The ranking member for Works and Housing committee, Vincent Oppong Asamoah, has described the sale of the Saglemi housing project as ‘state capture’ as the beneficiaries will either be members of the government or their families.
According to Vincent Oppong Asamoah, they will resist any attempt by government to profit from poor taxpayers unduly as the government has not explained why the project should not be given to public or civil service but instead of some faceless people.
During a media tour of the abandoned million-dollar project by the minority in parliament, the side called on Ghanaians to join their call against government’s plans to dispose of the project.
“We call on all citizens, home and abroad to join the minority as we resist any attempt by the govemment to dispose of this project through an opaque arrangement that would only benefit a few friends and their families. Our nurses need homes, teaches need homes, the police need homes, drivers need homes, civil servants need homes.
“We are by this press briefing serving notice to government that we shall resist any attempt by faceless persons to profit from the poor taxpayer unduly. After all the loan was financed by the people, the poor worker and we are on the side of the masses in this struggle. The Saglemi Housing Project is certainly not for sale,” Mr Oppong Asamoah added.
He recommended that instead of the project being sold to faceless individuals, civil servants and the public should be allowed to enjoy the facility.
“In any case, if the government has decided to sell these homes built by a loan facility procured by the people of Ghana, shouldn’t the first option be to release them for use by our security services who are in dying need of accommodation? After all, that will go a long way to ameliorate the accommodation hustle at the various barracks.
“We the minority thought that the State Housing Company should be made to intervene and complete these houses and make them available for public servants to procure through the original financing arrangement of Ghana Home Loans mortgage financing. Should we always sell everything that belongs to Ghana and enjoy the proceeds today, like we have done to almost all state assets over years?” he said.
The Founder and Leader of the United Progressive Party(UPP) Akwasi Addai Odike says his party will be operational once again when the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensah leaves office after the defeat of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) in the 2024 election.
According to him, Jean Mensah whom he accuses of doing the NPP’s bidding unfairly revoked his party’s license because he’s a known critic of the ruling party.
The EC last week announced the termination of the registration certificates of 17 political parties.
In an advertiser’s announcement in the national dailies, the EC explained that the parties have failed to establish national and regional offices in the country.
The parties include; the United Progressive Party (UPP) led by Akwasi Addae, popularly known as Odike, the United Front Party (UFP), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the National Reform Party (NRP), the Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD).
The others are; the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), United Development System Party (UDSP), Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE), Yes People’s Party (YPP), United Ghana Movement (UGM), New Vision Party (NVP), Ghana Democratic-Republican Party (GDRP) and the Ghana National Party (GNP).
The rest are; the Power Unity Party (PUP), People’s Action Party (PAP), United Renaissance Party (URP), and the United Love Party (ULP).
But speaking on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV Tuesday, Akwasi Addai Odike indicated that he will contest the 2024 Presidential election as an Independent Candidate.
According to him, he will not let the unfair revocation of his party’s operating lincence by the Electoral Commission stop him from contesting the election, as he has good policies and programs to move Ghana forward should he be elected as next President.
“The EC Chairperson purposed in her heart that she’ll not allow me to contest the 2024 election, but the law allows me to contest as an independent candidate and that’s what I’ll do. The EC boss has revoked my party’s license but I strongly believe that the next EC boss who will come will restore my party’s license. This woman will not stay in office beyond 2024 when the NPP loses the election. No party apart from the NPP can work with her because she only does the NPP’s bidding. So, I know she’s knocked us down for only two years, after that UPP will bounce back strongly.”
Ten students of Agogo State Senior High School in the Ashanti Akim North District of the Ashanti Region have been mercilessly beaten by teachers for fetching water outside the school campus.
According to the students, they went to the community near the school to fetch water following water shortage on the campus, and while returning to the campus, the teachers numbering about six called them into a staff room and flogged them.
The students after being beaten went home and were sent to the hospital for treatment by their parents.
The students told Abusua FM reporter, King, that this wasn’t the first time such inhumane treatment had been meted out to students for doing no wrong, adding that the teachers are fond of maltreating them.
Some parents in an interview expressed displeasure over the conduct of the teachers and asked the Ghana Education Service to reprimand the teachers.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) in 2019 banned any form of corporal punishment in primary and secondary schools all over Ghana.
In a statement issued by the then Deputy Director General of GES, Anthony Boateng, said teachers are expected to use alternative sanctions as measures for correcting students in schools.
“This is in view of the Positive Discipline Toolkit containing positive and constructive alternatives to correcting children was developed in 2016 as a component of the Safe Schools Resource Pack.”
The statement added that “apart from the physical pain corporal punishment inflicts on children, this approach also causes significant emotional damage. Some of the lasting effects of this method of disciplining school children include physical scars, emotional scars (trauma, fear, timidity etc.) and violent behaviour.”
Steps suggested in the toolkit to address student behaviour include setting class rules with students, encouraging them to be of good behaviour, getting students to recite statements periodically to confirm their adherence to standards of behaviour set for the classroom.
They also include explaining to the child why a particular behaviour he or she has exhibited is unacceptable.
The toolkit also recommended punishments such as withdrawal of responsibility or removal from a leadership position, cleaning, changing of seating position, assignment of extra tasks and writing of lines, eg. A full book of “I will never talk in class again.”
Staff of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region have served notice that they will reject any appointment of non-permanent staff of the Hospital as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
This comes on the back of speculations within the premier hospital that the President in consultation with Ashanti Regional Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is considering announcing the appointment of Prof. Okyere Addai Mensah as a successor to the retired CEO Dr. Oheneba Owusu Danso.
The said notice from the staff read: “No KATH staff, No CEO; We are capable of managing our own affairs”
Dr. Oheneba Owusu Danso retired last week after serving the referral facility for over 3 decades.
The National Council of Elders and national leadership of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are set to hold a crunch meeting with members of parliament on the ticket of the party at 5pm today, Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
The meeting with the MPs who form the Majority Caucus of the current parliament is to discuss their demand for the removal of the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, from office.
Amidst their threats to boycott the minister’s presentation of the 2023 budget slated for Thursday, the leadership of the ruling party, according to a report by Myjoyonline.com, has scheduled to meet the MPs at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.
The aim of the meeting, according to the report, is to address the concerns of the MPs and pave the way for a smooth presentation of the budget in parliament.
Amidst public demands for the removal of Ken Ofori-Atta, some members of the Majority Caucus at a recent press conference echoed the demand for his removal, citing the current state of the Ghanaian economy among other issues.
Out of the over 130 members of the Majority Caucus, some 98 of the MPs have announced their intent to boycott the 2023 budget presentation if Mr Ofori-Atta is allowed to make the presentation.
“We’ve gone back to (our demand for the President to) sack him now and therefore should the budget be presented under the stamp of the Finance Minister, we’ll not participate because as far as we’re concerned, we’re never going to do business with him,” a spokesperson of the 98 MPs, Andy Appiah Kubi who is also the MP for Asante Akyem North recently said in a media interview.
The minority side in parliament has indicated that it will not approve any further loan agreement by the government of Ghana in Parliament.
According to the minority, the approval of further loans will worsen the debt situation in the country.
Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman Constituency Thomas Nyarko Ampem said in an interview that “Government of Ghana has brought a loan agreement for us to approve and three different loans agreement. One for two hundred million dollars and two each for one hundred and fifty million dollars. We have taken a very simple decision that looking at our debt situation we are unable to support further approvals for further loans because believe that if you are in a hole you don’t continue to dig further.”
He added that the minority is waiting for the Minister of Finance to give a clear path that government has taken to ensure the country is out of the current debt situation otherwise the minority will not support any additional loans.
The gaming industry is basically the practice involved in the monetization, development, and marketing of video games.
Practicing these three requires a ton of human effort, which results in creating an enormous amount of jobs throughout the globe.
