The Koforidua High Court has granted an interlocutory injunction to two youths in Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region against the conduct of the District level election that is scheduled to take place in the municipality on January 17, 2023.
“The Electoral Commission wishes to inform the General Public that the Lower Manya Krobo District Level Elections slated for Tuesday 17th January 2023 has been adjourned,” a statement issued by the EC and signed by its Chairperson Jean Adukwei Mensa said.
Following a request for an injunction by two teenagers, the EC postponed the polls. In a statement, the commission explained, “This has become necessary due toan Application for injunction filed against the Electoral Commission at the High Court in Koforidua,”
The freshly turned 18-year-olds Angel Agyeman and Michael Tetteh claimed that the EC had breached their constitutional right to vote in district-level elections in accordance with Article 33 of the 1992 Constitution.
The adolescents claim that after they turned 18, the EC did not hold a registration drive to allow them to sign up for the elections.
In order to prevent the District Level Elections from taking place, the youngsters applied for an interlocutory injunction.
Prior to the matter’s resolution, a High Court restraining order prevented the EC and its agent from carrying out the elections that were initially scheduled for today, January 17, 2023.
On January 17, 2023, the Municipality planned to hold district-level elections and a total of 127 male candidates were running to represent their respective electoral districts, while 280 others were running in the Unit Committee elections.
Due to a disagreement between the Municipality and Dangme West District, now known as Shai-Osudoku, over 11 electoral areas created at Akuse, Lower Manya Krobo did not hold district level elections for eight years.
However, a Supreme Court decision in favor of Lower Manya Krobo ended the conflict, which commenced with the departure of several Akuse assembly members for the former Dangme West District.
In 2013 and beyond, the election of Assembly members and members of unit committees was promptly held; however, the election did not coincide with the national electoral commission calendar.
In the meantime, Nene Sakite, the Konor of Manya Krobo Traditional Area, petitioned the EC on December 12 to contemplate integrating the district level elections in Lower Manya Krobo with the regular national process.
In 2013 and beyond, the election of Assembly members and members of unit committees was promptly held; however, the election did not coincide with the national electoral commission calendar.
In the meantime, Nene Sakite, the Konor of Manya Krobo Traditional Area, petitioned the EC on December 12 to contemplate integrating the district level elections in Lower Manya Krobo with the regular national process.
A couple in Accra is accusing the 37 Military Hospital staff for the ‘disappearance’ of one of their freshly-born babies delivered at the hospital.
The delivery was done through Caesarean section on Thursday, September 8, 2022.
A visibly distraught mother of the supposed twin, 38-year-old trader – Audrey Agyapong, and her 54-year-old husband, Daniel Naawu, are suspecting foul play.
Narrating their ordeal to the Ghanaian Times in Accra, the couple recalled that an ultrasonic checks done 31 weeks into the gestation period at two medical facilities, including the 37 Military Hospital, showed that Ms Agyapong was carrying two live foetuses (twins).
A radiological report of the twin foetuses after 31 weeks
The Ghanaian Times’ painstaking investigations suggested that the first scan report, which was signed off by Dr Otu Danquah, was conducted on April 22, 2022, at the Cerica Diagnostic Services at Lartebiokoshie in Accra, when the pregnancy was 20 weeks.
Its results showed live intrauterine (inside the uterus) foetuses.
The first ultrasonic scan after 20 weeks showed two foetuses
Furthermore, 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 heart beats confirmed as normal.
“On the 8th of September 2022, the morning of the operation, my babies were checked again and I was told they were both well. Double logistics were therefore taken for them. At the theatre, I was prepared for the operation and anaesthesia was given which completely numbed the lower part of my body.
“A screen was placed in the middle which prevented me from directly viewing what was happening. However, I felt the two babies being taken from my womb. Later, I heard a cry and one female baby was shown to me by a doctor named Dr Ali Saine, who told me ‘It is only one baby’.”
Dr Saine is a senior Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the 37 Military Hospital, who performed the Caesarean section.
“I was startled and whilst trying to process the import of what I was just told, I heard the doctor tell his team members to take out their phones and video it. I was taken to the recovery ward where the doctor told me he would come and talk to me,” recalled Ms Agyapong, who said she had been having sleepless nights since the incident.
According to the disturbed mother, to make matters worse, she was later told that what she thought was a second baby, was rather a placenta.
“I was shocked because this was not the first time I was giving birth and I know how one feels when the placenta comes out.”
For his part, Mr Naawu, a senior driver at J.A Plant Pool Ghana Limited in Accra, said his baby’s alleged disappearance was “unacceptable” as he was asked to pay for double items before the operation.
“I have twins from my previous marriage and was glad I was going to have another set only to be told this shocking story,” the evidently upset father fumed.
He continued: “As I speak now, I have not been able to outdoor the child, nor give her a name, because I do not know whether the missing baby is also female or male.”
Meanwhile, on October 10, 2022, Mr Naawu petitioned the Commander-in-Charge of the 37 Military Hospital to cause an investigation into the matter and bring back his missing child.
Several attempts made by the Ghanaian Times to speak to Dr Ali Saine on the issue, proved futile, as he insisted on contacting the Commander-in-Charge of the 37 Military Hospital, for permission.
“We have a laid-down procedure here. I can’t speak to the media unless you seek permission from the appropriate quarters at the hospital,” he insisted.
After a couple of attempts to speak to him fell through, the Ghanaian Times on October 14, 2022, officially wrote to the Commander-in-Charge of the 37 Military Hospital, requesting an interview with Dr Saine.
Several follow-ups have been made ever since, but to no avail; as it was always met with the refrain at the hospital’s administration that: “we are working on it.”
On Friday, October 28, 2022, the Ghanaian Times wrote another letter addressed to the Public Affairs Department of the 37 Military Hospital, requesting for an interview with Dr Ali Saine, but only received a verbal response assuring that an investigation has been commenced into the case.
However, an eye specialist at the 37 Military Hospital, Wing Commander Isaac Bediako Fordjuor who is part of a team tasked to probe into the matter, told the Ghanaian Times in November last year that investigations had commenced.
“We have interviewed all concerned including nurses who worked at the theatre on that fateful day and we shall brief you on our findings when we are done,” he said.
Nearly four months have passed since investigations commenced into the incident.
Leader of the Minority in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has revealed that his side of the House is working to subject the debt exchange programme to legal scrutiny.
Speaking to the media, he noted that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta may have breached Article 181(5) of the Constitution, which requires the government to seek approval from Parliament before announcing any haircut on all government bonds, loans, and instruments.
“We are even beginning to elevate this matter to a legal constitutional matter as to whether or not the Minister of Finance, suo moto, by himself as an individual can undo what the sovereign Parliament of Ghana has done pursuant to Article 181(5) of the constitution,” he said.
“All those loans, all those bonds, all those instruments whose terms and conditions were approved by Parliament, including the debt of domestic bonds, contractual relationships have been entered into. How can the Finance Minister allocate to himself the mandate to do this even without providing information to Parliament or with its prior approval?” he questioned.
Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution requires that all international business or economic transactions to which the government is a party must be laid before Parliament for approval before they can come into effect.
Mr Iddrisu, therefore, urged the government to halt ongoing processes related to its debt exchange program, which is intended to keep the country from defaulting on its debt.
At a press conference on Monday, Mr Iddrisu noted that there is “total confusion, rejection, and disapproval of the initiative” since it was launched by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in December last year.
According to him, the opposition is justified since the programme poses a major risk to financial institutions, insurance companies, as well as individual bondholders who have recently been included in the programme.
“The programme will exacerbate the already perilous financial sector that we have in Ghana,” he added.
The Tamale South legislator, therefore, said, “We in the NDC, the Minority group, call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately suspend the ongoing debt exchange programme.”
In an attempt to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government has proposed that all bondholders will not receive any interest in 2023.
As per government estimates, dividends will begin to be paid next year, in 2024, at a discounted rate of 5%. Due to this, bondholders who wish to transfer their bonds will not be able to get back their full principal.
The proposal, however, has been rejected by many bondholders since its announcement. Their view is that if the proposal is implemented, they will suffer a great deal of loss, and some may even lose money on their investments.
The Minority’s call seeks to add to the numerous voices urging the government to restrain from implementing the debt exchange programme. Mr Haruna Iddrisu believes that unemployment will heighten and support for the private sector will dwindle if the programme is implemented in its current state.
In the meantime, the government has extended the deadline for the domestic debt exchange programme to January 31, 2022. This is the fourth time the government has extended its deadline, and according to the Finance Ministry, the programme has been suspended yet again due to “pending further stakeholder engagement with institutional and individual investors.”
The Chamber of Automobile Dealership Ghana (CHADG), have pulled back their threats to take action against the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and it’s Executive Director COP Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah.
The livid car dealers threatened to deal with the anti-crime organisation over the seizure of some vehicles believed to have been stolen.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) carried out an intelligence-led operation for the retrieval of various specifications of luxury vehicles in the country.
The retrieved cars, according to EOCO, were suspected to have been stolen from the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
“On Friday December 9, 2022, thirty-seven (37) of such vehicles were retrieved from some garages in Accra during which ten (10) persons were arrested,” an EOCO statement said.
Provoked by the operation carried out by EOCO, Chamber of Automobile Dealership Ghana (CHADG) accused the state institution of acting in bad faith and threatened to take action.
However, General Secretary of the Chamber George Dumenu in an interview with journalists said the threats were issued out of anger as he admits that fighting with EOCO on the issue will be fruitless.
“We were unhappy about how our vehicles were seized. No one will be happy if such a thing is done to him or her. That is why we reacted in that manner. We spoke out of anger, we cannot rub shoulders with government institutions like EOCO,” he said.
After discovering an unidentified body in a small grave next to the school’s park on Tuesday afternoon, students at the St. Aiden Anglican basic school in Wa in the Upper West Region were left in a state of terror and fear.
Pupils of the St. Aiden Anglican basic school in Wa in the on Tuesday afternoon were thrown into a state of fear and panic after they found an unidentified body in a shallow grave near the school’s park.
The incident is the first since the beginning of this year after 12 of similar cases were recorded last year in Wa.
Citi News’ Latif Mahama said teachers and pupils of the St. Aiden Anglican basic school watched in fear and disbelief as the police tried to exhume the remains of the yet-to-be-identified body near the school’s park.
Citi News sources at the school indicate that some pupils run into a shallow grave which had bones protruding from it.
Within minutes, the school became a point of attraction as scores of students travelled far and near to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be yet another gruesome murder in the Wa township.
Unlike similar incidents that engulfed the Wa township last year, Tuesday’s body had decomposed.
About 18 suspects have been arrested in connection with what is suspected to be ritual killings in the Wa within the past 11 months.
Sources within the Upper West regional police command indicate that investigations so far have not linked any of the suspects to the killings.
Some of the suspects have been released on medical grounds while others are still in custody pending further investigations.
Residents, however, say the killings in the Wa township are becoming one too many and must be halted by the police.
Both teachers and pupils of the St. Aiden Anglican basic school declined to speak on Tuesday’s incident.
The general public has been urged by the Ghanaian Electoral Commission (EC) to ignore any job posting purporting to be from the commission.
A statement from the Commission said it is currently not recruiting and that any recruitment advert must be treated as a scam from unscrupulous persons.
“The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to an advertisement circulating on various social media platforms to the effect that the Commission is undertaking a recruitment exercise.
“The general public is informed that the Commission is not carrying out any recruitment exercise.”
“The public is advised to disregard the said advertisement,” the statement added.
To instill trust in the failing economy, chartered economist Emmanuel Amoah Darkwah has resisted putting “sweeping reforms” into place.
He said despite several suggestions, the government had taken an entrenched position.
Ghana, he noted, was in debt distress, and the only out was for the government to roll out sweeping fiscal reforms to address our crisis.
He said it would be prudent for the government to initiate measures to save the country money, especially in these critical moments.
Mr. Amoah averred that the interest payments are rising to 52 billion, and that is not sustainable.
He said if care was not taken government workers would not be paid since the chunk of the revenue goes into paying interest.
He added that if the government wants the debt restructuring to succeed, then there should be some level of fiscal discipline on the part of the government.
Amoah Darkwah went on to say that the government should be reduced in size.
