TheNational Labour Commission(NLC) has summoned the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghan (JUSAG) to discuss the latter’s decision to strike.
They are to appear before the Commission on Wednesday, May 10 at 11:30 AM for a hearing of their issues.
“With this intervention, the union is directed to stay any and/or intended actions and appear as scheduled,” the NLC said.
JUSAG had given the government up to Friday, May 12, within which to “approve and pay our new salaries with all arrears from January to May 2023 failing which we shall resort to industrial action”.
According to JUSAG, no word was heard from President Akufo-Addo on members’ new salaries as of close of Friday, May 5.
“At this moment, we had to say, ‘enough is enough’,” a notice to members on Friday said.
“We can’t bear it any longer. Our industrial action plans have been activated.”
According to the notice, the National Labour Commission (NLC) has been duly notified on the intention to proceed on strike in accordance with Sections 159-161 of the Ghana Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
If the government does not respond favourably by Friday, May 12, all staff of the Judicial Service will wear red armbands from Monday, May 15 “and that shall continue for one week”.
The notice issued by JUSAG General Secretary, Abdulai Yakubu said a full-blow strike will be declared from Monday, May 22 if within the preceding week government does not address their grievances.
“Our indefinite strike shall remain in force, until we have the approval and payment of the new salaries with all the arrears from January to May 2023.”
Former National Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC) Bernard Mornah, has said that the pensioner bondholders are partly to be blame for their current state.
He said he warned them about the Finance Minister but the pensioners ignored his warning and rather heeded to a meeting with Ken Ofori-Atta.
“[They] put a hold at that time when we were telling them Ken Ofori-Atta should not be believed.”
Mr Mornah said this on Tuesday, May 9, when sharing his thoughts on the recent picketting by the pensioner bondholders.
The retirees who decided not to subscribe to the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) returned to the Ministry on Monday, May 8 to demand payment of their mature coupons and principals.
According to them, government and, for that matter, the Finance Ministry has failed in payment on almost all the timelines given.
Convenor Dr Adu Anana Atwi on Monday told journalists that until they are paid they will continue to hang around the premises of the Ministry
Speaking about the action and plight of the pensioner bondholders, Mr Mornah said when they staged the first picketting in February, Arise Ghana Movement, the group he is Convenor for, joined forces with #FixTheGhana Movement to back the pensioner bondholders.
But he said the pensioner bondholders ignored their advice to speak with Mr Ofori-Atta when the minister called for a meeting with the protesting retirees.
Mr Ofori-Atta, according to the former National Chairman of the PNC, wanted the pensioners out of his premises in order to make a good case to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“Because Ken Ofori-Atta needed their absence at the Ministry to go and say my people have accepted.”
He expressed sympathies with the pensioner bondholders but said Mr Ofori-Atta cannot be trusted to pay their mature coupons and principals.
A former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has urged the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) delegates to nominate John Dramani Mahama as the party’s flagbearer for the 2024 elections.
The NDC, will on Saturday, May 13, hold its presidential and parliamentary primaries across the country to elect a flagbearer and parliamentary candidates for next year’s elections.
In a statement, Dr. Spio-Garbrah described formerPresident Mahama as the best person to lead the country out of its current economic mess.
According to Dr. Spio-Garbrah, Mr. Mahama’s political experience places him ahead of other flagbearer hopefuls to rescue the country from the current economic crisis and bring relief to Ghanaians.
Dr. Spio-Garbrah also admonished the NDC leadership to adopt new and radical economic measures that would help to dramatically change the current sad global narrative of Ghana.
“The current worsening economic circumstances of our country under the failed Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration demands that individuals and groups such as the NDC adopt new and radical economic measures that would help to dramatically change the current sad global narrative of Ghana. Among many other elements of change, Ghana needs urgent and speedy rebranding, along with an IMF bailout.
“The hope in the message of a “Ghana Beyond Aid” has been swallowed up by the dark and brackish waters of our Galamsey Waterloo, the monumental tourist attraction of a National Cathedral, “Large Hole in the Ground”, and the flights of luxurious fancy and expensive Imperial-style jetting at the Presidency.”
In solidarity with the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union, the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) will stage a protest today, May 9, against what it claims a violation of workers’ rights by a Chinese corporation, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana.
This follows the expiry of an ultimatum given by various unions for the company to reinstate contract workers whose appointments were terminated for allegedly joining the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union.
Secretary General of TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah said the Police in Tema have been notified of the protest.
Dr. Yaw Baah, addressing journalists said, “We need to show that we are a union, and we have to do what unions do. What unions do is very clear in the actions we take. The minister came in but there was no success. This last Friday, May 5, we were in a meeting with Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, for two hours plus, and we also met the leaders and management for four hours and nothing came out of it”.
Dr. Yaw Baah said TUC and sector unions under it will continue to fight until their demands are met.
“Our demand is very simple, our three brothers should be reinstated now. They have done nothing wrong, they only exercised their rights. People want to join the union, and they are losing their jobs? We should never allow this to happen. Eat well and reserve your energy because today we will take action, we are prepared. We are going to fight and fight until we win, so get ready. You [Sunon Asogli Ghana Limited] cannot deny workers of Ghana the right to unionise. Labour is not a commodity you can buy from the shelf, use it and throw it away,” Dr. Yaw Baah stated.
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union of TUC Abdul-Moomin Gbana says a series of protests and industrial actions will also be held if their demands are not met.
“TUC has resolved to use every means including protest marches, picketing, demonstrations, strike actions across the industry and the country to demand the reinstatement of the three dismissed local union leaders of Sunon Asogli Ghana Limited. We will also work with TUC Ghana and all organised groups and those abroad to demand the reinstatement of the leaders, and halt the notorious acts of intimidation and victimisation by Sunon Asogli Ghana Limited without further delay,” Abdul-Moomin Gbana stated.
TheNational Petroleum Authority(NPA) has warned inhabitants of the Volta and Oti Regions against indulging in fuel smuggling to Togo.
The authority has emphasised the dangers of this illegal activity and urged citizens to avoid participating in it.
Fuel smuggling has become a significant issue in the region, with many people transporting fuel across the border to Togo, where they sell it for a higher price.
However, the NPA has warned that this practice is not only illegal but also poses serious risk to the smugglers and the general public.
The Volta Regional Director of NPA, Godwin Konu, gave the warning during a media engagement organised by the NPA in the Volta Regional capital Ho.
According to Godwin Konu, the fuel being smuggled may be of inferior quality and may contain harmful substances that could damage engines and lead to accidents.
Furthermore, smuggling fuel through illegal channels also contributes to the loss of revenue for the government, which could be used to fund various development projects in the region.
Mr. Konu has reiterated the NPA’s commitment to working with other relevant agencies to clamp down on fuel smuggling and to ensure that the public is adequately informed about the risks associated with such illegal activities.
He has therefore called on residents to report any suspicious activity related to fuel smuggling to the appropriate authorities.
He has also urged the general public to use legal channels to purchase fuel and to ensure that they are buying from licensed fuel stations.
The journalists expressed their readiness in helping the NPA achieve its aim of clamping down smuggling of fuel to and fro Togo andGhana.
In response to the warning, some residents have expressed their support for the NPA’s efforts and have pledged to cooperate with the authorities to put an end to fuel smuggling in the region.
Others have called for stricter penalties for those caught engaging in the illegal trade.
The NPA’s caution comes as part of its ongoing efforts to promote the safe and legal use of petroleum products in the country.
A former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville, has laudedArsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, for benching Thomas Partey in the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
For the second game in a row, the Spanish manager benched the former Atletico Madrid man in favour of Jorginho, having already omitted him from the starting lineup against Chelsea in their previous game, which raised worries among some fans.
Partey was however introduced in the 80th minute to replace Martin Odegaard, the first goalscorer of the game.
Neville believes that the decision was crucial in the win over Newcastle and helped put pressure on Manchester City by reducing their lead at the top to just one point.
“I thought they might get eaten alive [on Sunday vs Newcastle]. The atmosphere was ferocious. Arsenal grew up here a lot,” he told Sky Sports.
“Mikel Arteta deserves a lot of credit for picking Jorginho. Many would have said get Thomas Partey back in there. The class Martin Odegaard showed in the first 30 minutes was outstanding.
“Jorginho composed his teammates and guided them. (Gabriel) Martinelli and (Bukayo) Saka are still not at their best but the composure from Odegaard and Jorginho was there for all to see.
“The reason why Manchester United players and Pep Guardiola have said Paul Scholes is their favourite player was because in moments in the hardest atmosphere in a difficult away game, those players are unique.
“They have the composure, the balance to get the team playing. That’s what Jorginho reminded me of – he was fantastic.”
Thomas Partey has played a huge role in getting Arsenal back to play in the UEFAchampions league with a series of top-notch performances scoring three in 30 matches.
Despite the low number of COVID-19infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) has, however, encouraged individuals to protect themselves against the disease.
WHO on May 5, announced that COVID-19 no longer represents a global health emergency which is a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy, and ravaged communities.
The World Health Organisation’s Emergency Committee met on Thursday, May 4, and recommended that the UN agency to declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern, which has been in place for over three years.
However, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus says countries should still maintain their COVID-19 strategies.
“This virus is here to stay and still killing, and still changing. The risk remains of a new variant emerging. The worse any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let its guards down to dismantle the system it already built. Or to send a message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about. What this news means is that, it’s time for countries to transition from emergency mood to managing COVID-19 along side other infectious diseases,” Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus warned.
The Government of Ghana says the country will not let its guard down despite the World Health Organization’s declaration of an end to the COVID-19 global health emergency.
Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare said government will continue to prioritize the health and safety of citizens in the management of the virus.
“We will manage it like any other disease. All that the WHO is saying is that, not that COVID-19 is completely gone, so we should be able to manage it as a country. For some months now we have not seen any COVID-19-related deaths and our ICUs have not been over-stressed with hospitalization. But we have to continue with the sensitization so that we don’t lose sight of what is happening. It should become part and parcel of us”, he said on Eyewitness News.
The Presidential Advisor on Health says government will continue with its routine surveillance until the pandemic is eradicated.
“We are trying to return life to normal as if there is no COVID-19. So we will sustain the national capacity so that we do not have to fight any major pandemic in the country. There will be more vaccines for the unvaccinated and continue with surveillance. So we will not lose sight of it and make sure the system in Ghana continues. So we are not going to stop with COVID-19 but put all these measures in place until the pandemic is formally declared over. We will be on the lookout.”
TheUniversity of Ghana‘s (UG) administration has defended its decision to provide some of its students a 2% reduction on the 15% fee increase for the 2022/2023 academic year.
Professor Ransford Gyampo who is a member of the University’s Communication Team said the criticisms of the public regarding the discount are unfair because the University approved the discount based on humanitarian grounds and not an obligation.
