The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has argued that government should put more of an emphasis on providing better policies and initiatives in Zongo communities than just food.
“We in the NDC seek to bring something that can lift the Zongo communities; so just as our Imam said, we have gone beyond sharing of rice and sardines. If you want to do something to help Zongo communities, educate their children,” Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said this in a speech at Kobreso, a community in the Offinso North District of the Ashanti Region,
He was at a fundraising ceremony organized by the Ghana Muslim Mission in the area to build a technical school and a clinic.
At the event, Mr. Asiedu Nketiah also emphasized that the NDC has a great love for Zongo communities across the country which is why the party established the Islamic Education Unit at the Ghana Education Service in 1987 to introduce the secular subjects pursued under the national curriculum into the Islamic schools and also started major educational projects under the elsewhere NDC administration.
He however revealed that the narrative has changed under the current NPP government as it has abandoned all educational projects in Zongo communities that were started by the NDC.
“We promised to build Islamic schools, but whiles you do that, you also need to find where to train Islamic teachers, that is why we built Islamic Training College at Wenchi in my District. For that reason, in the last campaign, we promised to continue that project but since we left office, all plans and documentation have been abandoned to date”. National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah chided.
Over 70 confirmed cases of measles in children have been reported in the Northern Region since October of last year, and the situation is becoming worse.
The region currently has run out of measles vaccines.
So far, the cases have been detected in four districts including, Karaga, Sagnerigu, Tamale and Gushegu where it was first detected.
According to Citi News sources, even though there has not been any death as a result of the outbreak, there have been severe cases where children had to be put on oxygen in some health facilities.
Sometime last year, the central hospital in Tamale had its Paediatric unit closed down due to an outbreak of measles.
Meanwhile, Health officials in the region are tight-lipped on the outbreak. Nonetheless, a release issued by the Regional Health Directorate and addressed to all Districts Health Directors and sighted by Citi News confirmed cases of measles.
“Given the current season, which presents one of the greatest risks for the transmission of measles, Districts Health Directorates and Facilities (both public and private) are urged to intensify surveillance on measles and other diseases of epidemic potential for prompt action should they occur.
“Districts and facilities are kindly requested to conduct prompt investigations and collect blood samples for laboratory confirmation. You are also expected to continue to intensify public education on the prevention of measles and other epidemic-prone diseases.”
The memo continued “All MM/DDHS must ensure that their epidemic preparedness and response (EPR) plans for measles are updated accordingly and copies submitted to the Regional Health Directorate through the Disease Surveillance Unit on or before Friday, February 10, 2023.”
General vaccine supply to the northern region has been erratic since the middle of 2022, checks in the region reveal, out of the thirteen (13) vaccines for routine immunization, only two, that is Tetanus and Tuberculosis are currently in stock.
The situation exposes children to the risks of severe illness and disabilities from diseases like measles, Pneumonia among others.
According to research, Measles is a viral infection caused by the Rubella virus and transmitted through direct contact and air. It has the tendency to cause blindness, brain inflammation, flu and fatality mostly among children under 14.
As such, routine measles vaccination is recommended for children under 12 and 15 months of age.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership has stated that the party will focus its efforts on ensuring that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) governs the nation effectively.
According to the National Chairman of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, all members of the party must support the agenda following the resolution of the issue of the leadership change in Parliament.
The party has indicated that the challenges confronting the reshuffle of the Minority leadership in Parliament have been addressed after a meeting among the national executives, the Council of Elders and the Minority caucus on Monday.
Speaking to the members of the caucus, Mr. Asiedu Nketiah urged the new leadership to work assiduously.
“We are going to refocus on the issue of bad governance in the country including works on the National Cathedral. We’ve cautioned the new leadership that, the record of the performance of the old leadership serves as a yardstick to the measurement of their own performance.”
Chairman of the Council of Elders for the NDC, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu said the party must win the next polls.
“From the reception the new leaders have received, this is not the beginning but the end of the meeting. The excitement shows that the issue has been resolved. There is no problem now. Our problem is to win the 2024 election.”
The meeting which took place at the DF Annan Auditorium in Parliament had stalwarts of the party including the Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and his General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, among others present.
Others at the meeting included former Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi, and former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adzaho.
“You can see from the enthusiasm that the challenges that arose from the announcement of the new leadership of our Caucus have all been resolved”, Johnson Asiedu Nketia added.
On February 6, the Council of Elders convened a crucial meeting with the Minority Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC), but former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu was noticably absent.
The meeting resolved to back the decision to select Dr Cassiel Ato Forson of Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency as the Minority Leader with Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah of Ellembelle Constituency as the Deputy Minority Leader. Adaklu’s Governs Kwame Agbodza is replacing Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak as the Minority Chief Whip.
The Asawase Member of Parliament was also missing at the meeting.
But later writing to confirm the resolution by all at Monday’s meeting, former Deputy Minority Leader James Klutse Avedzi said he was sent to the meeting by the Tamale South MP.
“We the former leaders made up of Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, the former Minority Leader, Hon. James Klutse Avedzi, Deputy Minority Leader and Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, Minority Chief Whip assured the Council of Elders of the Party when we met them on Tuesday 17th January 2023, that we will abide by their resolution of the challenges,” he wrote on Monday, February 6.
“This assurance was disclosed to the Council when Hon. Haruna Iddrisu asked me to sum up our position on the matter.”
He subsequently thanked the Council chaired by Alhaji Mahama Iddrissu and former President John Dramani Mahama for their intervention.
The National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, assured that all concerns that arose out of the announcement have been resolved.
“You can see from the enthusiasm that the challenges that arose out of the announcement of the new leadership of our caucus in Parliament have all been resolved,” he said after the meeting.
“All concerns have been addressed so we are just looking forward.”
One of the Minority MPs who signed the petition to the Council, Cletus Apuul Avoka, on Ghana Tonight on TV3 on Monday pledged to work with the new leadership.
According to Mahama Ayariga, terrorists won’t use the Bawku crisis as a cover to enter Ghana.
The legislator for the area doubted if Bawku will be a target for the operation of terrorist activities though Ghana’s borders seem porous.
There have been reported cases of terrorist activities in neighbouring countries, with some neighbours seeking refuge in Ghana.
Scores of people have lost their lives in the protracted conflict, with the latest being the shooting and killing of one person on Monday, February 6, 2023.
Asked by the host of The Point of View Bernard Avle, if terrorists will not capitalise on the prolonged conflict in Bawku between the Kusasis and Mamprusis to cause mayhem in Ghana, the legislator noted that Ghanaians will only rise up against the country when there are no opportunities to vindicate their rights.
“Bawku will not be the place where this will happen. People will turn against the state when they don’t have the remedies or opportunities to vindicate their rights. But if the state functions in such a way that everybody feels protected by the state, it’s most unlikely that they will turn against the state,” Mr. Ayariga said.
He believes that Ghana has a functioning democracy where citizens can always seek redress if they feel disgruntled and will not rebel against the country.
“I’m not worried in the case of Ghana because of the institutions and mechanisms we have put in place. Our democracy is functioning. No matter how disgruntled you are with this democracy, it is a functioning democracy, you can get remedies if you fight for it,” he stated.
He called on the government to ensure that the citizens do not have issues with the state as it’s observed in neighbouring countries.
“In Burkina Faso, those places that you saw the clustering of attacks, trust me people from Bawku drive across those places with trucks to Niger with onions, salt, and all sort of commodities. They drive through that territory, and if they stop you, and they found a national identity card or documents, some public documents that associate you with the state of Burkina Faso, you will be attacked. They might just kill you. They are attacking the state, they have issues with the state.”
“We shouldn’t create a situation where our populace will have issues with their state. When the people have issues with the state, and they don’t feel that the mechanisms within the state afford them a remedy, that is when the state becomes a legitimate target for them,” the MP for Bawku central said.
Mr. Ayariga who has accused the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) of killing some indigenes of Bawku has petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
The legislator rejected GAF’s explanation that they engaged a group of armed men and neutralised six.
“I reject their self-serving explanations. Did the statement say they retrieve any weapon from them? Clearly, these were not armed men,” Mr. Ayariga fumed.
President Akufo-Addo has met the Ga state after the death of the Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III.
He assured the Ga state of the government’s support to ensure that the late queen mother, who reigned for 59 years, was given a befitting funeral.
President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance last Friday when a delegation from the Ga State, led by a member of the Council of State, Nii Adjiri Blankson, called on him at the Jubilee House in Accra to inform him of the passing of the queenmother.
The delegation, which included chiefs, elders of the traditional set-up and children of the deceased, presented the President with assorted drinks and a full piece of red cloth in consonance with tradition.
President Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that he would be at the funeral because it was a family bereavement for him. Naa Omaedru, 88, was known in private life as Naa Dedei Ablah. She was installed Ga Manye in 1963 when she was 29.
She passed away at her Dansoman residence, surrounded by her loved ones, on December 26, 2022.
Credits
During her reign, Naa Omaedru was credited for selflessly devoting her life to public and voluntary service and championing important issues crucial to peace, education and opportunities for young people, especially the girl-child.
These included seeking the welfare of the girl-child and women to safeguard their future, setting a remarkable example of leadership to queenmothers in the Ga State.
She also stood for peace and unity and promoted these, not only among the people of the Ga State but also all Ghanaians, and advocated a united approach to the meaningful development of her people.
Charity
Naa Omaedru was known for her charity work, and in 2004, she donated items worth $12 million to the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled at the Ghana National Rehabilitation Centre in Accra.
The rates for MTN Ghana’s goods and services will increase beginning on February 7, 2023.
The review reflects two changes – first, the implementation of the statutory 2.5 percentage point increase in VAT from 12.5% to 15% across all services. This will affect both prepaid and post-paid customers.
Second, MTN Ghana is proceeding with a 15% average upward review of its mobile data tariffs which was originally announced in November 2022 and was suspended. The increase in mobile data tariffs will affect both pay monthly and pay-as-you-go users.
The review in mobile data bundle offers covers products available on the short codes 138 and 170, as well as on purchases through Electronic Voucher Distribution, MTN Pulse and Data Zone except for XtraTime. The data tariff increases do not apply to Fibre Broadband and Fixed Wireless Access (4G Router/Turbonet) customers.
With this review, voice users will receive less airtime because of the VAT implementation and mobile data customers will receive smaller data bundle allocations.
The chief commercial officer for MTN, Noel Kojo-Ganson, explained the impact by giving an example of how the new pricing will work. A customer who previously got 24.4 minutes’ airtime for GHC3 before the VAT increase will now get 23.9 minutes, while a GHC3 data bundle which previously gave 471 megabytes will now give 401 megabytes.
Explaining the reason for the new prices for services, Kojo-Ganson said recent shifts in the economy had led to rising operating costs, largely because of inflation. “These economic shifts have impacted us directly, and for us to ensure we have the right balance for sustaining growth and investment into the network, we have had to consider price increases in various segments of our business.