He stated that the government should not be hesitant to maintain fiscal discipline if the debt exchange programme is to be successful.
Nuhu Sule, the defendant charged in connection with the disappearance of American rapper Meek Mill’s phone, has been offered a bail of GHC 50,000 with two sureties who are ostensibly state servants.
The accused was arrested after he returned the iPhone 14 pro max which went missing during the hip-hop artist’s visit to Ghana during the Christmas season.
Though the victim has expressed disinterest in the matter, the state has charged the suspect with counts of stealing. The accused has however pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Meek Mill tweeted on December 29 that he had lost his phone which he said he doesn’t know whether it was stolen or mistakenly dropped.
Shatta Wale tweeted appealing to the general public to return the phone, and it was returned by the suspect who is now in custody.
Meek Mill followed up with a tweet that he wasn’t interested in pressing charges against the suspect and pleaded that the suspect is released.
Educational Communities Worldwide has elected Veronica Safoa Owusu as President of the Board of Directors.
“She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role, and we are confident that she will be an invaluable asset to the team and will be instrumental in helping us achieve our mission,” the company said.
Veronica Safoa Owusu has been an active member of the board since 2021, and she has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to the success of the organization.
She has a track record of hands-on leadership when it comes to managing team operations in Ghana and driving results, and we believe that she will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals. “We are thrilled to have Veronica Safoa Owusu take on this leadership role,” said Lawrence Fianko, CEO.
“She has a passion for education and a dedication to improving outcomes for underprivileged students, and I am excited to work closely with Veronica in the coming years and am confident that she will guide us continue to make a positive impact in the lives of students globally”.
Educational Communities Worldwide is an educational non-profit that unlocks the potential for under-resourced students to become impactful global leaders through access to holistic educational opportunities, resources, and community development. We are dedicated to providing support to under-resourced students in developing countries and we believe that every student deserves the opportunity to succeed.
Former Railways Development Minister, Joe Ghartey has blamed the New Patriotic Party government’s inability to redeem its promise of building sky trains in Accra on external forces with an emphasis on budget constraints.
The Essikado-Ketan lawmaker said the project which was expected to reduce traffic congestion in Accra stalled when the terms of the contract and the total contract sum were laid bare.
Speaking about the project on Eyewitness News, Mr. Ghartey said the Railway Ministry’s budget limits for the 2018 fiscal year were a little below what the contract was projected to cost.
“We were approached by South Africans who said they could build the sky trains on a BOT [Build, Operate, Transfer] basis, and the amount of money that they were talking about per kilometer, we did not have it in the budget. What I had been given was a limit of $2 billion and that was supposed to be used for the Tema-Mpakadan railway line and the Western railway line.”
He further elaborated that the number of years the South African contractor and investors wanted to operate the trains before transferring the project to the state was a major disincentive for the continuation of discussions.
“So these people came in 2018 and said they would build the sky trains on the build, operate and transfer basis, and so we signed an MoU with them, and they came back after doing some initial studies and said they are in a position to raise money for the project, and so we should sign a concessional agreement for the trains to be transferred to us after 30 years and that was something we had to look into.”
He also explained that the state needed to run all the necessary feasibility studies to ascertain the viability of the project which was hindered by the outbreak of Covid-19, making it impossible for the South African firm to come down to conduct the studies.
“In 2019 and 2020, the world including South Africa was under lockdown, so these people could not come to do the feasibility studies and that is why I decided to focus on the railway and kept the sky trains on hold.”
The government of Ghana signed the agreement with the South African group, Africa Investment (Ai) SkyTrain Consortium, for the construction of the Accra Sky Train Project in November 2018.
Africa Investment (Ai) SkyTrain Consortium was expected to conduct extensive feasibility studies in nine months and commission the construction by 2020 but none of that is yet to happen five years on.
Ghana bought $2m shares in Sky Train company established in Mauritius – Auditor General
It later turned out that an amount of US$2 million Ghana paid in 2019 as premium to acquire ordinary shares for the development of the Accra Sky Train Project became a net liability.
This was contained in a report by the Auditor General on the Public Accounts of Ghana’s Public Boards, Corporations and other Statutory Institutions for the period ended December 31, 2021.
In the report, it emerged that Africa Investor Holdings Limited incorporated a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in Mauritius for the purposes of establishing Ghana Sky Train Limited, to develop the Accra Sky Train Project through a concession on Design, Build, Finance and Operate arrangement.
According to the Auditor General’s report, the Government of Ghana through the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund paid US$2 million to Africa Investor Holdings Limited as full consideration for 10 ordinary shares at US$1.00 per share in Ai Sky Train Consortium Holdings (the SPV).
Thus, the premium paid for each share was US$199,999.
The SPV reported a net liability on 31 December 2020.
The Auditor General noted that the investment in the SPV could not be recovered if the Accra Sky Train Project is unable to secure the licencing, and the Executive and Parliamentary approvals.
“We urged Management to continue to monitor the feasibility and the recoverability of the investment in the SPV and make the necessary provisions based on the outcome of the feasibility studies. Management noted the recommendation for compliance”, the audit report recommended.
A presidential aspirant of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, believes he stands very tall amongst all the aspirants vying for the party’s presidential race.
He added that he is the best person to lead the party on the flagbearership ticket in the run-up to the 2024 polls.
The former Minister for Trade and Industry in the John Agyekum Kufuor government was part of the seventeen 17 aspirants who contested the flagbearership of NPP in 2007 but polled 19 votes.
Dr. Apraku expressed confidence that his experience places him in a higher position to win the party’s presidential race which will catapult him to leading the country.
He joins the league of the Vice President, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, former Trade Minister, Kwadwo Alan Kyerematen and the former Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
Speaking with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News, Dr. Apraku stated, “I’m confident that my old experience is what is prevailing. I have a lot of experience, I think I’m in a better position than ever before to win this election and lead this country. I stand very tall amongst all the aspirants, my experience is overwhelming. I have practical experience in managing economies, and dealing with current problems. Furthermore, I believe I have a better chance than anybody in this race to win. The taste of the pudding is in the eating”.
Askedif NPP delegates will this time round vote massively for him, the former Offinso North Member of Parliament underscored, “there is time for everything, you may also recall that the first time I went, I was number three. I did far better than in the last instance. Well times are different now, and I have been around the country, I have been to fourteen 14, out of the sixteen 16 regions in our country”.
Profile of Dr. Konadu Apraku
Kofi Konadu Apraku was Minister for Regional Cooperation and NEPAD in John Kufuor’s administration from 2003 to 2006. He also served as the Minister of Trade and Industry under Kufuor from 2001 to 2003.
In the year 2008, he was appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers as ECOWAS Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research. He is responsible for Multilateral surveillance mechanism which involves regular assessment through joint surveillance missions of the economies of ECOWAS members’ state.
He ensured convergence criteria are being met and provide economic and statistical data for member state and help them attain the convergence criteria and the ECOWAS single currency.
He also liaised with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund [IMF], African Development Bank amongst other financial institutions to support the development of ECOWAS regions.
Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku was first voted into Parliament on January 7, 1997, to represent his constituency.
He polled 10,456 votes out of the 21,428 valid votes cast representing 37.80%.
He contested against Nana Oduro-Baah, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) aspirant who polled 10,257 votes representing 37.10%, Manu Yaw Joseph, PNC aspirant who polled 358 votes representing 1.30% and Emmanuel Kwame Boakye an IND aspirant who also polled 357 votes representing 1.30%.
He was re-elected on January 7, 2001, after he emerged winner during the 2000 general elections and polled 13,160 votes out of the 21,543 valid votes cast representing 61.00%.
He was again re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Offinso North Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the 2004 general elections with a total vote of 13,389 representing 50.30% of the total votes cast.
Some continuing students of the University of Ghana (UG), have been left stranded on campus following the university’s new residential policy.
The management of the university introduced a residential policy which directed continuing students of Commonwealth Hall and male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall to be assigned to other residential facilities on campus following recent clashes between the two feuding halls.
Following the new accommodation policy, some affected students of the Commonwealth Hall were spotted sleeping in an open area that looks like a parking lot in front of the hall.
In a video posted by Joy News on social media, about five (5) students were captured sleeping in the open space of the parking lot on the bare floor.
The Management of the University of Ghana last December revoked the accommodation of all continuing male students of the Commonwealth and Mensah Sarbah Halls after another round of clashes involving the two feuding halls.
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has announced plans by the government to distribute free electronic tablets to all Senior High School (SHS) students across the country.
Dr Bawumia says the move forms part of the government’s digitization agenda.
The tablet, according to the Vice President will serve as alternative textbooks for the students.
The Vice President was speaking at this year’s New Year School at the University of Ghana, Legon.
“This year, we are on course to provide all Senior High School students in Ghana with tablets which are loaded with textbooks on them for their studies. That’s a very game-changing development. We will have past questions preloaded on these tablets that will be distributed.”
There are also plans to make free internet access to Senior High Schools and Tertiary institutions to improve teaching and learning.
The government has said it has already awarded the contract for the first batch of Wi-Fi installations to begin in some second cycle and tertiary institutions as part of the project.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has advised the Member of Parliament of North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa to cease spreading what he views to be misinformation about the National Cathedral and its board of trustees and rather pursue a presidential ambition.
Speaking in an interview on Wontumi TV, Wontumi stated that Haruna Iddrisu will be the NDC’s flagbearer in a few years and that Ablakwa stands a chance of becoming his running mate if he plays his cards well.
“See, Mahama will lose in the 2024 elections, so, Okudzato Ablakwa has to be humble so that when Haruna Iddrisu is becoming a flagbearer he will consider you as his running mate. But now you’re tarnishing your image. Mahama cannot come again. He has already been president and vice so that’s the end for him,” Wontumi said.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has been a staunch advocate against the construction of the National Cathedral, on grounds that the timing, location and process are wrong.
He made some allegations against Reverend Kusi Boateng, secretary to the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral in a social media post dated January 16, 2023.
In an explosive set of allegations which he describes as the Tsar Bomba of all scandals, Ablakwa claimed that Reverend Kusi Boateng holds multiple passports and identification cards with some bearing the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
“You will recall that in my earlier exposé of the scandalous GHS2.6million cash transfer from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, I pointed out that incorporation documents reveal that the three directors of JNS Talent Centre Limited are Johannes Eshun, Sheila Eshun and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
“I also later revealed that Rev. Johannes Eshun is a branch pastor of National Cathedral Executive Council Member/Director, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng’s Power Chapel Worldwide.
“Hitherto, the third director—Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi has remained a mystery figure.
“I am now able to reveal the true identity of this mystery director of JNS, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
“Definitely, the code has finally been cracked and it shocks to the marrow!
“Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same.
“Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi thought he had outwitted every Ghanaian, particularly our authorities whom he dribbled for many years; but the day of reckoning is finally here.
“From unassailable and irreproachable documents in my possession, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi uses multiple passports and multiple identification cards with different names and different dates of birth as his special modus operandi,” he wrote on Facebook.
The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram has called on religious leaders to dissociate themselves from the construction of the National Cathedral.
Speaking on GHOne TV, the lawmaker expressed worry about religious leaders allowing themselves to be connected to the construction of the controversial edifice.
He described as untenable the decision by religious leaders in the Christian faith to continue to sit on the National Cathedral Board.
“Many of you, gave off your use for the propagation and establishment of the gospel. Especially in the charismatic faith in our land. We love you and we cherish you and it breaks our heart that you allow crooks in government to use your face as a smoke screen to steal from the poor.
“You have taught us in many Sunday sermons to speak truth to authority. And as your son, I make an appeal to you, the Apostolic fathers, to save yourself and your dignity. And disassociate yourself from the blatant stealing. Do not be accomplices to ask what Ananias and Saphira did,” the lawmaker stated.
The MP asked the religious leaders to read Amos: 5:21-24 which mainly points to what God told his people not to do.
“…I want nothing to do with your religious projects, your pretentious slogan and goal. I am sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image-making. I have had all I can take of the noisy ego music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want?”
According to Sam George his call to the National Cathedral Secretariat is to demand justice for the people of Ghana adding that “I want fairness, rivers of it, that’s all I want.”
