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.
Residents of Nimain Accra have given the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly a 30-day deadline to repair all of the community’s dilapidated roads and abandoned projects.
The residents who held a demonstration on Thursday, May 4, say the Nima community has been neglected for long.
The residents clad in red bands and holding placards walked through the principal streets of Nima to express their anger over the state of their roads and infrastructural challenges in the community.
The spokesperson for the Concerned Nima Residents, Alhaji Issah Maiga said the government must come to their aid immediately or face their wrath.
“We are petitioning the government through the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly to as a matter of urgency give the Nima Highway a befitting facelift that it deserves, refurbish all bad roads linking the Nima Highway and complete theKawu Kudi Hospitalto benefit our soccer team”.
“We are therefore giving the authorities a 30-day notice to do the needful else we shall continue with the demonstration.”
Ghana andFrance have reached an agreement to boost the country’s health sector.
Under the agreement, additional support will be offered to the country for scientific research into the most appropriate way to implement secondary prevention of cervical cancer among women living with HIV.
The €2.8 million grant, which was made possible through Expertise France to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), will also support the country’s response against diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The agreement was signed between the two countries at the Residence of the France Ambassador to Ghana in Accra last Thursday.
The Director-General of the GHS,Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, initialled on behalf of the beneficiaries, while the Head of Cooperation at the French Embassy in Ghana, Julien Lecas, signed for his country. Investment
Mr Lecas, who represented his ambassador, said Ghana had received support from the Global Fund for over 20 years, with significant investment on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria pandemics.
“And as you may know, France is a major donor to the Global Fund. This week, the team of L’Initiative from Expertise France is here in Accra, together with the Global Fund country team.
“It is our hope that this visit will trigger further development of L’Initiative’s portfolio in Ghana.
“We at the French Embassy in Ghana are very pleased to be able to officially launch the two programmes funded by L’Initiative to strengthen and evaluate the quality of health services by the GHS on one hand.
“And on the other hand, it is also aimed at supporting the secondary prevention of cervical cancer among women living with HIV through the NMIMR,” he said.
The Technical Director at Expertise France Groupe, Eric Fleutelot, said his outfit was pleased to support Ghana improve on its health care.
“And I know that we are already making progress”, however, more efforts were needed to reduce vertical transmission of HIV, he added. Community scorecard
Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the grant was offered through a community scorecard initiative by the GHS.
He said the initiative, which was introduced in 2018, was aimed at strengthening community participation in health care and also improving accountability in service delivery.
According to him, the grant would help extend the scorecard implemented to include HIV and tuberculosis.
An Associate Professor in charge of Medicine, Molecular, Microbiology and Virology at NMIMR, Prof. George Kyei, said there was the need for a national policy to integrate cervical cancer screening into routine HIV care.
74-year-old, King Charles III, who will be installed on Saturday, was the oldest royal to ascend the throne in a1,000-year-old lineage when he replaced his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, following her death in September. The late Queen ruled ruled for 70 years.
Charles does not enjoy the same support as his widely admired mother, but his public approval ratings are generally positive. An opinion poll last week showed many more people hold favourable views of him than negative although there is also a wide segment expressing indifference.
Republican sentiment – which was almost entirely absent publicly during Elizabeth’s reign – has become visible with eggs thrown at the king and his wife, Camilla, on one trip and small groups of protesters voicing opposition at others.
Buckingham Palace has supported research into the monarchy’s links to slavery as calls grow for apologies and reparations, not least from some of the 14 Commonwealth realms, where Charlesis also king.
The Guardian newspaper has run a series of articles raising questions about the opaque nature of the wealth and finances of the institution and the royal family, an issue that resonates at a time when Britons are facing a cost of living crisis.
A 7-year-old Charles sits with his mother and younger sister, Princess Anne, as they watch the final match of the Smith’s lawn polo cup in Windsor, England, on June 23, 1956. [File: AP]
In this July 27, 1958, photo, Prince Charles wears his school uniform. He became the first heir apparent to the British throne to attend school rather than have a private tutor. [File: AP]Prince Charles arrives at London Airport from Glasgow on April 2, 1964, at a time when he was a student at Gordonstoun School in northeast Scotland, which his father, Prince Philip, also attended. [File: AP]An 18-year-old Prince Charles leaves Buckingham Palace with Queen Elizabeth in a state coach on October 31, 1967, for the opening of parliament. It was the first time the prince took part in the ceremony. [File: AP]Queen Elizabeth II crowns her son the Prince of Wales during his investiture ceremony on July 1, 1969, at Caernarfon Castle in Wales. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is seated at the right, and British Home Secretary James Callaghan stands next to the prince. [File: AP]Prince Charles and Tricia Nixon, daughter of US President Richard Nixon, discuss baseball at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, on July 18, 1970, during a trip the prince made to the US capital with his sister, Princess Anne, after they had visited Canada with their parents. [File: AP]Prince Charles walks with Imelda Marcos, first lady of the Philippines, in Katmandu on February 24, 1975, at the coronation ceremony for Nepal’s King Birendra. [File: AP]Prince Charles drinks from a freshly cut green coconut at Haripur village, which he visited during a one-day trip to Bhubaneswar, India, on December 4, 1980. The prince is wearing a marigold garland, which was given to him by villagers. [File: Santosh Basak/AP]Prince Charles wed Diana, Princess of Wales, on July 29, 1981. The couple appeared with his parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London after their marriage at St Paul’s Cathedral. [File: AP]Charles and Diana take home their firstborn son, Prince William, from St Mary’s Hospital in London on June 22, 1982, the day after his birth. [File: John Redman/AP]Charles and Diana made their second trip to Australia together in 1985 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the state of Victoria, named after Charles’s great-great-great-grandmother. [File: AP]Charles greets models wearing clothing from a local designer during a tour of Soweto, South Africa, on November 3, 2011. [File: Kim Lubbrook/pool/AP]Charles speaks after a performance by the Australian Chamber Orchestra at St James Palace in central London on December 12, 2011. [File: Lefteris Pitarakis/pool/AP]After preparing for the crown his entire life, Charles was king on April 28, 2023, when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police presented him with a horse named Noble as he accepted the role of commissioner-in-chief of the police force at Windsor Castle. At the age of 73, he had become the oldest person to ever assume the British throne when Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022. [File: Andrew Matthews/pool/AP]
Dr. Kwabena Duffuor II, aspiring Parliamentary Candidate forSekyere Drobonso, has stated that the residents in the area are eager for his leadership.