“MTN recognises that we are in very tough times and would like to assure our customers that we will continue to offer them the convenience and flexibility in the purchase of data bundles at their desired price points via the MTN Flexi and Non-Expiry Bundles. Also, customers will continue to enjoy the 50% bonus incentive on mobile data purchases via MyMTN App and MoMo (valid for seven days) for 4G customers,” he added.
Kojo-Ganson said that MTN remains committed to investing US$1 billion by 2025 to continue its network expansion and improve the network experience for its customers. The purpose of its growth plan targeting 2025 is to lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
Sam George, a member of parliament for Ningo Prampram, professed confidence in the NDC’s capacity to win the 2024 general election despite disagreements between the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the minority caucus on the leadership of the minority caucus in parliament.
According to Sam George, the grass root members of the NDC have asked the MPs to solve their differences and make sure they deliver victory in the 2024 election. “Winning power is not by the big men in Accra; no big man has ever won power for any political party. Winning power comes from the hunger of the base of the party and across social media and all the platforms, what the base is saying is that MPs solve whatever issues you have, go back to parliament and deliver for us. We are focused on winning the election.”
He told Johnnie Hughes on the 3FM Sunrise Morning Show on Monday 6 February 2023 that “Winning power does not come from the big men in Accra but the masses of the people at the grass root. They have been telling us the members of parliament to deal with the situation and work together to ensure a united front towards 2024.”
Sam opined that even considering the fact that the NDC has managed to have 136 seats coming from 106 in the previous parliament is a clear indication that the NDC is serious about winning power in the next election.
He argued that around the same time in 2015, Haruna Iddrisu and Mubarak Muntaka were fresh appointees whereas the NPP had also gone to congress to elect Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyapong and Sammy Crabbe whom the then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo said he couldn’t work with and had them suspended yet NPP won the 2016 election because the Ghanaian people voted for NDC out due to hunger and anger.
The Ningo Prampram legislator mentioned that just as the people were not happy with the NDC government though it had done creditably well, the current blatant mismanagement of the economy and the obvious discontent for the governing New Patriotic Party by the people of Ghana is indicative that NDC will win the next election hence the NPP shouldn’t see fortune in the current challenge the NDC is faced with.
A statement was issued on Tuesday, January 24 to announce the decision of the NEC of the NDC to change the leadership of the minority caucus with the Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, replacing Tamale South legislator Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader. Ellembelle’s Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah also replaced James Klutse Avedzi as Deputy Minority Leader.
However, the decision has created a sharp division among members of the minority caucus which has generated concerns within the rank and file of the largest opposition party in Ghana as the NDC anticipates a victory in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Sam George maintained it is not every party decision that all members of the party will be happy with especially taking cognizance of the fact that a large number of the MPs have never held any party executive position before, it would have been prudent for the NDC leadership to have conferred with the members of the caucus before changing the leadership
“No individual can be bigger than the party. When the party makes a decision, you are compelled and mandated to live with it. It is not every decision of the party that every member will be pleased with however considering the stature of the people involved, and the fact that parliament is the wheel of the party made up of elected members some of whom have never held any party executive position before, consultation ought to have happened” Sam George stated
Mational director and environmentalist for ARocha Ghana, Dr. Seth Appiah Kubi, has been ordered by the Accra High Court to provide documentation demonstrating that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had published a report claiming that GIADEC had neglected to conduct an environmental impact assessment before beginning construction at Atewa Forest.
Appearing in court as the plaintiff’s first witness, Dr Appiah Kubi told the court during cross-examination by the Attorney General’s office that portions of the Atewa forest had been destroyed during the exploration premining by the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Dev’t Corporation(GIADEC).
State Attorney Leona Johnson Abassah queried about his capacity to describe the activities of GIADEC at Atewa Forest unlawful to which the following ensued:
AG: In Ghana who determines whether an activity either a recognizance or mining exploration is being done illegally?
Dr Kubi: The relevant government agencies i.e minerals commission, EPA.
AG: So ARocha Ghana isn’t the appropriate institution to determine and to allege that GIADEC undertook these activities without due process?
Dr Kubi: ARocha may not be an organization to determine the legality or otherwise but when the law is contravened we all can see it and cry foul.
AG: Is there any evidence of your allegation or it’s just by what you claim to have seen?
Dr Kubi: There’s a clear EPA law LI16(52) which says that if you’re undertaking a land use in the protected area of the status of the Atewa forest, then environmental impact assessment should be done if the footprint of the activity is above a certain threshold.
Asked whether he had evidence to that effect, he answered in the affirmative, explaining to the court that ARocha Ghana had run it by EPA who indicated that GIADEC failed to carry out an environmental impact assessment before the premining activity.
When he sought permission from the court to be given the opportunity to produce the said document as part of his witness statement, the AG’s office argued that he should have filed it earlier.
But counsel for the plaintiff, Martin Kpebu prayed the court to allow him to produce the document since the need for it came after the defendant sought to discredit his testimony.
The presiding Judge overruled the objection by the AG’s office and instructed the witness to produce the document by close of the day.
ARocha Ghana and 10 other organizations have sued the Government over its plans to mine bauxite at the Atewa Forest.
They argue that the forest provides water for over 5 million Ghanaians and is home to a trove of biodiversity, many of which can only be found in the Atewa Forest in Ghana. The forest is also considered a crucial nature-based solution and carbon sink for climate amelioration and the provisioning of several ecosystem services.
A few operational issues at the electoral administration organization have drawn the attention of the Electoral Commission (EC) Senior Staff Association.
This includes among other things, delays in the payment of administrative releases for the last two quarters of 2022, unprecedented delay in the payment of logistics and other services and delay in the payment of allowances for Commissioners for Oaths engaged during the 2020 voter registration exercise.
Other bottlenecks according to the workers are the reduction in the allocation of resources, pre-financing of operational and administrative activities and the outstanding payments for some temporary officials engaged during the District Level elections in 2019 and 2020 general elections.
“The commission’s inability to settle all outstanding administrative releases in full by the 15th February 2023 will cause the hanging of red flags at all offices of the Commission from 16th February 2023 to show our protest”, the employees warned.
The EC staff outlined these six main issues in a statement following a resolution. They explained each concern and likely consequences as follows:
A. DELAY IN PAYMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASES FOR TWO QUARTERS FOR THE YEAR 2022 (SIX MONTHS) i. Delay in the administrative releases for fuel, accountable imprest and inability to service and maintain official vehicles. ii. Payment of unrealistic rates of fuel for official vehicles. iii. Current economic conditions make it impossible for Regional Directors, Deputy Regional Directors and District Electoral Officers to Pre-finance fuel for official vehicles and undertake routine servicing and maintenance. iv. Inability to make payments for utilities (water and electricity) for the Offices. v. Disconnection of some offices of the Commission due to non-payment of utility bills.
B. DELAY IN THE PAYMENT OF OUTSTANDING BILLS i. Non-payments for logistics (canopies, tables, chairs, boats, generators etc.) used for the 2020 voter registration exercise, under- taken during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. ii. Logistics needed for the exercise was hired, based on quotas, rates and operational, instructions from the Commission, amidst ‘strong warnings’ of sanctions in the failure to adhere. iii. Payment of only 20% of the total amount submitted for logistics, almost three (3) years after the exercise, which ended successfully for officers to receive commendation from the Commission for a good job done – the registers used for the 2020 elections are in debt. iv. District Electoral Officers are pestered on daily bases with incessant calls from vendors to redeem their debts. v. Some Vendors have sued some District Electoral Officers in the law courts and CHRAJ in attempts to retrieve their monies because Commission is unable to fulfil financial obligations. vi. District Electoral Officers are being verbally abused and even threatened on daily bases for non-payment of bills, making them live in fear. vii. District Electoral Officers have lost all the respect, dignity, goodwill and some favour earlier existed in their districts because the Commission has been unable to honour its part of the agreement. viii. District Electoral Officers are now having issues with their families and friends from whom they borrowed to offset some of the bills due to frustration. ix. District Electoral Officers believe that the Commission thinks the vendors were not truly engaged, hence the commission refusal to pay them.
C. DELAY IN PAYMENT OF COMMISSIONERS FOR OATHS ENGAGED FOR THE 2020 TRANSFER OF VOTERS i. District Electoral Officers were instructed through their Regional Directors to engage the services of Commissioners for Oaths during transfer of voters in the year 2020, and have not been paid allowances after the whole exercise. ii. The Commissioners for Oaths keep harassing District Electoral Officers because they haven’t received their allowance yet.
D. DRASTIC REDUCTION IN THE RESOURCES ALLOCATED FOR OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES BY THE COMMISSION
I. The Commission has drastically reduced allocated resources since the 2018 Referendum for the Creation Of new regions to date. ii. Fuel for recruitment of officials, organisation of grassroots, training of officials, collection, distribution and retrieval of electoral materials from the regional offices to the district offices to the field has been reduced drastically since 2018. iii. Daily subsistence allowances (DSA) for staff has also seen a reduction per the number of days stipulated for various electoral activities. iv. Resources for hiring of training venue for Training of Trainers (TOT) and grassroots training has been reduced drastically, making the organisation of the training programmes extremely difficult.
E. After the payment of officials for the 2019 District Level Elections (DLE) and the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, some officials did not receive their allowances due to errors in their bank account details. The leadership of the SSA have made several appeals to Management to see to it that these officials are paid their allowances. However, it appears that the situation has not seen any change. We wish to make a final appeal to Management to address this issue timely so that we can continue to enjoy the support, loyalty and cooperation of our temporary officials during future exercises.
In view of the above, the National Council, the second-highest decision-making body of the SSA and the mouthpiece for Senior Staff Members at the various regions have resolved to the following:
1. Commissions’ Inability to settle all outstanding administrative releases in full by the 15th February, 2023 will cause the following: a. Hanging of red flags at all offices of the Commission from 16th February 2023 to show our protest. b. Officers would be unable to perform administrative and operational functions that require any financial commitments. c. The National Council of the Association may employ other legitimate and permissible tools under the Labour Laws of Ghana to press on home our demands after hanging of the red flags.
2. All arrears owned to vendors should be paid by Wednesday 1st March 2023, to enable District Electoral Officers have the peace of mind to live and work in their districts. In the event that the commission fails to make payments. a. All calls from vendors will be directed to the Commission. b. Vendors will be directed to the Head Office to claim their monies. c. District Electoral Officers would be unable to engage the services of vendors for subsequent exercise.
3. Resources for operational and administrative activities should be restored to their previous levels; and rates and levels should be determined and communicated to officers before the commencement of upcoming activities. 4. Officers of the Commission would NOT pre-finance any activities under any circumstance.
5. Management should liaise with the Government as a matter of urgency to implement the recommendations made on conditions of service of the staff of Electoral commission by the Twenty (20)- member fact finding Parliamentary Adhoc Committee set up by Parliament on Friday, 28th January 2011.
6. Management should also endeavour to address all these pertinent issues in a timely manner for industrial peace and harmony to prevail, considering the fact that this year is an Election year.