“Is there anything fair about the scandals that have rotted the building of that so-called cathedral? That is not a cathedral, it is a multipurpose meeting home. Do not allow yourselves as Apostolic fathers, matriarchs and patriarchs of our faith to be used to do this smoke screen.”
Sam George also added that the prevailing economic mess that the government is struggling to fix is also a result of the happening with the construction of the National Cathedral.
“What you have are fraudsters in the government, bandits in cassock trying to use the name of God to steal. To steal in the name of God is a curse and that is why our country is in the mess that it is. Because you cannot use the name of God in vain. God will not be mocked and that is why he has turned his back on this nation.”
The Accra Accra High Court has sentenced the Chief Executive Officer of erstwhile Career Link Marketers Company Limited, Reverend Edward to 519 years imprisonment.
According to a report by the Chronicle newspaper, Reverend Buabeng was handed the sentence on Monday, January 16, 2023 after being found guilty on 173 counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretenses.
The ruling by the court presided over by Evelyn Asamoah brought an end to three years of trial where 12 witnesses testified against the reverend minister.
The convict, Reverend Asamoah will serve 8 years of each of the 173 accounts with the sentences running concurrently.
Particulars of the case
According to the Chronicle, the complainants in the case are a husband and wife, John Osei-Kumi who is a marketer, and Brenda Adolphine, a banker.
The facts of the case presented by the state prosecutor, Chief Inspector Benneh show that the complainants who are residents of Dansoman invested an amount of $7,000 jointly into the company of Reverend Buabeng who was operating some form of a Ponzi scheme.
On her own, Brenda Adolphine Amoah invested $6,000 with the expectation of gaining 40% in interest for a period of three months.
But when the investments which were made in July 2018 were due for the complainants to enjoy their benefits, the convict failed to honor his obligation to his clients.
After failed attempts to get their monies, the couple lodged a complaint with the Dansoman Police where it turned out that over 100 complaints had been filed about the same Reverend Buabeng.
Police investigations revealed that Reverend Buabeng went into hiding after all the complainants made an investment of about GH¢1,193,136 and US$185,408.00 into his company.
He was subsequently arrested.
The prosecutor informed the court that Reverend Buabeng admitted to defrauding the complainants but offered to refund the monies as his firm had the resources to do so.
An agreement was reached and payment arrangements were made but Reverend Buabeng failed to honor the terms of the agreement which led to his re-arrest and trial.
He was found guilty of all the charges leveled against him and the judge handed him the sentence.
His wife whose name the report gives as Mrs. Asamoah was along with the second accused Wilfred Brown acquitted and discharged.
Meanwhile, a bench warrant has been issued for the third accused, Aubrey des-Bodes Mends who is said to have jumped bail.
An audio recording from one Dr Patrick Asiedu accusing some police officers of planting substances suspected to be narcotics in his vehicle has surfaced on social media.
Dr Asiedu reported that the incident occurred last week Friday while on the Trasacco road while on his way home to Kwashieman.
“I met these policemen on the road and they asked me to pull over. I did and when they came, they asked that I get down from the car to search me. I was not comfortable with it but because I felt they were doing their work, I got down.
They searched the car. In a few seconds, one of the policemen called me and told me he could see I had my tag and I am a doctor. If that is the case then do we have any problem with you but what is this weed doing in your car. I was like ‘what do you mean?’ He said look under your seat. What is this weed and cocaine doing over there? I was like cocaine and weed in my car?”
He allegedly told them “I have no idea what they are doing in my car,” but according to Dr Asiedu, the police officers insisted the substances were his.
In his narration, the health professional further claimed that the police requested a bribe of GHS20,000 to avoid being sent to the police station and the Narcotics Control Commission.
“You can spend 15 years in jail so pay GHS20,000,” he claimed the police said while being directed to hold the suspected narcotics.
Dr Patrick Asiedu said he phoned his brother at the Ghana Armed Forces who arrived at the scene with a number of military men.
Per the audio, the parties involved proceeded to the police station and were later directed to head to the Narcotics Control Commission, but they were called by one Commander to engage at a location Dr Asiedu failed to mention.
After their meeting hitting a snug, Dr Asiedu said he headed to the Narcotics Control Commission where his fingerprint was scanned.
“When they checked my fingerprint, they didn’t find any trace and my brother told the police to tell the truth,” he said.
“One of the officers, who is a Muslim swore that he could never plant drugs in a car. Then another officer started crying, saying that we are very sorry. We planted it in his car,” Dr Asiedu added.
Dr Asiedu further alleged that one Commander offered money to bury the issue, but was slapped by his brother, an action that led to a fisticuff.
The said police officers, he said, were arrested by the military officers who arrived with his brother, and were sent to the East Legon Police Station but later transferred to the Accra Central Police Station.
The audio has garnered massive reactions on social media platforms. While some Ghanaians have corroborated the claims made by Dr Asiedu by sharing their own experiences, others have questioned the validity of his claims.
In a press statement on January 18, addressing the allegation, the Ghana Police Service announced that it has launched investigations into the matter.
The Service noted its initial checks provided information contrary to the claims made by Dr Asiedu. The Police stated that it found no complaint at the East Legon and the Accra Central Police Stations mentioned in the audio.
Also, the Police said it contacted the Narcotics Control Commission and the Ghana Armed Forces and both institutions have indicated that “no such incident has come to their attention.”
However, the Service has assured that it will get to the bottom of the alleged incident as it “does not condone any unprofessional conduct in its quest to become an institution worthy of respect and trust in the country.”
Nutritionist Fred Amese has revealed on my health Segment of the 3FM’s Sunrise show that protein and fiber foods like beans, which is popularly called gobe; roasted groundnut and maize, tiger nuts, cocoyam leave sauce “kontomire” and dark chocolates enhance the production of quality sperms and release of viable eggs.
He explained that these meals aid the vibrance of the male and female hormones and in effect, hasten reproduction by developing quality sperm and eggs.
“For what to eat to get quality sperm and ovaries, ‘gobe’ (beans) is number one, with palm oil, garnished with plantain. It is very rich in protein and fiber, and all foods with fiber give good sperm quality. If you look at the nutritional composition, carbohydrate is also very included” the nutritionist said.
He expounded that the micro-nutrients contained in ‘gobe’ ensure the course of reproduction which a lot of people disregard. However, the deficiency of these micro-nutrients is termed as “hidden hunger” because their effects are not very visible and alarming.
“In this country, we have what we call ‘hidden hunger’ and that is micro-nutrient deficiency where people are eating normally, but because the meals are not balanced, they are not meeting their nutritional needs, so the body is hungry even though they are satisfied.”
Mr. Amese also mentioned that the nutritional value of kontomire promotes good sperm and egg production hence urges its consumption but should be cooked appropriately thus, not over-boiled in order to sustain its nutritional value.
“Kontomire gives good sperm quality, but you need to prepare it in a way that you don’t destroy the nutrients, do not overcook it, just let a little heat cook it, take it out and grind it”
Nutritionist Fred Amese has further advised young men to desist from wearing tight underwears as it is detrimental to sperm production and release. He has explained that there is a certain temperature that the sperm needs to thrive and tampering with the optimum temperature suitable for its production creates adversity to its productivity.
“The body is structured such that, it needs an optimum temperature for sperm production that is why nature in its own wisdom created a sack outwardly to contain the testicles so if you notice, when the weather is very cold the scrotum shrinks towards the body so that it will absorb heat from the body so if you’re wearing underwear which constantly shifting your testicles towards your body, it reacts to it by slowing down the sperm production process and consequently reducing sperm count” he admonished.
The Damongo Police have arrested one person, a driver, in connection with the recent disturbances that occurred in Buipe in the Savannah Region.
This comes on the back of the arrest of eight people in the community for their involvement in the ruination of property belonging to some non-indigenes at Mande in Buipe.
One person was shot during the melee.
The driver is reported to have driven some of the protestors to the Police Station on Monday, 16 January 2023.
The youth, who were protesting the alleged enskinment of a chief, who is a non-indigene, in the suburb, also stomped the Palace of the Yagbonwura demanding the release of the persons who were arrested.
Calm has since been restored to the town, however, the youth have said if the Police go ahead with their alleged intention to arrest the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Gonjaland Youth Association, the worse may occur.
According to the Youth Chief of the Damongo Traditional area, Yakubu Jaaga, arresting the PRO of the Gonjaland Youth Association will only escalate the situation.
He said: “We are calling for peace, so there is no need in arresting our PRO.
“Immediately they [Police] arrest the PRO, they will escalate the whole issue.”
Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Rev Kusi Boateng has said he is fully prepared for the investigations that will be conducted by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) into the allegation made against him Member of Parliament for Noth Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
He said he is prepared to make his case when he appears before the Commission.
“I wish to assure the public that the statement made by Mr Ablakwa are a twisted narration of events to pursue a malicious political agenda.
“There has never been any criminal intent nor any crime committed in my dealings with the government of Ghana or National Cathedral,” Rev Kusi Boateng said.
Mr Ablakwa presented what he described as “unimpeachable” and “incontrovertible” evidence against him.
According to the opposition lawmaker, Rev Kusi Boateng is the third “mystery” director of JNS Talent Cantre Limited, a firm he had earlier accused of receiving GH¢2.6 million illegal cash transfer from the Secretariat.
“Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director,” he said.
For the avoidance of doubt, he added, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng.
The two are therefore one and the same, he said.
“Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi thought he had outwitted every Ghanaian, particularly our authorities whom he dribbled for many years; but the day of reckoning is finally here.”
Mr Ablakwa has further petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice ( CHRAJ) to look into the matter.
Divisional Chief of Okper in the Yilo Krobo Traditional Area of the Eastern Region has launched scathing allegations of interference against the Eastern Regional First Vice Chairman of the ruling NPP in the raging chieftaincy dispute in the Yilo Krobo Traditional Area as well as instigating and leading acts of thuggery and attacks on opposing chieftaincy factions.
Accusing Mr. Twum Barimah Koranteng of “disintegrating, destroying, tearing apart and ravaging” Yilo Krobo, Nene Nanekey Terkpertey Ofori Agor IX at a press conference at Somanya on Sunday, January 15th, 2023 said the NPP first vice chairman was holding the people of Somanya hostage and thereby depriving the municipal of its much-needed development.
“He is really doing great harm to our land and people… he has labelled himself as Somanya champion and he is really misbehaving and infiltrating into very sensitive areas within Yilo Klo,” noted parts of a statement read by the chief at the press conference.”
Citing various incidents allegedly perpetrated by Mr. Barimah, Nene Agor accused the politician of being the mastermind behind an attack on the youth of Okperpiem on 15th November 2021 which led to four persons being injured.
The chief also alleged that the regional first vice chairman days ago sponsored some traditional leaders to invade Okperpiem where they attempted to install Asafoatse, Asafoatse Manye and some youth leaders within the enclave.
He blamed the continuous acts of lawlessness on the Somanya police who have failed to act on the numerous complaints reported to them pertaining to these incidents.
Also accusing him of instigating clashes in some chieftaincy issues in Yilo Krobo despite not being an indigene of the area, Nene Agor said, “Twum Barimah Koranteng is the brain behind the Konor chieftaincy problems at Sra. He has money to sponsor the illegality and forcing his preferred choices on the unsuspecting people of Yilo Krobo as traditional leaders.”
According to him, some chiefs were dependent on the politician for survival and hence were aiding his deeds.
The traditional leader also called on indigenes of Yilo Krobo not to allow themselves to be divided by the actions of persons he called “outsiders”.
He also cautioned Mr. Twum Barimah “to send his activities out of Krobo chieftaincy problems,” and “stop infiltrating into places that he’s not needed.”
Nene Agor threatened to organize a demonstration against the politician if he did not put a stop to his illegitimate activities in the Okper area.
Mr. Twum Barimah Koranteng when contacted to respond to the allegations denied comment on the grounds that he had referred the issue to his legal team for advice and would respond at the appropriate time.
The founder and leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, has said that questions being raised by Ghanaians on the construction of the National Cathedral of Ghana are legitimate.
According to him, the public have the right to ask questions about the project because, 6 years after the construction of the project started and after using $30 million of public funds, they can only see a huge pit in the centre of Accra, citinewroom.com reports.
