TIG Post

Author: Persis

  • Economy on the path of growth and prosperity for all – Bawumia

    Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged Ghanaians to be optimistic in the competent management of Ghana’s economy as it had begun to show strong signs of recovery following the global impact of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    He said the exceptional economic prowess and intelligence of the managers of the economy led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was key to wealth creation to reduce poverty, attract investments, empower businesses to expand to create jobs, and deliver quality education to bring the economy to yield prosperity for all.

    The Vice President gave the assurance at the Central Regional Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) conference held on Saturday at the University of Cape Coast.

    Speaking on the theme: “Breaking the Eight: the role of TESCON”, Dr Bawumia praised the country’s discernment, good judgment, and management of exchange rate and described it as “the best since 1992 and the performance in 2020 and 2021 simply superb.”

    Regardless of the World recession due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Dr Bawumia, said Ghana’s economy had witnessed one of the lowest inflation rates in about two decades and emphasized that at the peak of the pandemic, inflation was 11.8 percent but dropped to 10 percent in May and further drop to 7 percent as of June 2021.

    He said the prudent management of the economy had ensured that the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) excluding oil which declined by 5.8 percent and three percent in the first and second quarters of 2020 had rebound strongly and registered a positive growth of four percent by the last quarter of 2020.

    Dr Bawumia said the growth momentum had continued in the first quarter of 2021 as the economy registered further non-oil growth of 4.6 percent.

    The Bank of Ghana (BOG) Composite Index of real sector activities, according to him, had also seen a strong pick-up in the economic activities recording a 33.1 percent annual growth in 2021 as compared to a contraction of 10 percent in 2020.

    The economic feat signified a restoration of momentum of growth the country, lost at the heart of the pandemic last year.

    On the country’s debt management, Dr Bawumia particularly praised BOG saying the stability of the Cedi had been the same after every election year under the Fourth Republic notwithstanding the COVID-19 impact.

    Touching on the national debt, the Vice President acknowledged that debt levels had gone up but pointed out that economic management variables were exceptionally bright and hopeful.

    “The debt level had increased, but the government wants to maintain a prudent debt level management because if you don’t manage your debt level properly, it will affect your interest rate, exchange rate, inflation rate, and growth rate”, he indicated.

    “When the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in government, their economic mismanagement took us to HIPIC because they had mismanaged the debt level such that, there was high inflation, exchange rate, interest rate, and low growth and later had to be bailed by the IMF,” the Vice President noted.

    Source: GNA

  • Parliament approves visa-free entry agreement for Ghanaians travelling to UAE

    Parliament has, on Thursday, August 5, 2021, approved a visa waiver agreement between Ghana and the United Arab Emirates, Daily Graphic has reported.

    This means that Ghanaian passport holders seeking to travel to Dubai will be permitted free entry into the UAE per the visa waiver agreement.

    According to details as contained in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Ghana and the UAE, the agreement comes with a mutual exemption of entry visa requirements with respect to diplomatic, service/special, and ordinary passport holders.

    Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, earlier in May this year presented the MoU before the House, which was subsequently referred for consideration to the Committee of Foreign Affairs of which a report was later presented in accordance with Order 140(4) and 183 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.

    Bryan Acheampong, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, presenting the report before parliament, explained that both Ghana and the UAE showed commitment to further foster bilateral relations.

    Acheampong revealed that the visa-free waiver agreement between the two countries does not come with obligations imposing Ghana-UAE to admit persons of questionable character into their terrains.

    The agreement, the chairman said, also does not impose financial obligations or financial gains on the two countries from its implementation date.

    Bryan Acheampong, however, clarified that the visa waiver agreement which will facilitate the travel of government officials and diplomats is common, except this new arrangement allows for ordinary passport holders to also benefit.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Coronavirus: July records highest cases

    Ghana is gradually becoming severely hit by the third wave of COVID-19 with the month of July recording the highest number of cases.

    The Ghana Health Service disclosed the surge was a result of the opening of the Kotoka International Airport for international travels on September 1, 2020.

    According to the latest figures from the GHS, there are 409 new coronavirus cases increasing the number of active cases in the country to 6,969 as of August 5, 2021.

    The total death toll has also shot up to 874 following 20 additional fatalities recorded nationwide. The update on the GHS website noted that, while 87 of the cases are severe, 36 patients are in critical condition.

    About 1,271,393 Ghanaians have been vaccinated. However, the GHS cautioned that being vaccinated does not entirely exempt one from contracting the virus.

    The Service warning of a possible crisis about the surge of the pandemic has urged the general public to take the safety protocols like proper wearing of a nose mask, washing of hands, and the use of sanitiser serious.

    Meanwhile, Government through the Health Ministry has disclosed it has taken delivery of some 177,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

    The vaccines will be administered as single-shot doses to immunize citizens, to help curtail the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

    The consignment, according to the Ministry of Health was procured under the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) initiative.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Prices of foodstuffs on the increase in Upper East

    Prices of foodstuffs such as rice, beans and maize have increased significantly across market centres in the Upper East Region in the first quarter of 2021.

    According to traders at the Bolgatanga foodstuff market, prices of foodstuff have increased drastically because farmers prefer to sell them directly to middlemen to make more profit than selling it to the market women.

    The traders say a bag of maize which sold at GH¢230 cedis a week ago is now selling at 270 cedis, a bag of Guinea Corn which was being sold for GH¢300 cedis is now selling at GH¢320 cedis while a bag of beans and gari which sold for GH¢500 cedis and GH¢550, however, remain unchanged.

    A bag of beans that used to go for 450 Ghana cedis is now selling at GH¢700 Ghana cedis. Soya beans are selling at 450 Ghana cedis instead of the usual GH¢300 Ghana cedis.

    A bag of groundnuts depending on the size of the bag which used to go for GH¢120 and GH¢400 is now selling at GH¢250 and GH¢600 Ghana cedis.

    The traders attributed the increasing cost of maize and guinea corn to the operation of a beer factory in neighbouring Burkina Faso whose middlemen come to the Bolgatanga market to buy maize and guinea corn to feed the factory.

    Some market women at the Bolgatanga market gave further details about the prices of foodstuffs.

    The market men and women advised farmers to consider restraining themselves from selling to people whose aim is to export which is contributing to the high cost of foodstuff prices which led to hardship.

    The market men and women said the poor rainfall pattern coupled with the smuggling of fertilizer for the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative is likely to cause poor yield this year.

    They appealed to the government to offer the Planting for Food and Jobs fertilizer directly to the farmers instead of dealing with agents.

    Currently, the price of 50kg fertilizer in the open market in the Upper East region ranges between GH¢200 and GH¢220 cedis. The Planting for Food and Jobs fertilizer is currently in short supply.

    Source: gbcghanaonline.com

  • Policewoman found dead in a hotel room; boyfriend arrested

    Police in the Eastern Region has begun investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of Lance Corporal Sara Adjei of the Nkawkaw Divisional Command.

    The deceased police officer was found dead in a hotel at Nkawkaw on Saturday evening, having booked the room a few hours earlier.

    A note believed to have been handwritten by the deceased officer and addressed to one Timothy Dampare, her alleged boyfriend, suggested she owed people money and “so if anything happens, you have caused it.”

    She was found dead in her room by the manager of the hotel.

    A press release by the Eastern Regional Police Command, signed by DSP Ebenezer Tetteh of the Public Affairs Unit, said in responding to the report by starting investigations, the hotel manager and the said Timothy Dampare have been arrested.

    They are to assist in police investigations.

    The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital “awaiting autopsy whilst steps are underway to inform her family.”

    “The Police is assuring the public of thorough investigations into the death.

    “We also entreat the public to volunteer vital information to assist Police to unravel the circumstances leading to the death of the policewoman.”

    Source: 3news.com

  • Akufo-Addo opens Kintampo court complex, Prang Feeder Roads building

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Sunday, 8th August 2021, at the commencement of his 2-day working visit to the Bono East Region, commissioned a fully furnished dual Court Complex building in Kintampo.

    The contract for the construction of the Court Complex was awarded on 19th April 2019, at a cost of GH¢865,527.01, and was completed in November last year.

    The complex, which is a dual Court complex, will house the Municipal Court and an additional Court to be determined by the Chief Justice.

    The construction of this complex forms part of deliberate measures being put in place by the Akufo-Addo Government to ensure ease of access to law courts, thereby advance the rule of law in the country.

    It will be recalled that, in his Message on the State of the Nation, on 9th March 2021, President Akufo-Addo revealed that Government, through the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assembly Common Fund, had commenced, in an unprecedented initiative, the construction of ninety (90) courts with accompanying accommodation for judges across the country, to help address the problem of inadequate court infrastructure.

    These structures, he intimated, are at advanced stages of completion.

    Additionally, the President, in April this year, cut the sod for the construction of a permanent, modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi, which will help improve the justice delivery system for the northern sector of the country.

    Again, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assembly Common Fund, twenty (20) townhouses and a guesthouse are being built to be used as permanent residences for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi, who will be mandated to handle cases in the northern part of the country.

    Once completed, it will mean that appeals from Upper West, Upper East, Savannah, North East, Northern, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Western North and Ashanti Regions will be conveniently heard within a much shorter period.

    Whilst in Prang, in the Pru West constituency, President Akufo-Addo also commissioned a newly constructed Administration Block for the Regional Feeder Roads Department.

    Constructed at a cost of GH¢3,831,826.86, the completion of the administration block is in fulfilment of a pledge made by the President to decentralise the citing of state institutions in various parts of the newly created regions, instead of the capital, which has always been the norm.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • #FixTheCountry movement has been badly exposed – Nana B

    Henry Nana Boakye, Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party, NPP, has averred that persons behind the #FixTheCountry protests have been badly exposed with respect to their motives.

    “The #FixTheCountry people have been badly exposed… We had just come out of the elections and there were COVID-19 issues, it did not take long before we heard about fix the country.

    “Let us remember that John Dramani Mahama’s election petition also took about two months. It was barely two months after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had taken his oath and in March 2021, I heard #FixTheCountry,” he said on Okay FM’s Morning Show late last week.

    He, however, admits that there is difficulty in the system but that it is also very exciting to know that the government has plans to employ some 11,000 plus people.