The New Patriotic Party should be led by Alan Kyerematen, according to Nana Akwasi Bosompra I, the paramount chief of Goaso Traditional Area of the Ahafo region (NPP).
He said this because the former Trade and Industry Minister has served the party faithfully and diligently since 1992, proving through his work that he has the qualities to lead the country.
Nana Bosompra, who presided over the Goaso Traditional Council when Kyerematen called on Nananom last Friday to announce his bid for the flagbearership of the NPP, noted that Ghanaians admire his competence, and the rich qualities he posses to lead the party.
Nana Akwasi Bosompra extolled the sterling leadership qualities of Hon. Kyerematen, including his ability to churn out results for productivity, his humility, and patience, as making him capable of leading the party.
As a result, Omanhene urged delegates to elect the former Trade and Industry Minister as their presidential candidate for 2024 as the Ghanaian electorate will willingly accept him.
The Goasomanhene blessed the presidential hopeful and assured him of his support invoking the support of Asanteman and Nananom of Ahafo region, reiterating the backing of the Golden Stool for Alan’s candidature for the flagbearership of the NPP.
The development of consensus between the government and stakeholders is essential for the economic development of the nation, according to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the minister of information.
According to him, such regular engagements are necessary for finding common grounds on issues of concern to citizens.
He made the comments when the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council presented a communiqué to the government in Accra on Monday 6th February 2023 following its recent National Conference.
Mr Nkrumah commended the group for not only concentrating on the church and spiritual matters but also paying attention to contemporary social and economic issues which impact livelihoods.
“The need for constant engagement and consensus building between Government and stakeholders within the economy cannot be over-emphasized. Among other things, we need Consensus for economic progress. Different stakeholders have different interests and objectives. And if each stakeholder sticks to an unyielding position we can hardly make progress.
“It is important that we engage regularly to find common ground on these things that matter most to us collectively,” he said.
He assured the council that matters raised in the communiqué are of keen interest to any administration and his Ministry will do well to ensure that the attention of central government is brought to these matters, some keener attention is paid to them and middle ground found on as many of them as possible
The President of the Council Apostle Eric Nyamekye who led the delegation to present the document to the Minister for Information said the church was always ready to play its role in nation-building by sharing feedback and using its platforms to educate and create awareness on national issues.
He appealed to the government to critically look at issues raised in the communique and addressed them in these crucial times, especially in the economy.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that issues relating to the reorganization of the Minority leadership in Parliament have been settled.
This comes after a meeting between the National Executives, the Council of Elders of the NDC, and the Minority Caucus in Parliament on Monday, February 6, 2023.
The meeting which took place at the DF Annan Auditorium in Parliament had stalwarts of the party including the Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and his General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, among others present.
Others at the meeting included former Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi, and former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adzaho.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said the concerns raised have offered the party the opportunity to establish a framework for the running of the Minority caucus in Parliament.
“You can see from the enthusiasm that the challenges that arose from the announcement of the new leadership of our Caucus have all been resolved.”
The Chairman also disclosed that the party has learned some key lessons from the row that accompanied the announcement of the reshuffle and has led to the formulation of a framework to determine the leadership of the Caucus in the future.
“The challenges that we have been through in the few days have produced very beneficial results and it has led to the formulation of a framework for leading our Caucus in Parliament
“One of the takeaways from this meeting is for us to go and quickly expedite action for the formulation of a framework of leading our Caucus in Parliament in the future.”
Meanwhile, one of the petitioners who called for a suspension of the reshuffle for further engagements, Dr. Dominic Ayine said the group will support the new leaders in the discharge of their duties.
Cassiel Ato Forson replaced Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader on January 24.
Muntaka accepts Minority leadership reshuffle
In a related development, the former Minority Chief whip, Muntaka Mubarak, has finally accepted the decision by the National Democratic Congress to reshuffle the Minority leaders in Parliament.
His decision comes after former President John Dramani Mahama intervened and held discussions with the Member of Parliament for Asawase.
In a Facebook post, the former Chief Whip wrote “to all our supporters within and without. I had a lengthy meeting with my big brother, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday evening over the parliamentary reshuffle. I want to, first of all, thank him for his words of advice and encouragement to me as a younger brother”.
“His Excellency’s intervention has brought an end to all the brouhaha associated with the reshuffle.”
“We are in the interest of our party NDC. We need to move on as a party and channel all our energies towards the 2024 elections.
“I thank all our chiefs, Queen Mothers Imams, and supporters for your prayers and solidarity. I pray for Allah’s guidance in all our affairs. Long live NDC long live Ghana,” he concluded.
On Monday, February 6, 2023, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council delivered a communiqué to the government in the wake of its most recent National Conference.
The President of the Council Apostle Eric Nyamekye who led a delegation to present the document to the Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the church was always ready to play its role in nation-building by sharing feedback and using its platforms to educate and create awareness on national issues.
He appealed to the government to critically look at issues raised in the communique and addressed them in these crucial times, especially on the economy.
The Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah in his response said consensus building between government and stakeholders is crucial for the country’s economic progress.
He said such regular engagements are necessary for finding common grounds on issues of concern to citizens.
Mr. Nkrumah commended the group for not only concentrating on the church and spiritual matters but also paying attention to contemporary social and economic issues which impact livelihoods.
“The need for constant engagement and consensus building between Government and stakeholders within the economy cannot be over-emphasized. Among other things, we need Consensus for economic progress. Different stakeholders have different interests and objectives. And if each stakeholder sticks to an unyielding position we can hardly make progress.
It is important that we engage regularly to find common ground on these things that matter most to us collectively” he said.
He assured the council that matters raised in the communique are of keen interest to any administration and his Ministry will do well to ensure that the attention of central government is brought to these matters, some keener attention is paid to them and middle ground found on as many of them as possible.
It’s been quite a year for music, from Beyoncé’s unbreakable soul and Adele’s “Easy” listening to Bad Bunny’s hot-boy Verano and Harry Style’s House party. But now we finally know who’ll need a U-Haul to take home all their trophies from the 65th annual Grammy Awards.
Bey went in with the most nominations (nine) and wound up breaking the record for the most Grammy wins by a single artist ever: a staggering 32. But if she scooped up several awards at the ceremony, she failed to net three of the biggest: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, the last of which many (including EW) thought she had in, well, her bag.
Those wins, which were announced in the final hour of the show, would surprise even the artists who won them. Visibly stunned veteran singer-songwriter (and now 13-time winner) Bonnie Raitt snagged the award for Song of the Year for her track “Just Like That,” the first song written by a solo songwriter to take the prize since Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” 15 years ago.
Record of the Year went to an equally shocked Lizzo for her feel-good anthem “About Damn Time.” She dedicated her golden gramophone to her idols, including Prince and Bey. “Beyoncé, in the fifth grade I skipped school to see you perform,” she said. “You changed my life… So thank you so much. You clearly are the artist of our lives. I love you!”
And then there was the night’s most coveted trophy — Album of the Year — a category that once again pitted Adele (for 30) against Beyoncé (for Renaissance). But neither diva would snatch the statch (nor would Bad Bunny, ABBA, Mary J. Blige, Lizzo, Brandi Carlile, or Coldplay). The award instead went to Harry Styles for Harry’s House. Like Lizzo, the “As It Was” singer used his acceptance speech to praise his fellow nominees. “Man, I’ve been so, so inspired by every artist in this category with me,” he said. “And I think on nights like tonight it’s so important for us to remember that there is no such thing as best in music. I don’t think any of us sit in the studio making decisions based on what is going to get us one of these.”
Trevor Noah returned for his third year as host of the proceedings, having left his day job at The Daily Show. “Sometimes when you’re doing a live award show you can focus so much on the production of it that you forget what’s happening right in front of your eyes. And that is, some of the greatest talents of a generation are performing live in front of you,” Noah told EW’s Awardist podcast. “It’s just this live volcano that’s erupting in front of our eyes, and it’s beautiful to be a part of.”
According to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), a regulation that will mandate the installation of early fire detection systems in every home as a preventative measure against domestic fires will be put into effect.
According to the Service, its statistical report over the last decade has had domestic fires taking the lead in the country.
Per the data, out of 59,933 fire outbreaks recorded between 2013 and 2022; 23,394 were domestic fires, representing 39 percent which is more than other causes of fire.
Speaking to Citi News, the Director of Public Relations at the Ghana National Fire Service, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO), Timothy Osafo-Affum indicated that, the service is engaging the private sector to embark on moves to reduce domestic fire outbreaks.
“We are going to implement a new law – that is L.I 2249 (Fire Precaution Premises Regulation, 2015). This law mandates the fire service to ensure that every home is provided with early fire detection and fighting systems. What we are going to do is to give every home the smoke detector which is the simplest form of the early warning system.”
Recently, the Ghana National Fire Service announced, it will be rolling out a mandatory policy to compel drivers to keep fire extinguishers in their vehicles at all times.
The Service said the policy will reduce the rampant outbreak of fires and the damages caused.
Volta Region was selected for the pilot exercise which is expected to eventually be rolled out across the country.
According to the GNFS, incidents of vehicular fires have been on the rise in recent times in the Volta Region prompting the piloting of the exercise in that region.
Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria, has outlined some strategies African countries might use to capitalize on their expanding populations.
According to him, Africa’s growing population – which is projected to hit 2.5 billion by 2050, has the ability to to serve as a liability to the continent.
Using his own country as an example, Olusegun Obasanjo said that by 2050, Nigeria’s population is projected to be at 400 million, a situation he said is currently troubling.
“We will be the third largest country in the world after China and India. Should the really be a great concern to us? I would say normally that it shouldn’t be because population can be a liability or an asset.
“Now, as we have it today, it is a great liability, and don’t let us deceive ourselves. In my country, Nigeria, where we are 225 million today, 20 million of our children that should be in school are not in school – that is the beginning of insecurity, whichever way you look at it,” he stressed.
Speaking at the Insiders and Outsiders Meeting the African Security Challenge in the 2020s, organised by the Brenthurst Foundation and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), the former Nigerian president said that regardless of the situation, something good can come out of over-population.
He explained that an advantage that Africa can attain with its growing human resource, is to ensure that it equips the population with needed skills, education and knowledge in technology.
“Can we make population an asset? Of course, we can if we nurture our population from the womb; if we have food and nutrition security; if we give every child education. If everybody can acquire skills; if we give science and technology the attention it should be given.
“If we give every child employment, population will cease to be a liability; it will be an asset. But if we are not able to do this, as we have not been able to do it in the past, then there will be no hope, or any great expectation for our population. And once the population is depleted, then we have lack of protection, we have insecurity on our hands,” he stated.
The West African Security Roundtable – Insiders and Outsiders: Meeting the African Security Challenge in the 2020s was hosted by President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, and Dr. Greg Mills, Head of the Brenthurst Foundation.
The event forms part of a series across the region: Accra, Abidjan, Dakar, Niamey, and Abeokuta.
The Member of parliament for North Tongu,Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has received recognition from the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) for his efforts to develop the health industry in the Volta Region.
