Residents of the Teshie Municipality have threatened to protest if government doesn’t fix the poor roads in the municipality.
Teshie resident, Mettle Nunoo Jnr who was present during the Community Connect segment on the Sunrise Show gave more details why the demonstration which is slated to take place on May 30, 2023 is important.
In his assertion he said; “The demonstration become very important at this particular point in time because if you look at the Ledzekuku Municipality, we have 12 electoral areas and we do not have a single major good road to even talk about.”
“The only good road you can only talk about when you come to the Ledzekuku Municipality is the road spanning from theTeshie Police station to the Mannet junction and even that is a death trap.” He added.
Giving more reasons to why they(residents) need to demonstrate he said; “Several people have lost their lives, no markings, streetlights, security checks on the road. A water hydrant has protruded out of the road and people crash into it. If you come to the main road in front of the barracks, there’s no streetlight and cars keep knocking people down every time.”
“If you look at the state of Teshie today and you look at the state of our roads today we don’t have a single good road. So the youth of Teshie have come together to make our voice heard, to let the sleeping authorities know that the people of Teshie are suffering.” He concluded.
The Eastern Regional Fire Command has begun investigating a fire incident at Daasebere Estate, a suburb ofKoforidua in the New Juaben South Municipality that destroyed an apartment.
Although the cause of the fire is yet to be known by the fire service, some eyewitnesses who spoke to Citi News indicated that there was a spark from a socket in one of the rooms where the occupant was charging her mobile phone.
Some personnel of the National Ambulance Service and the Ghana Police Servicewho occupied the apartments together with their families narrowly escaped death but unfortunately lost all their belongings to the fire.
“I was in town yesterday when they called me that our house was on fire, so I quickly went to the fire service station to report the fire. When I got there, they told me that they had already dispatched a team to attend to the fire. When I got back, they were not there, so we decided to attempt fighting the fire ourselves, but it was too late,” one victim narrated.
The victims are appealing to the public for assistance as they have lost everything in the inferno.
A highlife musician Kofi Kinaata, is getting ready for his upcoming US tour, which will take him to places like California, Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Massachusetts, Washington, DC, Arizona, Michigan, and Virginia.
The tour is to get him closer to his fans in the United States of America.
Apart from USA, Kofi Kinaata will tour some European countries all in the name of getting close to his fans who have supported him over the years.
In a chat with Graphic Showbiz, the Confession hitmaker said “I don’t usually do tours but it has become necessary that I do it this time around. I have a huge fan base in USA and other countries who are waiting to see me and I am also ready for them. My team and I have decided to visit the USA and tour some states to be with his fans over there”, he said.
Giving more details on what he will be doing during his tour, Kofi Kinaata said he will perform all his popular songs.
“I am rehearsing with a band to get my act right. Everything is on course come next month and I can’t wait for the tour. This will the first time I am visiting some of the states in USA and I can’t wait to get there” he said.
Kofi Kinaata, a musician and song writer has done major collaborations with artistes such as Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, Samini, Stonebwoy, Kwesi Arthur, Jayso, Castro, Becca among others.
However, the collaboration that blew him to mainstream music and into the limelight is Odo Pa by Castro which also featured former Ghana Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan.
Kofi Kinaata real name Martin King Arthur has a good number of hits. Some of them are Things Fall Apart, Sweetie Pie, Adam and Eve, Thy Grace, Susuka, Last Show, Oh Azaay and recently Effiakuma Love.
The approval of the proposed remuneration structure and a payment schedule, according to the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), would be sufficient to end the ongoing statewide strike.
This follows an appeal from the Judicial Service to JUSAG to call off the strike.
In a release dated May 25, 2023, management of the Judicial Service invited executives of the striking group for a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 31, to discuss their concerns.
Speaking to the media, General Secretary of JUSAG, Abdulai Yakubu, acknowledged the appeal by the Judicial Service, adding however that they will not back down on their decision until a payment plan is communicated to them.
“We respect the call by the Judicial Secretary to meet, and we are highly appreciative of the intervention that is coming from the management. However, the meeting that has been called is a work in progress and not an end to meeting our demand. So we will wait to get to the meeting before we make a decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice nominee, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, during her vetting on Friday, May 26, said processes are ongoing to address the concerns of JUSAG.
Justice delivery is in limbo as the industrial action by JUSAG over salary increase and payment of arrears since January 2023 continues to bite harder.
Actor Jefferson Machado who went missing over five months ago and was reported dead on May 5, 2023 has been buried.
The actor’s passing was confirmed on his Instagram page by family friend Cintia Hilsendeger.
“It is with great regret that we inform you that Jeff was found dead on 05/22/2023,” she wrote in the heartbreaking post.
Authorities said that the body of the 44-year-old was discovered bound and stuffed inside a wooden chest, which had been encased in concrete and buried 6 feet beneath the backyard of a house in the Campo Grande neighborhood, G1 reported.
“He had his arms tied behind his head and buried in a trunk that is very similar to the ones in his own house,” the family’s lawyer Jairo Magalhães said in a statement, per R7 News.
Authorities exhume the chest that Machado was buried in.
The attorney said that the corpse, which was identified using fingerprints, had a “line” on the neck, indicating that he was strangled.
Police footage showed the trunk getting exhumed — a task that reportedly took nine people to accomplish, the Daily Mail reported.
While the probe is ongoing, police are currently investigating a man who had rented the property. The unidentified suspect, who reportedly knew Machado, was last seen entering the house around a month ago.
“Jefferson was coldly and brutally murdered by envious, evil and, of course, unscrupulous people,” family friend Hilsendeger wrote on the actor’s Instagram account.
This marks the end of a long and tragic saga that began after the Rio native vanished in January with police reporting that he’d last been spotted in Campo Grande.
Machado’s family learned of his disappearance after a non-governmental agency contacted them to inform them that his eight dogs had been abandoned at the house.
During the ensuing months, the family received text messages from someone they believed to be impersonating the actor.
Machado’s mother Maria das Dores said she found the correspondence suspicious as it was rife with spelling errors and didn’t sound like her son.
She’d also stopped receiving calls from him, which the alleged impersonator claimed was because he “dropped his cellphone in the toilet,” Dores claimed.
The family became increasingly concerned after noticing that Machado’s cloud password had changed and that his location-tracking function had been disabled.
Born in Araranguá, Machado started studying to be an actor in 1997.
He notably starred in the 2021 film, “Placebo Effect (Efeito Placibo),” which he also co-wrote. In his final role before his death, Machado played a Philistine on the 2022 telenovela “Reis.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will pursue individuals engaged in the romance fraud saga, according to a US-based prosecutor andSupreme Court attorney, Ebenezer Apiagyei.
According to him, members of the enterprise who worked with Hajia 4Reall to defraud people should not think that they have been left under the radar, but rather, they will be arrested at the right time when all investigations have finally been concluded.
“Absolutely, this is what people do not know, especially people that get involved in conspiracy and fraudulent activities. You cannot defraud United State citizens, and go scot-free. The fact that they have not come to your time, doesn’t mean nobody is investigating you. There were a group of individual enterprise, 8 of them were indicted in 2020, they investigate them from 2014 to 2018. You realise that they were investigating this individual from 2013 to 2019. As a prosecutor, I can tell you, this might not go to trial, because they have enough evidence against them,” he explained.
Lawyer Ebenezer Apiagyei spoke toFrank NtiamoahWilliams in an interview, which was monitored by GhanaWeb.
Background
Ghanaian social media influencer, Mona Faiz Montrage, also known as Hajia4Reall, is officially the subject of a six-count charge in a Manhattan Federal Court, the United State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed in a May 15, 2023 statement.
The socialite was extradited from the United Kingdom to the US for allegedly swindling older, single American men and women in a romance scam to the tune of over US$2 million.
According to the statement, Mona4Reall appeared in court on Monday, May 15, 2023, for her alleged involvement in a series of schemes that targeted vulnerable people who lived alone.
The New York Post news portal stated that the socialite pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is set to be released in the coming days on a $500,000 bond with GPS tracking via an ankle monitor.
Her lawyer, Adam Cortez, confirmed to The Post that Mona received money from several others who were swindled by scammers in her network, and that she is charged with wire fraud, money laundering, receipt of stolen money, and conspiracy.
If convicted on the top charge, Montrage could face up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, she was involved with a group of con artists from West Africa from at least 2013 through 2019.
The scammers would trick victims into transferring money to them under false pretences, such as to help move gold to the US from overseas, to resolve bogus FBI investigations, and payments to help fake US Army officers in Afghanistan.
Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement shared by the New York Post said, “Thanks to the efforts of our law enforcement partners, Montrage was arrested abroad and has been brought to the United States to face justice. These scams can be both financially and emotionally devastating for vulnerable victims.”
Cortez said his client can only travel in certain parts of New York and New Jersey pending her case.
Dame Esther Rantzen has disclosed that the stage of her lung cancer, which was discovered in January, has reached stage 4.
The 82-year-old, who founded Childline and the Silver Line, also told the Daily Mirror she was on a new form of medication.
In a wide-ranging interview about her health, Dame Esther told the newspaper: “I’m on one of the new medications, and nobody knows if it’s working or not.”
“But I will have a scan fairly soon which will reveal one way or another.”
She explained she had gone public with her lung cancer diagnosis “because I find it difficult to skulk around various hospitals wearing an unconvincing disguise”.