In a few years, the gaming industry in Ghana has grown from focussing on particular customers to the mainstream markets.
Let us explore some basic facts about the gaming industry in Ghana, its market value, and its growth over the years.
History of Gaming Industry in Ghana
The history of Ghana’s gaming industry is almost 50 years old, even older than some of the gaming platforms. Majorly the whole gaming industry is operated under three acts: the 1960 Betting Lottery Act, the 1973 Gambling Machines Act, and the Casino Licensing Act. Digitalization is progressing rapidly in Ghana, helping the entire gaming industry to introduce new laws and regulations in favor of gamers. Currently, the gaming industry in Ghana is regulated under the Ministry of Interior, which was established under the Gaming Act 2006. This act allows all kinds of gaming in the entire country except lottery.
Contribution of the Gaming Industry to Ghana’s Economy
Today anyone can enjoy online games no matter if you have $10 or millions. The gaming industry in Ghana contributes in so many ways to the country’s economy. It supports Ghana’s economy by increasing overall business sales and providing gaming taxes. In the last decade, the gaming industry in Ghana managed to get amazing growth. This directly contributed to the country’s economy. Over the years, online gaming has reached throughout the country and contributed a lot to its economy.
With the advancement of technology, gamers can now play games on their computers, mobile phones, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and various other devices. This directly increased the demand for these gaming setups in the market resulting in business expansion. The main source through which a gaming company generates revenue is advertising and taking percentages in the winning amount. They also charge some fees for downloading the game and buying a membership.
Future of Ghana’s Gaming Market
Ghana’s gaming market is growing amazingly, giving hope for a promising future. As the industry grows, online gaming companies like 22Bet will offer amazing discounts and offers to attract new gamers. These approaches will motivate the mass and help transform Ghana’s gaming industry into Africa’s gaming hub. The public of Ghana is adopting cloud-based technologies and software technologies very quickly, and it has led to an increase in internet awareness. This directly helps in increasing the gaming trends among the public of Ghana.
Based on certain studies, the gaming industry of Ghana will show enormous growth during 2021-27. During the lockdown period, people spent more time at their homes which led to an increase in the usage of interest in playing online games. Due to the increase in the number of mobile users in the country, the gaming industry is going to experience growth in upcoming years. This will lead to an impressive increase in the revenue just by the mobile segment users.
Objectives of Online Gaming Regulators
The gaming commission solely focuses on controlling, regulating, and monitoring all kinds of gaming services allowed in overall Ghana. Below is a list of objectives and practices of the gaming commission in Ghana :
Decides and makes the required proposals needed to improve the facilities provided by the gaming industry.
Provides licensing to the qualified companies interested in providing games to the mass.
When needed, it serves as a body providing advice to the government on topics related to gaming in the country.
Takes care of all the complaints and issues raised by the gaming companies and the players.
Maintain and ensure that all the licensed gaming companies are keeping the minimum bankroll implemented by the government.
Gaming Commission of Ghana: Vision & Goals
The main vision of The Gaming Commission of Ghana is to maintain the integrity and reputation of the online gaming industry in the country. By doing this, they want to make Ghana’s gaming industry a world-class gaming market. The operators follow every law imposed by the government and focus on not violating any of them. The gaming industry also puts effort into supporting the country economically.
In order to do so, the gaming market increases the business of selling, buying, importing, and exporting goods related to gaming. They are also focusing on providing access to play and participate in online games to the citizens of Ghana. Here are some goals of the Gaming Commission of Ghana:
Making the gaming industry’s customer service effective and available for each gamer.
Maintain a healthy and regulatory environment between the gaming industry and the players along with following the laws of government.
Inform their users about the changes in rules and regulations made by the committee.
Promote and advertise the fair and equal for everyone kind of gaming environment throughout the country.
Lawyer Maurice Ampaw has taken a swipe at former President John Dramani Mahama and leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after the party won the election petition against their Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo -Toffey.
Ampaw said that Mahama and other leading members of the NDC have been castigating the court, saying that it is biased towards the government, but the party winning the Jomoro election petition proves that courts work with the laws of the country.
“I was not surprised by the ruling … this shows that if you are not diabolic and if you don’t politicize the judiciary, you will realise that the judges use the laws of the country, truth and evidence to work.
“So, I am not surprised that the judge after interrogating the witness, has declared the Jomoro MP as duly elected.
“I commend the NDC lead them and the MP for their victory. But their legal team should go and tell John Mahama and NDC apparatchiks like Ofosu-Ampofo, Asiedu Nketiah that the court that Mahama described as an NPP court, a 7-0 court is the same court that gave them victory,” he said in Twi.
Lawyer Ampaw, who made these remarks in a Nsem Pii interview, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, added that the NDC’s jubilation over winning the petitions shows they are hypocrites because they only praise the court when they win cases.
An election petition case against the Member of Parliament for the Jomoro constituency, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, was struck out by the Sekondi High Court.
This comes after a citizen, Joshua Emuah Kofie, went to court to challenge the eligibility of the MP to contest as a representative of the people in the constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on grounds that she had multiple nationalities, including American and Ivorian citizenships, which is against the 1992 Constitution.
The Sekondi High Court presided over by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere dismissed the case on grounds that the MP was eligible to contest as she lost her Ivorian citizenship at the very time, she acquired her Ghanaian citizenship.
In regards to her American citizenship, the MP denied having American citizenship.
The case has been in court for over 20 months since she was elected to represent the people of Jomoro constituency.
Top guns of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), were in attendance at the Sekondi High Court when the verdict of the election petition case involving Member of Parliament, Dorcas Affo-Toffey was delivered.
The case which had been ongoing for close to two years was decided when the court presided over by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere dismissed the case on grounds that the MP was eligible to contest.
The court held that she lost her Ivorian citizenship at the very time she acquired her Ghanaian citizenship, thus, there was no merit in the petition seeking to annul her election on the basis of her having dual citizenship.
GhanaWeb checks indicated that about half a dozen Members of Parliament were around to lend their support to their colleague. Among them were Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, James Agalga, Teddy Nana Yaw, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe and Emmanuel Armah Buah.
The embattled Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson – who is also battling a citizenship case – was also in attendance.
Other party bigwigs present included Kofi Totobi Quakyi and former Attorney General Marietta Brew-Oppong.
The petition which the victorious MP described later as ‘frivolous’ and a ‘distraction’ was filed by one Joshua Emuah Kofie, who was challenging the eligibility of the MP to contest as a representative of the people in the constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He submitted that she had multiple nationalities, including American and Ivorian citizenships, which is against the 1992 Constitution.
While the court determined that she did not have Ivorian citizenship at the time of filing and contesting in 2020, the MP denied having American citizenship.
The case has been in court for over 20 months since she was elected to represent the people of the Jomoro constituency.
Two officers of the police MTTD have been captured in a video physically assaulting a male suspect to a pulp at Asankrangwa in the Western North region over a bag they suspected contained marijuana (weed).
The suspect was said to be in the company of another man at the back of a Pragya tricycle which was stopped at Asankrangwa Newtown, between Asankrangwa and Asankran-Odumasi.
The Asankrangwa Divisional Police Command MTTD personnel enquired about the owner of a bag at the back of the Pragya.
Though the suspect was hastily deemed to be the owner, he vehemently denied ownership but was brutalized by the men in uniform while some residents watched on and rather blamed the suspect for not admitting the allegation and plead to be set free.
The tricycle rider and the passenger were allowed to go free.
The incident happened on Saturday, 19th November 2022 around 11am. The Pragya rider was stopped by one Inspector Prince Awuah and another.
Checks indicate the police offers are stationed at Asankrangwa Police station.
The hard economic times are now being reflected by the dwindled offerings in church, former President John Mahama has observed and urged Christians to pray for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and him for “rescue” Ghana from the current “suffering”.