He disclosed this after a successful vetting and balloting ahead of the Parliamentary primaries on the 13th May 2023.
“The vetting was very smooth. I picked number 2 on the ballot paper which is divine selection because I’m Kwabena Duffuor II’’ he said.
According to Dr. Duffuor, the move to contest the primaries in the area was as a result of calls from the people of Sekyere Drobonso Constituency.
He added that the constituents are aware of the many years of his contribution to the party in the farming community.
“The People of the Sekyere Afram Plainshave been crying for me for a long time. It’s been 12 years of hunger since we created the constituency, 12 years of hardship, 12 years of visionless leadership and it is time for one of their own to lead them,” he stressed.
Dr. Duffuor II also stated that he will mobilize the needed resources for the Constituency for the branches to work with.
“We don’t need an MP who is going to sit in Parliament and wait for the salary to come. The constituency needs a businessman who can take risks and make this happen. That’s what we need. The constituency is so far behind in terms of development that we don’t need a business as usual MP. We need someone who is passionate about the constituency who feels for the people he is leading.
“My polling station Chairman is here with me, and has been in the constituency since 2012. We have a teak plantation in the constituency, a factory that has employed people in the Sekyere Afram plains including delegates, and other members of the district. How can I be alien? There are people who were not even present during the 2020 general elections. They never campaigned for the party, they didn’t participate in any activity all of the sudden they are in the register but we leave that to God, God is the ultimate Judge,” he added.
The President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan, and his wife, First lady Linda Ramkalawa will join the Ashanti ruler, Otumfuo Osei Tutu and his wife, Lady Julia to witness King Charles III’s coronation, this is according to the full list of invitees released by townandcountrymag.com.
Members of the Royal Family attending the coronation:
Members of the House of Windsor will be in attendance, including Charles’s sister, Princess Anne; his son, Prince William; and daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Prince George, his grandson, will be a page of honor at the coronation. His other son, Prince Harry, will attend, but Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will not be in attendance.
All the members of the British royal family we can expect to attend include:
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis
Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence
Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and their children Lady Louise and James, Earl of Wessex
Prince Andrew
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall
Peter Phillips
Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Alexandra
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Margaret’s children Lady Sarah Chatto (and her husband, Daniel Chatto) and David Armstron
The king of the Ashanti kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, may, perhaps already be in the United Kingdom now, ahead of the coronation of Charles III as the new monarch.
This follows the official invitation that was sent to the king, as was confirmed through a statement issued by the Chief of Staff of the Manhyia Palace, John Badu, that said that the Asantehene had been invited for the coronation ceremony, which is slated for May 6, 2023, with his wife, Lady Julia.
It added that Otumfuo Osei Tutu and Lady Julia will meet the British monarch before the coronation on May 4 at Buckingham Palace and also attend the King’s official reception on May 5, 2023.
The coronation of King Charles III would also be done with that of Queen Consort Camilla.
Already, about 2,000 people have been confirmed to attend the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
On behalf of his Minister, the deputy minister of sanitation, water, and resources, Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, has received the Danish ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tom Noering, the Executive Vice President of GrundfosDenmark, Mr. Stephane Simonetta, and other officials at the ministry of sanitation’s conference hall.
The Minister noted in his Facebook post that Grundfos is a leading water technology company in Denmark but established an office in Ghana ten years ago and the Accra office also doubles as their West African office.
He recounted that, in April 2020, Grundfos and the ministry signed an MoU establishing cooperation relating to the implementation of solutions for sustainable water supply to the people of Ghana. The minister sighted.
He further stated the purpose of the meeting, “Today’smeeting was to review the progress of the MoU and to renew our commitment to fulfilling the content in the MoU”.
According to Hon. Issahaku, “The ultimate goal of the cooperation is for us to establish a public-private partnership for water service improvements and energy efficiency projects and also reach one million people through 300 small water systems”.
The Deputy Minister signed the renewal of the MoU on behalf of his boss and the Executive Vice President of Grundfos also signed on behalf of Grundfos Company Denmark.
TheSecurities and Exchange Commission(SEC) has pledged to resolve the concerns of Gold Coast Fund Management Company Limited’s customers.
The aggrieved customers on Thursday, May 4, returned to the premises of SEC to picket for the third day in a bid to demand payment of their locked-up funds.
The leaders of the aggrieved customers presented a petition to the Securities and Exchange Commission for the Authority to consider releasing their funds to them.
The collapsed financial institution under the name BlackShield Capital Limitedhad about 55,000 customers whose funds were locked up shortly before the regulator revoked its license.
Charles Nyame, the Convenor said their members need their monies to pay for hospital bills and take care of emergency needs.
Speaking to Citi News, the Director of Communications at SEC, Dr Godwin Ansah, assured the group that the petition will be relayed to the appropriate quarters.
He further refuted claims that the Director General of the Commission has deliberately withheld the Funds of the aggrieved customers as explained that the funds reported to have been released by the government were disbursed to the affected 47 financial institutions.
“We cannot agree with the numbers by their representatives, but we were very clear in terms of what we have done so far. Over 73, 000 claims have actually been paid with about 1.3 billion Ghana cedis. Also, as far as 61, 000 claims have been covered with 750 million Ghana cedis which have been used to settle these customers”.
“So whiles we know that a lot has been done it is also important to say that we remain important to the process.”
A member of the New Patriotic Party‘s (NPP) publicity team, George Ayisi, has said that the $170 million granted loan will aid government focus on addressing national challenges.
Even though majority of Ghanaians are not happy with the borrowing habit of the government, Mr. Ayisi believes the government is on the right path.
“There are times you find yourself in a precarious situation that you may need some little push to stabilize your position and then have proper focus to deal with the situation properly.”
Bernard Oduro, a member of the NDC opposed Mr. Ayisi’s statement.
“From the financial economy point of view, it is not wrong to go into debts.”
