Salis Yakubu Atsuluho, the investigative journalist whose alleged recorded video has birthed the $40,000 bribery scandal has given a detailed account of events leading up to the meeting with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and why he recorded the encounter with the President.
Yakubu disclosed that the meeting with the president was recorded in July 2017 and that he was there as a brother of Alhaji Abass, the Executive Director of the Urban Roads.
He revealed in an interview with Kevin Taylor that the donation to Nana Akufo-Addo by Abass Awolu was made to buy his protection from the President.
Revealing why he recorded the encounter with the president, Salis said that in his bid to avoid being fired, Alhaji Abass, who sponsored the NPP campaign in 2016 paid to some intermediaries, with an assurance to get him to the president but they never honoured their promise.
Salis said that he took the recording as an insurance policy on the blind side of Alhaji Abass so that in the event the President wanted to fire him, he will use it to blackmail him.
He disclosed that Dr Baffour Adjei Bawuah who eventually managed to get them to the presidency was given GH¢10,000 for his services.
He also mentioned Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawuah, and Fawzia, the wife of Alhaji Abas,s as those who were present when he recorded the video.
He confirmed claims by Sammy Gyamfi and Kennedy Agyapong that the death of Ahmed Suale was on grounds of mistaken identity as he was the one they were after.
He mentioned the name of some government officials and NPP bigwigs who he suspects were behind the murder of Ahmed Suale and talked about attempts on his life.
Salis in the over one-hour interview spoke about his relationship with the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo and Kennedy Agyapong.
He also mentioned the First Lady as the person used by some contractors to lobby Nana Akufo-Addo to fire Alhaji Abass.
GhanaWeb cannot independently verify the authenticity of any of the allegations made in the video below.
As part of its commitment to boost Ghana’s non-traditional export sector, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), has distributed 400,000 coconut seedlings to farmers across the country under the Government of Ghana Coconut Revitalization Programme.
The coconut seedlings distribution exercise which commenced in June 2020 and intended to accelerate the production of the tree crop for export, has been lauded by key industry stakeholders, particularly the Coconut Federation of Ghana (COCOFEG), as a timely intervention to farmers in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus health crisis.
CEO of Ignite Farms, a commercial coconut grower and exporter based in the Bono East Region, Jeffery Osei Bonsu, lauded GEPA for the initiative and pledged to continue collaborating with the government to grow the industry.
Mr. Osei Bonsu said the government’s supply of 10,000 coconut seedlings to the company will ease its cost of production and give it a significant boost to thrive in the industry.
Director of GEPA in charge of Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, George Danquah Ameyaw, said the distribution of seedlings forms part of the Coconut Revitalization Programme which is being spearheaded by GEPA.
He said, just as the Western Region, Ghana’s middle belt has the potential of becoming a hub for the production and processing of coconut for both the domestic and export markets.
Ghana’s coconut industry, according to organisers of the 2019 International Coconut Festival held in Accra, has a potential of earning the country 2.8 billion dollars of revenue annually.
Underscoring its enormous economic potential, the Government of Ghana added coconut into the National Tree Crop Development Authority (NTCDA), which was established in 2019 and mandated to develop and regulate production, processing, marketing and export of coconut and other selected tree crops.
The implementation of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), which was launched in October 2020 and currently being championed by GEPA, is also expected to develop businesses to produce value-added products for export.
In 2017, Ghana was ranked 14th on the list of the world’s top coconut producers, with 383,960 metric tonnes produced that year alone according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Corporate Statistical Database.
The Finance Ministry has quelled fears that power cuts, popularly known as “dumsorâ€, will return following threats by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to strike over government indebtedness to them.
In a statement dated December 3, 2020, the Finance Ministry said this year, government has paid more than US$1 billion to the IPPs, which is in addition to some GH¢2.7 billion paid by Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG).
“Government has saved the energy sector over US$5 billion by relocating Karpowership Ghana Company Limited and securing agreements with CENIT Power Limited and Cenpower Generation Company Limited, with more savings to come,†the statement from the Finance Ministry explained.
The statement said the government is committed to undertaking the Energy Sector Recovery Programme (ESRP) in good faith and in partnership with its stakeholders.
According to the government, many of the current problems in the energy sector were inherited from the previous administration.
“While attempting to provide emergency power to address a spate of persistent load-shedding (“dumsorâ€) which crippled business and adversely affected GDP growth as a result of signed contracts with IPPs in an uncoordinated and non-competitive manner.
“Consequently, today, Ghana pays over US$500 million a year in excess capacity payments, i.e., payment for power that it simply does not use or need. Despite the challenges, this government has prioritised making payments to the IPPs to reduce the debts,†the statement added.
Last month, the Chamber of Independent Power Producers, Distributors and Bulk Consumers said it has resolved to withdraw their services in the coming days ad infinitum.
This move, according to them, follows the inability of the government of Ghana and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to meet their demand to settle, at least, 80% of their overdue receivables worth about US$1 billion, as a matter of urgency and priority.
The threat by the chamber prompted fears of a return to dumsor.
Read the full statement from the Ministry of Finance HERE:
The First and Second Deputy Governors of the Bank of Ghana have been inducted as Honorary Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB) at the annual governors dinner held in Accra.
According to the Chartered Institute of Bankers Ghana, the conferment of Honorary Fellow on the Deputy Governors, Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi is in recognition of their “significant contributions to the growth and development of the financial sector in Ghana as well as the structures, processes and systems put in place to create financial stability and strengthen Corporate Governance to ensure equitable socio-economic developmentâ€.
The Deputy Governors of the central bank will now be entitled to use the letters FCIB (HON.) against their names.
The Chartered Institute of Bankers serves as a professional body for banks and other financial institutions with the aim of establishing ethical standards and providing stimulus for the development of competent and more qualified human resources that will enable the banks to offer efficient and competitive services to meet or exceed the constantly changing customer needs.
Mr Emmanuel Ohene, the Chairman of the Implementation Team of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), says the government has exceeded its revenue target in August and November, 2020 from the ports.
He attributed the development to the introduction of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS).
Mr Ohene, who is also the Assistant Commissioner of Customs in charge of the Accra Sector Command, said the feat was achieved despite the negative impact of the coronavirus on the global shipping business.
He said an amount of GH¢1.2 billion was realized monthly since the introduction of ICUMS.
“Tema collection in this month of November has exceeded its target. In August, ICUMS was responsible for the revenue target being exceeded,” he said.
Mr Ohene said ICUMS was successfully integrated with the Drivers Vehicle Licensing Authority nationwide, despite the difficulties associated with acquiring historical data.
He said ICUMS provided more than 7,000 tracking devices for the monitoring of transit cargo, leading to a stop on attachment of temporary escorts on transit cargoes.
Mr Ohene said the second phase of ICUMS was expected to be done by the first quarter of 2021.
He urged the trading public to exercise patience while the minor challenges of the Integrated Customs Management that had prevented users from experiencing the full benefits were fixed.
The Assistant Commissioner said the Integrated Customs Management system had its checks and balances on supervising officers at the various points of operations in the system ensuring that no undue delays come up as a result of officers’ bad behaviours.
“There’s a performance management system in the ICUMS which monitors how long one keeps a declaration,” he added.
The Nyalinboligi Naa Yakubu Dasana, Nanum Chief of Bimbila, has commended Ms Brigitte Dzogbenuku, Presidential Candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), for her boldness to contest the 2020 Presidential Election.
He said: “I am impressed at the strength and fortitude with which the PPP Presidential Candidate is competing with the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party in the race. You have shown you are a winner in the race”.
The Chief said this when Ms Dzogbenuku and some party officials called on him at his Palace to seek his blessings.
He urged the candidate to keep the youth in memory and give them opportunities to be a good force of development to their communities and the nation at large when she won power.
“Your decency will attract the people to vote for you,” he said.
Ms Dzogbenuku said the Party had been well received at Bimbila during the campaign and was convinced the message of change had gone down well.
She said the trend of politics should change to involve the youth for a better future as was the vision of the incoming PPP government.
She said women would be empowered to take up leadership roles and children well taken care of.
“Vote PPP come December 7. Vote number 10 for Peace and Unity,” Ms Dzogbenuku said.
A Police officer stationed at Ochiso Police station at Ajumako in the Central Region has been allegedly assaulted by unknown security operatives who also whisked away an arrested NPP supporter.
The incident occurred Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at about 6:30pm.
The Police officer Corporal Frank Mensah was on duty at Ochiso Police Station Charge office as the Counter Officer when a lady identified as Adwoa Sophia lodged a complaint that one Cosmos has assaulted her 18-year-old grandson Kofi Akorfo without any provocation.
The Police officer issued medical forms to the complainant to send the victim to the hospital which was endorsed by a medical doctor and returned same.
After taking a statement from the victim, the suspect was arrested and detained behind the counter to assist in the investigation.
Shortly after that, a man on a motorbike arrived at the Charge office and handed over a phone to the police officer that someone wanted to talk to him.
The caller who allegedly identified himself as the NPP Constituency Chairman for Ajumako popularly known as Bob allegedly hurled insult on the police officer describing his arrest of the suspect as “nonsenseâ€.