There was an impasse between UG Management, student leaders, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) over the 15% increase in fees.
The approved discount covers fee-paying programmes, programmes at the Accra City Campus and distance education programmes.
Giving details on why the discount was approved on Eyewitness News, Prof. Gyampo said: “We were taken to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education and the Committee convened a meeting comprising the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), GTEC, and UG Management and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education agreed that we had not charged any illegal fees but also appealed that we reduce the fees for the students especially fee-paying students. So this is purely a kind gesture by the University and not an obligation.”
“This was just a kind gesture purely on humanitarian grounds and not an obligation at all and so the University had the liberty and discretion to use this gesture in the best way it thinks will help students and as I said, these are cohorts of students that are paying higher fees compared to the regular students and so Management and Council decided to give the discount to the fee-paying students,” Prof Gyampo added.
The General Legal Council (GLC) has dismissed suggestions that lawyers will be obliged to take examinations before their licenses may be renewed.
The Chief Justice,Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah is purported to have said lawyers will write exams before their licenses are renewed.
But the General Legal Council in a statement on May 8, clarified that, “The attention of the General Legal Council has been drawn to the erroneous reportage on some media platforms of His Lordship the Chief Justice’s speech given at the enrolment ceremony of 196 Lawyers called to theBaron Friday, 5th May 2023. There was no mention of lawyers being required to write examinations at all before a renewal of licence and indeed no such amendment to the Law is about to be made”.
According to GLC, the requirement for lawyers to complete “Continuing Professional Development before the renewal of a practising licence, is a standard requirement in some jurisdictions around the world. This practice is aimed at sharpening the skills of lawyers and keeping them abreast with recent developments in the Law for the benefit of the clients they serve”.
GLC further called on lawyers and the general public to disregard the said reports.
“The General Public and Lawyers are hereby informed of the misrepresented reportage and the correction thereof accordingly,” General Legal Council in its statement said.
A lifeless body of a 6-month-old baby has been retrieved in a water-filled polytank at a building site in Nkurakan, Yilo Krobo Municipality, in theEastern region.
The baby got missing on Saturday May 6, 2023 but found drowned in polytank erected about 8 feet tall above ground level next day Sunday afternoon.
The mother is said to have left the now deceased baby in the custody of other children to fetch water. But upon return, the children told her a man came around and picked the baby.
Frantic search for the baby proved futile on the fateful Saturday.
Continuous search on Sunday found the baby drowned in a Polytank at a construction site near the house.
A ladder was used to climb the Polytank to get inside to retrieve the body of the baby.
The body has been deposited at the morgue of Eastern Regional hospital by Police to aide investigation.
A private legal practitioner, Kofi Bentil, has said that it is illegal for police to confiscate a vehicle over the driver’s inability to provide the original driving license at the time.
Speaking to the media he said “carrying a photocopy of a drivers license is entirely lawful as a prima facie proof of the existence of that license. The Police can request that the original be produced in 24hours without impounding the car”.
“The law in Ghana does not allow you to impound cars because the driver doesn’t have his or her license with them. the car is not evidence in that context!! there is no probable cause or justification for impounding the vehicle,” he added.
Mr Bentil indicated that the law in Ghana allows the driver to produce the license in 24 hours.
“You don’t have any right to amend that on your whims,” he told the Police.
Some police officers have been reported to have impounded vehicles that the drivers did not have the original copies of the lives on them.
But Mr Bentil who is also Vice President of Imani Africa said in a Facebook post that “If you continue infringing peoples rights like these, one of these days someone will sue the Ghana Police for impounding their vehicle without probable cause and take damages for distress and loss of use from the Police (Not DVLA).”
Beos is his full statement…
Dear GHANA POLICE / DVLA
The LAW in Ghana DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO IMPOUND CARS BECAUSE THE DRIVER DOES NOT HAVE A LICENSE ON HIM!! the car is NOT Evidence in that context!! there is no probable cause or justification for impounding the vehicle.
The law in Ghana allows the driver to produce their license in 24 hours. You dont have any right to amend that on your whims.
Carrying a photocopy of a drivers license is entirely lawful as a prima facie proof of the existence of that license. The Police can request that the original be produced in 24hours WITHOUT IMPOUNDING THE CAR.
If you continue infringing peoples rights like these, one of these days someone will sue the Ghana Police for impounding their vehicle without probable cause and take damages for distress and loss of use from the Police (Not DVLA).
YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE SYSTEM (AND I BELIEVE YOU DO) TO TAKE THE PERSONS PARTICULARS AND REQUEST THEM TO REPORT AT A POLICE STATION WITH THE NECESSARY PAPERS FAILING WHICH YOU CAN CAUSE THEIR ARREST.
A male and a female, have been lynched in Zakpalsi, an agricultural village in the Mion Districtin the Northern Region over witchcraft accusations.
The woman, Imoro Safura, in her early 40s and a mother of seven, was chased to the chief’s palace, where she was subsequently lynched.
The man was killed at his residence.
According to sources in the community, the two were accused of ‘buying’ sickness for a woman in the community after a soothsayer who was consulted by the woman’s family was called in.
The youth of the community mobilized to the man’s houseand murdered him.
The mob then trooped to Safura’s house but sensing danger, she ran to seek refuge at the chief’s house.
However, she was overpowered by the youth and lynched at the chief’s palace.
Executive Director at Songtaba Hajia Lamnatu Saaka has since condemned the incident.
While applauding the police for visiting the community and commencing investigations into the matter, she appealed to them to swiftly investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, the Northern Regional Reintegration Committee on Witchcraft Accusation and Disbandment of Camps is working with the police to get the perpetrators arrested.
The Ada Traditional Councilissued severe warning to political party activists, to keep off the Songor salt mine site.
According to the Ada chiefs, some political party actors have over the years used influence peddling, and their actions are instigating some indigenes of Ada against private salt mining firm, Electrochem Ghana Limited.
At a press conference addressed by the Mankraloof the Ada Traditional Council, Nene Obichere Agudey III, said a series of stakeholder consultations have taken place, and at the tale end of the consensus, some individuals break ranks with agitations.
Traditional leaders believe their acts are derailing the progress of the communities that are expected to benefit from the natural resources of the land.
“We want to warn all political parties, especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to stay clear of the Ada-Songor lagoon development. We believe the security services are able to speak to issues of breaches if any and maintain law and order and also able to determine whether there have been excesses in their operations.”
Nene Obichere Agudey III, assured that “our doors are always opened to continue engagement with all well-meaning Ada youth.”
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service(GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has announced that the country’s neonatal and institutional maternal mortality rates have seen a decrease.
He explained that while the former decreased from 7.1 per 10,000 births to 6.5 per 10,000 births last year, institutional maternal mortality ratio (IMMR), also reduced marginally from 111 per 100,000 live births to 102 per 100,000 over the period.
According to him, although the figures seemed marginal, they were remarkable gains.
He, therefore, commended midwives and other health personnel for their tireless efforts in achieving this feat, adding that there had also been significant improvement in maternal and newborn health outcomes over the last decade.
The Director-General was addressing delegates at the 32nd International Day of the Midwife in Cape Coast in the Central Region, on the theme: “Together again, from evidence to reality.”
Awards were also given to 22 midwives, one each from the 16 regions and five from Teaching Hospitals in the country for their dedication to duty.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye further disclosed that total maternal deaths decreased by some 70 maternal lives saved, moving from 875 deaths in 2021 to 805 deaths at the close of 2022.
He added that the midwife to women in fertility age (WIFA) ratio had also been improving, moving from one midwife to 720 women in fertility age in 2017, to one midwife to 387 women in fertility age in 2021.
According to Dr Kuma-Aboagye, haemoglobin checks at registration and the incidence of anaemia in late pregnancy (36 weeks) had also been on a decline over the past couple of years, while skilled delivery coverage and antenatal care (ANC) clients making fourth visits had been on an increasing trajectory over the years.
He said the absolute number of midwives in the country had now surpassed the World Health Organisation’s standard of six to seven midwives per 1,000 institutional deliveries by almost two folds.
The nation currently has 13 midwives per 1,000 institutional deliveries. Restructuring
Dr Kuma-Aboagye, however, said that there was an urgent need to restructure the health system to promote midwifery leadership at all levels.
“We, as a matter of urgency, need to restructure our health system to promote midwifery leadership at all levels, embrace midwifery innovation, encourage evidence-based practice and institute the character of empathy in our midwives, allowing for the practice to be guided by the sensitivities of our clients.
“Midwives continue to work under harsh conditions, oftentimes at the peril of their own progress and cost to their families.
“If we intend to attain the maternal and newborn health outcomes we desire, we would need to come together once more and move from the glaring evidence that midwives indeed save lives to addressing the challenges that confront midwives in reality,” he said.
A deputy Minister of Health, Tina Mensah, commended the midwives for working to save lives and supporting policies aimed at enhancing health service delivery despite their challenges. Condition of service
The President of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association, Netta Forson Ackon, called for better conditions of service to empower members to give of their best.
The UNFPA Country Representative, Dr David Wilfred Ochan, described midwives as frontline heroes and urged stakeholder agencies to work to scale up best practices to help achieve zero preventable deaths.
An educational consultant and think organization, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), has tasked government to distribute desks to public basic schools in the country.
According toEduwatch one million desks are needed in these schools to enable successful teaching and learning.
That, it said, was because 2,330,893 basic school pupils did not have writing or seating places as of 2021.
Out of that number, it said, 596,949 were in Kindergarten, 1,308,479 were in Primary and 425,465 were in the Junior High School (JHS) and because the country operated a dual desk policy at the basic school level, over a million desks were needed to salvage the situation.
A Senior Programme Officer at Eduwatch, Divine Kpe, made this known during a presentation at the launch of the Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) by the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) held in Accra.
It was chaired by the Executive Director of Ghana Blind Union (GBU), Dr Peter Obeng Asamoah.
The primary goal of the celebration was the promotion of the global Sustainable Development Goal four (SDG 4) which is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
According to Mr Kpe, the furniture deficit situation had occurred because of increased funding for secondary infrastructure compared to that of the basic level.
He also said available data had indicated that the huge desk deficit was one of the major factors that discouraged some parents from sending their children to school.
“The lack of desks in schools affects children’s academic performance and may cause children not to find the school environment friendly to remain in school putting them at the risk of droping out of school,” he added.
Way forward
Mr Kpe urged the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) to let the public and the government know the implications of the desk situation in basic schools for the attainment of SDG 4 so as to empower the citizens in the communities to demand action from local government to address the problem.
He called for increased funding for basic education infrastructure development by uncapping the GETFund and reviewing the formula for the allocation of the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) to reflect the needs of basic education infrastructure. Call on government
The vice chairman of GNECC, Joshua Nyumuah, said even though government was doing the best it could, more resources were needed to be channelled into the sub-sector to avoid an “educational accident.”