Heward-Mills, who is reported to have made these remarks in a letter he wrote to the Board of Trustees and Executive Director of the National Cathedral, added that Ghanaians deserve some answers to the questions they have raised.
“I am a firm believer in the president’s vision. I believe that the public can see and is questioning the fact that we have spent almost six years since the sod-cutting of this project as well as over $30m (thirty million dollars) of public funds, to excavate a massive pit in the centre of the city.
“I do believe that many of the questions that are being asked and hurled at the National Cathedral Project are reasonable and legitimate questions by objective citizens who just want answers to their questions,” parts of the letter is quoted by citinewsroom.com.
The pastor also raised some concerns about payments made to stakeholders involved in the cathedral project.
“Continuing to pay contractors $40,000 (forty thousand dollars) a month as we wait to procure a huge loan in this hostile atmosphere sounds dicey to me. I do believe that almost six years down the line, we need to look at a different approach to achieve our goal of building God’s house in Ghana,” he said.
He also said that the fund-raising methods used by the supervisors of the project did not yield much result, with some of the programmes organised to raise funds costing more than the monies raised.
“I suggest another form of fund-raising where we would be guaranteed more donations from denominations, churches, individuals, businessmen and corporate bodies. I would be happy to discuss these if the committee is interested in that,” he added.
Cocoa farmers at Ohiampeanika in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region have vehemently denied using child labour on their farms.
They have, therefore, threatened to sue Al Jazeera, an international media organization that published a television story to the effect that cocoa farmers in the area engage children to work on their farms.
The TV report by the Qatar-based media organization which went viral indicated, among others, that a visit to the farming community revealed children working on cocoa farms.
The farmers, who are infuriated by the video circulating, have described the news item as stage-managed.
“The Al Jazeera video circulating is false. They visited us and told us they were from Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and that they were to listen to our problems to help solve them not knowing they had ulterior motives “, they lamented.
The visibly angry farmers asserted that what the international media organization did has dented the country’s cocoa sector in the eyes of the international community, adding: “We will go all out to sue them”.
A former Assembly member for the area, Samuel Ofori Asare, who featured in the Al Jazeera video, said the media house never told them they were going to do a news story.
“We were here one Sunday when they came and said they were from COCOBOD and that they want to meet the farmers to know their challenges and the kind of support they (the visitors) could offer.
“After listening to the farmers, the Al Jazeera pressman indicated that they wanted some of the farmers whose farms were nearby to go with them to demonstrate how the cocoa is planted and harvested,” he noted.
He said one of the farmers called Owusu Gyan alias Daffa, whose farm was nearby, opted to go with them.
“As they were going, the pressmen from Al Jazeera asked if they could get some children to go with them so they can carry the baskets into which the cocoa pods would be harvested,” he added.
He said Daffa’s brother’s three children who are all in school and had closed from church on that Sunday were asked to change quickly and went to the farm with them.
He continued: “So in the farm, the Al Jazeera journalists who spoke through a Ghanaian interpreter, would tell the farmers what to do as they were filming.
“So they will tell a farmer to use the cutlass to harvest the pods from the tree and give it to the children to open them and the journalists were filming.
“So as for us, we are here waiting for the support they promised only to hear that there had been an Al Jazeera TV report indicating that farmers in this community use child labour on their farms.
“In fact, we were surprised and we want the whole world to know that cocoa farmers here do not engage children to work on their farms and so all should disregard that report. Ghanaian cocoa farmers don’t use child labour on their farms,” he stressed.
The Director of Special Services at COCOBOD, Charles Amenyaglo said what transpired was criminal and that a report had subsequently been lodged with the police.
He appealed to all those who played a part in the story to cooperate with the police particularly when they are called to give their statements.
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has said that Ghana will face another financial sector collapse if the government goes through with its Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
According to him, the government, through its DDEP, is seeking to transfer its debt problem to individuals and private organisations including banks, which will lead to them not being able to pay their depositors and their eventual collapse.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on Monday, January 16, 2023, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, Ato Forson added that at least five banks are on the brink of collapse because of the economic challenges in the country.
“… at the end of the debt restructuring, the financial sector will have to collapse again. I am already seeing about five banks (that are) already going to shake because of what is going to happen to them if we allow it (the DDEP) to go (through).
“So, do we really want to transfer the burden where the state is insolvent to the private sector and what will be the repercussions going forward?” we quizzed.
Dr Ato Forson, the Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Esiam, therefore urged the government to hold on to its DDEP and make the necessary consultations before going on with it.
“That is why we are saying that it is for you and I to sit down and jaw-jaw for us to find a proper mix to resolve (the current challenges),” he said.
He added that should the government decide to force the debt restructuring programme on Ghanaians, the entire middle class in the country will also be whipped out.
Meanwhile, the invitation to the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme has been extended for the third time to January 31, 2023.
This comes after the second extension by the Finance Ministry expired on January 16, 2023.
The decision to include individual bondholders was necessitated after the government was forced by labour unions to abandon plans to include pensions in the debt exchange programme which was first announced in December 2022.
The controversies surrounding the National Cathedral project do not seem to be ending anytime soon.
This is because more allegations are being made against the handlers of the project.
The latest person to add to these issues is the founder and presiding Bishop of the Lighthouse Group of Churches, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills.
According to the respected preacher, even though he was a trustee and attended all meetings until his resignation, he was not involved nor privy to discussions on the financial and technical issues concerning the project.
Amongst other issues of concern to him, the seasoned Bible teacher said weighty issues and decisions were taken by persons other than the Board of Trustees.
The seasoned Bible scholar in his resignation letter issued in August 2022, and sighted by Citi FM, added that all of his suggestions and contributions were “trivialised and set aside.”
According to him, these reasons compelled him to resign from the board even though he supports the building of the Cathedral.
“I have been a reachable and available trustee and attended every single meeting of trustees since the pandemic began, in person and by zoom, and the records will show that.
If I say that I, as a trustee, do not know many of the financial and technical issues concerning the Cathedral, it means the discussions about the National Cathedral were held by some people outside the trustees’ meeting or perhaps in a forum that I was not present or invited to.”
“On the one hand, the National Cathedral is said to be a Government of Ghana project, with the government taking financial decisions. Yet, on another hand, at meetings, it is implied that the trustees have taken or participated in taking some decisions.”
The National Cathedral Project has been one of the controversial public issues, since the project was commissioned.
Apart from the questions of accountability repeatedly raised by the Minority in Parliament, there have also been concerns about the relevance of the project, in the face of the country’s current economic crisis.
There have also been conflict of interest including possession of multiple identities among other suspicious dealings allegations against the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng, who doubles as the founder of Power Chapel Worldwide.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah has dismissed allegations.
He explained that the said amount which was paid on September 8, 2021, was a loan from a board member whose name he fell short of mentioning.
He stressed that the amount was requested from the state in August 2021 to be used to pay the contractors but was delayed due to some processes at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
Hence, the board member offered to loan the money through his company, JNS Talent Centre Limited to be paid later without any interest.
According to him, there is no illegal payment as suggested by Okudzeto Ablakwa and there are documentations which have been submitted to Parliament to prove his explanations.
He advised the North Tongu MP and other critics of the project to seek clarification from the National Cathedral Secretariat before raising accusations.
There is currently a heavy security presence in Buipe in the Savanna Region following some disturbances in the area.
The military and police presence comes after some persons stormed the police station and the palace of the Buipewura to demand the release of eight people who were arrested.
During the protest, an individual was injured when police fired a warning shot to disperse the protestors.
He has however taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to citinews.com, eight persons were arrested for the alleged involvement in razing down some houses belonging to some Fulanis in protest against the enskinment of a Fulani as a chief of Mande.
The Secretary of Buipewura Jinapor II, Neripewura Abubakari Kitson Panfia, said measures have been put in place to restore calm.
The Minority NDC Caucus in Parliament is set to hold nationwide roadshows to promote a better understanding of the Debt Exchange Programme.
The Programme is a government initiative seeking to classify domestic bonds into four categories to create fiscal space as part of preparations to qualify Ghana for an International Monetary Fund facility.
Among other things, the roadshows would rally Ghanaians to demand a more favorable resolution to the alleged unprecedented economic crisis Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia-led Economic Management team has plunged the country into.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament, in Accra on Monday, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Leader, said: “The inclusion of individual bondholders in the Domestic Debt Exchange is the biggest transfer of funds from the pockets of Ghanaians to the government.”
“ This will leave affected persons, mainly the middle class, improvised while worsening the plight of the poor. This must immediately be stopped.”
“We wish to take this opportunity to indicate our intention to embark on nationwide roadshows to foster a deeper understanding of this matter and rally Ghanaians to demand a more favorable resolution of the economic crisis….”
Mr Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, called on President Akufo-Addo to suspend the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
He, therefore, urged the President to engage in more comprehensive consultations on the matter with all stakeholders and the Ghanaian people.
Meanwhile, the Government on Monday announced an extension of the Debt Exchange Programme to Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
The Bank of Ghana has said it cannot solve the country’s exchange rate problems.
Governor of the bank, Ernest Addison who appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, said the exchange rate, which is currently GH¢13 to a dollar, “reflects the movement on a day-to-day basis.
“If there is additional demand for cedis, the currency will be restricted, the central bank cannot fix the exchange rate”, he noted, adding: “It depends on what transactions have taken place”, such as “payments to contractors.”
“Typically, that kind of payment can move the exchange rate because some of them immediately convert into foreign exchange. So, the exchange, really, reflects a lot of day-to-day pressures in the economy.”
Dr. Addison also noted that the gold-for-oil programme will shore up the cedi’s strength.
According to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana took delivery of 40,000 metric tonnes of oil from the United Arab Emirates through the barter programme on Sunday, 15 January 2023.
Founder and Leader of the Prophetic Hill Chapel, Prophet Nigel Gaisie,has stated that his prophecy about John Dramani Mahama’s re-election was spiritually tampered.
Nigel Gaisie claims that it is not uncommon for evil spirits to hijack prophecies in the spiritual realm but his prophecy was instructed by God so it shall come to pass.
“Prophecies can be hijacked. We can prophesy and it can be hijacked by spiritual powers or evil men, but that does not mean that the prophecy won’t come to pass. With time it will surely come to pass. So, as we’re living let’s pray for life all the prophecies will come to pass. The last election it was clear, where I am sitting as a prophet of God it went well for the NDC members. Anybody who doesn’t wants to be biased will tell you the truth. Even the NPP members know that I’m a prophet and what I said came to pass.
“So, the prophecy was hijacked. And it is still in the womb of time waiting to manifest and if God permits 2024 it will manifest. “I have a mandate from God to make sure that the prophecy comes to pass. “I was in Israel praying and God said I should come and tell Ghanaians this, it will amaze you that the former president I don’t even call him, and we don’t talk,” he said in an interview with Onua TV.
Prophet Nigel Gaisie during the 31-night watch service released a number of prophecies that he claims are bound to happen in 2023.
Gaisie outlined prophecies that relate to a nation he claimed was called ‘The Republic of Yempɛ Nokware’ – a nation that bears similarities with Ghana.
He issued a disclaimer at the beginning of his prophecy session that his words were of the spiritual and not the physical world.
“I want to say this is a disclaimer, I am in the spirit and I am in the church behind the pulpit. I am not talking in my human sense; I am talking as a spiritual person.
“The intention is not to cause fear and panic, prophecies are utterances led by the spirit of God through vision, trans and dreams and our five senses,” he added.
He mentioned three scriptures that backed his position on prophecies being divine and continued: “On the strength of these scriptures, I repeat again, I am not prophesying to the nation and people of Ghana.
“If you are in Ghana, you can respectfully log off or switch off your TV, I am prophesying to the Republic of Yempɛ Nokware.”
Nana Obiri Boahen, the former Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has expressed his displeasure with President Akufo-Addo’s choice of Ken Ofori-Atta as caretaker Minister of Trade and Industry.
Nana Obiri Boahen asserted that the president erred in appointing Ken Ofori-Atta to the trade and industry ministry in place of Alan Kyerematen. He stated that while legally and constitutionally, the president’s choice was correct, it was wrong politically and morally.