In a series of tweets shared on Sunday, February 5, 2023, the MP said that he is humbled and inspired by the gesture.
He expressed his gratitude to the GMA and his special public health advisor, Dr. Momodou Cham, who he said played a key role in his intervention in the health sector in the Volta Region.
“Sincerely, it is really humbling and deeply inspiring to know that the professionals and practitioners at the heart of health delivery have returned a positive verdict on my health interventions.
“This isn’t an individual accomplishment but a collective recognition; there wouldn’t be this award without my special public health advisor, Dr. Momodou Cham, our dynamic volunteers, our numerous donors both home and abroad, patients and healthcare workers who boldly tell us their needs, the many doctors and nurses who accept our outreach invitations, community leaders, party activists and strategic partners,” parts of the tweet read.
The tweets included a video of the MP receiving the award amid resounding applause and a standing ovation.
View the tweets plus a video of Ablakwa receiving the award below:
Last night I received a medal of honour and a citation from the prestigious Ghana Medical Association (Volta/Oti Division) for what they described as my “outstanding contributions to the advancement of the health sector.”
Dr. Momodou Cham, our dynamic volunteers, our numerous donors both home and abroad, patients and healthcare workers who boldly tell us their needs, the many doctors and nurses who accept our outreach invitations, community leaders, party activists and strategic partners.— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) February 5, 2023
Vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, together with 40 NPP Members of Parliament (MPs)have traveled to Kpembi to attend the funeral of the late Lepowura Alhaji MND Jawula.
The Vice President is also captured being accompanied by 40 Members of Parliament (MPs), who were seen seated in a bus from the Tamale Airport to Kpembi in the Savanah Region.
Some of the Members of Parliament captured are the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Shiela Bartels, Mustapha Yussif, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Habib Iddrisu, Dr. Prince Armah, and Steven Jalulah, among others.
The late Lepowura Alhaji Jawula, who was the former chairman of the Ghana Football Association, died in Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America, on January 21, 2023.
In line with Islamic practice, the veteran football administrator and politician was buried in the United States on Sunday, January 22.
The former chairman of the Ghana Football Association would have clocked 74 years old in May.
He held the affairs of Ghana football from 1997 to 2001. His reign saw the U-17 team place 2nd and 3rd in the 1997 and 1999 World Cups, respectively, and the U-20 team place 2nd in the 2001 World Cup edition.
Until his death, he was the chairman of the Ghana Premier League
To honor the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, thousands of people gathered at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi as part of celebrations for the first Akwasidae of the year 2023.
It was marked with drumming and dancing amidst exchange of greetings, presentation of drinks and other pleasantries.
Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II entered the Palace in a palanquin dressed in a kente cloth with gold ornaments around his wrists and arms amidst drumming and firing of musketries.
He was followed by the Queen of the Asante Kingdom, Nana Konadu Yiadom III.
The Akwasidae Festival is a magnificent Asante celebration centered on ancestral reverence, remembrance and acknowledgement of past kings and noble feats.
It serves as a celebration of the Golden Stool and a cultural vibrancy that brings together the Asantehene, sub-chiefs, subjects and dignitaries at Manhyia in Kumasi.
The atmosphere was charged with a lot of activities, which include drumming and dancing, cultural display and others.
Kofi Essoun, a young man in his late 40s, has been detained at the Manso Police Station for murdering his brother at Bowohomoden, a neighborhood close to Mampong in the Mpohor District of the Western Region.
Nana Kwame, a resident told Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, the host of Connect FM’s Omanbapa morning show that the suspect is a known hunter in the community.
According to him, he went on his normal hunting expedition and shot an animal.
He went to the spot to pick up his animal only for him to see the lifeless body of his brother.
“He came home and informed us that he has killed his brother. He went hunting alone last night without his brother. He saw an animal and shot it, he was going for the animal only for him to see the lifeless body of his brother lying at the same spot. He was shocked as to what his brother was doing at the place at that particular time in the night when he did not go hunting with him,” the man narrated.
District Chief Executive (DCE) for Mpohor Ignatius Asaah Mensah confirms the suspect has been arrested after reporting himself at the Manso Police station.
Muntaka Mubarak, the former Chief Whip of the Minority in Parliament, has succumbed to the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) plan to reshuffle the Minority’s front bench.
The reshuffle affected him (Muntaka Mubarak), the then leader of the caucus, Mr Haruna Iddrisu and the Mr James Klutse Avedzi, also the then Deputy Minority Leader.
However, the Asawase MP who was unhappy with the decision says he has accepted it in the interest of the party.
In the Facebook post on Monday, February 6, the former Minister for Sports thanked former President John Mahama for intervening in the matter.
According to him, the intervention has brought an end to all the misunderstanding that surrounded the reshuffle.
“To all our supporters within and without. I had a lengthy meeting with my big brother, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday evening over the parliamentary reshuffle.
“I want to first of all thank him for the words of advice and encouragement to me as a younger brother.
“His Excellency’s intervention has brought an end to all the brouhaha associated with the reshuffle.”
He thus urged the rank and file of the party to focus their energies towards election 2024.
“We are for the interest of our party NDC. We need to move on as a party and channel all our energies towards 2024 elections.
“I thank all our chiefs ,Queen Mothers Imams, supporters for your prayers and solidarity. I pray for Allah’s guidance in all our affairs. Long live NDC long live Ghana,” he concluded.
Last month, the NDC replaced Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu with Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle also replaced Ketu North MP, James Klutse Avedzi as the Deputy Minority Leader while Kwame Governs Agbodza replaced Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak as the Minority Chief Whip.
This, led to some differences over what the aggrieved NDC MPs described as “lack of consultation.”
Meanwhile, the party leadership will later today meet with all the Minority MPs to introduce the new leadership to them.
At Sepe-Boukrom in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region, a 21-year-old teenager has killed a 60-year-old woman.
Body of the deceased was discovered in her bathroom in a three-storey building after she was stabbed by the suspect on Monday, February 6, 2023.
The deceased, Rose Gyaah was stabbed eight (8) times with a knife by the suspect.
The suspect, identified as Koo Baah, according to eyewitnesses, threatened to eliminate any person who attempted to arrest him with a gun after committing the heinous act on Monday morning.
However, the fearless angry youth in the Buokrom Community overpowered the suspect and handed him immediately to Kumasi Airport Police Command.
Narrating how the incident occurred, a co-tenant to the deceased, Hamidu Issah explained,
“We heard the deceased Maa Rose shouting while mentioning the name Koo Baafi who happens to be an errand boy for her, so we thought it was a normal call which she normally does, but we realized the deceased’s voice was getting faint, so we rushed to her room at the last floor of the three-storey building.
“When got there, we saw blood stains all over the place, so we began following the blood stains and discovered the woman had been dragged to the bathroom by the suspect.
“We immediately called the police for assistance but the woman was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.”
The unfortunate incident has thrown the entire community into a state of shock and mourning.
The reticence of some significant players in this country’s administration over the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Program (DDEP), according to Professor Godfred A. Bokpin of Finance at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), is alarming .
Pensioner Bondholders Forum, a group for the protection of pensioners with investment in government bonds has served notice to picket at the premises of the Finance Ministry until its members are exempted from the DDEP.
According to the group, attempts to have their investment exempted from the programme have proved futile, the reason for their decision to picket at the Finance Ministry until their demands are met.
Commenting on the Debt Exchange Program on Morning Starr with Francis Abban, Mr. Bokpin stated that he cannot fathom why Parliament as the representative of the people has not summoned the Minister of Finance for questioning.
“We need all important stakeholders, you need the TUC on the table, the TUC should not just wake up because pensions were at risk. What is a pension if the whole country is not governed well? Because if you don’t do this Debt Restructuring very well, adequately and comprehensively it will show up in the next two years.
“If you look at the terms that the Minister has proposed even for the Individual Bondholders you are looking at the principal repayment in 2025 at a time he will not be there. Even the opposition party what is their stake and their contribution in this Debt Restructuring?” Mr. Bokpin queried.
He stated that NDC and other major stakeholders must demonstrate their commitment and what alternative they are putting on the table to salvage the nation from the current situation.
“The Christian Council, all the major stakeholders you know this is not a time where you can leave governance to a few people, no, this is a time where we all come on board. Bring the best ideas and best alternatives on the table for our common good. If Parliament could tell us that they themselves have no deeper understanding of this Debt Exchange what prevents them from asking the Finance Minister to come and brief Parliament comprehensively? The situation, the steps, and all of that.”
A physician and financial adviser, Dr. Yaw Perbi, cried while discussing how the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) has damaged him.
According to him, he sacrificed student loans and some entertainment among others just to gain principal to buy government bonds.
“We sacrificed student loans and some entertainment among others. And now, those who were just blowing their money are laughing at us. They’ll be saying ‘you should have chopped the money’,” he said on Monday.
Dr Yaw Perbi said he convinced many of his friends who are health practitioners in the country to invest but he is now pained things have turned out like this.
“Part of the reason I came here was to let the several tens and thousands of people who have invested to know that this is not a Ponzi Scheme. They did the right thing.
“I am trying to convince myself that I did the right thing, I did not leave them to go and throw themselves over a cliff. We did the right thing but our leaders have not done the right thing by us and they need to be called out on it,” myjoyonline.com quoted.
Background:
The only hurdle to the government of Ghana getting the $3 billion it is seeking from the International Monetary Fund appears to be the government’s inability to prove to the Fund that its debts are sustainable.
To do this, the government has come up with the voluntary Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) to deal with its domestic debts. It has also come up with some measures, including the country joining the Paris Club to deal with its international debts (to have the foreign debts delayed or forgiven).
With the DDEP, the government is seeking to restructure approximately GH¢137.3 billion of the domestic debts it accrued through bonds it issued, including the E.S.L.A. Plc and Daakye Trust Plc, and per the requirement of the IMF, 80 percent of the country’s total debts must be subject to this debt exchange programme.
However, the government has been struggling to get the needed stakeholders to sign up for the DDEP to meet the required standard and has extended the deadline for the programme several times.
On Monday, February 6, 2023, Turkey experienced a massive 7.7 earthquake, claiming over 1,800 lives.
Per reports Ghanaian international player Christian Atsu, who plays for Turkish Super Lig team Hataysport, is among those who have been trapped under the debris.
This is the Moment a Building in Türkiye's Sanliurfa Collapsed after a major 7. 4 Magnitude Earthquake struck Türkiye.
The earthquake, the second-largest in the last century anywhere in the world, has already been reported to have claimed more than 1600 lives both in Turkey and neighbouring Syria, the CNN reports.
As the world comes to terms with what is happening in Turkey, and as humanitarian and rescue efforts are being made to help the country, GhanaWeb takes a look at some of the videos that have been shared by people online showing the depth of destruction caused by the natural disaster.
In these difficult moments for the peoples hit by the earthquake, in #Türkiye and #Syria, we should all pray that there will be as few human victims as possible. We pray for them…!#PrayForTurkeypic.twitter.com/jyavyhY2zI
The upstream oil sector in the last seven years under President Akufo-Addo has seen no extra production activity, this is according to former President John Dramani Mahama.
