A former Minister of Transport, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, has stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) needs an astute General Secretary to steer its affairs to win the 2024 elections.
According to the former Ketu South MP, the implementation of systems to effectively monitor activities before, during and after the general elections is key to securing victory.
Addressing party members after the vetting and balloting of nominees at the party headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Kwetey said his contenders played key roles for the NDC in the 2020 elections but completely failed in their respective roles and lack the competence to lead the party to victory in 2024.
“My two colleagues, I am contesting, one of them was in charge of the elections as director of elections and the other was the deputy general secretary in charge of operations. So those two were clearly in the heart of the operations, and they failed in their jobs. They both slept on their job.”
“One of them was even unable to ensure that the collation of results was done on time and so if you fail, you cannot blame the opponents for stealing the election,” Mr Kwetey said.
The NDC will elect its national executives on December 17 after electing regional and constituency executives.
It remains one of the most intense moments in the country after the country’s national football team, the Black Stars, made their third appearance at the World Cup, which was fraught with a lot of scandals.
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw Ghana get eliminated at the group stage of the competition, but it also came with several camp-related stories, among other stories of corruption allegations.
Recalling the moments and some of the happenings during the period, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who was the Minister of Youth and Sports, explained how he received one of his biggest blessings in disguise.
He explained that, upon the return of the team to the country and the eventual setting up of the Dzamefe Commission to look into the issues surrounding Ghana’s appearance at the Mundial, he got a unique opportunity to understand things better.
In hindsight, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah says he would not advise any politician to consider using state money to send supporters to a soccer tournament like the World Cup.
“With the benefit of hindsight, I probably should have… I should have just left it, and they would have said whatever they wanted to say, and it would have saved me a lot of headaches.
“It’s not worth it and I would advise – and I’ve been saying this that the current minister, in this economic crisis, don’t bother our supporters. If you want to go and watch the World Cup, if you have your own money, get your ticket and go. So, those were the lessons, of course, fortunately, or not, the Commission was a blessing in disguise,” he said.
Speaking to Edward Smith Anamale on GhanaWeb TV’s Election Desk, the aspiring General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said that it was during the hearings of the Dzamefe Commission that he heard some of the wildest things.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah said that some of the allegations were so wild that they even involved stories that his wife and his mother were also implicit in some purported corrupt practices.
“There were all manner of wild stories. I’d give you just a few. There’s this story that my wife was a caterer… I mean, my wife has absolutely nothing to do with cooking; the only reason she went was because we buried her mother three weeks earlier. So, I took my wife and my two kids because the other one was in boarding school, and I bought the tickets myself –Air Portugal- and took them.
“It was not at government expense but there was the story out there. They said my mother was in charge of replica jerseys. What they didn’t know is that my mother doesn’t live in Ghana; my mother has never lived in Ghana since I was six months old. She doesn’t know the difference between a corner kick and a penalty. She has no idea so when I told her, ‘Mummy, they said you are in charge of replica jerseys, she said what is that?’ she has no idea,” he said.
Elvis Ankrah also recalled how there was news that he had paid about $2000 just for coconuts when, in actual fact, after the Commission’s hearings, it was established that he was not guilty.
He added that by the time he left office as the Minister of Youth and Sports, he was able to leave behind well over $4 million of the money the government gave them to go to the World Cup.
“I woke up one day and there was one of the papers with me sitting with some ministers, with coconut in front of us. They said coconut was $200, $2000. There was nothing about coconut. I drink coconut always because I’m a health-conscious person, and at the camp, coconut was virtually free. And even if you buy it, it’s less than $1. Nothing; it was all manufactured.
“It was later that I got to know that there were some unseen hands behind it but I keep saying that if those things had not happened, and especially if the commission had not been put in place, and a report officially there, which shows clearly I was audited by Ernst and Young… by the time I was leaving office, the World Cup money itself, which government gave to us, $4.444 million was left in the account,” he explained.
Prince Harry is connecting with military children who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
In honor of Remembrance Sunday, the Duke of Sussex penned a letter to Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a U.K. charity for bereaved military children and young people. Having lost his mother Princess Diana at age 12, Prince Harry said, “We share a bond even without ever meeting one another, because we share in having lost a parent. I know first-hand the pain and grief that comes with loss and want you to know that you are not alone.”
He continued, “While difficult feelings will come up today as we pay tribute to heroes like your mum or dad, I hope you can find comfort and strength in knowing that their love for you lives and shines on. Whenever you need a reminder of this, I encourage you to lean into your friends at Scotty’s Little Soldiers. One of the ways I’ve learned to cope has been through community and talking about my grief, and I couldn’t be more grateful and relieved that you have amazing people walking beside you throughout your journey. We all know some days are harder than others, but together those days are made easier.”
“Today and every day, I admire and respect all the men and women who have given their lives in service of us — especially those in your family,” Harry said. “I am also incredibly proud of you for being the best example in remembering them.”
On Sunday, 55 members of the Scotty’s Little Soldiers and their parents marched in the National Service of Remembrance parade in London, sporting yellow and black scarves.
“When you march together in today’s parade, wearing your yellow and black scarves, I know it will be hard, but equally important to do,” Prince Harry wrote. “Today you will bring new awareness to young people, just like you, who will benefit from this community of support. I salute you for serving others in need, in the most honourable memory of your parent.”
He signed the letter, “With my deepest respect, Harry.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers said on their website, “Prince Harry knows November can be a proud but emotional time for bereaved British Forces children, and he understands what it is like to experience the death of a parent. He has been involved with the charity for several years, and today he wrote this special letter for our members at Remembrance.”
Scotty member 14-year-old Samuel Hall, who was only 3 years old when his dad Lt Cdr Andrew Hall died by illness in 2012, said: “It’s comforting to know Prince Harry understands how we feel and cares about us. It was great to receive the letter. Remembrance is a difficult time and being with Scotty’s helps me and the other members know people are there for us.”
Georgia Paterson, a 14-year-old girl whose father Cpl Norman Stevenson died when she was 7 years old, said: “It’s amazing knowing someone as important as Prince Harry has reached out to us. To know he’s thinking about us and our parents means a lot. I feel able to relate to him as he understands what we have been through.”
The charity was set up by war widow Nikki Scott in 2010 following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan the previous year.
“We are so grateful to Prince Harry for his continued support,” Scott said in a statement. “Our members know that he truly understands what it’s like to grow up without a parent and it means so much to them to know his thoughts are with them. To receive his letter on Remembrance Sunday has given them a huge boost on a proud but difficult day.”
The Duke of Sussex met Nikki and some of the charity’s members at 2017’s Party at the Palace. When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, Scotty’s was selected as one of the charities to benefit from donations to mark the couple’s wedding.
Princess Diana and Prince Harry.Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty
Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, marked Veterans Day in the U.S. and Armistice Day in the U.K. on Friday by sharing a new post on their Archewell Foundation website. The couple shared a photo by Chris Allerton, their wedding photographer, where they face military personnel, including one holding an American flag.
“On this Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, we honor service members across the world,” they wrote. “These brave men and women, as well as their families, have made tremendous sacrifices and embody duty and service. We are proud to work with so many organizations that support veterans and military families, including: The Invictus Games Foundation, The Mission Continues, Team Rubicon, Scotty’s Little Soldiers and The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation. Today and every day, thank you for your service.”
Last year, Meghan and Prince Harry made a surprise visit to a New Jersey military base to mark Veterans Day after attending the 2021 Salute to Freedom gala at the Intrepid Museum in New York City. In a speech at the gala, Prince Harry discussed the isolation service members often feel when returning home and stressed the importance of supporting veterans.
“My experience in the military made me who I am today, and I will always be grateful for the people I got to serve with — wherever in the world we were,” said Harry, who served a decade in the British army and undertook two tours in Afghanistan. “But in war, you also see and experience things you hope no one else has to. These stay with us, sometimes like a slideshow of images.”
He went on to welcome the 2021 Intrepid Valor Award honorees, who he said “are part of an everlasting bond. You are part of the team of teams. And we will always have your backs. You are not alone.”
The Chief of Dompim Pepesa Tufo, a suburb of Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, Tufohene Nana Awuah Koanpong VII, has claimed that at least two of the forest reserves in his area are being used for illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).
According to him, his attempts to stop the menace have endangered his life as well as the lives of the people with whom he is fighting the galamseyers.
Nana Koanpong called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to support his efforts by deploying some law enforcement personnel to his community to help him stop the illegal miners.
“There is active galamsey going on in my area. There are five communities under Dompim. We have Bonsa, we have Biponekyei, and we also have Trebou. The galamsey is very prevalent in Bonsa and Trebou. Bonsa and Trebou have thick forests, and that is where the galamsey is taking place.
“When you are going to the forest at Trebou, you will see a community mining sign post, and we have President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, and the Deputy Minister of Lands, Mireku Duker, on the post.
“The ironic thing is that there is no land for this community mining in Trebou aside from the forest… there is another post there that says that this forest is not part of areas for community mining. But that is where the galamsey is taking place,” he said in Twi.
The Tufohene further stated that a community task force, he set up to fight the galamseyers were once stripped naked by people in military uniforms who were guiding the mines.
He added that if the government is serious about fighting galamsey it should come to his aid with the need force to stop it in his area.
Ghanaians say the government and ordinary citizens share responsibility for fighting climate change, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows. While fewer than half of citizens have heard of climate change, a majority of those who are aware of the phenomenon say it is making life in the country worse and requires urgent government action.
Citizens also call on other key stakeholders – including business and industry, developed countries, and ordinary citizens – to do a lot more to limit climate change.
Key findings
▪In Ghana, 44% of adults say they have heard of climate change (Figure 1).
▪ Among Ghanaians who are aware of climate change:
o Six out of 10 (60%) say it is making life worse, a 12-percentage-point increase since 2020 (Figure 2).
o More than three-fourths say that ordinary citizens can help curb climate change (77%) and believe that the government needs to take immediate action to limit climate change, even if it causes some job losses or other harm to the economy (87%) (Figure 3).
o Views are divided as to whether the government (43%) or ordinary citizens (42%) have the primary responsibility for fighting climate change and limiting its impact.
Far fewer place this responsibility mainly on business and industry (9%), rich or developed countries (3%), and traditional leaders (2%) (Figure 4).
o But a slim majority (53%) say the government is performing “fairly badly” or “very badly” in handling climate change (Figure 5).
o Strong majorities say the government (81%), business and industry (74%), developed countries (69%), and citizens (67%) “need to do a lot more” to limit climate change (Figure 6).
Afrobarometer surveys
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2022) are currently underway. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,369 adult Ghanaians in April 2022. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Previous surveys were conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019.
The NPP MP for Sekondi Constituency in the Western Region, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, has said that the Minority in Parliament is rehashing old and debunked allegations against the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Mr Mercer said the allegations of misreporting were first raised in May 2020, and rejected by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as being untrue.
He, therefore, wondered why the Minority would use the same issues as bases for a motion of censure against Mr Ofori-Atta.
The MP made the statement at the first hearing of the Ad Hoc Committee on the motion of censure brought against the Finance Minister.
Egyapa Mercer’s claim was also in response to Dr Cassiel Ato Forson’s presentation which was centred on the misreporting of the fiscal deficit, fiscal treatment of expenditures above or below the line and general public sector accounting.
The MP said the past Country Representative of the IMF, Dr Albert Touna Mama, had debunked the allegations on Joy News File in May when he was called to respond to them when first raised by Dr Forson.
“Indeed, the said Dr Touna Mama was the Country Representative of the IMF. He was called to respond to allegations on misreporting of figures that the Finance Ministry had presented to IMF and he said all the figures were known by the IMF and therefore it was untrue that there was misreporting,” Mr Mercer said.