At the 175th-anniversary thanksgiving service of the E.P Church in Ho, Volta Region, Mr Mahama urged Christians to be generous with the little they have since times are hard.
“We must always spread Christian love, especially in this time, when money doesn’t like noise”, he told the church, stressing: “Especially, at this time when we all agree that times are hard”.
“This is the time we must show our Christian charity by loving our neighbours as ourselves”, Mr Mahama urged.
“And, so, whatever little you have to share, you should share with your neighbour”, he told Christians.
Using an appeal for funds event at the church as the litmus test of the economic hardships, Mr Mahama pointed out: “I mean, we could tell the hardship in the system from the appeal for funds”.
“When it was GH¢2,000, madam chair and a few people came and donated. Then it came down to ¢1,000, then to ¢500, then to ¢200 and ¢100”.
“And when it got to the silver collection, ¢1, ¢2, the place was full, it shows that the pocket was not too good”, he observed.
He then told the church, which had on its schedule, a prayer session for Christians in Pakistan: “After we pray for Pakistan, Moderator should also say a special prayer for me and for the NDC so that, in some year that is just coming, luck will smile on us, God will smile on us and give us the power to come and rescue this country from the suffering we are going through”.
Ghana is currently experiencing an economic crisis which President Nana Akufo-Addo has acknowledged, forcing him to address the nation on Sunday, 30 October 2022 about measures being put in place by his administration to fix the problem.
The President of the Ghana Road Contractors Association of Ghana, John Afful, says most road projects in the country have stalled due to the non-payment of funds for already executed projects.
Ghanaians over the last few months have complained bitterly over the deteriorating nature of most roads in the country and some road projects which have been abandoned.
Despite some road projects progressing smoothly, several other roads have not received any facelift in the last few years, despite the government declaring 2021 as the year of roads.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, November 22, Mr Afful said the failure of the Ministry of Roads and Highways to pay contractors has saddled them with huge debts.
“Most road projects have stalled, and the contractors are not on-site, mainly because of non-payment of previous work done. If you go to the Road Fund of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, you will notice that there are huge arrears not paid to the contractors from as far back as 2016,” Mr Afful told sit-in host Nathan Quao.
He added, “It is something that is very worrisome that we are chasing, so when people go around, and they find out the projects are not being done, it is mainly because the projects are not being paid for, and it has affected all contractors in the country, and they have huge debts to pay.”
But the head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Ahmed Yartey, in a reaction said claims that all Government of Ghana-funded projects have stalled are not entirely factual.
According to him, some GoG-funded projects are progressing smoothly, however, due to inflation and increasing cost of living some projects have stalled.
“I can also say that about 95 percent of the asphalt overlay you see around are GoG-funded projects and not foreign-funded projects.”
Mr Yartey also admitted that some contractors are struggling with non-payment of already executed projects, but added that the government is putting in place measures to pay the contractors.
“Some local contractors are struggling, I will not say it is not a fact some are going through it…prices have gone up, prices of bitumen are up and all those things affect road construction and the capital of contractors.”
A leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has described as refreshing a decision by a High Court to dismiss a suit challenging the election of Jomoro Member of Parliament, Dorcas Affo-Toffey.
According to him, the decision by the court among other things is a clear indication of the fairness of the judiciary system of Ghana.
“Congrats! It is refreshing to be amply reminded that the legal system works! That, Lady Justice remains blind,” Mr Otchere-Darko wrote in a tweet in reaction to NDC member, Joyce Bawa Mogtari’s celebration of the court’s decision.
The opposition National Democratic Congress has over the period accused the bench of being bias against the party.
Some NDC members have cited the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the party’s petition against the 2020 presidential election result to back their claim.
However, the Sekondi High Court on Monday, November 21, 2022, dismissed a petition against the NDC Member of Parliament for Jomoro.
The case which had been ongoing for close to two years was decided when the court, presided over by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere dismissed the case on grounds that the MP was eligible to contest.
The court held that she lost her Ivorian citizenship at the very time she acquired her Ghanaian citizenship, thus, there was no merit in the petition seeking to annul her election on the basis of her having dual citizenship.
The petition was filed by one Joshua Emuah Kofie, who was challenging the eligibility of the MP to contest as a representative of the people in the constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He submitted that she had multiple nationalities, including American and Ivorian citizenships, which is against the 1992 Constitution.
While the court determined that she did not have Ivorian citizenship at the time of filing and contesting in 2020, the MP denied having American citizenship.
Congrats! It is refreshing to be amply reminded that the legal system works! That, Lady Justice remains blind. https://t.co/xmsC29EbfY
Statistics available at the Right To Information (RTI) Commission indicate that 247 information were requested by citizens/individuals in public institutions in 2021.
This, according to the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, is a 974 percent increase from 23 requests made in 2020″, adding that statistics for 2022 could even be higher.
He said, “this is a clear indication that there has been an increased interest in the use of RTI law to access information and hold public institutions accountable for their work”.
Mr Boateng has, therefore, charged public institutions with the right to information law to facilitate access to information to avoid being taken on legally, saying “the RTI law allows citizens to hold duty bearers accountable to provide information”.
He was addressing the opening ceremony of a two-day induction and orientation of RTI officers of the Lands Commission selected from the 16 regions of the country.
The implementation of the RTI law, he said, was an important milestone in the quest for building an enlightened and prosperous society.
“RTI has become a tool to advance our democracy to improve participatory development…you should, therefore, be proactive to disclose information and be aware that giving out false information can land you into trouble”.
He told them that they were not necessarily the information holders and that they should be smart to know where to find the information that an individual would be requiring and also be transparent.
“You should be transparent to make information available as access to public information is seen as an important step towards strengthening democracy, good governance, public service, and long-term development”.
Mr Evans Mamphey, Head of Human Resources of Lands Commission, told the staff that they were, by law, supposed to give out information within the confines of the law to the public.
He urged them to be abreast of the RTI law to be able to discharge their duties accordingly.
Dr Nafisa Mahama, Head of the Access To Information (ATI) Division of the Ministry of Information, observed that some government officials kept the information as their personal property.
According to her, once they are generating information with public funds, “it is not a bonafide property of anyone, but a property of the institutions or organisations.
She cautioned them to be careful because “failure or non-compliance with the provisions or obligations authorised by the Act constitutes gross misconduct and attracts imposition of administrative penalty from the RTI Commission”.
In view of that, she said the Information Ministry had collaborated with the RTI Commission to embark on sensitisation of public institutions to be adequately prepared and test to deliver satisfactorily.
An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to Joseph Ofosu, a 47-year-old, in the sum of GH¢150,000.00 with three sureties, two to be in the jurisdiction and to be justified.
The accused person was charged with fraudulent transaction of land, contrary to section 277(2)(a) of the Land Act 2020, (ACT 1036).
The court presided over by Mrs. Afia Owusua Appiah adjourned the matter to December 7, 2022.
The court also asked the prosecution to file and serve all disclosures and witness statements on the accused person.
Inspector Cyrus E. Conduah told the court that the complainant in the case was Isabelle Odartey-Wellington, a businesswoman, while Mr Ofosu was an estate agent.
It said Madam Odartey-Wellington, who was looking for a piece of land to buy in December 2021, came into contact with Ofosu and he offered the woman two plots of land for sale at Pantang at the price of GH¢360,000.00.
The prosecution said Ofosu told Madam Odartey-Wellington, he was authorized to sell the land by the Afutu Brempong Family.
It said Madam Odartey-Wellington went ahead to make enquires about the said family and got to know that the land in the area belonged to them and decided to make a part-payment of GH¢194,500.00 to Ofosu.
The prosecution said Madam Odartey-Wellington went on the land to start her development but was driven away from the land by another claimant, who told her the Afutu Brempong family had sold the land to him some years back.
It said Madam Odartey-Wellington called Ofosu and informed him about her encounter and he started avoiding her phone calls.