    He cautioned politicians to be careful about their pronouncements and added that he was in favour of any counter group that will project the good works of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP government.

    Source: m.peacefmonline.com

  • Major shakeup in Ghana Police Service: Here’s the full list

    The Acting Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare has undertaken his very first major reshuffling in the police service.

    Reports indicate that over 30 prominent personnel in the police service have been affected by the overhaul.

    Key amongst these persons include Director-General of Welfare, Maame Tiwaa Addo Danquah; Head of Education, Research and Training at the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Superintendent Alexander Obeng; Public Relations Officer of the Criminal Investigations Department, DSP Juliana Obeng; Director-General in charge of Police Operations, COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno.

    The officers are expected to take up their new positions with immediate effect.

    Below are the names of officers and their new roles, according to reliable sources:

    COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah (Mrs) – Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau

    COP Vincent Redeemer Dedjoe – Special Duties

    COP Edward Tabiri – Director-General in charge of ICT

    COP Frederick Adu Anim – Human Resource

    COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno – Administration

    DCOP Kwadwo Beapea Otchere – Regional Commander for Kasoa

    DCOP Enoch Adutwum Bediako – Director-General services

    DCOP Daniel Kwame Afriyie – Tema Region as the Deputy Commander

    DCOP Habiba Y.A Twumasi Sarpong – Director-General Police Welfare

    DCOP Francis Aboagye Nyarko – Director-General MTTD

    DCOP Kwadwo Antwi Tabi – Central Regional Police Commander

    DCOP Okyere-Darko Asumadu – Inspection and Monitoring Unit

    DCOP Afful Boakye-Yiadom – Ashanti Regional Police Commander

    DCOP Iddi Lansah Seidu – Greater Accra Regional Police Commander

    DCOP Anderson Fosu-Ackaah – Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander

    DCOP Mohammed Fuseini Suraji – Director-General Operations

    DCOP Peter Baba Atianak – Savannah Regional Police Commander

    DCOP Moses Ali Kpeachin – North East Regional Police Commander

    DCOP Michael Nketia Frimpong -Deputy Director in charge of Finance at the Police Headquarters

    DCOP Ernest Kirk Akrasi Mensah – Regional Commander for Western North.

    DCOP Francis Agrippa Oppong – Deputy Regional Commander for Western North

    ACP Duuti Tuaruka – Deputy Northern Regional Commander

    Peter Ndekugri Anombure – Upper West Regional Commander

    ACP Samuel Kwesi Ofori – Acting Director in Charge of Police Public Affairs Directorate

    ACP Gabriel Prince Waabu – Deputy Upper West Regional Police Commander

    ACP Oduro Amaning – Deputy Kasoa Regional Commander

    DCOP Moses Asabagna Atibillah – Bono East Regional Commander.

    ACP Joseph Owusu Ansah – Abuakwa Division as Commander

    Chief Superintendent Alex Kwame Safo Adu – Staff Officer

    ACP Faustina A. Koduah Andoh-Kwofie – Police Intelligence

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • #FixTheCountry demonstrators littered Accra with 3 million water bottles – Sam Pyne

    The ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ashanti Regional Secretary, Sam Pyne, has expressed disgust at the behaviour of “#FixtheCountry” protesters who stormed the streets of Accra on Wednesday.

    Wednesday, August 4, marked “Founders’ Day”, which was declared a statutory holiday but also marked a day that many Ghanaians thronged the streets to register their displeasure with the government.

    The protesters brandished placards with inscriptions like “#FixOurEducation System now”, “Justice for Kaaka”, ‘If Ghana was your personal property, would you run it like this?’, ‘Ghana is the most religious yet most corrupt’ among others.

    Speaking on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” on Thursday morning, Sam Pyne scolded the demonstrators for not observing the COVID-19 protocols and also littering the streets of the Capital City.

    According to him, the protesters threw over 3 million bottles of water on the streets.

    “The water they drank, both bottled water and sachet water, that they littered around were more than 3 million.

    Those who urinated outside have made Tudu and its environs stink so bad today that it is difficult to walk around the area without holding your nose to avoid the smell,” he said and advised them to fix themselves too.

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • NHIA threatens healthcare providers charging illegal fees

    The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has threatened to withdraw credential letters of healthcare providers that continue to charge its members illegal fees when they come to seek health care in their facilities.

    According to the Authority, the charging of these illegal fees was having a toll on the renewal of membership cards due to the bad experience they get whilst trying to seek healthcare in these facilities.

    Mr Samuel Lobber, the Upper West Regional Manager of the NHIA who issued the threat during a media briefing in Wa, noted that these illegal charges were punishable per the contract NHIS and the service providers.

    “Members who go through these bad experiences are likely to tell their experiences to potential members to influence them not to join the scheme”, he said.

    Mr Lobber noted that hospital facilities were getting over 90 per cent of their revenue through the NHIS and risked collapsing if they happen to have their credential letters withdrawn.

    He disclosed that currently, there was a committee at the instance of Parliament working on various punitive measures against service providers that charge illegal fees and encouraged members to help identify such facilities as they could no longer continue to hide their identity.

    On the high cost of medicines, Mr Lobber pointed out that as a country, they were currently doing over 30 per cent of their healthcare cost on medicines, which according to him, was very bad as it surpassed the 24 per cent threshold recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    The Regional Manager of the NHIA cited demand and supply-side moral hazards, insufficient enforcement of the gatekeeper system, poor road network, and poor mobile network connectivity as some of the challenges affecting operations of the scheme in the region.

    He, therefore, advised members of the scheme to stop jumping from one facility to the other collecting drugs, which they never complete the course but just creating mini pharmaceuticals in their homes and burdening the scheme with cost.

    Mr Lobber also advised members against making the District Hospitals their first point of call when seeking healthcare and that it often resulted in congestion in those facilities, which also led to compromised quality of care for members.

    He encouraged members to use the primary healthcare facilities and when the need be they would be referred to the District Hospitals for further treatment, adding that this would also help reduce the cost burden on the scheme.

    Source: GNA

  • Public universities risk closure due to labour unrests – GAUA

    The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) is calling on all stakeholders, especially the government and its agents to immediately resolve all labour disputes to avoid total closure of Public Universities.

    “We understand certain gestures have been offered at the negotiations to resolve the impasse, and wish to serve notice that GAUA is equally affected by the worsening conditions of service and hope the government will equally respond by addressing our needs placed on the table of negotiation as well, before concluding negotiations with our sister Unions”, the association said.

    A statement signed by Mr Kwabena Antwi-Konadu, the National President, GAUA, copied to the Ghana News Agency said GAUA had observed with concern the recent spate of labour unrests in some Public Universities.

    “In resolving these issues, the government should be mindful of fairness to all categories of staff in the Universities. Failure to resolve these issues fairly will escalate the already turbulent labour front in the Universities”.

    The statement said the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission would be guided by the 2012 National Labour Commission Arbitration ruling on relativity and parity in the conditions of service for senior members and also, the conditions of service for the other categories of staff at the public universities.

    The statement further appealed to the government to proactively deal with all outstanding issues of the four unions to avoid a situation where each union would embark on an industrial action separately.

    On the recent migration of Public Universities to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department’s Payroll Platform, GAUA said these issues of migration of Public Universities to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department’s Payroll Platform could have been resolved amicably without disturbing the otherwise smooth running of the Universities.

    “GAUA is therefore appealing to all Sector Ministers and their assigns in the negotiations to as a matter of urgency and importance, resolve these issues which are the cause of the disruption of the already challenged academic calendar as a result of Covid-19 and its related impact on the Universities”.

    Source: GNA

  • Saglemi Housing trial: Collins Dauda, 2 others granted bail after a not guilty plea

    Two former Ministers for Water Resources, Works, and Housing, who are facing trial for their alleged fraudulent roles in the abandoned Saglemi affordable housing project, have been granted bail by the High Court.

    Alhaji Collins Dauda was granted a self-recognizance bail, while his successor, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, was granted bail to the tune of $65 million with three sureties, one being a public servant.

    The two former ministers and three others are facing 52 counts of criminal charges for intentionally misapplying public property, wilfully causing financial loss to the Republic, and dishonestly causing loss to public property.

    Alhaji Collins Dauda, a former Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, and his successor Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, have been accused of spending over $196 million on the Saglemi housing project when investigations revealed that the cost of works executed on the site, including consultancy services, was about $64,982,900.77.

    The third accused person who was a Chief Director at the ministry was also granted bail to the tune of $65 million or its cedi equivalent with three sureties.

    The accused persons who were all present in court pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case has been adjourned to October 13, 2021.

    Facts of the case

    According to the facts of the case presented by the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, an executive order approving the construction of 5,000 affordable housing units, to be known as the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project, was granted by then-President, John Dramani Mahama in August 2012.

    The project, which had parliamentary approval, was funded by Credit Suisse, and the housing units were to be sold to workers through mortgage arrangements provided by the then Ghana Home Loans Company. The contractor for the project is a Brazilian company, Construtora OAS Ltd.

    In the facts presented to the court, the Ministry of Finance [borrower], and the lender signed a facility agreement on January 4, 2013, for the release of $200 million to fund the construction of the 5,000 housing units, the day on which the Housing Minister also signed the EPC agreement with Construtora OAS, represented by Clocanas, the fourth accused.

    According to the AG, the project was to be executed in four phases on 2,172 acres of land at a contract price of $200 million, including consultancy services.

    An Escrow Management Agreement, a condition precedent to the release of the facility to the borrower, was also signed, pursuant to the facility and the EPC agreements, he said.

    He further stated that on February 27, 2014, Dauda, without parliamentary approval, reviewed the EPC agreement and signed both the original and the revised (restated) agreement with Construtora OAS, represented by Clocanas.

    The revision allegedly changed the scope of works and the application of the $200 million approved by Parliament.

    This new agreement required the contractor to execute the project in three phases over a site of 1,272 acres, while the $200 million was now to be applied towards the execution of only the first phase of the project, comprising just about 1,502 housing units.

    This was contrary to the executive and parliamentary approvals, as well as the facility and Escrow Management agreements.