Meanwhile, in May 2020, Dr Touna Mama said that whilst his outfit tried “as much as possible to stay out of debates” they felt compelled to clarify statements made by Fact Check Ghana concerning the $1 billion IMF COVID-19 relief fund to the government.
Fact Check Ghana, an affiliate of the Media Foundation for West Africa, through its website, stated that government of Ghana presented data to the IMF which was different from figures in the annual budgets for 2018 and 2019.
But speaking on Joy FM’s News File Programme in May 2020, the IMF Country Representative to Ghana, Dr. Albert Touna Mama suggested that Fact Check Ghana misrepresented the facts because the government was not the one that presented the figures that the IMF published in its statements as Fact Check Ghana reported.
The IMF Country Director explained that the difference in figures was as a result of a difference in the methodology of calculation, adding that the figure in fiscal deficit in their statement was a figure they generated themselves from the data government presented to them, having added financial and energy sector payments in line with their methodology, which is different from government’s methodology.
Earlier, Mr Ofori-Atta, asked the committee for a fair hearing.
He asked that he be furnished with the documents that they intended to rely upon, to execute the motion of censure initiated against him.
The minister’s lawyer, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, said the rules of natural justice and fair hearing required that the accused was not only heard but also necessarily be furnished with the documents that formed the bases of the allegations made against him.
The Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir Hammond, has stated that he has no idea of the current fuel prices as he does not have a car to buy fuel.
This was in response to Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, who sought to inquire from KT Hammond during the committee hearing on the motion of censure against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, whether he was aware of the current fuel prices.
Mr. K.T. Hammond, who is also a Chairman on the committee, in response said “I don’t buy fuel, I don’t have a car so I don’t buy fuel”.
Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, has appeared before the ad hoc committee to probe allegations in a vote of a censure motion against him.
The eight-member committee is to be co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (MP for Bolgatanga East) and KT Hammond (MP for Adansi-Asokwa). Members from the majority side include; Patrick Boamah, Andrew Agyapa Mercer (MP for Sekondi), and Kwame Anyimadu Antwi. Members from the minority include Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (MP for Korle Klottey), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP for North Tongu), and Bernard Ahiafor (MP for Akatsi South).
The committee is expected to submit a report within seven days.
Football fans travelling to the 2022 FIFA World Cup could be thrown in jail if they travel to Qatar with pork, porn or sex toys.
With less than a week to the start of the tournament, the United Kingdom government has published foreign travel advice pertaining to the World Cup.
The advice urges its nationals to respect all local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times in the Islamic country.
See a list of some dos and donts if you are travelling to Qatar;
Drugs
There is zero tolerance for drug-related offences in Qatar. The penalties for the use of, trafficking, smuggling and possession of drugs (even residual amounts) are severe. Punishment can include lengthy custodial sentences, heavy fines and deportation.
Many people transit via Hamad International Airport on their way to other destinations. The airport makes use of the latest security technology, all bags are scanned and transiting passengers carrying even residual amounts of drugs may be arrested.
Some prescribed and over-the-counter medicines may be controlled substances in Qatar. If you need to bring in controlled/prescription medication into Qatar, ensure you carry your official doctor’s prescription, hospital note or a letter from your GP, detailing the drug, the quantity prescribed and dosage. This note or letter should also be signed by the doctor/consultant and stamped by the hospital or surgery.
Alcohol
It is an offence to drink alcohol or be drunk in public. British nationals have been detained under this law, usually when they have come to the attention of the police on a related matter, such as disorderly or offensive behaviour. For example, drinking in a public place could result in a prison sentence of up to 6 months and/or a fine up to QAR3,000. Alcohol is available only at licensed hotel restaurants and bars, and expatriates living in Qatar can obtain alcohol on a permit system. Don’t carry alcohol around with you (except to take it on the day of collection from the warehouse to your home). The legal drinking age in Qatar is 21, and establishments serving alcohol will ask for original photo ID upon entry.
Offensive behaviour
Swearing and making rude gestures are considered obscene acts and offenders can be jailed and/or deported. Take particular care when dealing with the police and other officials.
Photography/media
Be aware of cultural sensitivities when filming or photographing people and religious, military or construction sites. Some visitors attempting to film or photograph in sensitive areas have been arrested. If in doubt, seek permission.
If you’re working as a journalist, you’ll need to get permission from the Qatar News Agency (QNA) to film or photograph as part of your work and enter the country on a visiting press permit. This permit will clear technical equipment like cameras through airport customs and provides other necessary information.
There are strict privacy laws in Qatar. Posting material (including videos and photographs) online that appear to insult, slander or are culturally insensitive, may be considered a crime punishable under Qatari law. Individuals have been detained, prosecuted and/or convicted for posting this type of material.
Importation of Goods
Importing drugs, alcohol, pornography, pork products and religious books and material into Qatar is illegal. All luggage is scanned at Hamad International Airport Arrivals Hall. DVDs and videos may be examined, censored and confiscated.
Qatar law also prohibits the importation, sale and purchase of electronic cigarettes, liquids and other similar products (eg electronic shisha pipes). The law applies regardless of quantity and intended use. Customs officials may seize and confiscate any such items found entering the country by any means, including in passengers’ luggage or sent by post.
Dress code
You should dress modestly when in public, including while driving. Women must cover their shoulders and avoid wearing short skirts. Both men and women are advised not to wear shorts or sleeveless tops, when going to government buildings, health care facilities or malls. If you do not dress modestly, you may be asked to leave or be denied entry to these locations.
Dressing modestly is especially important during the holy month of Ramadan.
Relationships outside of marriage
Any intimacy in public between men and women (including between teenagers) can lead to arrest.
Living together whilst unmarried is prohibited in Qatar, and sex outside of marriage, regardless of whether this is same sex couples or opposite sex couples, is illegal. This can lead to arrest and a potential court case where the judgement can include a fine, a custodial sentence and deportation once the sentence is complete. This is especially so where the behaviour has caused offence. See Local laws and customs page.
Due to the laws on sex outside marriage, if you become pregnant outside marriage, both you and your partner could face imprisonment and/or deportation. Doctors will ask for proof of marriage during ante-natal checks. An unmarried woman who gives birth in Qatar may also encounter problems when registering the birth of the child in Qatar, and could be arrested, imprisoned or deported. To get a birth certificate from the Qatari authorities, you must provide a marriage certificate and the authorities may compare the date of the marriage against the estimated date of conception.
LGBT
Homosexual behaviour is illegal in Qatar.
Financial crimes
Financial crimes, including fraud, giving somebody a cheque which bounces (including post-dated and ‘security cheques’) and non-payment of bills (for example hotel bills or car hire) can result in imprisonment and/or a fine and deportation in Qatar. Bank accounts and other assets may also be frozen. You may also be liable for cheques that you have signed on behalf of a company.
If you have unpaid loans or financial commitments you won’t be able to cancel your residence permit, and may find yourself subject to a travel ban which will prevent you from leaving Qatar including to go on holiday. All debts should be settled in full before you leave the country. Ask your bank for a certificate to confirm you have no outstanding debt once you have cleared the balance.
Equally, you may find that there is a block on your sponsorship which will prevent you from transferring to a new sponsor (employer) and any end of service benefits you may be entitled to could be used to offset the outstanding debt.
Deportation
Should you be found guilty of committing an offence, the State of Qatar reserves the right to issue an Administrative Deportation order. This is regardless of whether the judgement included deportation. If you are employed in Qatar this will obviously impact your employment and may affect your ability to return to Qatar in the future.
A 37-year-old mother of four, Donkor Margeret, is battling for her life at the Tamale Teaching Hospital after her husband inflicted machete wounds on all parts of her body for demanding her share of proceeds from the sale of their cocoa farm.
According to the victim, her husband sold their cocoa farm to relocate to Tatale with the family.
Before the sale of the farm, the husband reached an agreement with her to give her GH¢10,000 from the sale of the farm to start a business.
“He told me one day we needed to relocate to the village and that he was putting our farm out for sale and will give me GH¢10,000 as my share of the sale to start a business which I agreed.”
She said after 10 months of relocating to Tatale, and upon several demands for her share of the money, the husband failed to honor his side of the agreement and became abusive.
She narrates how her husband attacked her with a machete.
“I realized he has been making some secret calls after the money was paid to him and when I enquired, he got angry and locked me up in the room and started inflicting cutlass wounds on my body, saying he wanted to kill me so I don’t enjoy the money.”
She was rushed to the Tatale Polyclinic unconscious with blood oozing from all parts of her body.
Health officials at the Tatale Polyclinic who could not handle the situation immediately referred her to the Tamale Teaching Hospital, where she is currently receiving treatment.
She has since undergone surgery at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and responding well to treatment.
The incident, which was reported to the Tatale police, has since been referred to the Yendi Divisional Command for further investigation.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the Yendi Divisional Command to respond to the issue has since yielded no positive result.
According to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), as of August 2020, 31.9% of Ghanaian women have faced at least one form of domestic violence – physical, economic, psychological, social or sexual.
In February 2007, Ghana’s Parliament voted to enact the Domestic Violence Act (Act 732).
The efforts against domestic violence reflected the global momentum in pushing for women’s rights to be recognised.
This has prompted advocacy from Civil society organisations (CSOs), women’s rights organisations and international bodies.
These actions resulted in the Government of Ghana enacting a number of national laws to protect women’s rights and outlaw violence against women and girls.
Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has asked the Minority caucus in Parliament to furnish him with documents that they will rely upon to execute the motion of censure initiated against him.
This is according to the Minister’s lawyer, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who made the request on behalf of Ken Ofori-Atta on Tuesday morning when the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee commenced sitting to hear the motion.
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko said the rules of natural justice and fair hearing required that the accused was not only heard but was furnished with the documents that formed the bases of the allegations made against him.
He, therefore, insisted that the Minority, led by its Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, provide the documents to him and his client.
The request was met with hesitance from the Minority, who appeared unprepared and insisted that the documents were already in the public domain and did not have to be tendered.
Following a debate on the matter, co-Chairs of the Committee K.T. Hammond and Dr Dominic Ayine, ruled that the Minority presented the documents to the finance minister and the committee.
The documents were then subsequently listed.
Below are the seven-points for which the Minority want Ofori-Atta censured:
a. Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang
b. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral.
c. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.
d. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament.
e. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world
f. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis.
g. Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship.
The General Secretary of the United Front Party (UFP), Listowel Nana Kusi Poku, has praised the major opposition political party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for the successful regional elections it held across the country on Saturday, November 12, 2022.
Speaking in an XYZ TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Listowel Kusi-Poku said that the smoothness of the election shows that the NDC is ready for the December 7, 2022 polls and it (the NDC) will win the elections.
He, therefore, urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party government to start preparing their handover notes.
“The success of the elections the NDC held shows that Akufo-Addo and the NPP must start preparing to leave office if they have not started already. He (Akufo-Addo) should also reimburse all the monies he has stolen because we are going to chase him for it.
“So, he should start packing his things out of the Jubilee House,” he said in Twi.
At least 712 candidates contested for various regional executive positions in the NDC in all 16 regions of Ghana except the Bono East, Ahafo, and the Eastern Regions, where the elections were partially suspended.
The positions contested include those of chairman and vice chairman, secretary and deputy secretary, organizer and deputy organizer, treasurer and deputy treasurer.
The remaining positions are Communications Officer and Deputy, Women’s Organiser and Deputy, the Zongo Caucus Coordinator, Youth Organiser and Deputy Youth Organiser.
In the Greater Accra Region, Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore beat incumbent regional chairman Ade Coker to become the new chairman of the party.
The party is set to hold its national executive election on Saturday, December 17, 2022.
A National Youth Organiser aspirant for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Brogya Genfi, has called out the incumbent Organiser, George Opare Addo, and other leaders of the party for frustrating TEIN presidents during their just-ended regional elections.