Stage four is the most advanced stage of lung cancer, and means the cancer has spread beyond the lungs or from one lung to the other.
Dame Estherenjoyed a successful TV presenting career which included hosting BBC consumer show That’s Life! for 21 years.
Image caption, Rantzen and That’s Life! co-presenters Howard Leader, Kevin Devine and Gavin Campbell pictured in 1993
She is also known for launching of ChildLine in 1986, the first national helpline for children in danger or distress.
In 2013, she launched the Silver Line, a charity to help elderly people suffering from isolation and loneliness.
She told the Mirror: “My diagnosis of stage four lung cancer made me realise how very lucky I’ve been in my life, working with Childline and the Silver Line, and meeting so many fascinating and inspiring people, and especially lucky to have spent 21 years working as producer/presenter of That’s Life!”
“I’m not good at regrets,” she continued. “What I treasure most are the fantastic friendships I have made thanks to That’s Life! during the last 50 years, the people I met, and the team who worked so hard, and laughed so hard, together for so long.”
Lung cancer: Signs and symptoms
Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer. More than 43,000 people are diagnosed with the condition every year in the UK
There are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer, but many people with the condition eventually develop symptoms including a persistent cough, coughing up blood, persistent breathlessness, unexplained tiredness and weight loss, and an ache or pain when breathing or coughing
Lung cancer mainly affects older people. It’s rare in people younger than 40. More than four out of 10 people diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK are aged 75 and older
Lung cancer does not usually cause noticeable symptoms until it’s spread through the lungs or into other parts of the body. This means the outlook for the condition is not as good as many other types of cancer.
A musician and entrepreneur, Nhyiraba Kojo, has revealed that a prisoner offered to serve his 30-day term in his place.
He added that the person showed courage by contacting the prison’s second-in-command and offering to serve Nhyiraba Kojo’s term in addition to his own.
According to Nhyiraba Kojo, his encounter with prison life provided him with a unique perspective on the concept of love.
“It was fun, I am telling you. I know people love me, but when I got there (prison), then I realized that there is a difference between love. Do you know that I got someone who was bold enough to go and tell the 2IC (second-in-command) that he wants to serve my sentence for me, even if they will increase it one year for him, he is okay… I think he was serving like 7 years… that is why I am saying that it was fun because getting there was like I was at a party or some show that people are expecting you, it was fun, it was crazy,” expressed Nhyiraba Kojo.
Nhyiraba Kojo was found guilty of contempt by the court inSekondi-Takoradi and was initially ordered to serve a 30-day prison sentence unless he could purge himself of the contempt.
However, the musician spent only two weeks behind bars instead of the reported 30 days. The court subsequently ordered his release upon discovering that he had addressed the issue of noise pollution as instructed.
In an interview with Sammy Kay on the Go online show, Nhyiraba Kojo acknowledged that while his prison sentence proved to be a blessing for the inmates, there were also some challenging experiences during his time there.
On Friday, May 26, 2023, four presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) picked up forms after the party commenced accepting applications for its next flagbearership election.
At the close of day, four candidates successfully picked up their nomination forms.
Boakye Agyarko
Former energy minister, Boakye Agyarko, was the first to pick up nomination forms for the party’s primaries.
A team led by Benjamin Ashitey Armah picked up the forms on behalf of the presidential hopeful at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Friday, May 26, 2023.
Before picking up the nomination forms, Boakye Agyarko had previously met with all regional party executives during his tour.
According to Amarh, spokesperson for Mr. Agyarko’s campaign team, the former minister was the best candidate for the party to retain power in 2024. He described Mr. Agyarko as the “engine” of public policy in the NPP, noting that he would restore hope for the ordinary Ghanaian when given the nod.
Kofi Konadu Apraku
Serial flagbearer aspirant, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, also had his nomination forms picked up on his behalf by his team.
Apraku is a Ghanaian politician, economist, corporate executive, diplomat, and a member of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana.
Dr. Apraku was the Member of Parliament for the Offinso North constituency in the fourth parliament of the fourth Republic of Ghana.
Under the John Agyekum Kufuor government, Dr. Apraku served in various government positions. He served as the Minister of Trade and Industry and was the Minister of Regional Cooperation and NEPAD between 2003-2005. He was the Chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, a group that includes the Ministers in charge of Integration, Finance, and Trade. He was a governor of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) from 2003 to 2006.
After picking up his nomination on Friday, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku’s team said the NPP and Ghana needed a leader with political experience and economic prowess to turn the fortunes of the country around.
Mr. Kwame Obiri Nkansah, Director of Communication, Friends of Apraku, who picked up the forms, said, “We must go back to the basics if we want to address this economic crisis. Going back to the basics means growing what we eat and producing what we wear, and this is the focus of Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku.”
Francis Addai-Nimoh
Another former contender for the NPP flagbearer slot, Francis Addai-Nimoh, also had nomination forms picked up for him on Friday.
Addai-Nimoh is a leading member of the NPP has represented the party in parliament in the past.
Addai-Nimoh has served as a Member of Parliament for Mampong between 2008 and 2016. He contested in the NPP’s presidential primaries in 2014, where he lost.
Kwabena Agyei Agyepong
Former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has picked up a nomination to contest in the flagbearer contest.
After winning the general secretary position in 2015, Kwabena Agyepong and other national executives of the party were removed from office and suspended on grounds of being against the party’s then flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
His suspension has since been reversed after the party won the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
More to come
Meanwhile, other notable figures like Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, former trade minister Alan Kyerematen, and former agric minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto are expected to pick up their nominations in the coming days.
The Supreme Court will need to reconsider its stance that a birth certificate is not proof of citizenship, according toRansford Gyampo, a professor at the University of Ghana.
He said the position of the apex court on this document calls into question the relevance of the Birth and Death Registry.
Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, May 27, Prof Gyampo said “I am wondering about Birth and Death Registry, what will be their relevance if birth and death certificate is not proof of citizenship?
“It is quite worrying, I believe we should begin to rethink this otherwise we should scrap the Birth and Death Registry.”
On FridayMay 26 while answering questions at her vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, the Chief Justice nominee Gertrude Torkornoo said while reiterating the Supreme Court’s position on the document that a birth certificate is not proof of citizenship.
She stated that it is rather a record of one’s birth location.
It is recalled that the Supreme Court in it’s ruling on the matter of theNational Democratic Congress (NDC) and another vs the Attorney General, said that birth certificates could not be proof of citizenship.
“A birth certificate is not a form of identification. It does not establish the identity of the bearer. Nor does it link the holder with the information on the certificate. Quite obviously, it provides no evidence of citizenship,” the Supreme Court verdict said in part.
“In fact, as a form of Identification, it is worse than the NHIA card which was held to be unconstitutional as evidence of identification of a person who applies for registration as a voter,” the court said.
Madam Torkornoo at her vetting said “Citizenship is a matter of law, nationality is a matter of law. In certain jurisdictions, being born in that place makes you a citizen of that country, [but] in our country, being born in Ghana doesn’t make you a citizen of Ghana.
“It is your relationship with your mother, it is your mother’s identity, your father’s identity, it is your lineage that determines your citizenship. So[birth certificate] is just an international requirement, we must know where everyone is born. But beyond that, your nationality is derived from that form, the evidence on that form.”
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, the nominee for chief justice, will not go through a second vetting, according to chairman of theAppointments Committee of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu.
This decision comes after a rigorous vetting session in Parliament on Friday, May 26, where Minority MPs demanded another chance to scrutinize the Supreme Court judgment that resulted in the expulsion of James Gyakye Quayson from Parliament.
The Minority MPs argued that without access to the written reasons behind the court’s decision, they were unable to question the Chief Justice nominee adequately.
Unfortunately, the Committee’s meeting held today, Friday, May 26, ended inconclusively, with no consensus reached on recommending thenominee for approval by the House.
The Committee’s chairman, Mr. Osei-Owusu however indicated that the nominee will be approved by a majority decision because there is no need to defer the decision.
“It is our practice that, any time that we are done with a public hearing, the Committee sits and considers whether to recommend the person or not and so the conclusion we came to was that there is no consensus. You will recall that [Mahama] Ayariga made a statement that unless they get a copy of the case involving the Assin North MP, they will not support the nominee. They [Minority Caucus] came to the vetting with a position; do it for me, or I don’t. We went through the vetting, and we are satisfied that there is no basis for deferring the decision because you want to read the judgment. They also argued that because they have not read the judgment, they won’t support her, but it is a one-off event. We recommend her for approval by a majority decision,” the Chairman of the committee added.
Chief Justice nominee, Gertrude Araba Esabaa Torkornoo, has stated that she stands on the side of the law when it comes to LGBTQ+ matters.
The Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill is currently before Parliament.
The Bill considered by many as an anti-LGBTQ+ law seeks to criminalize homosexuality and related practices.
Asked about her position on LGBTQ+, when she appeared before the Appointment’s Committee of Parliament, on Friday, May 26, the next Chief Justice of Ghana noted, “I think I have made it clear that when I walk into the court, all my thoughts are soaked in the law”.
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who hails from Winneba in the Central Region, if approved, will become the third female Chief Justice in the history of Ghana, after Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.
She will replace Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, who retired as Chief Justice on May 24, 2023, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 for justices of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court on May 24.
During her vetting, Justice Torkornoo used the opportunity to clarify a number of issues of public interest.
For instance, she refuted claims that theSupreme Court is biased when delivering rulings on political cases.
