The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has asked all district health directorates and facilities in the Bono Region to strengthen surveillance on Cholera and other diseases of epidemic potential.
This follows the recording of a case involving a 10-year-old girl in the Dormaa Municipality.
According to the alert, issued by Bono Regional Director of Health Dr Kofi Amo-Kodieh, all heads of health facilities in the Region have been asked to conduct investigations into all suspected cases and collect specimens for laboratory confirmation.
“You are also to intensify education on the prevention of cholera and other epidemic-prone diseases,” the alert said.
All medical directors have, therefore, been further asked to submit an updated epidermic preparedness plan for cholera to the Regional Health Directorate through the Disease Surveillance Unit by Monday, January 16.
Public sector workers are left with mixed feelings as to whether they will be receiving their Cost of Living Allowance with the commencement of a new year.
The 15% Cost of Living Allowance, which was introduced last year to cushion public sector workers against the economic hardship expired in December 2022.
In a report on Joy News’ AM Show, it was revealed by the President of Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Frank Serebour that, they are not expecting the allowance this month (January) as issues regarding extension of same are yet to be discussed.
The president of the association also noted that, salaries of public sector workers will see a 15% dip should government decide not to extend the allowance.
“The issue of COLA has not even been discussed and as we speak, January, essentially COLA will not be paid because we have not agreed on the fact that COLA should be paid because COLA was supposed to end in December. So the 15% will go off and if we are not able to conclude, that’d essentially mean that salaries of public sector workers will see a 15% dip, so we need to conclude,” Dr. Frank Serebour said.
However, President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association (GRNMA), Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo expects the allowance to be paid.
She said that, the cost of living allowance should run till they are done with a base pay negotiation.
“…we are all expecting, is for the ‘COLA to run, until we are done with the base pay negotiations and then, the directive is given to Controller to implement. Then, I think we will have some peace,” she stated.
She also added that the payment of the allowance is necessary to avert any possible agitations.
Nzema Koyele Eku, a group of Nzema natives has accused Louisa Arde, the municipal chief executive of Jomoro, of liaising with the police and a few chiefs to sabotage their annual games of fun and humanitarian aid despite a court order.
In a statement copied to GhanaWeb, the group said it scheduled the maiden edition of the annual event aimed at fostering unity and development for January 2, 2023, to climax its activities for 2022.
According to the group however, on the day of the said event which was to take place at Half-Assini, the President and Omahene of the Western Nzema Traditional Council, Awulae Annor Adjaye III and one Nana Ayebie Amihere with the tacit approval of the MCE stopped the event.
“Unfortunately, Awulae Annor Adjei III of Beyin and Nana Ayebie Amihere VI of Half – Assini decided to kick against the program. They succeeded in getting the MCE who is also the Chairperson of the Jomoro Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) side with them to make sure that the program did not materialize.
“The Association, through its legal team, filed for an Injunction at the Sekondi High Court. The Injunction was granted and served on Wednesday, 28th December, 2022 to all the above-mentioned individuals and the police refraining them from stopping the program to come on. The Regional Police Command and the IGP were copied accordingly,” the group said.
The group said despite an assurance by the Western Regional Police Command to provide security for the event, armed macho men from the palace of the chiefs stormed the venue and destroyed materials meant for the hosting of the event amidst violence.
“On Monday, 2nd January, 2023, at exactly 8:00am, whiles tents and chairs were being mounted/arranged we heard asafo drums beat from the chief’s palace towards our end with men wilding cutlasses at the same time some pickups and some minibuses full of armed macho men pull over and stationed themselves in front of the venue where we were mounting the canopies. As soon as the chief’s armed men got to the venue and begun attacking us, the macho guys came out of their vehicles aiding them to vandalize everything around. After destroying everything the policemen from Takoradi arrived at the place, called these guys to order and asked the organizers to rearrange the place while they took these guys to the police station,” the group said.
The Nzema Koyele Eku noted that the thugs after they were arrested by the police returned to the scene and unleash violence on the organisers, this time with no intervention from the police.
According to the group, while it has chosen to seek peace despite the violence, they find it worrying that “Awulae Annor Adjei III of Beyin and Nana Ayebie Amihere VI of Half – Assini together with the MCE (Hon. Louisa Arde) and the police, decided to go contrary to the High Court Injunction and prevented the program from happening.”
Jomoro MCE, chiefs accused of stopping humanitarian event despite court order
An association of Nzema indigenes, Nzema Koyele Eku, has accused the Municipal Chief Executive of Jomoro, Louisa Arde, of collaborating with the police and some chiefs to stop their annual humanitarian aid and fun games despite a court injunction.
In a statement copied to GhanaWeb, the group said it scheduled the maiden edition of the annual event aimed at fostering unity and development for January 2, 2023, to climax its activities in 2022.
According to the group, however, on the day of the event which was to take place at Half-Assini, the President and Omahene of the Western Nzema Traditional Council, Awulae Annor Adjaye III, and one Nana Ayebie Amihere, with the tacit approval of the MCE, stopped the event.
“Unfortunately, Awulae Annor Adjei III of Beyin and Nana Ayebie Amihere VI of Half – Assini decided to kick against the program. They succeeded in getting the MCE, who is also the Chairperson of the Jomoro Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) side with them to make sure that the program did not materialize.
“The association, through its legal team, filed for an injunction at the Sekondi High Court. The injunction was granted and served on Wednesday, 28th December, 2022 to all the above-mentioned individuals and the police, refraining them from stopping the program from continuing. The Regional Police Command and the IGP were copied accordingly,” the group said.
The group said despite an assurance by the Western Regional Police Command to provide security for the event, armed macho men from the palace of the chiefs stormed the venue and destroyed materials meant for the hosting of the event amidst violence.
“On Monday, 2nd January, 2023, at exactly 8:00 am, while tents and chairs were being mounted/arranged we heard asafo drums beat from the chief’s palace towards our end with men wilding cutlasses at the same time some pickups and some minibuses full of armed macho men pull over and stationed themselves in front of the venue where we were mounting the canopies. As soon as the chief’s armed men got to the venue and begun attacking us, the macho guys came out of their vehicles aiding them to vandalize everything around. After destroying everything the policemen from Takoradi arrived at the place, called these guys to order and asked the organizers to rearrange the place while they took these guys to the police station,” the group said.
The Nzema Koyele Eku noted that the thugs, after they were arrested by the police, returned to the scene and unleashed violence on the organisers, this time with no intervention from the police.
According to the group, while it has chosen to seek peace despite the violence, they find it worrying that “Awulae Annor Adjei III of Beyin and Nana Ayebie Amihere VI of Half-Assini, together with the MCE (Hon. Louisa Arde) and the police, decided to go contrary to the High Court Injunction and prevented the program from happening.”
Read the group’s full statement below:
Brief report on “Koyele Humanitarian Aid and Fun Games Day 2023”
Nzema Koyele Eku is an Association of notable Nzema indigenes, from both home and abroad, which has been duly incorporated under the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) with registration number CG191640621. The Association’s objective is to help foster unity among all Nzemas, facilitate or spearhead development in the various communities through unity and a sense of purpose for the greater good of the Nzemaland. Our programs also include humanitarian aid to people in our communities.
Climaxing the Association’s activities for the 2022 year period, a maiden/annual celebration dabbed “Nzema Koyele Humanitarian Aid and Fun Games Day 2023” was organized. The planning committee elected Half – Assini in the Jomoro Municipality as the venue and 2nd January, 2023 as the date for the program. This program was well received by all well-meaning Nzemas.
The purpose of this program was to celebrate the festive season with about 300 selected widows within the Jomoro Municipality of the Nzemaland through a well-organized get together, wining and dining with them after which numerous gifts were arranged to be given to them.
Unfortunately, Awulae Annor Adjei III of Beyin and Nana Ayebie Amihere VI of Half – Assini decided to kick against the program. They succeeded in getting the MCE who is also the Chairperson of the Jomoro Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) side with them to make sure that the program did not materialize.
The Association, through its legal team, filed for an Injunction at the Sekondi High Court. The Injunction was granted and served on Wednesday, 28th December, 2022 to all the above-mentioned individuals and the police refraining them from stopping the program to come on. The Regional Police Command and the IGP were copied accordingly.
Upon several deliberations, the western regional police command agreed to provide security for the organizers: to make sure that no one causes any havoc, before, during and after the program.
On Monday, 2nd January, 2023, at exactly 8:00am, whiles tents and chairs were being mounted/arranged we heard asafo drums beat from the chief’s palace towards our end with men wilding cutlasses at the same time some pick ups and some mini buses full of armed macho men pull over and stationed themselves in front of the venue where we were mounting the canopies. As soon as the chief’s armed men got to the venue and begun attacking us, the macho guys came out of their vehicles aiding them to vandalize everything around. After destroying everything the police men from Takoradi arrived at the place, called these guys to order and asked the organizers to rearrange the place while they took these guys to the police station.
Again, for the second time, these same tugs came back, this time around the police did not show up. They started beating the organizers and vandalizing the place again. This sent a great signal to us that the police has also taken side with the them to destroy the program. They destroyed the tents and chairs and other items meant for the program and packed off all the canopied and chairs to the police station.
As well-meaning indigenes, the youth and organizers decided not to fight back but to let peace reign. We packaged the already cooked food and share them to the women who have come from far and near.
So, upon the court restriction, Awulae Annor Adjei III of Beyin and Nana Ayebie Amihere VI of Half – Assini together with the MCE (Hon. Louisa Arde) and the police, decided to go contrary to the High Court Injunction and prevented the program from happening.
According to JoyNews sources, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the minister of food and agriculture, may submit his resignation today.
This comes four days after Trade Minister, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, resigned from the government.
It is not clear yet the rationale behind Dr Akoto’s expected move.
Presidential Affairs correspondent, Elton Brobbey, says the Minister is expected to meet President Akufo-Addo later this afternoon to formally communicate his intention.
“We are told that there has been verbal communication regarding this matter so it is not a surprise to President Akufo-Addo. But what we are picking up is that at 2 pm when he meets the President, he will formally announce his resignation,” he said on Tuesday.
Dr Afriyie Akoto has been tipped as one of the personalities eyeing the flagbrearership position of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the 2024 elections.
Critics say this may be a tactic to allow him to concentrate on the leadership ambition of his party.
The Ghana Union of Traders Association has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to appoint a person of the same stature as Mr Alan Kyerematen to be the next Minister of Trade and Industry following the resignation of Mr Kyerematen.
The union indicated that Mr Kyerematen did an excellent job while in office therefore, they expect the new substantive appointee to follow suit.
“The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) is deeply saddened by the news of the sudden resignation of the Trade and Industry Minister, Hon. Alan Kyerematen.
“All those who know him and happen to have come in contact with this affable gentleman will attest to the fact that he is an astute politician, a very humble public servant, versed in his area of duty, coupled with excellent human relations which have endeared him to all who have happened to meet him on matters of trade and industry, especially, those of us in the private sector.
“We can confidently say that he has performed excellently and left an indelible footprint that will ever remain in our memories. So we see him as an asset not only to Ghana but also to the sub-regional and continental blocs, as well as the entire globe”, parts of the Press Statement from GUTA reads.
Following Mr Kyerematen’s resignation, the President asked the Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, to act as caretaker Minister at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, until a substantive appointment is made.
Mr Akufo-Addo on Friday, 6th January 2023, accepted the resignation from office of Mr Alan Kyerematen.
This was after Mr Kyerematen, on Thursday, 5th January, informed him personally of his decision to resign, and subsequently submitted his letter of resignation to him.
President Akufo-Addo thanked Mr Kyerematen for his services to his government and to the country, and wished him well in his future endeavours.
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of parliament for North Tongu, there is justification to assume that American rapper Meek Mill’s apology to Ghanaians is genuine.
In a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb, the MP has called on Ghanaians to forgive the rapper, who has been under heavy criticism for sharing snippets of a music video with shots from Ghana’s presidency.
“It does appear Meek Mill’s multiple apologies to Ghanaians are quite sincere & should be accepted by all,” he wrote.