In a post on his Twitter page on Monday, February 6, the former President attributed the lack of activity in the upstream sector to the greed and ineptitude of President Akufo-Addo.
In 2017, the government revealed that it was banking its hopes on the Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) and the Sankofa-Gye-Nyame oil fields to achieve its growth target of 6.3 percent this year.
TEN Field Project
The TEN Oil field, which started operating in August 2016, was expected to produce between 20,000 to 23,000 barrels of oil per day.
The project is a joint venture led by Tullow Oil with a stake of 47.185 percent, with the other partners, Kosmos Energy, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and Petro SA, having a stake of 17 per cent, 17 per cent, 15 per cent and 3.815 per cent, respectively.
The project derives its name from the three fields, Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme, which lie 60 kilometres off the coast of the Western Region, Ghana.
TEN was expected to produce about 300 million barrels of oil over a 20-year period, equivalent to 80 per cent of oil and 20 per cent of gas.
The field will produce 80,000 barrels of oil and 180mm scf of gas per day when it reaches full production.
Sankofa project
The Sankofa-Gye Nyame Field in the Tano Basin of the West Cape Three Points, on the other hand, delivered its first oil in August 2017 and its first gas in February 2018 to augment thermal power generation that ensured sustainable electricity production.
It was expected to deliver an additional 30,000 barrels per day of oil and 180 million cubic feet (5.07 million cubic metres) per day of gas to Ghana.
Gas from the project is expected to help generate 1,100 MW of additional electricity and once on stream, it will produce enough gas to increase the country’s electricity supply by 50 per cent.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has made it clear that the choice to control fuel prices under the “gold for oil” program is just temporary and will cease if significant quantities of consignment arrive in Ghana.
The Communications Manager of the NPA, Mohammed Abdul-Kudus, in an interview on the Citi Breakfast show on Monday explained that the decision is to ensure that the prices of petroleum products imported under the Gold-for-Oil (G4O) programme reflect at the pumps to benefit consumers.
“Currently they are commingling, what it means is that they are taking from the G4O and what they take from the prevailing market price, so the pricing dynamic is different. So when the volume increases when we have OMCs taking mainly from G40 then we don’t need to put our eyes on it because then the pricing is clear.
“It is because of the non-clarity and difficulty in arriving at the price because of the insignificance of the quantity that has warranted our monitoring. We hope that when the product supply increases over time and hopefully takes off the current arrangement over time and we are able to tell that this OMC is not selling any product apart from G4O then pricing is easier and we are not going to have any difficulty in monitoring,” Mr Abdul-Kudus told host Bernard Avle on Monday.
The NPA has also announced that it will work with the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company Limited to negotiate prices with international oil traders to ensure that the landed cost of products procured under the programme is always competitive.
The NPA also disclosed that the initial 40,000 tonnes of diesel that arrived in January under the Gold-for-oil policy were valued at US$40 million.
The clarification by the NPA comes after several calls by industry experts including the Institute of Energy Securities for the government to provide details on how much it spent on the initial consignment.
According to President Akufo-Addo, government is dedicated to ensuring that the insurgency in Burkina Faso is brought to a close.
Nana Akufo-Addo says the Burkinabees who are fleeing their country have identified Ghana as a safe haven.
Speaking at a meeting with the German Finance Minister, Christian Lindner at the Jubilee House in Accra.,
Nana Akufo-Addo says the government of Ghana is committed to ensuring the insurgency in Burkina Faso is brought to an end.
“We are talking about a substantial number of people who are already coming southwards as a result of the difficulties in Burkina Faso. We have a direct, important and strategic interest in doing whatever we can to bring this insurgency to an end and help stabilise the issues in Burkina Faso.”
Ghana and Burkina Faso have reaffirmed their commitment to work together in fighting terrorism in the sub-region.
Ghana’s National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah disclosed this to journalists in Ouagadougou on Wednesday 21st December 2022 after conveying a message from President Akufo-Addo to the Burkinabe leader, President Ibrahim Traore.
Mr Kan-Dapaah led a high-level delegation from Ghana which also included Security chiefs and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Flanked by the Burkinabe Foreign Minister Madame Olivia Rouamba, Mr Kan-Dapaah said “the two countries reviewed the strong cooperation between them and clarified to their mutual satisfaction recent reported discussions between Ghana and the United States with regard to the needed partnerships for sustainable peace in the region”.
The Minister indicated that both countries have reaffirmed their support for a common fight against terrorism, welcoming early operationalization of the Accra Initiative to enable Burkina Faso to defeat the terrorists who have brought untold hardship and pain to the Burkinabe people.
“In that respect, we discussed concrete support that Ghana has advocated for Burkina Faso in the Accra Initiative and ECOWAS and called on the West African States to act expeditiously on the matter,” he said.
The two countries also highlighted the importance of building resilience in vulnerable communities and support for those that have been displaced or lost livelihoods and called for genuine partnership with the international community in this regard.
Ghana and Burkina Faso committed to holding more regular consultations.
Earlier Mr Kan-Dapaah and his delegation were welcomed by a retinue of religious and traditional leaders.
Together, they reaffirmed the common histories and traditions of Ghana and Burkina Faso and agreed to explore the possibility of periodic visitor exchange with their counterparts in Ghana.
Doctors at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have temporarily postponed their planned withdrawal of services due to 13-month salary arrears.
The group earlier threatened to withdraw services to the Outpatient Department as well as elective surgeries and procedures at the hospital from February 6-10 if management does not come up with a clear roadmap for payment of the arrears.
It warned that emergencies would be refused till all in-patients are discharged if nothing was heard from management from February 13.
But speaking to Citi News, the Chairman of the Korle-Bu Doctors Association, Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere said the withdrawal of services which was to begin today, February 6 has been suspended following an agreed timeline with management for the payment of the salary arrears.
“Management came out with a letter spelling out the timelines they think they can pay the rest of the arrears. So we just had a meeting as an association, and we have agreed to the timelines management has given praying that they will stick to their side of the bargain, so there is no threat to it before it is paid. So come the end of March, 25 percent of the arrears will be paid and then by end of June, another 25 percent will be paid”, he said.
In an earlier protest letter, the doctors accused the management of discrimination in the payment of the arrears of the 13th-month salary for doctors working in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The doctors also claimed that the communication to the management not to pay the 25% of the arrears until a clear agreement on the timelines for the remainder of the arrears has gone unheeded.
They added that the payment of the arrears seems to have also been ceded to the departments instead of payment from a central pool.
According to the doctors, by decentralizing the payment, doctors working in financially challenged departments would be disadvantaged.
Today, February 6, 2023, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa (I), the deceased Overlord of the Gonja state, will be laid to rest.
This follows his passing on Saturday, 5th February 2023 at Damongo after 12 years of reign on the Yagbon throne.
The burial ceremony is scheduled to happen at the Gonja Kings Mausoleum at Sonyonwura Adamu Bakari Kanyiti near Bole in accordance to Gonja customs and traditions.
To act as Head of State and President of the Gonja Traditional Council until the enskinment of a new Yagbonwura, the Chief of Sonyo, Sonyonwura Adamu Bakari Kanyiti has moved into the Jakpa Palace at Damongo in accordance with Gonja traditional arrangements.
The Sonyowura will also be responsible for all preparations for the customary and traditional royal burial of the Yagbonwura at the royal mausoleum for Gonja Kings at Mankuma near Bole.
The body of the Yagbonwura has since been moved to Nyange – the first traditional capital of Gonja. Here, other traditional rites will be performed before the body is moved to Mankuma through a path that was used for movement from the Bole area to Nyange.
Yagbonwura Sulemana Jakpa Tuntumba Boresa (I) was enthroned as King of the Gonja Kingdom in March, 2010.
He was the Kusaguwura of the Kusaguwura before becoming Yagbonwura.
In 1986 Yagbonwura Tuntumba was enskinned the Salaa-wura of the Kusawgu Traditional Area.
A monetary donation of GH8,000 has been donated to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s occupational therapy office by a few concerned students and the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law.
The amount, which was raised in collaboration with the Concerned Students of the Ghana Law School, was an idea initiated by one of the students, Morris Adjei, whose son has been receiving therapeutic care at the facility for some time now.
The SRC President of the Ghana School of Law, Odupong Agyapong Atta-Agyapong, who led a team to donate, thanked Morris Adjei for bringing the need of the occupational therapy department to their attention.
“I want to sincerely thank Mr. Morris Adjei for granting the students of the Ghana School of Law the opportunity to give towards this important project to save the kids,“ Odupong said.
He also stressed how for him, children are special gifts from God, who require utmost care and attention.
He used the occasion to wish the kids on admission a speedy recovery and prayed for God’s divine healing for them.
In her remarks to receive the donation, the administrator of child health at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Esther Tetteh, expressed her gratitude to the SRC and the entire student’s body for the support.
She also singled out Morris Adjei for mention, stressing that he has led the way as a parent and that she hopes that other parents, as well as individuals, schools and other benevolent organizations, will emulate the gesture by the Odupong-led SRC.
The administrator, who was in the company of two occupational therapists, Nancy Agyei and Elizabeth Miretina Oti, as well as a representative from the public relations unit of the hospital, gave the assurance that the money will be used for its intended purpose.
She asked for God’s blessings for the SRC and the concerned students, saying they have contributed to laying the foundation for the children who are the future leaders.
There has been an increase in enrolment across the country since the Free Senior High School concept was introduced in 2017.
The increased enrolment also led to increased demand for furniture, accommodation and other resources to facilitate effective teaching and learning.
It is based on this that the President Akufo-Addo-led government has since 2017 donated thousands of furniture and other resources to schools to promote effective teaching and learning at the pre-tertiary education sector.
The Press Secretary at the Education Ministry, Mr Felix A. Baidoo, who disclosed this said the government has since 2017 distributed a total of 1,155,240 pieces of furniture to Senior High and Basic Schools across the country.
He stated that out of the number 925,793 were distributed to SHS while the remaining 229,447 went to Basic Schools in the country.
Demand-driven supply
Again, he stated that the demand-driven furniture distribution, is aimed at creating enabling and conducive environment in the classrooms.
Mr Baidoo disclosed this after accompanying a team of media personnel to Benje Furniture Company Ltd at Weija in the Weija Gbawe Municipality in Accra on Friday where 5,000 dual desks were being dispatched to the Kpandai District in the North East region.
The trip to Benje Furniture Company Ltd was geared towards providing evidence that the government’s readiness to distribute furniture to schools is real and not a rhetoric.
Ongoing distribution
According to the Press Secretary, the loading of the 5,000 pieces of furniture to Kpandai District was part of 40,000 pieces of furniture being distributed to schools which have requested additional furniture across the country.
He explained that although the government desired to distribute the right quantity of furniture to schools, that depends on the demands of schools at a particular point in time.