Education is not a privilege but rather a human right which has been enshrined in the SDG 4 for which GNECC is fighting then we have to use all the tools to lobby and advocate Ghana to do the needful,” Mr Nyumuah stressed.
There were solidarity messages from stakeholders in the education sector and partners of GNECC.
They were ActionAid, Oxfam, CAMFED, National Association of Graduate Teachers, Ghana National Association of Teachers, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Ghana Education Service and the Complementary Education Agency.
Under the Ghana Tourism Development Project(GTDP), the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture has provided four technical universities with hospitality training equipment in order to combine the necessary skill training that will prepare students for the current sector.
Funded by the World Bank, the beneficiaries were Cape Coast Technical University, Accra Technical University (ATU), Kumasi Technical University and Tamale Technical University.
Some of the items presented to the schools last Thursday (May 4) at a ceremony in Accra included computers, laptops, projectors, air conditioners, fans, fridges, refrigerators, chairs, tables and ovens.
Others were cake mixers, blenders, frying pans, microwaves, kitchen sinks, bed and mattresses, television sets, printers and washing machines, among others.
The exercise also coincided with the launch of the Lower Management Training Programme aimed at providing students with teachings that will make them employable, enhance their livelihoods and create wealth. Demands
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Consciental Limited and Project Consultant, Dr James Antwi, said that to ensure students were equipped with the skills and knowledge they needed to meet the demands of both domestic and international tourists.
“As consultants, we conducted stakeholder engagement, training and equipment needs assessment, resulting in the development of training modules and the procurement of equipment. The training would be hands-on and would be delivered over the next four weeks,” he said.
Also, he commended the stakeholders for being the backbone of the project.
“The achievement of this project is the result of the leadership and support of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture and the Project Coordinating Unit. I would also like to recognise the role that hospitality skills training institutions have played in this project. The success of this project will depend on their commitment to providing high-quality training to our students,” he said.
For his part, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of ATU, Amevi Acakpovi, PhD, also thanked the tourism ministry for the gesture, which would no doubt make practical training more effective.
The Technical Advisor of GTDP, Professor Gabriel Eshun, noted that tourism of which hospitality was a part was the key and road to development and so it should not be taken for granted.
He added that the pieces of equipment given to the schools were seeds expected to grow and make impacts; therefore, they should be put to good use and used for the purpose for which they were presented.
TheEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA) has announced that it will close churches in the Volta Region that operate without a permit.
In an interview with the media, the Director of EPA in the Volta Region, Hope Smith Lomotey, said the move by EPA was necessitated after some churches in the region failed to comply with the required standards of operating a church under the EPA’s regulations.
Mr. Lomotey also noted that, although some churches have acquired permits to operate in authorized areas, they are yet to renew their permits and may also be affected by the Agency’s enforcement.
According to him, churches must apply for a permit before establishing their churches.
He added that the move is also to address complaints of excessive noise caused by churches in unauthorized locations causing nuisance to residents, especially at night.
“Some [Churches] have applied for permits, others have not, so we are regularising those who have not. The challenge we have is that most of these churches, they establish before they apply for regularisation.
“But you are supposed to apply, after the application, we check and see if the place is conducive enough for such a facility.”
The interim Programme Manager of the Ghana Health Service’s (GHS) Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr Efua Commeh, has disclosed that the country is seeing an increase in stroke cases among young individuals under age 40.
Thestroke cases, she said, were triggered by uncontrolled hypertension that had become common in young people in the country recently.
Dr. Commeh said although stroke cases were previously recorded mainly in people between 80 and 90 years old, local hospitals were now recording them in people as young as 35 years and 40-year-olds, most of them resulting from uncontrolled hypertension.
“These strokes that originally we used to see in very aged people are now occurring in the productive work group; people who are actively working,” she said.
“They bring them to the hospital and they say nothing happened and the person collapsed. You check them and they have hypertension. It is this hypertension that gives them complications like stroke, heart attacks, andkidney diseases, among others,” she added.
Describing hypertension as a very serious health problem in the country now, Dr. Commeh said the hospitals kept seeing more young people, sometimes in their 20s, reporting to health facilities with hypertension, adding, however, that those numbers were not as huge as the older age groups.
She said averagely, the country recorded around 600,000 cases of hospital visits every year by people with hypertension.
She was speaking in an interview ahead of World Hypertension Day which will be observed on May 17, on the theme: “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”.
Stroke causes
Dr. Commeh said stress was chiefly responsible for the recent stroke cases among young people in the country, adding that most young people in Ghana were stressed out.
“(For) Some of them, it is pressure from school, pressure from work, pressure from the home and pressure everywhere; and on top of these stresses, closing quite late from work and getting home late before eating in the night.
At that time of the night, you are not going to get any appropriate food to eat.
You end up taking fast foods, and these, among others, contribute to making us unhealthy, and they are the things that can give us hypertension,” she explained.
She said unhealthy diets, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and physical inactivity, or the lack of exercise were other causes of stroke among young people, pointing out that such conditions were contributory factors that raised blood pressure which could develop into hypertension.
“Hypertension is said to be a silent killer.
It is called silent because when it starts rising, you don’t notice anything.
The first thing you know is you have a severe headache and then the person collapses, and by that time, it would have gotten a bit too late,” she said.
Unfortunately, she said, most people in the country, including young people, hardly checked their blood pressure, adding that for most people, the first time their blood pressure was checked was after they had collapsed and had been rushed to hospital.
Preventing hypertension
Dr Commeh advised young people to have enough rest, pay attention to their diet and reduce fried foods, fats, and oils, as well as salts and sugars to avoid getting hypertension.
She also recommended that they should take small walks in and around their offices after sitting behind their desks for two hours, climb office stairs once or twice a day, and eat more fruits and vegetables.
She urged corporate organizations to undertake proper medical screening for their staff at least once a year.
“Test for fats, blood sugar, urine function, and blood pressure.
That routine screening will help us so that if there is something going wrong, it can easily be picked up and managed,” she said.
She advised young people already diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension to take their medication, explaining that hypertension and diabetes could result in problems, including erectile dysfunction and reproductive problems when left uncontrolled.
Dr. Commeh advised the public to walk to a pharmacy or any clinic to regularly have their blood pressure checked, at least once a month, and to get conditions controlled if they were diagnosed with any, in order that they might live healthier and longer.
The Pensioner Bondholders Forum has asked government to borrow from the Treasury Bills market to cover all outstanding coupons and principle on their bonds.
The government has failed to pay 19 coupons and three principals since February after exempting the pensioners from the Domestic Debt Exchange programme.
Convenor of the group, Dr Adu Anane Antwi in an interview with the media said the government must find the money to pay the pensioners whose livelihoods have been adversely affected.
“The government can borrow from the Treasury Bills market to pay us. If you borrow from the Treasury Bills market, it will raise your debt level, but you are faced with a situation where you have to do that for people who need their money for medication.
“The president once said that they cannot bring the dead back to life, but you can bring the economy back. So we are talking about pensioners who need their money for medication, if you don’t do that they die, you can’t bring them back so borrow from the Treasury Bills market and pay them, so they can live.”
The government has defaulted on payments for coupons on matured bonds for pensioner bondholders who were exempted from theDomestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) and to individual bondholders who did not participate in the scheme.
The Forum explains that the government has failed to pay their matured coupons and principals for more than two months.
The chief of Agric Nzemaa inKumasi, Nana Nkansah Boadu Ayeboafo, has expressed disbelief at which some individuals do not recognise and appreciate the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
According to him, individuals who “do not cherish such beauty and recognition only exhibits an attitude of a person who is possessed by witchcraft”.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has recently been accorded by foreign dignitaries since his arrival at the Buckingham Palace.
According to Nana Nkansah Boadu Ayeboafo, foreign dignitaries are inspired with awe by the beauty and value of Ghanaian culture and tradition.
“They are even surprised that as a country we have such rich culture and tradition but we do not celebrate it enough” He noted, stressing that the time has come forGhanaians to eschew bitterness and rally behind things that bring progress and development.
Nana Nkansah Boadu further urged Ghanaians to rather focus on more things that unite us and bring development to the country.
“The Asantehene is always thinking about the interest of the development of the country; he has always used opportunities accorded him not only for his subjects but also for the entire country, why should such a person be hated instead of being celebrated ” He questioned.
Judy Austin, the second wife Nigerian actor Yul Edochie, has described how the Holy Spirit constantly fights her battles, by thwarting individuals who plot evil against her.
Judy testified to being a major beneficiary of God’s unlimited blessings while declaring herself special and His number one.
She narrated how she has continued to enjoy God’s goodness from her tender age till this moment because she placed absolute faith in Him.
The actress,in a video titled: “IJELE. Judy Austin breaks silence. Shares her story”, posted on her hubby’s Facebook page,asked people to thank God on her behalf.
She said: “I really don’t know where to start from; God loves me so much. I know it might sound strange to a lot of people but God loves me so much.
“I don’t know if he loves people like he loves me. He loves me so much, you will not understand. They says it he that wears the shoes that knows exactly where it pinches. It’s only me that knows, just me.
“But God loves me so much. He has continued to fight my battles. I want the entire world, the whole universe to worship God with me because He has been awesome to me.
“I am a special child, I’m so special. From the time I was born, from my childhood, my youth, till I gave birth to all my kids even till this last baby; oh God! I have experience.
“I’ve experienced a lot of things in this life. I actually started experiencing it from a very tender age. But you know, one thing is consistent in my life, and that thing is God’s love.
“He has loved me all the way. Even when it seems like I won’t make it. Even when it seem like the trouble around me will swallow me whole, somehow, I pull through. Somehow, I’ll still be at the top. I don’t know how that happens but I don’t have to know because God works in mysterious ways.
“He has truly shown me that I am His number one. If I want to talk about what I’ve been through in my very tender life, like how old am I? If I really want to talk about my blessings, I don’t think we will go today.
“God has truly been awesome in my life. Anybody around me will tell you. Every prayer point, I’ve ever written down,Godhas answered every single one of them. And you know what, He can do it for you.
“If your faith is not one hundred percent in God, you won’t experience what I’m experiencing. I’m here today because I have one hundred percent faith in God Almighty, in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He’s my one and only. I brag with my God.
“I brag with the Holy Spirit because He has done so much for me. He fights my battles as if I’m a princess, like I’m a queen. Like I don’t have to ever stress, I just sit down. Let them come, I’m with you.
“Anybody that tries with me, the Holy Spirit scatters them. How special can you be? This is the height of being special in God’s arm. I’m His number one, I am God’s number one. God I thank you.