The rapper, following widespread criticism coupled with allegations of him desecrating the Jubilee House, issued an apology to Ghanaians, saying he never meant to disrespect the country or the presidency.
“To the people of Ghana no video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana …. The fastest way to make connection is thru music and I wanted to do that with displaying art … im in my 30’s from America and didn’t know much about the lifestyle here,” his first apology shared in a series of tweets on Monday, January 9, 2023 said.
“My apologies to the people if any disrespect! We still gonna push to make the connection between black people in America and Africa … what I’m trying to do is more than a video and you should see coming soon! My apologies to the the office also!” it read.
“I don’t think they knew it was video footage when we asked to shoot its a small camera and one kid … in America we didn’t know this existed and was excited to show because they don’t show Ghana on our media much! So I’ll take responsibility for my mistake! Not intentional,” he added.
Despite asking that the rapper be forgiven for his gaffe, Mr. Ablakwa, who has asked for a probe into the incident and appropriate sanctions to be applied to culpable individuals, said the admission by Meek Mill has further justified his call.
“My only serious reservation, however, is his claim that he engaged in all that deplorable desecration & major security breach on the blind side of officials.
“Is the President safe? Is Ghana safe?” he questioned.
“This has, without a scintilla of doubt, further justified earlier demands for urgent investigations & severe sanctions,” the opposition MP added.
Meek Mill shared the video on his Instagram page after he visited the presidency following his recent trip to Ghana.
In the video shared by the rapper on his Instagram page, Meek Mill is captured in different places at the presidency from the frontage, through the main corridors, in the main conference hall—at a point positioned behind the presidential lectern—and later in a sitting area rapping.
His critics have cited security and moral concerns about the rapper’s actions.
Meanwhile, Meek Mill has since deleted the video, which has gone viral on social media.
After it was revealed that American rapper Meek Mill had gotten entry to the Jubilee House, had the privilege of seeing the president, and also had the opportunity to make some of a music video, Nigerians on Twitter had a field day making fun of Ghanaians.
“Ghana had to go so low just to sell Ghana. Given Meek Mill a pass to shoot a music video in their presidential house “Jubilee”. Thats some disrespect man. Meek Mill can’t try that in the White House. E nor fit try am for Aso Rock if he eventually visit naija,” a tweep with the handle @Olise_Emmanuel posted.
Aso Rock is the equivalent of Jubilee House, it is Nigeria’s presidential villa as they call it and most Nigerians are without a shred of doubt that Meek Mill will be lucky to be allowed in the Villa in the first place.
This is the latest installment in the Ghana versus Nigeria social media banter which in recent times is rooted on which country has the best jollof rice.
Ghana going back to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Twitter choosing to open its offices in Ghana are some other incidents that have triggered banter on especially Twitter.
Meek Mill vs. Ghana social media: What happened?
Meek Mill, Jubilee House and White House have been in Ghana’s Twitter trends since January 8, 2022 when the musician released a promo for his new video.
The video was taken when he met with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House late last year when he came to town for a musical concert.
Social media users were incensed about what they describe as near desecration of the presidency, citing moral and security grounds.
Meek Mill is sighted in different places at the presidency, from the frontage, through the main corridors, in the main conference hall – at a point positioned behind the presidential lectern – and later in a sitting area, rapping.
Meek Mill has since the outrage on social media deleted the controversial video and also rendered an unqualified apology to Ghanaians and to the presidency for the brouhaha he had caused.
The remarks made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the activities of Akonta Mining have drawn criticism from a former president.
In the view of Mr Mahama, the comments by the President should not be allowed to thwart the investigation on the activities of the company.
President Akufo-Addo exonerated Akonta Mining Company Limited from any wrongdoing, stressing that the Company is not involved in any illegal mining anywhere in Ghana.
In a remark after concerns about the menace came to the fore at the 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress of the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association held in Koforidua, he said “Let me respond briefly to the chairperson on the issue of illegal mining.
“I want to assure him and all of you that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak.
“Further, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has through the agency of the Forestry Commission with the assistance of the military made the effort to cordon off all 294 sites of forest reserves in the country and rid them of illegal mining as we speak.”
President Akufo-Addo was responding to a concern expressed by the chairperson of the occasion, Ing. Ken Ashigbey, regarding Akonta Mining Company Limited’s supposed infraction of the laws to mine in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western North Region.
Despite having a mining lease, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in October, 2022 stopped Akonta Mining Company Limited, owned by New Patriotic Party’s Ashanti Region Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, from mining in the forest reserve.
The issue is under investigation by the Special Prosecutor.
Commenting on this in a statement, Mr Mahama said “That penchant by the president to absolve his appointees and other close associates of any wrongdoing as he has done with the ongoing investigations into the operations of Akonta Mining Company is a serious dent on the already deteriorating image of the Office of the President.
“As though proud of that dishonourable badge, ‘the clearing agent’, Nana Akufo-Addo has yet again justified the appropriateness of his nickname with the seeming presidential exoneration of Akonta Mining, a company owned by a member of his political party (NPP) and accused of illegal gold mining in the country’s forest reserves.
“The shocking impudence is how and when he even did that at a public event called by the country’s catholic clergy.”
Below is the full statement…
It is unacceptable that President Nana Akufo-Addo has consistently put pressure on state anti-corruption institutions by announcing clearance of appointees and companies that are under investigation for wrongdoing.
That penchant by the president to absolve his appointees and other close associates of any wrongdoing as he has done with the ongoing investigations into the operations of Akonta Mining Company is a serious dent on the already deteriorating image of the Office of the President.
As though proud of that dishonourable badge, ‘the clearing agent’, Nana Akufo-Addo has yet again justified the appropriateness of his nickname with the seeming presidential exoneration of Akonta Mining, a company owned by a member of his political party (NPP) and accused of illegal gold mining in the country’s forest reserves.
The shocking impudence is how and when he even did that at a public event called by the country’s catholic clergy.
Fortunately, and unfortunately, we are told by the owner of Akonta Mining that the Minister has explained to him they were forced to unwillingly act against his company because of public pressure from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), CSOs and NGOs. He also very alarmingly said the President called him ostensibly to appease him over Government’s action and that the Office of Special Prosecutor cannot touch him.
This is a sad commentary for a country that has in the past been held up in Africa as the poster boy for rule of law and democratic governance.
This sad development also erodes the years of hard work, which has earned Ghana international appeal in climate change and sustainable development discourse globally.
In addition, the President’s comment cannot be allowed to override or become a substitute for the statutory mandate granted the investigative bodies of Ghana by the Constitution.
Such acts fly in the face of justice and the fight against corruption, and of course erodes the faith of our citizens in our democracy.
As enjoined by our National Anthem to “cherish fearless honesty” and “resist oppressors’ rule,” we must all as citizens support the anti-corruption institutions to carry out their duties fairly and courageously without undue interference by any influences.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of parliament representing the North Tongu constituency, has said that the minority in parliament would not give up on efforts to impose penalties on those who permitted American rapper Meek Mill to film a music video at the Jubilee House, the seat of government.
Mr. Ablakwa insists that Meek Mill did not only desecrate the Jubilee House with his explicit lyrics in the music video but also breached the country’s security hence heads must roll.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News‘ Fred Duhoe, Mr. Ablakwa said: “Sanctions must be meted out to those in charge of security. There’s always someone who gives final authorization, who opens the doors, who is in charge of security at the Jubilee House. All those people in the chain of command, who have brought this monumental disgrace to this country must be shown the exit.”
“I can assure you that this not a matter that we in the opposition will raise and allow it to die out. We in the Minority will pursue this matter vigorously. We will continue to demand answers as a house with a constitutional mandate of oversight. We will pursue this matter and ensure that sanctions do apply. This also poses a security risk even to successive governments,” he added.
Background
After performing at the Afronation Concert in Ghana on December 29, 2022, American rapper, Meek Mill, was invited to the Jubilee House by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Days after the visit, he released a music video with explicit lyrics on Instagram which was shot at the Jubilee House.
Some Ghanaians were angry with the development because they are often prevented from filming at national security installations and sometimes molested yet a foreigner was given full access to the Jubilee House.
Meek Mill subsequently apologised for the video saying it was not in any way meant to disrespect Ghanaians or the Presidency.
Former President, John Mahama, has described as unacceptable and disturbing comments by President Nana Akufo-Addo absolving Akonta Mine of any illegality despite ongoing investigations by the Special Prosecutor.
In a post on Facebook, the former President said the penchant of president Akufo-Addo to absolve his appointees and party officials from any wrongdoing is a severe dent in the already deteriorating image of the presidency.
“As though proud of that dishonourable badge, ‘the clearing agent’, Nana Akufo-Addo has yet again justified the appropriateness of his nickname with the seeming presidential exoneration of Akonta Mining, a company owned by a member of his political party (NPP) and accused of illegal gold mining in the country’s forest reserves.”
“This sad development also erodes the years of hard work, which has earned Ghana international appeal in climate change and sustainable development discourse globally.”
President Akufo-Addo speaking at the 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress of the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association in Koforidua cleared the mining firm owned by the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi of any wrongdoing.
“I want to assure you all that Akonta Mine has not engaged in any form of illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak,” the President said.
The mining firm is currently under investigation by the Special Prosecutor.
Below is the full post by John Mahama
It is unacceptable that President Nana Akufo-Addo has consistently put pressure on state anti-corruption institutions by announcing clearance of appointees and companies that are under investigation for wrongdoing.
That penchant by the president to absolve his appointees and other close associates of any wrongdoing as he has done with the ongoing investigations into the operations of Akonta Mining Company is a serious dent on the already deteriorating image of the Office of the President.
As though proud of that dishonourable badge, ‘the clearing agent’, Nana Akufo-Addo has yet again justified the appropriateness of his nickname with the seeming presidential exoneration of Akonta Mining, a company owned by a member of his political party (NPP) and accused of illegal gold mining in the country’s forest reserves.
The shocking impudence is how and when he even did that at a public event called by the country’s catholic clergy.
Fortunately, and unfortunately, we are told by the owner of Akonta Mining that the Minister has explained to him they were forced to unwillingly act against his company because of public pressure from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), CSOs and NGOs. He also very alarmingly said the President called him ostensibly to appease him over Government’s action and that the Office of Special Prosecutor cannot touch him.
This is a sad commentary for a country that has in the past been held up in Africa as the poster boy for the rule of law and democratic governance.
This sad development also erodes the years of hard work, which has earned Ghana international appeal in climate change and sustainable development discourse globally.
In addition, the President’s comment cannot be allowed to override or become a substitute for the statutory mandate granted the investigative bodies of Ghana by the Constitution.
Such acts fly in the face of justice and the fight against corruption, and of course erodes the faith of our citizens in our democracy.
As enjoined by our National Anthem to “cherish fearless honesty” and “resist oppressors’ rule,” we must all as citizens support the anti-corruption institutions to carry out their duties fairly and courageously without undue interference by any influences.
In three tweets posted on January 9, 2023; American rapper Meek Mill explained the circumstances around which he filmed footage in and around the Jubilee House.
Government had been under incessant pressure to address how the rapper filmed footage when he visited President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in December 2022 when he was in town for the Afro Nation concert.
Mill apologized to Ghanaians and to the presidency for the manner in which a music video promo he had put together had generated controversy and heavy social media backlash.
He posted the video on his Instagram reel but switched to Twitter to render his apology.
“To the people of Ghana no video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana …. The fastest way to make connection is thru music and I wanted to do that with displaying art … im in my 30’s from America and didn’t know much about the lifestyle here,” his first apology tweet read.
He followed it up with another apology, again to the Ghanaian people but also the presidency:
“My apologies to the people if any disrespect! We still gonna push to make the connection between black people in America and Africa … what I’m trying to do is more than a video and you should see coming soon! My apologies to the the office also!” it read.
When a Ghanaian blogger tweeted that the outrage was not targeted at him per se but at the presidency, he explained how he procured the footage.