Justice Torkornoo explained that a unanimous decision by the apex court indicates that the decision is based on the law and not influenced by bias.
“Whenever you encounter a unanimous decision, it tells you that the law is totally on the side of the position taken by the court, that every member of the court in fidelity to their judicial oath cannot take a different position, it tells you that, that is what the law is.
“So the only response is to learn from what the law says, it is not a matter of bias, it is a matter of the legal position.”
Over 500 students have been expelled from the Kumasi Technical Institute in theAshanti Regionfor flouting school rules.
The students, who were all in the boarding house, reportedly caused damage to school properties during a rampage on May 17.
School authorities failed to give further information on the matter but only said they took action to instill discipline in the school.
The authorities say they have submitted an official report of the conduct of the students to the Technical and Vocational Education Training Directorate for the appropriate action.
Citi News has learned that the affected students failed to attend a general assembly parade on Friday during which the authorities conducted a roll call.
The authorities subsequently asked the students to pack their luggage out of the dormitories and will be made to face the school’s disciplinary committee when they are recalled.
The authorities are expected to meet the parents of the affected students to brief them on the development.
Most of the affected students on Friday left the school while others were still packing out when Citi News visited the premises.
Police from the Manhyia Divisional Commandlater went to the school and the Police Commander addressed the remaining students in the school and urged them to be law-abiding.
The Narcotics Control Commission(NACOC), has seized $127K cannabis at the Kotoka International Airport cargo terminal.
The cannabis weighing about 12.67KG was intercepted on Wednesday, May 23.
The consignment was bound for the United Kingdom when the Commission detected it in KIA’s scanning room during routine duties.
In a statement signed by NACOC’s Public Affairs and International Relations Department, it indicated that “a field test conducted on the substances proved positive for cannabis.”
The Commission says it has taken custody of the seized consignment, adding that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.
“TheCommissionwould like to use this medium to remind the general public that the possession and transportation of illicit drugs without lawful authorization is illegal and punishable under sections 40 (1) and 41 (1) of Act 1019 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020. “
NACOC assured the general public that it is committed to collaborating with all relevant institutions in minimising the drug trafficking threat to the country.
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has told Chief Justice Nominee Gertrude Torkornoo that her outstanding legal career throughout the years is an encouragement to women.
During the vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday, May 26, Mr Afenyo-Markin who is also a lawmaker for Effutu said “You are an inspiration to women.”
When asked what she had to say to women or young girls who are in self-doubt about their prospects in life? she answered: “I will ask them to be confident in themselves, to work on the areas that derate the self-doubts, to choose not to look down on themselves, every girl is entitled to sit with her brother.”
President Akufo-Addo nominated her in April.
According to the President, her nomination was to avoid any vacuum that would occur following the retirement of the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, who retired on Wednesday, May 24.
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who hails from Winneba in the Central Region, if approved, will become the third female Chief Justice in the history of Ghana, after Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.
President Akufo-Addo had earlier urged the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to quickly facilitate the approval of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo for the position of Chief Justice.
The nominee for Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Araba Esabaa Torkornoo, has warned the public against the practice of offering money to certain individuals to be provided to judges in order to influence their rulings.
She said the supposed monies on many occasions actually do not go to the judges but end up in the pockets of the said individuals who collect them.
Answering a question during her vetting today [Friday, May 26, 2023] by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Justice Torkornoo, said the perception that judges can be influenced withmoney is alien to the legal profession and should not be tolerated by the public.
For her, some individuals have created a market where they milk unsuspecting people whose cases are before courts that when monies are given to judges, it will help to influence the cause of justice in their favour.
Giving an analogy to support her conviction that judges do not take money to determine cases, Justice Torkornoo said nine out of 10 people who take money under the guise of taking it to a judge to influence judgement end up pocking them.
“Don’t give money to people to be taken to judges,” she said, explaining that the reason people lose cases in courts are that their lawyers sometimes do not follow right procedures to argue their cases out.
“There is a whole market; we call it judicial predators. It’s a whole predatory group around our function and that is something that we constantly try to address in our study of ethics both for judges and staff,” she noted.
Justice Torkornooexpressed the worry that unfortunately some people have bought into the idea that when monies are paid to judges, they will rule in their favour.
“It is unfortunate that, that perception has prevailed… Our work is extremely technical, sometimes people lose cases because they didn’t abide with rules of courts; they didn’t abide the rules of evidence; they didn’t abide with substantive law precepts… and so they lose the case and they don’t understand. The law is difficult that is why law school is difficult and so when people lose cases, they tend to wonder why they lost and then they come up with all sorts of notions,” she explained.
Justice Torkornoo has, therefore, promised to engage the public to deepen understanding on how the law works so that they will understand how cases are determined.
The contender for Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, has dispelled the impression that the judiciary uses contempt summons to frighten those who oppose it.
Rather, she said contempt summons are a tool the court uses to protect the sanctity of the judiciary.
According to her, this is to prevent the bastardisation of the judiciary.
“The issuing of contempt summons has always been a tool that has been used by courts to ensure that the dignity of the court is not scandalized.
The [Supreme] Court is one out of 400 courts, and it is the ultimate voice, so whenever the court acts, whether it is the High Court, Court of Appeal, or Supreme Court, it is to ensure that the Justice system is not scandalized,” Justice Torkornoo said on Friday, May 26, when she appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
On Thursday, May 25, the Supreme Court issued contempt summons to a former parliamentary candidate aspirant of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte.
He has been asked to explain why he should not be held in contempt of the court.
In a Twitter post, Dr. Kpessa-Whytereferred to the Supreme Court as a “Stupid Court”.
In the said tweet, the lecturer also criticised the current state of Ghana’s judiciary, accusing it of partisanship and lacking common sense.
Dr. Kpessa-Whyte’s tweets came shortly after the Supreme Court ordered Parliament to remove the name of NDC MP James Gyakye Quayson from its records due to procedural breaches during his nomination and election in 2020.
However, Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte has apologised for his comments.
According to the lecturer, he did not intend to “insult” the apex court when he wrote on social media that the court was being turned into a stupid court.
In a press statement he issued on Thursday, May 25, Dr. Kpessa-Whyte thus issued an unqualified apology to the judiciary.
TheNational Service Scheme(NSS) has announced that the Personal Identification Number (PIN) codes for nursing trainees who will be performing their one-year mandated national service in the next service year 2023/2024 have been released.
These 12,594 Ghanaian final-year nursing trainees, hailing from 107 accredited Nursing Training Institutions across the country, have fulfilled the criteria set by the Nurses and Midwives Council, Ghana Health Service, and Ministry of Health, thus making them eligible for deployment during their national service.
In a press release issued in Accra and signed by Mr. Ambrose Entsiwah Jnr, the Acting Director of Corporate Affairs of the National Service Scheme, eligible nursing trainees were urged to visit the NSS website (www.nss.gov.gh) and navigate to the “Applications” menu.
By using their assigned Students’ ID or Index Numbers from their institutions, they could acquire their unique NSS enrollment PIN Codes. Subsequently, they were required to make a payment of GHC40.00 at any branch of ADB Bank Ltd. or GHC41.00 through the MTN MoMo platform to activate the enrollment process.
The statement emphasized the importance for nursing trainees to personally complete the enrollment process in order to avoid any minor mistakes that might impact their subsequent deployment.
To ensure inclusion in this year’s postings, all eligible nursing trainees were advised to complete the enrollment process before the deadline of Friday, June 9, 2023.
It is expected that this initiative by the NSS will facilitate the smooth enrollment and deployment of qualified nursing trainees, enabling them to contribute to national service within the healthcare sector.
The nominee for Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, has stated that individuals who work and study law at the same time have a difficult time learning.
She said they are having a struggle with the ability to engage the law and pass the examinations due to interference with work.
Speaking during her vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday, May 26, she said “now, many people in law school are working and I think that affects their ability to really engage with the law and pass the exams.
“If you recall, in the last six months at least a thousand people have been called to the bar, the last major call had 860 or so people being called to the bar.
“We had a mini call a few weeks ago, almost 200 people. A mini call having 200 people, that is unpreceded so they are coming out and they are going in but I think the journey is a struggle for working people.”
The collapse of a school building has brought education to a standstill in Kufori, a village in the East Mamprusi municipality of the North East Region.
Residents in the area blame the municipal education director, Mary A. Aduko, for the collapse of the school block and called for her removal.
The mud building that was already in a deplorable state and served as classrooms for both primary and junior high school children collapsed after a violent rainstorm swept through the community.
The storm also led to the death of the boys’ prefect of the junior high school who was struck dead by lightning.
JoyNews in the community found that classes are now being conducted under a tree as local authorities are yet to visit the community after more than two weeks since the incident occurred.
The community leaders say the collapse of the school building has threatened education in the community as teaching and learning have become ineffective whilst parents are withdrawing their children from the school to engage in other ventures.
The schoolchildren are, however, calling on the education ministry to intervene to save their future.
Residents of Amakomin the Ahafo Ano South East District of the Ashanti Region have been disconnected from the national grid following a major theft of power meters in the area.
According to the residents, they now have no access to electric power after some suspected thieves invaded the community and made away with meters in the community.
Expressing concern over the issue to Faustina Adutwumaa, a student of OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies, some residents said the rate of meter theft in the community was alarming.
They disclosed that over ten meters were stolen on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, causing fear in the area.
The residents have therefore called on the Electricity Company of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service to intervene and find a lasting solution to the problem.