Five suspects made up of three Nigerian nationals and 2 Ghanaians have been re-arrested after attempting to escape police custody.
The escapees were in detention following their arrest for various offences such as stealing mobile phones, and air-conditioners among others.
According to a Dailyguidenetwork.com report, the suspects made their move on Monday, November 21, 2022, at about 1 am with the help of a chisel and a hammer.
Their attempt was in a bid to evade court arraignment within the week.
The suspects succeeded in breaking the iron bars of the cell but saw their efforts thwarted by the officers on duty who became alarmed by the unusual noise emanating from the cells.
The Awutu Bereku Police Command has since rounded up the suspects and transferred them to a different police station for safekeeping pending their trial.
Former President John Dramani Mahama will today engage Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in the country over Ghana’s prevailing economic crisis.
The meeting will afford the 2020 flagbearer of the NDC the opportunity to listen to the perspectives of CSOs on the challenges and possible solutions for the governance deficits and economic challenges confronting the country.
The said meeting will come off at 10:30 am at the Miklin Hotel, East Legon.
The second largest cocoa producer is currently experiencing economic crisis acknowledged by President Akufo-Addo in his national address on the economy last month.
Ghana is negotiating a program of up to $3 billion with the International Monetary Fund(IMF).
The Deputy General-Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, has suggested that should the government fail to meet the demands of organized labour in the ongoing wage negotiation, workers would begin to regulate their working days.
According to him, taking into consideration the prevailing harsh economic conditions and the low salaries they receive from government, should government fail to upward adjust their base pay by 60%, they would start working fewer days.
He explained that working five days a week under these strenuous economic conditions has taken a huge toll on workers and thus it is only reasonable that the government heeds their request or prepare to accommodate fewer working days for workers.
“So if I’m negotiating with you and you’re unable to be fair, you’re unable to be truthful to yourself to tell us what is in the kitty? Who is taking what? And you tell us the economy is bad and there’s no money, government cannot pay, government cannot afford, then I’m inclined to go with brother Carbonu by saying that okay then we can also say that we’ll stay at home and come to work once in a week or twice in a week.
“Because somebody taking 500 cedis and paying transport of more than 1200 per month, how do you expect that person to come to work every day? How do you expect that person even to get something to eat after paying for the transportation? A family of two; a wife a husband and maybe two kids, how will they live in this very country?
“So all these are the things that are very real in the face of Ghanaian workers and it’s enough. And it is time that we try to bring practicality to bear. The ‘no money’, ‘no money’ syndrome, government cannot afford the ability to pay these things must be looked up once again.
“We don’t think this is the time for government to tell us the money is not there and there’s no way to [pay us] then if the money is not there, let us find a way of regulating our work whether to come to work once in a week, twice in a week and so on and so forth to commensurate the money that we’re being paid,” he said.
Organised Labour has proposed a 60 percent increment in base pay for the year 2023 as they begin negotiations with the government.
In a letter signed by TUC General Secretary, Dr. Yaw Baah and Isaac Bampoe Addo, Chairman of the forum of Public Sector Workers, Organised Labour cited the rising inflation and the 15% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) granted on the National Daily Minimum Wage as grounds for their proposal.
“Due to the inflationary trends and the fact that 15% COLA has been granted on the National Daily Minimum Wage (NDMw). We humbly propose that a 60% increase on the 2022 Base Pay should be considered,” a portion of the letter read.
According to Organised Labour, a huge gap has been created between the National Daily Minimum Wage and the Base Pay as a result of accepting COLA instead of normal salary increase and granting increases in the National Daily Minimum Wage.
The group said currently, the 2022 daily Base Pay on the 2022 Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) is 16.26% below the 2022 daily minimum wage.
“In order to close the gap and restore the 10% point with respect to the National Daily Minimum Wage (NDMW), the daily Base Pay for 2023 should be GH¢l4.88 plus 10% which is GH¢16.37,” Organised Labour said.
They, therefore, want the annual Base Pay on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) for 2023 to be increased to GH¢5,303.23 from the current GH¢3,672.84.
The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) suspects that government has taken an entrenched position on its industrial action.
National President of CETAG, Prince Obeng Hemang tells Citi News, the Association was waiting to hold engagements with the National Labour Commission (NLC), today, Tuesday, November 22, 2022, only to receive a late invitation on Monday to rather engage with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.
This according to the National President has put CETAG in a dilemma and a potentially contemptuous situation.
He told Citi News, they are yet to decide whether or not to attend the meeting with the Ministry.
“The technicality of we appearing before the Minister when we have been summoned before the NLC -as to whether we wouldn’t be in contempt for seeking to do that arbitration without the express permission of the Commission is something we are seeking advice from our counsel to see whether we are even supposed to proceed with going for that meeting.”
The teaching and non-teaching staff of Colleges of Education are on an industrial strike over the Government’s failure to implement their agreed 2022 conditions of service, as enumerated below:
1. Failure of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to make available to CETAG and CENTSAG a draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which clearly captures what the parties mutually agreed on at the end of our negotiations for us to study before proceeding to sign off.
2. Unilateral variation of the effective date of CETAG’s 2021 Conditions of Service (CoS) by FWSC from 1st January 2022 to 1st January 2023 contrary to the Rules of Engagement for the negotiations.
3. Unilateral determination of April 2023 by the FWSC as effective date for placing First Degree Holders of CENTSAG on 17H on the SSSS, contrary to the Rules of Engagement for the negotiations.
4. Undue delay of the Ministry of Education to give approval for the payment of compensation for the all-year-round work to staff of the colleges of education.
5. Unfair retrospective deduction of office holding allowances paid to some members of CENTSAG and CETAG by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD).
6. Deliberate variation of Fuel, Vehicle Maintenance and Off-Campus allowances of CETAG and CENTSAG members as compared to our counterparts in other analogous institutions in the face of rising cost of fuel prices in the country.
Akka Kappa, one of Ghana’s prime real estate and property management experts, has been adjudged the Best Real Estate Agency Single Office in Ghana at the International Property Awards in Dubai.
The award-winning real estate firm has a committed team of professionals with over 50 years of combined experience.
Akka Kappa distinguishes itself through its values of ethos, experience, and professionalism, establishing itself as one of the key industry leaders in the Ghanaian market.
This award is one of several recognitions Akka Kappa has garnered. They rightfully also won at the African Property Awards, Real Estate, 2022-2023, and the 5-star Award for Best Real Estate Agency Single Office, Ghana.
In her acceptance speech, Managing Director of Akka Kappa, Jolanda Castagna, emphasised the positive relationships her company has with its customers and expressed gratitude for their support over the years.
“We are so humbled and so grateful to have received this wonderful award from International Property Awards! Without the hard work of our team, we wouldn’t have been able to get to where we are. A special thanks also to our Akka Kappa Friends for their trust and support with new listings, exclusive agreements, and continuous referrals. You played a huge part in our success, and thanks to this, we will be able to bring you an even better service going forward,” she said.
Akka Kappa specialises in single-family homes, commercial spaces, and large-scale developments, assisting individuals in finding the right property in a growing real estate market like Ghana.
The company offers a wide range of services, including sales and lettings, property management, and construction consultancy. They are constantly looking for new ways to improve their service in order to delight their customers.
Their services are tailored to directly address the challenges a customer may encounter.
In the near future, the company intends to achieve recognition as one of the greatest real estate service providers not only in Ghana but throughout West Africa. In order to achieve their mission, Akka Kappa is committed to providing clients with world-class service, ensuring the happiness and motivation of their dream team, and keeping their brand competitive and proactive.
The Akka Kappa team is excited and eager to participate in the upcoming regional nomination award event scheduled for January 2023, where the best performers in the Africa and Arabia region (those who have received the 5-star awards) are recognised. It will be held in London and will crown the best real estate agency on each continent/region.