Speaking in an interview on Wontumi TV, he added that it confuses him that the president’s advisors sat unconcerned for such a decision to be taken given that the finance minister was already experiencing backlash from a section of the public.
“With all due respect and with all humility to the president, that decision for the president to allow Ken Ofori Atta to take charge was wrong. Constitutionally the president was right, legally the president was right, but politically it was wrong and morally it was wrong. Constitutionally, if a cabinet minister is not around, a cabinet minister must replace him.
“Legally he is also right but politically it was dangerous and incorrect. That discretion was not well exercised. The minister of finance is facing backslash and his own MPs are calling for his sacking, so appointing such a person will cause confusion.
“Morally in terms of politics, it is sending a wrong signal, so I’m happy that he has been changed. But I’m surprised that the advisors of the president couldn’t prompt him,” he said.
He continued by expressing his happiness at Abu Jinapor’s appointment as the new caretaker minister at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Abu Jinapor has replaced Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who was given stewardship of the trades ministry a few days ago after the resignation of Alan Kyerematen.
A statement which was issued by the Director of Communication at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin, indicated that the appointment of Abu Jinapor as caretaker trade minister will take effect from Monday, January 16, 2023.
The Lands Commissions has served notice to the public that it will from January 17th, 2023 begin a process to recover encroached state lands at Amrahia, Mpehuasem and Nungua (Borteyman) in the Greater Accra Region.
In a statement signed by its executive secretary and issued on Monday, January 16, 2023, the Lands Commission disclosed that it will embark on a demolition exercise in those areas with the aim of recovering all state lands which have been acquired illegally by persons or groups in the aforementioned areas.
According to the statement, the demolition exercise which will be done in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service is in line with section 236 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036),
The commission announced that it is taking this step following reports of “contestation encroachments on state lands within Amrahia, Mpehuasem and Nungua.”
Read the full statement below
PRESS RELEASE
16TH JANUARY,2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALL MEDIA HOUSES
DEMOLITION EXERCISE AT AMRAHIA, MPEHUASEM AND NUNGUA (BORTEYMAN), STATE ENCROACHED LANDS.
The Government of Ghana, through the Lands Commission administers all state –acquired and vested lands in the country.
The Lands Commission has received a number of reports with great contestation, of encroachments on state lands within Amrahia, Mpehuasem and Nungua (Borteyman) in Accra by unknown armed men. The illegality started during the festive season in December,2022 and continues to occur. These parcels under threat are parts of Government acquisitions with compensations paid;
1. State Lands (Kweiman-Amrahia – Site for Modern Diary Farm) Instrument, 1970 (E.I.47) with approximate area of 1,381.995 acres.
2. State Lands – (Accra-Mpehuasem – Site for Accra Training College) Instrument, 2009 (E. I. 16) with approximate area of 111.25 acres.
3. State Lands – (Accra-Nungua – Site for Site for Livestock Farm) Instrument, 1940 (Certificate of Title 214/40) with approximate area of 2,570.05 acres. In all the acquisitions above, on the goodwill of Government, some portions of the sites have been released to the pre-acquisition owners.
Following a reconnaissance inspection of sites in Borteyman, Amanhria and Mphehuasem, the joint team of Lands Administrators and Police Officers agreed on the urgency of a more extensive exercise to recover and protect all the encroached portions including demolishing of unauthorised structures.
The Commission with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service officially starts the exercise on 17th January, 2023 to recover and protect such sites and other state-acquired areas; per section 236 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036),
It is expected the public would offer maximum support to the Commisssion as it undertakes this mandate.
Some concerned youth in the Savannah Region are demanding the arrest of the Public Relations Officer of the Gonjaland Youth Association, Mufti Borjinkper.
Their demand comes after the PRO was captured in a video issuing an ultimatum to the police to release some individuals arrested for alleged arson on the houses of Fulani settlers.
According to the youth, it has become necessary for the police to arrest Mufti over his constant fomenting of trouble which is inimical to the peace and security of Gonjaland.
More so, the youth added that the PRO must be brought to order for issuing a threat against the Ghana Police Service.
“The Savannah Regional security command must bring Mufti to order. It is unfortunate that the Regional Coordinating Council sits unconcerned whilst their PRO keeps threatening and fomenting trouble in the Region. “This gentleman has had cause to issue threats severally on video and yet nothing has been done to him. This is Mufti threatening the very security of the state. Calling on the youth to attack the police station is a heinous crime that must be condemned,” a member of the group said.
In addition to their demands, the youth are asking the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare to intervene in the security issues of the area to ensure peace and order.
“Is the IGP Mr Dampare afraid of Mufti or what? Is Mufti bigger and mightier than the state? How can an individual give the police a one-hour ultimatum to release suspects engaged in arson or else they will attack the police station?
“Where was Mufti when the hoodlums were engaged in that barbaric act of burning people’s houses? Is Mufti above law?” another member of the group added.
Following the attack on Fulanis and the subsequent burning of some houses, the police arrested multiple suspects in connection with the crime.
However, the PRO of the Gonja Youth Association is said to have issued threats to the police asking for the release of the suspects. He is said to have warned of an attack on the police if the suspects were not released in a given time.
Things got a bit heated between the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh and broadcaster Johnnie Hughes during a social media debate over the censure motion against Ken Ofori-Atta and the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
Annoh-Dompreh who is the Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri had earlier sent a caution to the Finance Ministry to review its decision to include individual bondholders in the DDEP.
“The Finance Minister (Ministry) must as a matter of urgency review ASAP its decision and resolution on individual bondholders. I don’t agree with them and I think it’s unfair and untenable!” he tweeted.
His tweet courted the attention of Johnnie Hughes who reminded the lawmaker that the situation could have been avoided if the majority caucus participated in the voting on the recommendations by the committee that probed the censure motion against Ken Ofori-Atta late last year.
“But Chief Whip @FAnnohDompreh, you and your colleagues had the chance to save us all through a simple secret ballot in Parliament after that Appiah-Kubi led presser asking for the head of KOA. What happened? Did you fail the people? Who whipped who in line?” he quizzed.
But Annoh-Dompreh exhorted Johnnie Hughes’ mind to the fact that his post is only relative to the issue of the individual bondholders and not nothing more.
“I am concerned about a specific matter!.. Don’t get it wrong!”, he tweeted in reply.
Johnnie Hughes maintained his course of reasoning and posed another question to Annoh-Dompreh “please did you fail the people? Who whipped who in line?”.
At this point Annoh-Dompreh gave a response considered harsh by the journalist.
“I am not ready for your ‘street’ politics!.. We have a matter to deal with! Seek to understand who I am and stop this! I am not interested in your arguments. As far as I am concerned, Ken has erred this time, and it must be corrected,” he retorted.
It created some banter that went on for some time until the two men called a truce.
Annoh-Dompreh has not hidden his aversion to the decision by the Ministry of Finance to include individual bondholders in the DDEP.
He believes that there could be dire repercussions on the middle class and the financial sector if the plans outlined by the finance ministry are adopted.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has extended the deadline for the DDEP with a promise to engage extensively with stakeholders.
This would be the third extension since the programme was launched on December 5, 2022.
In a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb Business, the Ministry of Finance noted that the extension was due to pending further stakeholder engagements with institutional and individual investors who were recently invited to join the debt exchange programme.
“Building consensus is key to a successful economic recovery for Ghana,” a tweet from the Finance Minister’s office said.
Ghana’s onshore sedimentary basin (Voltaian basin) is being surveyed for potential hydrocarbon reserves, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has said.
CEO of GNPC Opoku Awheneeh Danquah disclosed this at the 2023 Ghana Oil and Gas Roadshow on January 12, 2023, in London.
“In furtherance of our mandate of ‘leading sustainable exploration,’ GNPC has obtained Reconnaissance licences to explore our onshore and offshore basins.
“GNPC is currently exploring the hydrocarbon prospectivity of Ghana’s onshore sedimentary basin (Voltaian basin) under a Reconnaissance license through a mix of geophysical, geological and geochemical techniques and is looking to crown our efforts by drilling a well in Q4 2023,” he said.
Mr Danquah further mentioned that his outfit is constantly exploring opportunities to leverage its technical competence and financial strength in unlocking much needed hydrocarbon potential of our sedimentary basins.
In line with this, he disclosed that over the next two years, GNPC will acquire, process and interpret 3D seismic over the block to evaluate hydrocarbon potential and drill one (1) well.
About GNPC
GNPC is the state agency responsible for the exploration, licensing, and distribution of petroleum-related activities in Ghana.
It was established in 1983 by PNDC Law 64, to support the government’s objective of providing adequate and reliable supply of petroleum products and reducing the country’s dependence on crude oil imports, through the development of the country’s own petroleum resources.
In the early 2000’s, GNPC’s focus was amended to solely operate within the upstream energy sector, relinquishing previous downstream operations.
Prior to the establishment of Petroleum Commission Ghana in 2011, GNPC in addition to our core mandate played pseudo-regulatory roles in assisting the Ministry of Energy in chartering the path to commercial discoveries in Ghana.
Subsequently, GNPC has transformed into a fully commercial state-owned entity with the strategic objective of leading the sustainable exploration, development, production and disposal of the petroleum resources of Ghana, by leveraging the right mix of domestic and foreign investments in partnership with the people of Ghana.
GNPC’s role is to ensure the efficient supply of natural gas from our oil and gas fields to Ghana National Gas Company to meet Ghana’s increasing energy needs by efficiently negotiating gas sales from our producing fields.
As a partner in all Petroleum licenses, GNPC has developed diverse competencies across the entire value chain to support partners in the execution of agreed Work Programs.
The highest paid pensioner in Ghana will start receiving GH₵169,725.89 per month beginning this year, according to the Chief Actuary of the Social Security and National Insurance Scheme (SSNIT), Joseph Poku.
This sum, according to Mr Poku, is expected to go up next year. This represents a 19.05% increase from the previous GH₵142,564.97 received by the highest paid pensioner in 2022.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Friday, January 13, 2023, Mr Poku said the lowest paid pensioner, on the other hand, will receive GH₵430.58, an increase of 43.53%.
He said a redistribution mechanism had to be implemented to cushion low-pension earners.
“The indexation rate for 2023 is 25%, which represents a 150% increase over the previous year’s indexation rate, which was 10%… Having determined this rate, we don’t want to apply it across the board because some people are earning far higher than the others, so we need to take into account those who are low pension earners, and this is what enabled us to introduce the mechanism called redistribution,” Mr. Poku announced.
In light of this, the lowest-earning pensioner, who received GH₵300 last year, will now receive GH₵430 and some pesewas, and the highest-earning pensioner will now receive GH₵169,725.89 per month starting in January 2023, according to Mr. Poku.
As part of the solidarity principle of social security, SSNIT applies the redistribution method to its indexation rate in order to cushion members with low pensions.
According to Mr Poku, the pension scheme will pay beneficiaries GH₵5 billion this year.
Tariffs for utilities will be increased beginning February 1, 2023.
This was announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) on Monday, January 16, 2023, despite admitting the present economic challenges.
While the end-user tariff for electricity has been increased by 29.96 percent, that of water has also seen an upward adjustment by 8.3 percent following the conclusion of the PURC’s regulatory processes for quarterly adjustments.
“The PURC is equally mindful of the current difficult economic circumstances but notes that the potential for outages would be catastrophic for Ghana and has to be avoided. The PURC, therefore, sought to balance prevention of extended power outages and its deleterious implications on jobs and livelihoods with minimizing the impact of rate increases on consumers”.
“The Commission, therefore, decided to increase the average end-user tariff for electricity by 29.96% across the board for all consumer groups (Table i). The average end-user tariff for water has also been increased by 8.3% (Table 2). The Commission, however, approved varying rate adjustments including some reductions for selected industrial and commercial consumers as part of the ongoing restructuring of the existing water rate structure”, the statement added.
Justification
For the end-user electricity tariffs payable by consumers, the Commission considered four key factors in arriving at its decision.
These were the Ghana Cedi/US Dollar exchange rate, inflation, generation mix and the weighted average cost of natural gas.