Responding to Mr. Oduro, Mr. Ayisi said; “I disagree with him(Bernard Oduro) for claiming I’m defending the government for no good cause even though I’m not surprised at that.”
“There are certain areas that government will invest in that will generate phenomenal returns,” he added.
On May 2, 2023, parliament approved an amount of $910.6 million loan at an emergency sitting in the absence of about fifteen minority members.
Aspirant flagbearer of the oppositionNational Democratic Congress(NDC), Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, has stated that the large reduction in Ghana’s cocoa production is concerning, given that the commodity represents the foundation of the economy.
Ghana achieved a historic feat of more than 1.14 million tons of cocoa production, about 45% increase in the 2020/2021 crop season.
However, dropped significantly in the 2021/2022 crop season though COCOBOD was yet to provide official figures.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) recent report said cocoa production during 2021/2022 dropped in the two world leading cocoa countries – Cote D’Ivoire (-6%) and Ghana (-34%) owing to multiple factors including devastating effect of swollen shoot disease and climate change.
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has forecasting about 750,000 tons of cocoa production in the 2022/2023 crop season higher than the 2021/2022 production.
According to Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, his sources indicate Ghana may not meet this target for the season.
He said current happenings in the cocoa sector will ultimately affect the economy and cocoa farmers.
“Our leaders have failed us. What I am hearing is that Ghana may not be able to get 500,000 metric tons of cocoa this year. In 2010/2011, we had one million metric tons. We decided to sustain the gains and increase it so we become number one producer of cocoa in the world. We came up with a policy to distribute 20 million free cocoa seedlings to farmers annually. It was captured in the 2011 budget and we started implementing it. So hearing that we may not get 500,000 metric tons saddens me. It means cocoa farmers are going to suffer”.
Dr. Duffuor stated that “NDC is going to win the election at all cost and when we assume power, we will resume the distribution of 20 million free cocoa seedlings annually so we beat Ivory Coast to occupy the top spot as world largest producer of cocoa. We can’t let the cocoa industry collapse. It is the backbone of the economy”.
Dr. Kwabena Duffuor said this when addressing delegates of the NDC in Akim Manso in Asene Manso Akroso constituency in the Eastern region as part of his 4-day campaign tour.
At Upper West Akyem Constituency, Dr. Duffuor assured Cocoa farmers in the area that the next NDC government will help bring to life an abandoned 48-million-dollar Jute Factory at Adeiso.
The factory established by an Indian group call Ganges in partnership with government in 2008 sits on a 12-acre size land at the Upper West Akyem District.
When completed would be the largest jute factory in Africa with a monthly capacity of 600,000 sacks. This would have reduced Ghana’s $215million annual spending on importation of jute sacks to about $70 million.
Again, the factory was expected to provide job opportunities for 2,000 people.
Successive governments after President Kuffuor made efforts to ensure the project is completed for operationalization of the factory, however, the Akufo-Addo led government has failed to pay attention to the final stage of completion leaving the fledging factory to rot in the bush.
Chiefs, cocoa farmers and youth in the area continue to demand state attention to the factory but to no avail.
The Naval Officer, Ishmael Mahama, is reported to have died on May 2.
Even though there are no details as to what caused his death, the PNC party has expressed its deepest condolences to their leader.
In a statement, the party said, “We feel how weak and fruitless our words would be in our attempt to beguile you and your family from the grief of your son but we cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation in the Bible that, nothing happens in this world without the knowledge of God, and he has a reason for everything,” his party said in a statement on Wednesday, May 3.
“We pray the God of Abraham would appease the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only with the cherish memories of your son.”
Funeral arrangements for Ishmael Mahama will be announced in due course, 3news.com has gathered.
“Once again, kindly accept our deepest condolences, Your Excellency,” the PNC statement issued by General Secretary Janet Asana Nabla concluded.
Dr Mahama has led PNC in a record five presidential elections in the Fourth Republic.
Ghanaian singer Black Sherif has reminded his followers of his efforts to the music industry once again.
In a post urging his fans to rally behind him in the upcoming VGMAs, Blacko, who has been nominated for the ultimate category, took to social media to emphasize that his works are evidently stronger to give him the upper hand.
Highlighting his efforts, Black Sherif said Ghanaians have been witnesses to his roller-coaster journey including how he rose from nothing to greatness.
In a Facebook post on May 3, 2023, Blacko said he deserved the most coveted ‘Artiste of the Year’ award because he had given it his all in the industry.
“You’ve seen my blood, sweat & tears. You’ve seen the ups & downs of my journey. I’ve had my lips shut, and my eyes opened ever since I stepped in the game. I don’t plan on changing that, not today, not tomorrow. Let’s go, VGMA,” he stated.
Black Sherif, the youngest nominee among the likes of Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Camidoh, KiDi, Piesie Esther, Joe Mettle, and King Promise up for the most prestigious award.
He is contesting for eight other categories including the Most Popular Song of the Year, Best Hiphop Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Hiplife/Hiphop Artiste of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year and Best Afropop Song of the Year.
TheMilitary High Command has established a 12-member Quality Management Committee to supervise services provided at the 37 Military Hospital.
The formation of the Committee according to the Chief of Defense Staff is due to the numerous lawsuits against the hospital.
Inaugurating the Committee, Chief of Defense Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama said the public is losing confidence in the Hospital.
“In recent years, we have witnessed a number of complaints from the public about the quality of service some leading to avoidable loss of lives and its resultant loss of public confidence in the Ghana Armed Forces services and its facilities”.
“To forestall this trend and revive public confidence in the Ghana Armed Forces medical services, the military high command saw it imperative to set up a committee to promote quality assurance for the improvement of quality of care at the Ghana Armed Forces medical facility.”
The Hospital in recent years has suffered several lawsuits due to medical negligence. In July 2021 the family of a patient, Solomon Asare-Kumah, who died after being admitted at the 37 Military Hospital at age 48, sued management of the facility over alleged medical negligence.
The Court in July 2021 also slapped an amount of GH¢1,075,000, in damages, on the 37 Military Hospital for the negligence it caused the bereaved family of a 27-year-old woman during childbirth in November 2015.
Government has expressed sincere gratitude for the media’s substantial contributions to the country’s growth.
The government in a statement issued by Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday May 3 called for stronger emphasis on economic rights, considering the recent global challenges.