    On December 21, 2016, according to the facts, the Chief Director, Yakubu, again reviewed the original and revised the (restated) agreement and signed them (second and his revised or restated), without recourse to Parliament.

    That led to a further reduction in the scope of works to 1,412 housing units at a revised price of $181 million, and extended the completion period to July 31, 2017, the prosecutor alleged.

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Foreign beggars on the streets of the Ashanti region are a threat, we will remove them – GIS

    The Immigration service in Ashanti Region has expressed its preparedness in removing foreign beggars on the streets in the region.

    The service says the activities of the beggars raise security concerns and must be addressed.

    The Ashanti Regional Immigration Commander, ACI Charles Yaw Bediako, speaking on the issue stated that some of them hold sharp objects and weapons to threaten commuters.

    “They also have some others who will be holding cutlasses and hoes as if they are looking for jobs. These things are weapons and can be used to harm innocent Ghanaians.”

    “With these, we think that those people should stay away from the streets,” ACI Bediako added.

    ACI Bediako assured the residents in the region that his outfit would use all appropriate means to remove them.

    “If you are dealing with foreigners, you are not just dealing with the individual. You are dealing with the country where they come from as well.”

    “There should be a holistic and strategic plan to be able to get them off the streets,” he added.

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • Disregard for coronavirus safety protocols major challenge – GHS

    The Ghana Health Service has bemoaned the increasing disregard for safety protocols despite the spike in coronavirus cases.

    Speaking at a press conference held on Wednesday, August 5, 2021, the Director-General said the carelessness such as the wrongful use of nose masks, hands not frequently sanitized or washed poses a challenge especially because Ghana is in the third wave.

    Aside from the improper use of nose masks, the Service called for an ‘all-hands-on-deck approach to intensify the fight against the deadly pandemic.

    “If households, service providers and institutions strictly ensure that people they admit into their spaces adhere to the safety protocols, particularly the washing of hands, proper wearing of face masks and the social distancing rule, the numbers will come down.

    “The current trajectory of cases, with low adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols, poses a significant risk of a higher third wave,” he said.

    Clearing the notion that an individual being vaccinated means exemption from contracting the virus, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the vaccine was not a 100 per cent protective measure

    “Vaccination will not prevent you from infection, but chances that you might not fall sick are very high and you are highly likely not to die from COVID-19.

    “But a fully vaccinated person who is a carrier can transmit to more vulnerable people, which include those who have not been vaccinated, and they might be severely hit by the virus, even if they do not die,” he explained.

    He urged the public not to abandon the safety protocols as it’s the sure way to secure lives.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Over GH¢720,000 lost to African Swine Fever at Saki

    Pig Farmers at Saki, a community in the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality, Greater Accra Region, said they have lost over GH¢720,000.00 worth of investment due to the outbreak of the African Swine Fever(ASF), which ravaged their farms a few weeks ago.

    Narrating the ordeal to the Ghana News Agency in Saki, Mr. John Amartey revealed that since the outbreak, he has lost over 100 pigs at his farm alone.

    He noted that, other farmers have also recorded higher mortalities, adding that the pigs were still dying due to the African swine fever and it was still prevalent in the farms at Saki.

    Mr. Amartey told the GNA that the average cost for a full-grown pig was sold between GHC1,800.00 and GHC1,400.00 depending on the size and age.

    He explained that the situation had rendered most of the pig farmers hopeless as their only investment got destroyed by the swine fever.

    According to the pig farmer, approximately 500 pigs had succumbed to the African Swine Fever including pregnant ones across the entire enclave, saying that the mortalities started in May this year, but they were oblivious that it was an endemic that could cost them that much.

    Another farmer attributed the rapid spread to the negligence of some farmers who allowed their pigs to move around in the town without any proper care, “these type of roaming pigs become super-spreaders”.

    According to him some farmers do not keep their farms clean and will not heed to any advice, “we must blame ourselves too”.

    Dr. Emmanuel Kwao Pecku, Kpone Katamanso Municipal Veterinary Officer, affirmed that the farmers had lost a huge sum of investments, saying the situation was really going to affect farmers who depended solely on the piggeries for living.

    Dr. Pecku stated that, plans had been advanced to excavate some portions around the farms to bury the faecal waste, carcases, and other contaminated materials at the farms for fumigation to take place.

    The Ghana News Agency observed during a tour of some of the farms that many of the pig farms have been deserted as no pigs were seen in some of the pens.

    Farmers have also packed their tools from the farms, few farmers were, however, seen in a devastated manner as they ponder over the loss.

    Unbearable stench emanated from the piggeries signalling that the farmers threw some of their dead pigs into the bush whilst others burn the dead pigs leaving the carcases as flies and other insects feed on them.

    Source: GNA

  • Qualified US-trained Ghanaian medical doctor Dr Michael K. Obeng allegedly arrested

    Dr Michael K. Obeng, a US-trained Ghanaian qualified medical doctor has been arrested for working without a valid licence from the Medical and Dental Council (MDC), Daily Graphic has reported.

    According to the MDC, the surgeon was also soliciting for clients for media consultation in cosmetic surgery in a hotel; something which is against the professional expectation and the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 2013 (Act 857).

    According to the Daily Graphic report, the MDC became alarmed when a social media ad showing Dr. Obeng demanding $500 as a consultation fee from his clients popped up.

    Dr Michael Obeng was arrested in a joint operation by the MDC and the Ghana Police Service where some suspected quack medical doctors and dentists were arrested in the Greater Accra, Bono and Central regions.

    The operation led to the closure of seven health facilities where the suspects were operating. Some 12 fake dentists and six quack medical doctors are said to have attended to many people in their operational areas.

    Dr Divine N. Banyubala, the acting Registrar of the MDC told the media on Tuesday, August 3, that the operation was part of routine investigations and complaints from the public.

    He said the fake dentists were working with the Laser Smile Teeth Whitening Centre in the Greater Accra Region.

    The arrest, Dr. Banyubala explained, followed a number of complaints from patients and practitioners about the suspects, who were operating in two facilities at Asylum Down and East Legon.

    “We have been conducting routine quality assurance monitoring exercises aimed at ascertaining, among others, the registration status of practitioners and the standard of practice in various institutions across the country,” he said.

    He added, “Investigations revealed that the suspects did not possess the technical competence nor the requisite licences to lawfully practise, but were found providing regulated dental services in the facilities, against the law.”

    Dr Banyubala disclosed that the management of the centre had, following the closing down of the facilities, undertaken the needed steps to employ qualified dental practitioners to take over the provision of safe dental services, in accordance with health sector regulatory requirements.

    The names of the quack doctors, according to the Daily Graphic report, were given as Osei Bonsu Hayford, who was arrested practising medicine illegally at the O.B. Saviour Clinic, located at Koraso, a suburb of Dormaa Ahenkro; Daniel Adjei, who operated at the Ohenewaa Memorial Clinic, Dormaa Ahenkro, and Prince Tutu, who operated at the St Kyeade Clinic, Dormaa-Babianiha, all in the Bono Region.

    Others are Paul Amoanoo of the Royal Medi-Herb Clinic, Ashaiman-Zenu Atadeka in the Greater Accra Region, and Samuel Lanquaye Snr and his daughter, Alberta Lamiorkor, who was arrested in the Central Region.

    Dr Banyubala further disclosed that one of them had been practising for 36 years, while the others were using forged certificates and licences, as well as Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ministry of Health (MoH) receipts to perpetuate their illegal activities.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Bird Flu: Poultry Farmers Association commends the government for quick intervention

    The Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana has lauded the government and its partner agencies for working to contain the outbreak of Avian Influenza, first detected on July 6, 2021, in Ghana.

    Mr Victor Oppong Adjei, the National Chairman of the Association, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, said even though a fourth region; the Ashanti Region, had recorded a case, the containment situation was still better.

    So far, four regions; Greater Accra, Central, Volta and Ashanti had recorded the outbreak of the disease.

    “But you know the Vet Services, in collaboration with the Association, and other partners are doing their best to avert the spread,” Mr Adjei assured.

    He commended institutions including the Veterinary Services, NADMO, Fire Service and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for being active and supportive in controlling the disease.

    Mr Adjei said such outbreaks were not new in the country but the approach to stop the spread was very important and that was what the team of collaborators were doing to avert any spread that would have an adverse effect on the industry and the economy as a whole.

    He said many of the farms, which involved mainly the small poultry farms that were infected by the flu, had all been depopulated and disinfected and being allowed to lie fallow and quarantine for six more months.

    He said a lot of education was ongoing among the poultry farmers so they could detect and report sick birds as well as be able to keep their farms neat while preventing people and vehicles from entering the farms.

    As part of measures to control the situation, Mr Adjei said members of the Poultry Farmers Association were being granted a movement permitted by the Veterinary Services to enable them to transport all chicken and chicken products to other regions for sale.

    Mr Adjei assured the public that it was safe to eat chicken and chicken products since they were all safe.

    He explained that the poultry birds that were infected could not even lay eggs and they also looked very weak and unappetizing to be brought to the open market.

    Mr Adjei, however, advised that chicken and eggs should be boiled “very well” before they were consumed.

    He assured the farmers that government would pay a “good compensation” for their destroyed birds and urged them not to hide their sick birds but report to the authorities for the necessary intervention.

    He urged them to ensure they intensified their biosecurity measures to prevent infections on their farms.

    Source: GNA

  • Ghana bagged $2.6bn from FDI last year Oppong-Nkrumah

    Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has revealed that Ghana accrued $2.7billion worth of investment out of which $2.6billion worth of investments.

    Out of this $2.6billion was from Foreign Direct Investments (FDI).

    The Ofoase Ayirebi lawmaker added that Ghana and it is envisaged that 27,000 direct jobs were created.

    “Last year, Ghana came second in attracting FDIs in Africa. As a nation, we bagged $2.7billion worth of investment out of which $2.6billion was from FDI.

    “The FDIs were realized from 271 registered projects in Ghana and it is envisaged that 27,000 direct jobs were created,” he said in a tweet on Tuesday, August 3.

    “This morning @gipcghana and @moigovgh collaborated to launch SPARK-UP; an initiative that empowers the facilitation of all these 271 FDIs.