The employees of the Twitter Africa office in Ghana have initiated steps to take legal action against their employer, Elon Musk, over the imbalance in the severance pay they have been offered.
This is in comparison to other colleagues of the microblogging site in other parts of the world, like the United States, where a proper outline of severance packages have been offered to the sacked employees.
It would be recalled that at the start of November 2022, just a few days after the Twitter Africa office started physical operations from its location in Accra, all the staff of the office received termination notifications via their personal emails.
The CNN’s Larry Madowo reported that this was so because the Twitter Africa staff had been locked out of their work emails as well as from accessing their working machines.
“The company is reorganizing its operations as a result of a need to reduce costs. It is with regret that we’re writing to inform you that your employment is terminating as a result of this exercise.
“Your last day of employment will be 4th December, 2022. You will be placed on garden leave until your termination date,” the termination notices to them on November 4 read.
The earlier story also indicated that unlike other staff of Twitter in other locations of the world, the Africa staff received no indications of severances.
“At least for the African staff, that email did not even mention them by name; it just said ‘see attached.’ And even though Elon Musk said everybody who got fired would be getting at least three months severance above the law – that’s in the US, those in Africa office didn’t get a next step, or if they’re going to get any severance at all, which some lawyers in Ghana are now pointing out could be a violation of Ghanaian employment law,” Larry Madowo added.
But in an updated report by the CNN, it has said that the displeased sacked Africa staff want fairness in the severances they are being offered.
The staff have since taken a lawyer who is on the verge of suing the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, over this matter, Larry has said.
“They are asking to be treated the same way Twitter treated employees who were departing in the US and Europe; they want three months severance pay like Elon promised and other relevant benefits: stock investing, continued healthcare, and that sort of thing.
“But they feel that’s not happened; they have not been treated the same way as everyone at Twitter,” he stated.
The journalist also reported that it was only after the CNN’s first report on this subject that Twitter offered the Africa staff a severance pays.
He added that the team got personal emails that claimed to give them what they called “Ghana mutual separation agreement and it offered a certain figure. They say this email claims to have been arrived at after a negotiation with the staff but they say they have actually never negotiated with anyone at Twitter.
“In fact, they don’t even have a way to contact anyone at Twitter because their emails keep bouncing back. So, they’ve rejected that severance pay offer, they have hired a lawyer and have written a demand notice to Twitter, asking Twitter to comply with Ghanaian employment laws.”
The Africa staff of Twitter have also petitioned the Ministry of Employment in Ghana to compel Twitter to do the right thing, he added.
Here is a portion of that notice to the authorities in Ghana:
“It is clear that Twitter, under Elon Musk, is either deliberately or recklessly flouting the laws of Ghana, is operating in bad faith and in a manner that seeks to silence and intimidate former employees into accepting any terms unilaterally thrown at them.
“Without pressure from higher authorities, they are clearly not willing to provide a fair or just package in order to minimize the hardship of this takeover and resulting loss of jobs on their workforce in Africa.”
It is worth mentioning that the Twitter Africa staff includes some employees who were hired from Nigeria and other countries and they want to be paid to move back to their countries.
Fitch Solutions has projected that Ghana’s cedi will continue to depreciate until the first quarter of 2023.
According to the international research firm, inferring from previous studies of the Ghana cedi, it is likely that the cedi will continue depreciating till an IMF programme is secured.
In its latest article on Ghana published on November 14, Fitch said: “Our view is further informed by the fact that previous periods of significant exchange rate weakness in Ghana all lasted roughly 12-14 months suggesting that the cedi will continue to depreciate into the Q123 (the current sell-off started in January 2022). This keeps inflation high, weighing on living standards and eroding support for the government.”
Fitch also projected an increase in strikes and protests due to the increasing cost of living in the country.
“While we expect to see an uptick in protests against austerity measures that would likely be implemented under an IMF programme, we do not believe they will threaten the overall stability of the government. This is factored into our Short-Term Political Risk Index, in which Ghana scores 62.0 out of 100 (a higher score implies lower risk), above the Sub-Saharan African average of 50.3,” Fitch added.
Fitch Solutions also projected that in the possible event of the removal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund will not be affected.
According to Fitch, this is because the next person tipped to be Ofori-Atta’s replacement is Mark Assibey-Yeboah who it believes “would take a more accommodative approach towards negotiations with the Fund.”
Patrons of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) market introduced by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture are calling on government to make available, a variety of foodstuffs.
According to them, plantain is not the only commodity they consume.
“Bring rice, kontomire, cocoyam, yam why have you brought only plantain without others?” they requested.
The patrons made the request when a mobile version of the PFJ market made a stop at Circle (Kwame Nkrumah Interchange), Obra Spot on Monday.
The market which has been running for nearly two weeks has offered only plantain for sale.
However, the patrons suggest that the Ministry should bring some of the foodstuffs whose prices have become unbearable at the local markets.
“We want rice and oil. Those items are expensive,” they said.
But special Advisor to the Agric Minister, George Oduro says government is working to add more food items to its basket.
According to him, other foodstuffs are available at the Agric Ministry.
“When we started, we have done plantain, yam, oil rice, kontonte and we keep on adding,” he said.
British troops are expected to arrive in Ghana after their withdrawal from Mali following the involvement of Russian mercenaries in the fight against terrorism in the country and the growing strength of jihadist groups in the area.
In view of this, British ministers are expected to arrive in Ghana to throw their support behind the Accra Initiative and reach a new security agreement which will position Ghana and by extension Burkina Faso as the new frontline against jihadist terrorism.
This was contained in a news article by the Telegraph.
The UK Minister for Armed Forces, James Heappey is expected to arrive in Accra to try and carve out a new security policy to curb the southward trajectory of the jihadists who are currently pillaging and laying siege to entire towns in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire all signed up to the Accra Initiative in 2017. This a coalition which aims at stopping insecurity spilling over their borders from the Sahel.
Background from BBC
Last week, the UK’s Defence Minister James Heappey announced that it was withdrawing troops from Mali earlier than planned due to political instability in the country.
Since 2020, around 300 British soldiers had been in the country as part of a UN mission to protect the local population from Islamist extremism.
Mr Heappey said two coups in Mali in three years had “undermined” efforts.
He also attacked the current Malian government for working with the Russian mercenary group Wagner.
“The Wagner Group is linked to mass human rights abuses and the Malian government’s partnership with the Wagner Group is counterproductive to lasting stability and security in their region,” he told MPs.
The operation in Mali had been described as “the most dangerous peacekeeping mission in the world” and 288 UN soldiers have lost their lives there since 2013.
While in the region, British troops had conducted long-range reconnaissance patrols against Islamist militant groups in the area such as al-Qaeda and Islamic state.
The UK is the latest country to pull its troops from Mali, with France formally ending its decade-long presence last week.
French troops had been in Mali at the request of the then-government, however, since seizing power in 2020, Mali’s military rulers have fallen out with France and have instead turned to Russia to help in their fight against Islamist insurgents who are wreaking havoc across much of the country.
There are widespread and credible reports that Russia’s Wagner group of mercenaries has been helping Mali, although this has never been officially acknowledged by either Russia or Mali.
However, human rights groups have accused the Russians working with Mali’s army of atrocities, such as the killing of around 300 civilians in April.
Meanwhile, the Islamist insurgency, which was the soldiers’ justification for taking power has only gotten worse.
More than 4,000 people have been killed in the past year and many parts of the country are outside the control of Mali’s military junta.
The 98 MPs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have reacted to the Finance Minister’s decision to present the 2023 budget despite their demand that he should resign or be sacked.
According to the lawmakers, they would stick to their decision to boycott the budget presentation and other Finance Ministry-related business if Ken Ofori-Atta is not sacked.
Last Friday, Mr Ofori-Atta in an interview with JoyNews confirmed that he will present the 2023 budget on Thursday, despite the request by the NPP MPs.