“We were connected to the national grid just two years ago, and since then, those who connected power have had their meters stolen”.
“We do not know those doing this to us, but they have left us with no light in our houses, and so we want the police to investigate the situation,” one resident Mr Halidu Haruna cried out.
In partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and with support from the GIZ Governance for Inclusive Development Programme, co-funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has successfully conducted awareness sessions on prohibited cyber activities and related issues in selected Senior High Schools located in the Eastern Region.
The five-day sensitisation programme which targeted some selected Senior High Schools in the Eastern Region started on the 15th May, 2023 and ended on 19th May, 2023.
The objectives of the programme was to create awareness on the mandate of EOCO, Prohibited Cyber Activities and the rippling effects these activities have on individuals (perpetrators and victims), families, businesses and the country as a whole.
The programme benefitted over Twenty-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and twelve (29,512) students made up of 14,316 male students and 15,196 female students.
The beneficiary schools included Akuse Methodist Senior High School, Akro Senior High, Manyakrobo Senior High, Ghana Senior High, and New Jaubeng Senior High School. Others were Oti Boateng Senior High School, Larteh Presby Senior High School, Mampong Presby Senior High School, Adonteng Senior High School, Okuapemman Senior High School and Nifa Senior High School. Also, Yilokrobo Senior High School, Suhum Senior High School, Abuakwah State College, Nsawam Senior High School, St. Martin Senior High School benefitted from the programme.
In an introductory remark, the Eastern Regional Director, Mr. Justice Agbemava stated the purpose of the visit and gave a brief overview of the spate of cybercrime activities in the country and their negative effects on the nation and the individuals who are involved. He also added that despite various efforts being implemented by the Office to curb this menace, statistics still reveal that Ghana is increasingly becoming a hub for cybercrime activities hence the need for EOCO to reach as many young people as they can to spread awareness of this menace.
Head of Public Affairs, EOCO, Mrs. Faustina Lartey in her presentation, stressed on how the use of the internet has made the world a global village. She stated that despite the many positive things that the internet can be used for, some recalcitrant persons have resorted to using it for unexplainable negativities such as cybercrime.
She mentioned, Romance and Dating Scam, Mobile Money Fraud, Scholarship Scam, Hacking, Advance Fee Fraud (419), Examination Results Scam, Spam, Phishing and Identity Theft among others. While explaining these various types of cybercrimes to the students, she mentioned that persons engaged in advance fee fraud could spend up to twenty-five years’ imprisonment when convicted.
In addition, she emphasized that ignorance of the law is no excuse and that children who engage in these crimes could end up in the Juvenile Correctional Centre.
Mrs. Faustina Lartey, encouraged students who are engaged in hacking, that as a matter of urgency, should desist from it. She advised them to concentrate on their studies to pass their exams and apply for a course in “Ethical Hacking” and its related courses rather than becoming black hackers.
She concluded by stating that, it is important that Ghanaians work hard to maintain a positive global image of the country in order to appeal to foreign investors and make it a more attractive tourist destination. She further encouraged all persons present, to report perpetrators of cybercrimes to EOCO and other law enforcement agencies stressing on the protection of privacy and safety of complainants.
Also embedded in the presentation was a special message for all students from the Executive Director – EOCO, Mrs. Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo Danquah encouraging students to take their studies seriously and desist from engaging in criminal activities which could end up truncating their educational ambitions.
Heads and teachers of the beneficiary schools numbering about 167 were elated and encouraged the team to make routine visits to remind students of the need to desist from engaging in such criminal activities and also pledged to share the information with family and friends who were not privileged to benefit from the programme.
The Director General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Professor Edward Appiah, has made a surprising disclosure stating that his organization cannot provide support or guarantee the credibility of the authors responsible for the controversial textbook that contained offensive content towards Christianity.
NaCCA on Thursday, May 25 demanded the immediate recall of the textbook titled “History of Ghana for Basic Schools – Learners’ Book Four,” published by Excellence Publications.
NaCCAclarified that the content in the published book does not accurately reflect the approved curriculum.
Parts of the circulating textbook falsely state that Christianity is responsible for poverty and that religion has incited physical conflicts in Ghana and worldwide.
The textbook also claims that religion makes people lackadaisical in their attitude toward finding practical ways to improve their undesirable living conditions.
Professor Appiah, speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, May 26, clarified that the controversial content was not present in the original 2019 publication of the textbook.
“We can’t vouch for the credibility or authenticity of the author, but our checklist is such that if they are not credible it will take you off.”
Prof. Appiah explained that the “publishers will normally contract writers, they will even contract university lecturers to write for them, and they are just publishers. There are some people who also write books and sell them to publishers and the publishers can be anybody so far as you can establish a publishing company but our rubric and our checklist will indicate who is writing and their level and all that.”
TheNational Council for Curriculum and Assessment(NaCCA) has instructed the textbook “History of Ghana for Basic Schools – Learners’ Book Four,” published by Excellence Publications, be immediately withdrawn.
NaCCA has clarified that the content in the published book does not accurately reflect the approved curriculum.
Parts of the circulating textbook falsely state that Christianity is responsible for poverty and that religion has incited physical conflicts in Ghana and worldwide.
The textbook also claims that religion makes people lackadaisical in their attitude toward finding practical ways to improve their undesirable living conditions.
In response, NaCCA has written to Excellence Publications, urging them to promptly withdraw all copies of the textbook from the market.
“The attention of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) has been drawn to a publication making rounds in the media about the content of a textbook “History of Ghana for Basic Schools-Learners’ Book Four” published by Excellence Publications.
“The said publication from Excellence Series was taken through the standard protocols established under the approval process of the Counciland therefore comes to us as a surprise. This is because the content as published by the media is not the true reflection of what NaCCA approved.
“The Council wishes to state that the material in question is not an approved content material by NaCCA. The Council urges the general public to continue to bring to its notice, any suspicious material in the market that may be deemed to have been emanated from NaCCA.
“NaCCA will not hesitate to sanction publishers who publish materials without recourse to the established protocols of the Council. We urge the public not to hesitate to contact our outfit for information on the right content and materials for use in our pre-tertiary schools.”
On Thursday, May 25, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration organized a flag-raising ceremony and a food market to honor the 60th anniversary of African Union (AU) Day.
The ceremony was held at the Forecourt of the State House under the theme “Accelerated Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA)”.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, in a statement read on her behalf by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Regional Integration, Hon. Thomas Mbomba, stated that the theme for the 60th anniversary of the African Union was critical towards harnessing the opportunities under AfCFTA for Africa’s sustainable development, now and in the future.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey called on member states of the African Union to work together for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and added that AfCFTA is the largest free trade area in the world which is a reason for all African countries to commit to the promotion of intra-African Trade and economic integration.
Ms Ayorkor Botchwey further noted that accelerating the implementation of AfCFTA has the potential to stimulate economic growth and development across Africa by removing barriers to Trade, such as tariffs, quotas and dumping, which culminates in increasing Trade within Africa through the creation of a larger single markets, boosting economies of scale and attracting direct foreign investment.
The Minister further urged member states to work together towards accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA protocols as it has the potential to shape the economic future of the continent, strengthen its position in the global market, uplift the lives of its peoples and accelerate the sustainable growth and development of the continent.
The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, reaffirmed the strong commitment of the AfCFTA Secretariat to work with all the AU member states and partners to effectively execute its mandate to help achieve the goals and aspirations of the AfCFTA towards an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa. H.E. Mene urged member states to get involved in the actualisation of the aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement for the benefit of all Africans.
For her part, the Ambassador of Morocco to Ghana and Dean of the African Group of the Diplomatic Corps, Imane Quaadil, noted that considerable progress had been made since the inception of the AU. She reiterated the commitment of the African Group to take active part in all future initiatives aimed at achieving Africa’s prosperity and the well-being of the continent.
The flag-raising ceremony was followed by a food bazaar featuring different cuisines from across the African continent for participants to savour.
The ceremony was attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps, officials from the Ghana Armed Forces, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the media, and students.
The Customs Division personnel at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has seized a heavy-duty vehicle carrying 200 maxi-backs of cocoa beans heading towards Togo at Taviefe, near Ho.
The Mercedes Benz truck, BA 265 V, was said to have travelled from Kede, through Accra, Sogakope and Ho before Customs officers caught up with it at Taviefe.
Subsequently, the driver, Felix Tetteh, 30, was arrested and handed over to the police in Ho while the truck was impounded.
Briefing the Daily Graphic soon after the operation, the Director of Special Services of COCOBOD, Charles Amenyaglo, said the operation followed a tip-off and intelligence gathering.
Concealment
According to him, the sacks of cocoa beans were sprinkled with fishmeal and covered with wheat bran to conceal the smell of the cocoa beans on board.
Mr Amenyaglo said initial investigations revealed that the same truck was involved in a cocoa smuggling case in March, this year.
Apart from that, he said, the colour of the truck was changed three times between March and May this year to avoid detection by the security agencies.
Further, Mr Amenyaglo said the truck, which earlier used the Accra- Ho-Hohoe route for cocoa smuggling, now operated through Sogakope to outwit the security agencies.
“We will get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible and process the driver and all those involved for court,” he added.
The Director of Special Services ofCOCOBOD appealed to patriotic members of the public to readily volunteer information on the activities of cocoa smugglers in the communities to the security agencies and COCOBOD, in the national interest.
He said the driver of the impounded truck was now on police enquiry bail, assisting in investigations into the matter.