“I don’t think they knew it was video footage when we asked to shoot its a small camera and one kid … in America we didn’t know this existed and was excited to show because they don’t show Ghana on our media much! So I’ll take responsibility for my mistake! Not intentional,” he added.
Venezuela’s opposition has voted to dissolve its parallel government and remove its leader, Juan Guaidó.
The move comes four years after Mr Guaidó declared himself president following the re-election of Nicolás Maduro in disputed polls.
He was recognised by many Western countries, including the US, but failed to oust the left-wing president.
The vote shows how most opposition politicians in Venezuela have lost faith in Mr Guaidó.
The National Assembly voted 72 to 29 to abolish his interim government.
Lawmakers also voted to appoint a commission to govern the country’s foreign assets, as they seek a united front ahead of elections scheduled for 2024.
Image caption,Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has grown increasingly authoritarian since his election in 2013
During talks in Mexico, the two issued a joint statement requesting that billions of dollars frozen abroad be released to help fund social projects.
It followed years of failed attempts to solve a political deadlock.
In response, the US said that it would allow the American oil company Chevron to resume some activity in Venezuela.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will request leave from the high-security Belmarsh Prison to attend Dame Vivienne Westwood’s funeral, his wife says.
Dame Vivienne was a vocal supporter and friend of Mr Assange for more than a decade, famously protesting against his incarceration suspended in a bird cage.
She died in London on Thursday aged 81.
Mr Assange is fighting extradition to the US on charges related to the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.
“She was a huge friend, a great supporter, and it’s an enormous loss,” she added.
Asked how she intended to represent her husband at the funeral, she said: “Julian’s going to put in a request to be able to attend.”
Prison service spokesman Alan Selby told the BBC that it was unlikely such a request would be granted as this kind of leave was only meant for close relatives.
However, there was no explicit ban, he said, and it was up to prison governors to decide on a case-by-case basis.
A relevant guidance document states that applications should “balance security considerations with those of decency, and should only be refused on security grounds”.
Details of Dame Vivienne’s funeral have not yet been made public.
The Derbyshire-born designer made her name with her controversial punk and new wave styles in the 1970s and went on to dress a number of big stars.
Mr Assange himself described her as a “pillar of the anti-establishment”, in comments released by his wife.
He saluted Dame Vivienne’s creativity and friendship, saying she would be “missed terribly by me and many others”.
One headline-grabbing show of support for the Wikileaks founder saw Dame Vivienne suspending herself inside a large cage outside the Old Bailey in 2020.
She condemned her friend’s detention as a “stitch-up”, and led other protesters in chanting for his release.
She cemented her friendship with Mr Assange by visiting him during his long stay at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Mrs Assange said.
Mr Assange took refuge there for seven years, seeking asylum to avoid extradition. As well as his work with Wikileaks, he faced a rape allegation in Sweden. That investigation was later dropped.
But he was removed from the embassy in 2019 and imprisoned, and now faces a US trial over a leak of military information.
A request to hand him over has been approved by the UK government. However, Mr Assange is battling this, and has said the case against him is politically motivated.
Image caption,Stella Assange wore a dress designed by Dame Vivienne during her small-scale wedding at Belmarsh Prison earlier this year
In a statement jointly undersigned by the Association’s President, Thomas Elorm Tagbotor and PRO, Emmanuel Owusu, GRASAG noted that the proposed increments will affect undergraduate students, hence their concern.
The group added that, the decision comes at a time of economic hardship, and therefore their resistance to the proposed upward adjustments.
It therefore called on the government and other relevant stakeholders to freeze the upward review of fees for the upcoming academic year.
“GRASAG members all over the country have been hit hard by the economic downturn, and an increase in university fees, we believe, will exacerbate the situation”, portions of the statement said.
Page 1 of the statement form GRASAG
The Association further stated that it has received a lot of disturbing news from its members on how this increment will negatively impact their finances, hence the call for government and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to “halt the implementation of this increment indefinitely to allow for further engagements with all relevant stakeholders, including Student Unions”.
Page 2 of GRASAG’s move against the increment of fees
“We would like to state unequivocally that GRASAG will oppose any attempt by the any University Management to impose the increment on our members without extensive engagements with all relevant stakeholders.
Finally, we want to encourage our members to remain calm while we take steps to intervene in this matter”, the statement concluded.
The call by the students union comes on the back of some announced increments in fees by some tertiary institutions across the country.
This has been met with fierce resistance from some aggrieved students who have expressed their displeasure over the development.
In a series of tweets and other social media posts monitored by MyJoyOnline.com, the visibly displeased students have bemoaned the increments; stressing its adverse economic impact on them.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) says it is working around the clock to resolve the impasse between students and the various managers of public universities across the country.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 16 Iranian-made drones overnight – with seven of them targeted at the capital, Kyiv, Ukrainian officials have said.
All of the drones were destroyed, according to Kyiv’s military.
A day earlier, on Thursday, a wave of Russian missiles was fired at cities across the country.
Russia says it has been striking energy and military targets to weaken Ukraine’s capacity to move army reserves and repair equipment.
In the capital, an air alert was announced after 02:00 local time on Friday and residents were urged to take shelter.
Five of the drones were shot down in the air and two “on approach”, said Vitali Klitschko, the city’s mayor.
Reuters news agency reported hearing several blasts, as well as the sound of anti-aircraft fire. But the attack seemed to be over by dawn, it added.
No-one was reported injured in Kyiv, but windows in two buildings were damaged, Mr Klitschko added.
A fire was also started by one of the drones in a four-storey administrative building, according to the presidential office.
Ukraine’s armed forces said the country had been hit by more than 180 strikes of different kinds in the past 24 hours – mostly on energy infrastructure, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The attack came from “various directions with air and sea-based cruise missiles”, the air force said, noting that a number of “kamikaze” drones had also been used.
At least three people were killed and six were wounded, according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky.
Moscow’s defence ministry described it as a “massive strike” against military sites using “long-range high-precision weapons”, adding the goal was achieved, according to state media.
Most were repelled, but there were power cuts in Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Lviv and other regions, said Mr Zelensky.
He stressed it would have been much worse without Ukraine’s air defence systems.
It is believed Russia has been using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in the Ukraine conflict since mid-September. Iran has denied this.
Each drone has explosives in a warhead on its nose and is designed to loiter over a target until it is instructed to attack.
Dozens of Russian attacks have pounded Ukraine in recent weeks, causing repeated power outages across the country.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, described Thursday’s strikes as “evil” and accused Moscow of seeking “to destroy critical infrastructure and kill civilians en masse”.
Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in its missile strikes. However, President Vladimir Putin has recently admitted that Russian troops have been hitting Ukraine’s critical energy facilities.
The government in Kyiv has pleaded with Western leaders to provide it with additional air defences, and US President Joe Biden recently agreed to supply its Patriot system.
Thursday’s attack came just hours after the Kremlin rejected Ukraine’s suggestion that peace talks could begin in 2023.
Former Pope of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95.
In a statement by the Vatican News, the Pope is said to have died in the Vatican at 9:34 on Saturday, December 31, 2022.
“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, the late Pope retired prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013.
He was elected Pope of the Catholic Church in 2005 following the death of Pope John Paul II.
He chose to be known as “Pope Emeritus” following his resignation in 2013.
His predecessor, Pope Francis, asked for prayers for the Pope Emeritus after announcing that Benedict XVI was “very ill.”
“Let us #PrayTogether for Pope Emeritus Benedict who is supporting the Church in silence. Let us ask the Lord to console him and to sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end,” Pope Francis wrote in a Twitter post.
“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.
Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah, founder of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International has assured the Christian faithful of prophecies come 2022 31st Watch Night.
He has also tasked all prophets to defy the recent police caution against prophecies that could allegedly create fear and panic stressing that it was an obligation to speak what God has revealed to the clergy, be it good or bad.
Owusu Bempah in an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube expressly disagreed with the police release asking Inspector-General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare to desist from issuing such statements.
“On this issue, we (clergy) disagree with Dampare. On 31st, we will prophesy come what may and, in all humility, unless God doesn’t speak to us. Tomorrow whatever God reveals, I will say it, what requires concealment I will treat as such.
“Every prophet should speak because failure to do so will mean we speak of our own. So Dampare and his team should reconvene another meeting and stop issuing that pre 31st night warning,” he added.
The renowned clergyman, who is also known as the Nation’s Prophet, explained that despite all the efforts Akufo-Addo was putting into governing the country, his achievements appear muted.
Owusu Bempah said it seems as though there is a blanket placed on the country which is obstructing the good works of the president from manifesting.
“Nana Akufo-Addo is doing a lot but it seems concealed because of this directive. It is as though there is a blanket draped over the country. How can a sitting president and his vice be hooted at in public? It is not normal,” he submitted.
Akufo-Addo was hooted at on three occasions over the course of the year, first at the Global Citizen Concert at the Black Star Square then twice during engagements outside Accra.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on the other hand was booed at when he represented the president at the annual Hogbetsotso Za in the Volta Region.
“The president and his people should realise that something is not right. NPP came to power with a prophetic word. What myself and others saw showed that it was God who was bringing Akufo-Addo into office.
“In his first four years, things were very okay. Even as we speak, he is doing a lot but it seems that his efforts are concealed. There is a hand covering something and they must sit up. Any godly nation that rejects God will attract curses,” he added.https://www.youtube.com/embed/n9dBwg1lKxI
Owusu Bempah was very close to Akufo-Addo until they fell out after the clergyman was arrested and put before court over a public disturbance case.
Earlier this year, he announced that he was no longer on good terms with the president and that he had stopped praying for him and the government.
On Christmas day, however, he hosted Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia who appealed to him to remember the government in prayer.
North Korea has fired three short range ballistic missiles towards the sea to the east of the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s military says.
This latest volley comes five days after North Korea flew drones into South Korea’s airspace for the first time since 2017.
North Korea has launched more missiles this year than ever before.
Washington said the latest missile launches do not pose an immediate threat to the US or its allies.
The three short-range ballistic missiles were fired from around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT) from North Hwanghae Province, south of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
“North Korea’s ballistic missile(s) launch is a grave provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community,” they added.
The missiles flew about 350 km (217 miles), the South Korean military said.
Japan’s coastguard earlier said one missile had fallen into the sea.
Seoul fired warning shots and sent jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the aircraft, one of which flew close to the capital.
Earlier this month, the US and its Asian allies imposed sanctions on three senior North Korean officials associated with the country’s recent missile tests.
Relations between North and South Korea have deteriorated since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s conservative government took office in May, promising a tougher stance towards Pyongyang.
North Korea has become more assertive under Kim Jong-un who has overseen much of the recent development of its weapons programme.
He recently said he wanted his country to have the world’s most powerful nuclear force and declared it an “irreversible” nuclear state.
Pioneering US TV broadcaster Barbara Walters has died aged 93 after a career spanning half a century.
She became the first US female network news anchor when she joined ABC News in 1976.
Born in Boston at the start of the Great Depression in 1929, she won 12 Emmy awards.
As well as every US president from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump, she interviewed a host of music and pop culture stars.
“Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones,” said publicist Cindi Berger in a statement on Friday night.
“She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women.”
The showbusiness booking agent’s daughter began her career in journalism in 1961 with NBC, where she became a segment producer of women’s interest stories.
She rose through the ranks of the male-dominated industry to make history in 1974 by becoming the first female co-host of a US news programme, on NBC’s morning-time Today Show.
Image caption,Walters was the first female co-host of a US news programme, on NBC’s morning-time Today Show
When she broke the glass ceiling again by becoming the first female network news anchor, on ABC’s evening bulletin, her unprecedented $1m salary made her a media superstar.
“I have been blessed with a life I never expected,” Walters said back in 2000 as she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
She retired from a 52-year career in 2014 with a last appearance on her daytime show, The View.
She was joined on the programme by Hillary Clinton and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, both frequent Walters interview subjects.
“I can’t believe this day has come, and I can’t believe it’s for real,” Ms Clinton told Walters.