In a statement, the aspirant indicated that the elections proved again that some leaders of the party do not treat members of the TEIN, the tertiary students’ wing of the NDC, well.
He explained that he was a victim of some of these ‘maltreatments.’
“I must observe that the elections although hugely successful, once again highlighted the continuous mistreatment and marginalisation of the intellectual wing of the party – the TEIN front. I personally witnessed this mistreatment in various incidents and reports that emanated from the Regions, and I join our teeming hard working TEIN youth in expressing our revulsion and total condemnation of same.
“Regrettably in a few regions, the TEIN fraternity was subjected to clear manipulation, intimidation and open abuse in the lead up and on the actual day of elections as they tried to exercise their franchise as a recognised outfit under the youth wing. We cannot reward the hard work of our TEIN leaders with this level of frustration,” he wrote.
Brogya Genfi added that he was particularly surprised that the National Youth Organiser of the part, George Opare Addo, was at the forefront of such unhealthy activities.
“The most unfortunate part of this whole spectacle was the fact that the National Youth Organizer of the NDC, George Opare Addo (who promised TEIN some few months ago that their voices will be heard at congress) was the main architect and mastermind who undermined the credibly approved and accredited TEIN institutions and tried to deny their voting rights. How could we be this unfair to the young people who on a daily basis put in the toil and hard work to project the party on various campuses?” he added.
He advised that the leadership of the party takes immediate steps to correct these anomalies so that it does not escalate and affect their fortunes in the future.
Read his full statement below:
THE DELIBERATE FRUSTRATION OF TEIN PRESIDENTS IN NDC YOUTH CONFERENCES IS SHAMEFUL AND UNACCEPTABLE.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), over the weekend successfully conducted Regional conferences to elect new regional leaders, including youth organisers in thirteen out of the sixteen regions of the country.
The spirit of comradeship that was displayed across the regions, and particularly, the positive energy of the youth convinced me beyond doubt that the NDC youth are poised to lead and drive the forward match of our great party back to the seat of government in 2024. I hereby seize this opportunity to congratulate all winners in the Regional youth elections and to wish all who did not win, better luck next time. Be rest assured that there will be a place for all of you under a leadership of courage and united purpose for our collective ultimate victory
Having said this, I must observe that the elections although hugely successful, once again highlighted the continuous mistreatment and marginalisation of the intellectual wing of the party – the TEIN front. I personally witnessed this mistreatment in various incidents and reports that emanated from the Regions, and I join our teeming hard working TEIN youth in expressing our revulsion and total condemnation of same.
Regrettably in a few regions, the TEIN fraternity was subjected to clear manipulation, intimidation and open abuse in the lead up and on the actual day of elections as they tried to exercise their franchise as a recognised outfit under the youth wing. We cannot reward the hard work of our TEIN leaders with this level of frustration.
The most unfortunate part of this whole spectacle was the fact that the National Youth Organizer of the NDC, George Opare Addo (who promised TEIN some few months ago that their voices will be heard at congress) was the main architect and mastermind who undermined the credibly approved and accredited TEIN institutions and tried to deny their voting rights. How could we be this unfair to the young people who on a daily basis put in the toil and hard work to project the party on various campuses?
There is however a window of opportunity for redemption, and it is my expectation that the right thing will be done this time around. As the party prepares to hold elections in three remaining Regional Youth Elections yet to be held, we must right the wrongs to avoid the ugly scenes we witnessed in the other regions where TEIN delegates were deliberately frustrated and prevented by an incumbent who should be representing their interest. This should present a golden opportunity for the party to restore hope in TEIN by adhering strictly to the FEC approved TEIN delegates list.
More importantly, the party must cease this opportunity to revive the lost hope and restore confidence in TEIN at the level of the upcoming National Youth Election. TEIN remains the production line of the party for breeding future leaders. All party leaders, elders and stakeholders must therefore rise to the occasion and join hands to fight off any repeated attempt to disenfranchise TEIN at the National Youth Conference. Suffice it to add that any such repeated attempt at the national level, will be mightily resisted.
It is my vision and solemn pledge to reposition TEIN to become a potent vehicle for mobilization for the party’s 2024 victory. The anticipated repositioning of TEIN will help mobilize first-time voters for the party, and serve as agents to secure the ballots at the polling stations. Therefore, any one or group of persons who are allowed to dampen the spirit of the TEIN front will be dealing the party a fatal blow as same will amount to handing a license to someone to hurt the NDC 2024 electoral fortunes, for their own parochial interest. Our victory in 2024 is non-negotiable and must not be toyed with.
A former Minister of Youth and Sports under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has stated that there was never such a thing as Guinea fowls flying out of Ghana.
According to him, the propaganda and exaggerations that have been told around the guinea fowls, which were part of the government’s Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) initiative, were all false.
Explaining a point to GhanaWeb TV’s Edward Smith Anamale on the Election Desk, the aspirant for the General Secretary position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said that they were all untruths.
“So, we actually restructured it but by then, the issues were already there but the focus was on those issues and of course, there were exaggerations; things like guinea fowls flying. There was nothing like that; absolutely nothing like that. Those were some of the exaggerations that occurred,” he explained.
The Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has expressed anger over some allegations levelled against him by a stalwart of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
According to the Member of Parliament for Suame, Mr Otchere-Darko has wrongly accused him of being the mastermind behind some NPP MPs demanding the sacking of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“From nowhere, we hear Gabby Otchere-Darko on his Asaase Radio accusing me of instigating what was happening, for what? What do I stand to gain from that?” he retorted.
Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Sompa Radio, the majority leader questioned the authority of the cousin of the finance minister for leveling such allegations against him.
“There are people who would rather want to cause disintegration while you are committed to integrating. But now this has brought about another sense of anger. That Gabby Otchere-Darko, who does he think he is? I serve Akufo-Addo, and I serve the party as well as the government… when we talk about the government itself, what is your locus standi to be accusing me of being an instigator?” the majority leader questioned.
The majority leader noted that it rather took his intervention to instill calm when a group of MPs in the NPP made public demands for the dismissal of the finance minister.
“With the way the thing started, if I had not been hinted at by a colleague to intervene, we would have been in a bad place. Today is November 15, and we were supposed to present the budget today, but we had to postpone to 24th because I realised we may not be prepared after studying the situation. I sat with the finance minister and agreed with him to postpone it. After doing this and you turn to accuse me of being an instigator, what if I decide to watch and let everything fall apart?” he stated.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who also doubles as the Minister for Parliamentary Business, further accused Gabby of sponsoring a contestant against him in the 2016 primaries of the NPP, noting that he failed in his agenda.
“You (Gabby) are the same person who wrote something for someone to publish on his radio station that I will lose if I contest for re-election, hence my saying that I will not contest again. Gabby Otchere-Darko, have you contested an election before? They are the same people who sponsored people to contest against me in 2016, it didn’t work for them.”
According to the majority leader, Gabby Otchere-Darko accused him of instigating calls for the finance minister’s sacking just so the leader of government business in parliament can be considered as a replacement for the under fire Ken Ofori-Atta.
There have been public calls for the sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta, with his critics citing him as responsible for Ghana’s current economic challenges.
In a recent press conference, NPP members in parliament demanded the minister’s dismissal, claiming that doing so would help restore confidence in the Ghanaian economy.
Their demand, however, is said to have been met by a request from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who asked that Ken Ofori-Atta be allowed to conclude Ghana’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
The president further demanded that the minister be allowed to present the 2023 budget before the demand for his removal may be considered.
The Koforidua Area Head of The Church of Pentecost Apostle Mike Kwame Etrue is hopeful that Ghana’s economy will bounce back strongly after the 3-day fasting and prayers by the Church.
According to Apostle Mike Etrue, Ghana will never plunge into disastrous economic crises and political instability like Sri Lanka, saying, the country’s economy is going to be restored unto the path of prosperity.
“In times of despair, there is only one hope. our hope is in the Lord. He will never fail our nation Ghana. Ghana will prosper. Ghana will succeed. Ghana will continue to be blessed. Ghana will move from grace to grace. Once we have petitioned God, fasted, and prayed God will surely answer our prayers and Ghana will enjoy peace. Ghana will be victorious out of this economic crises” Apostle Mike Etrue stated.
He continued “Ghana will never be like Sri Lanka Ghana will never be shaken. Ghana’s economy will not collapse. Ghana will stand tall. The table will turn and Ghana will enjoy peace.”
He said this at Central Terbenacle in Koforidua during Sunday service to climax the three-day fasting and prayers instituted by the Executive Council of the Church for divine intervention in Ghana’s economic crises.
Apostle Mike Etrue said the fasting and prayers had nothing to do with politics but in fulfillment of divine responsibility that in times of adversity and despondency, God is the only hope to change situation.
“We are not doing politics. We want to save Ghana.”
Using Ezra 8:21-23 as main text, Apostle Etrue said, Ezra, camped the Israelites for three-days to proclaim a fast in order to humble themselves before God and to pray for His protection and leading during a perilous journey.
Prayer was said for the manifold wisdom of God for the President, Ministers, CEOs, MMDCEs, and parliamentarians among others to manage the affairs of the country well.
“God should intervene in the IMF negotiation. The nation will surely change. God should grant President, MPs, and Ministers wisdom to manage the economy.”
The prosecuted former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, has challenged the authority of the trial Judge, Clemence Honyenuga, to hear the charges against him.
His Lordship Honyenuga was expected to have retired last September but had a six-month extension from the Chief Justice.
This extension by the Chief Justice, lawyers for Dr. Opuni argued, is unconstitutional and a usurpation of the powers of the President of the Republic.
They maintained that “the power to extend the tenure of a Supreme Court judge is not exercised by the Chief Justice, who is not the appointing authority.”
“The only person who can grant an extension to the tenure of your lordship as contained in article 145(4) is the President and not the Chief Justice”, Samuel Cudjoe argued.
Notwithstanding that the Chief Justice is the administrative head of the Judiciary, Mr Cudjoe submitted that the Chief Justice “cannot grant an extension to the tenure of a judge who has attained the mandatory constitutional retirement age.”
This position was, however, sharply contested by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, who described it as baseless in law.
“It is our case that the CJ has power under the 1992 Constitution to grant power to a Justice of the Superior Court to sit for a limited period of time”, she submitted.
Relying on articles 139(c) and 145(2)(a) and (4), the DPP argued that the Chief Justice not only had the authority to appoint Judges to Courts but to also give such limited extension to Judges due for retirement to enable them to complete cases commenced under them before their retirement age.
“In very simple terms, this means that your lordship on attaining the age of 70 years may continue in office for a period not exceeding six (6) months in relation to the case of Republic v Stephen Opuni, Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Ltd. that was commenced before you prior to your attainment of the age of 70.”
The DPP thus submitted that the question of who has the authority to grant the extension had been clearly answered by the Constitutional provisions cited.
Therefore, “no ambiguity or confusion as to whether it is the President or the Chief Justice who grants an extension to a Judge previously determining a case to continue with that matter for a limited period” could be raised.
The High Court presided by His Lordship Clemence Honyenuga dismissed the application and adjourned the case to November 16, 2022, for continuation.
“The Chief Justice as the Administrative Head of the Judiciary has the power under the Constitution to grant an extension to a retiring Judge.”
The second prosecution witness in the case of Aisha Huang has told the High Court in Accra that the Chinese galamsey queen used a forged marriage certificate and Ghanaian passport to gain an indefinite residence permit.
The witness, Superintendent of Immigration David Essien is attached to the Kumasi Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Immigration Service and has worked for the service for the past nine years.
He told the Court that Aisha Huang contracted a “supposed marriage to a Ghanaian known as Anthony Fabian”, based upon which she was granted the indefinite residence permit.