This year’s World Press Freedom Day is on the theme ‘Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a driver for all other human rights.”
“The media has been instrumental over the years, in highlighting various rights that require attention for full enjoyment.
“The work of the media also in highlighting instances of abuse of some rights by sections of society has led to redress in many instances. We urge the media to remain resolute on this path.
“The quest to have all citizens fully access their economic rights is yet to achieve full effect especially as the world faces dim economic forecasts following recent global challenges.”
“While urging the Media in Ghana to keep the spotlight on all human rights, we encourage an even sharper focus on efforts to ensure that the economic rights of citizens are fully actualized,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, a former Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) president, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, has urged the media to prioritise the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, given the devastating impact the canker is having on the environment.
The Veteran Broadcaster made the call at an event held in commemoration of the International Press Freedom Day held on May 3, 2023, at the Ghana International Press Centre (GiPC) in Accra.
During her speech, she called on all media houses to join in the fight and ensure the menace is significantly brought to a halt.
“I believe all media houses should continually highlight the challenges until the menace is brought to a minimum,” she said.
This comes on the back of recent revelations about how Ghana’s mining sector is being exploited.
First, was a documentary aired by Al Jazeera dubbed “Gold Mafia.” It was revealed in this piece that gold worth $40 million is smuggled out of the country annually.
Second is the leaked Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) report authored by Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng that exposed a number of government officials as either being involved in galamsey or interfered in the galamsey fight during his tenure as chairman of the defunct Committee.
Madam Afenyi-Dadzie during the gathering acknowledged the media’s important role in highlighting the dangers. She, however, bemoaned how the fight has become tough due to ‘powerful’ figures engaged in the menace. That notwithstanding, she urged the media not to give up the fight.
“The media played and is still playing its role in raising concern about the dangers of galamsey which threatens our existence as a people. Subsequent developments have shown that the beneficiaries of galamsey are very powerful and will not easily give up irrespective of the danger to our water bodies and environment.
“On this occasion, it is relevant to remind ourselves that based on the happenings we know now, the agenda to stop galamsey should be treated as a major existential threat that should go beyond the coalition that first highlighted the menace,” she added.
Galamsey’s impact on the environment
Illegal Mining also known as galamsey over the years has had a devastating impact on communities where such activities go on. It is also destroying the country’s virgin forests and water bodies.
At a press briefing held at the Information Ministry on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John M. Allotey, stated that thirty-four (34) of the country’s forest reserves are under threat to illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Majority of these reserves under threat, he said, were in the Ashanti region.
He noted that out of the 16 regions of the country, seven have been experiencing some form of illegal mining.
The High Courtin Accra has postponed the sentencing of En Huang, also known as Aisha Huang, until the trial for all accusations leveled against her is completed, despite pleading guilty to the allegation of unlawfully entering Ghana.
The galamsey queen was convicted after she changed her plea in the immigration offence she is facing at the High Court to guilty.
She had earlier pleaded not guilty to four counts of undertaking a mining operation without license, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, the illegal employment of foreigners and entering Ghana while she had been prohibited from entry.
But after eight months of trial,Aisha Huang decided to change her plea in the last charge but her plea to counts on illegal mining remain not guilty.
She was arrested in 2022 for re-entering Ghana, engaging in illegal mining despite her deportation in 2018 for a similar offence.
The state in an attempt to prove the four charges have so far presented eleven witnesses consisting of immigration officers, police officers and community leaders to testify against the Galamsey Queen.
The last witness Superintendent of Immigration, Divine Ahumah Ocansey was put to the stand on Tuesday where he testified to the immigration and illegal mining offences of the accused person.
The decision of Aisha Huang to change her plea with respect to the immigration offence, followed the testimony of the eleventh witness. Even though Aisha Huang has been convicted, her sentencing has been deferred until the final determination of the matter.
TESTIMONY ON FALSE MARRIAGE
Superintendent of Immigration, Divine Ahumah Ocansey in his testimony revealed that he was tasked by the Ghana Immigration Service to investigate the immigration status of Aisha Huang when she was arrested in 2017.
During investigations, Superintendent Ocansey indicated that it emerged that Aisha Huang entered the country in May 2010 with a thirty-day visitor’s visa and had been travelling in and out of the country until she obtained a dependent permit on November 25, 2010, as the wife of one Anthony Fabian, a Ghanaian.
According to the witness, upon further checks on the processes leading to the acquisition of her indefinite residence it was discovered that ‘most of the documents supporting her application, like the Ghana Passport Biodata pages of Anthony Fabien and the marriage certificate of her alleged marriage to Anthony Fabian were forged.’
The witness further revealed that the bank account statement belonging to Anthony Fabien which was used to support the accused person’s indefinite residence application was found to be dormant and the said account was opened with the forged Ghanaian passport.
TESTIMONY ON ILLEGAL MINING
Superintendent of Immigration Ocansey indicated in his evidence in chief that his investigation established that the accused was conducting mining operations at Bepotenten where some four Chinese males were arrested in 2017.
He revealed that the four Chinese males during interrogation in 2017 admitted to having been employed by Aisha Huang to work on a mining concession and equipment belonging to her.
TESTIMONY ON IMMIGRATION OFFENCE
On the immigration offence, the witness testified that “the accused was deported on December 19, 2018, and arrived in China on December 20, 2018, and was directed to stay out of the country until any future approval by the comptroller-General”.
The accused is however said to have returned to Ghana in 2022 and investigations into her re-entry commenced on September 9, 2022.
The witness revealed that while Aisha Huang was deported with a passport bearing the name En Huang, she returned with another passport under the name Ruxia Huang. The second passport according to the witness however had no Ghana Visa Permitting her travel to Ghana.
Superintendent of Immigration Ocansey further testified that the “edge of the biodata page of the new passport had been cut and the last page slit meaning it was invalid”.
PROSECUTION CLOSES CASE
The prosecution closed its case after the cross-examination of the eleventh witness and the case has been adjourned to May 25 for a determination of whether prosecution has proved a prima facie case against the accused.
Meanwhile, Aisha Huang and his lawyers are expected to file their submission of no case by May 16 while prosecution is expected to respond by May 24.