Over her long career she interviewed a long list of world leaders including UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Cuban President Fidel Castro as well Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
She also interviewed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a few months after a public uprising that would eventually turn into the country’s civil war.
Tributes have been flooding in for Walters.
Journalist Dan Rather said that “journalism has lost a pillar of professionalism, courage, and integrity”.
News anchor Don Lemon tweeted: “She was obviously amazing on television but I selfishly loved spending time with her in person. Sitting next to her at a dinner party was the best seat in the house.
“With love, respect and admiration – rest in peace Barbara Walters.”
Oprah Winfrey described Walters as “such a powerful and gracious role model”.
Disney’s chief executive, Bob Iger, said “Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself.
“She was a one-of-a-kind reporter who landed many of the most important interviews of our time, from heads of state and leaders of regimes to the biggest celebrities and sports icons.”
Anchor of ABC World News Tonight, David Muir, tweeted: “So often we toss around the words icon, legend, trailblazer – but Barbara Walters was all of these.
“And perhaps, above all else, Barbara Walters was brave. She paved the way for so many – we learned from her – and remain in awe of her to this day.”
ABC News Correspondent, Deborah Roberts, who worked alongside Walters, described her as an “inimitable trailblazer”.
Senator Chuck Schumer said: “Barbara Walters was a trailblazing journalist, so many of her interviews were unforgettable. She broke the glass ceiling for so many women and girls.”
American actress Lynda Carter said: “Barbara Walters was an American institution.
“As the first female national news anchor, she opened the door to endless possibilities for so many girls who wanted to work in TV, myself included. Her impact cannot be overstated.”
Singer Jennifer Hudson said: “A true trailblazer and icon! She lived a full life and leaves behind such a powerful legacy.”
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabba said Walters “never flinched when questioning the world’s most powerful people”.
“She held them accountable. She cared about the truth and she made us care too. Fortunately, she inspired many other journalists to be just as unrelenting. We are all better off because of her.”
Actor Hugh Jackman said Walters was “a trail blazer, wickedly funny, generous, open-hearted and a good friend.
“She also gave some of the most memorable dinner parties we’ve ever been to.”
Cassandra Banda, the first wife of business mogul Alhaji Asuma Banda has reportedly filed for divorce after close to five decades of their union.
A report by mynewsgh.com cited court documents in which Mrs. Banda is seeking the annullment of their marriage with settlement.
She argues in the court papers that she should be awarded 60% of Banda’s estate citing the role she played in supporting the now-ailing millionaire from his early days when they met in London.
Cassandra met and married the then 41-year-old Asuma Banda in London in 1974 but she contends that the marriage “has now reached a point of irreconcilable differences after years of alleged philandering by her husband which she largely ignored,” the Mynewsgh.com report stated.
Alhaji Asuma Banda has recently been in the news after viral videos of a custody battle around his bedside at the 37 Military Hospital was circulated on social media.
His two sisters subsequently appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former president John Mahama and the National Chief Imam to intervene in the custody issues.
A court has granted custody and care of Banda to his second wife Edwina Baaba Coussey Banda who he married in 1991.
The one-time Anktrak Air CEO turned 89 this year and will clock 90 years by next year June.
American rapper Meek Mill has made a U-turn over how he lost his iPhone last Thursday before his performance at the Afro Nation concert.
He announced on Instagram that he had been pickpocketed and his phone stolen in the process.
In about 24 hours, an appeal by musician Shatta Wale, reportedly led to the retrieval of the phone.
But when it was believed that the dust had settled on the matter, the police announced late Friday evening (December 30) the arrest of one Nuhu Sule alias Ababaawa, as the suspected thief of the phone.
In a tweet hours after the police announcement, Mill said he was not even sure how he lost the phone and that all he needed was to get it back.
“I coulda dropped that phone on a dirt bike I don’t actually know for a fact somebody went in my pocket! I got it back that’s all I needed I don’t need anybody locked up for a phone.., I don’t even know what happened to it,” he tweeted.
I coulda dropped that phone on a dirt bike I don’t actually know for a fact somebody went in my pocket! I got it back that’s all I needed I don’t need anybody locked up for a phone.., I don’t even know what happened to it— MeekMill (@MeekMill) December 31, 2022
The Bono Regional Minister, Mad. Justina Owusu Banahene has admonished parents to enjoy this festive season with January in mind because the children that will demand expensive clothes for Christmas will be the same children who need school fees.
In a statement to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, Mad. Owusu Banahene noted that while “we all need to enjoy the festive season, it is equally prudent to save somewhere untouched for use from January. Parents whose wards will be going back to school in January must also be extra careful with spending without planning how to take care of their ward’s fees in the coming weeks from January 9, 2023″.
“With the ever-increasing cost of living, parents need to be financially savvy and make tough but necessary decisions to scale down on festive spending this year.
“Sometimes it is worth waiting rather than impulsively spending on non-essential items and services which would only bring misery. In making festive spending, parents should always distinguish between needs and wants, otherwise, parents may begin the New Year with more debts than they intended.
“The festive season is here. So, while we gear up to soak all the fun and festivity, not keeping a tab on our spending habits could put us in a bit of a financial mess. In fact, there is always the danger of overspending or spending excessively during the festive season,” she advised.
Following possible incidents of criminal activities and attacks during December 31st night activities to mark the New Year, Mad. Justina Owusu Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Bono Regional Security Council (REGSEC), is encouraging security officers to wear their uniforms when they attend religious services to make congregations feel safer.
Mad. Justina Owusu Banahene encouraged all uniform men to wear their uniforms to church programs to deter criminal activities, especially the New Year church services.
“In the wake of the possible attacks and criminal activities in 31st December programs, I will encourage our officers who attend worship services to do so in full uniform as long as their bosses and the church leaders are okay with the decision.
The REGSEC Chief said officers should first let their superiors and the churches know they are going to be in uniform.
According to her, this simple act will help reassure congregants, as well as, serve as a deterrent for anyone intending harm.
Mad. Justina Owusu Banahene also cautioned the public to be security conscious while indulging in activities to mark the New Year.
This is because criminals frequently took advantage of the excitement that typified the night of December 31, to indulge in unlawful activities.
Chairman of the Bono REGSEC said that December 31st night activities mainly entail church services and other forms of social meetings which easily got people excited to the point of losing their usual sense of caution.
The regional minister, therefore, advised people to be extra cautious when leaving their homes for the various activities that would be organised to mark the New Year.
She said it is worth knowing that criminals are well aware of this and could easily take advantage of the situation.
She said it is critical for everyone to realise that security is a shared responsibility between the police and the public, assuring that while the police would be doing their best to ensure safety, the police need the full cooperation of the public for maximum security to be ensured.
Mad Owusu Banahene reiterated that it is very important for citizens to be vigilant to ensure security in their homes, and do their best to prevent any break-in during “the cross-overs and the pass-overs”
With regard to citizens’ security and safety, the REGSEC Chief advised that car users should ensure that their cars are well-serviced and in good condition, and try as much as possible to choose multiple routes to avoid being traced and tracked.
She again advised people going out for social activities to be cautious with the people they move with. She advised young ladies, especially to ensure that they don’t get overtaken by excitement and risk their safety.
Mad. Owusu Banahene urged parents and guardians to accompany their children to church services and all other occasions during New Year’s eve celebrations since unaccompanied children could be easily targeted by kidnappers.
She again urged people to move in groups, as much as possible, and to also plan their routes very carefully, so as not to risk falling victim to lurking criminals.
The regional minister said both pedestrians and motorists should be careful with either accepting or offering lifts, adding that whilst criminals often kidnapped people by pretending to offer lifts, they could also pose as stranded pedestrians to harm unsuspecting motorists.
She urged neighbourhoods to collaborate on crime prevention as much as possible and ensure that their homes are properly locked up or watched over, as they leave for the 31st Night activities.
“We advise churches, nightclub owners, pubs, event organisers and all others who run places where patrons park their cars, to be particular with providing maximum security for these cars,” she added.
The regional minister also cautioned people on the need to stay safe with social media updates saying, “be careful how much you put out there because you could give clues to criminals through your updates”.
She advised the public to take advantage of the heavy police presence to quickly report suspicious persons and situations to help protect life and property.
The Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Gunu has called for a conscious effort at addressing the poor performance of public schools in the north in the basic and senior high school certificate examinations (WASSCE/BECE).
According to him, northern public schools always finding themselves at the bottom of the WASSCE/BECE rankings cannot be accidental or attributed to bad luck.
He noted that such continuous poor performance of the students in the five northern regions calls for a strategy to address the worrying challenge.
Some attendees at the event
Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Gunu said at the BECE level, the Upper West region in 2018 scored 49.7%, 48.3% in 2019 and 48% in 2020 while the Upper East region scored 52.9% both in 2018 and 2019 and scored 48.6% in 2020.
He said in the Northern region, out of the 26 senior high schools that were presented for the final examination, 17 schools scored less than 5% and 4 schools scored 0%.
He said in 2019 also, 26 schools were presented for the final examination and 15 schools scored less than 5% with 1 school scoring 0%.
He also added that in 2020, 27 schools were presented for the final examination and 15 schools scored less than 5%.
This he said, translates to over 50% of schools in the Northern region scoring less than 5%.
The Dean made these known at the 2022 UDS Center for Educational Innovation and Leadership (CEIL) Northern Education Stakeholders Dialogue.
The Northern Education Dialogue on Low Educational Outcomes in Northern Schools is a non-partisan forum organised by the CEIL of UDS in partnership with NORSAAC and Oxfam to highlight challenges facing the education sector.
Some participants at the event
The forum will serve as a platform to dialogue on establishing a citizen-led barometer for tracking the progress of public schools annually and for holding public authorities accountable to their commitments towards improving education in the five regions of the North.
Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Gunu said the main objectives of the dialogue is to increase awareness on the poor learning outcomes among children in public schools in the five regions of the North.
He said it is also to identify the reasons for the poor performance of children in these schools and to profess realistic stakeholder commitments towards addressing the challenges.
The Director for Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education Dr Yayra Dzakadzie, delivering a speech on behalf of the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, outlined some interventions government has put in place to revive the falling standards in education.
The Paramount Chief of Pishigu, Alhassan Andani attributed the poor performance of the students to the lack of concern by government, communities, families and individuals towards the children’s education.
He appealed for ownership of education in communities, this he believes can help in addressing the challenges.
The Upper East Regional Director of Education, representing various Regional Directors in the five northern regions, Anne Estella Kye-eebo also appealed to the Education Ministry to give them the power to execute their duties as directors of education.
The theme for the occasion was ‘Northern Education Dialogue on Low Educational Outcomes in Northern Schools: The Role of Gender Transformative Education.’
For an economy to thrive, private investors need to pump money into it by establishing businesses in the country.
Some of the money they make goes to the government in the form of taxes.
On the other hand, the citizens gain employment as these businesses are established, and would need persons to run them to witness growth.
What comes to mind when you hear the name Femi Otedola, Dangote? Your guess is as good as mine. These people are labelled as the richest men in Nigeria.
In Ghana, names like Osei Kwame Despite, Jospong, McDan, Ibrahim Mahama, and Sam Jonah are also known as top businessmen in the country.
But did you know that should these business magnates decide not to invest in the local economy, it would be wobbling?
One can argue that these men own chains of companies, support the government, and also solve one of the government’s major challenges, youth unemployment.
Below are the top 5 Ghanaian private businessmen
Ibrahim Mahama
Ibrahim Mahama is a Ghanaian businessman and the founder of Engineers and Planners, the largest indigenously owned mining company in West Africa. He is also the owner of several other businesses in Ghana.
The mining company now employs over 3000 Ghanaian employees. Ibrahim Mahama has also invested in Asutsuare poultry farms, which was started in 2004 and produce 150,000 eggs and 10,000 live broilers a day.
He’s the owner of Dzata Cement Limited. Dzata Cement Company Ltd is touted as the first fully Ghanaian-owned cement processing factory.