Shortly, two vehicles arrived at the Police station with eight occupants led by the District Chief Executive of Ajumako Ransford Kwesi Nyarko, the NPP Constituency Chairman Bob, One other in military camouflage and the others, according to eyewitnesses, pounced on the police officer beat him mercilessly and took away the suspect and sped off with him.
The Police officer reported of severe pains on his spine as a result of the attack hence issued medical form to attend hospital for treatment.
About 350,000 existing customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) will benefit from the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point (BSP) upon completion in May next year.
The project, which is 87 per cent complete, would hold 580 MVA and redistribute to the area and ensure steady power.
Residents of Kwabenya, Ofankor, Legon, Nsawam, and Anyah will heave a sigh of relief upon completion since there would be sufficient power supply to boost their business operations and domestic purposes.
The US$50 million project is being funded by the United States Government through its Agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Two million US dollars has been spent on corporate social responsibility projects such as road construction and donations to health facilities within its catchment areas.
Mr Patrick Kwame Oppong, the BSP Project Manager, who briefed the media on Thursday during a project site visit, said a total of US$10 million had been spent on local sub contractors for undertaking some aspects of the project in compliance with the local content policy directives.
The Project is being executed by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), with Elecnor SA Ghana as the contractors and Surbana Jurong Group as the supervising engineers.
Mr Mateo Perez Camino, the Country Director of Elecnor SA Ghana, told the media that major works on the BSP were nearing completion including the Control Buildings for GRIDCo and the ECG, drainage systems, installation of transformers, fencing, gantries, Switchgears and storage yards.
Currently, he said, cables were being laid and some equipment commissioned.
He said the company had been complying with the environmental and COVID-19 safety protocols.
He informed that about 95 per cent of the workforce at the substation were Ghanaians, who were benefiting for knowledge transfer and would subsequently manage the facility when it is finally handed over to the government.
The Pokuase BSP, the fourth Bulk Supply Point in Accra, is designated as A4BSP, and its associated 33 kilovolt and 11 kilovolt interconnecting lines intended to address power supply challenges including frequent outages and low voltages, resulting from increased power demand in Accra and the surrounding communities.
The Project would also lead to a significant reduction in technical losses in the GRIDCo transmission system and the ECG power distribution, which would contribute to improving the financial viability of the utilities.
The Pokuase BSP is the first 330kV in Accra and the largest in the country when completed.
The Project will be developed under the existing 330kV Aboadze-Volta-Lome Transmission line at Pokuase.
The project started in April 2019 and expected to be completed on May 31, 2021.
The Coalition of Professionals for Peaceful Elections (CPPE) has asked the Electoral Commission of Ghana to be transparent in the upcoming elections on December 7.
A statement signed by Claudia Lumor, Founder, Glitz Africa & UNFPA Ambassador, Ghana, and two other members of CPPE said, as Ghana heads to the polls on Monday “we the CPPE call on all Ghanaians, young and old to act in accordance with the laws of Ghana whilst we exercise our democratic right to periodically choose our leaders.â€
The statement explained that elections provide us with the platform to freely express our political will, as the sovereignty of our homeland Ghana resides in us, “in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised†as we are told in the first clause of the first article of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
“We therefore commend the Electoral Commission for all the work it has done in preparation for the upcoming elections, and for the transparency and professionalism that has epitomized and characterized its work in the past few months, and was further exhibited during the special voting exercise this week.
We however urge the Electoral Commission to demonstrate this same transparency and professionalism in the conduct of the elections on Monday 7th December 2020, so as to entrench our democracy and repay the confidence we have reposed in them as an independent State institution.
We also commend the security agencies for their consistent commitment to safeguarding our nascent democracy in our Fourth Republic, and urge them to be vigilant before, during and after the elections in order to maintain the peace and stability we are presently enjoying.
Finally, we call on all political parties in Ghana to deliver their closing arguments to the good people of Ghana this week, in a peaceful, professional and respectful manner, devoid of fake news, misinformation and disinformation, insults and/or name-calling, and further urge them to cooperate with the Electoral Commission and the security agencies to make the elections a resounding success, where Ghana will be the ultimate winnerâ€, the statement said
CPPE is an association of young Ghanaian professionals from all walks of life, dedicated to ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections in Ghana in 2020 and beyond. It is made up of Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, Lawyer & Law Lecturer (Convener, CPPE); Claudia Lumor, Founder, Glitz Africa & UNFPA Ambassador, Ghana (Programmes Coordinator, CPPE); Mr. Andrew Khartey, Lawyer (Press Secretary, CPPE).
Ato Bonful, Programmes Director, Centre for Performance Tracking and Outcomes Mapping (CePTOM), on Thursday said the Centre has engaged 2,500 accredited officials to observe the general elections across the country.
He said these officials would be in all 16 Regions at 100 constituencies in line with global best practices.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Mr Bonful said the 2020 elections would arguably witness the highest number of independent election observers both local and international because of the times.
“The 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Ghana are being held at a time of heightened tensions and new protocols including mandatory biometric verification for all voters whilst simultaneously adhering to Covid-19 protocols,†he said.
Speaking on the topic: “Towards transparent and credible elections in Ghana 2020: the role of CePTOM in ensuring free, fair and incident-free elections,†he said CePTOM would examine whether the system performed and delivered what it was intended to achieve.
However, he said there was no group currently monitoring the performance of the election management system and the electoral processes towards their intended outcomes.
Mr Bonful said the Centre since 2011 had focused mostly on tracking performance and mapping outcomes of systems and processes to ensure attainment of intended outcomes.
He said the centre had examined the entire election process in project management mode by looking at factors, including the EC and their systems and processes in the entire election process from the over 38,000 polling stations to the District and Regional offices as well as the national collation centre of the EC.
Also, the effectiveness of the technological tools, adherence to the legal provisions of Constitutional Instrument 127, and the ability of the officers to effectively manage the voting centres and Political Parties and their adherence to the rules and their roles in ensuring free, fair and incident-free elections.
He said the Centre would also observe comportment of electorates, how long they would take to go through the process, turn out and adherence to COVID-19 Protocols.
“We will observe whether voters in rural areas who are unable to afford a face mask will be assisted with a free one or be turned away,†he said. He said the centre would examine how all the protocols will be enforced by the COVID-19 Ambassadors stationed by the EC to apply lessons learnt in future elections.
The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Ghana has been accredited by the Electoral Commission of Ghana to observe the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
In all about 160 graduate volunteers were recruited from all the 16 regions in Ghana for the exercise. According to Prof. Michael Kwateng, the IHRC is satisfied with the processes and procedures laid down by the Commission so far. He commended the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Jean Mensa for various initiatives implemented.
He urged the commission to continue to be fair in dealing with all stakeholders, especially the political parties so that at the end of the elections the results will be accepted by all to avoid tension and continue to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere in the country.
He revealed that IHRC participation in this election is to ensure that the process is transparent, fair and credible enough to avoid misunderstanding and conflict among political parties and other stakeholders. He again advised all Ghanaians to be law abiding and support EC to deliver a good job.
The Coalition of Professionals for Peaceful Elections (CPPE) has asked the Electoral Commission of Ghana to be transparent in the upcoming elections on December 7
A statement signed by Claudia Lumor, Founder, Glitz Africa & UNFPA Ambassador, Ghana, and two other members of CPPE said, as Ghana heads to the polls on Monday “we the CPPE call on all Ghanaians, young and old to act in accordance with the laws of Ghana whilst we exercise our democratic right to periodically choose our leaders.â€
The statement explained that elections provide us with the platform to freely express our political will, as the sovereignty of our homeland Ghana resides in us, “in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised†as we are told in the first clause of the first article of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
“We therefore commend the Electoral Commission for all the work it has done in preparation for the upcoming elections, and for the transparency and professionalism that has epitomized and characterized its work in the past few months, and was further exhibited during the special voting exercise this week. “We however urge the Electoral Commission to demonstrate this same transparency and professionalism in the conduct of the elections on Monday 7th December 2020, so as to entrench our democracy and repay the confidence we have reposed in them as an independent State institution.
“We also commend the security agencies for their consistent commitment to safeguarding our nascent democracy in our Fourth Republic, and urge them to be vigilant before, during and after the elections in order to maintain the peace and stability we are presently enjoying.
“Finally, we call on all political parties in Ghana to deliver their closing arguments to the good people of Ghana this week, in a peaceful, professional and respectful manner, devoid of fake news, misinformation and disinformation, insults and/or name-calling, and further urge them to cooperate with the Electoral Commission and the security agencies to make the elections a resounding success, where Ghana will be the ultimate winner.â€
CPPE is an association of young Ghanaian professionals from all walks of life, dedicated to ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections in Ghana in 2020 and beyond. It is made up of Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, Lawyer & Law Lecturer (Convener, CPPE); Claudia Lumor, Founder, Glitz Africa & UNFPA Ambassador, Ghana (Programmes Coordinator, CPPE); Mr. Andrew Khartey, Lawyer (Press Secretary, CPPE).
Peter Osei Amoako, the Director of Finance at COCOBOD, on Thursday said he is not aware of any letter dated November 20, 2014, inviting Seidu Agongo to pay the sum of GHC6,492.50.