Economics lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor William Baah-Boateng, has bemoaned the latest report from the Ghana Statistical Service(GSS).
Data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that about 1.76 million persons were unemployed by the third quarter of 2022.
The report further indicated that two out of every 3 persons employed during the period were in vulnerable employment.
Sharing his view on the statistics in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News, Prof. Baah-Boateng said, “The figure is higher than what is expected. For me, the 1.76 million figure is supposed to be alarming, it’s not small.”
He added that, the figure could guide policymakers to address the issue of unemployment.
He charged the Akufo-Addo government to put measures in place to absolve the teeming unemployed graduates.
“As a country, we have not sat down to look at the causes of unemployment. It’s recent that GSS has up its game so high by providing accurate data on unemployment to be able to inform policies. To be able to solve unemployment, we need to look at it from the demand and supply sides. On the supply side, we are doing well because many people are going to school”.
“There are issues that government needs to look at, people are getting out of schools so early that the labour market is not prepared for them. We need to prepare the labour market for them so that when they come out, they will be able to get something to do. There should be policies that will get the demand side to work, by being able to create employment opportunities for people. Government has a role in employing people,” the economist opined.
He further urged governmentto create an enabling environment for the private sector to also offer jobs to the unemployed.
“Government should be able to create an enabling environment, so the private sector can take advantage of that to reduce unemployment to the barest minimum,” he advised.
Dr Yaw Twerefour has been appointed as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency byPresident Akufo-Addo.
His appointment, made in accordance with Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 100(1) of the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, 2011 (Act 829), will see him in charge of the licencing, control, and regulation of facilities involved in the storage, transportation, and disposal of human remains.
The new appointee is a public health specialist and a medical practitioner with over ten years of experience.
He previously worked as the Medical Superintendent of Anyaa Polyclinic and in various capacities at Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in the Western Region.
He has also served as an external consultant to the National Health Insurance Authorityand has worked as a resident medical and COVID support doctor at GHACEM and other corporate institutions.
Profile
Dr. Yaw Twerefour obtained his bachelor’s degree in medicine at First Moscow State Medical Academy.
He also holds Certificates in Occupational Health Safety (Nebosh International, United Kingdom) and Global Health Project Management and Leadership Management from the University of Washington in the United States.
Dr. Twerefour pursued postgraduate certificate courses in Health Administration and Management (HAM), Monitoring, and Evaluation, both at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra.
He holds a master’s in public health (MPH). He is a member of the Ghana Medical Association and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra.
Dr. Twerefour has co-authored two Medical Publications in the Lancet Medical Journal and the Asian Journal of Research in Infectious Diseases.
His appointment awaits the ‘advice of the Governing Board of the Agency, in consultation with the Public Services Commission,” a letter signed by the Secretary to the President indicates.
Executive Secretary of the Ghana Refugee board, Tetteh Padi, has revealed that his outfit has registered over 1,000 Burkinabe immigrants.
According to him, his outfit was conscious of the recent influx of Burkinabes into the Savannah region and was on top of its game to ensure that lives and properties close to the community are protected.
“We registered over 1,000 Burkinabes who have actually gone through the right process but we also know that there are several more that are coming in given that the situation is not getting any better. We do not compromise the procedures at all and make sure that whatever needs to be done to maintain our own safety and that of the refugees, is done,” he said.
His comments come on the back of concerns raised by members of the Fufulso community in the Savannah region about the invasion of the community by some 500 people, who now live as residents.
However, speaking in an interview on JoyFm’s Topstory on Wednesday, he explained that although the refugee board was aware of the presence of the about 500 Bukinabes in the community, they have not registered them yet.
Meanwhile, he assured that his outfit had people on the field to begin the registration.
“Our staff are in the field registering people who have been cleared for us to register,” he said.
The influx of Burkinabesin the region is attributed to violent activities in their country.
When asked about safety, Mr Padi said during registration his outfit usually collaborated with the police to ensure maximum security.
“We are working very closely with the security. We do not go into the field without protection as I said, we don’t take anything for granted at all so we make sure that before we deal with any group … they are cleared.
“In fact, we do not do any registration unless we have security clearance. When we are registering, our people are trained to look for certain signals. If there is any doubt or suspicion we pass people out to the security services,” he added.
The Executive Secretary also said after registration, those who live close to the border will be relocated to other areas in the community.
Former England midfielder,David Beckhamhas noted that he sometimes acted abnormally in his marriage due to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
David Beckham and Victoria have been married for years and know each other perfectly well.
“Everything must be ordered in a straight line and [things] must always be even,” Beckham said.
“When I put soft drinks in the fridge, they must be even numbers, if they are odd I remove one and put it in a different cabinet. If I go to a hotel, before I relax I have to put all the pamphlets and books in the room in a drawer.”
Beckham will soon release a documentary on his illustrious career. It will be produced by Netflix and directed by Fisher Stevens.
The release date has yet to be announced but everything suggests that it will be at some point this year. According to the first information that came out, David will discuss about the hours he spends cleaning and tidying his house before going to sleep and we will see him every night aligning the light switches or cleaning candles.
“It’s tiring going around every single candle cleaning it,” he noted.
“I clip the candle wax, I clean the glass, that’s my pet hate, the smoke around the inside of a candle… I know, it’s weird.
“The fact that when everyone’s in bed I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, make sure everywhere is tidy.”
These habits have led to many arguments with Victoria. Some of these disagreements will be shown in the series.
One of the reasons the couple argues is leaving the salt out of place in the kitchen. In addition, both of them in front of the cameras will exchange opinions on this matter in a funny and sarcastic way.
Throughout the series, we will get to know Beckham better as he will show unpublished images of his childhood and home videos of intimate moments of his family.
He will also discuss his professional career and remember his best matches, as well as the goal he scored against Greece to help England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
Ukrainehas been accused by Russia of a thwarted conspiracy to assassinate its President, Vladimir Putin, in a nighttime drone strike on the Kremlin.
Moscow claimed Ukrainian forces targeted Russia’s parliament with two unmanned drones, but said these had been taken out by the military.
The Kremlin said the alleged attack, which it branded a “terrorist act”, did not cause any damage or casualties.
A statement said that Mr Putin was not inside the Kremlin at the time of the alleged attack. He is safe and continues to work with his schedule, it added.