He further stated that he had not been officially informed about the threat of the 98 NPP MPs.
Reacting to this, the MP for Asante Akim North, who is the spokesperson for the group, said the Minister’s response to their concerns is unfortunate.
Mr. Andy Appiah-Kubi further noted that the Majority Group has lost confidence in the Minister.
He added that Mr Ofori-Atta should have resigned long ago.
“I give him the benefit of decision whether or not he has heard, but we are also resolute. So if he hasn’t heard, in the course of time, he will hear. So let’s wait for him to come to the point of hearing.
“As I continue to say, we are not probing him on legalities, we are probing him on politics and currently, we’ve lost interest in him,” he explained on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday.
Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta has described as ‘weird’ a question about whether he expects to be the one to present the 2023 budget statement later this week.
He told journalists in Parliament on November 18 that he expected to be the one to deliver the budget stressing that he had not been officially communicated about opposition to that move by lawmakers of his own party.
He had just finished giving evidence to the Parliamentary ad hoc committee probing a censure motion brought against him by the Minority Caucus, which committee is to present its report to the House today.
Asked about the work of the committee, he responded: “I guess it is democracy in play and we just seek fairness and we are confident in how the process will evolve.”
On whether or not he will deliver the budget, he said: “Yes, I expect so, that seems to be a weird question.”
“I don’t know, I haven’t heard that officially but we will see,” was his response when asked about the group of 98 New patriotic Party MPs who were opposed to him presenting the budget.
An economy in distress
The economy is facing major headwinds that have been characterized by galloping inflation, consistent depreciation of the cedi and general high cost of living and of doing business.
The government is hoping to reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for an economic support programme aimed at shoring up the economy and easing the burden on ordinary Ghanaians.
President Akufo-Addo and his government have come under heavy scrutiny for failing to address the current economic challenges in the country.
The prices of goods and services have been continuously rising all year round, with inflation currently at over 40 per cent.
The Ghana cedi has been ranked the worst currency in the world among 148 currencies tracked by Bloomberg, overtaking Sri Lanka’s rupee, having depreciated by nearly 50 per cent so far in 2022.
Top guns of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), were in attendance at the Sekondi High Court when the verdict of the election petition case involving Member of Parliament, Dorcas Affo-Toffey was delivered.
The case which had been ongoing for close to two years was decided when the court presided over by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere dismissed the case on grounds that the MP was eligible to contest.
The court held that she lost her Ivorian citizenship at the very time she acquired her Ghanaian citizenship, thus, there was no merit in the petition seeking to annul her election on the basis of her having dual citizenship.
GhanaWeb checks indicated that about half a dozen Members of Parliament were around to lend their support to their colleague. Among them were Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, James Agalga, Teddy Nana Yaw, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe and Emmanuel Armah Buah.
The embattled Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson – who is also battling a citizenship case – was also in attendance.
Other party bigwigs present included Kofi Totobi Quakyi and former Attorney General Marietta Brew-Oppong.
The petition which the victorious MP described later as ‘frivolous’ and a ‘distraction’ was filed by one Joshua Emuah Kofie, who was challenging the eligibility of the MP to contest as a representative of the people in the constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He submitted that she had multiple nationalities, including American and Ivorian citizenships, which is against the 1992 Constitution.
While the court determined that she did not have Ivorian citizenship at the time of filing and contesting in 2020, the MP denied having American citizenship.
The case has been in court for over 20 months since she was elected to represent the people of the Jomoro constituency.
After representing the Chinese national for five years, Captain Nkrabeah Effah Dartey (rtd), has been sacked by his client Aisha Huang, the embattled illegal smal-scale mining, galamsey, kingpin.
She has since replaced him with two new lawyers in the persons of Miracle Attachey and Hope Agboado.
This was made known by the presiding judge, Lydia Osei Marfo.
It is unclear what may have necessitated this new development.
Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, a former New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP has been legal counsel for the controversial Chinese national since 2018, representing her both at the Circuit and High Courts since Aisha Huang’s first galamsey prosecutions that were eventually discontinued by the state.
Lawyer Effah Dartey also represented Aisha Huang on the new charges bothering on illegal mining and illegal entry into the country; both of which cases are running concurrently at the Circuit and High Courts.
The lawyer has already cross-examined the 1st and 2nd prosecution witnesses and was scheduled to cross-examine the 3rd witness on Monday until the presiding judge made known to the court that new lawyers have taken over the case.
GhanaWeb has gathered that Ken Ofori-Atta, the embattled Finance Minister, will be meeting an empty Parliament when he appears on November 24, to read the 2023 budget statement.
According to sources, both majority and minority MPs are likely not to be present on the day of the budget presentation, which will make it impossible for the minister to present the budget to the House because there will be a lack of quorum as required by the Constitution.
Ken Ofori-Atta had already indicated that he was going to present the budget despite some NPP MPs and the Minority MPs wanting him out of office.
The minister after facing censure committee on Friday told an Accra-based Joy News that Ghanaians should expect him to present the budget on November 24.
When he was quizzed by journalists that will he go to Parliament to present the 2023 budget, he responded, “yeah, expect so. That seems to be a weird question.”
Ken Ofori-Atta further stated that he has not heard officially that some NPP MPs have indicated boycotting his budget presentation.
“I don’t know; I haven’t heard that officially…,” Ofori-Atta stressed.
The 98 NPP MPs insist that they will boycott the budget presentation if the minister appears before the House.
“We’ve gone back to (our demand for the President to) sack him now and therefore should the budget be presented under the stamp of the Finance Minister, we’ll not participate because as far as we’re concerned we’re never going to do business with him,”
The Asante Akim North MP further explained on JoyNews’ PM Express programme on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, that they will only participate in the budget presentation and appropriation if the President appoints someone else other than Ken Ofori-Atta to present the budget.
“We’re not saying we won’t do the President’s business. We’re saying we won’t do President’s business through Ofori-Atta. So if anybody else comes with President’s business, we’ll participate,” Appiah-Kubi said.
Andy Appiah-Kubi, Member of Parliament for Asante Akim-North is of the view that Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta should have resigned on July 1, when the government ordered talks with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, amid an economic downturn.
Of the two major reasons the MP who is the leader of a group of 98 New Patriotic Party MPs seeking the immediate resignation of the Minister; cited Ofori-Atta’s dogged anti-IMF stance and the lack of credibility to lead the IMF talks due to his public pronouncements.
“Indeed, for me, I would have thought that the very day president said we were going to the IMF, that should have been the day he would have resigned…because he had promised that we will never have to get there.”
He said the resignation would also have signalled that the minister was being honest to himself and Ghanaians, “…because where is your credibility in going for the programme and leading it? You had spoken against it and you said it to Ghanaians and the whole world and the IMF heard you.
“What would the IMF think of you and of our whole programme? So, you should have left the scene for someone else to carry the mantle,” he said in an interview on Joy FM, November 21, 2022.
Ofori-Atta is currently the subject of a censure vote brought against him by the Minority Caucus in addition to the 98 NPP lawmakers also demanding his immediate sack.
An eight-member ad hoc committee that probed the seven grounds for censure struck out two of the grounds and is set to present its report to the plenary today.
An economy in distress
The economy is facing major headwinds that have been characterized by galloping inflation, consistent depreciation of the cedi and general high cost of living and of doing business.
The government is hoping to reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for an economic support programme aimed at shoring up the economy and easing the burden on ordinary Ghanaians.
President Akufo-Addo and his government have come under heavy scrutiny for failing to address the current economic challenges in the country.
The prices of goods and services have been continuously rising all year round, with inflation currently at over 40 per cent.
The Ghana cedi has been ranked the worst currency in the world among 148 currencies tracked by Bloomberg, overtaking Sri Lanka’s rupee, having depreciated by nearly 50 per cent so far in 2022.