The payment is the cost of reassessment and evaluation towards the renewal of certification from Cocoa Research Institute (CRIG) for Lithovit Liquid fertilizer for the year 2015.
Mr Amoako, the sixth prosecution witness in the trial involving Dr Stephen Opuni and two others, said he only knew Dr K. Opoku-Ameyaw, who signed the letter by name but they had never met.
The witness said he was not aware of any letter dated July 7, 2017 from CRIG inviting Agricult Ghana Limited to pay the sum of GHC3,000.00 as the reassessment and evaluation fee for the renewal of CRIG certification for the Lithovit Liquid fertilizer for the year 2018.
He said by virtue of a notification of award, payment for that product was supposed to be effected 30 days after delivery; “This is the notification. If the services were provided, then COCOBOD will payâ€.
Mr Amoako said he could not recall specific dates and amounts of payment made for Lithovit liquid fertilizer by COCOBOD.
Dr Opuni and Mr Seidu Agongo are facing 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretenses, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, corruption by a public officer and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are on a GH¢300,000.00 self-recognisance bail each.
The Ashanti Bekwai Circuit Court has granted a GH¢30,000.00 bail with two sureties, one to be justified, to an unemployed for allegedly robbing a fish seller.
Joseph Yeboah, alias Taabea, was ordered by the Court presided by Mr Marc Diboro Tirimah to report to the police every Monday until the final determination of the case.
The accused has denied the offence but would make his next appearance in court on December 30.
Meanwhile, a duplicate docket on the case has been sent to the Attorney General (AG) for advice.
Nana Achia Ababio, counsel for the accused in pleading for bail, told the court that it was likely the trial would suffer delay as the duplicate docket was sent to the AG for advice.
His client, she said, had a fixed place of abode, prepared to stand trial and had even paid the money involved in the crime.
His accomplice, Kingsley Yeboah, is on the run.
Police Chief Inspector Christian Osborn Amartey said the complainant was a food seller resident at Mano-Aboaboso and Joseph Yeboah alias Taabea was unemployed and lived at Manso-Aboaboso.
On July 25, at about 2100 hours, the complainant was on his errands of supplying fish to his customers in a taxi cab with registration number, AS 9954-14 when he was attacked by Joseph and Prince on reaching mid-section of the road between Manso-Aboaboso to Apenimadi.
Chief Inspector Amartey said they robbed him of GHC7,800.00 at gunpoint with a locally made pistol.
The prosecution said after the robbery incidence, the alleged robbers ordered the complainant and his sales assistants to lie on the ground and subjected them to severe beatings.
He said the alleged robbers fled into the bush with the booty when they heard a sound of a vehicle in their direction.
The prosecution said a formal complaint was lodged with the Manso-Datano Police.
However, Joseph surrendered to the Unit Committee members and the Assembly Member in the Manso-Aboaboso Electoral Area and confessed to the crime, leading to his arrest. He admitted the offence in his caution statement before an independent witness and he told police that he carried out the act with Prince, who is currently at large.
The Court, in granting the bail, considered the fact that the trial may suffer delay as the prosecution had stated that it had forwarded a duplicate of the docket to the AG.
Mr Samuel Ayeh Paye, the Member of Parliament for Ayensuano, has appealed to the electorate to vote for him and President Nana Akufo-Addo in the December 7 election to move development of the Constituency to the next stage.
He said the area had seen tremendous development in the first four years of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Administration with the provision of school structures, roads, hospitals, factories, one district one dam, creation of jobs and Free SHS.
Mr Ayeh Paye made the appeal at Coaltar in the Eastern Region when he embarked on a campaign tour of the area.
He pleaded with the people to vote massively for the President to fulfill his pledge of extending the Free Education Policy to the university level to bring some comfort to parents and guardians.
The MP advised the youth to vote massively for the NPP to continue to benefit from the numerous government interventions to better their lot.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Alex Yeboah, Acting Ho Municipal, has said the Police administration would continue to provide security to the ballot boxes of the Adaklu Constituency until polls day.
He said the Police would beef up security for the rest of the days till Monday to safeguard the sanctity of the voting materials at Adaklu Waya.
Mr Yeboah, who disclosed these to the Ghana News Agency, said an agreement was reached between the political parties on Thursday after there was disagreement as to whether to move the boxes to Ho or increase security at Waya.
He said instead of moving the ballots to Ho for safe-keeping, the decision was to rather beef up security at the current location to avoid raising any suspicions.
He said, “we do not have any ulterior motive, whether the ballot boxes remain at Waya or move to Ho armoury. Our main function is to protect the sanctity of the ballot till Monday, we believe that’s our mandate.”
The decision followed escalating tension and suspicion between the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Adaklu Constituency over how the ballot should be kept safe and protected.
Mr Yeboah said the development had resulted in some youth congregating at the Waya Police post to prevent the relocation of the ballot boxes.
Eventually, ASP Yeboah mobilised reinforcement last night to protect the boxes until December 7.
Following a meeting with traders and victims of the recent Odawna Market fire on Tuesday at the Accra Digital Centre, the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) have begun the disbursement of relief loans to the beneficiaries as promised by the government.
During a meeting convened at the same venue today, the first group of 250 traders met top officials of MASLOC where they received their funds.
MASLOC is providing financial assistance to the tune of GHC2 million with about 3,000 traders expected to benefit from the support.
It would be recalled that President Akufo-Addo upon a visit to the debris scene of the disaster pledged some form of financial support for the victims.
Fire razed the Odawna market destroying over 90% of the market down to ashes a couple of weeks ago.
Funds are expected to be disbursed to the affected groups gradually in phases.
This comes as a giant step in reimbursing victims of the fire outbreak with interest-free loans with a one-year moratorium to support them.
In an interview with the media, Mr. Dominic Baah Ayim Director of Operations MASLOC, had this to share:
“People gathered here today to receive their loans that they applied for; these are loans that the President Nana Akufo-Addo promised them (the fire victims) and I am happy today that we have fulfilled our promise.
He revealed that the disbursement of the funds is not done based on any political lines but all-inclusive benefits to mostly those who registered.
He continued that “…Yes, we have been able to serve quite a number of people and I believe we have done well, and I’m happy because my objectives and then my main aim of giving out assistance has been fulfilled.”
The Coalition of La Associations (COLA) on Thursday said the government has released more than 200-acres of land acquired years ago in the La Dadekotopon Municipality to the Traditional Council.
This follows several years of petitions and protests from groups and community members in La on the need for the state to return portions of the lands to their rightful owners.
Addressing a news conference in Accra, Mr. Oscar Nii Odoi Glover, President of COLA, said the portion of lands released are situated at the East Airport area (Kpletson) bordering Tse-Addo, the Laboma Beach Resort, the Bush Road Goil filling Station area, Amarahia dairy farms and the Adenta-Aviation lands.
“These were lands that the Military had proposed to acquire. They’ve been described as proposed acquisition and I think we all understand proposed acquisition,†he said.
“These are lands that do not belong to the government, we have not given it to the government but the Military felt the location of the land would be of good utility to them and so they wanted it,” he added.
He commended the government, particularly President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for heeding the plea of the people.
Mr. Glover said the released lands will enable the community to undertake various developmental projects for the betterment of the youth and future generations.
“Our population is growing and we want a place for our children to lay down their heads, so today, the Coalition is happy to inform the public that President Akufo-Addo has granted this petition and has instructed that portions of the said lands are released to the Stool,” he added.
Mr. Glover assured the Government of the Coalition’s continued support to address the issue of land grabbing by unauthorized persons.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh has advised electorates not to loiter around the polling stations during the December 7 polls.
In an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” programme, the IGP stated that every Ghanaian who goes to cast his or her vote should immediately return home after exercising their franchise.
According to him, the security agencies have been charged to ensure peace at the various polling stations, hence they will not deal lightly with any person who attempts to cause mayhem.
“No one else is allowed. When you finish voting, go home and you can return when the counting of the ballots commences. But for you to be at the polling station to impede the security personnel, that will be obstructing the duties of the Police and the other security agencies, and that in itself is an offence that we can arrest and prosecute you in the court,” he stated.
He also warned political party members and supporters not to obstruct the duties of the security personnel.
“Providing security for the elections is the responsibility of the security agencies. So, we don’t expect any other person will go to the polling stations that he or she is there to secure the elections. We don’t need party security at the polling station. Every party has its observers and polling agents and they’re the only people we recognize as agents that the law permits them to come to the polling stations.”
Leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko has averred that investors have shown more confidence in the Ghanaian economy under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
This follows the NPP’s claim that they inherited an ailing economy from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2016.
He continued that assurance investors have shown was as a result of better management by competent people under the Akufo-Addo administration.
Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, therefore called on Ghanaians to give President Akufo-Addo a second chance by voting for him massively in the upcoming polls for all to witness development in the country.
Taking to micro-blogging website, Twitter to make this statement, the former Executive Director of the Danquah Institute said, “Investor confidence is high; they know competent hands managing the economy and confident that you the voter will give Akufo-Addo a 2nd term to do more for you & country.â€
On Monday, December 7, Ghanaians will go to the polls to elect a president who will govern the country for the next four years, as well as choose parliamentary candidates who will represent them in Parliament.