Investigations however revealed, according to Supt. Essien, that the documents were forged in her application for the permit.
The permit was consequently revoked by the Comptroller General of the Ghana Immigration Service on grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation.
This action, the witness told the court, was in accordance with section 22(2a) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
Aisha Huang was also subsequently repatriated on December 19, 2018; the witness told the Court.
The case has been adjourned to Tuesday, November 15, 2022, for lawyers for Aisha Huang to continue with their cross-examination.
A brief and marginal relief may soon be on the way as the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) in its latest checks ahead of the second oil pricing window in November is stating that petrol and diesel are projected to see a price decline while the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is expected to be adjusted upwards.
Ahead of the second pricing window which is expected on Wednesday, November 16, COPEC in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Duncan Amoah said: “international benchmark for LPG has seen an increase of about $32 from $598.27 to $630.56,” which he said, “could be expected to lead to an increase in retail price on current retail averages of 12.10/kg to a likely retail price of 13.51/kg.”
To this end, what it literally means is, the price of petroleum is likely to move downwards to GH¢16.07 per litre from the current average of GH¢17.42 per litre.
Same goes for diesel, as the expected retail price could decline from the current average of GH¢23.43 per litre to an average of GH¢20.25 per litre.
The biggest gainer and scare will however be liquefied petroleum gas, which is expected to rise from GH¢12.10 per kilogram to a likely retail price of GH¢13.51 per kilogram.
COPEC said the expected decline in the prices of petroleum and diesel is largely due to a “stronger intervention by the Bank Of Ghana with specific emphasis on petroleum import and space through targeted forex auctions.”
The Chamber, once again, reiterated the need to revamp the Tema Oil Refinery to complement the country’s energy demands.
“We entreat the Bank of Ghana to not make this intervention in the forex supply a nine-day wonder but to step up efforts to guarantee the needed forex to particularly the petroleum importation market while reminding our leaders on the urgent need to fix and operationalise the currently idle Tema Oil Refinery to contribute its quota to the much-needed fuel security and stability of the cedi whiles encouraging a rethink of the strategic role originally assigned the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST).”
The Electoral Commission of Ghana has said that it has no knowledge of a directive from the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, asking the Commission and officials of the National Identification Authority (NIA) to appear before him with a briefing over the new Constitutional Instrument seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole document for the registration of voters ID.
According to the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the commission does not operate with hearsay.
He added that if indeed the Speaker has issues with the process, he must officially write to the Commission.
Dr. Serebour’s comment comes on the back of a warning from the Alban Bagbin, asking the EC to forget laying the new C.I in parliament if they fail to meet the leadership of the House.
But in the view of the EC, they cannot honour the Speaker’s request when they haven’t been officially invited.
“We’ve not heard anything from the speaker. Officially they have to write to us if they have issues with our C.I. We have no letter from parliament and we don’t work with hearsay. We’ve already met the subsidiary committee and the budget committee but nobody has invited us to come because we can only go to parliament when we have been invited. It’s like going to somebody’s house without invitation,” Dr. Serebuor said in an interview with the host of Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV’s morning show, Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
Dr. Serebour further explained that the move by the EC to make the Ghana Card the sole document for the registration of voters ID remains unchanged.
He added that NIA officials have so far captured about 17 million Ghanaians into its system.
“We met the NIA officials about 2 weeks ago and per the statistics, they have covered more than 17 million Ghanaians. The backlog now is about 400,000 that is persons who are yet to receive their cards after being registered. I can tell you that some of the district officers are empty now because the NIA officials have registered everyone in the district.”
“People are no more complaining about the issuance of the card and we have two more years to go so we are still standing by our earlier position,” he added.
Defeated Ashanti Region Chairman aspirant, Lawyer Evans Amankwaa, has said he spent huge sums of monies on the entire 1,400 delegates at the just-ended elections but still lost.
According to him, he paid GH¢350 to each delegate for lunch and transportation, at the conference which saw 62 candidates contest for various regional executive positions for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Evans Amakwaa noted in an interview on Akoma FM that the total cost amounted to almost GH¢500,000.
The legal practitioner further said although he was not surprised he lost, he had a glimpse of hope he would win the elections.
“I wasn’t surprised at yesterday’s results though I was confident of winning the election. I was as well aware that anything could have happened so I have spent hugely on the just-ended elections but it was my decision so I never regret my actions.”
Over 1000 delegates from the Ashanti Region NDC took part in the regional executive elections at Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Sunday, November 13.
After the election, incumbent chairman Augustus Nana Akwasi Andrews sailed through with 637 while lawyer Evans Amankwa managed some 572 votes with Yaw Owusu Obimpeh coming third with 137 votes.
An aspiring General Secretary of the largest opposition party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress, has clarified the circumstances that surrounded one of the government initiatives under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration.
Speaking in an interview on GhanaWeb TV’s Election Desk with Edward Smith Anamale, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah explained that contrary to the narrative, the NDC government rather came in to restructure the operations of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA).
He explained that upon their attainment of power, the NDC came to the realization that there was a lot of wrong with the institution, a situation that it immediately went to work on remedying.
He described as an ‘irony,’ the fact that people rather blame the John Mahama administration for the rot that happened under the GYEEDA program.
“The president gave me two mandates: qualify us for the World Cup and also restructure the youth front, and that included the National Youth Employment Program (NYEP). Now, the story that has not been told is that it is our government, under the direction of President Mahama, led by me, that streamlined and restructured the GYEEDA program.
“So, it’s an irony when people rather turn to actually lambast the NDC government for GYEEDA. So, we had the NYEP, and when we took office, we found so many issues with the NYEP, starting from when it was established. The problem was the way it was established, the structures and systems that were in place.
“There was no clear-cut mode of financing so the financing was haphazard; when bills accumulated, you’d have to go to the finance ministry and go and lobby and then get paid. We introduced a tax system; money from a source that would be coming regularly. Ways in which contracts were awarded. It was a situation where the service providers would rather bring in the contract; we changed that. We said service providers can no longer bring in contracts. The institution itself would sit down and then source for contracts and then no more sole sourcing,” he said.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who was by then the Minister of Youth and Sports, explained that it was rather their efforts that streamlined the institution.
He added that it unfortunately, the bad outcomes from the unstructured administration before he took over was what many people heard about, so much that they exaggerated a lot of things.
“So, we actually restructured it, but by then, the issues were already there, but the focus was on those issues and of course, there were exaggerations; things like guinea fowls flying. There was nothing like that; absolutely nothing like that. Those were some of the exaggerations that occurred,” he explained.
2021 GJA Journalist of the Year Portia Solomon Gabor has been rewarded with a two-bedroom house by her employers, Media General Group.
At a short ceremony onTV3‘s flagship news programme News 360, Board Chairman Kojo Yankah presented her with a bouquet of flowers and announced the surprise package.
Aside the two-bedroom apartment, Portia will also enjoy an all-expense-paid 10-day trip to South Africa, with her family.
Portia Gabor was on Saturday, November 12 crowned the GJA Journalist of the Year at the 26th GJA Awards Night held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.
She also went home as winner for the Best TV News Production and the Journalist of the Year for Health.
TV3’s Juliet Bawuah, Joseph Armstorng Gold-Alorgbey and Godwin Asediba were also award winners on the night.
The Chamber of Telecommunications has bemoaned the costly nature of the sim registration exercise.
According to the Chief Executive of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber, Ken Ashigbey, telecommunication companies have had to procure more devices and personnel to aid in the SIM registration process.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Mobile Industry Transparency Initiative, 2021 he said: “There are development costs that went into being able to put our systems in place to align with the NCA’s systems to be able to do the verifications, there’s an app we use that we pay for. Before the policy came in place, most of our agents were using feature phones to do registration but now for them to be able to do it, we need smartphones, so it cost a lot of money to be able to do that.”
“Then you have to recruit extra people needed to be able to do the exercise and we had to pay those people that we recruited and that is cost. The collaboration between the NCA and NIA needs to be stronger. We need to collaborate a lot more so that the verification processes will be tighter.”
Ashigbey added that when the NCA and NIA are able to collaborate effectively when anyone is “on the database, I don’t need to hold my card to be able to register.”
He, therefore, called on the NCA, the Ministry of Communications to hasten the process to end the registration and also make room for persons who are yet to register their SIM cards.
Professor Ernest Aryeetey, a former Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana, has said Ghana must think beyond the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the quest to stabilise and transform the economy.
He noted that Ghana had always known how to recover from economic hardship with the support of the IMF but had refused to follow the required reforms due to political expediency.
Prof. Aryeetey said this at the 26th GJA Awards in Accra on the theme: “Walking the path towards Ghana’s Economic Recovery – The Role of the Media”.
He said after economic recovery, there must be stabilisation and transformation, which required broad participation and the need to change agriculture, boost trade, stimulate investment and industrialise not to get back to the same situation.
“Today, we are where we are because we failed to develop the right type of politics that will support economic transformation… (We need to) think about the political economy. How we (can) use our institutions to develop the right type of policies,” Prof. Aryeetey said, adding that the country needed to welcome more analysis and debates on the economy.
Prof. Aryeetey asked the media to create space for discussions on the economy towards finding solutions to the challenges, saying without that, it would only be the ideas of a small political group, friends and families.
“Let’s encourage debates on the economy. Let’s create a Ghana where ideas flourish and stop tagging people who share their thoughts on the economy..,” Prof. Aryeetey, who chaired the awards event said.
Madam Florence Oboshie Sai-Coffie, Special Advisor to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Media and Strategic Communications, said government was doing its best to bring the economy back on track and tasked the media to amplify voices that could help find solutions to the economic challenges.
She said the media would be prioritised in the search for the solution and said Government was happy journalists were responding positively to the call for all hands to be on deck for economic recovery.
Mr Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, Chairman of National Media Commission, asked the media to sustain national interest in discussions on the economy and not partisan ones.
“There is food in Ghana, but locked up at the farmgate, things are not well,” Mr. Edward Kareweh, General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) has revealed.
He said, “things are not done properly. Improper application of laudable policies has created a problem, where food is cheap at the farm, but expensive on the side of the final consumer.”
“Poorly formed relations along most Agricultural value chains in the country were fostering a high degree of predatory behaviour between actors, affecting the sector negatively,” he said.
This predatory, Mr. Kareweh explained, also worsened, and weakened the reinforcing system that limited investments and decreased efficiency and resiliency, preventing competitiveness which overall affected the incomes and willingness of the ordinary farmer to purchase inputs.
Mr. Kareweh was speaking on the theme: “Ghana’s Agricultural Value Chain,” at the 17th Monthly Stakeholders Engagement and Workers’ appreciation day seminar organized by the Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office, which aimed at providing a platform for both state and non-state organizations to address national issues to enhance development.
The event also served as a motivational mechanism to recognize the editorial contribution of reporters toward national development in general, growth, and promotion of the Tema GNA as the industrial news hub.
The GAWU General Secretary argued that government policies must provide specific incentives to agricultural equipment dealers and users to help expand smallholders as key stakeholders.
“So we must not blow our own trumpets that we are working. Let those we are serving judge. We must not praise a project because of its beautiful features, we must do that after seeing results,” he said.
Mr. Kareweh stated that the financial sector was weak and poorly structured to take on capacity-building investments needed to effectively support the agricultural sector in general, specifically the equipment sector, which was hindering the value chain from its massive potential.
He noted that wholesalers had limited interest in building branded retail channels, which passed through to the farmer making it less important as a leverage point for improving broader and more appropriate access for smallholders.
He added that there were larger retailers with multiple outlets that were keenly interested in expanding their distribution networks but were concerned by the risks and cost of setting up new stores because of a failed economic system adding that the country needs a structural bailout.
He stressed that the country currently lacks effective structural policies to optimize the competitiveness of the agricultural value chain.