“See just have one hundred percent faith in God and forget the rest, no matter what’s happening against you, it means nothing. They say one with God is majority. You don’t have to be with the world, people are wicked. They want you to die.
“So you don’t need people’s validation. Once you have God’s validation in your life, you’re good. If you’re with God, you’re with the majority. There’s nothing that you’ll lack.
“I put to bed when it seems as if it won’t happen. That is God! He came through for me, He made sure that I am fine. Jesus Christ of Nazarethmade sure that I, Judy am fine.
“And then I came home with my baby. I came out and my baby came out. Go and ask around, so many people have died from this. But I go through this and I’m still bouncing, enjoying, laughing, and dancing every day. God loves me!!!”
The former Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has stated that he will serve as a representative for Dr Kwabena Duffuor in the incoming presidential primaries.
Mr Anyidoho was expelled from the party in 2021 after the disciplinary committee of the NDC found him guilty of misconduct and anti-party behaviour.
However, speaking to the media inKoforidua at the sidelines of an event which he was guest speaker, Mr Anyidoho described his dismissal from the party as mere persecution which is not grounded in law, therefore, is null and void.
He believes he is still a bonafide member of the NDC, hence he will take part in the upcoming primaries.
“Today is 6th of May technically we were supposed to be voting a week from today to elect Flag-bearer and our parliamentarians. I will vote in my capacity as a former national officer and a former appointee. I have a new a new card and let Asiedu Nketia come and remove my vote from the register.”
Mr Anyidoho declared support for Dr Duffuor, adding that he will serve as agent for him in the primaries.
“Secondary on that score, I am supporting Dr Kwabena Duffuor in the Presidential primary. I am not supporting John Mahama and that is one of the reasons why they said they have sacked me from the party because I have said I won’t support John Mahama, I am not a slave to John Mahama and I refuse to be a slave to him.”
Mr Anyidoho emphasised that Dr Duffuor’s competency in managing the economy far outweighs former President Mahama.
“Dr Duffuor was the Finance Minister under John Evans Atta Mills so he worked with President Mills I worked with him I know what Dr Duffuor stands for in terms of building the economy that President Mills built: 32, 34 months single digit inflation, introduction of single spine, clearing of the arrears , Infrastructure expansion, three public Universities in three and half years, health facilities all over, I believe that Dr Duffuor has the potential by training, by competence, by experience both in public and private life,” he said.
Mr Anyidoho further urged the Electoral Commission to address concerns raised by the campaign team of Dr Duffuor on delayed release of voters register.
According to him, if the concerns raised by the Duffuor campaign team are not immediately addressed before Saturday 12th May, 2023 there will be legal consequences.
Meanwhile, Dr Duffuor says the May 13 presidential primary must be free, fair and transparent to ensure unity after the elections.
A Ghanaian afrobeat artist, Gregory Bortey Newman, also known as King Promise, has revealed that perseverance and hard work garnered him Album of the Year at the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).
King Promise’s “5 Star” did the trick for him at the music fiesta held at the Grand Arena, Accra International Conference Center.
Nominees in the category included; Black Sherif (The Villain I Never Was), Sarkodie (Jamz), Gyakie (My Diary), Kwesi Arthur (Son of Jacob), and Joe Mettle’s (The Kadosh).
Speaking to Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (8 May), King Promise said: “We made amazing music for the rest of the world and Ghana. We put Ghanaian music on the map, and I’m just glad that we could do that.”
“I just kept pushing and trusting that God will work it out just how it’s supposed to be, and He did just that.
“It takes a lot of hard work, persistence and dedication. I had to sacrifice – times where I could’ve been sleeping like any regular student, I just went harder in the studio. It’s all hard work and persistence,” King Promise said.
Listen to King Promise in the attached audio clip below:
The ultimate prize
Mohammed Ismail Sharrif, better known by his stage name, Black Sherif, won the Artiste of the Year award. Black Sherif beats contenders such as Sarkodie, Camidoh, King Promise and Piesie Esther to win the ultimate prize.
The “Kwaku the Traveller” hitmaker also won the Best Music Video award, Most Popular Song of the Year and Best Hiplife Song of the Year.
His closest rival, Piesie Esther, grabbed two awards – Best Gospel Song with “Wayɛ me yie” and the Best Gospel Artiste of the Year.
Okuneye Idris Olarenwaje, also known asBobrisky, has stated that his meals are prepared with bottled water only.
Taking to his Snapchat account, the controversial crossdresser said that he does not use tap water or sachet water to cook his meals.
According to him, he uses only table water. Sharing a video of himself cooking a pot of meat with bottled water, he said;
“I use table water to cook, I don’t use tap water and I don’t use pure water, I use table water to cook”.
Bobrisky recently caused a stir on Instagram when he shared photos of a man tying a white towel on his waist and hugging him while promoting an aphrodisiacs.
The video has since generated over a million views on Instagram and over 20,000 comments on the video alone.
Ghanaian musician, Ameradohas given credit to his close confidant, Deloris Frimpong Manso, better known as Delay, for supporting his art and pushing his 2022 single, ‘Obiaa Boa’.
“You know one thing, one woman who supported ‘Obiaa Boa’ so much is Deloris Frimpong Manso, God bless you. Thank you all so much,” he shouted.
The rapper revealed this when he gave a speech at 24th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) after he emerged winner for the ‘Best Rap Performance’ category.
Amerado won the title on his third nomination after losing it out to his colleagues in the previous years. When he took to the stage to deliver his acceptance speech, he named some legendary Ghanaian rappers for paving the way for him.
“Third time lucky, I have truly suffered for this title. This is for every rapper out there, your dreams are valid.
“Shout out to Okyeame Kwame for paving the way. Shout out to Sarkodie, Reggie Rockstone, Obrafour, Strongman, this is for you, Frimpong, King Palutta, every Kumasi rapper out there, I love you so much,” he said.
Verifiable literature indicates that Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has proven revolutionary leadership on how to structurally alter Ghana’s economy ahead of his challengers in the 2024 presidential race.
In his 2010 bestseller, ‘Monetary Policy and Financial Sector Reform in Africa – Ghana’s Experience’, Dr. Bawumia comprehensively examined the monetary policy on the African continent and the need for reforms to ensure economic transformation through digitalisation.
It is therefore not surprising that the Vice President is a firm believer of putting in place digital structures to drive the economic transformation of Ghana.
In the review of the seminal book, Dr. Bawumia recommended reforms, after critically touching on all inhibiting issues, focused on digitalisation of African economies, which he said will be achieved on three main pillars.
He mentioned the three pillars as unique and verifiable national identification numbers, digital address systems and financial inclusion, which he pointed out, would bring on board the unbanked members of the informal sector.
All these are currently being implemented in Ghana by Government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo under incisive supervision of Vice Bawumia.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia Unique national ID numbers
According to Dr. Bawumia, a key component which underpins financial transaction in any society is trust.
However, his book revealed that trust was very low in Ghana’s financial transactions due to lack of database to properly identify people.
This is contrary to developed countries where every individual is identified with a unique national identification number.
Dr. Bawumia therefore suggested that the only way to curb this is to have a unique national identification number for the people, which can be easily authenticated both “online and offline.” Address system
Writing about the importance of a system of property addresses, Dr. Bawumia noted that it “is probably one of the most underestimated requirements for the development of an economy and its financial sector.”
Reiterating the importance of the system in an economy, Dr Bawumia stated, “one can imagine what would happen if for example, the address system in the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea or Japan disappeared overnight. These economies would basically grind to a halt because so much depends on residential or business addresses.”
Dr. Bawumia also argued that the absence of address system also “increases the risk premium bankers attach to a loan.”
He accordingly recommended that countries like Ghana, should, as a matter of priority, put in place a comprehensive address system. Financial inclusion
In the 2010 bestseller, Dr Bawumia called financial inclusion, “banking the unbanked”.
He noted that “the financial system cannot develop to its potential and monetary policy cannot be effective if the majority of the population continues to be excluded from access to financial services.”
Acknowledging the role the Bank of Ghana[AM1] ’s e-switch platform was playing in bridging the financial gap as far as banking was concerned, Dr Bawumia recommended the use of mobile phones to deliver mobile banking service within Bank of Ghana’s regulatory framework. Unwritten rules
In the concluding parts of the book, Dr Bawumia wrote that the recommendations he outlined were some of the unwritten rules for effective fiscal policy and financial management, as well as for general development.
“A unique identification number, an address system and financial inclusion (banking the unbanked) are basically some of the key unwritten rules for effective monetary policy and financial sector development in particular and over all development.
“Without these systems and institutions in place, no monetary policy framework will be sufficient in the long run to engender the type of financial sector that will be critical in the growth process. No donors have thus far required that countries put in place address systems, unique IDs, etc. in place as conditions for aid for example.” Walking the talk as Vice President
Just as he recommended in his highly revered book, Dr Bawumia, as vice president and head of Ghana’s Economic Management Team, has followed to the letter the principles he preached, leading to the massive digital transformation of the Ghanaian economy.
Within four years of the NPP administration between 2017 and 2021, Ghana has a unique and verifiable national identification card, a digital property address system and financial inclusion of the unbanked through mobile money interoperability.
Through these pillars, just as Bawumia predicted in his book 11 years ago, there has been a digital transformation with many government services going online.
This is bringing relief to people in accessing services, and also helping in the fight against corruption.
On Saturday, May 6, 2023 a fuel tanker exploded at Mamfe in the Eastern region, while descending the mountains.
According to an eyewitness, the situation is serious as the tanker continues to explode multiple times.
He said the entire stretch of road has been engulfed in flames hence vehicles plying the road are unable to cross creating gridlock.
Many passengers are therefore stranded.
No casualty confirmed so far.
Motorists are to use Koforiduato Adukrom road to join Mamfe, Aburi and continue to Accra as fire fighters were yet to arrive to extinguish the fire.
Multiple crashes have recently been recorded on that stretch of the road.
Scores of passengers were reportedly injured after a Toyota Fish with registration number GX 8555-20 and a Toyota Hiace with registration number GW 6185-16 were involved in a crash on Akuapem Mamfe mountains in the Eastern region.
The Toyota Fish vehicle somersaulted severally before landing on the side of the road.
Occupants of the Toyota Fish suffered critical injuries but those in the Toyota Hiace survived with minor injuries.
They were rushed to Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital.
The crash occured less than 24 hours after a driver of Xugong Mobile Crane vehicle died in a fatal crash on same stretch of Mamfe to Koforidua road.
The driver was descending the mountain when he lost control of the steering wheel leading to the crash.
Personnel of the Ghana Police Service and Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) who went to the scene observed that the Xugong mobile crane with registration number GS 8400-11 was partially in the bush on the shoulder of the road with the occupant (driver or operator) nowhere to be found.
The driver was later found lying motionless in the nearby bush during a search .