Read Gabby’s tweet below.
Investor confidence is high; they know competent hands managing the economy and confident that you the voter will give Akufo-Addo a 2nd term to do more for you & country. Ghana regains lustre for investors ahead of Dec. 7 polls despite debt woes | Reuters https://t.co/OO6Nm1vZaq
Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe broke down in tears while addressing a gathering of Supreme Court judges on his retirement day.
Justice Gbadegbe who has served the Judiciary for 31 years since 1989 on his last day in court read the judgment in the case in which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional a Chinery Hesse report recommending pension payment for former Parliamentary.
Justice Gbadegbe after delivering his valedictory judgment in the case of David Apasera and 39 others vs Attorney General took turns to introduce two of his sons who are now lawyers.
The emotionally looking Justice Gbadegbe eventually lost his voice in a packed courtroom with the remaining 16 justice of the apex court now before him including Chief Justice Kwasi An in Yeboah.
The Chief Justice, Justice Jones Dotse, the president of the Ghana Bar Association Mr. Anthony Forson Jnr, and Deputy Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame all took turns to pay tributes to his long service to the nation.
He retires at the age of 70 years after 11 years as a Supreme Court judge.
Road crashes claimed 26 lives in the Upper East Region in the first half of 2020 and several more got critically maimed.
Concerned observers are pointing at the absence of speed-curbing facilities especially on the roads in the regional capital, Bolgatanga, as the main reason why excessive speeding is claiming lives and maiming road users.
Months after investigative journalist, Edward Adeti took government officials to the most accident-prone spots in the capital, commitment steps are yet to be taken to provide measures to curb the killer speed on the roads.
The most affected are children, the aged, and persons with disabilities.
Recently, road safety officials shared a story about a boy who was killed on the road by a speeding vehicle whilst he was returning from an extramural class that was organized after the Coronavirus pandemic forced the government to shut down schools in Ghana.
According to the officials, witnesses were able to identify the boy at the crash scene through the exercise books found inside his bag. He was crushed beyond recognition.
There is more in the documentary film produced by Edward Adeti, dubbed: “Bloody Roads of Bolgatangaâ€.
Caution is advised as some of the images, though blurred, can be sensitive.
The Ghana Audit Service has asked the Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo to return an imprest of $4,020 from his foreign travels in 2018.
According to the Service, the records available from the audit conducted shows that aside the per diem given to Domelevo for his United Kingdom (UK) travel, he failed to return the remainder.
This announcement was contained in a letter signed by the Chairman of the Audit Service, Edward Dua Agyemang.
He stated that, “The Auditors have since completed the audit and submitted their report to the Board. Records made available show that in March and April 2018 you travelled with George Swanzy Winful to London and The Hague, in addition to your total per-diem allowance of US$1,641.10 you were also given an additional amount of US$4,020.00 as accountable imprest.â€
“The audit report shows that you have not retired the accountable imprest. In accordance with the laid down principle by the Auditor-General in his letter dated April 3, 2019, addressed to the late Mr. James Frempong, you are required to account for the amount of US$4,020.00 that was released to you with receipts within two weeks from the date of receipt of this letter.â€
But reacting to the development however, Mr Dumelevo questioned the audacity of Mr Agyemang, stating that his tenure of office as the Board Chairman expired on October 11, 2020.
This, he said, was contrary to Section 5 of the Audit Service Act 2000 (Act 584).
“Until you provide evidence of your reappointment in accordance with article 189(1) and section 5(1) of Act 584, I deem you to be acting ultra vires and will treat you as such,†Mr Domelevo said, as quoted by Myjoyonline.
The Supreme Court in a unanimous decision has ruled that retired Members of Parliament (MPs) are not entitled to receive pension per the constitution but they are entitled to gratuities which are stipulated in Article 114 of the 1992 constitution.
The court, therefore, ruled that it was unconstitutional for the Chinery Hesse Committee set up by President Kufuor in 2008 to have sought to create a pension package for MPs.
According to a Daily Graphic report, the court held that “By the combined reading of Article 71(3), 98(1) and Article 114 of the 1992 Constitution, the Chinnery-Hesse Committee acted unconstitutionally.â€
The court, therefore, threw out the appeal by 43 former members of parliament to get the government to pay them ?233,495 each.
Background
In 2017, the former MPs sued the government at the High Court for GH?233,495 each, being their accrued monthly pension pay.
The basis of the legal action by the 40 former MPs was the Chinnery-Hesse Presidential Emoluments Committee (PEC) which provides that parliamentarians who were 50 years and above and exited Parliament, having served two full terms, should be paid some sums of money as pension benefits.
Some notable names among the 40 former MPs who initiated the legal action are Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Dr Kwame Ampofo, Mr Kwamina Bartels, Mr Freddie Blay, Mr Kenneth Dzirasah, Ms Christine Churcher, Mr Isaac E. Edumadze (deceased) and Mr Nkrabea Effah-Darteh, Mr David Apesera and Mr S.K Boafo.
The former MPs lost a suit at the High Court and appealed at the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal decided to make a constitutional reference to the Supreme Court to decide whether or not per the 1992 Constitution, retired MPs were entitled to pension.
Madam Joycelyn Tetteh, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament, has failed to honour the Parliamentary Debate organised by the North Dayi office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
Mr Simon Kwaku Mawuko, NCCE District Director, North Dayi told the Ghana News Agency that neither the MP nor her team offered any reason for the absence at the debate, which was organized for aspiring candidates seeking to represent the people of North Dayi in Parliament.
He said the NDC district executives were present at the Inter-Party Dialogue meetings, which decided on the date and time of the debate.
The parties present at the debate were the New Patriotic Party (NPP) represented by Mr Edmund Kudjoh Attah, who is also the District Chief Executive of North Dayi and Mr Kingsley Atteh of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG).
Mr Kingsley Atteh said he would prioritize education in the District if given the nod to represent the people in Parliament by helping settle fees of some tertiary students in the District so they would serve the Community after their education.
He said he would also make the District a tourism hub to ensure the huge tourism potentials were exploited to employ the youth.
Mr Edmund Kudjoh Attah said he would adopt the “no school, no sports” approach to keep children in school by ensuring that any child who intended to be sporty must initially be in school.
He promised to resource the Education unit with vehicles to enable the circuit supervisors to undertake comprehensive and vigorous supervision of schools within the District.
Mr Attah said during his tenure as the Chief Executive, an ultra-modern kitchen was built for students of Vakpo Senior High Technical and promised to raise the studying and living conditions of all schools in the District if elected.
Mr Attah said he would support needy students in SHS to continue to enjoy the FSHS initiative being rolled out by the government.
He said the era of the opposition NDC being favoured in the District was over because of the massive infrastructural development the Constituents had witnessed under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo.
Mr Attah said the extension of electricity to the remotest parts of the District was one of the initiatives he would pursue when voted into Parliament.
The candidates pledged to ensure peace in the Municipality no matter the outcome of the elections.
Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, former Speaker of Parliament, has said Ghanaians would soon enjoy a new atmosphere of change that they need.
He said Ghanaians had endured enough suffering under the leadership of the Akufo-Addo led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government and there was the need to get liberated from the hardships.
Mr Adjaho said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during a visit to the constituency.
Mr Adjaho, who is the former Member of Parliament for Akatsi South, until his elevation to the position of Speaker of Parliament under the Mahama led NDC administration, expressed optimism the NDC would redeem Ghanaians from the chains of slavery.
“The electorates have decided already and by God’s grace victory is assured,” he said, adding there was a wind of change blowing all over the country and nobody could stop it.
“There is a wind of change blowing, the electorates are calling for a change because there are a lot of unanswered questions concerning the current administration.
He said nothing could stop the wind of change from blowing, “politically it happened in America and we have to see that same change on December 7.”
Mr Adjaho insisted four years of corrupt rule and insecurity was just enough for Ghanaians to show the exit sign to the NPP.
He appealed to party supporters to be vigilant on election day and report any acts of violence to the police for swift action.
On peace, Mr Adjaho said Ghana is for all of us, hence the need to ensure a peaceful atmosphere.
After going two games without a win in the season, Hearts of Oak will be searching for their first victory in the Ghana Premier League this Friday at home.
They take on league leaders Karela United FC at the Accra Sports Stadium under a new trainer.
Serbian tactician Kostadin Papic was confirmed as new head coach of the Phobians on Tuesday replace Edward Nii Odoom.
The Phobians succumbed to regional rivals Inter Allies FC in their second fixture this term last weekend with a 1-0 defeat.
A fortnight ago, Hearts drew 2-2 with AshantiGold SC in their opening game of the campaign at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Papic who is making a return to the club for a second spell as head of the technical bench is expected at the dugout on Friday.
He was in charge of the Phobians from July 2008 to June 2009.
Papic has all players available for selection to face the in-form Karela on Friday evening.
Karela United FC are buzzing in confidence and are also in high spirits as they cover about 315km to Accra to face the Ghana giants on Friday.