“Enhancing the competitiveness of the agricultural value chains demands improvement in productivity along the specific value chains for an effective and efficient input supply system,” has stated.
Mr. Kareweh explained that formulating the right policies and allowing them to be championed by competent leaders would improve crop productivity and product quality along the agricultural value chains.
He said there was a need for the government to create an enabling environment to help facilitate linkages between core value chain actors and support services including financial services, technical advisers, and mechanization services to producers.
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager explained that “we recognize the excellence in stakeholder engagement, which we believe will assist us GNA and our stakeholders to deliver and ensure that society plays an active watchdog role so that institutions perform.”
He said the Agency was strategically placed as a credible news organization that needed to deepen its relations with its stakeholders for mutual benefit and to advance the prospects of the agency and the country.
The Mayor of Accra, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey has assured of her commitment towards strengthening the existing relationship between Accra and Switzerland.
She made this known when the new Switzerland Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Simone Giger called on her at the Accra City Hall on Tuesday to formally introduce herself to the city administration and explore areas of collaboration.
The purpose of her visit touched on areas such as urban mobility, waste management, climate change, women empowerment and sister-city relationship, among others.
Ambassador Simone Giger in a remark outlined urban mobility and waste management as some areas that needed adept intervention adding that urban mobility is one of the areas where there could be a high impact with financial resources available.
“I think it is certainly one key area that is very striking when you arrive here and that’s urban transport. I feel urban mobility is one of the things where we can have quite a high impact with our limited financial resources that we have available” she said.
The Mayor of Accra, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey in her welcome address highlighted some areas of collaboration including climate change, women empowerment, and solid waste management among others.
She reiterated the Assembly’s ardent effort to mitigate the issue of solid waste management and cited solid waste separation and the procurement of street sweepers as some actions her outfit had already set in motion to address the canker of filth.
“Recently, there was a take-off in operations concerning solid waste separation to manage the amount of waste that is received by the city to help in proper waste management.”
Concerning that as well, the mayor also said, “hopefully, this month we’ll be launching the Sweepers on the Streets Programme with respect to how to manage Street Sweepers like it is done in Europe” she noted.
On solid waste management, her Excellency Simone Giger lauded the Mayor for her efforts to champion and rid the city of filth.
However according to her, even though a lot has been done so far to tackle the issue of solid waste management, she believes the problem is still prevalent suggesting possible solutions that can be put in place to curb the problem.
She also disclosed that her outfit was ready to assist the Assembly in terms of resources to tackle the issue of urban mobility in Accra citing a possible partnership with heads of transport in the various MMDAs to regulate public transport and improve data collection.
“We have been working together with the cooperation for the Ghana urban mobility and accessibility project. This is a project that wants to assist the heads of transport within the MMDA’s to regulate public transport and of course, also improve data collection. The very good news here is that we have 1 million in grant funding to ease six notoriously congesting junctions and integrate into the Accra region” she added.
The Lady Mayor of Accra, Hon Sackey also proposed a capacity-building program for staff, through exchange programs for individuals of the Assembly to acquire knowledge on climate change and global warming as well as solutions to combat climate risks.
The Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Hon Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey expressed appreciation to the Swiss Ambassador, Her Excellency Simone Giger and was looking forward to partnering with her outfit to undertake the aforementioned projects.
Ambassador Simone Giger who leads an all-female management team at the Swiss Embassy was accompanied by Simone Harberli, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation.
Present at the meeting was the Presiding Member of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Hon. Alfred Adjei, Head of Development Planning, Richard Kwame Oduro, Director of Finance for the AMA, Francis Anaba and the Director for Transport, Alex Johnson, among others.
The Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and his Deputy John Kumah must also leave office immediately, a member of the Peoples National Convention (PNC) Bernard Mornah has said.
In his view, Mr Ofori-Atta is not the answer to the economic challenges facing Ghanaians.
“Investors don’t have confidence in the economy because of Ofori-Atta,” he said on the Big Issue on TV3 with Berla Mundi on Tuesday November 15.
He added ” John Kumah said they will not go to the IMF but today we are at the IMF.”
He was contributing to a discussion on the sacking of the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen.
President Akufo-Addo has sacked Mr Adu Boahen.
“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has terminated the appointment of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, with immediate effect.
“After being made aware of the allegations levelled against the Minister in the exposé, ‘Galamsey Economy’, the President spoke to Mr. Adu Boahen, after which he took the decision to terminate his appointment, and also to refer the matter to the Special Prosecutor for further investigations.
“The President thanked Mr. Adu Boahen for his strong services to his government since his appointment in 2017, and wished him well in his future endeavours,” a statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin said on Monday November 14.
The General Agriculture Worker’s Union (GAWU) is raising some eyebrows about the activities of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in the food distribution chain concerning its Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) pilot market.
According to GAWU, the ministry has no business in the food middlemen business.
The MoFA last Friday, November 11, 2022, piloted the sale of some selected food items at its forecourt in Accra to cushion some Civil and Local Government staff to get affordable food items in the wake of food price hikes in the country.
The General Secretary of GAWU, Edward Kareweh questioned the ministry’s rationale for introducing the programme.
He was of the view that the ministry was usurping the work of the National Buffer Stock Limited while speaking in an interview on the 505 news analysis programme hosted by Valentina Ofori Afriyie on Accra-based Class 91.3 FM on Friday, November 11, 2022.
He was categorical in saying the ministry has no mandate to engage in such exercises when there is a dedicated company for doing so.
He further questioned the ministry’s budget for playing the role of food middleman in the food distribution and supply chain.
”The ministry ought to tell us which budget they are using for the pilot programme when there is the need for the ministry to scale up its supply of fertilizers to farmers among others in the country,” he stressed.
He said since 2021 the ministry has scaled down the supply of fertilisers to farmers across the country.
This should be a source of worry to the minister and the heads of departments at the ministry and not dabbling in the food supply chain.
He said there has been a drastic reduction in subsidies on fertilisers leading to a reduction in the volumes supplied to the farmers.
He added that what is needed to salvage the situation is investments in agriculture and not the ministry drifting to areas it has no mandate.
He said there is a shortage of maize which is a key component in PFJ crops and asked why the ministry is not working to make that available through the PFJ pilot market but rather focusing o plantain which is not part of the PFJ list of crops?
The TDC Development Company is to pay a total of GHC2.4 million as dividends for 2021 to the government, its shareholder.
The TDC has already paid an interim dividend of GHC1.2 million.
Mr Kofi Brako, Board Chairman of the company, announced the dividend at the second Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the TDC, held in Tema.
“Matching the company’s desire to complete its projects on time with the shareholder’s expectations, the Board has resolved to pay an additional GHC1.2 million in dividends to bring the total dividend payment for the year to GHsC.4 million,” Mr Brako said.
Touching on TDC’s financial performance for 2021, the TDC Board Chairman said the company generated an income of GHs116.59 million in 2021, representing a growth of 20 per cent over GHs97.1 million in 2020.
He said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted its operations, the Company was able to grow its profit before tax by 10.9 per cent from GHs37.58 million in 2020 to GHs41.68 million in 2021.
The Board Chairman said TDC assets grew by 22.3 per cent from GHs 380.72 million in 2020 to GHs465.50 million in 2021, adding that shareholder’s fund also increased by 19.84 per cent from GHs270.96 million in 2020 to GHs325.11 million in 2021.
Mr Brako said TDC currently had several ongoing projects being funded from its internally generated funds, adding that in that regard it was important to plough back most of its profit to fund and complete them.
He said the projects were expected to build strong capital adequacy for the company and increase the shareholder’s worth.
Mr Joseph Cudjoe, Minister of Public Enterprises, commended the TDC for its outstanding performance during the year under review and for winning the overall best-performing state-owned enterprise, as well as the overall best-performing specified entity for the year 2020 in the public enterprises league table.
Mr Cudjoe said TDC was working in line with the government’s vision of seeing State Owned Enterprises operating profitably and professionally to support the economy while obeying all laws regarding their operations.
Mr Abdulai Abanga, the Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, on his part, charged the TDC to consider expanding its operations outside the Tema acquisition areas to other parts of the country which need affordable houses.
Ms Alice Abena Ofori-Atta, the TDC Managing Director, in a report said long-term construction finance in Ghana remained one of the major constraints to real estate development for property developers and prospective homeowners.
Ms. Ofori-Atta added, however, that funding from private entities, Real Estate Investment Trusts, banks, and other financial institutions, among others, continued to lessen the funding gap though in a modest way.
She expressed optimism that as the real estate sector was expected to bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic, TDC would continue to explore and take advantage of any opportunity that would emerge.
She said to enhance their performance and effectiveness amidst the new dynamics of competition within the sector, TDC was using some strategic initiatives and policy interventions such as the electronic rent collection system, the GCB Bank collection project, enterprise risk management, balanced scorecard, and staff training and development.
Some of the resolutions taken at the AGM were the receiving and adopting of the report of the Directors, Auditors, and Financial Statements for the year ending December 31, 2021.
Declaration of dividends for the year under review, as well as authorising the Directors to determine the remuneration of the Auditors, and to transfer GHC100 million from Retained Earnings Account to Stated Capital.
The eight-member ad hoc committee set up by Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to probe embattled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta will start sitting today, a member of the committee has announced.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, in a social media post revealed that sittings will be public and also broadcast live.
According to him, doing so will ultimately be in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
“The Ken Ofori-Atta Vote of Censure Parliamentary Committee will commence sittings tomorrow 15/11/22 at 11 am.
“It’s an absolute delight to announce that the committee shall sit in public & all proceedings will be broadcast live in the true spirit of transparency & accountability,” his post read.
Speaker sets up ad hoc Committee over Ofori-Atta censure motion
Alban Bagbin, on Thursday, November 10 announced an ad hoc committee to probe allegations in a vote of censure motion against the embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The 8-member ad hoc committee was constituted with Members of Parliament elected by the leadership of both sides of the House.
Their main task is to probe the seven allegations contained in the censure motion filed late last month by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, which motion is seeking the removal of Ofori-Atta from office.
The committee is expected to submit a report within 7 days.
The composition of the committee is as follows:
It will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
The three members from the Minority side are:
MP for North Tongu; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa;
MP for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and
MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.
From the Majority caucus, the members include:
MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah;
MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and
MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.
How motion of censure against Ofori-Atta was argued
The Minority Leader filed a motion of censure late last month against Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
The motion was duly admitted by Speaker Alban Bagbin and on November 10, the motion was moved by Haruna Iddrisu to trigger debate and a vote on same.
Speaker Bagbin, however, in his interpretation of the rules the Minority relied on referred the issue to an 8-member ad hoc committee formed to probe the Minority’s claims against the Finance Minister.
The committee co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (NDC) and KT Hammond (NPP) is expected to present their report in seven-days, following which the House will proceed with the censure process or otherwise.
Below are the seven-points for which the Minority want Ofori-Atta censured:
a. Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang
b. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral.
c. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.
d. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament
e. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world
f. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis
g. Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has revealed that undercover footage belonging to investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas was stolen and sold by an unnamed ally in 2018.
He explained in a Facebook comment that the very incident was partly the reason why Anas used 2018 footage to expose corruption on the part of Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, in his latest exposé titled ‘Galamsey Economy.’
Baako said the theft coupled with the death of the lead investigator in 2019, that is Ahmed Hussein Suale, impacted the specific investigation, adding further that it was only after backup files had been accessed that the Tiger Eye PI team decided to go ahead with the latest expose.
Baako wrote about the videos in response to a Facebook comment: “Somebody “stole and sold” it to somebody; thinking the evidence had been deleted forever! The “buyer” went out boasting about his possession for years for whatever reason nobody could tell! Apparently, the real “owners/authors” subsequently discovered an extra copy! Today’s story begins from there. PAY ATTENTION!”