The nomination for Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, will be vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee today, May 26.
She was nominated by President Akufo-Addo in April 2023.
According to the President, her nomination was to avoid any vacuum that would occur following the retirement of the current Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, on May 24.
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who hails from Winneba in the Central Region, if approved, will become the third female Chief Justice in the history of Ghana, after Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.
Fast-track Torkornoo’s approval as CJ – Akufo-Addo to Bagbin
President Akufo-Addo had earlier urged the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to quickly facilitate the approval of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo for the position of Chief Justice.
In a letter to the Speaker, the President reiterated that this is to avoid a vacuum in the office of the Chief Justice following the retirement of Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah as the outgoing head of the judiciary.
“It is my respectful hope that the approval by Parliament of Justice Torkornoo can proceed expeditiously to enable her assume office as soon as practicable following the retirement of Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah,” parts of the letter read.
President Akufo-Addo has indicated that he has no objections to Chinese engagement and involvement in country’s economy.
According to him, China has, through the years, become a reliable partner that has supported Ghana’s economy in very difficult and trying times.
He made the remarks following a recent IMF country report that indicated that Ghana will likely lose its mineral resources and electricity revenues to China should the country default on paying a $1.9 billion debt.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, President Akufo-Addo said investments from China has been vital to Ghana’s economy growth and development.
“Well, I don’t have any criticisms about Chinese involvement in the Ghanaian economy. They have been very helpful, it’s a matter of controversy in the West. For us, they have been friends and in terms of difficulty they have proven to be a strong partner,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Since 2000, Ghana has been a major recipient of Chinese loans with the country borrowing close to $5 billion from the Asian country which has been spent on major infrastructure projects.
While majority of these loans have been expended on these projects, there are concerns that the terms of the loan have not been unfavourable to Ghana, leaving the country highly indebted.
Currently, the external debt component of Ghana has surpassed $30 billion, which has been described as unsustainable debt levels.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will accept nominations today, Friday, May 26, 2023, to begin the process of selecting a flagbearer for the 2024 general election.
In a press statement, the party said, “Nomination forms shall be obtained from the Office of the General Secretary at the Party Headquarters, Asylum Down, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (Monday to Friday)”.
The party said the nomination process will end on June 26.
The decision was taken at the party’s National Executive Committee(NEC) and National Council meetings held on Monday, April 3, 2023.
NPP’s flagbearer hopefuls are expected to pay a non-refundable nomination fee of GH¢50,000.
“The Party is determined to hold a free, fair, transparent and a peaceful presidential primary election, and urges all stakeholders to help make this a reality”.
Below is the party’s full statement on the nominations
For Immediate Release
May 25, 2023
NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY (NPP) OPENS NOMINATIONS FOR PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), at its National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council meetings held on Monday, April 3, 2023, approved the timelines for holding the party’s presidential primaries as follows:
Opening of Nominations- Friday, May 26, 2023
Closing of Nominations – Saturday, June 24, 2023
Special Electoral College Elections (if any) – Saturday, August 26, 2023
National Congress – Saturday, November 4, 2023.
Pursuant to the National Council timelines, the Party hereby announces, the opening of nomination for the presidential primary election. Nomination forms shall be obtained from the Office of the General Secretary at the Party Headquarters, Asylum Down, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (Monday to Friday).
Consequently, an Aspiring Presidential Candidate shall obtain the Nomination Forms after payment of a non-refundable nomination fee of Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢50, 000.00) only, through a Banker’s Draft issued to the NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, ACCRA as payee.
The Party is determined to hold a free, fair, transparent and a peaceful presidential primary election, and urges all stakeholders to help make this a reality.
FormerBuilsa North Member of Parliament Timothy Awuntirim has stated that all initiatives accomplished by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were launched by Ex-President John Mahama.
According to the former MP, all of the construction projects claimed by the NPP government began during the NDC era.
Speaking on Joy Prime’s morning show, the former MP indicated that the Akufo-Addo-led government has failed to initiate new projects considering the amount of money borrowed internationally.
He said former President Mahama was able to construct more facilities with the available resources, even though the amount borrowed was less than that of the NPP government.
Aside from the Tamale interchange, which he considers an overpass, the Akufo-Addo administration has only completed projects started by the NDC.
“The Pokuase interchange cost less than $100 million. We sourced the funding, and they came and continued. The Nungua interchange was awarded in 2012. Tell me a single project that you people started and finished. So, if we hadn’t started that, you cannot boast of a project that you started from the foundation,” he claimed.
In 2017, the government inaugurated the One District, One Factory (1D1F) project, which seeks to create massive employment opportunities, particularly for youth in rural and semi-urban communities, thereby reducing poverty.
The former MP argued that no factory has been built since the initiation of the project.
“You haven’t built because you said that you were supporting private sector development. You were supporting private sector firms to revamp them, but that doesn’t mean that you’ve built the factory.”
Timothy Awuntirim also debunked claims by the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia, that the country experienced five years of ‘Dum So’ under the NDC administration.
According to him, a party governs for four years, not five, and therefore Bawumia’s comments are false.
He blamed the NPP government for the current economic crisis, which he said was a result of ‘reckless’ spending of funds.
A 77-year-old woman is reportedly being detained by theTema Regional Police Command over a theft case involving her 33-year-old son.
A newspaper report by the Chronicle dated Wednesday, May 24, 2023, stated that the old woman, whose name is given as Adzo Dogbey, was picked by personnel from the Ghana Police Service on Sunday 14, 2023 and is still in custody until she provides information on her 33-year-old son, Kamasah Mawunyo who is alleged to run away with GH¢ 200,000 belonging to his expatriate employer.
According to the report, a relative to the woman explained that the last time Daavi Adzo [reference to the old woman] saw her son was on May 13 and when he returned with news of huge sums of money he had landed on.
However, when Mawunyoreturned home and discovered his mother in a poor state, he handed her GH¢ 500 so she could get medical attention, according to the relatives, even though Daavi Adzo did not see the money her son claimed he had received.
“The medical bill was GH¢ 250., so when Adzo returned home, she gave Mawunyo the balance but asked her to keep it. Mawunyo left home that Saturday evening without a word to anybody,” the newspaper quoted the relative.
The report added that on May 14, 2023, some police personnel went to Daavi Adzo’s home to enquire about her son.
“Daavi told the police that the last time she saw Mawunyo was yesterday (Saturday) and told them about the money he gave her to go to the hospital. Nobody saw the money Mawunyo claimed he had brought. All he gave his mother was Ghc500 for her medical care,” the report said.
“The police told us they had come from Agbozome Police Station, so they needed Daavi to follow them to the station to write a statement, which she obliged and went with her two sons, my nephew, who lived with us in the village. After the written statement at the Abgozome Police Station, the police told my nephew to go home, and they whisked away my sister to the Tema Regional Police Command where she has been in custody since May 13, 2023,” the newspaper quoted a brother of Adzo.
One of the daughters of Madam Adzo told the newspaper that the police, via a phone call, demanded two sureties for her mother’s bail on Monday and when her uncle expressed readiness to stand as sureties, the police declined until she provide the whereabouts of her son, Mawunyo.
Parliament will reconvene on June 6, 2023, following a recess that began on March 31, 2023.
The Speaker of Parliament,Alban Sumana Bagbin in a statement recalling the MPs for the Second Meeting of the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament said the House will commence proceedings at 10:00am.
Parliament adjourned sine die for the Easter festivities in March 2023 after passing the controversial three revenue bills presented to the house by the government seeking to boost domestic revenue mobilisation.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, presenting his closing remarks to the house urged the MPs to do away with inexplicable decisions that could mar activities of the house in the next meeting.
Mr. Bagbin said, “We have really endeared ourselves, particularly the leaders, my deputies to try and build more consensus. But we have had some rather sometimes inexplicable U-turns. And that sometimes saddens me. I hope we will not go through this experience in the next meeting. You have shown that Friday you all came prepared towork hard. So are some of the ministers”.
The African Center for Health Policy Research and Analysis (ACH-PRA) has called on the government to eliminatinate the 1% COVID-19 tax, especially now that the entry point restrictions have been lifted.
The Center argues that it is not prudent for the public to pay the tax whenCOVID-19is no longer a pandemic.
This follows calls from the public for the tax to be abolished since Ghana has lifted all COVID-19 restrictions at entry points across the country, effective from May 20, 2023.
Speaking to the media, the Executive Director of the African Center for Health Policy Research and Analysis, Dr. Thomas Anaba, emphasized that the government must remove the COVID-19 tax.
“I think it is a step in the right direction that we are no longer under COVID-19, and all the problems have ended. We have received loans and funds for COVID-19, almost twice the amount we were targeting to help address the pandemic. So, we don’t see this tax as necessary, even though we didn’t support it. We believe it’s really time for the government to remove the COVID-19 tax along with all the other taxes they are imposing,” Dr. Anaba expressed .
Dr. Thomas Anaba further urged the government to provide Ghanaians with an account of the amount generated since the introduction of the tax.
“Our calls haven’t yielded results, and I don’t know how much more we need to raise our voices for them to understand that they need to be accountable for all the money spent on COVID-19 and all the money collected in the name of COVID-19.”
“I fear they won’t do it, but we will continue to demand that they show some respect to Ghanaians by providing an account of the money collected as COVID-19 taxes, including all the funds collected in the name of COVID-19,” demanded the Executive Director of the African Center for Health Policy Research and Analysis.