The Kremlin did not present any evidence of the alleged attack and its statement included few details.
The state-owned Tass news agency quoted the statement as saying that the Kremlin considered the development to be a deliberate attempt on Mr Putin’s life ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on 9 May.
The statement said: “Two unmanned aerialvehicles were aimed at the Kremlin. As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of radar warfare systems, the devices were put out of action.
“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president’s life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned.
“The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.”
A senior Ukraine President’s Office official denied Kyiv had anything to do with the attack.
Officials said two drones were aimed at Kremlin, Russia’s parliament (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Officials said two drones were aimed at Kremlin, Russia’s parliament (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It comes amid tit-for-tat attacks between the two sides as Ukraine prepares for an expected counter-offensive that analysts predict could be launched within weeks.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russia said a massive blaze broke out at an oil depot near a key bridge in the annexed Crimea region.
The oil depot erupted in flames in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, located east of the Russian-held Crimean Peninsula, according to Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
He did not say what caused the fire, which was described as extremely difficult to put out. But some Russian media outlets said it was likely caused by a Ukrainian drone attack overnight. There was no official comment on that possibility.
Local residents heard an explosion shortly before the fire erupted, Russian news site Baza said.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv and elsewhere during the night as Ukrainian air defences shot down 21 of the Russian drones, Ukraine’s Air Force Command said.
No damage or casualties were reported in the third attempt in six days by the Kremlin’s forces to hit Kyiv.
Both sides reportedly have experienced ammunition shortages after a winter of long-range shelling and missile strikes as the conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition.
Analysts believe Ukraine is targeting supply lines in the Russian rear as Kyiv gears up for its counteroffensive amid improving weather conditions and as it receives large amounts of weapons and ammunition from its Western allies.
Allison Holker, who had Weslie, 14, Maddox, 7, and Zaia, 3, with her late husband, Stephen Boss, has acknowledged it’s been “really hard” to digest the DJ’s suicide over five months ago because the ‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ star’s external persona revealed no signs of his inner anguish.
She told People magazine: “No one had any inkling that he was low. He didn’t want people to know. He just wanted to be everyone’s Superman and protector.
“It’s been really hard because I can’t understand what was happening in that moment [he died].”
The 35-year-old dancer is determined to stay strong for the sake of her kids and is encouraging them to be open about their emotions.
She said: “I could allow myself to go to a really dark place right now, and that would be valid and fine. But I want to choose a different way for myself and the kids…
“I’m trying to teach them — and myself — that if you’re angry or sad, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. We’re coping together, and that requires trust and being really vulnerable.
A man‘s images showcasing his feminine traits have gone viral on the internet.
Siphosethu Sihawu, who goes by the username @siphosethusihawu8 on TikTok, has gained massive attention from netizens worldwide with his photos showing off his baby face and curvy hips.
In his posts, Sihawu proudly flaunts his feminine body shape while making it clear that he is a fully grown man. The South African has sparked a lot of curiosity among his followers who have been left wondering how he ended up with such unique features.
The images of Sihawu have gone viral, and his followers have expressed mixed feelings about the man with the feminine features. Some netizens were amazed by his stunning appearance, while others made fun of him.
@tymerjnr5 wrote, “If ladies and gentlemen is a human being.” While @everyone_changed expressed their own struggles, saying, “I have curves too. They always laugh at me.” Others like @o.d.obaddest seemed to mourn for Sihawu’s masculinity, stating, “We lost another bro.”
The attention that Sihawu is receiving is unprecedented. Despite the mixed reactions, he has remained unbothered by the comments, continuing to share more photos and videos showcasing his unique features.
The man with feminine features has become an overnight sensation, with his account receiving thousands of new followers daily. As a result, he has gained notoriety across social media platforms as his photos continue to be shared by users worldwide.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Sihawu, but he is enjoying his newfound fame while continuing to share his remarkable story with the world.
Females account for two-thirds of the unemployed in Ghana, according to the 2022 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey Third Quarter Labour Statistics Report, which was released on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.
The Government Statistician,Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, emphasized at the report launch that the high rates of female unemployment were not solely due to their gender.
He stated that the unemployment rate for females was almost double that of males. “Unemployment among females was close to twice of males,” he said.
In the first three quarters of last year, about 157,000 individuals, which accounted for roughly 13.2% of the labour force, experienced a spell of unemployment lasting one or more days.
Other findings
According to the report, around 7.5 million individuals held their jobs continuously for three quarters out of approximately 11 million employees in each quarter. This suggests that roughly 3.5 million individuals were experiencing employment fluctuations over the three quarters, indicating vulnerability.
67% of jobless Ghanaians are women
Another important discovery was that the likelihood of shifting from informal employment to unemployment is five times greater on average than transitioning from formal employment to unemployment.
In Q3, two out of every three individuals who were unemployed but had been employed in Q1 were in precarious employment during the first quarter.
Lastly, the group of people who are burdened by the triple threat of being unemployed, food insecure, and multidimensionally impoverished increased by almost 55,000 between Q2 and Q3.
To restore public trust regarding theNational Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS), the ministry of health has cautioned health service providers not to charge patients for services already covered by the scheme.
The sector Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said co-payment — a separate charge imposed by service providers for conditions already covered by the scheme — had become a major challenge for the scheme, and called on service providers, particularly, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), to help address the situation.
“Co-payments have been banned.
The President hates to see poor patients being charged out of pockets for healthcare services,” he said.
“Maternal services such as deliveries are supposed to be free, but some facilities are charging patients as high as a GH¢1,000 for the service, and that is unacceptable.
When it happens that way, to the end-user it will look as if the scheme is not working,” he added.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the sector minister said co-payments created a barrier to access, and so the ministry was working to end the illegality through meaningful engagements.
“Fortunately, the government has, in recent times, been doing well with timely payments.
We have been doing frequent monthly payments in bits to ensure service providers get monies frequently.’’
“The arrears gap have been bridged over time.
Service providers are owed about four or five months as compared to the situation that persisted some years back when they were owed 12 months and beyond.
“Service providers have, therefore, no justification to indulge in co-payments.
The act amounts to extortion, and that is illegal,” he said.