    “It will be good if you join us on September 6, 2021, and explore how you too can be part of the new opportunities being created.”

    Source: 3news.com

  • Haruna Iddrisu predicts more strikes

    Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader has envisaged more strikes in the public sector following the UTAG strike.

    He attributed this to the 4% increase in the public sector salaries has contributed greatly to the instability on the Labour front.

    This increase, he noted, is a “recipe for the industrial conflicts”.

    Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Tamale South MP explained, “The public sector workers of Ghana can have no smiles into 2022. When inflation is at 8% or 9%, the appropriate thing to do in terms of minimum wage negotiation is to place the wage increase not above inflation.

    “So, if you say inflation is 8% or 9%, increase the wages by just 8% or 9%, that is the best practice and that has been the practice.”

    According to the Minority Leader, the strike action by UTAG and other staff from the various universities is not surprising, indicating that this is one of many to come.

    “Going into the future, we should be ready to bear the consequences of an unstable labour environment, which is likely to be characterised by protests, and strike actions which ultimately, will affect the productivity of our country,” Iddrisu said.

    The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), directed members to withdraw all teaching and related activities on various university campuses beginning Monday, August 2.

    Members of the Association laid down their tools and have stayed off teaching, examinations and invigilation, marking of examination scripts and processing of results until further notice.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Vulcanizers in Sunyani Municipality impose new charges on vehicle servicing

    Vulganizers operating in the Sunyani Municipality have imposed new charges on vehicle servicing, citing the current economic situation in the country as the cause.

    But, the new charges, according to some commercial drivers and motorists were too much, and appealed for some downward adjustments.

    During a Ghana News Agency (GNA) survey, the new charges ranged between Gh¢2.00 and Gh¢50.00, depending on the nature of the vehicle.

    Abubakari Ussif, a popular Vulgarizer along the Abesim-Sunyani stretch, told the GNA their decision to impose new charges were due to the current economic situation in the country.

    He said they now charged GH¢2.00 fee for an inflated saloon car tyre, instead of Gh¢1.00 fee, while charges on commercial vehicles and heavy-duty trucks ranged between Gh¢5.00 and Gh¢15.00 per tyre.

    “Tyre fixing is also going between Gh¢5.00 and Gh¢50.00 depending on the nature of the vehicle”, he added.

    But, charges on puncture repairs were also ranging between GH¢5.00 and Gh¢50.00.

    Another Vulcanizer along the VRA-SSNIT road spoke to the GNA on condition of anonymity and explained that Vulcanizers in the Municipality held a meeting and agreed on the new charges.

    Some of them said they had procured digital pressure gauges, inflators and puncture repair kits to provide quality services to clients.

    But, Emmanuel Kofi Ansu, a taxi driver who plied the Sunyani-Abesim stretch, admitted that the vulcanizers had justification for the new charges, the increment was exorbitant, and something ought to be done about it.

    Source: GNA

  • Ashiaman records 1,185 COVID-19 cases Municipal Health Director

    The Ashaiman Municipality has recorded about 1,185 cases of COVID-19 with ten deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic, Mrs Patience Ami Mamattah, the Ashaiman Municipal Health Director has revealed.

    She stated that the municipality still had some positive cases with some on admission.

    She identified that people in the municipality do not wear the nose mask especially at the markets and in public transports popularly known as trotro.
    To prevent the further spread of the virus in the municipality, she appealed to the residents to strictly observe all the safety protocols with emphasis on the wearing of a nose mask and maintaining social distancing.

    Mrs Mamattah disclosed this at a brief ceremony to hand over a site to a contractor for the construction of a three-storey market complex which will be known as the “Nii Annang Adzor Market” at Ashaiman.

    The MCE noted that the Ashaiman health data revealed that many people have hypertension and other non-communicable diseases which can be prevented, “we have noticed that from last year to June this year many people in the municipality have high blood pressure (BP),” she said

    Mrs Mamattah urged people especially traders in the municipality to be conscious of their health as they need to stay in good health to be able to reap from their investments.

    She also appealed to key stakeholders involved in the construction of the market complex to provide the health directorate with an outlet to be able to extend health services to the market users.

    “Some people feel unwell but they are unable to leave their goods and services and seek medical care due to the distance so please allow us to be closer to serve them better,” she stated.

    Nii Annang Adzor, the chief of Ashaiman, expressed displeasure at the unhygienic situation in the market and appealed to the traders to ensure a clean and healthy market at all times.

    When completed, the market complex would have 1,700 stalls, a lorry park, banks, health post, a crèche, police post, fire station, and warehouses.

    The market is being constructed by Achamful and Sons Construction, a construction development company based in Kumasi, and is expected to be completed between six and eight months.

    Source: GNA

  • World balance indicates over 4 million dead since the coronavirus pandemic began

    The new coronavirus pandemic has caused at least 4,227,765 deaths worldwide since the WHO detected the disease in China at the end of 2019, according to the AFP balance based on official data.

    More than 198,247,050 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed since the start of the pandemic.

    The values ​​are based on the balances communicated daily by the health authorities of each country but exclude revisions carried out later by some statistical bodies.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, due to direct and indirect mortality, related to Covid-19, this balance maybe two or three times higher than what is officially released.

    A significant proportion of less severe or asymptomatic cases remain undetected despite the increase in screening methods in many countries.

    On Sunday, the 1st of August, 7,236 more died of SARS-CoV-2 and there were 455,312 new cases globally.

    The countries with the highest number of deaths in the most recent reports are Indonesia with an additional 1,568 deaths, Russia (785), and Brazil (464).

    The United States is the most affected country in terms of the number of deaths and cases, with 613,228 deaths and 35,003,546 cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University count.

    After the United States, the most affected countries are Brazil with 556,834 deaths and 19,938,358 cases, India with 424,773 deaths (31,695,958 cases), Mexico with 241,034 deaths (2,854,992 cases) and Peru with 196,438 deaths (2,113,201 cases).

    Among the hardest-hit countries, Peru has the highest number of deaths in relation to population, with 596 deaths per 100,000 population, followed by Hungary (311), Bosnia (295), Czech Republic (284), and Northern Macedonia (264).

    Latin America and the Caribbean totaled, as of 10:00 am today, 1,375,285 deaths and 40,901,761 cases, Europe 1,203,546 deaths (58,536,165 cases), Asia 675,820 deaths (44,999,056 cases), United States and Canada 639,828 deaths (36,434,778 cases), Africa 170,998 deaths (6,746,432 cases), Middle East 160,907 deaths (10,543,800 cases) and Oceania 1,381 deaths (85,064 cases).

    This assessment was based on data collected by France Presse delegations from national authorities and information from WHO.

  • Reshuffling hits Police Service as new IGP takes over

    The Ghana Police Service has witnessed a reshuffling after the new Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare resumed work on August 1, 2021.

    The Public Affairs Director of the Service, Superintendent Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman, is now in charge of the Judicial Police in the Eastern region.

    Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Samuel Kwasi Ofori takes over her position as the Public Affairs Director (PAD).

    Greater Accra Public Affairs Director, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Elizabeth Effia Tenge will now be in charge of the Volta Regional PAD.

    DSP Ms Juliana Obeng takes over her old position as the Greater Accra Regional PAD.

    Superintendent Alexander Kwaku Obeng who was the head of Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) at the Police Headquarters resumes work as the Director of Public Affairs Director.

    These were contained in a communique signed by the new IGP on August 1, 2021.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • National Cathedral could generate $83M within five years Secretariat

    The Chief Executive Officer of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, wants Ghanaians to view the $200 million yet-to-be-completed edifice as an investment.

    Speaking on Citi TVs The Point of View after an appeal for funds towards the construction of the project, Dr. Opoku-Mensah said “within a three year [to] five-year period, based on very conservative estimates, [the cathedral can generate] about $83 million.”

    He listed the banquet halls, multi-purpose centres, and the bible museum in the cathedral as some potential earners.

    For the government, the plan which is “beyond just the national level usage is to drive traffic here.”

    Dr. Opoku-Mensah said the government plans to develop international partnerships “so that once the cathedral is opened, we are going to have these international events being hosted here.”

    Further defending the need for the national cathedral, Dr. Opoku-Mensah said such edifices are essential for nation-building.

    “All nation-building has these sacred spaces… These are important because that is where the sacred rituals of the nation take place.”

    “Why would [France President] Macron say the Notre Dame is the epicentre of their national life? [He said that] Because, over time, these sacred spaces really become the spaces around which we have these collective rituals that build that sense of nationhood.”

    On why the sacred facility has to be a Christian edifice, Dr. Opoku-Mensah noted that “if you look at the history of our nation-building, Ghana is located within the Judeo-Christian tradition because we were colonized by the English.”

    The National Cathedral is expected to be completed by March 2024.

    The project was proposed by the government in March 2017 as a physical embodiment of national unity, harmony, and spirituality.

    The $200-million inter-denominational cathedral will have an auditorium capable of seating 5,000 people, as well as chapels and a baptistery.

    Even before the National Cathedral project is completed, the government has announced a date for the commissioning.

    Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had said the Cathedral would be officially opened on March 6, 2024, upon completion.

    He made this known while delivering the 2021 mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday, July 29, 2021.

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Akufo-Addo has redeemed GH¢100,000 pledge towards National Cathedral

    In late December 2018 when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the National Cathedral Fundraising Campaign, he made a financial pledge towards the project.

    “I am proud to call myself a leading member of this coalition (of fundraisers), and I pledge GH¢100,000 as my personal contribution,” President Akufo-Addo said at the time.

    That promise has been redeemed by the president according to a Member / Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral Project.

    Prophet Kusi Boateng in comments made on August 1 on Joy News’ ‘The Probe’ program, confirmed that the president had made payments to that effect. “The president has, he has redeemed his pledge,” Kusi Boateng responded when asked about the pledge.

    The issue of the cathedral has returned to the national conversation with last week’s appeal by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, that individuals should contribute financially each month towards the project.

    Providing an update on the construction of the National Cathedral during the delivery of the Mid-Year Budget Review on Thursday, July 29, 2021, Ofori-Atta said government is hopeful of completing the edifice in 2024.