“Since the announcement of the major tariff in August 2022, these key variables underlying the rate setting have changed significantly. For example, the weighted average Ghana Cedi/Dollar exchange rate used for the major tariff review was GHS 7.5165 to the US Dollar. Since then, we have witnessed the depreciation of life Cedi against the US Dollar and other major currencies. The projected weighted average Ghana Cedi US Dollar exchange rate used in First Quarter 2023 Tariff Analysis is GHS10.5421/USD”, PURC stressed.
Additionally, the weighted average inflation figure used for the major tariff has seen a four-fold increase.
Together with exchange rate movements, this has negatively affected the ability of the utilities to purchase critical inputs required for their operations.
The Commission used a projected inflation rate of 42.63% in its tariff analysis for the First Quarter of 2023.
“The combined effect of the Cedi/US Dollar exchange rate, inflation and WACOG is that the utility companies are significantly under-recovering and require an upward adjustment of their tariffs in order to keep the lights on and water flowing”, the statement added.
The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) has announced the opening of applications for the 2022–2023 academic year.
The Students Loan Portal will be accessible to tertiary students all over the nation via the organisation’s website or by downloading the Students Loan App.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF), Nana Kwaku Agyei Yeboah,disclosed in a media engagement on Friday, January 13, 2023, that the introduction of the “No Guarantor Policy’ has granted access to double the number of applicants in the past year as compared to the “32,744 students who benefited last year.”
According to him, “it is expected that over 70,000 new applicants will access the loan for the 2022-2023 academic year… due to measures put in place to reach out to thousands of applicants.”
The expected increase is due to the introduction of the ‘No Guarantor Policy’ which has made it easier for applicants to apply for the loans since they no longer need guarantors.
Among the measures he mentioned were intensifying public education and doubling the number of access points in the country to raise awareness of the Trust’s activities nationwide.
He added that “there are currently 32,744 beneficiaries on the Student Loan Program from 110 tertiary institutions across the country. In the last academic year, the SLTF disbursed GH₵64,645,575.00 of loans to 32,744 students.
Mr Yeboah urged students to take advantage of the new policy to obtain subsidised financing for their tertiary education.
Background
The government, through the SLTF, launched the “No Guarantor Policy” in June 2022.
The policy removes the requirement that students access loans with the aid of guarantors. Some students were denied access to loans due to a lack of guarantors; however, the new policy is expected to increase the number of students who can access the loans.
SLTF needed guarantors to help them trace defaulting borrowers. But the CEO of SLTF has explained that “with the widespread use of the Ghana card and the way it is interlinked with other essential services, the use of guarantors has become superfluous in our operations as a fund.”
Accommodation remains a challenge on the University of Ghana campus, as freshmen who have gained admission to further their education at the school have been left stranded.
The freshmen, numbering over 10,000, have not been able to secure an abode two weeks after school resumed; a situation that has left both students and parents frustrated.
According to some affected students and parents, they were not able to secure any spaces at the school’s halls since the process outlined by school authorities did not work out.
Students are required to register for slots at the university’s respective hostel facilities (halls) through the portal system, however, the affected persons lamented over its failure, citing this as the major hindrance to their not being able to secure spaces.
Consequently, there were scores of students with their luggage lined up at the various halls, such as the Commonwealth and Akuafo halls.
It appears this has been a challenge that has existed for many years, as students witness this trend every year. In 2019, about 9,000 students suffered a similar fate as they were not able to secure spaces in the halls.
Also, in 2022, only a little over 3,000 students who gained admission were able to secure housing.
Private hostels exist as alternatives, but this is not the preferred option since these facilities are usually more expensive than the school’s accommodation facilities.
Expressing his frustration, one student, Baba Rahman gained admission to study Human Resources, noted that although he completed the process on the portal, he still did not get admission into a hall.
“Coming from as far as Sefwi Wiawso, if I do not get a room by the close of the week, I will have no choice but to stop the school and apply next year because I cannot afford a hostel,” he lamented.
A parent, Mary Baidoo, explained that with her ward unable to access the portal to register for a room, they had been going back and forth with their belongings for the past week with the hope of getting a bed space, but to no avail.
“Looking at the way things are going, I need to painfully dip my hand into my pocket and find a private hostel, which currently costs not less than Gh¢7,000 in this current economy,” she said.
She called on the management of the university to step up in working on the online portal for registration to ensure a smooth allocation of rooms for new students.
“We are being told there is an injunction on the registration process in this hall, so we are waiting to hear from the school authorities. If not, I will have to come from my home at Kasoa for lectures every day,” a Business Administration fresher, Michael Mensah, told the Daily Graphic at the Commonwealth Hall.
The Accra High Court has instructed three government institutions to apologize to Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri, editor of the news portal ModernGhana.com, for breaches of human rights.
The parties in the case filed terms which were adopted by the Human Rights Division Court 2.
In a judgment obtained by myjoyonline.com, the presiding Judge, Justice Nicholas Abodakpi held by the terms of settlement had been adopted by the court.
In July 2019, Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri, the Applicant, sued the National Security Coordinator, Inspector General of Police and Attorney General as Respondents for violation of his human rights.
The judgement ordered that the respondents shall issue an apology to the applicant and have the same published in the Daily Graphic within 14 days of the adoption of the terms of the settlement.
The respondents are also to pay compensation, and legal fees and shall pay for gadgets that were seized from the applicant including a laptop, two mobile phones and a tablet.
Arrest, detention and torture
On June 27, 2019, gun-wielding operatives of National Security arrested Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri and his reporter Emmanuel Britwum at their offices.
The officers whisked them into a black van, strapped their heads in black polythene bags and sped off.
Their laptops and mobiles were confiscated and they were subjected to interrogation at National Security offices.
Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri, the Editor of the online news portal, Modernghana.com, later told the media he was subjected to electric shock and other forms of torture whiles in detention.
The interrogation was on two articles the website published on the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah.
The National Security Council Secretariat denied it tortured the journalist.
The Ministry said the journalists were picked up for allegedly engaging in cybercrimes.
On July 5, 2019 State prosecutors filed cybercrime charges against Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri and two other journalists, Emmanuel Britwum reporter of ModernGhana.com and Obeng Manu Editor of Peace FM for alleged unlawful access to an email account belonging to a local radio station Peace FM.
However, the state was forced by the Accra High Court to drop charges the first day the journalists appeared in court.
This was after the Judge, Afia Asare Botwe, pointed out errors and turned down appeals by Senior State Attorney Stella Ohene Appiah because what the state wanted to court to do was without legal backing.
Lawyers for the accused, led by Samson Lardy Anyenini, had said the criminal case was a face-saving act that was doomed at inception.
Ajarfor sues National Security Coordinator and two others for torture
On July 11, 2019, Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri instituted legal action against the National Security Coordinator, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General for the torture he suffered at the hands of the national security operatives.
He prayed the Human Rights Division of the High Court to direct the Attorney-General to find, name and subject the National Security Coordinator and the officials, who were directly or indirectly involved in human rights violations against him, to criminal prosecution or punishment.
He also prayed the court to order the immediate and unconditional release and surrender of all seized items to him.
The application for the enforcement of Mr Ajarfor’s fundamental human rights was filed on his behalf by Samson Lardy Anyenini who was working with a legal team including Dr Justice Srem Sai and Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo.
A Pediatrician at the Korle Bu Hospital, Dr Annie Owusu has stated that the most common cause of UTI in children, particularly in girls, is improper cleaning after using the restroom.
Urinary Tract infection, popularly known as UTI, is a bacterial infection that affects the Urinary tract and components involved in urine production. This happens when bacteria get into the wrong tract of the body.
”Pre-Schoolers are the ones much prone to this infection, mostly as a result of neglect”.
Dr. Owusu noted that UTI can be attributed to some symptoms that indicate other illnesses including fever, constant vomiting and diarrhea, sluggishness and lack of appetite to toddlers whilst Pain in urination or frequent urination, cloudy urine and colorization is common in the older children.
She advised that although some illnesses could be swept under the carpet, Parents should endeavor to treat UTI with urgency as neglection could lead to extreme cases such as kidney failure in kids.
For many, being born into a wealthy home is almost an insurance against the difficulties and discomforts of life. It is sometimes even seen as a launch pad to riches. For business moguls and philanthropists, this is far from the truth.
Born to a wealthy man in a village in one of Ghana’s poorest regions, Upper East, young Seidu, who targeted the impossible, neither had life on a silver platter nor inherited any lunch-pad riches. Unlike many children of the wealthy few, Seidu did not stay with his biological parents to enjoy the conveniences that his dad’s wealth could buy.
Despite that early-life hard luck, young Seidu trudged through life’s trenches with bare audacity until his intense, stern gaze into poverty’s face eventually bought him freedom from the wants of this world.
Realising early in his life that he had absolutely no one but himself to blame and hold responsible for everything that either happened or did not happen to him – whether right or wrong – young Seidu would fuel his mission to escape from poverty with sheer hunger and anger.
As he told CTV’s Nana Otu Darko in a recent interview, hunger and anger drove him to think his way out of the trenches of poverty.
Gifted with wisdom to know from very early in his life that “my dad’s wealth wasn’t mine”, tough Seidu would start from very humble beginnings to conquer the behemoth heights of poverty.
“I wasn’t born into riches. I didn’t inherit riches although my father was a rich man. People who inherit riches normally don’t succeed because they would have had a pampered upbringing and mess up later”, he waxed philosophical to Nana Otu Darko.
“I’m a very tough and fearless person but humble. I grew up at Burma Camp among soldiers, so, you can imagine how tough I am. I have been a cobbler (shoeshine boy) before. I was also a bus conductor (trotro driver’s mate) at a point in my life”, he recounted.
“It is hard work and the grace of God that has brought me this far”, Mr Agongo, who now owns media giant Class Media Group and a plethora of other businesses, acknowledged the handiwork of the Divine God in his life.
To him, “it is foolish” for anyone to rely on their parent’s wealth to build their life because whereas hunger and anger may have been the motivators that fueled their ancestors’ hustles, a voracious appetite to “show-off” on social media in “designer” stuff might, more than likely, be the motivator for the progeny.
“Hunger makes you think. Secondly, anger can drive you to success. It has nothing to do with your parents’ wealth. I know the children of the rich will suffer in the future because they would not manage that wealth properly because their parents were driven by hunger and poverty but they are being driven by social media, so, they buy designer belts, shoes, and cars. You’ll never succeed that way”, the owner of the now-defunct Heritage Bank Limited continued.
“I’m grateful to God for how he wired me because I realised from an early age that I can’t blame anyone for my circumstances. I blame myself for everything”.
And, so, he became his own boss from the very outset. As CEO of his own shoeshine, busy young Agongo put his very heart into his job. Excellence was his target and excellence he hit.
With the same fervour, dedication and commitment, young Seidu took his trotro mate job to dizzying heights.
He was on to a good start – thanks to his toughness and rugged audacity to succeed.
He then took things a notch higher. “I was the very first person to set up a communication centre at Burma Camp”, he said with well-deserved pride, recalling: “People queued to speak to their soldier relatives abroad at my booths. It was very successful”.
“By the grace of God, no enterprise I establish ever fails; it’s just that I don’t get the right people to run them. It’s the same for all business owners in the whole of Ghana. Businessmen are struggling and suffering to get honest, decent managers and workers but don’t get them.
It’s difficult because all that those people think about is what my family and I have and how they will mess it up, without thinking that the better you run my business, the more experience you gain to run yours in the future”, the media mogul bemoaned.
But it would take him quite some doing before his bank and media forays.
“Real businessmen have humility and are able to do even the dirtiest and lowliest of jobs but in our part of the world, businessmen are all about showing off with big cars, among others, so, they make the concept of business look different”.
Far from being a show-off and keeping his eyes on the ball, Seidu Agongo turned his attention to even much bigger things.
“While at the Burma Camp, I loaned the proceeds from my communication centre business to the soldiers at a 30-per-cent interest rate because I didn’t know what to do with the huge profit. I did very well with that business, too”.
“From there, I went into rice, sugar and tin tomatoes trading at Nima. I created the bustling business environment you see at Nima today by virtue of my business. I attracted people to Nima to trade. Everyone knows me at Nima as ‘Seidu the Rice Seller’.
I could sell GHS4 million worth of rice in a day. You can ask Olam, Stallion and others. Banks were unable to count my money and, so, they did what they could and returned the following day to continue counting the money”.