The minister said the NHIS was still effective and continued to provide unfettered access to healthcare delivery.
He said the government would continue to invest in the scheme, and added that the scheme had not shown any signs of crumbling. Call on GHS
MrAgyeman-Manuurged managers of the GHS, who constitute about 70 per cent of healthcare provider agencies under the ministry, to combat the canker that could make the NHIS unattractive.
“From the end-users’ point of view, it looks like the scheme is not working as a result of the extortions.
This statement is not meant to insinuate that health insurance is not working, but is an admonition to the managers of the Ghana Health Service to help end this criminality by every means possible,” he said.
The minister said the government was investing to strengthen the scheme, especially to deliver on the universal health coverage, a policy that seeks to ensure that there were no barriers to accessing health care.
“With huge investments and efforts being made, there is no way I would, in any way, suggest that the scheme is ineffective as being speculated,” he said.
NHIA caution
In January this year, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, cautioned facilities against co-payment arrangement or risk losing their accreditation.
“I am announcing confidently that very soon the accreditation of health facilities which additionally charge active NHIS patients with impunity will be revoked.
“The NHIA annually injects GH¢120 million into the health sector, an average of GH¢1.5 million is paid to each health facility every month across the nation.
“So we are pumping so much into the health sector on a monthly basis, and, therefore, we demand that patients who visit the hospitals should be taken care of and not be made to pay for services covered by the NHIS,” he said.
Admitting that there were often delays in the payment of claims, Dr Okoe Boye, however, attributed the delay in the payment of claims partly to the fact that “some of the tariffs are high and unrealistic.”
In February this year, the MoH and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) reviewed upward the prices of medicines and services paid to the service providers and suppliers on the health insurance scheme to prevent them from making losses or refusing to offer services.
He said that the reviews were in accordance with the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852), explaining that they were necessary to enhance service delivery for subscribers and give providers value for money to avoid certain gaps in accessing medications and services under the scheme.
Customers of the defunct Gold Coast Fund Management Companypicketed at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today, Wednesday, May 5, 2023 in order to seek the release of their frozen funds.
The collapsed financial institution under the name BlackShield Capital Limitedhad about 55,000 customers whose funds were locked up shortly before the regulator revoked its license.
Addressing the media on the Day 2 of the picketing, the convener of the aggrieved customers, Charles Nyame alleged that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and Rev. Ogbamey Tetteh of the Securities and Exchange Commission have deliberately withheld the funds reported to have been released by the government.
“Yesterday, we were here, and we were expecting to hear something good from the government after yesterday’s picketing but up till now, we haven’t received any official information or message from the government; either the Ministry of Finance or the Securities and Exchange Commission. But there is a new development where after the picketing we had a call from a key official trying to console us and told us that the monies have been released just as the president had advised and that the money is with Ofori-Atta and Rev. Ogbamey Tetteh.”
The aggrieved customers also called on the International Monetary Fund to investigate the delays in paying the monies owed them because the government in its official documents to the Fund told it that it had used over GH¢25 billion to settle the debts of customers of collapsed fund management companies.
The majority chief whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh has stated that the vice president Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has called for support from theNew Patriotic Party(NPP) members of parliament (MPs) ahead of elections.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh described the action of the vice president as a respect for the NPP lawmakers.
He expressed the appreciation on behalf of the Majority to Dr Bawumia.
For & on behalf of the Majority Caucus, I wish to express our profound gratitude for the numerous support and particularly your wonderful show of respect to us by your decision to seek for our blessings as you decide to lead our great party towards the 2024 General elections.. pic.twitter.com/FgRWoku6f0
— Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh (@FAnnohDompreh) May 3, 2023
In a tweet, the Nsawam Adoagyiri Lawmaker said “For and on behalf of the Majority Caucus, I wish to express our profound gratitude for the numerous support and particularly your wonderful show of respect to us by your decision to seek for our blessings as you decide to lead our great party towards the 2024 General elections.”
Mr Annoh-Dompreh earlier said that Dr Bawumia was the man for the job.
In a tweet ahead of the Dr Bawumia’s address at the Harvard University, he said “(He) is the man for the job.”
Former President,John Dramani Mahamahas pledged to wage a vigorous anti-corruption campaign when voted into power.
Mr Mahama contends corruption is one of the channels through which state resources are wasted.
Addressing NDC delegates at Garu in theUpper East Region, the NDC flagbearer hopeful stressed that any individual found engaging in corrupt practices under his administration will be dealt with regardless of his or her party affiliation.
“NDC is going to come into office, and we are going to launch a strong fight against corruption because we all know that corruption is one of the waste pipes in this country. People who appropriate the money of the state must be brought to book and sanctioned and NDC is going to do that”.
“It doesn’t matter whether the people are our own or from some other party, we will make sure that the sword is slammed equally and anyone who takes the people’s money must suffer for it.”
Mr Mahama also promised to repair Akufo-Addo’s problematic Free SHS policy and the National Health Insurance Scheme if he is re-elected President in the 2024 elections.
He said reviewing the two policies will ameliorate the plight of Ghanaians and enhance the policies.
“Free SHS is not working properly, the benefit it is supposed to give the parents, they are not getting. I can tell you today that the money we are spending on our children to go to school is far more than when we used to pay school fees”.
“We are going to repair the free SHS and make it better and create the situation when where school reopens, all the children will go together and when they vacate they all come home together.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, and Lord Boateng of the UK House of Lords’ International Relations and Defense Committee has bemoaned the security situation.
The speaker in an engagement with Defense Committee of the UK House of Lords, the Rt. Hon. Lord Boateng of the International Relations said the likelihood of it extending to other parts of West Africa is high.
The duo further called on the UK Parliament, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), and the Parliaments in Africa to work together to prevent the potential impact of the current insecurity in parts of the continent in order to give growth and development a chance in Africa.
The two were speaking during a private meeting at the UK Parliament in Westminster, London, where the Speaker of Parliament had led a parliamentary delegation to discuss various areas of cooperation and collaboration. The two parliaments discussed how to conduct parliamentary business effectively, manage hung parliaments and narrow majorities, make parliamentary scrutiny and oversight more efficient, and promote a collaborative work environment in parliament.