Today’s story from the above quote refers to a publication in the New Crusading GUIDE’s November 14 edition in which Anas – a co-publisher of the paper along with Baako – wrote about the minister’s deeds and misdeeds.
The documentary was subsequently screened twice at the Accra International Conference Center, AICC.
In further explanations on the Facebook wall of a pro-Bawumia activist relative to the alleged footage thief, Kweku Baako explained that it happened to be the same guy (unnamed) who doctored a video of Akufo-Addo allegedly taking bribes in 2016.
“Same guy who fabricated a video of Candidate Akufo-Addo receiving a donation from a lady supporter of the NPP in his Nima residence in 2016 when Akufo-Addo was not President but tried to make it look as if he was the President!” he explained.
Baako is also on record to have stated that the Vice President had not been in any way implicated by the documentary just as president Akufo-Addo was not implicated in the Number 12 documentary in which he was mentioned by former Ghana Football Association, GFA, president, Kwesi Nyantakyi; as someone who could be influenced with money.
Background
Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State at the Finance Ministry was implicated in the ‘Galamsey Economy’ investigative documentary released by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas on November 14.
The now dismissed minister was captured on tape making comments to the effect that access by investors to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia could be facilitated at a cost of US$200,000.
Bawumia has dispelled the allegations and insisted that his integrity remains his most cherished asset in life.
“My most cherished asset in life is my integrity and I will not allow anyone to use my name to engage in corrupt activities,” Bawumia said in a post calling for the minister’s dismissal.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has since terminated Adu Boahen’s appointment and referred the contents of the investigation to the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Dr. Gideon Boako, the spokesperson for the Vice President, has indicated that somebody contacted him earlier this year, claiming to be an investor and wanted to enquire about the ‘appearance fee’ to meet his boss, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
According to him, he did not probe further to know the background of the investor “because it was of no interest to me.”
Dr. Gideon Boako while speaking on Asempa FM’s ‘Ekosii Sen’ programme on Monday, November 14 stated that he spoke to the investor on phone.
“The exact day, I may not be able to tell, but they contacted me this year, 2022. I laughed and asked, an appearance fee? Why? is it that Kotoko and Hearts of Oak are going to have a super clash,” he said while laughing.
Dr Gideon Boako further stated that the supposed investor asked whether the ‘appearance fee’ is a norm, to which he replied, “no, that cannot happen. If that was the case, then I am not a poor man. I told them the Vice President as I know him, will never entertain such a thing. If you are his staff and entertain such a thing, you do that at your own risk.
“I told them that well, I do not know that person, but I will say categorically that the person did that on his own behalf and not on behalf of the Vice President because as far as I know the Vice President, it will never happen.
“I said to them that if the Vice President gets to know of that, he will recommend for the person to be questioned by the security agencies. It was only yesterday that Tiger Eye revealed the name of the person they were talking about,” Dr. Boako explained further.
Charles Adu Boahen, the dismissed Minister of State in charge of Finance had earlier alleged that the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will require $200,000 as an appearance fee to meet prospective investors.
This was revealed by Anas Aremeyaw Anas in his latest undercover documentary dubbed “Galamsey Economy”.
The investigative journalist noted that Adu Boahen, in the undercover piece told his Tiger Eye PI team who posed as investors that Dr. Bawumia would also require some positions from the investor for his siblings to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
But Dr. Bawumia in a statement on Monday, November 14, denied the accusations and called for an investigation into the allegations.
Charles Adu Boahen, the dismissed Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, has opened up about how investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye P.I team in 2018, attempted to entrap him.
According to him, he did not involve himself in the act the journalist is accusing him of in his latest undercover investigation dubbed ‘Galamsey Economy.’
In a statement issued on the morning of November 14, 2022, following the release of a newspaper version of the exposé, Adu Boahen indicated that “It has come to my attention that a documentary to be aired by Tiger Eye PI, and an article published in the Crusading Guide on (14 November 2022) seeks to accuse me of brokering deals for the Vice President of the Republic.
“This follows an attempt to entrap myself and other persons in 2018. Substantively, I have not been involved in this act of which I am being accused.”
He continued: “I do not however wish to be a distraction to Government and the Ministry of Finance at this crucial moment.
“Consequently, I have submitted my resignation to the President of the Republic. I will however look forward to a full investigation which I hope will reveal that I have not committed this act.” The post has since been deleted from his Facebook handle.
Adu Boahen, the dismissed Minister of State was indicted in the latest undercover investigative piece by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Anas in a post on his Facebook timeline barely hours before the premiering of his investigative piece dubbed ‘Galamsey Economy’ noted that the minister made some shocking revelations to his team in a hotel in UAE, when they posed as possible investors to Ghana.
He said, Adu Boahen alleged the vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will require about USD200,000 as an appearance fee from an investor to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
He said, when his Tiger Eye PI team met Adu Boahen in the UAE, he spoke about Bawumia’s financial demands before agreeing to assist any investor.
“You mean, like appearance fees and stuff? I mean he, himself (the Vice President), if you give him some (USD) 200,000 or something as a token, as thank you, appreciation, that’s fine. He’s not really, he’s not really (like) that. All he needs is to worry about his campaign money in 2020,” Charles Adu Boahen is quoted to have said.
But Dr. Bawumia in a statement on Monday, November 14, denied the accusations and called for an investigation into the allegations.
The message from the dismissed minister has since been deleted.
Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, Executive Assistant & Head of Social Media, Office of the President, has chastised investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas over his latest investigative work dubbed ‘Galamsey Economy‘.
He described the investigative work of the journalist as ‘sheer wickedness and evil’.
The Presidential Staffer noted that Anas Aremeyaw Anas is known for recording people and editing them to suit his narrative, something that the former Ghana Football Association President, Kwesi Nyantakyi suffered in the Number 12 documentary by Tiger Eye PI, Anas’ investigative firm.
He extended his criticism to Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Anas’ boss when he was commenting on the investigative work which triggered the dismissal of Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State in charge of Finance.
“I’m soo soo disappointed in my senior brother and mentor Abdul Malik Kweku Baako. Anas Aremeyaw Anas was my classmate at Secondary School and still a very good friend of mine.
“Recording people and editing the recording with your own voice-over to suit your story is nothing but share (sic) wickedness and evil. He did it to Kwasi Nyantakyi and the country looked on. All I can say is that, we are all in the hands of the Lord,” Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe wrote on his Facebook timeline.
Charles Adu Boahen, the dismissed Minister of State in charge of Finance had earlier alleged that the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will require $200,000 as an appearance fee to meet prospective investors.
This was revealed in Anas’ ‘Galamsey Economy’ investigation.
The investigative journalist noted that Adu Boahen, in the undercover piece told his Tiger Eye PI team members posing as investors that Dr. Bawumia would also require some positions from the investor for his siblings, in orfer to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
But Dr. Bawumia in a statement on Monday, November 14, denied the accusations and called for an investigation into the allegations.
Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe’s post has since been deleted.
It has emerged that the latest undercover investigation by Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI team, was filmed as far back as 2018.
It turns out that the investigative team faced some challenges which delayed the airing of the piece dubbed ‘Galamsey Economy‘.
GhanaWeb sources indicate that after the necessary footage was recorded in 2018, the lead investigator in the person of Ahmed Hussein-Suale was shot and killed on 16th January 2019, by some unknown persons.
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide commented on a Facebook post by one Kwadwo Yeboah-Gyan, as to why his protégé, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his team used four years to make the investigation public.
He said, what the author of the Facebook post should have done is to “find out what happened within the 4-year period which may have delayed things! Did somebody steal some of the records and sold them to somebody? Did the lead investigator die an unnatural death? And how did these things impact the capacity of the original investigators?”
Baako said, aside from all those challenges, the investigative files were stolen and sold to somebody who went out boasting about having the files of Anas and his team.
Little did the buyer know that the original owners had a backup file which they later retrieved and used to complete the ‘Galamsey Economy’ work.
“Somebody ‘stole and sold’ it to somebody; thinking the evidence had been deleted forever! The ‘buyer’ went out boasting about his possession for years for whatever reason nobody could tell! Apparently, the real ‘owners/author’ subsequently discovered an extra copy! Today’s story begins from there pay attention,” Abdul Malik Kweku Baako stressed.
Charles Adu Boahen, the dismissed Minister of State at the Finance Ministry was exposed in the latest undercover investigative piece which was publicly premiered on November 14.
Anas in a post on his Facebook timeline hours before the showing of the ‘Galamsey Economy’ film noted that the minister made some shocking revelations to his team in a hotel in UAE, when they posed as possible investors to Ghana.
He said, Adu Boahen alleged the vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will require about USD200,000 as an appearance fee from an investor to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
He said, when his Tiger Eye PI team met with the Minister of State in charge of Finance in UAE, he spoke about Bawumia’s financial demands before agreeing to assist any investor.
“You mean, like appearance fees and stuff? I mean he, himself (the Vice President), if you give him some (USD) 200,000 or something as a token, as thank you, appreciation, that’s fine. He’s not really, he’s not really (like) that. All he needs is to worry about his campaign money in 2020,” Charles Adu Boahen is quoted to have said.
But Dr. Bawumia in a statement on Monday, November 14, denied the accusations and called for an investigation into the allegations.
The eight-member ad hoc committee set up by Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to probe embattled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta will start sitting today, a member of the committee has announced.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, in a social media post revealed that sittings will be public and also broadcast live.
According to him, doing so will ultimately be in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
“The Ken Ofori-Atta Vote of Censure Parliamentary Committee will commence sittings tomorrow 15/11/22 at 11 am.
“It’s an absolute delight to announce that the committee shall sit in public & all proceedings will be broadcast live in the true spirit of transparency & accountability,” his post read.
Speaker sets up ad hoc Committee over Ofori-Atta censure motion
Alban Bagbin, on Thursday, November 10 announced an ad hoc committee to probe allegations in a vote of censure motion against the embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The 8-member ad hoc committee was constituted with Members of Parliament elected by the leadership of both sides of the House.
Their main task is to probe the seven allegations contained in the censure motion filed late last month by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, which motion is seeking the removal of Ofori-Atta from office.
The committee is expected to submit a report within 7 days.
The composition of the committee is as follows:
It will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
The three members from the Minority side are:
MP for North Tongu; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa;
MP for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and
MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.
From the Majority caucus, the members include:
MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah;
MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and
MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.
How motion of censure against Ofori-Atta was argued
The Minority Leader filed a motion of censure late last month against Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
The motion was duly admitted by Speaker Alban Bagbin and on November 10, the motion was moved by Haruna Iddrisu to trigger debate and a vote on same.
Speaker Bagbin, however, in his interpretation of the rules the Minority relied on referred the issue to an 8-member ad hoc committee formed to probe the Minority’s claims against the Finance Minister.
The committee co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (NDC) and KT Hammond (NPP) is expected to present their report in seven-days, following which the House will proceed with the censure process or otherwise.
Below are the seven-points for which the Minority want Ofori-Atta censured:
a. Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang
b. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral.
c. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.
d. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament
e. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world
f. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis
g. Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
The Ken Ofori-Atta Vote of Censure Parliamentary Committee will commence sittings tomorrow 15/11/22 at 11am.
It’s an absolute delight to announce that the committee shall sit in public & all proceedings will be broadcast live in the true spirit of transparency & accountability.
Three minority MPs including the minority leader Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak and the Ranking member on the finance committee Dr. Casiel Ato Forson are expected to appear before the ad-hoc committee set to probe the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta in the vote of censure motion.
The three MPs who are pushing for the dismissal of Ken Ofori Atta are convinced the sector has breached the law and is also responsible for the worse economic conditions in the country.
Co-chair of the committee KT Hammond in an interview hinted that the hearing of the committee will be made public to the media.