The Pride and Passion lads are currently leading the premiership standings having won two and drawn of their three matches this campaign.
They beat Dreams FC 2-1 last Sunday at the CAM Park in Aiyinase to make it back-to-back victories.
Coach Augustine Evans Adotey and his charges aim at consolidating their top spot by keeping their away momentum.
They held AshantiGold SC to a 2-2 stalemate at the Len Clay Stadium in Obuasi in their opening day mixture.
Adotey has full-strength squad to select from for Friday’s match with the return of Sadiq Alhassan to full fitness.
The chiefs and elders of Ayirebi in the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency of the Eastern Region on Wednesday declared their support for the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, ahead of the December 7, 2020, general elections.
Speaking on behalf of the chiefs during a visit by Mr Mahama, Okyeame Oman-Boadi said the support of the chiefs and elders of Akyem Ayirebi for the NDC presidential candidate is non-negotiable.
Okyeame Oman-Boadi said the government has failed to develop their area, adding all the development projects in the Ayirebi area, including electricity, Senior High School block, clinic and potable water were all initiated by the NDC government.
“If the NDC has been able to do all these for Ayirebi and its environs, why can’t we give them our votes? So we are assuring Mr Mahama that the people of Ofoase Ayirebi are ready to give him our votes and also support his parliamentary candidate,” Okyeame Oman-Baodi declared.
He appealed to Mr Mahama to create a new district for Ayirebi and urged him to upgrade their clinic to a district hospital status when he is elected on December 7, 2020.
A senior lecturer with the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Gunu has been overwhelmingly elected Dean of the Faculty of Education.
He secured a hundred percent of the total votes cast at the just ended faculty elections held on Wednesday 2nd December 2020 at the UDS Tamale campus.
Until his elevation, he was the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Education.
As a Commonwealth Scholar, he attained his PhD in Education from Keele University, England.
Dr. Ibrahim Gunu is widely respected for his dispassionate contribution to education matters in Ghana and beyond.
On 18th September 2020, he underscored the need for government to reopen basic schools and provided appropriate mechanism for safe school reopening and continuation process.
He explained in his submissions that, “We need to know that children cannot wait for that long. Children learn less, and lose the habit of learning.â€
“In some parts of Ghana if schools are not reopened, students may give up their studies and start work or get married. Children are more likely going to suffer abuse, malnutrition and poor mental health, ” he bemoaned.
Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Gunu has been actively involved in teaching and research in UDS from 2009 up to date.
Prior to the UDS engagement, he worked as a lecturer at Tamale Polytechnic, Training Manager at the Capital Group and a classroom teacher at Ghana Education Service.
The Ho Police Command is beefing security at the Waya Police Post to safeguard the ballot boxes used in Monday’s special voting exercise.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Alex Yeboah, acting Ho Municipal Police Commander, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, in an interview in Ho, said the decision followed the tension brewing from the disagreement among some political actors in the Adaklu District over the safekeeping of the ballot boxes.
Supporters of the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress are said to disagree on whether the boxes should remain at the present location or be moved to Ho.
ASP Yeboah explained that the Ho Command continued to superintend over the Adaklu Command, which only had two police posts – at Waya and Ahunda – and lacked the capacity to adequately protect the ballot boxes.
However, he said, one of the political parties objected to plans to move the boxes to the Ho Armoury for safekeeping, claiming that it would raise party youth to support the Police to protect the ballot, which is under seal.
This development has resulted in some youth massing up at the Waya Police Post to prevent the relocation of the boxes.
Mr Yeboah said since the issue could not be resolved by the close of Wednesday, he was leading a Police reinforcement to the Waya Police Post, where the ballots were being kept until Thursday when an agreement was expected to be reached between the parties.
He explained that Police Armouries were the designated places for the safekeeping of these voting materials over the period, saying if the parties would understand this issue, the dispute could be addressed amicably.
He said since the political parties had counter sealed the ballot boxes with peculiar serial numbers that they had recorded, the suspicion could have been be avoided.
The parties, he said, should believe in the Police to protect lives and property at all times.
The Member of Parliament for Odododiodio Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye has asked all supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to be intimidated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the elections next week.
Speaking at a mini-rally in the constituency, the parliamentary candidate for the area urged all NDC supporters to go out there vote for him and the presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama.
“Nobody should be scared of anyone, no matter the level of threats. Peacefully go and cast your votes in a manner that glorifies God,†he said.
He added, “Nobody should be intimidated because people many claims there will be trouble on Election Day”.
Ghanaians go to the polls on Monday, December 7 to elect a president and Members of Parliament.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Yagaba-Kubore Constituency in the North-East Region, Alhaji Abdul-Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, has revealed how he miraculously escaped an assassination attempt by some unknown hoodlums.
He disclosed to MyNewsGh.com that his Landcruiser vehicle was shot at through the windshield several times but fortunately enough, he was not driving at that particular moment.
According to him, his luck was the fact the vehicle was not in motion and there was no one behind the steering wheel at the time.
“Somewhere along the line as we stopped, my vehicle was at close range shot at by an unknown person which perforated the windshield with me being the target because I drive myself almost all the timeâ€. He recounted.
Narrating further, the MP also disclosed how he was almost lynched by scores of people while embarking on a house to house campaign tour in the same area.
“We reported the matter to the chief of the area who warned that anyone caught in such acts would be fined. We left back to the grounds but they kept pelting stones at us and my boys wanted to retaliate but I calmed them down. I advised we call off the event and move away just to secure the safety of those gathered. Even as we were about leaving tensions were high but I asked someone to drive my vehicle while I sat in the campaign car,†he narrated.
Exactly a week after commissioning two modern Health facilities in his constituency, the Member of Parliament for Obuasi East, Dr. Patrick Boakye- Yiadom has once again donated twenty (20) beds to the four main hospitals in the Obuasi East constituency.
The beds which included Delivery beds, normal hospital beds, Children’s cot and wheelchairs were given to the AGA Health Foundation, Bryant Mission Hospital, SDA Hospital and Todah Hospital.
At a short ceremony to handover the beds to the beneficiary hospitals, Hon. Boakye-Yiadom commended Health personnel in the district for their commitment and diligence to duty, especially during the Covid-19 outbreak. He asked them to continuously work hard for the development of the district and the country at large.
He reiterated the commitment of the NPP Government towards quality healthcare delivery in the country. He continued that, evidence of Government’s good works is seen in the revival of the NHIS by settling their age-long debts. Again, he said, the President recently provided 10,000 beds and provision of over 300 ambulances to all the constituencies in the country.
The Member of Parliament who is seeking reelection revealed that the Government has decided to build a district hospital in the Obuasi East District as part of the 88 district hospitals to be constructed nationwide from next month. These, he said give credence to the call for Ghanaians to give the Government another term.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Hospital, the District Health Director, Madam Delphine Gborgblorvor, emphasized the importance of the beds in the provision of quality healthcare to the people of Obuasi East. She said, they can now heave a sigh of relief since the district has always had to deal with inadequate beds in some hospitals.
Madam Gborgblorvor bemoaned the blatant disregard for the Coronavirus preventive protocols. A situation, she described as worrying especially when the disease is still in existence and affecting a lot of people. She however advised the general public to seek medical care at the hospitals since measures have been put in place to fully adhere to all the Covid- 19 protocols.
The nurses Manager of AGA Health Foundation, Madam Sirina Mahammed also said the beds will help augment existing beds in the Hospital. She praised the MP for the kind gesture and said “just like Oliver Twist, we will always call for more”.
A Group by name Three Northerners, which was created by northerners who are based in the southern part of the country ( Kumasi, Accra, Cape Coast, Takoradi et al) has made a strong case for the retainment of the Nana Addo led administration.
The group which is made up of members from over 17 northern dialects have come together to campaign for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to retain power for the good people of the Northern Region
Earlier today the group held a conference at Kumasi to voice out how former President John Mahama disappointed Northerners.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Ismail Azuma popularly known as Y2K who doubles as Vice Chairman and Operations Manager of the group explained why the NPP should be given another four years.
“We came all the way from Kumasi and Accra to campaign for NPP to retain power, we want our people from the North to know how the current President is bringing about progress and development in the Northern part of the country,” he said.
“We voted former President Mahama to come to power because we knew that coming from the north he was best placed to understand our problems and challenges. But upon his coming to power nothing was done to address our problems.
We are telling the former president to forgive us, is not about him been our brother but is about who can help develop the northern part of the country for us .”He opined.
Mr Ismail added that as a group they were going all over the country to campaign for the NPP especially in Bawku, Wa, Tamale, for a house-to-house campaign and indeed were really grateful to His Excellency Nana Addo for initiating the free SHS, NABCO amongst others.
Great Olympics have made a flying start to their campaign and the four points from their two matches are no fluke.
The Wonder Club face Ebusua Dwarfs at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday highly tipped to bag the points.
Their last outing was a comprehensive 3-0 win over Legon Cities FC and that could pass for a Premier League statement.
Prior to that was a 1-1 draw at Tarkwa against Medeama -and it was a huge result on the opening weekend.
No marquee signings but obviously head coach Annor Walker is miraculously making bricks without straws.