    “Work on the National Cathedral is progressing speedily. Upon completion, the National Cathedral would provide a sacred space for formal religious activities of State and symbolise the enormous contribution of faith to Nation Building,” he said.

    “This state and church partnership envisaged by the president to develop the National Cathedral is on course. An initiative, the GH¢100 a month also dubbed Ketoa Biaa Nsua, will be launched by the trustees of the National Cathedral on August 12, 2021, to give as many Ghanaians as possible the opportunity to be part of the history of the National Cathedral.

    “A special shortcode 979 has been developed for this purpose as we look forward to Mr Speaker and all the members of this house to join in the GH₵100 a month initiative,” he added.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Saglemi Housing Project: Mahama government overpaid contractor $115 million Attorney-General reportedly reveals

    It has emerged that the government of Ghana paid $179 million to the company that executed the Saglemi Housing Project despite only $64 million worth of work on the ground.

    This was revealed by the Attorney General in a fact sheet submitted to the Accra High Court and sighted by www.ghanaweb.com.

    The Attorney General details that the contractor managed to work on 651.75 acres of land as opposed to the 2172 acres of land for which the entire project was billed for.

    The court papers revealed further that of the 668 housing units executed by the contractors, not a single of them is suitable for residential use.

    “Even though a total amount of $196,428,891.66 has been spent on the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project, with the contractor having been paid $179,904,757.78, investigations revealed that the cost of works executed on the site, including consultancy services, is about $64,982,900.77. Only 651.75 acres of land out of the 2,172 acres of land made available by the MWRWH to the contractor for the project has been developed.

    “Investigations further revealed that only 668 housing units were completed by the contractor. These houses are however not habitable. Not a single house under the project has been sold and the facility remains unpaid, resulting in huge financial loss to the Republic of Ghana.”

    Five persons including forme Works and Housing Ministers Collins Dauda and Kwaku Agyeman Mensah have been charged with 52 counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state over their roles in the execution of the Saglemi Housing deal.

    The Executive Chairman of the company that undertook the project, Andrew Clocanas and former Chief Director of the Ministry Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu and Tetteh Angelo, the majority shareholder of Ridge Management Solutions DWC-LLC are the other accused persons.

    Read the charge sheet HERE

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • V/R: Alavanyo Senior High School in dire need of infrastructure

    Students of Alavanyo Senior High Technical School (Astech) bemoaned that, they have been denied of quality and affordable education due to limited teaching and learning materials in the institution.

    The thirty years old second cycle school located in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta region cannot boast of adequate classroom and dormitory facilities, administration block, kitchen and dining hall including teaching and non-teaching staff.

    Astech is bedevilled by infrastructure gap, the school founded by the community in 1991 with a current student population of over seven hundred is using a dilapidated administration block, pavilion as a classroom, makeshift as kitchen and makeshift toilet facility all built by the founding fathers.

    On sanitation, the boys are using an old KVIP toilet which walls are on the verge of collapsing coupled with a bad stench, the students would have to carefully squat on it before easing or else they fall into the pit.

    Due to the situation, some have resulted in practising open defecation in a nearby push around the school. There is nothing to write home about when it comes to drinking water, bathing facility and waste collection and disposal.

    ” There was a heavy rain which broke the (toilet) wall as you can see, secondly the toilet is full, we have no option than to manage it,” a student said.

    On the side of the girls, they are using a makeshift toilet, the Girl’s Prefect, Naa Korley Rebecca disclosed the challenges they’re exposed to.

    ” We are facing a lot of challenges in our school, challenges like our rooms are very dilapidated, lack of well functioning of our room, we lack bed, due to that, some of the students are sleeping on the floor when it raining it enters the room so we will stand up to pack our things and wait till it stops raining”.

    She further said ” When it comes to our bathing room too, it’s very bad, we can’t bath to our satisfaction we are suffering, the students are many due to that, we have a batch bathing, the first batch will bath, later the second batch. When you go to our white house too, that should be a place of convenience but we’re facing a lot of challenges, it’s not a water closet, it’s causing a lot of problems, we are suffering from white” she bemoaned.

    The School currently has no dedicated dormitory for boy students, the situation has compelled the school authorities to convert the first and second floors of a three-storey classroom block, the only modern building on the campus into dormitories.

    In the dormitories are poor functioning lights and fans while some of the rooms have none coupled with inadequate beds. Some of the students placed their mattresses on the bare floor due to the limited beds.

    The boys also disclosed that they risk their lives joining naked wires to power the available lights and fan because the switches are spoilt.

    A student, Amewuga James verbally demonstrated how they power the rooms saying ” So in the night when we come back from preps, this is what we do, it is not illegal but our switches are not good, they’ve spoilt so we join the naked wires, I’ll just hold here and this one too, you put it together then the fan will start working and if we want to of it, you just remove this and fold it here because if you leave it like that, someone can mistakenly touch it”.

    According to statistics from the Volta Regional Education Directorate, Astech has poor outcomes in 2018, 2019 and the 2020 West Africa Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASCE).

    Some concerned citizens calling themselves, Friends of Astech blamed the poor performance of the school on the lack of infrastructure and shortfall of teaching and non-teaching staff.

    They are appealing to individuals, organisations, NGOs, the Ministry of Education and the Government as a whole to come to the aid of the school, this to help avert further challenges and failure.

    Source: Albert Gooddays | ghanaweb.com

  • The Methodist Church, Ghana celebrates 60 years of God’s Greatness

    The Methodist Church, Ghana, has celebrated 60 years of God’s greatness with a call on Christians to instill in the youth the Biblical moral values to enable them to become responsible adults.

    It said the church, over the years, had given hope to many depressed and weary individuals, and such hope, aspiration, and godly living were more critical in the current dispensation.

    Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the Church’s 60 Autonomy Anniversary on the theme: “Teaching Everyone To Live Like Jesus Christ” St the Wesley Methodist Cathedral in Cape Coast on Sunday.

    The Methodist Church Ghana, gained autonomy from the Methodist Church, Britain on July 28, 1961, and adopted the Episcopal system of operation in 1999.

    The Biblical Pattern of Episcopacy enabled the Church to do away with some nomenclature such as ‘president’ and “chairman’ to adopt titles such as “Bishop,” which is more biblical.

    He said the command of discipleship was not an option but a must to every Christian, both in word and indeed, as a stop-gap to the many ill-behaviours in society.

    The Most Rev., said the Methodist Church, with its population and as one of the oldest churches in Ghana, must not renege on its efforts at training and producing good Christians who would influence the
    World positively.

    He, therefore, urged the members to be law abiding, work hard and create jobs among themselves to be able to support the growth and development of the Church and Country at large.

    Touching on the Church’s contribution towards the socio-economic growth of the country, the Presiding Bishop, said the Methodist Church had been a major and phenomenal contributor to Ghana’s growth in terms of education, health, human resource, and provision of social amenities.

    Thus, their efforts towards the status quo cannot be overemphasized, and that the church would continually push the Government and Country as a whole in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

    He admonished the Church to go all out to preach and spread the gospel to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to them by God.

    On the Lesbianism, Gay, Trans-Gender, Bi sexual (LGBT) bill, he said the Methodist Church was supporting the government spiritually and physically as the sovereignty and dignity of the Country was at stake without the bill.

    He, therefore, called on organizations in support of immoral practices to respect the Country’s rules and laws as well as positive cultural practices.

    Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister and the guest speaker of the Anniversary applauded the Methodist Church for its immense contribution towards the growth of the Country.

    She charged the members to live exemplary lives that would rekindle the desire of the youth to live for Christ.

    Source: gna.org.gh

  • Nsawam-Adoagyiri tops 2020 BECE, MP commends students

    The Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality in the Eastern Region has been ranked first in 2020 BECE performance out of the schools in the region.

    Further, 72% of students with an aggregate of 6 in the region were from the municipality, as it recorded the highest passes among the candidates presented with an 80.8% pass rate.

    A total of 27,561 candidates representing fifty-six percent (56%) of candidates failed.

    Students who obtained an aggregate of 6 in the region were 247 made up of 110 boys and 137 girls. 178 out of the total number of candidates who obtained an aggregate of 6 in the Eastern region were from Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality.

    2,834 candidates obtained aggregate 7 to 15 while 8,636 had aggregate 16 to 24. A total of 9,979 had an aggregate of 25 to 30.

    The Majority Chief Whip, also a Member of Parliament for Nsawam / Adoagyiri Constituency, Frank Annoh – Dompreh who was excited about the student’s performance on his behalf congratulates them for learning hard and scoring higher.

    He noted that “we are determined to do more together with all the stakeholders. This is refreshing”.

    The Majority Chief Whip through his efforts has been organizing free extra classes for the students annually as there is another ongoing extra class for the WAEC examination this year.

    According to him, his constituency ranked first in the Eastern Region and third national, and they are hopeful to do better this time.

    “We plan to perform better this year through impactful interventions such as this”, he stated.

    Frank Annoh – Dompreh said the private classes are meant to keep the students busy and provide an opportunity for them to have a better understanding of areas they might be having challenges with.

    Meanwhile, Statistical analysis of the performance of the candidates commissioned by the Eastern Regional Directorate of Ghana Education Service (GES) indicates that only 21,655 candidates out of total 49,216 candidates who wrote the exams passed by securing an aggregate of 6 to 30. This represents 44%.

    Other Municipal and Districts such as; Birim North has been placed second with a 65.1% pass rate, Atewa East followed in third with a 60.8% pass rate while Kwahu West, Birim South, and Atewa West and New Juaben South followed with 60.6%, 53.8%, 50.5%respectively.

    The New Juaben South Municipality placed sixth with a 50.1% pass rate while Kwahu Afram Plains South recorded 49.7% to place seventh.

    Denkyembuor, Suhum, Upper Manya Krobo, Akyemansa, and Akuapem-North followed with 48.6%, 47.5%, 47.5%, 45.8%, and 45.1% respectively.

    New Juaben North placed 14 with 44.9% while Birim Central place 15th with 44.6%.

    Kwahu Afram Plains North, Fanteakwa North, and Ayensuano languished at the bottom of the performance in the 2020 BECE in the region with 24.9%, 19.7%, and 19.0% pass rates respectively.