He was rushed to Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital by the Police but pronounced dead on arrival.
The National Democratic Congress’ aspiring flag bearer,Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, has stated that he endured hardships under the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
This comes on the back of a skewed campaign by his opponents that he has received some form of sponsorship for his bid to lead the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
However, the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana(BoG) has flatly denied the allegation.
According to him, he has not received any sponsorship from the NPP to destroy the NDC which he contributed to building.
He disclosed this when addressing the party’s delegates in Adansi Asokwa Constituency in the Ashanti region as part of his four days campaign in the Ashanti region.
Dr. Duffuor however urged the party supporters particularly the delegates to disregard the destructive campaign his opponents are sharing to party members.
“I funded the NDC so I’m NDC and nothing can change my love for NDC. The NPP destroyed my banks and tried to collapse every business under my control. I want to tell you that the NPP has hurt me more than any other member of the party. The NPP can never use me to destroy the NDC. My main aim is to return NDC to power to make Ghana better,” Dr. Duffuor reiterated.
He pleaded with the party supporters to vote for him to lead the party into election 2024 on Saturday 13th May 2023 in the presidential election by thumb printing #3 on the ballot paper.
Investigations have been launched bypolicein the Ashanti Region over the alleged slaughtering of an infant by a landlord’s son.
Reports indicate that the suspect killed the toddler after he had an altercation with the child’s father, who is a tenant in their house.
The incident happened at Adankwame within the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of the Ashanti Region on Friday, 5th May 2023.
The suspect, who has only been identified as Emmanuel, also inflicted machete wounds on the deceased’s father and sister who are battling for their lives at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
“My husband left for work in the morning and returned home in the evening between 4pm and 5pm. My son ran to hug his father to welcome him. It was around that time that our landlord’s son who was wielding a machete confronted my husband. He butchered my son and my husband. He also attacked my daughter who attempted to save my son. We then had to run away. All three persons have been sent to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. The toddler who is one year and four months old has however died,” Janet Owusuwaa, mother of the toddler said.
The Rotational Nurses and Midwives Association is charging the Nurses and Midwifery Council to take a great interest and guarantee the payment of their 10-month unpaid allowance.
According to the association if government does not heed to their demands it has no other option than to put down their tools.
The group has in recent times been engaging various stakeholders including the Health and Finance Ministries to give them clearance for payments to be made however that has not yielded any positive results.
Speaking to Citi News, President of the Rotational Nurses and Midwives Association, Jasper Dzorkah lamented the impact this is having on members of the association while hinting at the group’s plan to withdraw their services or embark on a demonstration exercise on May 15 if government fails to pay them this week.
He however wants their professional body, the Nurses and Midwifery Council, to intervene in the matter.
“I think that everybody must have interest in what is going on. It is not fair to look at your younger ones working on an empty stomach for 10-11 solid months, and nothing has been said about it. We admit that the economy is in crisis and that we are not in normal times. But as we speak today, all MPs and Ministers are being paid. The government has ways of paying these people, so why not sort us out? It is really not necessary that every year Rotational Nurses and Midwives have to be on the streets before they are paid. It does not bring honour to the profession.
“I will call on the Nurses and Midwifery Council that they should have interest in our payments. If government fails to pay us we might be forced to strike on May 15,” Jasper Dzorkah, President of the Rotational Nurses and Midwives Association said.
Executive Director of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), COP Maame Yaa Tiwa Addo-Dankwa, has urged company owners to file their annual filings.
This, she said will ensure that appropriate taxes are paid to the State thereby promoting the socio-economicdevelopment of the country.
“I encourage the business community that we are obligated to pay our taxes. Let us always remember that, little drops of taxes make a mighty nation.
“The point is, other countries have made it because of taxes and we should also do it. We should not always be concealing things from the tax man so that whatever we have to pay, we pay that,” she said on Friday.
She made this call during a brief ceremony in Techiman to inaugurate the Bono East Regional office of EOCO.
EOCO boss explained that taxes are essential to the day-to-day running of the state and as such the business community must pay to enable the government to undertake projects.
“You should also remember that you as a businessman cannot construct your own road, you cannot build your own hospitals, and you cannot construct your own terminal or anything.
“It is the taxes that government gets that they use to provide all these amenities for all of us. So we must ensure that we pay what we are obligated to pay and we should not hide anything from the tax man and we should be good citizens of the nation,” she added.
The new office will help EOCO to prevent and detect organised crimes as well as facilitate the confiscation of the proceeds of crime.
Over 500 soldiersto be deployed to Bawku in the Upper East Region to assist with the region’s growing instability.
The decision to deploy armed men was taken after a delegation, comprising National Security Coordinator, Edward Asomani; Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Chief of the Army Staff, and other heads of state security and intelligence agencies paid a working visit to the area.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku, Amadu Hamza, in an interview with Citi News, the mandate of the task force will also help deal with the influx of Burkinabes entering the country as a result of the insurgency in that country.
The deployment follows the death of one immigration officer in Bawku on April 3. The motive for the attack remains unclear; there have been no claims of responsibility yet.
Bawku has since the beginning of the year experienced turbulent insecurity following renewed chieftaincy disputes.
According to government, the state of confusion in Bawku can also be attributed to criminal activities.
TheGhana Revenue Authority‘s (GRA) Intelligence Unit has warned cargo importers and declarants to refrain from under-declaring, mis-describing, depreciating weight, and under-invoicing cargo.
Mr Wisdom Xetor, Assistant Commissioner Intelligence, GRA, told Journalists that GRA had been doing some tracking and monitoring underground to uncover such operators and bring them to book.
Mr Xetor said when importers and their agents were found to have engaged in any of the illegal acts, the GRA, as part of sanctions, could impose a 300 percent duty penalty on them and seize the items.
He disclosed that currently, the GRA had intercepted at MPS Terminal Three, a container containing paper products after being monitored for two and a half months.
He said the importers and declarants were suspected of engaging in under-invoicing, mis-describing, and devaluing weight.
Mr. Xetor indicated that after taking statements from both the importer and agent and several meetings, they agreed to open the container on a certain date to physically examine the product, but the declarants did not show up.
He said they, however, showed up when they realised that the GRA had blocked them from the system, making it impossible for them to do business with the Authority until the issue was thoroughly investigated.
The Assistant Commissioner explained that even though they declared importing stationery, the scan picked the items as A4 papers, adding that they also entered about 68-line items, while it showed as one line item.
He explained that while stationery attracted a five percent duty rate, A4 paper, which is classified as a finished product, has a 20 percent duty on it; therefore, mis-describing meant paying lower rates during clearing.
He added that other importers also devalue the weight of their cargoes, stating, for instance, that instead of entering 18 metric tonnes, they would indicate eight.
“We are therefore sending a clear message to the importing public that we are monitoring them, so they should declare the correct thing, as we will deal with them according to the law,” he added.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of spousal-related killings.
In the face of this, clinical psychologist, Edwin Boakye-Yiadom, has advised that those experiencing threats or suspected ill-treatment from their partners must immediately report to the police to prevent fatal outcomes.
According to him, an early police intervention coupled with personal safety are proactive measures in clamping down on spousal-related violence.
Speaking to the media, the phycologisturged the public to take personal security seriously.
“Many times, we take things lightly. Whether or not a person means it, if you are threatened, it is your responsibility to report. Whether or not there is an intention, it should cause you to become self-aware. It is often said that, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, as a result if you are threatened, it is your responsibility to respond swiftly,” he said in Twi.
The psychologist, Boakye-Yiadom, added that counselling bodies such as pastors, family heads and traditional leaders should listen and act on the complaints that people make concerning their relationships.
“Some people act by reporting to their church leaders; they are often told by these people that marriages are like that, go and address it, leaving leaders who are expected to advise them throw the reported case away. So, if someone confides in you and reports a relationship related issue, because of your position, you are obliged to help the person,” he added.
Background:
There have been recent cases of men killing their partners who jilted them.
Cases of spousal-related murders have been in the news in recent times. The trend so far indicates that some partners resort to using murders as a means of getting even with these partners, some of whom, have either been accused of cheating, or suspected of doing so.
Among these were these 3 cases.
Serial abuser kills wife, inflicts cutlass wounds on father-in-law:
On May 2, 2023, a man identified only as Isaac, at Nungua in Accra, was reported to have killed his wife over her insistence on proceeding with a divorce.
He is reported to have later inflicted cutlass wounds on his father-in-law too.
The man, said to be a chronic abuser by a witness to the marriage, lamented how the deceased, although she would usually leave her matrimonial home after an abuse, her husband would return to plead with her to return.
A pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, Pastor Boafo, who was at the home of the deceased, lamented the death and the circumstances leading to it.
According to other accounts, the culprit murdered his wife and tried to commit suicide over her insistence on proceeding with a divorce.
The culprit has since been put before court.
Jealous boyfriend allegedly kills girlfriend with blocks at Dunkwa Mfuom:
On May 1, 2023, GhanaWeb reported that a 27-year-old man, Dominic Mfuom, had allegedly murdered his 23-year-old girlfriend, Victoria Tetteh, after a year of dating and numerous misunderstandings.
The deceased is said to have contacted her sister for help, but by the time she [her sister] returned, she found Victoria’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood outside the house.
The suspect fled the scene and took with him items he had bought for the deceased.
An eyewitness claimed that the suspect killed Victoria because she had cheated on him and that he might have drugged or poisoned her first.
The suspect was an illegal miner who had financially supported Victoria during their relationship, reports said.
The police are currently investigating the case, and the victim’s body has been deposited at the Dunkwa Hospital, undergoing examination, autopsy, and preservation.
On April 20, 2023, a 26-year-old woman, Maa Adwoa, was shot and killed by her police inspector boyfriend, Ahmed Twumasi, at the forecourt of Dufie Towers in Adum, Kumasi, on suspicion of cheating.
According to reports, the police had launched a manhunt for Twumasi and eventually arrested him in Sekyere.
A CCTV footage showed that Twumasi kissed his girlfriend before shooting her.
Maa Adwoa’s family has since requested police protection after unknown individuals entered their area suspiciously.
It also emerged from reports that the Inspector Ahmed Twumasi is a married, senior police officer.
The police are yet to update the public on further steps they are taking regarding the case.
A three-story building that collapsed inNanakrom in the Adentan Municipality of Accra, on Thursday, May 4, has claimed the life of an individual.
Speaking to the media, the Municipal Chief Executive for the area, Alexander Nii Noi Adumuah said that personnel of theNational Disaster Management Organisation(NADMO) managed to pull out the deceased Friday morning after hours of tracking the victim.
However, one person with injuries and has since been sent to the hospital.
Mr Noi Adumah added that the Police have commenced investigations into the incident.
The latest building collapse comes days after the Supervisor of another three-storey building which collapsed at Adentan in Accra on Monday was arrested by the Police.
