the blast was caused by firedamp, which is methane forming an explosive mixture in coal mines.
“We are facing a truly regretful situation”, he said.
There were partial collapses inside the mine, he said, adding that there were no ongoing fires, and that ventilation was working properly.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the site on Saturday.
Amasra’s mayor Recai Cakir said many of those who survived had suffered “serious injuries”.
One worker who managed to escape on his own said: “There was dust and smoke and we don’t know exactly what happened.”
The mine belongs to the state-owned Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises.
Turkey witnessed its deadliest coal mining disaster in 2014, when 301 people died after a blast in the western town of Soma.
According to Harriet Thompson, the UK’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Ghana is not the only nation dealing with economic difficulties.
However, she asserts that in order to succeed, tough choices must be made and nations must band together.
Thompson was responding to a tweet from Vicky Ford, the UK’s minister for international development, who had published a picture of herself with Ghana’s finance minister along with the message, “Ghana is a great ally of the UK.”
“In my meeting with Hon. Minister Ofori-Atta @MoF_Ghana we discussed the global economic challenges and the support we as the international community can offer Ghana, including a possible new @IMFNews programme.”
Harriet Thompson then quoted the tweet and stated “Ghana is not alone in facing economic challenges. We must be ready to take the difficult decisions & come together internationally to get through. We look forward to welcoming you back to Ghana in your new role@vickyford(& we’re glad to see you love your made-in-Ghana jacket!”
Ken Ofori-Atta is in the United States of America, USA, attending the Group of Seven (G7) meeting with selected Finance Ministers from African countries as part of the IMF and World Bank Annual meetings.
Ofori-Atta described the meeting as “quite historic because for the first time, the G7 has called African Finance Ministers to deliberate on the crisis that they see.
“…these are exogenous factors that have really (impacted), even their own economies (and) put it under serious stress and are, therefore, looking for ways in which they can add to the capital needs to make sure that things do not deteriorate. So countries such as Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, and Morocco were there,” he said as quoted by 3news.
The G7 is made of an informal grouping of seven of the world’s advanced economies; namely: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America and European Union.
This group invited finance ministers from South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Zambia, Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda, Chad, Tunisia and Morocco for the all-important meeting.
The meeting with the African Financial Ministers brings together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness.
California has become the first state to ban plastic produce bags.
People reports that the single-use bags will be slowly eliminated during the next two years, with them completely gone by Jan. 1, 2025, and to be replaced by recycled paper bags or compostable bags. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the legislation, SB 1046 into law, which was sponsored by the environmental advocacy group, Californians Against Waste.
“The average working life of a plastic bag is 15 minutes, and over 100 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year,” the organization in a statement on its website. “Several studies have shown that contamination in compost waste streams decreases when consumers have convenient access to compostable bags.”
Produce bags are typically found on rollers in the produce area of the grocery store and often only have a one-time use—and they aren’t recyclable.
“It flies around landfills and flies out of trucks,” Nick Lapis, the group’s director of advocacy, said. “It gets stuck on gears at recycling facilities. And it contaminates compost. It’s a problematic product we want to get rid of.”
The ban also includes bags used for other merchandise like meat, fish, nuts, grains, candy, and bakery goods. The bill’s biggest foe was the California Grocers Association.
The state banned grocery bags five years ago, which has made a positive impact on litter. According to Californians Against Waste, a year after the ban, littering of grocery bags declined by 72 percent.
The Asantehene, OtumfuoOsei Tutu II is questioning the neutrality of his chiefs in illegal mining activities.
He questioned why the chiefs under his authority have been silent and failed to voice their complaints about the environmental damage done by illegal miners, particularly to water bodies in their areas.
Have you ever informed me that your water bodies are being destroyed and your people can’t get water to drink? He quizzed when he addressed the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs in Kumasi on Friday.
The Asantehene’s comments followed an appeal to chiefs by the Administrator of Stool Lands to help stop activities of illegal mining which have wreaked havoc on farmlands and led to the destruction of cocoa farms.
Maame Ama Edumadze Acquah observed that the chiefs risk a decline of their share in the payment of revenue from stool lands since several cocoa farms have been destroyed by illegal mining activities.
Infuriated by the observation, the Asantehene wondered how chiefs who have sworn allegiance to protect lands on his behalf have kept mute over the operations of illegal miners.
Are you not aware that people are using excavators to mine and destroy the environment, and that the government is struggling with the fight? You’ve sworn an oath of allegiance to be custodian of Essumenja, Asokore, as Asokorehene to be my representative. When you pass by galamsey sites with your cars and flags hoisted on them, don’t you see the destruction? Otumfuo quipped.
The government has struggled with the fight against illegal mining.
The introduction of military-led interventions such as Operation Vanguard, Galamstop, Operation Halt, has yet to help stem the tide.
A recent Joynews Hotline Documentary, “Destruction for Gold” catalogued the destruction of farmlands, forest reserves and water bodies by illegal mining activities.
The destruction means millions of Ghanaians have been denied their livelihoods.
According to the Asantehene, though the chiefs have no arms to fight the illegality, they could have taken advantage of laid down traditional structures such as the Regional House of Chiefs or the Asanteman Council to drum home the galamsey issues.
It is true you have no arms but what did you do? We have our laid down structures here. You could complain here or when we meet at the Asanteman Traditional Council.
You have kept mute because the miners have been home and given you money. I hear your share of gold is sent to you at home. What about that? he quizzed.