    Twenty-four (24) schools in 13 districts/Municipalities in Eastern Region recorded Zero percent (0%) during the 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

    The rest of the schools that recorded zero percent and the number of schools are; Kwaebibirim (4), Akyemansa (4), Abuakwa South (3), West Akim(3) Asene Manso -Akroso (2), New Juaben North (1), Yilo Krobo(1), Upper West Akyem (1), Kwahu South (1), Achiase (1), Fanteakwa South(1), Afram Plains North (1), Kwahu South (1), and lastly Okere (1).

    Source: Daniel Bampoe, Contributor

  • COVID-19 test results at KIA not fake GHS

    The Ghana Health Service has refuted claims by some passengers that Covid-19 test results at the Kotoka International Airport are fake.

    According to the Service, the testing procedure meets all international standards and is constantly being monitored by the Foods and Drugs Authority.

    The reassurance comes after some disgruntled passengers who tested positive for the virus at the airport claimed that government officials are intentionally exploiting passengers by giving out untrue Covid results so they can be isolated for a fee.

    They also alleged that they have been held captive at these isolation centers.

    But in a statement by the GHS dated July, 31 to address these allegations, the GHS noted “Ms. Mavis Boateng in the viral video made a lot of allegations including the fact that she presented a negative PCR test from her country of origin and as such, she alma test positive on arrival.”

    “li is worth noting that a person can present a negative PCR test on arrival and still test positive at KIA because he or she may be incubating the virus. Also, your test result status is specifically with reference to the date of doing the test, so any risky activities alloy/anis can change your status.”

    It added “she also made an allegation that test/result at KIA are fake. This is also not true because the test conducted at KIA meets all international standards and is constantly being monitored by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).

    Source: starrfm.com.gh

  • National Cathedral will be open on March 6, 2024 – Ken Ofori-Atta

    The National Cathedral will be open on March 6, 2024, declares the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    He explained that with the progress of work so far, works on the national edifice should be completed by the said date and open to the public.

    “Mr. Speaker, work on the National Cathedral is progressing speedily, and following the program of the contractors, — and with God helping us, — the National Cathedral is expected to be officially commissioned on March 6, 2024.

    “Upon completion, the National Cathedral would provide a sacred space for formal religious activities of State and symbolize the enormous contribution of faith to Nation Building,” he said.

    He made this known while delivering the Mid-Year Budget Review to the Parliament of Ghana on Thursday, July 29, 2021.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Government to dredge Keta Lagoon

    Government has planned to dredge the Keta Lagoon Complex to prevent annual floods to protect lives and properties in adjourning communities.

    The government has identified that the persistent inflow of sediments and other debris from River Aka and Tordzi, and the Belikpa stream into the Keta lagoon are the major causes of the flood.

    The Minister who disclosed this, on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, 29th July, 2021 in responding to a Parliamentary question from MP for Keta Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey said, “these major transfer and deposition of sediments into the lagoon, are reducing its capacity to hold storm water and consequently causing major flooding of communities in the environs of the lagoon”.

    This, he acknowledged “leads to unfortunate loss of lives, livelihoods and properties.

    Notably, this phenomenon impacts negatively on the economic and social lives of the people”.

    The Works and Housing Minister, Asenso Boakye said his Ministry is “conscious of the urgent need for mitigation works to tackle this challenge”.

    According to him the dredging of the Keta lagoon was proposed as an important intervention that would make a significant difference to the lives of the people in the community.

    The Ministry will, therefore, “commence engagement with relevant stakeholders and make the case for funding to the Ministry of Finance to undertake dredging and other activities that will enhance the safety and protection of the communities in the environs of the Keta Lagoon”, he noted.

    He assured the MP that his Ministry will provide updates on the progress they make in this effort.

    The Background

    The Keta Lagoon is part of the Volta estuary comprising a Complex array of lagoons and several islands. The Keta Lagoon complex is a designated Ramsar site and it is about one hundred and thirty kilometres (130km) in length.

    The lagoon is surrounded by many settlements and towns, which include Anloga, Woe, Keta and Kedzi to the south; Anyako and Anlo Afiadenyigba to the north; Kedzi, Alakple and Tregui to the west; and Denu and Adina to the east. The lagoon and its environs host major settlements, fishing activities, salt production and farming.

    Source: gbcghanaonline.com

  • I’m not here to ask for more money or to ask for more taxes – Ken Ofori-Atta

    The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has stated that he is not in Parliament to beg for money.

    He added that he neither is there to announce new taxes, but to present a breakdown of the review of the mid-year budget.

    “I am not here today to ask for more money. I have not come to ask for more taxes. I have come to update the House on the performance of the economy for the first half-year of 2021 and our plans for the unexpired term of the year, consistent with section 28 of the PFM Act,” he stated.

    He made this known while presenting the 2021 Mid-Year Budget Review to Parliament.

    Watch it here:

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • We are ready to organise fresh election in Assin North – EC

    The Electoral Commission says it’s ready to conduct a fresh election in the Assin North Constituency following a court order restraining Mr James Gyekye Quayson, from holding himself as Member of Parliament for the Area.

    A Cape Coast High Court, on Wednesday, cancelled the December Parliamentary Election in the Constituency, stating that Mr Quayson did not qualify to contest the election and called for a rerun.

    Dr Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the Commission would in accordance with its mandate, comply with the court orders.

    “This issue happened yesterday so we are waiting for the official notification from the court to enable us to put out the timetable, which will include the period of nomination. Our core mandate by law is to organise elections so we are ever ready,” he said.

    Dr Quaicoe stated that the Commission after receiving the official notification of the court verdict was bound to organise the election within 30 days.

    The court, in its ruling, said the election of the first respondent was illegal, void, and was in contravention of article 94 (2) of the Constitution

    It said he held allegiance to the Canadian government as at the time he filed his nomination to contest as a parliamentary candidate for the 2020 general election.

    Justice Kwasi Boakye said Mr Quayson was not qualified to contest the election because the certificate denouncing his allegiance was issued in November 2020 whiles he filed to contest in October 2020.

    The development has reduced the number of parliamentarians of the National Democratic Congress from 137 to 136, which gives the New Patriotic Party a slim majority of 137 plus one independent candidate.

    The pending by-election would be the 31st in the 4th republic, which spans from 1993 to January 2021.

    Out of the 30, the New Patriotic Party had secured 15, the National Democratic Congress, 13, and the Conventions Peoples Party, one.

    An independent candidate won one in 1995.

    Source: GNA

  • 1 million Ghanaian youth to be employed by 2024 – Ken Ofori-Atta

    Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has disclosed that a total of 1 million Ghanaian youth will be employed in the next three years.

    This is to solve the rising unemployment rate among the youth in the country which remains one of government’s major problems.

    He said the youth will be sensitized and connected to numerous job opportunities to end this growing menace.

    This is done in collaboration with the ministers of Employment and Labour Relations, Youth and Sports, and Lands and Natural Resources.

    “I have had extensive discussions with my colleagues Ministers of Employment and Labour Relations, Youth and Sports, and Lands and Natural Resources. New programmes will be introduced and existing ones scaled up and refocused to meet the aspirations of our youth. We will work together to sensitize and connect the youth to the numerous opportunities being made available by government to create jobs and business opportunities for 1 million Ghanaian youth by 2024,” Ken Ofori-Atta said.

    He made this known during the delivery of the mid-year budget statement in Parliament on Thursday, July 29, 2021.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • FULL TEXT: Government’s 2021 mid-year budget review statement to Parliament

    Government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has today, July 29, presented its 2021 mid-year budget review before Parliament.

    The presentation is in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and the Public Financial Management Act 921, which offers the opportunity to revise macroeconomic targets and provide a comprehensive economic outlook for the rest of the year.

    Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced some key job creation programmes and projects government intends to undertake over the next three and half years.

    He disclosed that government will not be seeking additional funding and supplementary budget for the next half of the 2021 financial year.

    According to him, the move is intended to contain the country’s rising debt stock as well as avoiding fiscal revenue slippages.

    Making the disclosure during the 2021 mid-year budget review before Parliament, Ken Ofori-Atta however told the House that Ghana’s economy was on its path to recovery.

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q34DHOHDlgD3yuNxvUQhPqrb0-sifQw7/view

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Western Togoland founder Papavi arrested after months of hiding

    Leader and founder of secessionist group, Western Togoland, Charles Komi Kudzordzi popularly known as Papavi has been arrested from his hideout, 3news has reported.

    According to the 3news report, the Octogenarian was smoked from his hideout in Ho by a team of National Intelligence Bureau and National Security officials on Wednesday night after gathering intelligence.

    The Homeland Study Group Foundation head had been declared wanted by the police after he organised a retreat of some sort declaring independence in the Volta Regional capital Ho.

    The action which was described as a coup attempt resulted in the arrest of the 80-year-old and eight others in May 2019.

    The charges were later dropped by the state but a Ho District Court ordered for the arrest of the 80-year-old secessionist leader and two others on November 20, 2019, after they declared parts of the Volta Region a sovereign state.

    Papavi Kudzordzi went into hiding following the declaration and had been on the run since then.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • LIVESTREAMING: Finance Minister presents 2021 mid-year budget review to Parliament

    Government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning will today, July 29, present its 2021 mid-year budget review before Parliament.

    The presentation is in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and the Public Financial Management Act 921, which offers the opportunity to revise macroeconomic targets and provide a comprehensive economic outlook for the rest of the year.

    Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to announce some key job creation programmes and projects government intends to undertake over the next three and half years.

    Key among the programmes is the creation of some one million more jobs over the period under the “Ghana Cares Obaatanpa Programme.”

    Already, Parliament has granted approval of GH¢129 billion for the services of government for the 2021 financial year after the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu requested for the sum during the 2021 budget and economic policy statement earlier this year.

    The 2021 Budget was themed Economic Revitalisation through Completion, Consolidation and Continuity, which was hinged on balancing on fiscal consolidation to facilitate economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Watch the stream below:

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Accra-Cape Coast road not deadliest in Africa – NRSA challenges British Daily Mail report

    The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has stated that it is misleading to say that the Accra-Cape Coast Highway is Africa’s deadliest road.