“I drove trailer trucks myself to go and cart rice to sell. I could bring 20 to 30 containers of oil to Nima. The whole of the Nima Roundabout gets clogged with human and vehicular traffic just because of my trading activities there. I’ve done a lot of work in my life but my philosophy is the work must impact the lives of people positively”.
“The rice brands I sold were mostly imported brands from Thailand and USA. I only sold foreign rice. So, it meant we were creating jobs for those countries anytime we consumed their rice. It wasn’t meaningful to me because I believe money must be made in a satisfactory way to help other people but not through any means at all, irrespective of the consequences”.
“So, I began searching for institutionalised businesses protected by government regulations to establish more businesses. That’s what got me to set up Heritage Bank. Such businesses can outlive me and last for decades because they would have had protection from government regulatory institutions”.
Heritage Bank Limited, which he said “was doing well” even when it was collapsed by the Bank of Ghana, was one of those institutionalised businesses.
Ironically, it didn’t get to enjoy the regulatory protection that had attracted Mr Agongo to venture into such waters. The giver of the protection killed the seeker of that protection.
“The success of every bank depends on the kind of board members you have: are they people you want to control, or do you want them to use their knowledge and expertise to run the institution independently of you? I didn’t want remote-controlled board members. I wanted people who could look me in the face and tell me the truth, so, I had very good board members.
For instance, the late Prof Kwesi Botchwey was the Board Chair. Also, Mr Benson Nutsukpui, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association, a very respectable person who won’t allow anyone to dent his reputation, was a member of the board”.
Despite the bank’s death, Mr Agongo’s toughness isn’t shaken one bit. “I came into this world to experience life, not to avoid it, so, I am always prepared for whatever happens. If I can help the situation, I would do everything possible to salvage what I can and leave the rest to God, but if it is beyond me, I just leave it all to God to deal with”.
“I don’t want to go too much into the Heritage Bank matter”, he pleaded, explaining: “Because up till now, I haven’t been given any letter about why the bank was collapsed but, maybe, the regulators know why that happened. Apart from the announcement of the bank’s collapse in the media, I never had any official correspondence to that effect. I don’t fault anybody because every misfortunate has a purpose. So, I don’t question God about anything that happens. He knows best”.
Rather than worrying about the millions of dollars he lost following the collapse of the bank, Alhaji Seidu Agongo – very typical of his philanthropic nature – is more concerned about the fate of his workers who suddenly lost their jobs.
“I was worried about the bank’s collapse because my workers who had families and dependents lost their jobs and livelihoods suddenly just because of the decision of the central bank to collapse the bank. So, the human aspect of it really breaks my heart but I leave it all to God, He knows best”.
“It’s unfortunate that the major reason that motivates certain actions of the typical Ghanaian is short-sightedness. Even animals protect each other, so, to collapse banks suddenly without thinking of the repercussions on the workers and their families and dependents were heartbreaking for me.
I strongly believe that any action that would have a rippling effect on a lot of people and their lives and livelihood must be well-thought-through otherwise, the life of the person taking the action will even go in the reverse direction. Institutions must not act willy-nilly but I believe God is king”.
Mr Agongo, a young tough shoeshine boy and trotro mate, who now employs and pays an “uncountable number of workers”, said: “Even if Heritage Bank doesn’t bounce back, something bigger than it will come up because I have vowed to sacrifice myself to the service of the nation by doing something special for this country – something that will make you proud to be a Ghanaian; not material things like cars, etc.”
As for his media empire, which consists of nine radio stations across the country, a TV station and a news portal, Mr Agongo said he sought to use them to correct the waywardness of the country.
“I saw Ghana as going wayward. Not that I disrespect anybody. So, I wondered how I could get a medium through which well-meaning Ghanaians and I could speak to the masses. I feel my media houses have achieved only 3 percent of the vision for which I set them up. They are region-based and the objective for setting them up was for them to own the regions and impact the lives of the people in those parts of the country but I don’t see much of that”.
“I don’t dictate to my radio stations what to say and not to say. Even if I’m in the news for a bad reason, I won’t stop them from reporting on it”.
What Drives His Business Success?
“Every successful businessman must be humble enough for even his security man to be able to approach him with new ideas because as a businessman, whatever people tell you is important since all knowledge is not in one person’s head”, Mr Agongo, who rises for work every 3 am, said.
“One thing about Ghanaian businesspeople is that they like to show off. They buy the latest cars and chase everything in skirts but money is spiritual, it doesn’t like to be messed about with. And God has already planned everything in the Universe, so, all you have to do is find your place in it and fit in because we’re insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
So, there are so many factors that lead to the failure of businesses in Ghana. Even government policies are a factor as well as hatred, jealousy, the proverbial ‘pull him down’ syndrome and stereotypes – Who is he? Where’s he from? How can a northerner, whose kin and kith are known to be fufu pounders, security guards and farm hands, own a radio station? Are you God? You are not God. It’s all hatred”.
“[Barack] Obama, from Kenya, rose to become the US President. As we speak, a Briton of Indian ancestry is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It means you can’t, in the slightest way, alter God’s plan, so, shut up and be in your corner and do what you can and leave the rest for God. But, sometimes, we try to interfere with God’s plan. So, for success, there must be a change in mindset. You must go through the process rather than chasing overnight success”.
“Once you go through the mill and you establish yourself, it is difficult to bring you down”.
Attitude of The Ghanaian Worker
“If care is not taken, it may get to a time that no businessperson would establish any jobs because the attitude of the average Ghanaian worker is bad and appalling. Every business is like an infant. It needs nurturing. But Ghanaian workers don’t think about the job but rather what they would get from it. We need to prioritise things.
First of all, you can’t make money without putting in efforts that would result in money as the outcome. You have to use the strength, wisdom and knowledge God had gifted you with to make the things you want manifest because God didn’t give anybody money to come onto this earth. If He wanted it so, He would have designed it so.
But He gave you wisdom, knowledge and strength to work and, so, if somebody has employed you to do a certain job, care about the job: what can I do to make it better? What are some of the weaknesses? What level do I want to take this job in the next two years?
Once you think that way, money has no choice but to come. Every business evolves but a typical Ghanaian worker is all about the money. Even when you express gratitude, they wish it could be money. So, you should be able to gauge the stage of the business and tie it in with your demands and expectations because there is no free lunch. It’s a two-way affair: you can’t get what you don’t create.
What Gives Him Satisfaction
I’m satisfied when I am able to help a lot of people and families to realise their dreams. At the end of the day, that is what matters. It’s not about the car you drive or the plane you fly in. all that is vanity. But if I am able to help one million people and their families and dependents, at least that would reduce poverty and suffering. There are some brilliant students from poor homes who would have gone to waste had I not adopted them or intervened one way or the other.
Is Ghana on the right path
I feel Ghana has never been on the right path even from Nkrumah’s regime. I won’t talk about only this leadership. I feel Nkrumah, Kufuor, Jerry Rawlings, Atta Mills, this leadership [Akufo-Addo], we’ve not been under any right leadership because Ghana has no structures. If you are a president, it is only the structure that protects you. The structure makes you the commander of the Ghana Armed Forces.
If your structures are not right, what do you think we can achieve? There are no structures. Institutions are not right. You can’t achieve anything. Forget it. So, businesses will keep collapsing. The institutions are not strong. The judiciary is protected by the institutions; if it’s weak, nobody would want to be a judge. The presidency is protected by an institution if it’s weak … If a businessman is coming from Singapore or America, he looks at the institutions, not the presidency.
That is it. And, since Nkrumah’s time to date, institutions are not working. Let me be very frank with you, I’m coming from America to invest $100,000 in Ghana. I will be looking at the institutions, not the presidency because the president will be gone in eight years, maximum but how is our police system working, how is our military working, how is our judicial system working, how is our labour system working? It’s the institutions that protect your investment.
So, that is why people who amass wealth in government become paupers after leaving office in about five years because the structures are not there to protect him but if you look at somebody like Donald Trump, his father was into real estate and he still benefits from that inheritance.
So, if the institution doesn’t work, discretionary actions take over. Institutions protect growth, protect businessmen, protect investments, protect even succession plans, so, trust me, you can’t get one 100-year-old business in Ghana because we don’t have the institutions to protect them to grow to that extent.
Even wills can be manipulated. So, since Nkrumah’s time to date, if those things are not sorted out, we are just wasting our time. I’m a realist. The sad story is that once the institutions and the structures are not working well, we are all behaving like mosquitoes.
Favourite Quote
‘Time will eventually expose you’. And, so, time did expose Mr Agongo to the world as a strong-willed businessman who weathers whatever storms fight his progress and shrugs off hurdles.
But, perhaps, time, has more to expose than the Agongo we see now, for ‘vindication lies within its womb’.
A French court has ordered the removal of a statue of the Virgin Mary from a small town, alleging that the religious display violates the separation of church and state.
The statue is located at a crossroads in La Flotte, a municipality of 2,800 inhabitants on the popular holiday island Ile-de-Re, off France’s Atlantic coast.
The statue was erected by a local family after World War II in gratitude for a father and son having returned from the conflict alive.
Its initial home was a private garden, but the family later donated it to the town which set it up at the crossroads in 1983.
In 2020, it was damaged by a passing car, and the local authorities decided to restore the statue and put it back in the same place, but this time on an elevated platform.
Complaint
That move triggered a legal complaint by La Libre Pensee 17, an association dedicated to the defence of secularity, on the basis that a French law dating back to 1905 forbids religious monuments in public spaces.
A court in Poitiers followed the argument as did, on appeal, the regional court in Bordeaux, ordering La Flotte to remove the statue, according to a press statement.
Local mayor Jean-Paul Heraudeau called the discussion around the statue “ridiculous” because, he said, it was part of the town’s “historical heritage” and should be considered “more of a memorial than a religious statue”.
But while the court accepted that the authorities had not intended to express any religious preference, it also said that “the Virgin Mary is an important figure in Christian religion,” which gives it “an inherently religious character”.
According to Catholic doctrine going back to the New Testament, God chose Mary to give birth to Jesus while remaining a virgin, through the Holy Spirit.
Catholicism, and several other religions, venerate Mary as a central figure in their faith, and she has been the subject of countless works of art over the centuries.
La Flotte has six months to remove the statue, the court said.
A police officer and his child have been killed after a fire destroyed the police barracks at where the family was residing.
The police officer is reported to have been with the anti-robbery unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Command.
According to the Citinewsroom.com report, the Assembly Member for the Apromase/Asawase Electoral area, Ernest Kwarteng, said the cause of the fire is yet to be revealed.
“According to eyewitnesses, the fire swept through one of the rooms and as we speak, a married man, the wife and daughter are no more.”
“They have been burnt and the body deposited at the morgue. The police came in but we are waiting for the experts to tell us exactly what happened”, citinewsroom.com quoted Ernest Kwarteng as having said.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says he will report one of the members of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral Secretariat to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) .
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa has presented evidence, accusing the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Secretariat, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, of registering a company in a different name to transact business with the Secretariat.
Passports made available by the lawmaker showed the name, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, who is registered as one of the three directors of JNS Talent Centre Limited. That firm was cited byNational Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for receiving about GH¢2.6 million from the Secretariat for “no work done”.
According to the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Rev Kusi Boateng is the same Kwabena Adu Gyamfi despite differences in age, TINs, professions and addresses on the passports.
“From unassailable and irreproachable documents in my possession, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi uses multiple passports and multiple identification cards with different names and different dates of birth as his special modus operandi,” the MP wrote on Monday, January 16.
He later added: “These explosive findings make the conflict of interest charge in the GHS2.6million scandalous payment by the National Cathedral of Ghana to the shady JNS Talent Centre Limited even more blatant, direct, offensive and absolutely embarrassing.”
The lawmaker says he will proceed to CHRAJ on Monday at 1:00pm for the corruption-investigating body to invoke “its mandate under Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution to investigate the odious conflict of interest”.
He has also served notice to file an urgent question when Parliament resumes for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, to inform Ghanaians why Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng qualified for a diplomatic passport and the nature of due diligence, if any, her ministry may have carried out.