Ghana lifts COVID-19 restrictions at all entry points
Ghana has lifted COVID-19 restrictions at all entry points of the country, effective Saturday, May 20, 2023.
This announcement was made by the Ghana Health Service in a statement signed by its Director-General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye.
The decision, according to the GHS, was based on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) declaration on May 5, 2023, that COVID-19 is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The GHS stated in its statement, among other things, that pre-departure testing and testing at all points of entry are no more a requirement for all passengers.
New taxes will help pay for COVID-19 freebies, other expenses
The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah in 2021 indicated that the new taxes were to help address the huge fiscal gap created as a result of the government’s COVID-19 expenses.
According to him, the government spent about GH¢19 billion of borrowed funds to provide free water and free electricity among other expenses to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and that amount must be repaid.
“That GH¢19 billion has to be paid for at some point. The liabilities we have incurred have to be paid for. COVID-19 expenses are going to be with us at least for the medium term… It does [include free water and electricity] which is part of the COVID-related expenses,” he said.
Member of Parliament for South Dayi,Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has expressed disappointment regarding from results of the Kumawu parliamentary by-elections.
According to him, the results from some of the polling stations suggest that some of the branch executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not even vote for the candidate of the party.
In a tweet shared on Tuesday, the MP added that the NDC must re-audit its register and look at the people it chooses as grassroots leaders.
“The Kumawu results have poured in quick & fast. I was part of the Ashanti Reg Reorganization Project in 2022 but these Kumawu votes show we’ve to re-Audit our Register & Branch Executives.
“We’ve 9 Executives but has 3 & 4 Votes in some branches so where are our 9NDC Executives?” parts of the MPs tweet said.
Early results from Kumawu indicated that the candidate of the New Patriotic Party is leading by a huge margin.
View the MP’s tweet below:
The Kumawu results have poured in quick & fast. I was part of the Ashanti Reg Reorganization Project in 2022 but these Kumawu Votes shows we’ve to re-Audit our Register & Branch Executives. We’ve 9 Executives but has 3 & 4 Votes in some branches so where are our 9 Ndc Executives?— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) May 23, 2023
Ghanaian musician Frank Nii Okai Tagoe, also known as Perez Musik, has stated that he was torn between venturing into a rice business or investing into recording his award-winning song,Hewale lala.
“And funny enough, when we did the recording we didn’t have money for promotion. Everything that happened on Hewale lala was purely organic,” he told host Naa Ashorkor.
“We put all the money we had into the making of the song, and forgot about its promotion.”According to Perez Musik, he only spent US$50 in promoting Hewale lala on Instagram, “I think the first station that played it was Sunny FM, they played it in the morning and by evening the song was everywhere.“… I think I did a US$50 promo on IG and that was it.
I think it was God, trying to prove something to me,” he added.Hewale lala won Perez Musik two prestigious awards at the just-ended Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs).
“Imagine if I had invested this money into something God hasn’t asked me to do, I’m sure I would have been so frustrated by now,” he said.
A Ghanaian disc jockey and record producer,Merqury Quaye, has urged event organizers to adequately pay MCs for the services they render.
Merqury, who was speaking to the media he said that just as it is done in other countries, people in Ghana who patronise the services of MCs should pay them well.
“I believe that today’s exercise will inspire a lot of event organisers, will inspire people to pay MCs more. When I did the NFA Draft Day guess what, Kwame, I asked how much my colleague from Ohio got from that event and they said 30,000 dollars and you can ask me how much I got.
So I think that this [programme] actually helps people to understand and we hope to have more. The MCs also deserve to buy the mansions like our colleagues in the US, and Nigeria are doing so please pay us more,” Merqury Quaye noted.
This comes on the back of concerns by some MCs that event organisers usually treat them as ancillary and would want to give them a pittance for their work.
Meanwhile, Jerry Adjorlolo, another venerated MC in Ghana has intimated that the work of MCs is lucrative.
He, however, noted that the payment for work done depends on the weight and value the host brings on board.
“Starting out, my basic understanding of this job is that you start from a certain position where you are prepared to work for free. Then you graduate to a point where you are prepared to be paid something. And then as you graduate further you get paid a fee. And as you grow, you get to be paid your fee. And as you grow further you get to be paid above your fee. And when you have hit the top, you are actually paid because you are you,” he said.
According to Jerry, almost every MC travels along this trajectory everyday.
“There are certain places you have to do for free because of certain considerations. There are certain places too that you have to insist on your fee,” he said.
They made these submissions while discussing the art and craft of emceeing on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z.
Other speakers on the panel were Nathaniel Attoh, Anita Erskine and Kabutey Ocansey.
Two siblings, 13-year-old Esther Dede and 6-year-old Kofi Asare have lost their lives after drowning in an isolated pool at Akyem Oda.
Grace Asare, a trader and the single parent of the children recounting the incident to the Daily Graphic at Oda, revealed that the three children, including the deceased, had gone out to play near an abandoned pool situated close to a defunct sawmill.
According to her, a four-year-old boy who was playing with Esther came to inform them that their ball had fallen into thepool, which was just a few meters away from their residence.
Ms. Asare explained that Esther ventured to retrieve the ball but unfortunately fell into the pool. Distressed by his sister’s drowning, young Kofi attempted to rescue her, but tragically, both of them lost their lives.
Overwhelmed with grief, Ms. Asare tearfully shared that Kofi had celebrated his fourth birthday earlier that day.
However, some residents of the neighbourhood disputed Ms. Asare’s account, asserting that her negligence was responsible for the tragic loss of her two children.
They claimed that when residents alerted Ms. Asare that her children were struggling for survival in the pool, she did not take the matter seriously and instead focused on preparing her supper.
According to witnesses, it was only in the late evening that Ms. Asare realized her two children had not returned home. She promptly informed the neighbours, who joined her in a search for the children. Regrettably, they discovered the lifeless bodies of Esther and Kofi floating in the pool. Subsequently, a complaint was lodged with the Oda Police.
Personnel from the Oda Police and the Ghana National Fire Service were called in, and they successfully retrieved the bodies from the pool. The authorities have deposited the remains at the Oda Government Hospital for autopsy and preservation.
The government is dedicated to completing stalled roads in the Kumawu constituency, according to theNew Patriotic Party(NPP) newly-elected Member of Parliament for the area, Ernest Yaw Anim.
At the end of the by-election on May 23, 2023, Mr. Anim received 15,264 votes, defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Kwasi Amankwaa, and two Independent Candidates, both named Kwaku Duah.
Kwasi Amankwaa from the NDC garnered 3,723 votes, while one of the Kwaku Duah candidates had 2,478 votes, and the other Kwaku Duah managed only 62 votes.
Speaking after his victory in the by-election on Tuesday, May 23, Ernest Anim assured that the government will not renege on its promise to fix all roads within the Kumawu enclave.
He also mentioned that more infrastructural development will soon take place to address the challenges faced by his constituents.
“Already this was our seat, and we have been able to retain it. Now NPP we have cushioned ourselves, we are in a better position now than the opposition party [NDC], to implement the policies President Akufo-Addo wants the party to implement in parliament”.
He stressed, “I have said countless times that this project was already in the pipeline. The late MP for Kumawu, Philip Basoah, had met the council of local churches back on January 22, 2023, and he had promised that the roads were going to start by the end of April 2023. Fortunately for us, the contractor came on site on April 15, 2023, and construction started. I have promised the people of Kumawu that the contractor is going to be with us for the next 14 months. He’s going to make sure that every road that is in the pipeline, from Effiduase all the way to Wuraso is constructed. He’s going to work on the Kumawu town roads which include Abotanso, Pepease and all the surrounding towns within Kumawu”.
Ernest Anim clarified that the construction was not aimed at winning the seat.
“For us, we know what we have said, and we are going to deliver. This is not a lie, this is not to win the seat, this is something that the party was committed to and the government was committed to doing. We have told you that, for NPP, we do what we say. The machines are going to be on the roads for the next 14 months and the people of Ghana will see the good things NPP will deliver to Kumawu,” the MP-elect said.
The MP-elect also highlighted that the government has plans for projects in the agriculture and education sectors, and they will work towards addressing the issue of unemployment in the constituency.
Ernest Anim reassured the people of Kumawu that progress will be visible going forward, and that the NPP is dedicated to delivering on its promises.
He denied allegations of vote-buying and the government’s involvement in infrastructural development to influence voters.
The Kumawu constituency has recently witnessed significant development, including the paving of untarred roads and the construction of new roads.
The by-election followed the demise of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) MP, Philip Basoah who passed away in March.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP),National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the two independent candidates have been lauded by Akufo-Addo for a successful by-election in Kumawu.
Mr Akufo-Addo also applauded the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission for maintaining its tradition of organizing “the best elections in the 4th Republic.
”The NPP Ernest Anim polled 15,264 votes in Tuesday’s election to beat the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Kwasi Amankwaa, and the two Independent Candidates, both of whom are called Kwaku Duah.
The NDC’s Kwasi Amankwaa garnered 3,723 votes while Kwaku Duah (1) had 2,478 votes with the other Kwaku Duah managing a paltry 62 votes.
“I congratulate warmly the people of Kumawu on conducting a peaceful, credible, and transparent by-election, on 23rd May 2023, to elect their new Member of Parliament, which has given another big boost to Ghanaian democracy.