    Earlier this month, GhanaWeb carried a story with the headline, Accra-Cape Coast highway ranked Africa’s deadliest road, based on a British Daily Mail report out together by researchers commissioned by an insurance company, Budget Direct, to identify the worst routes across different continents.

    The report, among other things, stated that “In Africa, the road with the deadliest reputation is the Accra to Cape Coast Road in Ghana, which connects Accra to Cape Coast. Between 2004 and 2011, there were 6,104 accidents and 7,465 casualties.”

    But the NRSA has disagreed with this report.

    In a rejoinder addressed to GhanaWeb, the Public Relations Officer of the Authority, Pearl Adusu Gyasi, stated that “The national data on road traffic crashes to the Authority updated since 1991 does not mirror the Accra-Cape Coast Road or the Central Region as the most accident-prone road/region in Ghana.”

    She continued that, “The national data on Road Traffic Crashes in Ghana (Statistics 2017) identifies the three most dangerous roads in Ghana as;

    a. N1 Highway (Aflao to Elubo);
    b. N6 Highway (Accra to Kumasi); and
    c. N10 Highway (Kumasi through Techiman, Kintampo to Tamale)

    The rejoinder further explained that while the Cape Coast road falls within one of these specified zones, the “accident-prone sections are the Accra-Tema Motorway, Achimota Interchange to Mallam Junction to Weija, and Kasoa to Cape Coast.”

    Also, the statement challenged the part of the report that stated that “In early 2018, the National Road Safety Commission disclosed that 60% of all accidents in 2017 occurred on that road,’ as an incorrect impression.

    “The impression that 60% of all accidents in Ghana for 2017 occurred on that road is incorrect. Instead, the fact is that the Accra-Cape Coast section of routes in the Central Region (Kasoa-Cape Coast) accounted for about 60% of all accidents in the Central Region (and not Ghana) for the year 2017.

    It is by this information, stating that the research by the British Daily Mail is inaccurate and misleading.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Why Akufo-Addo has delayed with the appointment of MMDCEs – John Boadu explains

    Following the ministerial appointments made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo months ago, Ghanaians were expecting that the list for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) would be announced but there has been a delay with that.

    The General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu has been explaining why the appointment of MMDCEs has been delayed.

    According to him, the team set up for the vetting of the MMDCEs aspirants had to make sure there was a gender balance in their selection.

    Also, the infusion of youthful people and other factors including ethnic backgrounds contributed to the delay in settling for the selected persons.

    Meanwhile, the committee formed to vet the MMDCEs aspirants have completed their work and have submitted the report to President Akufo-Addo.

    “The committee has finished and presented its report to the president. There is the need to ensure gender balance, the infusion of youthful people, and also to respond to local dynamics and ethnic backgrounds as well,” John Boadu told Citi News.

    Per Article 243 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, the District Chief Executive for every district shall be appointed by the President with the prior approval of not less than two-thirds majority of members of the Assembly present and voting at a meeting.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • One dead in a fatal motor accident on Achimota-Ofankor highway

    On July 28, 2021, at about 12:30 hours a rider who was on unregistered Haojue motor bike is reported to have rolled under a Jac truck at Muus on the Achimota Ofankor highway after he was allegedly pursued by a police officer on duty at the Neoplan station for failing to stop when signalled.

    The police officer was subsequently attacked by a mob but was timely rescued.

    The accident victim and the police officer were rushed to the Achimota Hospital for medical attention but the motor rider was pronounced dead on arrival.

    The police officer sustained injuries from the mob attack and is still receiving treatment at the Hospital.

    Some aggrieved youth numbering about 150 later besieged the Achimota Hospital in attempt to attack both the hospital staff and the policemen.

    They pelted stones and other implements damaging the back screens of two police vehicles and other properties around. Reinforcement was requested to augment police efforts, disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control.

    The accident which led to the death of the rider is being investigated by the police.

    Source: 3news.com

  • ‘One teacher, One laptop’ distribution begins

    The Government has secured laptops to be distributed to teachers under the one-teacher-one-laptop policy.

    A letter signed by the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Anthony Boateng urged all regional directors to liaise with heads of Senior High Schools in their regions to provide them with a validated list of names and staff ID numbers of teachers in their various schools.

    The cost of the laptop was, however, undisclosed in the letter but the teachers are expected to pay 30 per cent of the cost while the government pays the remaining 70 per cent.

    “Management of GES is pleased to inform all Regional Directors of Education, that some laptops under “One Teacher One Laptop” initiative have been received and are ready for distribution,” reads the letter.

    “As part of modalities to ensure a smooth distribution process, all Regional Directors are to liaise with Headmasters/mistresses of Senior High Schools in their Regions to provide them with a validated list of names and staff ID numbers of teachers in their various schools.”

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Eastern Region: Businessman jailed 9 years over acid attack on ex-girlfriend and mother

    The Koforidua Circuit Court “B” presided by her Honour Mercy Addei Kotei has sentenced a 54-year-old businessman to a jail term of 9 years and five months for throwing acid on his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend and her mother at Awukugua-Akuapem in the Okere District in the Eastern region.

    The convict Nana Yaw Mante who is the biological father of the District Chief Executive for Okere in December 2020 attacked the victims with acid while in their room at Awukugua.

    They both sustained serious injuries and were hospitalized, treated, and discharged.

    The convict committed the act few months after Koforidua Magistrate Court “A” found him guilty and convicted him to a fine of Ghc1,200 and ordered him to pay a compensation of Gh1000 to the 22-year-old ex-girlfriend for filming and circulating her sexually explicit videos and pictures.

    He entered a warrant of good behavior and to stay away from the victim.

    Before delivering the judgment Wednesday, July 28, 2021, the Presiding Judge of Koforidua Circuit Court “B” her Honor Mercy Addie Kotei took into consideration the previous conviction to apply the highest sentencing.

    The convict pleaded for clemency and begged to be sent to either Nsawam Prison or Ankaful Prison to begin his jail term.

    Previous case

    The 54-year-old Businessman was put before a Koforidua Magistrate Court for filming and circulating nude videos of his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend.

    He was charged for obscenity contrary to section 281(i) B of the Criminal Offence Act,29/60.

    The Prosecutor, Sergeant George Defia told the Court presided over by His Worship Nana Osei Assibey on Tuesday, May 19 that the convict and the victim, a Senior High School dropout are both natives of Awukugua in the Okere District of the Eastern Region.

    According to the prosecuting officer, four years ago, Nana Yaw Mante met the victim who was then 18 years and had dropped out of school due to financial challenges.

    Under the pretense of assisting her financially to go back to school, took undue advantage and entered into a sexual relationship with her.

    Family of the victim became suspicious and confronted the accused person but he denied having sexual relations with the victim. The relationship hit the rocks due to disapproval and pestering by the family. However, in 2019, the convict convinced the victim and they reunited.

    Nana Yaw Mante, for fear of losing the victim again, told her that he had taken her to a shrine and the gods were demanding to see her nakedness.

    In November 2019, he lured the victim to Dawu, near Adukrom-Akuapem where he recorded series of sexually explicit videos of themselves.

    He later circulated the videos of the victim to her Aunty and two other men he alleged were also dating the victim. The videos went viral on social media in February 2020.

    The victim reported the incident to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit(DOVVSU) at the Regional Police Headquarters in Koforidua.

    He was arrested on February 7, 2020 and in his caution statement admitted recording the sexually explicit videos of the victim and sharing same.

    The receivers of the videos confirmed to Police during interrogation that the accused sent it to them but denied circulating on social media

    Source: kasapafmonline.com.

  • Kenya president urges world to invest in education

    At a global education summit in London hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, governments, businesses and philanthropists are being asked to invest in the future of children by raising more than $5bn (£3.5bn).

    This comes at a time when charities have criticised the British government’s decision to make significant aid cuts around the world.

    A boost to education is especially urgent given the impact of the coronavirus.

    The pandemic has caused the greatest disruption to education in a generation.

    In wealthier countries with broadband and computers available, some virtual learning has continued.

    But for many young students in rural Nigeria or Zambia for example, school closures have been far more harmful – especially for girls who are less likely to ever return to the classroom.

    Even before the pandemic more than a 130 million girls across the world were out of school.

    At this summit in London billions of dollars will be raised to help transform education in dozens of countries.

    World leaders will be asked to commit a fifth of their national budgets to education.

    Source: bbc,com

  • Kanu’s family accuses UK government of not doing enough

    The family of British national Nnamdi Kanu, a leader of a Biafran separatist movement in Nigeria, has said the UK government is “not doing enough” to get him released from detention in Nigeria, the Guardian newspaper reports..

    Last month, Mr Kanu was brought to Nigeria with the help of Interpol after having fled the country in 2017 while facing terrorism charges, the Nigerain authorities said.

    His lawyer alleges that he was unlawfully extradited from Kenya, but the Kenyan government denies this.

    The UK high commission in Abuja has requested access to Mr Kanu, but his family want the British to go further than this, the Guardian says.

    “Until they have access to my husband and are able to talk to him, the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] is not doing enough,” his wife Uchechi Okwu-Kanu is quoted as saying.

    “My husband was abducted in Nairobi on 18 June, he re-emerged on 29 June in Abuja for 10 days he was disappeared. He is the victim of extraordinary rendition; he is detained in the state security services building, as far as we know, he is held incommunicado.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • ECOWAS Speaker advocates for improvement in Africa security

    The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Dr. Sidie Mohammed Tunis for called for better methods to help stop all manner of insecurity in all Africa countries indicating violent conflict are always characterized by lack of development and shortage of economic opportunities.

    He made this call while speaking at the de-localised meeting of the Joint Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Legal Affairs and Human Rights and Telecommunications and Information Technology of the ECOWAS Parliament, holding in Winneba, from July 27 to 30, 2021.

    “Permit me to state the obvious that a lot of the challenges bedeviling our region already have their solutions in Telecommunications and Information Technology (TIT). Therefore, the deliberations of Members of the Joint Committee over the next few days should lead to sound recommendations for our community in this regard. As the region is currently being affected by waves of violent extremism and terrorism, humanitarian crisis and global pandemics, Members must consider the merits of the latest technological advancements, innovations, and intelligence as viable tools to curb insecurity”.