“We held a meeting [14th November, 2022] to discuss the modalities. We agreed at the meeting that the hearing will be public for all to see what transpires. We are confident we will do a thorough job so tomorrow(15th November 2022) bring your cameras and carry the hearing live,” Hammond told Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV.
A member of the committee also disclosed that the three minority MPs will appear before the committee with their testimony when they are called upon.
The formation of the Ad-hoc committee is to give the Finance Minister, an opportunity to respond to the allegations levelled against him in a vote of censure motion.
The Speaker, Alban Bagbin ruled for the formation of the ad hoc committee to allow the minister to appear before it possibly with his lawyer to defend himself.
According to the speaker, a lawyer/counsel for the minister is not allowed to perform his duty on the floor of the house unless at the committee level.
It is based on the outcome of the committee’s report that a decision would be taken.
This was after the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu earlier moved the motion on a vote of censure against the Minister.
The programs Manager at Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mary Addah has lauded the President’s swift action to dismiss Charles Adu Boahen, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Boahen was dismissed after it emerged he allegedly said Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia could be paid $200,000 as an appearance fee for investors.
Speaking in an interview on Eyewitness News, Madam Mary praised the swiftness with which the dismissal letter was issued, saying it is a major tool for fighting speculations which is unhealthy for the fight against corruption.
“The president acting swiftly is critical to fighting corruption because some of these cases usually come up and not much action is taken and this fuels some of the speculation and perception around corruption in Government, so this is swift and expeditious enough, and it is good for the country.”
“Noticing that he is the appointing authority, he also has the power to disappoint, and he has done so, but then he also recognizes that some of the alleged instances and inferences made, could bother on criminality and pure corruption, so he has referred that to the [Office of the] Special Prosecutor whose Act [the Act establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor] gives him the power to investigate issues relating to corruption.”
Madam Addah however said relieving Adu Boahen of his post is not enough, but what is needed at this point to clear the perception of Ghanaians on corruption against the government is to proceed to investigate the allegations levelled against the Vice President.
“The Vice President, in addition to what is put out there, will also serve better if he calls for investigations into those allegations. That has something to do with his personal and professional credibility. It will allow everyone to know that the integrity he is speaking to is one he does not joke with, and he is not just speaking as a mantra, but it is something he lives by and would want everyone to attest to same.”
She also said it is difficult to uphold the Government as one that is committed to fighting corruption because of the various appointees that have been accused at one point or another of corruption but are still actively serving and authoring dismissal letters.
“The person who authored the termination letter was cited by his wife for some domestic infractions, and she made certain allegations about properties he has acquired within the shortest time period and others. In that case, civil society spoke to that issue and thought something should have been done other than the silence that went with it. Today, he is still in Government authoring letters to fire people, but we don’t know how far his own allegations went.”
“This is a President that promised us during his campaign that all you needed to do was to complain or make a complaint or present a case, and the investigation agencies will then take it up. He also promised that he will use Anas’ principle to confirm some of these issues, so it becomes worrying when we do not see that being followed through,” she added.
She also bemoaned the numerous instances of conflicts of interest situations perpetrated by some notable persons appointed by the Government.
Residents of the Dome-Kwabenya constituency feel indifferent about their member of parliament, Adwoa Safo, following her return to parliament.
According to some residents, after abandoning the constituency for about a year, Adwoa Safo‘s return does not mean anything to them.
They mentioned that they feel disrespected by the MP while others stated that they were unaware she is back in the country.
Speaking to www.ghanaweb.com, the residents seemed to have regretted voting for the MP while accusing her of being irresponsible.
One resident said “both Adwoa Safo and other government officials are not acting responsibly; because if this country was their sole property, will they leave the country and return as they please? As if nothing happened? If I talk more, I may say something offensive. She’s doing as she pleases.”
Another resident said “we woke up at dawn and left everything including our businesses to vote for her. A first fool they say is not a fool but the second fool is. If we go and vote for her again it means we are the fools. We voted for her based on her promises but they were all lies.”
The former Minister for Gender, Women, and Children’s Affairs who was living in the USA for almost a year before she finally resumed her parliamentary duties on November 11, 2022.
The MP came under scruntiny from the public for ‘neglecting’ her duties for that long.
In subsequent interviews, she indicated that she was in the US to attend to urgent family issues including taking care of her son.
On July 29, 2022, a day after Parliament adjourned its first decision to determine the fate of the Dome Kwabenya MP, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo sacked her as the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, a former Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has recalled some good memories of working together with the first Vice Chancellor of the University for Professional Studies (UPSA), Prof. Joshua Alabi.
Recalling how, together with Prof. Alabi, who was at the time the Campaign Manager of the NDC, they worked at trying to win power for the party, he explained that one of the things that worked for him was knowing his place.
He told GhanaWeb’s Edward Smith Anamale in an interview on Election Desk that although it was clear to many people at the time that he, Elvis, was the one seemingly doing all the work, he did not allow any of that to get to his head.
He said he knew his place and played his part accordingly.
“He was then the Pro-Vice Chancellor of UPSA and so he had to juggle the two and so at certain times, when he was on holidays, then he’ll join the campaign full time but during school time, he wasn’t full time. So, I was virtually running but we had a very solid relationship.
“I reported to him morning, evening every day – morning, evening. And there’s a lesson in that; loyalty, because people were saying now you are in charge and I said No, I was not appointed Campaign Manager,” he said.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who is eyeing the position of General Secretary of the NDC in its pending December 17, 2022, congress, reiterated that, unknown to him, it would all pay one day.
He narrated how one day, when he was seeking a job at the UPSA, having been in the good books of Prof Joshua Alabi, it paid off very well for him.
“He is my boss and it paid off because after that election, then in 2005, I contested for and won as the Deputy General Secretary at the Koforidua Congress.
“So, when we came back, I was put in charge of operations, and we were in opposition – we had been in opposition from 2000 and I believe that you must always work; earn your keep, so I applied for a job at the UPSA and on the panel, of course, was Prof. Alabi, who I’d been loyal to.
“Of course, I was qualified, but can you imagine if there had been a frosty relationship and I had been arrogant and disrespectful to him that now I’m in charge, I’m sure I wouldn’t have had that job,” he explained.
A private legal practitioner, Maurice Ampaw, has advised YouTuber Elorm Ababio, a.k.a Ama Governor, to show some remorse for her actions on social media if she intends to be called to the Ghana Bar.
Speaking in a Neat FM monitored by GhanaWeb, lawyer Ampaw said that defenders of Ama Governor should urge her to change her behaviour rather than threatening to demonstrate because their demonstration will change nothing.
He added that Ama Governor should go before the General Legal Council (GLC) with one of the nation’s top lawyers and a clergyman who will plead for the blockade on her call to the Bar to be lifted.
“You can enjoy your life, but you have to enjoy it in the quiet. You can’t be living an I don’t care life because it is your life. Who told you it is your life? Whatever you do affects somebody else.
“Let me advise Ama Governor and all those who are insulting the Council that they are not helping the girl. I also advise the girl to stop social media stuff. The matter is now soft speaking; it is before the Council.
“What she should be doing now is to be looking for an experienced lawyer, who has practised for about 30 to 50 years and a Christian clergy who is respected in the country from the orthodox churches… The man of God will plead on her behalf when they go before the Council… the law should also convince that counsel that s/he will mentor her… that is the only way the Council will lift the ban on her,” he said in Twi.
Elorm Ababio, a student who just completed the Ghana School of Law (GSL), will not be called to the Ghana Bar due to a petition filed against her by a “concerned citizen”.
The complaint, according to the letter signed by Justice Cynthia Pamela A. Addo JA, Secretary, General Legal Council (GLC), stated that Ama Governor is seen in widely circulated videos engaging in what it describes as “conduct unbecoming of an applicant to be called to the Bar”.
The complainant, the GLC Secretary, indicated also submitted a flash drive [pen drive] which contains selected video files and hyperlinks of Ama Governor to relevant website publications.
Ama Governor’s conduct is said to violate Regulation 21(c) of the Legal Profession (Professional and Post-call Law Course) Regulations, 2018 L.I. 2355.
The said regulation states: “A student of the school qualifies to be called to the Bar if that student has […] (c) satisfied the Council that the student is of good character.”
The Council, as Justice Cynthia Pamela A. Addo JA said, had thus decided:
“1. To constitute a three-member Committee to investigate the complaint and advise Council accordingly.
“2. To suspend the decision to call you [Ama Governor] to the Bar pending the outcome of the investigation.
“I have been directed by the Chairperson of the General Legal Council to inform you of this matter and to advise you to expect to be contacted by the Committee in due course.”
“You will be given a fair hearing on the complaint before a decision is arrived at,” Justice Cynthia Pamela A. Addo JA’s letter dated November 3 concluded.
The Electoral Commission of Ghana has cancelled the certificates of 17 political parties who have no regional and national presence and, therefore, are flouting the laws.
The EC in October gave the parties to the end of that month to prove why their registrations should not be cancelled under the Political Parties Act of 2000, Act 574.
After the expiration of the deadline a notice signed and issued by the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa and published today, November 14, 2022, stated “Pursuant to the publication by the Electoral Commission dated 13th & 17th October 2022, the General Public is hereby informed that the Registration Certificates of the under-listed Political Parties have been cancelled in accordance with Section 15 (3) (c) of the Political Parties Law, 2000 (Act 574) effective the 1st day of November, 2022.”
Below are the parties:
Democratic People’s Party (DPP) United Front Party (UFP) United Development System Party (UDSP) Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) Yes People’s Party (YPP) United Ghana Movement (UGM) Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) New Vision Party (NVP) Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP) Ghana National Party (GNP) Power Unity Party (PUP) United Progressive Party (UPP) Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD) People’s Action Party (PAP) United Renaissance Party (URP) National Reform Party (NRP) United Love Party (ULP)
The Moroccan Ambassador to Ghana, His excellency, Imane Ouadil has commended the President, Executives, and members of the Ghana Morocco Old students Association(GHAMOSA ) for using their knowledge and expertise to promote and strengthen the relationship between Ghana and Morocco.
Speaking at the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Association in Accra on 11th November 2022, she said the old students are one of the important investments of the Moroccan government in Ghana and investment in the future for the two countries and the African continent.
She noted that the 10th anniversary of the Ghana Morocco old students Association celebration which falls in November coincides with the celebration of two important dates for “ us Moroccans a few days ago the 6th of November that celebrates the Green March and pays tribute to the many who devoted their lives to liberate our Sahara. I am happy to celebrate all three events with you all tonight”.
She commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, and the King of Morocco, King Mohammed VI for working together to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. She also commended Ambassador Kwabena Anan former Ghana Ambassador to Morocco and Ambassador Tourougui, Former Morocco Ambassador to Ghana for their unflinching service to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
According to her, there has been an increase in student mobility from African countries as a result of the good cooperation agreements. “Currently, Morocco hosts more than 18,000 students from 47 African countries, enrolled in different Moroccan higher education public institutions such as the faculties of medicine and pharmacy, dentistry, science and technology, engineering sciences, commerce, and management technology, and translation.” She stated.
Ambassador Imane Ouadil noted that the influx of foreign students has been in the order of 4, 000 new students each year where Africans represent 63% of all entrants with the assumption of 95% as scholarship holders of the Moroccan government.
“I, therefore, want to commend the tremendous work done by the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation. you all know AMCI and its Director General, Ambassador Mohammed Methqal, who are working to broaden the fields of cooperation between Morocco and its sister African countries towards order to increase the number and type of beneficiaries of international cooperation programmes in number and type . Thanks to these efforts we have managed since 2019 to educate an additional 20 Ghanaian students for vocational training”, she noted.