Ex-Ghana youth international and former TP Mazembe star Gladson Awako has been sparkling for the Olympics with some heart-on-sleeves performance.
Dwarfs, after three matches, have four points but placed 8th on the league log and they should be battle-hardened for the test in Accra.
This will be their second away fixture of the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League after a 2-0 defeat at Techiman Eleven Wonders.
Their season opener was a 2-2 draw with cross-town rivals Elmina Sharks in match which goalkeeper Razak Issah hogged the headline by scoring a free kick at the death to rescue a point for his team.
Former Ghana international, Samuel Johnson has noted that he foresees Hearts of Oak doing well following the appointment of Kosta Papic as the new head coach because players will now up their game to merit a starting role in his team.
After overseeing two matches in the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League without a win, Coach Edward Nii Odoom has been replaced with the Serbian tactician but will continue to work to help the team.
While many have shared different views on the appointment of Kosta Papic, Sam Johnson believes it could work for good for the capital-based club.
“Papic is not a foreigner, he has been here before but I don’t know if he is the same Papic. I prefer he was here before the start of the season.
“[His] return will raise the team because every player will fight to be in his starting lineup. The way things were going, the management needed to act fast,†the ex-Hearts of Oak defender told Otec FM in an interview.
Coach Kosta Papic has started work and will take charge of his first Hearts of Oak match on Friday when the team takes on Karela United in the Premier League at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Seasoned Journalist, Kweku Baako says he will no longer treat any person or entity that denigrates him with kid gloves.
He made this known while discussing the alleged ‘bribe’ video regarding President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
A video released by the Salis Media showed the President receiving a sum of dollars 40,000 from Ghana’s Ambassador to USA, Baffour Adjei Bawuah who presented it on behalf of the Director of Urban Roads, Alhaji Dr. Abass.
”It has been revealed that Nana Addo is not the angel Ghanaians perceived him to be but one, who is fully entangled in corruption and only fights corruption with words. Undercover investigations conducted by The Salis Newspaper has exposed sitting President Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) taking a bribe in a brown envelope in an undercover video. The money was handed over to Ambassador Baffour Adjei Bawuah…The US $40000 dollar bribe was paid to the President in 2017 after the NPP won the 2016 Elections at Nana Akufo-Addo’s private residence in Nima, Accra. The giver of the bribe is the current Director of Urban roads, Alhaji Dr. Abass”, the Salis newspaper published.
Addressing the issue, Kweku Baako said the ‘bribe’ allegations are falsehood.
He revealed that the presentation was made in October 2016 when President Akufo-Addo was a Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) seeking to unseat the Mahama administration.
The money, he noted, was given towards his (Akufo-Addo) victory campaign and that the Salis newspaper publication is untrue.
He charged Alhaji Abass to sue the owner of the newspaper and those peddling the false story.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ZB2w3kFr9g
Kweku Baako stressed that, as for him, should anybody make a disparaging remark about him; he will not hesitate to take legal action.
“You know that I don’t subscribe to going to the court and it’s something that still affects me that I will go to court because it’s against my whole orientation. But I’ve learned one good lesson out of the court processes that rumours, gossips, rumourmongers and so forth; you dey look pathetic. Especially when they’re put in the dock and under cross-examination, they look like kids and so, maybe gradually, I will revise my philosophy,” he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo”.
The Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ghana, Kingsley Mickey Aryee, has said per the new law, traders along the roads will be required to produce permit from a veterinary inspector before they can sell to the public.
According to him, this will ensure that the meats are safe for consumption as research shows that about 65 to 75 per cent have been poisoned.
He explained that most hunters poison the animal “before they use sticks to hit them to give the carcasses some semblance of being hunted.â€
In an interview with Daily Graphic, Kingsley Mickey Aryee said the bush meat sales had been included in a new law; Meat Inspection Regulations, 2020, which came into force on July 20, 2020.
“It is a very important thing and we insisted on putting in [the law] bush meat because we have done some research, which found out that most game — about 65 to 75 per cent – have been poisoned.â€
He added that veterinary officers were able to detect the poison in the carcasses by their smell and other investigations conducted.
Mr Aryee also advised traders to patronize meat from standard abattoirs that have proper inlet and outlets while he urged individuals to patronize meats that have stamps.
“Abattoirs are automated or semi-automated, and those are actually the standard. Abattoirs have proper inlets and outlets, and when you are designing an abattoir, you have to be very particular about the inlet and the outlet,†he said.
“I tell you: if you are going to buy meat, look out for meat that has been stamped,†he warned.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has expressed worry over the consistent inconsistency of the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC).
His worry stems from the fact that the NDC does not have a consistent message and has to be amending their manifesto at this eleventh hour when people are decided on who they will vote for.
To him, for this amendment done by the NDC, they cannot be taken seriously and allowed to run the affairs of the country.
He said in a tweet that “How does a candidate who wants to be taken seriously announce 6 days to an election that he intends to amend his manifesto? Consistent inconsistency!!â€.
The National Democratic Congress on December 1 announced made a new promise which is an upgrade on its initial promise of halving fees for University Students in the next academic year as a measure to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on the Finances of parents.
Mrs Dorcas Brobbey, the Parliamentary Candidate for the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) in the New Juaben North constituency, has promised to focus on Girls education and women empowerment to improve on the socio-economic development of the area, given the nod on December 7.
She said there were high rates of illiteracy and poverty among women in the area because of low education and empowerment skills that would propel them for jobs and appealed to the women in the constituency to vote for her to turn their fortunes around, through an aggressive agenda she would pursue as the Member of Parliament for the area.
Mrs Brobbey was speaking during an inter-party dialogue debate organised by the National Commission For Civic Education (NCCE) in collaboration with the Justice and Peace Commission, for parliamentary candidates in the area to interact with their electorate and solicit for votes, at Oyoko.
She observed that due to poor arrangement under the school feeding programme, Caterers enrolled to provide nutritious meals for children were not meeting the expectation in terms of the quality of food they served the children due to delays in payment and pledged to institute a measure in the constituency to address this if given the nod.
The LPG candidate said as a teacher, she appreciated the impact of lack of computers in most basic schools in the area and on teaching and learning and said since ICT was an examinable subject it was imperative for every school to have a well-equipped ICT centre and promised to provide every basic school in the area with computers to develop the interest of pupils in that subject.
Speaking on employment, she said she would support traders with soft loans to boost their businesses and build an ultra-modern market in the community, and organize skills and development training for Person’s living With Disability (PWDs) to enhance equal job opportunities for them to address begging on the streets.
Mrs Brobbey, a teacher who is contesting for the first time with three men including; the incumbent, Nana Adjei Boateng a Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development said, over the years the constituency was represented by men and it was high time a woman was given the chance to change the agenda for rapid development.
She, therefore, called on the electorate to change their voting pattern and called on women especially to rally behind her by going out on December 7, to vote for her to become the first woman MP in the area.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has said that the government was committed to the achievement of universal healthcare, with primary health as its foundation.
He said it was in view of this that government was pursuing the agenda 111 to build District hospitals across the country.
Mr Darko-Mensah said this at the Commissioning of a CHPS compound value at more than 495.000 cedis for the Komfuefu community in the Shama District.
The Regional Minister said the facility would also benefit the people of Dwomo, Shama Junction, Graveldo, Ituma and its environs all in the Shama District.
He said apart from providing curative health, the facility would also be used to promote preventive health Care in areas such as maternal health care and child welfare clinics.
He pointed out that the establishment of the facility would support the provision of expanded and dedicated health Care service which hitherto was difficult to access.
Mr Darko-Mensah commended the chiefs and other opinion leaders of Komfuefu for the co-operation they accorded the District Assembly and health authorities and called on them to be part owners of the facility and guard it with proper care and be committed to its maintenance.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Joseph Amoah commended the contractor for working within schedule and appealed to the staff at the facility to give out their best.
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, has said that the Region had witnessed a significant improvement in healthcare services under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led-administration.
He said the quality decisions taken by the government in the last four years had impacted positively on the health of the people at all levels of care.
He disclosed that the region had 519 health facilities, which comprises 321 Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) compounds, 119 health centres and 11 district hospitals.
“In keeping consistent to our vision of attaining Universal Health Coverage in record time, we have worked with our partners to ensure that material and human resources are made more available to assist service delivery,†he said.
Dr Letsa who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the government had the responsibility of delivering quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to 1,907,608 people in all the 2,752 communities and 18 districts in the Region.
“The Volta Region has seen significant improvement in the critical health indicators which therefore clearly shows that we are making progress towards attaining our… objectives,†he stated.
He said as a result of the agenda 111, six districts – Adaklu, Afadjato South, Agotime Ziope, Akatsi North, Anloga and Ho West, which hitherto had no district hospitals would see the construction of well-equipped district hospitals within the next couple of years.
“The Regional Hospital, which was upgraded to a Teaching Hospital under the tenure of President. Akufo-Addo has attracted specialists from the various medical fields to the region,” he said.
He said the Hohoe Municipal Hospital was being upgraded to a Regional Hospital status, CHPS compounds and health centres were being retooled and “it is a great relief that together with our health partners a good number of facilities have been operationalised to render healthcare services.