“I congratulate further the NPP, NDC, and the two independent candidates for their contribution to this positive outcome. I congratulate, also, the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission for maintaining its tradition of organizing the best elections in the 4th Republic.
“Finally, I congratulate Ernest Yaw Anim, the NPP parliamentary candidate, for his 71% emphatic victory in the by-election. He, and the national, regional, constituency, and polling station executives and party workers of the NPP are to be strongly commended for their outstanding work, which has brought about this excellent result, recording one of the highest turnouts in a by-election in the history of the 4th Republic. I am confident that he will make an effective representative of the people of Kumawu in Parliament. The elephant continues to be on the march.
“God blessErnest Yaw Anim, the people of Kumawu, and Ghanaian democracy, and may God bless us all, and our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.”
The Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), has launched ‘Ghana Week in DC’ in Accra, inviting Ghanaians to participate in the outreach to promote Ghana’s rich culture.
The ‘Ghana Week in DC’ will be an annual event in Washington DC which would consist of activities to showcase Ghana’s tourism ecosystem, arts, culture, trade, investment opportunities and football.
“It also aims to create awareness for and about Ghanaian arts, and music, among others while promoting Ghanaian tourism and culture with the main highlight of the week being a football match between one of Ghana’s Premier League teams and DC United.”
The celebration is also in partnership with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Ghana Football Association (GFA), Embassy of Ghana – Washington DC, City of DC, Mayor Office and PKB Enterprises.
The Chief Executive Officer of GTA, in his welcome statement, touted Ghana’s achievement in the global community and music industry over the decades.
He said ‘Beyond the Return’ was about the partnership, adding that the Ghana Week in DC was one of the partnerships to put Ghana out there and within the diaspora.
According to him, “the Authority is excited with the outcomes of its partnership outreach culminating in the organising of this celebration”, and said it would help cement the gains of the Return.”
Jamil Maraby, Director of Marketing, GFA stated that football had a pulling power, saying that the sport would bring more attention to Ghana Week, hence the need for his outfit to partner in the celebration.
“We have the Ghana Week and it only entails forums on arts and culture, but with this one, we intend to bring much more attention to it, and the football aspect would help do that and make it successful.”
Mr Maraby appealed to the organisers to make sure the event comes to stay as a yearly event that people across the world would look up to.
The Head of Public Relations and Communications Division, GIPC, Mr Chares Opoku Mensah said the project would showcase Ghana “not leaving anything out. From business, culture and arts, entertainment, football, but we are using soccer to lead the charge to open the door.”
He emphasised that for GIPC it aligned with their mandate of promoting Ghana as a place to do business, saying “Our role in this project will push that agenda within the whole scoop.”
He entreated all partners to come on board to support this year’s “Ghana Week in DC”, adding that it was a good course.
Mr Paxton Baker, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PKB Enterprises, added that the idea behind using football as a key was also to help establish the city of Washington DC as the anchor to showcase talents coming out of Africa.
Fifteen tenants in Winneba in the Efutu Municipality of theCentral Regionhave narrowly escaped death after a three-storey building collapsed.
According to reports no casualty have been recorded since all 15 tenants of the building survived the incident and have been accounted for.
The Winneba Municipal Fire Service Commander DO2 Kwesi Hugues revealed that, they had a distress call from some residents that a three-storey building have collapsed on some tenants.
In an interview with Adom News, DO2 Hugues indicates that, when they proceeded to the scene, all the tenants were able to escape but none of them were able to pick up their properties.
He revealed that preliminary investigations show that, the building was built in a waterlog while the owner failed to use quality materials.
DO2 Hugues subsequently urged all Ghanaians to stop buying land during the dry season to know the nature of the land.
He also called on Ghanaians to do visibility studies before renting a house.
Several new mothers have been detained atKoforidua‘s Eastern Regional Hospital due to their failure to pay medical expenses.
Most of the new mothers went through caesarean sections, while others had their babies admitted at the neonatal Intensive Care Unit, services which have become very expensive in recent times.
The new mothers who claim they are over 20 say their medical bills range between Ghc4,000 to Gh1,000.
Speaking to the media, some of the new mothers said they lost their babies yet the hospital has presented huge medical bills to pay.
Some of the detained new mothers narrated that “We were referred from Begoro to this place. My Children were twins they put them in machine(incubator )they say one is dead yet they have not shown that dead baby to me because they say I have not paid my bills. What to eat is even a problem [she cried]. They said I should pay Ghc4,200.”
Another said “I have been discharged but I have not been able to pay my bills so still detained .There was blood from my baby’s mouth and nose .They gave the baby blood and oxygen but the baby died didn’t survive .They have however given me a bill of Ghc1,200 to pay. I have Health Insurance but it doesn’t work.I came from Begoro. I am now stranded”.
“My bill given to me is also Ghc1,000 They gave my baby oxygen. I came from Kyebi, I am stranded” another stranded new mother narrated.
Lastly, a new mother from Suhum also added “For me it is my bill that I am unable to pay. I have been detained. I have paid some but left with Ghc1,000 .I came from Suhum I don’t have anyone to help me”
The economic hardship being experienced in Ghana has impoverished many lower class people. This has resulted in many of such people struggling to meet basic life necessities such as payment of medical bills.
Their plights have been worsened by the disfunction of the National Health Insurance scheme due to failure by the authority to reimburse health service providers.
The situation is fueling high cases nonpayment of medical bills , revenue losses due to absondment at many hospitals.
The Eastern Regional hospital for instance ,continue to make huge revenue losses to absconders every year.
The hospital for instance, loss GH¢103,476 from about 75 patients who absconded after inability to pay their medical bills in 2022.
In 2017 and 2018, losses made to patients who either absconded or could not pay their medical bills due to poverty amounted to almost Ghc350,000
According to the Hospital, “in 2018 about 20 patients sneaked out of their sick beds and absconded with total medical bills of Ghc11,080 while in 2017, 52 patients also absconded at the blind side of the Hospital Authorities with total medical bills of Ghc23,000.”
Management of the hospital has instituted social welfare services for the poor and vulnerable who genuinely cannot pay their bills to sign undertaking for payment in installments.
In 2018, theHospitalwrote off medical debt of 13 patients identified to be paupers to the tune of Ghc19,000 after Department of Social Welfare had done background checks to established their financial status.
Ernest Yaw Anim of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won theKumawu Constituency by-election with 15,264 votes (70.91%), retaining the party’s seat.
The by-election was expected to be closely fought following the high stakes invested in the seat by both the ruling NPP and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), whose candidate Kwasi Amankwaa, came a distant second with 3,727 votes or 17.29 percent.
Supporters of the NPP even ahead of official announcement of collated results hit the streets from various polling centres in wild celebration, satisfied with the local results and convinced, Ernest Anim, an economist and a chartered accountant was on his way to represent them in parliament.
.The two other contestants in the by-election, both named Kwaku Duah, equally did not provide much of a contest, sharing between them a paltry 2,540 votes or 11.8%.
Ernest Yaw Anim (NPP) : 15,264 (70.91%)
Kwasi Amankwaa (NDC) : 3,723 ( 17.29%)
Kwaku Duah (Ind. 1) : 2,478 (11.51%)
Kwaku Duah (Ind. 2) : 62. ( 0.29%)
The polls saw a heavy deployment of the police, with fears that the exercise could degenerate into violence, however, save from pockets of disagreements from some of the polling centres which were resolved, the by-election was highly peaceful.
The seat became vacant following the death of NPP’s Member of Parliament for the area, Philip Basoah, and with the acute balance of power in parliament between the two main parties, the Kumawu seat was a critical addition and pitched the poll as a game changer for both parties.
The NPP has always won the seat since 2000, but the party left nothing to chance, providing opportunities for party bigwigs to tour the constituency and to whip up support for its candidate. That effort saw Vice PresidentDr. Mahamudu Bawumia, other presidential aspirants Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen all descend on the constituency to campaign for support.
The Chairman of the Board of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, has denied any improper conduct in providing a stake in Ghana’s oil reserves to a South African oil business, Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA).
He says he acted in the best interest of the country.
According to the former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, he exercised good judgment in the matter.
He thus did not see any reason for demands for his resignation.
“Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have done nothing wrong.
“I have observed my conscience and I thought I was protecting the interest of the country, and I am convinced about it and if others think otherwise, and if those who appointed me are saying otherwise, then so be it,” he said in an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, May 23.
Mr Blay also revealed that he has spoken to President Akufo-Addo about the matter and he does not expect to be fired.
“I have spoken to the president about it, and we haven’t gotten to where he will ask for his job back. It is not about convincing the president, the law will speak for itself and the law will talk and there are few documents on the agreement,” he added.
Meanwhile, some 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are demanding the immediate removal of Mr. Blay as the Board Chairman, along with Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah, the Chief Executive of GNPC.
The CSOs, made up of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) and 26 others, say the two men have “become a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector”.
In a statement endorsed by representatives from all 29 CSOs and sighted by JoyNews, the coalition argued that a country being micromanaged by the IMF cannot be seen to be engaging in fiscal recklessness.
The group is also demanding complete information on the AFC transaction and the actual amount that would constitute petroleum cost and the immediate closure of the Aker PoD from the Petroleum Commission and Government.”
Giving more details, the coalition said the recurring controversies surrounding Aker Energy and AGM operations in Ghana and the sale of 50% of Jubilee Oil Holding Limited’s interest in the Deepwater Tano block to PetroSA, are of great concern.