With the withdrawal of some 300 British peacekeepers from Mali in the wake of frosty relations with Bamako over the involvement of Russian mercenaries in the fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel, some special forces are expected to arrive in Ghana.
In a report by UK-based ‘The Telegraph’ and sighted by GhanaWeb, British ministers are also expected to be in Accra to hammer out a new security agreement which will position Ghana and by extension Burkina Faso as the new frontline against terrorism.
It is unclear if the move is a face-saving operation in the wake of the mission in Mali being shut down or something more significant as British forces already train troops in Ghana.
Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire all signed up for the Accra Initiative in 2017. This is a coalition which aims at stopping insecurity spilling over their borders from the Sahel.
It was reported on Monday, November 14, that the UK will be withdrawing all of its troops from Mali, which until only a few months ago, Whitehall officials were describing as “the new frontline of the war on terror”.
Former Africa Minister Rory Stewart, who championed the so-called “pivot to the Sahel” under Prime Minister Theresa May, was scathing about the real purpose of the Ghana trip, suggesting it was no more than a face-saving operation.
“We struggled to maintain 300 troops in Mali, partly because it cost perhaps as much as a hundred million pounds from tightly stretched budgets,” he told The Telegraph. “I fear that the ‘pivot to Ghana and Burkina Faso’ is largely a way of excusing our retreat from the Sahel and will ultimately add up to less than people pretend.”
“We have been worrying about Burkina Faso for some time. But without an embassy there or any significant investment, there is a real limit to what the UK can do,” Stewart added.
Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has given yet another hope to Ghanaians that the current economic crisis will be turned around by the government.
Quoting Isaiah 40:31 from the Holy Bible, the Vice President said the government with renewed strength and hope in the Lord will ensure that the economy bounces back.
“As children of God, there will always be moments of hopelessness, despair, doubt, fear and uncertainty but our hope in God is always our source of strength and the motivation in these periods,” he said.
The Vice President gave the assurance while speaking at the 70th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Tema Community 1.
He conceded that Ghana is going through economic difficulties but assured that “we will ride this storm”.
“As your government, we do recognise the difficulties and uncertainty we are experiencing in our country but with renewed strength and hope in the word of the Lord, we are forever confident that we will ride this storm and turn things around to the glory of our Lord.”
Mangowa Ghanney, a former director, legal division of the Ministry of Finance has refuted claims suggesting that Databank has been favoured and handed contracts from the ministry without merit.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has recently come under fire for allegedly using his office to make money through Databank at the expense of the government.
According to Ghanney, all contracts awarded to Databank prior to Ken Ofori-Atta’s tenure was based on merit, adding that there was no conflict of interest.
Speaking to sit-in host of The Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (21 November), Ghanney said: “And as far as I know, nothing has ever been handed over to Databank on the silver platter. Databank has always had to compete with any other institution to be part of what the Ministry of Finance does.”
Encouraging local participation
“Ministry of Finance has for a few years now, had a policy to encourage local participation, and to do this we always tendered when there were projects available, and we evaluated and picked the best responses, and Databank happened to be one of those companies that we picked.
“And this is not only during this Finance Minister’s tenure but, this was before this minister’s tenure,” Ghanney stated. “The Ministry of Finance has worked with Databank, and we have worked with them and with other local financial institutions because they presented themselves as able to present the task.”
The Catholic Bishop of Jasikan, Most Rev Gabriel A. Mante says mining iron ore discovered in the Oti region will not benefit the people of the region.
He has therefore called on the traditional rulers in Oti and Volta regions to resist any attempt by the government to mine the mineral resources in the Oti region.
In a statement to address the development the Catholic Bishop of Jasikan stated that mining in and around mountainous areas is not the best and has its consequences.
“For instance, if mining would be done on the Akpafu Todzi, Teteman, and other nearby mountainous areas, the constant disturbance of the mountains and vibrations caused by heavy equipment could lead to landslides.
“The result will be that a whole village such as Teteman or Akpafu Todzi, could slide off causing death, harm to lives and properties. Communities living in the nearby valleys could also be buried by the same landslides. In the case of Bowiri communities, their ancestral home will be destroyed,” Bishop Mante stated.
He continued: “There is no guarantee that mining in the Oti Region will contribute to the economy of the local people. The aforementioned repercussions, the destruction of the environment, the health implications and the worsening indigenous economy far outweigh the benefits that could be derived from mining the mineral resources.
“In considering all that has been said, we call upon the traditional leaders, both in the Oti and Volta Regions to take a determined and uncompromising stance against the mining of the mineral resources which have now been discovered and those yet to be discovered. We would like to remind them that their greatest responsibility from God and our ancestors is to protect the lives God has entrusted to them to lead.”
The Catholic Bishop of Jasikan further called upon all government officials within these two regions to re-examine whatever agreement they must have reached with companies which have been invited or contracted to mine these resources namely: the iron ore, the gold and the lithium.
“First, are the repercussions of mining these mineral resources mentioned above favourable or not to our people? Second, will the mining of these mineral resources address the present and future needs of the people? We would like to remind the people of these two regions that they have an inalienable right to life and for that reason any reality which has the potential to threaten this life must be resisted. In this regard we urge them to deny any necessary support for the mining of these mineral resources in our two regions,” he stressed.
Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin says President Akufo Addo’s pursuit to build a National Cathedral is a similar wish nurtured by the late Okyenhene Nana Sir Ofori Atta.
Addressing congregants at the centenary celebration of Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery of The Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin explained late Nana Sir Ofori Atta who was a staunch Christian and Presbyterian wanted to build a temple for God having stopped the persecution of Christians in the traditional area.
This, he says is heartwarming that a great-grandson of Nana Sir Ofori Atta (President Akufo Addo) is also pursuing similar love for God’s work and fulfilling the wish of his late grandfather by building a house for God (Cathedral) at this particular time.
He said the whole arrangement happening at the back of the centenary celebration of Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at a time grandsons of Nana Sir Ofori Atta – he (Okyenhene) as overlord of Akyem Abuakwa, whilst Akufo Addo is President of Ghana and Ken Ofori Atta as Finance Minister are at the helm, is divine.
“Hundred years later, the grandson of Nana Ofori Atta (Akufo Addo) is President of the Republic of Ghana. More surprisingly, the President’s brother’s son is also the Finance Minister. So it is a divine arrangement that God has made for us to contribute to the development of the country”.
Okyenhene continued, “It is same perseverance that President Akufo Addo is pursuing to build a house for Ghana to the glory of God. A vision that came to man through God …He said I will build a house for God. Historically, someone met Nana Ofori Atta and said you are the only Christian King in Akyem Abuakwa, you must leave a legacy. Nana Ofori Atta then promised to build a temple in Kyebi. So if President Akufo Addo is building a temple (Cathedral) in Accra, let’s assume it is in fulfillment of the promise made by Nana Ofori Atta” Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin said.
Okyenhene reiterated and justified his decision in 2019 declaring “Okyeman for Christ” as a pursuit to honour God for how far he has brought Okyeman.
“I stand here to boldly declare Akyem Abuakwa is solely for Christ.”
Okyenhene said this Sunday, November 20, 2022, when addressing congregants at the climax of the Centenary celebration of Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Kyebi in the Eastern region.
Presbyterian Church missionaries in Akyem Abuakwa in the 1800’s faced persecution by then Okyenhene Amoako Atta I over Christianization and the abolition of slavery which he says was causing him to lose his source of power and revenue.
Nonetheless, Odehyee Susana Gyankroma, a royal at Kyebi accepted Christ and was baptized together with her husband Okyerema Yaw Boakye, who was a drummer at the then Okyenhene’s palace in 1876.
Having been baptized into the Presbyterian faith, the couple thus became missionaries winning souls for Christ, as a result, they were banished from Akyem Abuakwa and suffered persecution for standing for the faith.