Rt. Hon. Bagbin said resolving the security situation in the Sahel region deserves a lot more attention now, else it could engulf the entire sub-region. He referred to the current security situation in Burkina Faso and Togo and said the safety and protection of the citizens in the two countries appears to have been compromised due to what is believed to be a huge infiltration by extremists and other elements.
He said the situation in the Sahel and in West Africa poses serious threats to Ghana’s security and democracy. What is required is the right strategies and structures that will make Ghana proactive and preemptive when it comes to security and the integrity of her borders.
The Speaker commended Rt. Hon. Lord Boateng for his outstanding public work in the United Kingdom and said he has continued to be a great ambassador of Ghana in all his work outside the country.
Rt. Hon. Lord Boateng said such conflicts as in Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Mali among others have the potential to fuel migration and its attendant dangers and risks, hence the concern. He added that if steps are not taken to mitigate these conflicts, they will deal irreparable damage to Africa and hold the continent back.
He indicated that the UK was looking to use the framework of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and also work through other institutional arrangements to enhance trade with Ghana and with other African countries, and to support efforts at improving intra-continental trade.
Lord Boateng was impressed with the relationship between Ghana and the United Kingdom and was optimistic that it will continue to grow from strength to strength.
The Rt. Hon. Speaker was accompanied to the meeting by the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, the Assistant Deputy Clerk, Mr. Ebenezer Djietror, Legal Counsel to the Speaker, Hon. Magnus Kofi Amoatey, the Director of Communication of the Speaker’s Secretariat, Mr. Gayheart Mensah and the Deputy Director of Parliamentary Relations, Mr. Charles Dery Tenzagh.
The Sahel is a region in Africa that spans across several countries including Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, and Eritrea.
In recent years, the Sahel has faced a number of challenges, including political instability, conflict, and environmental degradation.
These issues have had a significant impact on the region’s people and economies, and have led to increased migration and displacement.
Efforts are underway to address these challenges and promote sustainable development in the Sahel region.
A Kenyan woman, Yvonne, has got social media buzzing after calling off her marriage because her fiance ordered her to cease communicating with her old boyfriend, who is also the father of her child.
The lady said she was not willing to sacrifice the relationship her daughter has with her father all in the name of pleasing her fiance.
The news has since caused a stir on social media with netizens asserting that the lady is still in an amorous relationship with her baby’s father.
To them, the refusal to break off contact with her ‘baby daddy’ speaks volumes.
Others however commended Yvonne for taking “the bold step” as, in their opinion, it is the best course of action to prevent unanticipated catastrophes.
Read the comments here:
bobby.boye: “Most men nowadays dey ment seriously…. I’m glad the lady quickly took that bold step …that’s the sure way to avert unseen future disasters”
emmalekay01: “It’s no red flag folks , there might be reasons tho. Maybe old taker fit still dey take or lack of transparency. Well if she had a thought about the child in the first place she’d have gone back to her baby daddy if she really need that bond of a child and father thing . For me I’ll let this girl just go to her baby daddy she ain’t ready”
arigbabudollardeji: “There must be a solid reason Y the guy is asking her to cut off the relationship.. Maybe he suspected something fishy different from what we all thinking”
de_overflow: “Then she shud go ahead and marry the so caring baby dady then”
daddyfreeze: “The man isn’t comfortable with thebaby daddy situation…. It sounds like OKAFOR’s law fit happen there”
soulmateshotelsandsuites: “It’s refreshing to see someone prioritizing the well-being of their child over their own desires. Yvonne’s decision to call off her marriage shows that she is a responsible parent who puts her child’s needs first. It’s not easy to navigate complex relationships, but choosing to maintain a healthy relationship between her daughter and her father is a courageous and selfless act. It’s important to remember that children should never be used as pawns in adult relationships, and Yvonne’s stance on this matter is a testament to her love for her child. It’s essential that we applaud and support individuals like Yvonne who prioritize their children’s emotional well-being over their own desires.”
Two individuals have lost their lives after drowning in the Volta Lakein the Krachi West Municipality of the Oti Region.
The unfortunate incident occurred when the two deceased persons, Edu Sampson (a teacher in his 30s) and Afua Nyarkowaah (a woman in her 40s), and another male teacher were returning from Kete Krachito their island community, Chinekope.
Eye witnesses say the passengers had been left stranded at Kotokoli (an island community) because of a storm on the lake.
When the storm subsided, they decided to continue with their trip. When they got to Kotoku Gyane, an island community, there was another storm on the lake.
The the boat operator, also a fisherman, negotiated a curve to escape the storm, but he lost control and the boat capsized.
The boat operator and the other teacher escaped to safety, leaving Sampson and Nyarkowaah to drown.
Their bodies have been recovered and sent to the Krachi Government Hospital morgue for preservation.
Last year, residents of the Sene East District in Bono East Regionwere left in a state of mourning after eight children drowned in the Volta Lake.
The 8 children, unfortunately, met their demise on Tuesday, January 24, after the boat they were travelling with capsized.
They were among about 20 passengers moving from Atikagome to Wayokope.
The deceased comprise five males and three females, believed to be between the ages of 5 and 12.
The Sene East community members deposited the remains of the deceased at Atikagome.
Former general secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyepong has remarked that no one can claim to be the party’s principal funder because the party has been sponsored at various times by different people for various reasons.
This is in response to a recent back and forth with Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, over the latter’s claim that he supported the party with a US$3m loan in 1992.
Kwabena had earlier disputed the claim citing the logistical challenges that he was privy to in 1992 and the unfavourable political conditions at the time.
In the wake of confirmation of the transaction by a partner of the Assin Central MP, Mr. Oppong Bio, Agyepong has conceded that he may have been oblivious to certain details but that it was immaterial to the extent that the party is supported by all members with the capacity so to do.
Kwabena Agyepong and Ken Agyapong
“He mentioned the names of persons including President Kufuor, indicating that President Kufuor led them to take a loan for Adu Boahene’s campaign. President Kufuor is alive and so is Kwame Mpianin…I don’t want to go further into the matter.
“If you claim certain things happened and some persons are aware, it is possible. But don’t go about bragging that you initiated it and paid off a loan for campaigns in 1992.
“There are a lot of people who have supported the party in one way or the other”, he said.