“In these difficult times, the nation needs prudent management of its resources to derive the fullest of benefits and bring relief to the suffering masses,” the statement added.
The GNPC Board Chairman is said to have written to PetroSA offering it an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary Jubilee Oil Holdings Ltd.
Energy Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh is unenthused by the deal and wants it off the table, saying it does not favour the country.
The chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Akatsi North Constituency, Mr. Godfred Root Kudalor, and the constituency’s youth organizer, Zakari Nasiru, have been suspended by the Volta Regional Executive Committee of the party.
The decision comes as a response to allegations of serious misconduct against them.
In a letter dated Sunday, May 21, signed by Pope Yao Yevoo, the NPP Volta Regional Secretary, Mr. Kudalor and Nasiru were unanimously suspended during a meeting held by the Regional Executive Committee on Sunday.
“The Committee, by a unanimous decision, has suspended you as the Constituency Chairman for Akatsi North,” the statement read in part.
The statement also refers Mr. Kudalor and Nasiru to the Disciplinary Committee in response to a petition filed against them by Mr. Innocent Agblorti, the constituency organiser, Madam Veronica Ati, the women’s organiser, and nine Electoral Area Coordinators. The petitioners have called for the immediate suspension of Mr. Kudalor for releasing an audio message on the Constituency Executives platform and giving a radio interview where he expressed support for calls made by some constituency executives to remove Mr. Simon Peter Ofosu, the District Chief Executive for the area.
The committee has instructed them to hand over all party properties under their care to the 1st Vice Chairman, pending the outcome of investigations by the Regional Disciplinary Committee.
Earlier, on Tuesday, May 16, Mr. Zakari Nasiru, the ConstituencyYouth Organiser, held a press conference at the Constituency Party Office, demanding the removal of the District Chief Executive (DCE) from office, citing issues of non-performance and disunity, among others.
The petitioners alleged that the actions of Mr. Kudalor and Zakari Nasiru were a clear breach of Article 4 (7) (f) and (g) of the Party’s Constitution, which has the potential to undermine the progress made by the party in the Constituency.
When contacted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr. Kudalor declined to comment on the matter but stated that he would refrain from further comments until directed to do so by his legal team.
Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, has responded to a group ofCivil Society Organizations(CSOs) demanding that President Akufo-Addo urgently replaces him.
Blay, a former New Patriotic Party (NPP) chairman in an interview said he would rather be fired by the appointing authority than to resign.
He also confirmed having held talks with president Akufo-Addo over a May 16 stinging letter Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh wrote in respect of a planned sale of 50% shares of government’s stake in an oil field to South African firm, Petro SA.
“Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have done nothing wrong. I have observed my conscience and I thought I was protecting the interest of the country, and I am convinced about it and if others think otherwise and if those who appointed me are saying otherwise, then so be it.
“I have spoken to the president about it, and we haven’t gotten to where he will ask for his job back. It is not about convincing the president, the law will speak for itself and the law will talk and there are few documents on the agreement.”
Concern of CSOs
A group of 29 CSOs on Extractive Governance on May 23, 2023 called for the immediate dismissal of Freddie Blay and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah.
The calls came on the back of recent reports and documents indicating GNPC’s intention to sell 50% stake in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL) in a deal with a South African oil company, PetroSA despite significant revenue potential this interest holds for the state.
Coordinator for the Economic Governance Platform,Abdul Karim Mohammedtold the press that the persistent involvement of such persons associated with such deals pose significant risk to Ghana’s stake and interest in the petroleum sector.
“We demand the immediate removal of GNPC’s CEO, Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah and the Board Chairman, Freddie W. Blay from their respective positions as they have become a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector”, he said.
Abdul Mohammed further noted that Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has vehemently opposed the decision by the GNPC Board Chairman [Freddie Blay] in offering interest in Ghana’s stake to PetroSA which is based in South Africa.
“It is a viable field, and it is giving us a lot of money if we allow this to go forward. What it means is that PetroSA will be entitled to 50 percent of the earnings from the field, whereas they have not had any role in developing the field to the point where it is now viable,” he explained.
“The information we have is that the Minister for Energy has objected to this transaction but the Chairman of GNPC Board is pushing this transaction to the extent that the Minister of Energy had written to the Jubilee House over this transaction,” the Coordinator added.
Meanwhile, documents in the media have suggested that Freddie Blay in his capacity as the GNPC Board Chairman is said to have written to PetroSA offering it an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary, Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited.
The move has since resulted in backlash from the CSOs made up of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC), Imani Centre for Policy and Education and 25 others.
Members of Parliament belonging to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are set to convene this week to renew their call for the resignation of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
The MPs numbering about 80 say the Finance Minister must leave following the successful negotiation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.
Ghana on Friday, May 19, received the first tranche of $600 million of the IMF’s $3 billion three-year extended credit support.
One of the MPs, Eugene Boakye Antwi (MP for Subin) saysPresident Akufo-Addomust go by his promise to let Ken Ofori-Atta go.
“My job is to expose the failings I think are happening at the Ministry of Finance… Principle and conviction alone should make you resign,” Eugene Antwi said.
Background
The Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim-North, Andy Appiah Kubi and other New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs in 2022 called for the removal of the Finance Minister over the country’s economic woes and threatened to boycott the 2023 budget presentation.
The MPs later softened their stance after meeting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the matter.
They kowtowed to the President’s pleas to have the Minister stay in office to seal Ghana’s bailout deal with the Bretton Woods institution.
Vote of censure: NPP MPs stage walkout as Parliament decides Ofori-Atta’s fate
Members of the Majority caucus of Parliament on December 8, 2022, staged a walkout when Parliament voted to decide the fate of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta after the debate on the report of the censure motion.
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who led the walkout said they cannot be part of a process that was baseless and politically motivated.
An Independent Candidate for the Kumawu Constituency, Kwaku Duah, has disclosed he only found out 5 days that the other independent candidate with the same name contesting with him is his nephew.
According to Kwaku Duah, who contested the late MP for the area in 2020, he was surprised that his nephew could step up and contest him.
“…He’s my nephew, I didn’t even know he’ll contest me until five days ago. He’s a family member, we have extended family at Bodomase and its environs,…Maybe he didn’t even know,” he added.
When asked whether his nephew the younger Kwaku Duah didn’t know he was going to contest him, he responded: “when the boys are hungry, anything goes.”
“…They looked at my picture and wanted to bring somebody, a portrait that will be similar to confuse people, but there’s an adage that says the person you know at day time you don’t light up to see him at night. The people of Kumawu know me, and fortunately, he’s younger than me. I got grey hair and he doesn’t have and my symbol remains the bird so they will be able to differentiate,” Kwaku Duah added.
Voters in Kumawu constituency in the Ashanti Region are voting today, May 23, 2023 to elect a new Member of Parliament followin g the death of the former MP, Philip Basoah in March 2023.
Thegovernmenthas begun a process to restructure the Internal Audit Agency’s (IAA) operations in order to increase independence, provide enough resources, and develop its technical expertise.
The move is also to focus on the Internal Audit function to ensure the prevention of financial irregularities in public institutions.
“Ghana’s strategy is to embark on an ambitious structural reform agenda aimed at reinvigorating private sector-led growth by improving the business environment, governance and productivity,”
The Director-General of the ISSUE, Dr Eric Oduro Osae announced this at the opening of the 9th Governance Forum of African Federation of the Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA) in Accra yesterday.
The IIA Governance Forum, on the theme: “Innovate to sustain”, is a prelude to the 9th AFIIA Conference, which will open tomorrow on the theme, as “Sustainability through innovation”.
The forum offers a rare opportunity for sharing knowledge, insights and best practices in all the organisational processes and serves as an opportunity for benchmarking and collaboration with fellow professionals.
Code
Dr Osae told the forum that Ghana was developing a unified corporate governance code to guide boards and management of public sector institutions for improved governance.
“Ghana is also restructuring and repositioning the internal audit function to be more responsive to the needs of boards and management,” he added.
Dr Osae said the restructuring also included professionalisation of the internal audit function in the public sector and that required a good partnership between the IAA and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
He said the IIA Ghana, the IAA and the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) had been collaborating to drive change in the public sector of Ghana “and it is yielding positive impacts.
“We believe other countries can replicate this collaborative approach and we are willing to share our experiences,” Dr Osae said.
He said the issue of new audit committee guidelines in 2023 to govern operations of audit committees and management showed “our commitment to improve governance in public institutions for efficiency and value for money in public spending.
“Since this forum targets participants with governance responsibilities, I advise board members and management to involve their internal auditors and audit committees at all levels of managerial decision making to enable them offer the best assurance and advisory services.
“That way, we can create sustainable competitive advantages that can support business growth and development,” Dr Osae advised.
Professionals
He said weak institutional structures and systems had the potential of derailing gains and success made through innovation and advised boards, management and all professionals to mainstream enterprise risk management in their operations.
He further advised them to identify risks associated with innovations and collaborate with key stakeholders to effectively manage those risks for sustainable growth and development.
Dr Osae said the development of Africa and the role of all professionals, particularly internal auditors in promoting good governance could not be overstated, adding that the African problems could only be solved by Africans, “so let us collaborate to develop common solutions to our common problems”.
He urged the participants to take opportunity of the forum to network, benchmark their practices with their peers and more important, be committed to supporting processes that helped “our organisations to create greater value through innovation.
“Together, let us build a stronger, more agile and more resilient organisations that are better equipped to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow,” he concluded.