He said he will also file an urgent question for the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on exactly what work JNS did to warrant the GH¢3.5 million transfer and why that transaction did not find expression in his GH¢339 million cathedral withdrawals as presented to the Vote of Censure Committee.
A presidential aide,Charles Nii Tagoe, has chastised former President John Dramani Mahama for his remarks about the Agenda 111 Hospital project.
John Mahama in an earlier post on his social media handles claimed that the project which was in its fourth year has witnessed no success and turning out to be another form of sloganeering from the government.
“The ‘Agenda 111’ hospitals promise is in its 4th year, yet not a single hiospital has been completed to support quality health care delivery. This is contrary to the lofty promise made in 2020. The NPP must learn to take Ghanaians serious. Enough of the Slogans!” he tweeted on Saturday evening.
In a sharp rebuttal on social media, Charles Nii Tagoe alleged that John Mahama has always had issues with mathematics.
According to him, that explains why he will claim a project which was launched in August 2020 is in its fourth year.
“President Akufo-Addo first announcement on the “ Agenda 111 Hospital “ was in May 2020 during his 8th COVID address to the nation and the sod-cutting was done in August 2021. John Dramani Mahama ankasa no, ɔwɔ Maths problem fri titi,” Teiko Tagoe posted on his social media handles.
“John Dramani Mahama ankasa no, ɔwɔ Maths problem fri titi,” translated in Twi means “That John Dramani Mahama, he has a maths problem from way back.”
Agenda 111 project
The project was first mentioned by President Akufo-Addo in his eighth address on the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Subsequently , government secured US$100 million start-up fund through the Ghana Investment Infrastructure Fund (GIIF) for the commencement of works on ‘Agenda 111’ district, specialised and regional hospitals across the country.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo performed the ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at Trede in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region.
The Project Implementation Committee chaired by Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, had secured sites and land titles for 88 out of the 101 district hospitals and each unit would cost US$17 million, covering 15 acres.
Each hospital is expected to be completed within 12 months, starting from the point of commencement.
The Agenda 111 project includes 101 district hospitals, six regional hospitals in the newly created regions, two specialised hospitals in the middle and northern belts, as well as a regional hospital in the Western Region and renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
The objective of the Project, Mr Oppong Nkrumah explained, was to significantly deepen delivery of quality healthcare at the district level, boost access to healthcare services for all citizens towards ensuring the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Three.
Each unit would have facilities such as Outpatient services, including consultation for medical and surgical cases, Ophthalmology, Dental and Physiotherapy and Imaging services.
According to government, on completion, the health facilities will be “the biggest investment in healthcare infrastructure in the country since independence.”
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a private legal practitioner, has advanced reasons why individual bondholders must embrace the government’s debt restructuring offer.
According to him, the Ghanaian economy could crash if the bondholders do not quickly accept the offer as outlined by the Ministry of Finance.
Gabby, in a series of posts on social media, warned against the agitations surrounding the deal and encouraged the bondholders to play their role in the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
“Ghana is in a very difficult place. What we are seeing with the mobilisation of agitation on individual bondholders poses a real and serious risk worse than what we witnessed when opposition to E-Levy succeeded in derailing an already shaky macroeconomic situation from 2021,” portions of his tweets read.
“The debt exchange programme is voluntary for individual bondholders but a very necessary evil for our economy.
“Its success is critical to restoring macroeconomic stability, securing an IMF prog. It hits those of us holding bonds very hard. A straight no to it is no solution!”, Mr Otchere-Darko stressed.
“If the no-compromise opposition to it wins, what then has been achieved? It may lead to national debt default.
“So what then happens to the value of your bonds after! Potentially worthless. If participation is low, we jeopardize resolving the economic crisis and hardships”, he wrote.
Gabby Otchere-Darko concluded his tweet storm by reminding Ghanaians that the country’s economy is not in a good shape and that certain uncomfortable measures ought to be taken to restore it.
“I’m sorry but we have to face the hard/painful truths. We ain’t sitting pretty. Our focus must be on how the burden to individual bondholders may be possibly eased; but not to take the hardline position of simply saying no to participation. It will come back to hit us harder!”.
This comes after two extensions of the expiration date by the Finance Ministry.
The decision to include individual bondholders was necessitated after government was forced by labour unions to abandon plans to include pensions in the debt exchange programme which was first announced in December 2022.
Outspoken businessman and economist, Dr Kofi Amoah, has criticised ministers who have announced their resignations from the Akufo-Addo administration.
Dr Amoah in a series of tweets said the decision of those ministers smacks of selfishness, especially because they are leaving at a time the country’s economy is in a nadir state.
His comments come following the recent resignations of Trades and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen and Agric Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
The two have resigned to focus on their presidential ambitions as the NPP race to elect a new flagbearer ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Kofi Amoah is of the firm belief that people who have no sense of duty and are comfortable leaving when things are going wrong to pursue their personal glory are either traitors or opportunists who should not be trusted.
“A Captain exchanging a damaged sinking ship for an imaginary unbuilt ship is a traitor and an opportunist, who cannot be trusted. Ghana needs captains with selfless determination to stay the course and not those who resign in times of distress. Please watch their actions, not their words.”
A Captain exchanging a damaged sinking ship for an imaginary unbuilt ship is a traitor n an opportunist, who cannot be trusted
Gh needs captains with selfless determination to stay the course n not those who resign in time of distress
Explaining further in an interview with GhanaWeb, Dr Amoah surmises that, “ The resignations of Cabinet Ministers to go pursue their personal ambitions to become president must be analyzed properly for meaning and significance.
The time fit captains to abandon their ships is not when it’s sinking… that’s when their passion and commitment to their passengers are most needed to take them to safety.
Often people already had ambitions to be president before they took up ministerial and cabinet positions… did they use these positions for riches, power and popularity to underwrite their goals for the presidency or they genuinely took the positions to help the affairs of the country.
As they say “The future is unknown but you can manage it a bit by what you do today.”
Ghanaians must begin to be more perceptive in their assessment of how to select leaders so that we can stop getting it wrong most of the time.”
Alan Kyerematen and Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto resign
Minister of Trade and Industry, John Alan Kyerematen earlier this month resigned from the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government. The former diplomat tendered his resignation on January 5, 2023. Alan is one of the frontline candidates expected to contest for the flagbearership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). Others include Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP) Kennedy Agyapong and former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong.
Three days after Alan’s resignation, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for food and Agriculture also resigned from the Government.
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto was appointed Minister of Food and Agriculture in 2017 and has served in that capacity for six years.
Dr Akoto led the design and implementation of the Government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme – a policy intended to address the declining growth in the country’s agricultural sector.
The PFJ was launched on April 19, 2017, at Goaso in the Ahafo Region and has since become a key instrument in the Government’s efforts to transform the agriculture sector.
Samuel Koku Anyidoho, the former deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has shared his views on the story of the eight students of Chiana Senior High School who insulted President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a viral video.
Koku Anyidoho in a social media post lambasted the girls, stating that they were lucky to find themselves in a jurisdiction where laws on such issues are not in the extreme.
Koku Anyidoho also noted that the girls should thank their stars for having a president who is kind enough to intervene in the decision by the Ghana Education Service to dismiss them.
He expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo over his decision to ask the GES to reverse its earlier decision on the girls.
“Honestly, these girls are damn lucky. In other jurisdictions, they would have been flogged publicly. What nonsense!! You joke with insulting the President & making it public? Ah! Ah! Ah! I guess we must thank President Akufo-Addo for having a kind heart to forgive them. Thanks Prez,” Anyidoho tweeted.
President Akufo-Addo intervened in the matter after his ‘attention was drawn’ to the move by the Ghana Education Service to sack the students.
The move by the president has been welcomed by the Education Ministry which has instructed the GES to review its decision.
The GES has consequently announced that it will work with the authorities of the school to find an alternative punishment for the implicated students.
Honestly, these girls are damn lucky. In other jurisdictions, they wld have been flogged publicly. What nonsense!! U joke with insulting the President & making it public? Ah! Ah! Ah! I guess we must thank President Akufo-Addo for having a kind heart to forgive them.Thanks Prez???? pic.twitter.com/OrRsm7lc3c— Samuel Koku Anyidoho???????? (@KokuAnyidoho) January 14, 2023
The embattled CEO of Menzgold and Zylofon Media, Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1, has taken to social media to announce that a new Zylofon Media is coming.
In a post made on his Twitter handle on Sunday, January 15, 2023, NAM1 revealed that a new dawn was upon the Ghanaian media space.
According to him, the people in the ‘Creative Arts, Mass Media, Sports, Science & Information Technology’ space should brace themselves because he is about to launch a brand new Zylofon Media.
He added that it was ‘a giant leap into everlasting glory’ as he shared the post on his Twitter page.
Just as expected, the post has been met with a lot of mixed reactions from his followers, especially, those who have their funds locked up at NAM1‘s Menzgold for more than four years because the company is no longer working.
Menzgold was asked to suspend its gold trading operations with the public by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2018 before the business was finally shut down.
According to the SEC at the time, Menzgold had been dealing in the purchase and deposit of gold collectables from the public and issuing contracts with guaranteed returns with clients, without a valid license from the Commission.
The SEC said this was in contravention of “section 109 of Act 929 with consequences under section 2016 (I) of the same Act.”
Private legal practitioner, Gabby Otchere-Darko, has indicated that the refusal by individual bondholders to accept government’s debt exchange programme will worsen the country’s economic crisis.
According to the NPP stalwart, the widespread rejection by the bondholders will not augur well for the country, hence the need for them to soften their stance.
In a series of tweets on Sunday evening, he explained that even though the terms of the debt exchange programme will affect individual bondholders, it is a necessary step which must be taken to salvage the economy.
He said if the bondholders fail to cooperate with government, their bonds may be affected in the future in addition to a further deterioration of the economy.
“Ghana is in a very difficult place. What we are seeing with the mobilisation of agitation on individual bondholders poses a real and serious risk worse than what we witnessed when opposition to E-Levy succeeded in derailing an already shaky macroeconomic situation from 2021”, portions of his tweets read.
“The debt exchange programme is voluntary for individual bondholders but a very necessary evil for our economy.
Its success is critical to restoring macroeconomic stability, securing an IMF prog. It hits those of us holding bonds very hard. A straight no to it is no solution!”, Mr Otchere-Darko stressed.
“If the no-compromise opposition to it wins, what then has been achieved? It may lead to national debt default.
So what then happens to the value of your bonds after! Potentially worthless. If participation is low, we jeopardize resolving the economic crisis and hardships”, he wrote.
In concluding his comments on the matter, he said, “I’m sorry but we have to face the hard/painful truths. We ain’t sitting pretty.
Our focus must be on how the burden to individual bondholders may be possibly eased; but not to take the hardline position of simply saying no to particpation. It will come back to hit us harder!”.
While noting the possible dangers if the programme does not go through, he called on individual bondholders to rally behind government to help restore the economy.
The remarks by the founder of the Danquah Institute comes in the wake of growing public agitations from individual bondholders about government’s proposed domestic debt exchange programme.
In a bid to rescue the economy and secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), government has proposed that all bondholders will not receive any interests on their bonds for the 2023 financial year.
The payment of dividends, according to government is likley to begin next year, 2024 at a discounted rate of 5%.
In relation to this, bondholders who may want to transfer or even forfeit their bonds will not even be able to get the full principal they initially invested as bonds.
This proposal, since its announcement has been rejected by many bondholders who have subsequently expressed frustration about the development.
In their view, if the proposal is implemented, they will suffer a great deal of loss, with many of them stating that their investments may even become unprofitable.
Some of the aggrieved bondholders, who recently interacted with JoyNews have thrown their hands in despair, with others contemplating suicide.
The affected investors say with government’s intended management of their bonds, they may not even be able to meet their expenses such as rent, feeding and the payment of fees for their wards.
They have therefore called on government and other relevant stakeholders to intervene in the matter.
In this regard, policy analyst, Senyo Hosi, who is part of the crusade is currently mobilising all affected bondholders to collectively resist the move by government.
Speaking on JoyNews‘ PM Express last week, he stated that the proposal by government is ‘insensitive’ and must be outrightly resisted.
Meanwhile, government insists the debt exchange programme is the way to go in rescuing the economy.