This, he said is to ensure that the furniture went to the right institutions or schools which need them most to avoid sending the furniture to schools which did not need them while others which needed them have not been supplied yet.
Mr Baidoo indicated the government’s preparedness towards supplying the needed resources to all schools across the country towards enhancing the development of education.
Exercise restraint
He appealed to all schools yet to be supplied with furniture and other resources to exercise restraint as the right processes are being followed to ensure that all resources reached those who need them.
The Chief Executive Officer of Benje Furniture Company Ltd, praised the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, for procuring the furniture from the local market since such a move would help boost the operations of local companies.
He explained that the procurement of the furniture locally would also help empower local industries to do more towards strengthening their operations.
The CEO pledged to ensure that all the furniture would be delivered within three weeks so that the beneficiaries would be able to use it for its intended purpose.
Records
Records available at the Education Ministry indicate that a total of 65,779 pieces of furniture were supplied to Basic Schools in the country in 2018, 54,000 was supplied by District Assembly Common Fund in 2020, 69,459 in 2021 while the distribution of 40,000 to Basic Schools for this year is currently underway.
The SHSs also received 65,779 furniture in 2018, 54,000 in 2020, 69,459 in 2021 while the distribution of 40,209 for this year is ongoing.
The distribution of furniture to the schools usually comes in the form of dual desks, teacher’s chairs and tables, library tables and chairs, common room tables and chairs, KG chairs, cupboards, notice board, dining hall tables, dining hall benches, computer lab chairs and bunk beds among others.
In a spellbinding and thrilling competition for the crown in the 2023 edition of Spelling Bee between N’Adom Darko-Asare and Mychelle Kumah, the former emerged champion.
Having gone through the ranks to emerge winner in the 2022 Spelling Bee competition, she chose to create and break a record in the 16-year history of the Spelling Bee Competition in the country, one which she effortlessly did.
With a mastery of the English language and an unwavering determination, the victor, N’Adom Darko-Asare navigated through the challenging words, earning applause and admiration from the packed audience.
As the final word was pronounced and the correct spelling confirmed, the crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers, congratulating her for retaining her title as the best speller for two consecutive years.
N’Adom Darko-Asare is a pupil of the DPS International Ghana. Consistently she spelt correctly her words to the 17th round and with a brazen smile on her face, spelt her championship word, “DOUROUCOULI”.
The first runner up, Mychelle Kumah, who is a pupil of Soul Clinic School, Accra put up a fierce battle and is tipped to win the next edition should she contest again.
One hundred and four students contested for the 16th edition of The Spelling Bee -Ghana on Saturday, February 4, 2023. The national finalists were made up of 46 boys and 58 girls representing 8 cities in Ghana.
The competition, which began in March of 2022, saw over 500 hopefuls aged between 7 and 13 receive training before being assessed through the Preliminaries, Quarter and Semi Final levels, where all 104 National Finalists emerged.
Wa West MP, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has stressed the need for leadership in the country to consider the Bawku conflict as a national problem.
According to Mr. Toobu, the protracted conflict is not only having a negative impact on Bawku in the Upper East Region but also on Ghana at large, therefore, calling for a national dialogue on the matter.
Speaking on Anopa Bofo morning show, the security expert who served under three different successive Inspector General of Police (IGP), said the recent happenings there in relation to the matter, indicate a new measure is required to curb it.
“I plead with Ghanaians to be awakened over this Bawku matter, it is not about Bawku, but it is Ghana… it can move from Bawku to Agbogbloshie, to Nima, and to Kumasi… and by the time we realise then the conflict has turned into a national conflict because we might had refused to act on it accordingly,” he told show host, Kojo Oppong Kyeremeh.
The former Executive Secretary to the Inspector General of Police, also said the more the conflicts lasted, the higher the insecurity it brings to the country as it could provide a fertile ground for terrorists from neighboring countries to radicalise Ghanaian youth in the north.
Peter Lanchene Toobu made the comments after the Interior Ministry beefed up security in Bawku with military presence following renewed clashes that claimed some lives.
The security expert is of the view that the continuous deployment of security personnel would not be the ideal solution to the Bawku situation.
“See, we can prefer to deploy about 5,000 military men and 5,000 policemen to Bawku but if we don’t find a lasting solution to the main issues at hand, this security personnel will continue storming the area but will end up not yielding any positive results on the matter,” he projected.
The MP believes tackling chieftaincy issues demands some dynamism and approach beyond just security, particularly, the Bawku crisis owing to the fact that the issues had been in existence since time immemorial.
The 37 Military Hospital in Accra has handed the summary report of a Board of Inquiry to the couple, who claimed one of their twins was allegedly ‘stolen’ at the hospital shortly after delivery and told them to proceed to court if not satisfied.
The Chief of Staff (COS) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Major General Nicholas Peter Andoh, on Monday, handed the summary report of the incident, to the family of Mr. Daniel Naawu, at the Burma Camp in Accra.
Maj. Gen Andoh insisted he was very convinced about the upshot of the five-month investigation, urging the couple to seek redress in court if they were still not content with the report.
“I have gone through the report thoroughly and I’m convinced nothing untoward happened. However, if you are unsatisfied, you may go to court.”
According to the eight-page report which was jointly signed by Captain (GN) Paul Yegbe and Major Alfred Toppar, President and Secretary of the Board of Inquiry respectively – a copy of which is in the custody of the Ghanaian Times, 16 persons were interrogated and their statements taken on oath during the inquiry to establish the facts of the case.
Those interrogated were the lead surgeon Dr. Ali Saine, Dr. Sheryl Adongo (Assistant Surgeon), Dr. Charles Buckman (Head of the Team), Dr. Davies Adedze (Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department), Group Captain Rosalind Asiedu (Senior Resident Radiologist), Dr. Margaret Mpetey (Radio Resident), Major Samuel Adade (Anaesthetist), SNO Roberta Anokye Bempah (Scrub Nurse) and Lieutenant Frederick Kunkpe.
The rest were Sub Lieutenant Nida Asiedu (Midwife), Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Boateng (Maternity Ward Master), Lance Corporal Linda Osei Bonsu (Midwife), Major Naomi Oppong (Nursing Officer In-charge of Maternity), DDNS Deborah Boateng (Deputy In-charge of Maternity), Miss Audrey Agyapong (Client) and Mr. Samuel Kotei Dsane (Client father).
Ms. Agyapong, the report stated, reported for ante-natal care booking at the 37 Military Hospital when she was 26 weeks, having earlier done a scan at a facility in Accra at 20 weeks of pregnancy which reported twin gestation.
It said a repeat scan done at the 37 Military Hospital on July 21, 2022, at 31 weeks also showed twin pregnancy.
“She was booked for a Caesarean section because she had two previous Caesarean sections and a medical condition. The surgical team made all preparation to receive the twins in the theatre. However, the surgeon realised it was a singleton and this was communicated to the patient and her family.
“The patient and her family disagreed and petitioned the hospital, alleging that their second twin baby was missing,” the report added.
It said the Board of Inquiry sought opinions of independent experts including a consultant radiologist and obstetrician from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital – all of whom agreed that there could be a misdiagnosis of multiple gestation with the ultrasound scan.
The report stressed that the average weight for a singleton was about 3kg to 3.2kg, whilst the average weight of twins was about 2.5kg to 2.9kg.
“It is, therefore, rare to have a twin weighing more than 3kg unless there are other maternal conditions like diabetic mellitus.”
The baby delivered weighed 3.1kg.
During its findings, the report said the radiologist at the 37 Military Hospital who did the ultra-sound scan made a misdiagnosis, having been influenced by the patient’s information that she was carrying twins.
“Madam Agyapong and the attending health workers at the 37 Military Hospital assumed that she was carrying a twin gestation, purely influenced by two ultrasound scan reports until delivery,” it stated, adding that 10 people who were present at the theatre during the delivery had been interviewed, “all testifying that it was a single foetus with a single placenta and single cord.”
It said a single placenta was delivered with a single cord.
“This cannot be the situation if Madam Agyapong was carrying twins. Even for twins who share the same placenta, the cords must be attached to the placenta.”
The report said as part of investigations, the placenta was sent to the Police Forensic Laboratory (PFL) for analysis to establish that it was what was delivered by Ms. Agyapong.
“The PFL took a piece of the placenta tissue and oral tissue from Ms. Agyapong and sent the sample outside the country for the DNA analysis and we are waiting for the results.”
The Board of Inquiry’s report concluded that “the matter is an unfortunate situation of misdiagnosis of a singleton pregnancy for twin pregnancy influenced by late (second and third) ultrasound scan reports.”
Meanwhile, the father of the baby, Mr. Naawu, has expressed disappointment at the report, saying they would take a second look at it to know the action to take next.
“We have gone through a lot of trauma since September 8, last year, when my wife was delivered of a baby instead of two.
“The Chief of Staff has asked us to go to court if we were still not satisfied with the report, and we shall soon take a decision on what to do next,” he told the Ghanaian Times yesterday.
In a painstaking investigative story carried by the Ghanaian Times on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, a couple narrated how they went to the 37 Military Hospital expecting twins only to be handed one baby after delivery and thus suspected foul play.
Ultra-sound checks done 31 weeks into the gestation period at two medical facilities, including the 37 Military Hospital, showed that one Ms Agyapong was carrying two live foetuses (twins).
A second ultrasonic scan done at the 37 Military Hospital on July 21, 2022, and signed by Drs M.T Mpetey and R.Asiedu, a Resident and Senior Physician respectively, confirmed results of the earlier scan with twin A weighing 269g and B weighing 261g.
“In all, we did four different scans, all showing I was carrying live twins and it is baffling that one could disappear at birth,” Ms. Agyapong told the Ghanaian Times.
Explaining further, she said on September 7, 2022, when her gestation period was 38 weeks, she was admitted at the 37 Military Hospital where her vitals were taken with two foetal heartbeats confirmed as normal.
In a follow-up story by the Ghanaian Times on Wednesday, January 25, last month, the 37 Military Hospital apologised to the couple, insisting that its ultrasound twin diagnosis was flawed.
President Akufo-Addo has shown the desire to combat corruption in the nation, according to Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, the government’s spokesperson on governance and security.
In the 2022 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International, Ghana ranks 72 out of 180 countries with a score of 43 out of 100 which is a repetition of its marks for the two previous years.
With the CPI score being the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0-100, where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean, it means Ghana has not improved in the anti-graft fight.
The report highlighted the need to address the canker since corruption is a major contributor to the current economic woes of the nation.
However, commenting on the report on Starr FM Weekly Review Program, the government spokesperson on Governance and Security, said this government has been the most committed against graft.
He said contrary to the CPI report anti-graft institutions in the country have been better funded to work effectively.
“This is perception and it means that it’s the perception that people have. Now the government has sought to tackle corruption at the very base than any government in this country since Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It took President Nana Addo Danquah to set up the office of the Special Prosecutor. Which is one of the major steps into tackling corruption,” the spokesperson stated.