The factory is located on about 10 acres of land near the Tema port. The over 200-million-dollar plant is expected to produces an average of 120 bags per minute from its two production lines.
The cement factory has a production capacity of 2.6 Million Tonnes per annum and this is the highest single cement facility in Ghana.
The factory has created five thousand direct and indirect jobs. It has provided employment opportunities for several thousands of Wholesalers and Retailers, across Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The factory commenced operations in August 2021.
Osei Kwame Despite
Osei Kwame Despite is an entrepreneur with a chain of media outlets, including UTV, Peace FM, under the name Despite Group of Companies. He owns Best Point Savings and Loans and has 50% shares in U2 Company Limited.
He also owns Neat Foods Company Limited which produces Neat Fufu, Neat Banku, Neat Abenkwan, Neat Hausa Koko, and Neat dairy products. The famous This Way Chocolate drink is also one of his products.
Jospong
Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong is the Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Zoomlion Company Limited.
This serial entrepreneur has employed several people in the sanitation sector. He currently owns Ignite Media; Metro TV, and Original FM/TV.
McDan
Business magnate, Daniel McKorley is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the McDan Group of Companies.
McDan Group of Companies is a Ghanaian transportation and logistics company with operations in freight forwarding for land transports, sea freight, air freight and contract logistics.
He owns a private jet terminal at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana.
Sam Jonah
Sam Jonah is a Ghanaian businessman and the executive chairman of Jonah Capital, an equity fund based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was previously the president of AngloGold Ashanti and headed about 19 different companies.
His Jonah Capital is the second-biggest shareholder in the pan-African micro-lender, Bayport, and a major shareholder in Houses for Africa, a firm that offers middle-class residential construction projects and financing in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Nigeria.
As a form of expression of its disgust against the shooting of the military generals in 1979, the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the leadership of then General Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo threatened to cut gas supply to Ghana which had Jerry John Rawlings as head of state.
The angst of Nigeria and its leader against the gruesome killings of military generals, Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, FWK Why Nigeria threatened to cut gas supplies to Ghana in 1979
In a bid to register their disgust over the shooting of the military generals in 1979, the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the leadership of then military ruler, General Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo threatened to cut gas supply to Ghana which at the time was led by Jerry John Rawlings as head of state.
The angst of Nigeria and its leader Obasanjo to the gruesome killings of the military generals, Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, FWK Akuffo, AA Afrifa, and Utuka, among others in 1979 was captured in the book titled ‘The Trial of JJ Rawlings”.
The book which was written by the venerable Kojo Yankah captures a letter by the National Union of Ghana Students, NUGS, to the governments of Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo criticizing their condemnation of the actions of the Rawlings regime.
“We condemn the threats allegedly issued by the Obasanjo government in Nigeria to cut off supplies to Ghana. The clean up exercise here had set a new precedent in African Politics. The pleas of the Paris-teleguided governments in Ivory Coast, Togo and Upper Volta also show the depth of their hypocrisy and how unfair they’ve been to the suffering people of Ghana.
“When our timber, cocoa, gold, rice, maize and essential imported communities were being smuggled to these countries by the few local enemies of the people of Ghana, these ‘good neighbours’ of ours actively collaborated with them”, parts of the statement read.
The book also highlights the response of the United Kingdom under Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher to the killing of the military generals.
Margaret Thatcher, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is reported to have indicated her ‘abhorrence’ to the execution of the military generals and said that she had been in touch with US, Canada, and members of the European Economic Community to make representations to the Ghana government about their disdain for the murder of leaders of the deposed military regime.
About June 4 Revolution
The June 4 Revolution, otherwise known as June 4th Uprising was incited by the arrest and trial of Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and other junior military officers by the leadership of the Supreme Military Council II (SMC II). Jerry John Rawlings and the junior officers were arrested and charged with mutiny for a failed coup attempt on the 15th of May, 1979.
Jerry John Rawlings cited a number of reasons for the failed coup attempt on 15th May, 1979. Firstly, the junior military officers, including Jerry John Rawlings, were refused salaries on countless occasions. Also on the broader scale, issues of widespread corruption among Supreme Military Council officials, poor governance, economic hardship and general frustration on the part of populace as well as high levels of indiscipline within the Ghana Army were among the issues highlighted.
One of the main architects of the uprising, Major Boakye Djan, has in later interviews revealed that they deliberately added a political twist to it to help emancipate the whole of Africa. According to Osahene Boakye Djan, after several secret meetings with John Rawlings, the team decided to establish a secret movement known as the Free Africa Movement (FAM) to drive the uprising. Boakye Gyan noted that although Nkrumah fought for the liberation of the whole African continent, Africa still appeared to be under the rule and control of the colonial masters. Boakye Gyan mentions in an interview that though Ghana was independent, the country was not free enough to determine the prices of cash crops like cocoa and other commodities hence the movement.
Trial Day
Prior to the trial was the failed coup attempt by Rawlings and some junior officers on the 15th of May, 1979. On the morning of the day of the coup, there was exchange of fire between the coup plotters and officers of the SMC II. It took the effort and bravery of one senior military officer, Major General Odartey Willington to get to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to announce that the attempted coup by junior officers of the force had been foiled.
He, Major-General Odartey Willington, one Major Sulemana, other military officers who embarked on the said action at GBC were subsequently rewarded by the SMC II government and Rawlings and the junior officers arrested for trial.
The trial of Rawlings and the Junior officers took place at Burma Hall in Accra. On the day of the trial, as ABC News Ghana gathers, thousands of civilians trooped into the hall to witness the trial. The president of the military tribunal was Col. Aninful and the prosecutor for the state was Flt. Lt. Atiemo.
Rawlings was asked if he wanted a separate trial. His response was “I want to be with my men,” a comment which sparked wild applause in the hall.
Rawlings was found guilty by the tribunal and was imprisoned in a “guardroom”. It was during this time that all his ten fingers were severely damaged.
A key point in the trial was when Jerry Rawlings turned the tables and began accusing the government of massive corruption. He demanded his colleagues accused of aiding him in the treasonable act be set free insisting that he was solely responsible for the attempted coup.
On the day of 4th June, 1979
As has been stated earlier, Rawlings was found guilty and imprisoned in a guardroom. Two weeks later, on the night of June 4th, Captain Boakye Djan led other officers to overthrow the SMC II government and released Rawlings from prison. He was then sent to GBC and the government overthrow was announced. Rawlings was made to speak to allay fears of his death as had been earlier rumoured.
Notable on the day was a display by Major-General Odartey Willington. He entered an armoured car and single-handedly shot for three continuous hours. When he ran out of cartridges, he dashed to the Nima Police Station to surrender.
Unfortunately, he was killed on the spot by military officers immediately he came out of the armoured truck. He was given a somewhat befitting burial by Rawlings.
That incident marked the beginning of the uprising.
After the incident, all military installations were searched and senior military officers who were on the side of the SMC II were killed. It was on the same day that Col. Aninful, the president of the military tribunal that tried Rawlings and the junior officers on 15th May was killed. His wife and children who were also in the same room were shot. Many sympathizers of the previous government fled the country to seek asylum elsewhere.
The coup plotters then set up the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). The membership was as follows;
1. Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings – Chairman
2. Captain Boakye Gyan – Official Spokesperson
3. Major Mensah Gbedemah
4. Lt Commander Akpaloo
5. Warrant Officer 2 Obeng
6. Private Owusu Adu
7. Corporal Owusu Boateng
8. Leading Air Craftsman Gaktipo
9. Lance Corporal Ansah Atiemo among other people.
The Aftermath of the Revolution
The regime introduced what become known as the “House Cleaning Exercise”. The House cleaning exercise was mainly against corruption. Three former military leaders of Ghana, Lt. Gen. Afrifa, Gen. Acheampong and Lt. Gen. Akuffo were all executed together with five other senior officers deemed to have been corrupt by the Special Courts set up by the government. That was when the infamous slogan “let the blood flow” originated. Supporters of the regime used this slogan to rally military support in killing sympathizers of the previous regime who were deemed corrupt.
Numerous business entrepreneurs were also targeted and had their assets confiscated by the government.
Critics of the regime note that the period witnessed high levels of indiscipline among the junior officers towards senior officers and civilians. The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) soon lost control of the soldiers who had gone on rampage. There was total breakdown of law and order, a situation which led to arbitrary arrests, beatings, abductions, killings, detentions, and seizure of money and personal property by soldiers.
The AFRC ruled from June 1979 to September 1979. Power was handed to Dr. Hilla Limann in September 1979. But Rawlings again overthrew Limann on 31st December 1981. Though June 4 became a noted date in Ghana’s history, it has been said to be a date that brings a lot of pain to people who either lost loved ones, lost businesses or had to flee the country for their dear lives, AA Afrifa, and Utuka, among others in 1979 was captured in the book titled ‘The Trial of JJ Rawlings”.
The book which was written by the venerable Kojo Yankah captures a letter by the National Union of Ghana Students to the governments of Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo over their condemnation of the actions by Rawlings and his military cohorts.
“We condemn the threats allegedly issued by the Obasanjo government in Nigeria to cut off supplies to Ghana. The clean-up exercise here had set a new precedent in African Politics. The pleas of the Paris-teleguided governments in Ivory Coast, Togo and Upper Volta also show the depth of their hypocrisy and how unfair they’ve been to the suffering people of Ghana.
“When our timber, cocoa, gold, rice, maize and essential imported communities were being smuggled to these countries by the few local enemies of the people of Ghana, these ‘good neighbours’ of ours actively collaborated with them”, parts of the statement read.
The book also highlights the response of the United Kingdom under Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher to the killing of the military generals.
Margaret Thatcher, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is reported to have indicated her ‘abhorrence’ to the execution of the military generals and said that she had been in touch with US, Canada, and members of the European Economic Community to make representations to the Ghana government about their disdain for the murder of the deposed military regime.
About June 4 Revolution
The June 4 Revolution, otherwise known as June 4th Uprising was incited by the arrest and trial of Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and other junior military officers by the leadership of the Supreme Military Council II (SMC II). Jerry John Rawlings and the junior officers were arrested and charged with mutiny for a failed coup attempt on the 15th of May, 1979.
Jerry John Rawlings cited a number of reasons for the failed coup attempt on 15th May, 1979. Firstly, the junior military officers, including Jerry John Rawlings, were refused salaries on countless occasions. Also on the broader scale, issues of widespread corruption among Supreme Military Council officials, poor governance, economic hardship and general frustration on the part of populace as well as high levels of indiscipline within the Ghana Army were among the issues highlighted.
One of the main architects of the uprising, Major Boakye Djan, has in recent times revealed that they deliberately added a political twist to it to help emancipate the whole of Africa. According to Osahene Boakye Djan, after several secret meetings with John Rawlings, the team decided to establish a secret movement known as the Free Africa Movement (FAM) to drive the uprising. Boakye Gyan noted that although Nkrumah fought for the liberation of the whole African continent, Africa still appeared to be under the rule and control of the colonial masters. Boakye Gyan mentions in an interview that though Ghana was independent, the country was not free enough to determine the prices of cash crops like cocoa and other commodities hence the movement.
Trial Day
Prior to the trial was the failed coup attempt by Rawlings and some junior officers on the 15th of May, 1979. On the morning of the day of the coup, there was exchange of fire between the coup plotters and officers of the SMC II. It took the effort and bravery of one senior military officer, Major General Odartey Willington to get to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to announce that the attempted coup by junior officers of the force had been foiled.
He, Major-General Odartey Willington, one Major Sulemana, other military officers who embarked on the said action at GBC were subsequently rewarded by the SMC II government and Rawlings and the junior officers arrested for trial.
The trial of Rawlings and the Junior officers took place at Burma Hall in Accra. On the day of the trial, as ABC News Ghana gathers, thousands of civilians trooped into the hall to witness the trial. The president of the military tribunal was Col. Aninful and the prosecutor for the state was Flt. Lt. Atiemo.
Rawlings was asked if he wanted a separate trial. His response was “I want to be with my men,” a comment which sparked wild applause in the hall.