Dr Letsa said maternal mortality has reduced from 148.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019 to 99.7 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, same period of 2020, adding that though such significant achievement was encouraging, further steps were being taken to further reduce such painful mortalities to the barest minimum.
He said one of the major achievements of the health sector, which had affected the region immensely was the restoration of allowances and clearing of the backlog of staff to the great relief to both parents and their wards.
The Minister disclosed that the 2018 batch of nurses were currently being processed for employment and were scheduled to begin work in January, 2021 while the 2019 batch was currently undertaking their national service.
He said the “canker†of graduate health professional unemployment was near eradication as Allied Health staff who had been at home since 2012 had largely been engaged with the health service and other categories of graduate health professionals had been engaged to improve on the doctor-nurse population ratios in the Volta Region.
“The strategies to deal with the gaps in the health service exposed by the recent scourge of the COVID 19 pandemic emphasised the need for competent and bold leadership,†he added.
Dr Letsa said the sterling leadership of the President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo has save uncountable lives and livelihoods, adding that his decisions backed by science and followed through by thorough and deliberate action made Ghana a trailblazer amongst its contemporaries.
He said during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Health Emergency Committee quickly mobilised stakeholders to put in place effective preparedness and response measures, including providing training for all categories of health workers to equip them with the necessary expertise to safely manage COVID 19 cases to safeguard lives of the people.
“In record time a COVID 19 testing Centre was established in the Volta Region. A 40-bed capacity Regional Training Centre with ICU facilities were quickly operationalised. In addition, treatment centres were established in Hohoe, Adidome and Battor,†he added.
He said there was an intensified disease surveillance in border communities and health institutions to enable early detection and containment of the Covid-19 cases, with various stakeholders also seriously engaged in a sensitisation campaign to let the public adhere to the safety protocols.
The Minister said logistics and funding challenges, which were a global phenomenon were largely resolved by the President’s determination to rapidly expand the local capacity to produce Personal Protective Equipment.
He said the Region currently has no active case, but had a total accumulated case of 685 since the resurgence of the disease with 673 recoveries, 12 deaths, and appealed to all to continue to observe the health safety protocols in this campaign period to help stem the spread of the virus.
UK regulators have approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
But while many people want an injection as soon as possible, others are worried about putting something unknown into their bodies.
How do we know a vaccine is safe?
This is the first and most important question scientists ask when they start designing and testing a new vaccine or treatment.
Safety trials begin in the lab, with tests and research on cells and animals, before moving on to human studies.
The principle is to start small and only ever move on to the next stage of testing if there are no outstanding safety concerns.
What role do trials have?
As long as the safety data from the labs is good, scientists can check that the vaccine or treatment is effective too.
That means tests on large numbers of volunteers – around 40,0000 individuals in the case of Pfizer/BioNTech.
In trials, half of the people are given the vaccine and the other half a dummy or placebo jab. The researchers and participants are not told which group is which, until after the results have been analysed, to avoid bias.
All of the work and findings are checked and verified independently.
The Covid vaccine trials have happened at breakneck speed, but they haven’t skipped any of these steps.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine trial was voluntarily put on hold at one stage to investigate why one participant – out of many thousands – had died. It restarted once it was clear it was not related to the vaccine.
Who approves vaccines or treatments?
Approval will only be given for a vaccine if the government regulator, the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is happy that it’s both safe and effective.
The MHRA is part of the Department of Health, and employs more than 1,200 people. Its head is Dr June Raine, who has spent her career working in medicine regulation.
In becoming the first agency in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine, Dr Raine said: “The public can be absolutely confident that the standards we have worked to are equivalent to those around the world”.
Checks on the vaccine will continue to make sure there are no further side effects or long-term risks.
The JCVI, which has about 20 members who are experts on vaccines, is led by Prof Andrew Pollard, who works at the University of Oxford.
What’s in the Covid vaccines?
There are lots of different Covid vaccines in development.
Some contain the pandemic virus itself in a weakened form.
The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine uses a harmless virus altered to look a lot more like Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19.
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna’s vaccines use bits of genetic code to cause an immune response, and are called mRNA vaccines.
These do not alter human cells. They only present the body with instructions to build immunity to Covid.
Some Covid jabs contain proteins from coronavirus.
Vaccines sometimes contain other ingredients, like aluminium, that make the vaccine stable or more effective.
Will a vaccine make me ill?
There is no evidence that any of these ingredients cause harm when used in such small amounts.
Vaccines do not give you a disease. Instead, they teach your body’s immune system to recognise and fight the infection they have been designed to protect against.
Some people do suffer mild symptoms, such as muscle aches or a bit of a temperature, after being vaccinated.
This is not the disease itself, but the body’s response to the vaccine.
Allergic reactions to vaccines are rare. For any approved vaccine, the ingredients will be listed.
Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed, who advises the MHRA, said it hadn’t identified any “serious adverse reactions” during the trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
He said: “Most of the adverse effects were mild and short-lasting, usually lasting for a day or two, similar to the kind of effects you get after any other vaccine”.
He added that the MHRA had a “vigilant” strategy to carry on monitoring the safety of the vaccine.
image captionTwo full doses of the Oxford vaccine gave 62% protection, a half dose followed by a full dose was 90% and overall the trial showed 70% protection.
Be aware that anti-vaccine stories are spread online through social media. These posts are not based on scientific advice (or blend facts with misinformation).
Is it safe for someone who had Covid to have the vaccine?
Once a coronavirus vaccine is approved, it is likely that people will still be offered the jab even if they have had Covid-19 in the past.
That’s because natural immunity may not be long-lived and immunisation could offer more protection.
Guidance from Public Health England says there are no safety concerns about giving jabs to people with long Covid either. But people who are currently unwell with Covid-19 should not receive the vaccine until they have recovered.
How animal-friendly are vaccines?
Some vaccines, such as the shingles vaccine and the children’s nasal flu vaccine, can contain pork gelatine.
And some vaccines are grown on hen’s eggs, or cells from chick embryos.
There are hundreds of Covid vaccines in development. We don’t have details on every ingredient yet, but many of the Covid vaccines are expected to be vegetarian or vegan friendly.
If everyone else gets vaccinated then surely I don’t need to bother?
There is overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccination is the best defence against serious infections.
Covid vaccines appear to stop people getting very sick and could save lives.
The first doses that become available will probably be offered to people with the highest need – such as the elderly – who could become severely ill.
It is not yet clear how much protection vaccines might give in terms of stopping people from spreading Covid.
If they can do this well, vaccinating enough people would stamp out the disease.
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
The vaccine trains the immune system to fight coronavirus.
It is a new type of jab called an RNA vaccine and uses a tiny fragment of the virus’s genetic code. This starts making part of the virus inside the body, which the immune system recognises as foreign and starts to attack.
It is given in two doses – three weeks apart – and offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19.
Has this type of vaccine ever been used before?
This is the first RNA vaccine to be approved for use in humans.
The concept has been researched before and people have been given them in clinical trials for other diseases.
The vaccine will be considered by regulatory agencies around the world, who will decide whether the jab can be approved for use.
Who will get it first and how soon can I have it?
It depends how old you are, as age is the biggest risk factor for severe Covid-19.
Some people – such as those with a weak immune system – will not be able to have the vaccine.
Could the vaccine have long-term health effects?
Nothing in medicine is 100% safe – even something we take without thinking, like paracetamol, poses risks.
The data so far is reassuring – trials on 43,500 people discovered no safety concerns, although mild side effects have been reported.
If there were highly dangerous and common consequences of this vaccination, they should have become apparent.
However, rarer side effects may emerge as millions of people are immunised.
Will it mean we don’t need lockdown?
Hopefully yes, but not for some time.
If enough people are immune then the virus would stop spreading and we would not need other measures.
However, the manufacture and distribution of a vaccine will take some time.
So, testing, lockdowns, social distancing, and mask wearing are going to be a feature of our lives for a while yet.
Why can it only be made by Pfizer?
The vaccine has been designed and developed by Pfizer and BioNtech, and they own the intellectual property.
They already have the manufacturing capacity to produce 1.3 billion doses by the end of next year, but could partner with others to increase capacity even further.
What do we still need to know about the vaccine?
The announcement gave us the headline, but there is a still lack of fine detail.
We do not know if the vaccine stops you catching and spreading the virus or just stops you from getting ill. We also don’t know how protective the vaccine is in different age groups.
These will be crucial for understanding how it will be used.
What does this mean for other vaccines?
It is good news – it shows that a coronavirus vaccine is possible,.
About a dozen vaccines are in the final development stages and those produced by Oxford University/AstraZeneca and Moderna have also proved successful in trials. The UK has ordered supplies of both.
By James Gallagher Health and science correspondent
The first-ever Covid vaccine has been approved for use in the UK by the British regulator, the MHRA, for people aged 16 and over.
Immunisations could start early next week for people in some high-priority groups, with 800,000 doses arriving in the first batch.
When will I get a vaccine?
NHS staff and patients are likely to get the vaccine first because storage of the jab at freezing temperatures is easiest in hospitals. Some care home staff will be included too.