    He added, “After all, evidence shows that societies mired in violent conflict are often characterized by lack of development and shortage of economic opportunities. So, we must strive for the return of peace in our region as it remains the key competent to sustainable development.”

    Through the rapid development of telecommunications and information technology, he argued, administration of justice can be improved and made effective for the smooth running of the society.

    He said the digitization of legal systems is a development that has come to stay and he has no doubt that if improved upon, life will be made easier for the people. This, he said, is because it stands to reason that peace can only prevail in a society that has justice and equity.

    “As the world continues to witness innovations and changes in the ICT architecture, the judicial system and its policy makers now have the opportunity to bring justice, law and order closer to the people.”

    Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament and Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin in his opening remarks emphasised the crucial importance on ICT in the development and advancement of every economy.

    He said the world now lives in the age of revolutionary Telecommunication and Information Technology.

    “This is the age where doctors perform invasive but critical life-saving surgeries remotely with the aid of high-speed internet, computers and advanced medical tools, equipment and gadgets. This is the period where advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have made it possible for some countries to deploy Robots, instead of human judges, to make accurate and binding judicial decisions in the Courtroom”, Afenyo-Markin added.

    He continued: “Indeed, this is the age where Telecommunication and Information Technology is making it possible for billionaires to travel to space for holiday. Ridiculous as this might sound, it is still valid. In the parts of the world where the true potential of telecommunications and Information Technology is being harnessed, citizens have easy access to computers and the internet. For example, in the U.S, 87 percent of individuals have access to a computer in their households. The figure in Finland is 93 percent. In these two countries, over 85 percent and more than 89 percent of people have access to the internet.

    “Yet, the story across Africa is troubling. For example, in 2019, only 7.7 percent of households on the continent of Africa were estimated to have a computer at home. The figure tallied with the result for 2018. In many ways, the evidence is around us in our respective countries. Our school children rarely use computers, and in many schools, pupils learn about computers without the benefit of neither seeing nor operating them.”

    Source: Justice Walker Junior, Contributor

  • FULL TEXT: Ruling by Cape Coast High Court on Assin North case

    The Cape Coast High Court on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 passed a verdict on the election petition against the member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyaakye Quayson.

    The petition was brought before the court by one Michael Ankomah-Nimfah, resident of the constituency who was challenging the eligibility of the MP.

    The court presided over by Justice Kwasi Boakye upheld the argument of the petitioner, confirming that James Quayson was not qualified to contest the 2020 elections.

    The basis for the ruling is that at the point of filing to contest the elections, James Quayson had not successfully renounced his Canadian citizenship.

    The court in its ruling annulled the 2020 parliamentary election in the Assin North Constituency and ordered a new election.

    The court also stated that James Quayson ceases to be a Member of Parliament and therefore can not hold himself as such.

    View the 64-page ruling by the Cape Coast High Court and can be read below

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • You are either for or against anti-LGBTQ+ bill Murtala Mohammed to MPs

    Murtala Mohammed, the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central is proposing that voting on the “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, Bill 2021,” be done publicly for Ghanaians to know which MPs will opt against the passing of the bill.

    Murtala Mohammed who holds a strong view on the matter said that it important Ghanaians know the members of parliament who are on the side of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community.

    GhanaWeb monitored comments he made on Starr FM on Wednesday, July 29, 2021; that members of parliament ought to make their position on the matter public for Ghanaians to know.

    Murtala Mohammed stated that some MPs are holding back from making their views public due to fears of being denied visas and funds from certain countries and donors.

    “We are sending a signal to all the 275 MPs that there is no sitting on the fence. You are either for or against it. There is no neutrality and some of us will urge that when it comes to voting, we must vote publicly. We represent people and we must know those who will in the name of visa vote against it. I prefer to live and die in Ghana. The constituents of these MPs must know how their MPs will vote,” he said.

    He also hit out at some celebrities and Civil Society Organizations who have declared their stance against the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.

    He thinks that the celebrities and CSOs are doing so for their survival and not looking at its impact on the Ghanaian society.

    Murtala Mohammed swore that Ghana will under no circumstance legalize LGBTQ+ and that he will resist it with all his might.

    “We do know that there are some CSO and celebrities doing this because of visa and financial support for their organizations. They have taken a position to deny people visas because of their position on LGTBQ and that is a violation of the Geneva convention. The people have a right to travel to any country they wish. I want the European Union and the West to know that even in our joke, we will never accept this barbarism,” he said.

    “I have listened to so-called human right protectors and they are a bunch of hypocrites. If you think the LGBTQ+ thing is okay and you are married, I urge you to take a girlfriend who is a man. This pretense in this country will kill us. This country is a secular state. We have Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and all kinds of religions, tell me one group that supports LGBTQ+, none. Forget about religion and look at our beliefs and values. Which ethnic group or society supports LGBTQ+. It is an affront to our cultural values,” he said.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Create the condition for investment in large scale agriculture – Mireku Duker to Upper East Lands Council

    The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources George Mireku Duker on 28th ,July 2021 inaugurated a 21-member Upper East Regional Lands Commission.

    He begun by congratulating the members who have been chosen and given the prerogative of serving the Region and Ghana as a whole. He urged them to bring on board skills to be able to deliver on their mandate. ” This is a call to duty and you cannot fail the good people of the region” he added.

    The Upper East Region, he said, is made up of 15 districts with a population of about 1.3 million inhabitants who are mostly peasants engaged in subsistence farming. With a land size of about 8,842sqkm, settlement are quite dispersed with few dense localities leaving vast lands lying fallow.

    This situation, according to the Deputy Minister is seen as an opportunity for larger scale investment in land for agriculture and allied uses for the benefit of the citizenry.

    Fortunately, the good people of this Region have in recent times, gradually been awaken to and embraced the concept of land as a valuable natural resources that must be put to optimum use and at the same time preserved for prosperity, he said. He indicated that, he t has no doubt that measures that will be championed by the Lands Commission will meet the aspirations of the people.

    Mireku Duker mentioned that “Let me assure you that, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources will continue to partner with the Lands Commission to deliver on it’s mandate”.

    It is my Prayer that the Almighty God will grant you wisdom to work honestly to help develop the land economy of the Upper East Region, he concluded.

    On his part , the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu, spelt out the land tenure system in the area saying it appears different from many parts of the country, and added that its is incumbent on this Commission to take conscious efforts at educating land owners and traditional rulers on their expected roles in the management of lands to avoid related conflicts.

    “Indeed, the desire to reap huge gains from land is robbing the state of required lands for publish interest investment” he pointed out. We have to work at changing attitudes and mindsets to move our region and country to the next level, He opined.

    The Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Alhaji Sulemana Mahama admonished the members to manage their expectations because resources are scarce and that will require them to work extra harder to achieve their set target. He pleaded with them to throw their weight behind the new Regional Lands Officer to help him push the reforms in land administration. END.

    Source: Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources

  • Case of NDC’s Assin North MP: Major incidents so far

    The July 28, 2021 ruling by a Cape Coast High Court that Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, ceases to hold himself as a lawmaker till he contests in a new election is the latest twist in a saga that involved legal and political jostling.

    There are shouts of vindication by the ruling New Patriotic Party and vows of seeking redress from the main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, whose candidate has been thrown out of Parliament.

    But the issue started from the filing of nomination forms of the then NDC-candidate, his election, a High Court case that attracted a Supreme Court ruling and of course the chaos which rocked Parliament till the ‘cease and desist’ verdict of the Cape Coast High Court.

    GhanaWeb summarizes the James Gyakye Quayson saga.

    Filing of nomination, election and post election

    Sometime in 2020, after securing his party’s nomination as a Parliamentary candidate, Quayson went ahead to file his papers to contest for the Assin South constituency seat.

    He will go on to be elected as MP-elect after polling 17,498 (55.2%) of valid votes cast to unseat Abena Durowaa Mensah of the NPP who got 14,193 (44.8%).

    Then the issue of his dual citizenship popped up, that he was a citizen of Canada at the time of the election, thus did not have the right to file his candidacy let alone run in the election.

    Center of controversy in Speakership vote

    James Gyakye Quayson was allowed to cast his ballot in the voting process for a new speaker on January 7, 2021 after a rancourous process in which the NPP caucus insisted that there was a court injuction against his election.

    The court had asked that he desists from holding himself out as a lawmaker after one Michael Ankomah-Nimfa of Assin Bereku filed a case against his citizenship status.

    The clerk of Parliament subsequently allowed him to vote in the process that produced Alban Bagbin as Speaker of the House.

    Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu had argued that courts do not determine who becomes MP whiles the majority swore to cite him for contempt of court.

    Case rolls on, goes to Supreme Court for interpretation

    Back in the Cape Court High Court where the case was originaly filed, the MP’s lawyers at a point moved to the Supreme Court seeking the apex court to invoke its supervisory jurisdiction over the case relative to the MP’s dual citizenship.

    But the court dismissed the case citing the fact that the High Court had not made any ruling on the issue for which the petitioner had come seeking the apex court to act.

    The Justice Yaw Appau-led bench said, the application ought to have been first raised at the High Court for a determination.

    This cleared the way for the High Court to deliver judgment.

    High Court orders new election

    The High Court on Wednesday July, 28, 2021 passed a verdict on the election petition against the Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson.

    The court presided by Justice Kwasi Boakye upheld the argument of the petitioner, confirming that James Quayson was not qualified to contest the 2020 elections.

    The basis for the ruling is that at the point of filing to contest the elections, the court claims James Quayson had not successfully renounce his Canadian citizenship.

    NPP files criminal case with CID

    The Central Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party has filed a petition at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, demanding that James Quayson be investigated for committing perjury.

    Richard Techie-Mensah told Citi News on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 that James Quayson lied to the state during the filing of nomination forms for the 2020 elections.

    He claims that James Quayson told a judicial officer then that at the point of filing his forms in October he owed allegiance to no country aside Ghana.

    Following the ruling by the Cape Coast High Court, Richard Techie-Mensah is of the view that James Quayson committed perjury by lying under oath and must be prosecuted for same.

    Source: Source: www.ghanaweb.com