Mr. Boakye-Danquah further explained that the government’s budget since 2017 focuses very largely on anti-corruption agencies such as the Special Prosecutor, EOCO, CHRAJ in tackling corruption.
He however added that there are some challenges with the office of the Special Prosecutor that the government is fixing.
A member of parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, is requesting that government takes decisive action in response to the death of Shadrach Arloo, which occurred last week at the West Hills Mall.
She is calling for a multi-pronged probe into the issue with the view to serving justice to the family and loved ones of the deceased.
The MP addressed a press conference on February 4, 2023 to drive home the quest for justice for Arloo, a native of Nzemaland, specifically Jomoro.
As part of immediate actions, she appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to issue a statement on the incident just as he did in June 2020, in the aftermath of the case of George Floyd, a victim of police violence in the US.
“Just as the President issued a statement in the case of George Floyd, a black American who was killed in a similar way … we expect and demand that H.E Nana Addo Danquah issues a statement to commemorate with the family of Shadrach.”
Shadrach’s death
The incident that led to Arloo’s death took place at the West Hills Mall on January 30, 2023.
According to a Graphic.com.gh report sighted by GhanaWeb, 32-year-old Shadrach Arloo was scheduled to travel to Germany barely 24-hours before his untimely death.
This report is corroborated by a sister of the deceased who told the newspaper in an interview that her brother had gone to town to purchase some items in preparation for his travel when he got into a situation with the police leading to his death.
According to Perpetual Didier who is a known gospel musician, her brother her brother was allegedly beaten and tased to death during an incident with a police officer and a private security guard at the mall.
Meanwhile, the Sowutuom District Court remanded the shop Manager of Max Buy Ghana Limited, dealers of electrical Appliances within the West Hills Mall, Boafo Osei Kwame in connection with the death of Shadrack Arloo.
The manager who is now a suspect in the death of the deceased is said to have used a Taser to shock a 33-year-old man leading to his death.
The District Court at Sowutuom presided over by His Worship Stephen Tebiri, remanded him into police custody to reappear on February 16.
In court on Thursday, February 2, his plea was not taken after the charge was read to him and the brief facts presented to the court.
Akufo-Addo statement on George Floyd murder
Black people, the world over, are shocked and distraught by the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the United States of America. It carried with it an all too painful familiarity, and an ugly reminder.
It cannot be right that, in the 21ST century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the system of racism.
On behalf of the people of Ghana, I express my deep condolence to the family and loved ones of the late George Floyd.
We stand with our kith and kin in this difficult and trying times, and we hope that tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how Americans confront head on the problem of hate and racism.
A lawyer, Martin Kpebu, has criticized President Akufo-Addo for failing to keep majority of the commitments he made to Ghanaians during his presidential campaign.
Mr Kpebu believes it is disappointing that in spite of the president’s remarkable promises, it does not appear that he is actively working to honour them.
The legal practitioner’s criticism is due to Ghana ranking 72nd in the 2022 edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report issued on Tuesday, January 31.
Further details indicated that the country scored 43 out of 100 per Transparency International (TI) score, which means that Ghana has not made any progress on the CPI score consecutively for three years now.
It is for this reason that Mr Kpebu believes that the CPI score demonstrates that, contrary to the president’s pledges, not much is being done by President Akufo-Addo to curb corruption.
The lawyer, therefore, alluded to 18 of such pledges made by the First Gentleman of the land, as a reminder to him that Ghanaians have not forgotten.
“Let me mention some of the notable things Akufo-Addo said, which today he has not lived up to, and he thinks we have forgotten. He needs a quick reminder that this thing has to stop,” the legal practitioner said on Newsfile on Saturday:
Mr Kpebu listed the unfulfilled promises as follows:
“1. I shall protect the public purse,
2. I’m too old to steal your money; I have my money already,
3. ‘Yɛ te sika so, nso ɛkɔm de yɛn,’
4. Try me and see,
5. I’m not corrupt, and will never be corrupt,
6. I can develop Ghana without borrowing money from anywhere; the money is here,
7. I will transform Ghana in 18 months,
8. I will not operate a family and friends government,
9. I will fight corruption with the Anas principle,
10. I will make the Korle lagoon and the ɔdɔ river a tourist site,
11. I will build a factory in every district,
12. I will give each constituency GH₵1 million every year
13. I will arrest the dollar
14. The hike in fuel prices will be a thing of the past,
15. I will make Accra the cleanest city in Africa,
16. I will build 111 hospitals,
17. 350 secondary schools
And then 18, the almighty, we will never go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bail-out.”
Additionally, he implored the President to pass an act of Parliament that ensures that appointees of government account for their wealth before leaving office.
Mr Kpebu’s final request is that President Akufo-Addo “should act with dispatch. When you see a simple case, don’t say due process, then for almost seven months, it’s even one year. Remember Sulemana Alhassan—Dr Anamzoya— he petitioned in January last year. One year on, and people are still in office. No. We can’t do that…” the legal practitioner stated.
The Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls’ new accomodation policy is allegedly discriminatory, according to the Old Vandal Association, who also claim that management is shifting responsibility.
Aggrieved students of the University of Ghana on Friday, February 3, 2023 embarked on a demonstration on the streets of Accra against the new accommodation policy and increase in fees.
They are demanding an immediate reversal of the new accommodation policy which prevents continuing students from residing in both the Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls.
The students also want the government to direct the university to rescind its decision to increase fees more than the 15 percent directed by Parliament.
Commenting on the development on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, a member of the Old Vandals Communication Team, Eugene Kweku Boadu said they will not allow the university authorities to truncate the education of the Ghanaian youth with the accommodation policy.
According to him, they believe that education represents the best medium through which the nation can galvanize the intellectual talent base of the country and direct it to development.
“The University has gone ahead to implement a policy that is discriminative against male continuing students with Mensah Sarbah Hall and Commonwealth Halls. They claim that there were some clashes and they have not been able to identify the people who were involved in the clash.”
“Indeed some members of the University have spoken to the media and admitted that some of the persons so far identified were not even students. Now if you are undertaking an investigation and you have not concluded that investigation then what basis are you implementing a residential policy that you claim is punitive?” Mr. Boadu asked.
He continued: “These clashes that seem to happen from time to time in the University campus actually points to low level of security on the campus. So if management has failed to provide adequate security on the University campus and it leads to a situation that clashes come up every now, then you are now shifting responsibility and shifting attention from your incompetence and mismanagement and rather seek to punish students for it.”
He added that the new accommodation policy is threatening to end the education for a number of continuing students in the Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls.
“They are moving students from the traditional halls which are very affordable and play a key role in the educational accessibility for people coming from humble backgrounds. It is cocoa farmers money, fishermen and farmers money that were used in building those traditional halls. These halls have for a long time provided financial support to students coming from poor backgrounds. You are seeking to remove all these people on very discriminatory and dubious grounds. And forcing them into hostels that are three or four times the price of the traditional halls.”
Thirty of the total of 34 sex workers who appeared before the Tema Magistrates Court were given GH5,000 bail each with two sureties on Tuesday for allegedly engaging in prostitution in the Tema Metropolis.
This was after they pleaded not guilty to charges levied against them.
The four, who pleaded guilty, were discharged and cautioned to stay away from prostitution by the court.
The accused, believed to be Ghanaians, Liberians and Nigerians, were rounded up by the Tema Regional Police Command through an intelligent-led operation on Tuesday at Subin Valley, Community 7, Viena City, Community 8, Sabrina Hotel, at Site 17, Community 1, and Datus School Complex Area, also at Community 8.
Detective Corporal Richard Owusu –Asante told the court presided over by Ms. Siran Mahama that the accused were arrested soliciting clients in the metropolis.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security, Nana Amoasi VII, has called on the government to provide more clarity on the gold-for-oil policy to erase doubts in the minds of Ghanaians.
Speaking on the Big Issue on Citi TV on Saturday, Nana Amoasi VII said the entire policy lacks transparency hence government must come clean on the entire deal.
“I think at this point we are all clear that the deal lacks transparency, it is not just shrouded in secrecy, but there are a lot of inconsistencies and confusion.
“We think that the government can come out clear and give indications to everybody not just where we are sourcing the fuel from but who is the intermediary in this transaction, how was he elected or selected, on what basis and how much is the intermediary earning per every metric tonne deal that we do.
“Who is buying the gold and how much did you sell it for? We think that a lot of clarity can be brought to bear on this deal so that we can all be convinced it will give us that value that we crave.”
The Minority in Parliament and former President John Mahama have also called on the government to provide details on the policy to clear the doubts surrounding the deal.
Meanwhile, the former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North Constituency, Fuseini Issah, believes that the gold-for-oil policy has led to a marginal drop in diesel prices at Goil fuel stations across the country.
Goil announced a 4% reduction in the price of diesel, resulting in a litre selling at ¢15.25.
However, the price of petrol remained unchanged at ¢15.25.
Speaking on the Big Issue, the former MP told host Selorm Adonoo that the reduction was influenced by benefits associated with the ‘Gold for Oil’ programme.
Mr Fuseini Issah added that prices of fuel will be impacted more significantly if more consignment arrives in the country soon.
The National Road Safety Authority (NSRA|) has urged government to prioritize the dualisation of major roads in the country in order to reduce the frequency and severity of traffic accidents and head-on collisions.
Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of NRSA, Martin Owusu Afram stressed the need to take measures including tackling human behaviour to reduce the number of road crashes across the country.
“When we looked at research on road crashes, we can conclude that over 90 percent of road traffic crashes are due to human behaviour. It is interesting because people think it is the road, but the road contributes a minimal percentage and the condition of the vehicle also contributes a minimal percentage. This is because, if your vehicle is not very strong or has a defect and you the human being behind the wheel is able to adjust accordingly, you will be able to save some lives.”
Martin Owusu Afram further enumerated a number of factors that are responsible for the substantial crashes on our roads.
“We have destructive driving, drunk driving, and wrongful overtaking being key contributory factors to road crashes in the country. One other thing I want to add is that the Road Safety Authority has been advocating that our roads should be dualised.”
According to the Authority, its data shows that dualisation of the Nsawam section of the Kumasi-Accra Highway has massively brought the road crash figures on that stretch down, and wants similar ones to be done on various highways.
“We did a preliminary study with regard to dualisation of our roads, and we found that by dualising Nsawam to Apedwa Junction in the Eastern Region, it has considerably reduced road traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths on that corridor.”
“If we are able to dualise Accra to Kumasi road, the number of crashes and deaths we are going to get will be minimized,” Mr. Afram added.
A candidate for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential nomination, Alan Kyerematen, has acknowledged that the party is finding it challenging to develop a message for the 2024 general elections as a result of the deteriorating economy.
Speaking during a visit to the Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Council as part of his campaign tour, the former Trade and Industry Minister hailed the performance of President Nana Akufo-Addo but stated that the poor state of the economy will make it difficult for the NPP to convince Ghanaians to retain them in the 2024 general elections.