The structure, which was under construction, led to the death of one person and also left three other persons with injuries.
The former chairman of the disbanded Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), has said that every detail in his galamsey report is accurate and not fabricated.
Speaking to the media, the former Minister for Environment, Science and Technology said he stands by everything in the controversial report on illegal mining.
Professor Frimpong-Boateng on April 20 caused a stir when a report he authored on illegal mining popularly known as galamsey was leaked to the media.
The report indicted a couple of NPP officials for engaging in illegal mining activities.
Among the persons mentioned in the report included a leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Director of Communications at the Presidency, Lord Commey, Information Minister, Oppong Nkrumah, and a host of others.
All the persons mentioned have denied the allegations.
But speaking on the report for the first time, the renowned Heart Surgeon said he had to be brutally honest with the President in his report. Professor Frimpong-Boateng also denied leaking the report to the public.
According to Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, the report was handed over to personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department during investigations on some missing excavators.
“I didn’t write the report for Ghanaians to talk about it. It has been two years since the report was authored. I didn’t leak it. After I was granted an interview with GTV, some CID officials visited me to investigate some comments I made in the interview concerning some excavators. I then handed over the report to them.
“I am not saying the CID officials leaked the report but I gave them the report to aid with their investigations and that was the end.”
The Ghana Boundary Commission and Togo’s National Land Boundary Commission will commence a collaborative effort to demarcate all land boundaries between the two countries.
The twocommissions started the exercise in July 2022 to ensure proper demarcation between them.
This year’s reaffirmation exercise, slated for May 5 to May 27, will cover approximately 80 kilometres.
Speaking at a sensitisation programme at Agortime Kpetoe, the National Coordinator for the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Emmanuel Kotia, said the exercise will help identify and replace damaged boundary pillars within the demarcated areas between the two countries.
The exercise aims at sensitising relevant stakeholders and border communities at the Agortime Ziope geographical section of the Ghana/Togo International Boundary Line on the reaffirmation of International Boundary pillars by the Joint Land Boundary Reaffirmation Technical Committee.
The National Coordinator for the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Emmanuel Kotia, said 60 International Boundary Pillars are expected to be reaffirmed along the International Boundary Line from Ave Dakpa to Wli Afegame.
He said the majority of people living in the border communities find it difficult to identify the boundary pillars, adding that an inter-median boundary pillar will also be constructed to address the issue.
“We are not coming to demarcate a new boundary line, we are going to confirm the existing boundary line so that we can replace tempered pillars, destroyed pillars, and what have you. So in doing this activity within this area, we are going to cover about 80 kilometres and it’s going to extend from Have up to the Hohoe Municipal area that is around the Wli Afegame area,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary for Land Boundary Commission of Togo, Dr. Lardja Douti, said the team is set to carry out the exercise and warned that individuals and groups who plan to disrupt the exercise will be dealt with accordingly.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio said most of the boundary pillars between Ghana/Togo have been displayed causing conflict among some border communities. He urged communities along the Ghana/Togo border to support and cooperate with the team for a successful exercise.
“The management of our common boundaries is a shared responsibility. The fact remains that most of the boundary markings that divide the land boundaries between Ghana and Togo have been displayed due to several factors such as erosion, outright removal. Effect of these have been the eruption of conflict in many communities along the International Boundary Line. My dear Chiefs and people. We are all one people with shared cultural and social beliefs. These similarities are what should define us as a people and not the invisible boundaries created years back. The International Boundary Line should serve as a bridge for promoting economic and social good in our communities,” he said.
The District Chief Executive for Agortime Ziope, Emelia Emefa Adzimah, appealed for infrastructure such as CHIPS Compound, classroom blocks, and motorable roads in the community to enhance the socioeconomic development of the people.
“I wish to appeal to the Boundary Commission to provide some infrastructure projects in the border communities. We need CHIPS Compound, Classroom blocks, and motorable roads in these communities. This, when provided, will improve the living conditions of our people, thereby enhancing the socioeconomic development of the area,” she said.
The newly constructed boundary pillars will be done jointly by the Ghana Boundary Commission and the National Land Boundary Commission of Togo with funding from the GIZ-African Union Border Programme (AUBP). Dr. Archibald Letsa, pictured in this photo seated in the middle front row, is the Volta Regional Minister.
In attendance were the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa; the Member of Parliament for Agortime Ziope, Charles Agbeve; some Municipal and District Chief Executives from the region, Assembly members, students, and traditional authorities.
Minister of Interior, Mr.Ambrose Dery, has proposed that the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) implements a system that will substitute fire personnel who die in the line of duty with relatives who meet the necessary requirements.
To the Minister, this scheme, if well implemented, will go a long way not only to ease the pain of family members who have lost a loved one in the service but also to boost the morale of fire officers.
Mr. Abrose Dery said rewarding and honouring personnel who die during duty are the best motivating factor in any field of work.
He, therefore, charged the GNFS to come out with modalities on how the scheme seeks to replace personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty with family members with the right qualifications.
The Minister also touched on benefits for firefighters who die of diseasesin the discharge of their duties.
So far, five firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty.
A 21-year-old final-year student at Ghana’s University of Cape Coast, Miss Selasi Ama Domi-Kuwornu, has emerged winner of Ms. Geek Africa 2023.
She won herself a certificate, laptop, smartphone, and a cash prize of US$5,000. Ascend Digital also promised to give her a cash price of US$1,000 in addition to a job opportunity in Accra to enable her secure better future.
She would also be sponsored by GITEX Africa to participate in the GITEX Africa Digital Summit, from 31st May to 2nd June 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.
The Summit is aimed at connecting tech titans, governments,SMEs, Start-ups, coders, investors, and academia to accelerate, collaborate and explore new ventures.
The international win for Miss Selasi Ama Domi-Kuwornu didn’t come from an easy side. She was contested by six (6) other young ladies knowledgeable in ICT from Rwanda, Kenya, Benin, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Niger.
All applicants presented a solution that was original, scalable, and feasible within Africa and beyond which seeks to address challenges in Africa using technology.
The project of the girls was judged based on the theme of Transform Africa Summit organized by the Smart Africa Alliance, “Connect, Transform and Innovate” focusing on challenges that are unique to the African continent.
Miss Selasi Ama Domi-Kuwornu presented a project named, “Kasa-Cash”, an offline system that enables illiterates, physically challenged, unserved and underserved communities to be able to effortlessly perform financial services without third-party assistance.
The other young ladies presented IT solutions on ‘femme entrepreneur’ from Niger, ‘Smart Miner Monitoring System’ from Rwanda, ‘Tekeleza to solve water crisis’ from Kenya, ‘Just Live’ from Zambia, ‘Management of solar power generation systems’ from Zimbabwe, and ‘Blood connect’ from Benin.
The win comes after she won the 2019 Ms. Geek Ghana competition when she was a level 100 student of UCC.
She won the competition by beating nine other contestants by receiving ¢10,000, a laptop, internet connection for one year, and assistance to develop her Concept into prototype.
Miss Geek Launched
The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation on October 9th, 2019, launched the Ms. Geek Ghana Competition, aimed at empowering girls in the field of ICT.
The sector Minister, Mrs.Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, launching the competition, mentioned that her Ministry is committed to highlighting the role females bring to the tech-sector and will also offer young girls an opportunity to showcase what they have.
“Students of Mamfe Methodist Girls won the International Robotics Competition, and they informed me that they have also developed a solution to the bed-bug infestation in our second cycle institutions. There are probably many more of such hidden talents utilizing technology to solve common everyday challenges,” she added.
In line with this, the Ministry called on all girls between the required age to take up the challenge in order to stand a chance of representing Ghana in subsequent years of the Ms. Geek Africa Competition.
The Minister, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, also called on stakeholders to support the competition to encourage more girls to consider a career in science and technology. The competition will empower young girls by educating them in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
“I am encouraging all technology companies, telecommunications companies to partner with us so that we can provide exciting prizes not just to the top 3 finalists but to all the top 10 finalists to encourage, inspire and motivate them to continue innovating.”
About Ms. Geek
The competition seeks to change the attitude of young girls towards the adoption of ICT and also equip them with digital skills, which is in line with the SDG goal 5 objectives of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
The competition is opened to females between the ages of 13 to 25 years to submit a technology-based solution aimed at solving the basic challenges we face in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
Among the objectives is to inspire girls/women across Ghana, every year, to solve challenges in the country using technology.
It also encourages 15 percent of girls/women in Ghana to pursue careers in technology, science, mathematics, and engineering within five years.
It also aims at promoting innovation among 20 percent of Ghanaian Girls in STEM annually; and to contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals; ‘Goal 1 – No Poverty, Goal 2 – Zero Hunger, Goal 5 – Gender Equality, Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic, and Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities’.
Private legal practitioner, Samson Lardy Anyenini, Jubilee House’s sole alternative now is to sue Al Jazeera for failing to withdraw and apologize for statements against President Akufo-Addo in its Gold Mafia documentary.
The presidency had issued a seven-day ultimatum to Al Jazeera to retract and apologise for alleged misrepresentation of the President in the documentary which exposes corruption, gold smuggling and money laundering on the continent of Africa.
Al Jazeera has responded it is unable to grant the wishes of the presidency, because it has done no wrong.
Speaking on Top Story on Joy FM, Samson Lardy Anyenini explained that because the president did not question the ethics of Al Jazeera but rather called them out for intending to malign the President’s name, a commission will not be the forum to go to.
Mr Anyenini said that the court becomes the place to prove the media house intended to slander the president “once you couch the complaint in the manner of defamation. In this case, they actually say it’s malicious defamation, which means there was clear intent and malice, to do what they did. They knew it was wrong and untrue but proceeded to publish.”
Mr Anyenini added that “Now the judicial authorities are very clear that when it comes to the online or the cyberspace, the law is that where the publication takes place and for the purposes of a defamation claim, where the relevant words are heard or read, so it doesn’t matter if you’re in Ghana or not once your publication was read in Ghana, a party that is affected has a right at law to take you on.”
A letter signed by Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante on April 25, stated; “I am instructed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to demand formally that Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera”) retract immediately and apologise for airing an inaccurate and unfair documentary that contained spurious and unsubstantiated allegations against the President and the Government of Ghana.”
However, Al Jazeera, in its reply on Thursday, May 4 to JoyNews’ Kwaku Asante’s email requesting a response to the demands by the presidency, said it does not owe the president nor his office any apology since it did not allege the issues raised in the letter from Jubilee House demanding the retraction and apology.
Meanwhile, Mr Anyenini noted that although there is a law in Ghana hindering people from suing the President while he is in power, there may not be any that stops him from taking the legal route, especially in this defamation case.