Rawlings was found guilty by the tribunal and was imprisoned in a “guardroom”. It was during this time that all his ten fingers were severely damaged.
A key point in the trial was when Jerry Rawlings turned the tables and began accusing the government of massive corruption. He demanded his colleagues accused of aiding him in the treasonable act be set free insisting that he was solely responsible for the attempted coup.
On the day of 4th June, 1979
As has been stated earlier, Rawlings was found guilty and imprisoned in a guardroom. Two weeks later, on the night of June 4th, Captain Boakye Djan led other officers to overthrow the SMC II government and released Rawlings from prison. He was then sent to GBC and the government overthrow was announced. Rawlings was made to speak to allay fears of his death as had been earlier rumoured.
Notable on the day was a display by Major-General Odartey Willington. He entered an armoured car and single-handedly shot for three continuous hours. When he ran out of cartridges, he dashed to the Nima Police Station to surrender.
Unfortunately, he was killed on the spot by military officers immediately he came out of the armoured truck. He was given a somewhat befitting burial by Rawlings.
That incident marked the beginning of the uprising.
After the incident, all military installations were searched and senior military officers who were on the side of the SMC II were killed. It was on the same day that Col. Aninful, the president of the military tribunal that tried Rawlings and the junior officers on 15th May was killed. His wife and children who were also in the same room were shot. Many sympathizers of the previous government fled the country to seek asylum elsewhere.
The coup plotters then set up the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). The membership was as follows;
1. Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings – Chairman
2. Captain Boakye Gyan – Official Spokesperson
3. Major Mensah Gbedemah
4. Lt Commander Akpaloo
5. Warrant Officer 2 Obeng
6. Private Owusu Adu
7. Corporal Owusu Boateng
8. Leading Air Craftsman Gaktipo
9. Lance Corporal Ansah Atiemo among other people.
The Aftermath of the Revolution
The regime introduced what become known as the “House Cleaning Exercise”. The House cleaning exercise was mainly against corruption. Three former military leaders of Ghana, Lt. Gen. Afrifa, Gen. Acheampong and Lt. Gen. Akuffo were all executed together with five other senior officers deemed to have been corrupt by the Special Courts set up by the government. That was when the infamous slogan “let the blood flow” originated. Supporters of the regime used this slogan to rally military support in killing sympathizers of the previous regime who were deemed corrupt.
Numerous business entrepreneurs were also targeted and had their assets confiscated by the government.
Critics of the regime note that the period witnessed high levels of indiscipline among the junior officers towards senior officers and civilians. The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) soon lost control of the soldiers who had gone on rampage. There was total breakdown of law and order, a situation which led to arbitrary arrests, beatings, abductions, killings, detentions, and seizure of money and personal property by soldiers.
The AFRC ruled from June 1979 to September 1979. Power was handed to Dr. Hilla Limann in September 1979. But Rawlings again overthrew Limann on 31st December 1981. Though June 4 became a noted date in Ghana’s history, it has been said to be a date that brings a lot of pain to people who either lost loved ones, lost businesses or had to flee the country for their dear lives.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has urged the government to implement more social intervention programmes to bring some relief to the citizenry amid the economic hardship.
It also asked the government to harness more resources to reduce the cost of living in the country.
A statement issued and signed by Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Catholic Bishop of Sunyani and President, GCBC, said though 2022 was a ‘difficult’ year, it was necessary that Ghanaians thanked God for His grace and mercies that they had enjoyed despite the hardships.
The Conference advised the populace to act responsibly in all spheres of life as 2023 unfolded.
“It is our fervent prayer and hope that the year 2023 will be a year of new beginnings for our country Ghana and that as citizens, we will all act responsibly in all spheres of life.”
It said Christmas was a time to recall God’s ineffable love and renew one’s resolve to love as God had loved humanity and encouraged all to share with others, most especially the needy.
The statement appealed to road users to observe rules and regulations to ensure safety on the roads during the yuletide and beyond.
“Let us avoid the temptation of drink-driving and driving under stress. Indeed, peace is disrupted in the family, corporate, community and sometimes in national life when road accidents occur,” it said.
The Conference called on all the relevant state enforcement agencies to ensure that all road users complied with the road rules and regulations.
The statement called for humility and peaceful co-existence amongst all citizens in the coming year.
A fatal accident at Apam in the Central region has resulted in the death of a female passenger with thirteen others being severely injured.
According to a citinewsroom.com report, the driver of a Toyota Hiace mini truck that was loaded with passengers travelling to Takoradi from Agona Sweduru attempted to pass the car in front him, but was unsuccessful, leading to the collision.
The Apam District Fire Commander, ACFO II Ankomah Nuamah said that one of the vehicles with registration number AS 471-20 somersaulted several times, resulting in the death of the female passenger
The injured victims are receiving treatment at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital at the St. Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam.
Parents have been advised to desist from using breast milk to treat eye problems in babies and rather seek professional medical care to ensure their safety.
That habit, coupled with the use of herbal preparations for eye treatment, has resulted in children risking visual impairment and other complicated eye injuries, especially in rural communities.
Mr Emmanuel Osei, the Acting Eastern Regional Director, Department of Children of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, said there had been many instances where such practices had resulted in complications in eye problems of babies and children.
He said this during an eye screening exercise for hundreds of children at Tutu and Obosomase in the Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region.
It was organised by the Department of Children, in collaboration with the Social Welfare, and Community Development, and supported by VSIO International, a not-for-profit organisation.
The exercise forms part of efforts to educate the public on visual health and offer treatment and medications to children with visual impairment.
A medical team from the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital at Mampong was at hand to screen the children and offer medications whiles others were referred for further treatment.
Four personnel of the Ghana Police Service in the Bono Region have been accused of brutalising an assistant environmental health analyst at Sene West District Assembly in the Bono Region after he allegedly refused to pay a GH¢5 bribe.
According to a Peace FM report, the police officers, who are stationed at Kwame Danso a suburb of the Sene West, asked the victim; James Combat, to pay GH¢5 for committing a road traffic offence.
The report indicated that Combat refused to pay the money which led to the police beating him up mercilessly.
Narrating his ordeal in a Peace FM interview, the assistant environmental health analyst said that the police stopped him on his way to his farm for riding his motorcycle without a helmet.
He said that he explained to the police that he had only one helmet which he gave to his daughter, who was on the motor with him, but the police insisted that he pays the GH¢5.
“I told Peter (one of the policemen) that I had no money on me because I was on my way to my farm. Then Doe and Akomea (two senior policemen) instructed him (Peter) to remove my motor key if I am not willing to pay the GHC5,” he said in Twi.
Combat said that he took his motor key and refused to give it to the policemen which led to the beatings.
“My daughter was on the floor weeping as they were beating me up mercilessly. They forced me into their vehicle took me to the police station and they kept me in cells from 8:00 am to around noon,” he said
The victim also added that he was only released after some officers of the Sene West District Assembly and his family raised an amount of GH¢700 to pay the police.
The Reverend Dr Lawrence Tetteh, the Founder of Worldwide Miracle Outreach, says the Police cannot stop the Church from making prophetic statements on December 31.
“In every community, we have the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Police should not use the attitude of a few bad ones against the hard-earned reputation of the majority of the Clergymen. The work of the Church should not be taken for granted,” he said.
Contributing to discussions on the ban on pastors making panic prophecies on December 31, Rev Tetteh disagreed with the directives of the Police, saying: “We have to be very careful not to throw the baby with the water away”.
“I am the first to agree that some of my colleagues have been irresponsible with their statements during December 31, by pronouncing death and horrifying things, but that should not undermine the fact that prophecies are real, and it is not in the place for the Police to determine what prophecy should be given at the end of the year.
“I believe that should be considered an insult to the Church, and I personally take a strong objection to the Police assuming that authority,” he said.
The Clergyman said Ghana was a very religious community and that Ghanaians took December 31 very seriously because there were many people who did not get the opportunity to go to Church, except on that day to reaffirm their faith in God.
“Whether we like it or not, in the Bible, prophecies are real and are of God, and the fact that somebody has given a scary prophecy does not mean that the Police should give such a ‘blanket’ statement that gags the Church.
“It is very dangerous and undermines freedom of expression, freedom of views, and freedom of worship, and I think it is wrong for the Police to make such a pronouncement,” he stated.
Rev Tetteh urged the Police to engage such pastors and talk to them instead of making a general statement, stressing that the organs of government should be very mindful not to forget that, but for the religious community, everything would have been doomed.
“We should also consider the Bible because there were prophecies that Nathan had to give to David. There are prophesies that are for the nation and those that are for individuals.”
He said the Police should be thinking about a variety of issues on December 31, such as armed robbery and not what the Church was doing, stressing “a nation without a prophetic word is lost”.
Legal Practitioner, Lawyer Lamtiig Apanga, has refuted the perception by some individuals that there’s a need for one’s family members to be in the profession to have higher chances of being admitted to the law school.
According to him, some people are holding back on their ambitions to pursue law because of this perception.
He explained that one’s mother, and father don’t determine one’s admission to the Ghana Law School, rather, it depends on the individual’s intellect, confidence and ability to express themselves excellently.
“…Those questions they ask if anybody in your family is a lawyer are not the reasons people are taken or not taken.
“The perception that you need to be an extraordinary person to read the law you need to have some extraordinary qualities to read the law or some family relations has kept some people away, he said in an interview with dreamz FM in Bolga in the Upper East Region.
Lawyer Lamtiig Apanga, who has declared his intentions to contest the parliamentary primaries on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Nabdam Constituency in the Upper East Region said he has an agenda to churn out 10 lawyers in 10 years.
He believes this vision can be achieved because he is currently mentoring three of them who are currently in law school.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice and has no legitimacy in the Islamic Religion, Shaykha Ayisha Yussif, an Islamic cleric has said.
FGM involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema, Shaykha Yussif, who is also a Tutor at the Frafaha Senior High School, said that FGM is a traditional practice and not a religious ethos.
“The Quran teaches that the painful act is not an Islamic religious obligation,” she said.
Shaykha Yussif explained that some tribes subjected their daughters to the cruel act because they were misled to believe it was an Islamic obligation, adding that “the practice has done a lot of damage to girls, depriving many of an interest in sex, an important leisure which Allah gave to all human beings”.
She said Islam appreciated the way of life of every tradition and urged Muslims to condemn traditional practices that violated the rights of members.
“FGM is dangerous and a life-threatening procedure that causes unspeakable pain and suffering to girls,” she stressed.
The Islamic cleric stressed that Islam is very clear, no part of the body should be removed or changed, adding that only boys were supposed to be cut, therefore, FGM must end as a matter of urgency.
She emphasized the need to galvanize the support of the citizenry and media to eliminate the harmful and degrading practice.
Shaykha Yussif admonished religious and traditional leaders to focus on issues that affect the dignity of women and to expose the perpetrators of the inhumane acts so they could be punished.
She noted that FGM is a violation of girls’ and women’s human rights and the international communities and nations must continue to condemn the act and pass laws, treaties, and conventions to stop the act . According to data, FGM is practiced in 31 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It’s most prevalent in Djibouti, Egypt, Guinea, and Mali, where 90 percent or more of women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to FGM. in Islam – Islamic Cleric
In memory of the late Brazilian legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, we provide a throwback to former Black Stars player Abedi Pele meeting Pele.
Abedi Pele was given the nickname “Pelé” due to his ability in football, which evoked comparisons to the Brazilian legend Pele.
Abedi began his career in Europe with French side Chamois Niort, subsequently joining Marseille before transferring to Lille on loan.
At club level, he was a key figure in Marseille’s dominance of the French league, resulting in four league championships and two European Cup finals appearances.
He won the France Football African Player of the Year Award three consecutive years, was the inaugural winner of the BBC African Sports Star of the Year in 1992, and the corresponding Confederation of African Football award twice.
Abedi made 73 appearances for the Black Stars of Ghana and scored 19 goals.
The ‘real Pele’
With 643 goals in 659 appearances for Santos, Pele is the club’s all-time leading scorer. He led Santos to the Copa Libertadores in 1962 and 1963, as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 1962 and 1963.