“Akufo-Addo has done well, when the NPP came, there was no free SHS, but we have brought it, planting for food and jobs, we have brought it, One District, One Factory, we have brought it, I can recount a number of the policies, but we all know that times are hard. We are all in difficulty, we have worked hard but due to the economic hardship, our key message for campaigning as a party for the 2024 election has become difficult for us.
“But you see, one of our main challenges as a country is how successive governments abandon policies they inherit from another government. This is what has derailed our development efforts. So I would wish that for the first time in the history of the country, allow the NPP to continue, so our policies can gain roots while we do away with the bad policies. If we mean well for the country this is what must happen,” Mr Kyerematen said in Twi.
Mr Kyerematen also urged the Chiefs to advise the delegates to select a flagbearer who would be acceptable to the entire country.
“The country is expecting a turnaround based on a big vision to be delivered with competence,” he said.
Mr Kyerematen said the overreliance on the government to build industries to create jobs needed to change to a more efficient way of empowering the private sector to create jobs for the people.
Mr Kyerematen noted that as Minister for Trade and Industry under President JA Kufuor, he initiated the Presidential Special Initiatives (PSI) in four different sectors of the economy, which could have yielded over $60 billion a year to the country, had the NDC not terminated them after taking over in 2008.
As a result of sharing his opinions on the Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng controversy, president Akufo-Addo‘s counsel, Kow Essuman, has been criticized on social media.
Ablakwa, who is the Member of Parliament for North Tongu has defended his decision to publish publicly private details of Kusi Boateng, a member and secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project.
The Reverend has in turn sued for defamation and obtained a 10-day restraining order in the High Court against further publication of his personal private information.
In offering his opinion, Kow Essuman anchored his views on the issue of privacy and reputation and how a democratic society protects same.
“The case between Rev. Kusi Boateng and Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa has gained significant public attention; but for me it raises important questions about the protection of an individual’s privacy and reputation in a democratic society.
“What safeguards do we have in our society to protect the privacy, personal data of individuals, especially persons who venture into public service?,” his second tweet read.
“Should it be so easy for a private citizen to access the personal data of another citizen held by state institutions, without the consent of the affected citizen, a court order or a RTI response from the state institution holding the personal data of the affected citizen?” he quizzed.
For most people interacting with his tweets, he was off the mark for different reasons, among them that the reverend had become a public figure and was subject to all necessary scrutiny.
“Did you loose your voice or your line of thought missed the bigger picture? Data privacy yes, but what of the issue of how the NPP government registered the same person as a trustee with a different name and a diplomatic passport another name? Your concern is secondary!” Tweep @Adwoabo submitted
@Ekowskareannan cued in: “If you want a private life, you have no business being in political service Once you benefit from the taxpayer, we deserve to know I’m surprised you’re arguing on this tangen.”
@deemperor tweeted: “You prefer his privacy to his double identity???? No be your fault.”
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram has stated that parliamentarians are among the most indebted persons in the country.
Contrary to popular belief, the outspoken MP revealed that entry into the lawmaking chamber almost always comes with a rude awakening from the perception that Parliament is a land of milk and honey.
“If you come to Parliament, that is when you will know that MP-ship is all but packaging…I don’t think that there is any profession that owes bank loans like MPs,” he said in an interview on Accra-based Joy News last week.
“All the V8 that we drive is from loan. I know MPs who go home with less than 1,000 cedis because people have to take loans,” he stressed.
In a 2021 interview, Sam George said MPs take home an amount of GH¢11,000.
According to him, the GH¢11,000 is the salary MPs in the eighth parliament will be receiving until the salaries and emolument committee has been set up by the president to determine the salaries of Article 71 officeholders.
“The salary of an MP in the last Parliament is around GH¢29,000 a month and that is gross. By the time they finish the deductions, you’ll go home with GH¢11,000,” he explained.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region has stated that the truth concerning his “Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal” expose’ concerning the National Cathedral and its governing board would not be buried and that justice would be meted out to all found culpable.
Reacting to a restraining order secured by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng to prevent him from publishing new content on the findings of his investigation, Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that he has been advised by his lawyers on what to do, however, he is assuring all that truth and justice with regards to the scandal would not be buried.
“ One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal. My lawyers duly instructed. Truth & Justice shall not be buried,” parts of his tweet read.
The 10-day restraining order secured by the founder and Head Pastor of Power Chapel Worldwide International, Rev. Kusi Boateng otherwise known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, against Ablakwa prevents him from making public any “disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the applicant” for the next ten days.
This comes after a video showing the lawmaker kicking documents served him by a bailiff emerged online.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was forced to kick out the document after the bailiff tried to force the document into his car on the compound of Metro TV after the Good Morning Ghana show.
Mr. Ablakwa has in the last few weeks mounted a spirited campaign against Rev. Kusi Boateng whom he accused of having a double identity.
Some people on social media, particularly pro-government voices, are demanding the arrest of Member of Parliament for North Tongu for acts deemed disrespectful to the judicial arm of government.
According to them, the manner in which Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa treated court documents served on him by a bailiff in the morning of February 3, 2023 was an affront to the authority of the court.
Ablakwa was sighted in a viral video purportedly rejecting service of a restraining order document from the secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa gets down from his car and kicks the document after the bailiff tried to force it into his car on the premises of Metro TV after the Good Morning Ghana show – he was a guest on the programme.
Below are some of the demands for his arrest and the need for him to be cited for contempt:
Court issues restraining order on Ablakwa concerning the Prophet’s private matters. Apparently he had been dodging till they caught up with him at Metro tv. This is unfortunate ???? pic.twitter.com/u5SIdT7bTM— Besiaba AbaMansa (@BesiabaAM25) February 4, 2023
Okudzato ablakwa,Member of Parliament for North Tongu,kicking,and stamping an order of interim injunction secured by Kwabena Adu Gyamfi…. How can Ablakwa be so disrespectful to the court,very useless MP#ShamelessAblakwapic.twitter.com/AaIMyvF5jq— Nana Ansah Obofour (@NanaAnsahObofou) February 3, 2023
Court issues restraining order on Ablakwa concerning the Prophet’s private matters.Apparently he had been dodging till they caught up with him.
Man have been dodging All this while till he was caught up today,If you know everything you’ve been saying is the truth then why dodge? pic.twitter.com/oqX6aBhpoI
GHANA MATTERS: This is SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA, a Member of Ghana’s Parliament kicking the court papers served on him like a football. He has no respect for the court. Seems maturity is distantly many oceans away from his mindset. Unruly and indisciplined. Just Boyish. pic.twitter.com/S7tKck6Fjf— Augustine Agbenaza (@august4551) February 3, 2023
Ablakwa wants the rule of law to work yet he is trying to destroy the injunction. What’s a parliamentarian? Kai.— Sarfo Collins (@Sarfoc19) February 3, 2023
Brief of what transpired
A man initially approached the lawmaker as he was just about to sit in his car after the show, the two were captured having a conversation after which a document was presented to him.
The lawmaker did not take the document but went ahead to seat on his car, just as he opened his car, the bailiff tried to force the document into the lawmaker’s car but he immediately threw it out, kicked the document away from his car and drove off.
Rev Kusi Boateng secures restraining order against Ablakwa
The secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, has secured an order of interim injunction against the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The order restrains Okudzeto Ablakwa from publicly sharing any document belonging to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for the next 10 days.
The MP who disclosed this in a tweet shared on Friday, February 3, 2023, said that he was served the order after his appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme on the same day.
“One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal,” parts of the MP’s tweet read.
The MP shared a picture of the order he was served which read: “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the 1″ Respondent, SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA is restrained from making further public disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the Applicant (Adu Gyamfi).”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this interim order will lapse after Ten (10) days,” it added.
Background
The latest corruption exposé on the National Cathedral by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, suggested impropriety on the part of the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
On January 16, 2023, the MP made some allegations against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
In an earlier revelation about the National Cathedral, Okudzeto Ablakwa said a whopping GH¢2.6 million was dished out to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited.
Further investigations into the alleged payment led to the discovery of one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as a director of JNS Talent Centre.
Having confirmed the identities of two out of three directors of the centre, Ablakwa dug deeper in a bid to discover the identity of the third director, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
According to his findings, citing a number of statutory documents, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi was the same as Reverend Kusi Boateng, who has allegedly been operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
A three-year-old child has met his untimely death after nurses at the Breman Brakwa Polyclinic in the Central Region allegedly refused to attend to him when he was seriously sick.
According to a report gathered by Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan, the grandmother of the deceased brought the sick child, Reginald Nkrumah all the way from Breman Eshiem to Breman Brakwa Polyclinic for treatment around 6am Friday, February 3, 2023.
But upon reaching the hospital, the nurses were said to be having a staff meeting and even when information got to them about the boy’s condition none of them got out of the meeting to attend to the dying little boy.
According to the woman, she requested the child’s folder to enable her to attend another hospital but the nurses refused to give it to her till the child died while lying on the floor at a time the nurses were having refreshments after the meeting.
The Hospital administration after seeing the lifeless body of the child reportedly begged the family of the child not to report it to the police.
The body of the child has been deposited at the Mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
The case has been reported to the police for investigation.
All attempts to get the hospital authorities to comment on the matter proved futile.
Meanwhile, when the District Director of Health, Mr. Cletus was reached he said the issue had not come to his attention.
Divisional chiefs of the KUSAUG Traditional Area are calling for an independent and non-partisan investigation into alleged shootings and killings of some residents in their jurisdiction.
Residents of Bawku on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, accused the military deployed to Bawku of allegedly killing some civilians which allegation the military denies.
But the divisional chiefs of the KUSAUG traditional area are demanding compensation for the bereaved families and urgent investigations to unravel the perpetrators of last Wednesday’s killings and appropriate punishment meted out to them to serve as a deterrent.
Following the alleged military killings of almost ten civilians in Bawku, residents say they live in a state of fear and panic.
Divisional chiefs and residents of KUSAUG bemoaned the prolonged acts of violence and criminality in the area and thus called for a lasting solution.
They described the acts of alleged military killings in the area as unprofessional and unwarranted in a democratic dispensation.
They expressed worry at the excesses of the military indicating that, persons who come into conflict with the laws of the land ought to be arrested and prosecuted but not killed.
At a press conference in Bawku, the divisional chiefs, want government to as a matter of urgency commission an independent inquiry into the incident, punish persons found culpable, and compensate the bereaved families.
Patrick Adakurugu who is the spokesperson for the KUSAUG traditional council said: “our overlord has constantly admonished us to prevail on our subjects to be peaceful. But for his exceptional patience and commitment to peace, the conflict in Bawku would have escalated to unimaginable proportions. It is in this context that we wish to express our deep concern over the spate of lawlessness and the killing of innocent civilians by the military personnel deployed to the township to protect lives and property.”
“While we remain loyal and committed to the orders of our overlord, we wish to point out that there is a limit to what the patience and the peace commitment of our overlord can do to restore peace in Bawku. This is why we are calling for urgent steps to be taken to bring an end to the criminal acts of violence in our traditional capital,” Mr. Adakurugu.