“The President can take up the suit in any part of the world but more conveniently in Ghana and when he wins, the question remains how do you enforce the judgment? We have a way of enforcing a foreign judgement, as long as there is what we call the reciprocity kind of agreement,” Mr Anyenini said.
He explained that “You are allowed to register that judgment and enforce it. I suppose that where Al Jazeera is physically located, it will be the case that the same rules will be invoked and applicable to enforce a judgment against them.”
Background: How Ghana appeared in Al Jazeera’s ‘Gold Mafia’ documentary
Early on in April, Ghana popped up in a damning investigative documentary conducted into some of Zimbabwe’s gold smuggling and money laundering syndicates.
In the concluding episode, undercover journalists posing as Chinese gangsters interact with one of the key players, Alistair Mathias to help clean a supposed dirty money.
‘Gold Mafia’: We have responded to Akufo-Addo’s letter – Al Jazeera
Mr Alistair who is described in the piece as a Financial Architect told the reporters posing as criminals that he had a track record of successfully orchestrating such syndicates.
Essentially, he is said to be instrumental in designing money laundering schemes for many corrupt politicians in Africa.
Alistair named Ghana as one of the countries where he had executed similar schemes, alleging associations also with the President.
Mr Mathias added that he used to be the biggest smuggler in Ghana at one point, raking out about $40 million to $60 million worth of gold a month from the West African country.
During the documentary, Alistair outlined his modus operandi to the undercover journalists suggesting that the most important credential of his operations in Africa comes from the trust that some dubious politicians have in him to keep their siphoned resources safely tucked away.
He revealed that in doing this, the politicians involved do not keep assets in their own names, but rely on proxies.
Citing government infrastructure as an example, he indicated that he is able to take huge contracts on behalf of Ghanaian politicians, inflate the cost and subsequently split the profit afterwards.
“In Ghana, I take tenders, road construction, procurement, supplying different things, oil, this that. There, all the politicians get taken care of, indirectly because it allows me to do all my other stuff freely.” ‘Gold Mafia’: We have responded to Akufo-Addo’s letter – Al Jazeera
He explains further in the documentary;
“For example, Ghana government, Mathias Holdings, I get the contract. I subcontract it to you, $100 million contract. Ghana government pays me $100 million. I give it to you and you say it’s $80 million” he told the investigative reporters who secretly recorded the interaction.
In this scenario, the outstanding $20 million out of the inflated $100 million is shared per an arrangement reached between Alistair and the said politician. ‘Gold Mafia’: We have responded to Akufo-Addo’s letter – Al Jazeera
“I’ll have an arrangement with them and they get 15… I’ll probably get 5 million,” he added.
“I keep all of it in Dubai. Whenever they want it, they just tell me and I send it.”
Member of Parliament for Builsa South,Dr. Clement Apaak, has raised concern over President Akufo-Addo’s refusal to examine the Free Senior High School Education (FSHS) policy.
This comes on the back of the Methodist Church of Ghana calling on the government to review one of its flagship policies, the FSHS.
According to the Methodist Church, irrespective of how the policy has been welcomed by Ghanaians there is the need to revise it.
Commenting on the call by the Methodist Church, Dr. Clement Apaak indicated that President Akufo-Addomust listen to the many calls for the policy to be relooked at.
“Stakeholders in education, the clergy, unions, parents and well-meaning Ghanaians have all called for and/or supported the call for a review of the FSHS policy, except Akufo-Addo and his NPP government. What is wrong with reviewing a policy to make it better, I don’t get it!” the lawmaker stated in a tweet.
Meanwhile, the Methodist Church of Ghana has also disclosed that the FSHS policy has been saddled with challenges the government must accept and embark on a review.
The Food and Beverage Industry (FABAG) have asked government to scrap the 3 new taxes that went into effect on May 1, 2023 in its next mid-year budget.
The Income Tax Amendment, Excise Duty and Excise Tax Stamp Amendment, and Growth and Sustainability taxes have all kicked in, much to the disappointment of the business community.
Traders are already up in arms about the implementation, with manufacturers, retailers, and other value chain stakeholders fearing that the new tariffs will exacerbate production difficulties and lead to massive job losses.
Speaking to Citi Business News, John Awuni, Executive Director of the Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG), said the association expects the Finance Minister to withdraw these taxes during the mid-year budget presentation.
“We are expecting that we can still engage with the government if it makes itself available. We have made so many appeals to parliament and the executive, and it appears no one is minding us, but we remain hopeful. In the mid-year budget, they should be able to reverse those three new taxes.”
“The Growth and Sustainability levy for example is extortion. It is absolutely unacceptable, and it is going to affect the ordinary Ghanaian. So we will speak to government as partners in development to ensure that they withdraw these taxes because they are odd”, he said.
The Excise Duty Amendment Bill will impose 20 percent on sweetened beverages and other products including processed fruit juice, cigar, mineral water, spirits, wines, and sparkling wine.
The Income Tax Amendment Act will charge a minimum of 5% on firms declaring losses for five years. Individuals earning income beyond ¢500 will attract some taxes, and the more one earns, the more taxes one will pay to the state.
For the Growth andSustainability Levy Act, it requires banks, non-bank financial institutions, telecom companies, and firms working in the oil sector to pay 5% of their profit before tax to the state.
But traders insist the introduction of the new taxes will further increase the cost of doing business.
Those who sell beverages and bottled water are accusing some wholesalers of intentionally creating artificial shortages of some products as a means of adjusting prices to reflect the new tax measures.
The traders say customers are opposed to new prices of products that have increased following the implementation of the taxes.
Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza disagreed with the Majority’s claim that the latest loan approval by Parliament was unanimously authorized by the House.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Dormaa East, Paul Twum Barimah had maintained that the Minority supported the approval of the loan agreements by the House on Tuesday.
“So far as we know, we all support the loans. It was by voice vote, did you see anyone on his feet to question the loans? Nobody did that, not even their leadership nor any member and if you read the report it was a unanimous report,” Mr Twum Barimah said.
But the Minority Chief Whip and MP for Adaklu in a Facebook post described the comments by his colleague on the Majority side as dishonest and inaccurate.
“Let it be placed on record that the Minority was implacably opposed to these loans coming at a time our nation has defaulted on both domestic and external debt servicing and is struggling to secure an IMF program due to our debt overhang.
“Indeed, we took turns to express our opposition, and still stand firmly in our conviction that only an irresponsible and unpatriotic Majority Group will support any additional borrowing of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government that has defaulted on our debt repayments. Such recklessness will truly find expression in the Guinness Book of Records.”
Parliament on Tuesday approved an amount of $150 million dollars for the financing of the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme phase 2 under the Multi-phase programmatic approach.
Parliament also approved an on-lending agreement between the government and the Development Bank Ghana for an amount of £170 million Euros to support the establishment of a financially sustainable development Bank.
The House also approved a loan agreement between the government of Ghana and the World Bank for an amount of $200 million to finance the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project.
Below is the full post by Kwame Agbodza
RE: NDC MPs Supported Approval of Recent Loans – Dormaa East MP
Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous publication by various news portals bearing the above caption and attributed to the NPP MP for Dormaa East Constituency, Hon. Paul Apreku Twum-Barimah.
The Minority Caucus strongly debunks his claims and takes a serious view of such dishonest and desperate statements coming from an NPP MP who was part of the unpatriotic Majority group that took the decision to railroad these loans despite strong opposition from us.
Let it be placed on record that the Minority was implacably opposed to these loans coming at a time our nation has defaulted on both domestic and external debt servicing and is struggling to secure an IMF program due to our debt overhang.
Indeed, we took turns to express our opposition, and still stand firmly in our conviction that only an irresponsible and unpatriotic Majority Group will support any additional borrowing of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government that has defaulted on our debt repayments. Such recklessness will truly find expression in the Guinness Book of Records.
We hereby urge the Ghanaian people to disregard any such suggestions that the Minority supported the approval of the recent loans, and treat all such assertions with the contempt they deserve.
St. Peter’s Senior High School (SHS) in Nkwatia, Eastern Region, is the first SHS to have an Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab on its premises.
On Saturday, April 29, a cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab was launched by Coral Reef Innovation Hub.
This lab is the result of collaboration between NEIP, Intel, and the St. Peter’s Old Boys Association (PERSCOBA) and represents a significant step forward in the development of AI technology in the student and staff community.
The AI lab is equipped with the latest technology, including advanced computing resources, state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, and powerful data analytics tools. A team of expert researchers and scientists are now able to work together with the students and staff to develop new AI applications and systems that can help solve some of the most pressing problems facing the society today.
One of the primary goals of the AI lab is to support innovation and entrepreneurship by providing entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to create new AI-based products and services.
Through this initiative, the benefactors hope to shape mindsets and release latent potential in the student and staff community.
The AI lab is also dedicated to advancing research and development in the field of AI.
The team is constantly exploring new avenues for AI research and developing cutting-edge solutions to complex problems in a range of areas, including healthcare, education, agriculture, climate, finance, and more.
The launch of the AI lab at St Peter’s Senior High School by Coral Reef Innovation Hub, is a major milestone in the development of AI technology in the PERSCO community.
They are excited about the opportunities this lab will create for entrepreneurs, researchers, and our community as a whole, and we look forward to the positive impact it will have on their society.
The Ministry of Education and its agency, Ghana Education Service (GES) are grateful for the support of all stakeholders including NEIP, Intel, and the St. Peter’s Old Boys Association, whose generous contributions have made this initiative possible. They look forward to working together to drive innovation and growth in our community through the power of AI.
The president of the old students association revealed that the lab was built with contributions from year groups, spanning 1974-2008, Perscoba UK and Perscoba North America as a way of showing appreciation and giving back to their alma mater for its impact on their lives.
The headmaster of St. Peter’s also acknowledged the efforts of these old students and vouched to ensure that the facility is utilized for its purpose.
The Managing Partner of Coral Reef Innovation Hub, Richard Osei-Anim, said the core focus of Coral Reef was to increase access, equity and inclusion by introducing Education 4.0 solutions to bridge the digital poverty gap across Africa.
St. Peters was taking the lead however Coral Reef and its partners will be working with the Ministry of Education and The Ghana Education Service to support efforts at deepening the penetration of these solutions across the education landscape as they jointly built a pipeline of transformation.
He further explained that the essence of training the youth in Artificial Intelligence is to equip them with skills for the future, as automation replaces routine tasks, innovation presents an opportunity to train students with different types of skills which will prepare them and make them fit for purpose for the future of work.
Sakyikrom, a community close to Nsawam in the Eastern regionis in a state of confusion over attempt to reinstate a “destooled” Chief, Nana Osae Duodu Anka IV.
Nana Osae Duodu Anka IV claim he was legitimately enstooled in 2013 but whilst abroad for medical treatment in 2020, he was informed by Abusuapanyin Kofi Owusu, that the Queenmother Nana Agyarkwabea,has enstooled a new Chief by name Odeefuor Sakyi Agyarkwa.