When more doses are delivered, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that people are given the vaccine in the following order:
residents in a care home for older adults, and their carers
everyone aged 80 and over, and frontline health and social care workers
everyone aged 75 and over
everyone aged 70 and over, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable
everyone aged 65 and over
people aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and death from Covid-19
everyone aged 60 and over
everyone aged 55 and over
everyone aged 50 and over
These groups cover 90-99% of those at risk of dying from Covid-19, according to the JCVI.
The older you are, the higher your risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from the virus – and that risk rises sharply beyond 70. People with underlying health conditions are also vulnerable to the virus.
After these nine priority groups, there will be a second phase of vaccination for other groups in the population.
Local NHS and public health teams will be given some flexibility to allocate vaccines to other at-risk groups, including people from ethnic backgrounds and deprived communities.
People will be vaccinated twice – 21 days apart – and immunity starts seven days after the second dose.
Where will I get a vaccine?
You’ll be invited to get a vaccine as soon as it’s your turn, probably by letter.
More than 1,000 GP surgeries will act as local vaccination centres, and sports stadiums and conference centres will act as major vaccination hubs.
The first doses are likely to be given via 50 hospital hubs next week, which means healthcare staff and patients will probably be immunised first, rather than care home residents.
The NHS is recruiting 30,000 volunteers to help with the rollout, including lifeguards, airline staff and students – who will be trained to give the jabs.
Doses of the Pfizer vaccine need to be stored at freezing temperatures and can only last for five days in a fridge, which makes the logistics of getting it into people’s arms a challenge.
This isn’t an issue with the Oxford one, which can be stored at normal fridge temperature.
Can I pay to be vaccinated sooner?
No – this vaccine is being rolled out free to people via the NHS.
You can’t jump the queue by paying for it, but there should be plenty of vaccine to go round.
Should I leave a gap between getting the flu and Covid vaccines?
Having both infections at once this winter could be dangerous.
At its last meeting, the JCVI recommended leaving at least seven days between the vaccines.
Will the Covid vaccine be safe?
The UK regulator will not authorise any vaccine unless it believes it is safe.
The MHRA assesses all the data, ensures a vaccine works and that all the necessary trials and checks have been completed.
lab and clinical trial results
manufacturing and quality controls
product sampling
testing of the final product
It is doing this as quickly as possible without cutting corners, because these vaccines are a priority.
Companies have continually been sending trial data to the regulator, which has also shortened the process.
It will also seek advice from another independent body, the Commission on Human Medicines, before advising the government on a potential vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the fastest ever to go from concept to reality, taking just 10 months.
In the event the UK has a choice, the JCVI would decide which vaccine should be used for different groups of people.
image captionThe Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is currently in the final stages of testing
Will everyone be vaccinated?
The eventual aim is that as many people as possible over the age of 16 receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
If everyone over 16 in the UK is offered one, that would be more than 50 million people – a huge challenge.
There is no timeframe on this momentous task, but it’s clear that’s the long-term plan in 2021.
The NHS has plenty of experience delivering vaccines to huge numbers of people, for example this winter’s flu jab should reach 30 million.
A Covid vaccine won’t be compulsory though – no other vaccines in the UK are, and experts say this approach doesn’t help create confidence in the vaccine.
At present, the government has ordered seven different types of vaccine and expects to receive 355 million doses, including 100 million of the Oxford/AstraZeneca one.
If everyone needs two doses, that would certainly be enough for every adult in the UK.
Where is the vaccine made?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is the first to be approved in the UK, is being manufactured and distributed from Belgium.
The first batch of 800,000 doses is expected to arrive in the UK in the coming days.
The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination.
Britain’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out.
The first doses are already on their way to the UK, with 800,000 due in the coming days, Pfizer said.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the NHS will contact people about jabs.
Elderly people in care homes and care home staff have been placed top of the priority list, followed by over-80s and health and care staff.
But because hospitals already have the facilities to store the vaccine at -70C, as required, the very first vaccinations are likely to take place there – for care home staff, NHS staff and patients – so none of the vaccine is wasted.
The Pfizer/BioNTech jab is the fastest vaccine to go from concept to reality, taking only 10 months to follow the same steps that normally span 10 years.
The UK has already ordered 40 million doses of the jab – enough to vaccinate 20 million people.
The doses will be rolled out as quickly as they can be made by Pfizer in Belgium, Mr Hancock said, with the first load next week and then “several millions” throughout December.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the first people in Scotland will be immunised on Tuesday.
The bulk of the rollout will be next year, Mr Hancock said. “2020 has been just awful and 2021 is going to be better,” he said.
“I’m confident now, with the news today, that from spring, from Easter onwards, things are going to be better. And we’re going to have a summer next year that everybody can enjoy.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson added: “It’s the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again.”media captionHeath Secretary Matt Hancock says he is “thrilled” that the vaccine has been approved
The free vaccine will not be compulsory and there will be three ways of vaccinating people across the UK:
Hospitals
Vaccination centres “a bit like the Nightingales project and including some of the Nightingales”, said Mr Hancock
In the community, with GPs and pharmacists.
Around 50 hospitals are on stand-by and vaccination centres – in venues such as conference centres or sports stadiums – are being set up now.
It is thought the vaccination network could start delivering more than one million doses a week once enough doses are available.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said the health service was preparing for “the largest-scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history”.
But experts said people still need to remain vigilant and follow rules to stop the virus spreading – including with social distancing, face masks and self-isolation.
“We can’t lower our guard yet,” said the government’s chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty.
This is the news we have all been waiting for
This is the news we have all been waiting for.
The NHS has already been gearing up for this moment for some time. The venues are in place and there is provision for extra staffing, with even lifeguards and airline staff to be brought in to help with the effort.
But the biggest hurdle will be supply.
The UK has been promised 40 million doses by the spring – enough to give the required two jabs to health and care workers and everyone over 65. But in the first few weeks of winter, our ability to vaccinate could easily outstrip supply.
Ministers say they will have 800,000 doses in the country within days – with several million more to follow in weeks – but the original expectation that there could be 10 million doses by the end of the year is already looking ambitious.
Getting the jabs into the country remains a challenge. It is being made in Belgium. Could Brexit be an issue? The government is confident it has secure routes to ensure supply does not get disrupted.
Nonetheless, major hopes are still being pinned to authorisation being given to the Oxford University vaccine so that rollout can happen as quickly as possible in 2021.
The order in which people will get the jab is decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations.
Mass immunisation of everyone over 50, as well as younger people with pre-existing health conditions, can happen as more stocks become available in 2021.
The vaccine is given as two injections, 21 days apart, with the second dose being a booster. Immunity begins to kick in after the first dose but reaches its full effect seven days after the second dose.
Most of the side effects are very mild, similar to the side effects after any other vaccine and usually last for a day or so, said Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed, the chairman of the Commission on Human Medicine expert working group.
The vaccine was 95% effective for all groups in the trials, including elderly people, he said.
The head of the MHRA, Dr June Raine, said despite the speed of approval, no corners have been cut.
Batches of the vaccine will be tested in labs “so that every single vaccine that goes out meets the same high standards of safety”, she said.media captionDr June Raine from the MHRA: “The safety of the public will always come first”
Giving the analogy of climbing a mountain, she said: “If you’re climbing a mountain, you prepare and prepare. We started that in June. By the time the interim results became available on 10 November we were at base camp.
“And then when we got the final analysis we were ready for that last sprint that takes us to today.”
The Pfizer/BioNTech was the first vaccine to publish positive early results from final stages of testing.
It is a new type called an mRNA vaccine that uses a tiny fragment of genetic code from the pandemic virus to teach the body how to fight Covid-19 and build immunity.
An mRNA vaccine has never been approved for use in humans before, although people have received them in clinical trials.
Because the vaccine must be stored at around -70C, it will be transported in special boxes of up to 5,000 doses, packed in dry ice.
Once delivered, it can be kept for up to five days in a fridge. And once out of the fridge it needs to be used within six hours.
There are some other promising vaccines that could also be approved soon.
One from Moderna uses the same mRNA approach as the Pfizer vaccine and offers similar protection. The UK has pre-ordered seven million doses that could be ready by the spring.
The UK has ordered 100 million doses of a different type of Covid vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca. That vaccine uses a harmless virus, altered to look a lot more like the virus that causes Covid-19.
Russia has been using another vaccine, called Sputnik, and the Chinese military has approved another one made by CanSino Biologics. Both work in a similar way to the Oxford vaccine.
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
Image caption: MPs have summoned the Nigerian president
Nigerian MPs have summoned President Muhammadu Buhari over the recent killing of at least 43 farmers in north-east Borno State, local media report.
The lawmakers while debating the motion said it was of urgent national importance.
Most of those killed on the Saturday attack – which was claimed by Islamist militant group Boko Haram – were rice farmers in Zabarmari, a community in Jere Local Government Area.
More than a dozen others are missing, reports say.
The United Nations has retracted its initial casualty figure of 110 farmers killed, saying the number was not yet confirmed.
The army has come under heavy criticism following the massacre but blamed lack of equipment for its inability to tackle the insurgency.
It also accused residents of working as informants for the militants.