Pelé’s debut international encounter was a 2-1 loss to Argentina on July 7, 1957, at the Maracana. He scored his first goal for Brazil in the game when he was 16 years and nine months old.
The 18th of July, 1971, saw Pelé play in his final international game in Rio de Janeiro against Yugoslavia.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as World Pelé on the local scene visited Ghana on May 8, 1971.
A Supreme Court Judge, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, has said girls’ schools might have challenges winning the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) due to the attachment to their parents and the roles of daughters in their homes even though they are capable and intelligent as the boys.
She explained that parents mostly want their children to stay home during the vacation so it is difficult for them to stay as contestants in their schools to participate in the NSMQ.
“When I hear the kind of preparation and practice the boys’ schools put their contestants through, then I know it will be a challenge for the young women because parents tend to want their daughters to come home during vacation. Most of the contestants stay on in school and parents don’t like that with their daughters.”
Citing herself as an example, she said her parents would ask for her whereabout just as many parents did with their daughters.
“So, I don’t think they would have agreed that I should just stay on in school preparing for a contest two years ahead as the boys do,” myjoyonline quoted Prof Mensa-Bonsu.
Prof Mensa-Bonsu was speaking on the back of concerns raised by Ghanaians about the seeming narrative where girls’ schools barely make it to the finals in the NSMQ competition.
Prof Mensa-Bonsu said she is optimistic the girls’ schools will get there as “the young ladies are every bit as intelligent and capable as the boys but with everything you need practice and they just don’t have the time.”
Prof Mensa-Bonsu’s alma mater, Wesley Girls High School, was unseeded for the first time in eight years and will have to start the contest from the regional qualifiers.
They are also the only girls’ school to make it to the finals. They made their first appearance at the finals in 1999 against Mfantsipim but the latter won.
Former Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS) Dr. Kpessa-Whyte has questioned Rojo Mettle-Nunoo on whether he was working for or against John Dramani Mahama in the 2020 elections.
He is of the belief that Rojo might have worked against John Dramani Mahama in the Electoral Commission’s strong room considering how fast he has switched to support Dr. Kwabena Duffour who is hoping to lead the NDC in election 2024.
“Sir with all due respect, your decision to sign a letter suggesting that you are supporting anybody else besides John Mahama did not only raise serious questions but also lacks emotional intelligence. When did you decide not to support John Mahama again given that you were one of his representatives (myself included) in the Electoral Commission Strongroom? Were you representing His Excellency John Mahama to fail in the 2020 elections so you can opt for another candidate for 2024?
Don’t you think you have a moral obligation to stand with John Mahama given your own testimony that the NPP and Nana Addo conspired with the Electoral Commission to steal John Mahama’s victory? I hope these questions will provide you some opportunity to reflect on the implications of your decision,” he said.
Read Kpessa-Whyte’s Letter to Rojo
*Kpessa-Whyte Writes*:
Dear Comrade Rojo Mettle-Nunoo
I wish to make a few remarks and observations about a recent letter you signed on behalf of friend of Dr. Kwabena Duffour to our party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Council of Elders. The letter in question is dated December 23, 2022.
*For the avoidance of doubt, I am an ardent and unrepentant supporter of His Excellency John Mahama and firm believer that he, more than anyone else, is our party’s surest bet for 2024 presidential elections, as well as, the person who has what it takes to lead our country’s “second liberation” struggle.*
Just as I support His Excellency John Mahama, I will respect the choices made by others including you. What is unacceptable is the attempt to play victim in your letter when there is no reason to do that. In your letter, you claim that the organizers of the party’s recent congress gave His Excellency John Mahama undue advantage to market himself over others.
I find your claims to be fallacious at best. The party’s recent congress did not depart from the protocols of previous congresses. As far as I know, since the early 2000s former presidents have always attended and addressed the party’s congress. In my opinion, the organizers and His Excellency John Mahama followed the tradition and that should be applauded rather than condemned.
Sir, your claim is even more problematic given that the party has not given any indications of when presidential primaries will be held let alone open nominations for candidates to file and campaign. Is it your intention to deny Excellency John Mahama his rightful place as former president in the affairs of the NDC just because a member of the party has interest in contesting the presidential primaries?
Sir with all due respect, your decision to sign a letter suggesting that you are supporting anybody else besides John Mahama did not only raise serious questions but also lacks emotional intelligence. When did you decide not to support John Mahama again given that you were one of his representatives (myself included) in the Electoral Commission Strongroom? Were you representing His Excellency John Mahama to fail in the 2020 elections so you can opt for another candidate for 2024? Don’t you think you have a moral obligation to stand with John Mahama given your own testimony that the NPP and Nana Addo conspired with the Electoral Commission to steal John Mahama’s victory? I hope these questions will provide you some opportunity to reflect on the implications of your decision.
I sincerely hope that you will understand why I share my observations about your letter to the Council of Elders in public. Ideally, I would have called to express my concerns privately but since you led the way by sharing your letter to the party’s Council of Elders in public. I cannot but follow your lead.
Sir, note that while we are all free to make choices, in the end, *integrity matters*, so we must all be guided accordingly.
Some officers of the Ghana Police Service have been deployed with their K9 dogs to ensure the security strategy for the festive season and beyond.
In a statement, the Police said this initiative is to ensure safety for all across the country.
“The K9 Unit of the Ghana Police Service has deployed its officers with their K9 dogs to ensure the security and safety of commuters on our roads, as part of our grand security strategy for this festive season and beyond, as we work toward ensuring the safety of all.”
K9, is a term used to describe canines or dogs assigned to the police unit.
K9’s are trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers to among other things, search for drugs and explosives, locate missing people, find crime scene evidence, protect people, and sometimes to attack criminals who are fleeing from or attacking police officers.
The leader of the minority caucus of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has said that the House failed Ghanaians in 2022.
He explained that the house failed Ghanaians because it did not check the unbridled borrowing of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.
Haruna Iddrisu, who said this in a TV3 interview monitored by GhanaWeb, added that the huge debt accumulated by the government is the cause of the economic challenges in the country now.
“Where the country is today, you will hear everybody talking about unsustainable debt. It means we overborrowed. We borrowed excessively.
“Parliament, under Article 181 of the Constitution, exercises that mandate (to check the executive) for and on behalf of the people of Ghana. So, it simply means that Parliament has failed the people of Ghana. We didn’t hold the executive to check to say that don’t borrow any longer or borrow at this limit.
“We all know that when debt exceeds 70 percent of GDP you are debt distressed. So now Ghana is a debt-distressed high-risk country,” he said.
Haruna Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, however, indicated that the minority caucus cannot be blamed for failing to hold the executive in check.
“There are those who have been very critical of the minority including me, saying that why did we pass the budget. It was because we don’t want the country to come to a standstill. A budget means a lot not just for government or the New Patriotic Party (NPP) but for citizens,” he added.
The founder and leader of the Prophetic Hill Chapel, Prophet Nigel Gaisie has indicated the readiness of him and other prophets to call the bluff of the Ghana Police Service over the communication of prophecies.
Prophet Nigel Gaisie argued in an interview on Power FM that prophets are the mouthpieces of God and that controlling them is akin to putting a check on God which is not possible.
He insisted that God has so far given him 47 prophecies to communicate to Ghanaians on 31st December watch night.
Nigel Gaisie says that the number is likely to increase as he continues to prepare for what he believes will be a mega service.
“We are not scared of the prophecies because we speak the mind of God not humans. Already God has revealed 47 things to me and there could be more. Before midnight Saturday, we could get more.
“God has revealed a lot of things to me and I’m not alone. Other prophets have also received prophecies. We are ready to speak the minds of God so Ghana police should avert their minds to the serious in the country and leave the prophets and church to do the work of God.
“If the spirit of God is in you, you say it as it is, you don’t get scared. There will be prophecies on Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, and England. We have prophecies on IGP. Prophecy number 14 is about the IGP. I’ve seen something about him so I will say it. I’m surprised he is acting that way because he is Pentecostal,” he said.
Prophet Nigel Gaisie also offered his view on how ‘fake’ prophets can be distinguished from genuine ones.
He mentioned that the accuracy of prophecies and the boldness of the prophets are some of the ways Prophets could be determined in the country.
“The best way to differentiate between fake and real prophets is whether their prophecies manifest. No prophet has a 100% record on prophecies. It can never be 100% because we pray against some of things and we also sometimes see things halfway. The sign of boldness is also another factor,” he said.
The majority leader and Minister for Parliament Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has said that the 8th Parliament of Ghana is not strong compared to previous Parliaments.
Speaking in a TV3 interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that this appears so because parliament’s committees are weak.
According to him, the leadership of some of these committees in the House are inexperienced.
“I generally agree that our Parliament is not strong. I keep saying that a Parliament is accessed on account of the strength of its committees. So, any Parliament is as strong as its committees are.
“Our committees are not that strong. That is one of the reasons why our Parliament is not very strong. I keep relating to the structure of our committees including the leadership of committees. In established democracies, the Parliament will vote on who becomes the leader of a particular committee.
“In our case, for instance, today, we happen to have some first-timers appointed as vice chairmen of committees even when we don’t know their strengths. That cannot be good for Parliament,” he said.
He added that in established democracies, there is no way a newcomer in Parliament will be made a leader of a committee because the person at that point may not be able to grasp properly, the workings of the House.
The Ghana Union of Traders Association(GUTA) is seeking the advice of the Ghana Health Service(GHS) in relation to business trips to China following the intended lifting of travel restrictions to the country.
“The Ghana Health Service should evaluate the situation in China and advice Ghanaian travelers accordingly,” GUTA said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, China placed restrictions on travel to that country.
However, reports say China will effective 8th of January, 2023 remove all restrictions on travel to the country.
GUTA in its statement signed by the President, Dr. Joseph Obeng thus indicated that most Ghanaian businesses will want to resume their business trips to China, however, the prevalence of Covid-19 is still a worry.
“As we all know, China is a major destination of import for many Ghanaian traders, and as a result of the long wait, most Ghanaian businesses will want to resume their business trips to this productive and beautiful country.
“However, we have heard that, the Covid-19, is still prevalent in China hence our call on the Ghana Health Service to examine and evaluate the situation and advice Ghanaian travelers.”
The University of Cape Coast was also ranked 3rd best university in the country and 2,205th in the world.
The report also indicated that the University of Ghana retained its position as the best Ghanaian university under Impact ranking category while the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University for Development Studies came in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
It added that the University of Ghana (UG) was also ranked the best in the Openness ranking category followed by KNUST and the University of Cape Coast.
KNUST and the University of Cape Coast were also beaten to the first by UG in the Excellence ranking category.
Webometrics.com indicated that its ranking is to engender healthy competition among the various university in the world in terms of web presence.
“We intend to motivate both institutions and scholars to have a web presence that reflect accurately their activities.
“If the web performance of an institution is below the expected position according to their academic excellence, university authorities should reconsider their web policy, promoting substantial increases of the volume and quality of their electronic publications,” is quoted to have said.
About Webometrics.com:
Ranking Web started in 2004 (current is the 18th year of publication) to offer full coverage of Higher Education institutions whatever the country or discipline involved. Currently, we ranked 31 000 HEIs from more than 200 countries.
Editors of the Ranking Web are scientists working at one world-class public research institution with long experience in metrics-guided evaluation
The Ranking Web or Webometrics is the largest academic ranking of Higher Education Institutions offering every six months an independent, objective, free, open scientific exercise for providing reliable, multidimensional, updated and useful information about the performance of universities from all over the world.
The Ashanti Regional Women’s Organiser for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Ama Ampomah has appealed to persons hawking in front of streets around the Kejetia Redeveloped market to turn to the Race Course and take over sheds that are lying unoccupied.
The Women’s leader speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon after presenting food items and organising a buffet for 68 market queens at the race course said she was surprised to see about 600 sheds and shops unoccupied at the arena.