Upon return to the community after the COVID-19 pandemic, Nana Osae Anka IV petitioned the Eastern regional House of chief as well as the Regional Police Command for him to be restored as chief of Sakyikrom to have access to his properties at the palace.
But the Queenmother insisted Nana Osae Duodu Anka IV was just a caretaker chief who signed MOU to step down when substantive chief nominated therefore blocked his access.
Armed police deployed by Nsawam Police Command stormed the community at dawn to provide security for reoccupation of the palace by the alleged destooled Chief, however, angry youth and some residents in the community resisted in fierce confrontation which nearly led to deadly violence.
It took the intervention of Mawerehene of Sakyikrom Nana Takyi Akomea to calm down tempers.
The process was botched as a result of the confrontation.
Addressing the aggrieved youth and section of the Buafi gate of the Ayoko Royal family at Sakyikrom palace, Mawerehene of Sakyikrom Nana Takyi Akomea urged the youth to remain calm and not to resort to violence amidst escalating tension.
The Mawerehene said clearly, the Ghana Police Service is misinformed on the Sakyikrom chieftaincy matters.
He said according to customs and traditions of the Ayoko Royal family Odeefuor Sakyi Agyarkwa is the legitimate chief of Sakyikrom therefore it is misleading for the Ghana Police Service to aid destooled Nana Osae Anka IV from Amma Tawia gate of the Ayoko Royal family to occupy the stool.
Nana Takyi Akomea explained to the media that, “We had information yesterday that police personnel from Nsawam trooped to the palace to aid the installation of a new chief but this is abomination to our tradition , it has never happened before.”
He explained that, ” there are three gates in the Ayoko Royal family here in Sakyikrom that’s the Buafi gate, Amma Tawiah gate and the Agyakwabea gate .
So the Amma Tawiah gate have ended their tenure on the stool and is now the tenure of the Buafi gate so nothing should prevent them from handing over to the other gate.”
The Mawerehene said, the case is pending at the High Court for due legal process to be followed to resolve the impasse therefore called in IGP Dr.George Akuffo Dampare to call the Nsawam Police Command to order so they don’t engage in any illegality that will disturb the peace of Sakyikrom.
“The case is still pending at the High Court and I believe IGP will call his men to order and ensure that due process is followed .I also wish to call on the government of Ghana to intervene and bring finality to the chieftaincy dispute in Sakyikrom”.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved youth clad in black and red apparel with red hand bands chanting and singing war songs said they are poised to protect the Ayoko Royal stool hence they will resist any attempt to install a new or reinstate the destooled chief whether at night or during the day.
Member of Parliament for the Yendi constituency, Umar Farouk Aliu Mahama, has said that majority of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament want Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to be the party’s next flagbearer.
Mr. Mahama said Dr. Bawumia stands tall among the persons that have so far put themselves up for the NPP’s flagbearership slot.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, the Chairman of Parliament’s Muslim Caucus said though the other aspirants are equally qualified, the Vice President is the right person to take the country to the promised land considering his time working with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“As for me and the majority of the Majority MPs, we are rooting for the Vice President, and it is a fact, and we are bold enough to say that we want Mahamudu Bawumia to take us to the promised land and also unite the party after the elections.
“Although we are yet to meet the other presidential hopefuls, it was clear during our meeting with the Vice President that everybody in the room wants Dr. Bawumia, and we are not saying that everyone wants him, but at least, over 100 MPs want him.”
Mr. Mahama further indicated that he is optimistic “that Bawumia will win [the presidential primaries] with over 80 percent of the votes.”
The Vice President in a meeting with members of the Majority Caucusin Parliament on Tuesday, May 2 disclosed his intention to contest the NPP Presidential Primaries on November 4, 2023.
He comes up against nine others including three-time runner Alan Kyerematen who resigned in January 2023 to focus on his Presidential ambition.
Former President, John Mahama has lauded Dr. Clement Apaak, Member of Parliament for Builsa South, for his immense contributions towards the development of the country, especially the education sector.
The aspiringNational Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer disclosed this while on a campaign tour in the Upper East Region which started on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.
During his two-day visit, Mr. Mahama embarked on canvassing for voteS from the delegates in the various constituencies.
Addressing the Builsa South constituents at the Rawlings Park in Fumbisi, Mr. Mahama also commended Dr. Apaak for his dealing accurately with issues on education in the country.
“Thank you for lettingClement Apaak go unopposed. He is one of our best Members of Parliament. If you take the top ten MPs on our side he is one of them. He’s being our main spokesperson on education and deals with the issues very well,” the former President added.
Mr. Mahama has visited other regions and is expected to receive an overwhelming endorsement from the party’s delegates to the May 13, 2023, presidential primaries.
The highly contested NDC primaries will take place in all 275 constituencies across the country on May 13, 2023.
The Disease Control Unit of the Suhum Municipal Health Directorate in Eastern region, has revealed that it has detected many cases of leprosy, buruli ulcer, and yaws in the area.
Speaking to the media, Kwadwo Agyenim Boateng, Suhum Municipal Disease Control Officer explained that “when we talk of NTDs in Suhum this is one situation we also face on daily basis as a public health unit because we have cases of leprosy we attend to, we have cases of Yaws in some rural communities and we have isolated cases of buruli ulcer, elephantiasis and all the other diseases we can talk about.”
He said this during the launching of Partnership for Elimination of Skin-Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
The Municipal Disease Control Officer believes the intervention will help create awareness about the disease and augment efforts in identifying more cases.
“I believe this project that is running for two years in our municipality will go a long way to augment our routine effort to the control of NTDs in the Suhum municipality. They are not having the right information regarding the condition. They also fear perceive how health staff are going to receive them, some for medical cost reasons and some of them looking at where they are looking at transportation and geographical access if you don’t make the effort of meeting them they will never show up.so In our case identifying skin-NTDs requires an extra effort from the health staff or directorate.”
Global targets for 2030 and milestones are set out to prevent, control, eliminate and eradicate a diverse set of 20diseases and disease groups of Neglected Tropical Diseases.
However, Ghana’s response to meeting this global target has not been encouraging due to financial challenges to whip up awareness, identifying and treating NTDs.
One hundred and ten (110) Buruli ulcer and 40 yaws cases have been recorded in Upper Manya Krobo District in the since 2017 to 2022. Many more persons suffering from the diseases are however lurking at prayer camps, herbal centers due to misconception that the NTDs are spiritual.
Eastern Regional Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Christian Fiador said the Diseases are prevalent in the region but hidden in communities. He charged health workers in the region to intensify efforts to identify such cases for management.
“These four conditions which we are talking about are prevalent in the region.We looked for support and lo and behold ark foundation is here to support us .we are not seeing the cases at the early stages that we expect to see them so by the time we see them the deformities will show up and then the people are neglected ,stigma is attached and so when we have foundation like this to help us it means we can look for the people and stop the stigma and stop the disabilities .People think Leprosy, Buruli, Ulcer yaws, and lymphatic filiriasis is a spiritual something .They think that if you get it someone is bewitching you and that kind of thing,” Christian Fiador said.
Emmanuel Kwarfo Mintah , Executive Director of Ark Development Organization explained that the partnership for Elimination of Skin-NTDs program by Ark Development Organization funded by Anesvad Foundation focuses on eliminating Buruli Ulcer, Leprosy, Yaws and Lymphatic Filiriasis in Upper Manya Krobo, Suhum, Fanteakwa North,and West Akim districts through multifaceted intervention including treatment and socio-economic support.
Some members of the community trained together with nurses and other stakeholders for the implementation of the project believe more hidden cases of the skin-NTDs in the communities will be identified.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2023, Dr Yaw Twerefour was appointed as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency by President Akufo-Addo.
Despite the agency being in existence for over a decade, the appointment of Dr Twerefuor brought into discussion especially on social media the role and relevance of the state-owned institution.
Mandate and service
MoFFA was established on December 31, 2011 through an Act of Parliament, the HealthInstitutions and Facilities Act 2011 (Act 829), to license, regulate and monitor facilities related to the storage, transportation and disposal of human remains.
The Act further specifies the mandate of the institution to include the oversight responsibility on facilities into the storage, transportation and disposal of the body of a still born child and any part of the body removed in the course of surgical operation
Vision and Mission
Being a subsidiary of the Ministry of Health, MoFFA by its mission seeks to “protect public health incidences in the funeral and death care industry through a process of impartial enforcement, inspection, licensing and education in order to guarantee that services provided by all agents in the sector are conducted professionally and ethically.”
The vision of the agency is to become the “best one stop agency for the regulation of funeral facilities in the interest of public health in Ghana.”
Scope of regulatory mandate
MoFFA declares as offence contrary to its mandate the: Practice of operating a transportation, storage or disposal of human remains facility without registration as a practitioner except a licenced pathologist; Usage of a facility for services other than what is licensed for; failure to license a facility and making a false declaration in an application for registration or for a licence; failure to renew the registration or licence to operate a facility.
Others include: the obstruction of an inspector; pollution of the environment in the course of operations under Act 829; acceptance, release or disposal of human remains in contravention of the provision of the Regulations; burial of human remains in a place other than an authorized burial ground; as well as the exhumation or after burial, removal of any human remains without authority.
The Northern Region’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) has asked its former communications officer, Hardi Pagzaa, who allegedly assaulted a Dagbon FM journalist earlier this week, to apologize.
This was made known by the NDC’s Northern Regional Secretary, Mohammed Abdul-Salam in an interview on Eyewitness News.
Mr. Abdul-Salam said that the reported attack on the journalist, Sadiq Gariba came to the leadership of the party in the region as a surprise and therefore triggered a decision where he was admonished to render an apology to both the journalist and the radio station.
Mr. Abdul-Salam told the host of Eyewitness News, Umaru Sanda Amadu that, Hardi Pagzaa was scolded and made to understand that the party will not countenance any attempts by any member or leader to dent its image publicly.
“If we have proven evidence of anybody putting the party’s name in a bad light and bringing the party to the public domain for ridicule, we will not hesitate to apply the full rules and regulations of the party because giving us bad light tarnishes the party’s image, and we will not allow that.”
Mr. Abdul-Salam further clarified that Hardi Pagzaa isn’t a current executive of the party in the region.
“The conduct is not of our communications officer. This person is not any executive, he contested an internal election and lost, and he is not even a member of our communications team.”
The attack on the Tamale-based Dagbon FM and the journalist was captured in a video which has gone viral on social media.
The attack occurred on World Press Freedom Dayon Wednesday, May 3, and has since attracted widespread condemnation from different quarters including the Ghana Journalists Association.
The Ministry of Information also called for investigation and prosecution following the attack on the journalist.