“To underscore Morocco’s commitment to Africa and its youth, I quote King Mohamed VI ‘S speech from the 29th African Union Summit in 2017 when Morocco re-joined its institutional African Family. His Majesty said “the future of Africa depends on its youth; Africa’s young population underlines the urgency of orienting the demographic dividend towards the emergence of the continent. Africa, therefore, has an unexpected opportunity to benefit from a young, educated, and abundant workforce to fuel its economic growth”.
“Indeed Africa cannot be seen as a mere pool of opportunities. Africa needs to create and seize its own opportunities and generate its own wealth. I commend you, beneficiaries of Morocco government’s scholarship for stepping out of your comfort zone and moving to a new different country for years. While I hope the majority of your experience was enriching and exciting. I imagine there were also challenging days that made you nostalgic for home, for the nice Ghanaian dishes, yet you persevered. And when you returned to Ghana, you applied your experience in your respective fields to give back to your communities to make a difference” she said.
“I want to announce that we are currently processing the admission files of 97 Ghanaian candidates. that I hope will in a few years come back to contribute to the development of Ghana and to swell your ranks “, she added.
The event bought together high-level dignitaries like Honourable Stephen Yakubu, Upper West Regional Minister, Nii Kotey Amon II, Asere Dzaasetse of the Ga State, Hon Aliu Mahama, Member of Parliament for Yendi, representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Kwabena Anan among others, Guineas Ambassador to Ghana
In his presentation, the President of the Ghana Morocco Old Students Association, Peter Panyin Anamang, described the Ghana Morocco Old Students Association as a global coalition of young Ghanaian professionals trained in the Kingdom of Morocco and now integrated into various sectors of the Ghanaian economy and around the world.
He said over the last decade, the Association has undertaken many impactful activities which include Educational Conferences, Business exhibitions and Networking forums, Sports and Networking Festivals, and many others. These activities he said were to further strengthen the already existing bond between Ghana and Morocco.
He commended the king of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who revived the Ghana – Morocco relations and paved the way for Ghanaians to further their education in Morocco.
I would like to use this opportunity to thank His Excellency Ambassador Kobina Annan, Former Ghana Ambassador to Morocco, and Mrs. Ekua Annan. They have shown great commitment and provided guidance, encouragement, and support through every stage of the formation of this Association. On this special day, we say thank you!
We would also like to say special thanks to Ambassador Tourougui, former Moroccan Ambassador to Ghana, their deputies, and the staff of the Embassy for their partnership, trust, and respect, and for making the Embassy our home. A very special thanks to CIMAF Ghana and OCP Ghana for the partnership.
The Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, has described the uproar around the venue for the premiering of Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ latest expose on Galamsey as unfortunate.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas revealed 24 hours to the public showing of its new investigative piece on illegal mining titled ‘Galamsey Economy’, Tiger Eye P.I. that it has been prevented from screening the exposé at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
This was because the AICC which was the scheduled venue has become unavailable to the investigative media firm despite paying the charge which was increased by about 30 percent at the eleventh hour.
But in a rebuttal, the management of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) said the showing of the ‘Galamsey Economy’ documentary by Tiger Eye PI, headed by ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, will go on as scheduled at the center.
The management said the matter which resulted in rescheduling of the venue, has been resolved.
Speaking in an interview with host of Atinka FM’s AM Drive, Kaakyire Ofori Ayim, Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong said the confusion was unfortunate.
He also debunked the allegation that the earlier development was as a result of political interference.
He reiterated that the initial confusion was due to a scheduling conflict at the level of the AICC staff and not in any way a political decision as is being speculated.
“It’s a bit unfortunate, I mean the confusion between Tiger Eye PI and the AICC. But first and foremost, the issue was not in any way a political decision. The matter has been resolved. We have made contact with the organizers, and the event is expected to go on as scheduled today and tomorrow. “It had nothing to do with politics,” Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong told Kaakyire Ofori Ayim.
Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly(AMA), Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey has cautioned food vendors and handlers in Accra to abide by the high standards of food safety and hygiene to protect human health and avoid prosecution.
The Mayor of Accra said this on Friday in an address at the launch of a new branch of Nyonyo Canteen, a food service firm founded by Chichi Yakubu, a former HR professional at TNS, at the premises of the AMA Head Office named NyoNyo Kpatashi.
According to her, practicing good hygiene such as hand-washing, safer food handling, and food preparation methods, as well as keeping the cooking area cleaner would go a long way to protect the community against communicable food-borne diseases.
Th AMA from the beginning of the year had prosecuted over 50 food vendors for selling food under unhygienic conditions without adhering to high standards of hygiene and without health certificates to help reduce the high incidence and consequences of foodborne diseases in the city and ensure the best practices for the production and serving of wholesome food.
Hon Elizabeth KT Sackey disclosed that as part of efforts to ensure that food patronised and consumed in the city was safe, the Public Health Department of the AMA had made conscious efforts to create public awareness on the effects of unsafe food, screened food vendors, embarked on several inspections as well as enforcement exercises to ensure food safety within the Metropolis.
She also noted that the newly opened AMA branch would serve a variety of local dishes to customers in the city adding that customers would have the option to either dine in, take away or order to be delivered.
Founder of Nyonyo, Chichi Yakubu, in a remark expressed commitment to continue living up to standards of excellence and quality service delivery at all levels and promised the best culinary experience.
“For a restaurant to succeed, these five essential elements must be present: Ingredients, menu, atmosphere, Reputation, and service. By expertly fusing these components to create the ultimate eating experience, you can achieve the last one, but it depends on how effectively you execute the others. As a result, we promise you the best culinary experience on behalf of my staff. Although challenging, we’ll do our absolute best to execute it effectively, ” she said.
“To succeed in any industry, it truly needs tenacity and effort. And honestly, with the hikes in prices and cost of doing business, the food and catering industry is now an extreme spot especially if you aim to not only provide great food for your clients but to also give others employment opportunities and contribute to economic growth.
Due to our exceptional service over the years, we have earned the title of people’s “favourite neighbourhood restaurant” because of our reputation for offering soulful meals and top-notch customer service.
“We at Nyonyo don’t take the communities we work in nor the customers we serve for granted because we understand the consequences of that. So, to consistently achieve customer satisfaction, we take care to deliver on our promise to provide excellent catering services wrapped in quality service, professionalism, customer care, and precision in ensuring that all of our customers’ nutritional needs are met under safe and strictly hygienic conditions, ” she added.
The National Labour Commission (NLC) has appealed to labour unions and other well-meaning Ghanaians and organisations to support the commission with funds, fuel and other logistics.
According to the Executive Secretary, Ofosu Asamoah, the NLC has not received its budgetary allocation for 2022 though the year is almost over.
He told Alfred Ocansey on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show that the commission is understaffed with about sixty-nine (69) workers and only one lawyer who handles about one hundred and twenty (120) cases per month nationwide.
Mr. Asamoah also mentioned that if the government is not funding the commission, then it is imperative for labour unions, employers, and Ghanaians as a whole to take it up and fund the NLC just as some are contributing to the funding of the National Cathedral.
“People donate to the police, people contribute to other projects within their communities, why can’t we the workers who are likely to suffer injustices, wrongful dismal, unpaid salary and poor conditions of work contribute to the National Labour Commission?” Ofosu Asamoah quizzed
He admitted that NLC is 100% GOG funded but, however, workers are the ultimate beneficiaries of the work of the commission. They often petition and seek justice hence it is important for workers to ensure the effective running of the commission.
“The government is most of the time the respondent. The cases come from workers who are underpaid, from the media to the fuel pump attendant. Hardly does the government come against the workers, and at the end of the day, it is the individual workers who are the ultimate beneficiaries of our work” Mr. Asamoah noted.
The National Labour Commission is established under Part XVIII of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) to regulate the employment relationship in Ghana. Currently the commission handles an average of 120 labour cases monthly.
Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Gas Company Dr. Ben K.D Asante has disclosed that corporate private sector can only absorb students when the necessary tools are given to them before leaving school.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Gas Company was among the key speakers at the event to advise the youth to choose a career path for their future.
He was lauded for his contribution to the corporate sector and academia, advising students to have the interest in whatsoever they decide to pursue because if the interest is not there, a career path will become difficult.
According to the oil and gas engineer, the corporate private experience is totally different from that of school and authorities at the various universities must as a matter of seriousness adopt the school curriculum to encourage the students to be their own masters before they enter the corporate world.
“Students can get First Class but the corporate world is different. The corporate sector doesn’t have enough spot for everyone so make sure that you look within yourself. Your attributes you have is not intellectual property. So students can be better prepared to meet the industry targets.
“When you have to choose, be very sure you have the interest and your ability. Whatsoever you decide to do, be very sure you have the interest. Let say you decide to be an Uber driver, or a shoeshine person, don’t give up on your interest. Keep always at the back of your mind and keep pushing it to make sure that you get the available resources to be able to get the career of yours,” he emphasized.
He added: “Being on both sides, I see a long gap between industry and academia and that we need to bridge that gap. If industry realizes that you need academia to enhance their bottom-line, if academia also realize that they need the industry, then their need to look at their curriculum, in such a way that will address the needs of the industry.”
He also charged the industrial sector to go back to the schools to make sure that whatever their business plan or anything they do will cultivate enough intellectual blueprint to be able to expand or multiple.
“I sit on both KNUST and UG board and I tell them to try their effort to bring together the industry and academia.”
A coalition of other Eight Executive Members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from across all Eighteen (18) constituencies of the Volta region are calling for a united and stonger leadership front ahead of election 2024.
The group at a press briefing during the Volta Regional Delegates Conference of the party in Ho, Saturday, noted that the NDC needs each and everyone now more than ever to wrestle power from the NPP government.
The group christenened as VEM Forum (Volta Executive Members Forum) is thus urging the new crop of the party’s leadership in the Volta region to take steps to reconcile and bring all party folks on board to deliver victory for the party in 2024.
In a statement read by Bright Yaw Sachie on behalf of members, the group said, “regional aspirants must know that we all belong to one family. Therefore, the outcome of the elections today should not bring division but rather uniting together for the rescue mission in 2024.”
The group is also calling on the NDC to involve them more in the party’s activities in ensuring a well coordinated campaign for the elections.
“Other 8 members have been neglected for too long -they only use us for elections as if we are election machines but that must stop.”
“Therefore, we are urging the new regional aspirants that will emerge winners to involve us in the new administration because we have a role to play to rescue power from the clueless NPP government,” the group urged.
According to the group, the country is now at a crossroad amidst unbearable living conditions to which only the NDC can offer a solution.
To ensure electoral success for the party in 2024, VEM Forum has outlined a number of activities including campaign activities in market places, regular press engagements and door-to-door campaign across the Volta region.
The group also placed a further call on youth in the Volta region to join their train to canvass votes for the National Democratic Congress.
Ghanaian environmental activist Gideon Commey has taken the fight against illegal mining, also known as “galamsey”, to the climate change conference (COP27) at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
The founder of Ghana Youth Environmental Movement staged a one-man protest at the ongoing COP27 to draw the attention of the international community on what he describes as the government’s failure to tackle the galamsey menace.
“I staged the one-man protest at #COP27 yesterday as an activist who deeply cares about the climate, and a concerned Ghanaian citizen frustrated and angry at the current state of our water bodies and forests because of galamsey (illegal small-scale mining).
“The attention the video has received and overall support for the campaign has been overwhelming. This shows I spoke the minds of thousands of Ghanaians who are exhausted and feeling hopeless about the lack of conviction, leadership and action from our political leaders,” Commey posted on Facebook.
“This in turn gives me hope about what our youth can do if we rise, speak truth to power and hold leaders accountable. Thank you everyone! I’m also grateful to Collins Gameli Hodoli for providing me with direct support without which I wouldn’t have been successful yesterday,” he added.