She noted that spaces available could cater for all hawkers seen selling around the streets of Dr Mensah, Hello fm and other streets in the Central Business District of the Kumasi Metropolis.
“I am shocked seeing all these sheds unoccupied and I would therefore appeal to all hawkers in and around Adum and Kejetia to come here and occupy sheds here so that we can continue our trading activities in decent atmospheres”, Nana Ama Ampomah appealed.
SUPPORT The Women’s Organiser also appealed to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and all stakeholders including the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) to work out a plan to encourage the hawkers to take spaces at the race course.
The Women’s Organiser also asked the NPP regional executives to take interest in the matter and carry out some sensitization efforts to get hawkers in the metropolis to occupy spaces at the Kumasi race course market.
The Women’s Organiser also promised to lobby for funds from the Micro and Small Loans Scheme (MASLOC) to resource market Queens who needs such to expand their businesses.
“I know you need funds to expand your businesses and as Women’s leader I promise to use my influence to lobby the MASLOC secretariat to advance some support to you”
APPRECIATION Nana Yaa Foriwaa, Race Course Market Queen commended the Regional Women’s Organiser for visiting them every year to show them kindness and to eat with them.
She also praised for her listening to their concerns and touring to the arena to see things for herself.
Madam Foriwaa said she was happy that assurances had been given them to attend to their issues including lobbying for them to get loans from MASLOC and also the bad bridge leading to the main arena.
“We are happy that our lady, Nana Ama Ampomah has once again taken time to eat with us and to tour the place where we trade so she could best help to carry our concerns to government and those who matter for redress and we know when this place is well set up many would rush to come here”, the Queen Mother stated.
The Ghana Police Service announced that it had interdicted two of its officers under the Asokwa Divisional MTTD in Kumasi for improper conduct.
According to the police, the two officers, Inspector Martha Ackah and Sergeant Felicia Ocran, were captured in a viral video acting unprofessionally.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, the police said that the two officers will be prosecuted upon the completion of an investigation it is conducting on the incident.
GhanaWeb has sighted the viral video of the two female officers acting unprofessionally.
The video showed the police officers taking money from a driver, who they suggested had committed a road traffic offence.
The officers threatened to arrest the driver after he initially offered them GHC5.
“Why are you giving us GHC5?” one of the policewomen said in Twi.
The other officer also said in Twi, “We will take you to the Kasoa Police Station if you don’t take care”.
After the driver gave them a GHC10, she added “We are even being considerate.”
Some soldiers on guard at the Bank of Ghana (BoG) premises in Takoradi, in the Western Region on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, allegedly brutalized some innocent members of a masquerade group who were parading through the streets of the metropolis.
Narrating the incident to Empire News’ Kwame Malcolm, the victim, Roberta Monkah said she has been left with wounds under her right eye following the assault.
“We were in a procession and someone lighted firecrackers and rushed back to my fiancé and I. Out of nowhere three soldiers from the Bank of Ghana approached us and started assaulting my fiancé. So it was there I told them that he is not the one who lit it. But out of nowhere a soldier from behind kicked me and I fell and he hit my lower eye with the butt of his gun leaving blood gushing out,” she narrated.
She was thus taken to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Hospital in Takoradi for medical attention.
She however added that upon lodging a complaint at the Takoradi Central Police station, she was asked to bring a doctor’s report which she’s yet to obtain at a cost of GHc500.
The Christmas period in the Sekondi Takoradi metropolis is marked by various masquerade groups parading and dancing to brass band music on the streets of the metropolis.
Takoradi has earned the accolade as the preferred Christmas destination.
The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, has taken a swipe at President Akufo-Addo over the current state of economic hardship.
According to him, Ghanaians are struggling to survive in this economic crisis due to what he termed the government’s blatant corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
He claimed that President Akufo-Addo’s monumental corruption, combined with the massive size of the government, which he has refused to reduce, is negatively impacting the economy.
“We are where we are largely because of gross mismanagement, blatant corruption, and indeed, a disregard for laid-down laws and procedures. I mean the banking sector; how do you spend about 26 billion to solve a 12 billion Ghana cedi problem? Who does that? I mean, couldn’t there have been alternative ways of dealing with this issue? Did anyone put a gun to their heads?
“Then we will talk about power outages (Dumsor). We (NDC) resolved the dumsor before we left. Your own sitting vice president said that John Mahama could not take credit for having solved a problem that he caused, and this is on paper,” Mr. Apaak stated on Metro TV.
He continued: “So when we say that this government has been the most reckless, has unleashed the most painful and severe hardships, and yet is not even taking responsibility in terms of managing the government itself, the size of government, government activities, and unjustified expenditure.”
The MP also questioned why the Finance Minister would propose 1.4 billion for an emergency vault in light of the current economic situation.
“Why? Such an amorphous name. Shouldn’t we know every dollar, every cedi, and where it is going to go at this time? Why are you allocating 1.4 billion? To do what? Why are you still allocating money to a cathedral that has no immediate benefit to us,” he said.
“If you look at areas we are calling for action, we are calling for the size of government to be reduced. There’s no need to keep an Executive Director in charge of the Keta Port with a staff of 33 people who are being paid and even being offered bonuses for no work that we are seeing.”
Deputy ranking member of the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak, has slammed the New Patriotic Party government for the reintroduction of the quota system for colleges of education.
The Builsa South legislator believes the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration owes Ghanaians an apology for breaking a promise made to the people of Ghana.
“The current NPP government promised to, and restored a diluted form of teacher trainee allowance. And they assured Ghanaians that they would not reintroduce the quota system that restricted more teachers from being trained. They have since made a U-turn.
“From the foregoing, it smacks of dishonesty when the same government that made a promise to win an election has turned back on its words and is now doing what was not even close to what it condemned to win the 2016 election.”
“I strongly insist that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government has an obligation to tell Ghanaians the justification for the reintroduction of a quota system they promised not to introduce, and admitted will close the door to many prospective teachers.”
Below is the full statement from the Dr. Clement Apaak
Return of quota system for Colleges of Education and Matters Arising (1)
The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government owes Ghanaians an apology, and an explanation for abandoning mid-stream a promise made to the people of Ghana. The current NPP government promised to and restored a diluted form of teacher trainee allowance. And they assured Ghanaians, that they will not reintroduce the quota system that restricted more teachers from being trained. They have since made a U-turn.
As evident in the leaked GTEC letter to the Principals of Colleges of Education, the cardinal reason for the introduction of the admission quota system for Public Colleges of Education for the 2022/2023 academic year, is due to government’s inability to fund the feeding grant and allowances for as many who qualify and want to train as teachers.
The GTEC letter – with the list of allocations per College – dated December 16, 2022, states categorically, that allocations to various Colleges cannot be varied and must be adhered to. The letter added, that “for the avoidance of doubt, payment of feeding grants and trainee allowances will be guided by these numbers.”
On the face of the allocations list attached to the GTEC letter to the Principals of the Colleges of Education, the highest number allocated to a College is 320 students, while the lowest number is 160 students. Based on the list of allocations given, the impact of this sudden policy change is reflected in the fact, that only a paltry 12,002 prospective teacher trainees will be admitted into the 46 Colleges of Education for the 2022/2023 academic year. This means 260 students per College on average, a clear waste of space, and an obvious hindrance to training more and much needed teachers.
So no doubt, that the quota system announced for admission will prevent many prospective applicants from getting admission into Colleges of Education. And this is bound to have negative consequences. With thousands of qualified applicants chasing few spaces, partisan-influenced protocol admissions and the ‘whom-you-know’ syndrome will deny many qualified and worthy applicants who truly desire to become teachers a fair opportunity to gain admission.
Below are two reasons, culled, courtesy citinewsroom.com, which I believe, justify my call on government to apologise to Ghanaians for the U-turn as far as the promise to pay trainee allowances and still allow as many who qualify to train as teachers to do so. Evidently the reintroduction of the quota system has badly exposed the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government as captured in the words of the then Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education:
1) “Professor Kwesi Yankah, then Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education in 2017, said Colleges of Education could admit as many qualified applicants as their available facilities can allow but without compromising quality and standards.”
2) “He insisted that the Ministry of Education under the Akufo-Addo government will not introduce a quota system for admission which could prevent many prospective applicants from getting admission into teacher training colleges.
From the foregoing, it smacks of dishonesty when the same government that made a promise to win an election has turned back on its words and is now doing what was not even close to what it condemned to win election 2016.
I strongly insist that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government has an obligation to tell Ghanaians the justification for the reintroduction of a quota system they promised not to introduce, and admitted will close the door to many prospective teachers.
Truth Stands! Dr. Clement Apaak
M.P, Builsa South and Deputy Ranking Member On Education Committee of Parliament
A middle-aged farmer at Juaso, in the Ashanti region, is asking a High Court in Kumasi to order the Chief of Juaso and the Ghana Cocoa Board (GCB) to compensate him with Gh¢750000 for destroying his 25-acre cocoa plantation.
The farmer, Mustapha Musah, claims the chief, Nana Asafo Atta Tabi, and the Seed and Production Unit of the GCB of the Juaso division illegally invaded his plantation and destroyed it. He says some other crops including plantain, which were inter-planted, were also destroyed.
In his statement of claims, the plaintiff asserted that each acre of the 25 acres often yielded 7 bags of cocoa. He added that he would have enjoyed such return for the next 50 years if the plantation had not been destroyed.
The case, titled Mustapha versus the Juaso Stool, Nana Asafo Atta Tabi, and the Seed and Production Unit of Ghana Cocoa Board, has Juaso Stool, Nana Asafo Atta Tabi and the Seed and Production Unit of Ghana Cocoa Board as 1st defendant, 2nd defendant and 3rd defendant respectively.
The plaintiff said he was realizing an average annual income of Gh¢87,000 from his farm before the defendants destroyed it.
The plaintiff claimed he entered into an agreement on the 12th of May 2006 with the chief of the area at the time, Nana Akwasi Prempeh, to cultivate the land. The said agreement was deduced into an indenture at a Circuit Court in Juaso. The plaintiff also stated that he was always driven away and insulted whenever he sought to know why the defendants invaded his farm.
So far, the plaintiff has been crossed-examined by the defendants’ lawyers. The defendants and witnesses are scheduled to have their turns for cross-examination early in 2023.
Below is a copy of the plaintiff’s statement of claims:
The Plaintiff’s Claims against the Defendants herein as follows:
A declaration by the Court that the Plaintiff has a legal and equitable interest in all that piece of land(s) lying and situated at a place commonly known and called Pentimpa on Juaso Stool lands, across River Kome, and shares boundaries with Op. Kwasi Krah, Op. Babanatu, Op. Kwabena
Maame Mary Fosua near Morso in the Ashanti Region, measuring approximately 42 acres for forest land and 50 acres for grassland and that the 1st and 2nd Defendants cannot unilaterally grant the disputed land(s) to the 3rd Defendant without the Plaintiff’s consent.
ii.A declaration that the 3rd Defendant’s entry unto the land in dispute is/was unlawful and same amount to trespass and an order of recovery of possession of same.
iii. An order for interlocutory/perpetual injunction against the defendants herein, their agents, servants, assigns, workmen, or person(s) claiming through them from any or further cultivation(s) on the land in dispute.
Special damages for the loss of income in the next 50 years for an amount of Ghe750,000.00
General Damages.
Costs, including Legal fee.
Any further order(s) or other relief(s) that the court may seen fit to make.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told the newly-sworn justices of the Supreme Court, Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu; and Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu to bear in mind that the growth of the nation demands a Judiciary that commands the respect of the people by the quality of its delivery of justice, as well as by the comportment of its judges.
Mr Akufo-Addo told them that application of the laws of the land must occur without fear or favour, affection or ill-will, and, therefore, without recourse to the political, religious or ethnic affiliations of any citizen of the land.
The President said these on Wednesday, December 28 when he swore in the two new justices of the apex court at a ceremony at the Jubilee House.
Mr Akufo-Addo also used the occasion to swear into office the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Lariba Abudu and her Deputy, Francisca Oteng-Mensah.