As the persecution festered, the couple lost their four-month-old baby who fell from the back of her mother whilst escaping on foot from their persecutors at Akyem Asuom.
Odehyee Gyankroma was the mother of Nana Sir Ofori Atta, a late Okyenhene, who gave birth to Paa Willie, a Ghanaian political doyen and Mrs Adeline Yeboakua Akufo-Addo, the former first lady of Ghana and mother of President Akufo-Addo.
Nana Sir Ofori Atta, after ascending the stool as Okyenhene in 1912 leveraged on his Christian faith and power as a traditional ruler to help the Presbyterian Church blossom in Akyem Abuakwa.
Nana Ofori Atta was the grandfather of Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo, current President of Ghana, Ken Ofori Atta, current Finance Minister, Samuel Atta Akyea, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South.
President Akufo Addo
Addressing the congregants, President Akufo Addo stated that, he is inspired that “our great grandparents Akua Gyankroma and his husband Yaw Boakye thought us one thing that still remains dear to my heart. If you have faith in God and lean on Him, whatever any man will do or say about you will never come to pass.Just continue to hold on to your faith for there is light after the tunnel. That is what we are all witnessing today”
President Akufo Addo assured Ghanaians that the current economic hardship will soon be over due to various policy interventions being implemented by government.
Moderator
Ministering at the service, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, Rev Prof.Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante said the crucifixion of Jesus Christ despite his good works on earth epitomizes that not all human beings will appreciate what leaders do therefore every leader must rather focus on God to do things that please Him(God), not mankind.
The Moderator eulogized the late Okyenhene Nana Sir Ofori Atta for his vital role in accepting Christianity to Akyem Abuakwa and helping the Presbyterian Church grow despite opposition and persecution of the Church by his predecessor.
The Chairperson of Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery of Presbyterian Church, Ghana Rev. Dr. Seth Kissi together with the Moderator presented honours to some individuals who have contributed to the growth of the Presbytery.
President Akufo Addo joined Okyenhene and leaders of the Church to commission and dedicate a centenary office Complex.
Five individuals made up of three Nigerians and two Ghanaians, who attempted to escape from police custody at the Awutu Bereku District Police Command have been re-arrested.
The five suspects who had been behind bars for various offences ranging from stealing mobile phones, and air-conditioners among others attempted to break the cell where they were being kept around 1 am on Monday morning with a chisel and a hammer but the intervention of officers on duty prevented them from escaping.
A Citi News source said the suspects were due for court this week, but attempted to escape to avoid a jail term.
The individuals according to sources were almost through with their escape plan as they had already broken the metal bars of the cell but were re-arrested by the officers on duty who heard a loud noise from the cells and decided to check only to find out that the suspects were almost done with their escape plan.
They were subsequently re-arrested and taken to a different cell. Officers on duty have, however, refused to comment on the issue.
The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has alleged that the government is paying remunerations to some workers who are supposed to be working at a port in Keta.
In a tweet shared on Monday, November 21, 2022, Dafeamekpor questioned who these salaries were going to because there is no port in Keta, a coastal town in the Volta Region.
The MP, who made these remarks while reacting to a purported document indicating the approval of annual bonuses for workers of ports, including the port at Keta, bemoaned the fact that the workers were even going to be paid bonuses.
“How can we be paying monthly salaries, allowances and End of Year bonuses to workers of a nonexistent Port at Keta?
“Again, per para 5, what’s the meaning of para 5? “A Retired Staff who ‘worked’ for more than 6 months or more during the year will be entitled to full bonus..”?” parts of the MP’s tweet read.
The MP shared a document from the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority addressed to the directors of the ports at Tema, Takoradi, and Keta, confirming the approval of the payment of bonuses to workers at these ports.
The government started processes to construct the third commercial airport in Ghana at Keta in 2019.
It has so far signed an executive instrument that demarcates the area for the port, advertised for tenders for feasibility studies, and appointed a director for the proposed port.
As of now, the only structure at the demarcated area for the Keta port is a sign post, but the Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has stated that the government remains committed to the construction of the proposed Keta port.
Dr. Amoako Baah, a senior member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has chastised the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, for his handling of the call for the resignation of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by some members of his caucus.
According to Dr. Baah, because the NPP MPs calling for Ofori-Atta’s removal form the Majority of the party’s parliamentary caucus, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu should be the one leading the charge.
Dr. Baah, a retired political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNSUT), added that the majority leader cannot stand in the middle and just inform President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the demands of his members.
“…I have been saying that Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is not performing his duties as majority leader well. If you are a majority leader and your members are agitating about an issue, you must first engage them, and if what they are saying is true, you have to join them.
“So that if you lead them to the president, you will be there as part of them, not just their speaker or messenger. That is why you’re called the majority leader and not the majority messenger.
“You go to the president and you tell him that they said they don’t agree with you. Is this what you are supposed to do? Why are you their leader? Can’t they (the MPs) speak for themselves?” he said.
Dr. Baah also claimed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo lost it when the majority leader informed him of some NPP MPs’ demand that Ofori-Atta be relieved of his duties, questioning whether they were aware of the role Data Bank, the finance minister’s bank, played in financing his presidential campaign.
Meanwhile, the number of NPP MPs calling for the sacking of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has increased to 98 from the initial 80.
The 80 MPs had earlier made calls for the dismissal of Ken Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State for Finance, Charles Adu Boahen.
The MPs later backed down following a meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who asked that the minister be given time to conclude Ghana’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund as well as the presentation of the 2023 budget in parliament.
However, in an interview with Joy News, the 80 MPs’ spokesperson, Andy Appiah-Kubi, stated that the group is returning to their original demand for the finance minister’s removal.
According to the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, their renewed demand, with the support of 18 other members of their caucus, is because the minister’s position is now untenable.
He added that the anti-Ofori-Atta MPs will boycott the budget presentation if he is allowed to come to parliament to present the budget.
A communications team member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kafui Amegah, has condemned Mr. Otchere-Darko for his recent utterances on social media, which always trigger controversies against the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to him, the situation is affecting the image of the government, and the NPP must not look unconcerned.
He opined that Gabby is part of the reason why the president and his government have come under intense scrutiny; hence, he should refrain from commenting on internal issues within the New Patriot Party (NPP), which will trigger controversies.
“Gabby, although not part of the government but your name smells in all that is going on. You are part of the reasons why this government is being scolded,” Kafui Amegah exclusively told Kwaku Owusu Adjei (Patoo) on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9.
“Every tweet from Mr. Otchere-Darko causes pain in the heart and the neck of NPP; his reckless tweets always cause controversies in the country which our opponents use against us.”
“This is a problem the government is facing, when Gabby Otchere Darko tweets, then it becomes a government position or policy. The last time I checked Gabby does not have any official position in government. We’ve made Gabby more powerful than the government and it’s affecting the image of the government, and as a political party, we must not sit down for this to happen.
He has his right to talk, but the media is doing a great disservice to the country. Gabby doesn’t hold a position in government; he’s not the Finance Minister. He’s not the Chief Advisor to the President, and yet we’ll be reporting on and discussing what he’s saying as opposed to that of the other ministers.”
He said such utterances would ruin the chances of the NPP in the 2024 elections.
Mr. Otchere-Darko, who is the nephew of President Akufo-Addo, has been viewed by many as a powerful member of the government because he appears to have a great deal of knowledge about government decisions.
Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, a spokesperson for Members of Parliament on the Majority Caucus who are demanding the dismissal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, insists they will not participate in the 2023 Budget hearing and passage if Mr. Ofori-Atta is not kicked out.
Mr. Appiah-Kubi, the Member of Parliament for the Asante-Akim North constituency, does not think Ken Ofori-Atta is as indispensable as he is being portrayed to be.
“If he is not there, can’t others present the budget? No one is indispensable. We have completely lost confidence in him because, in the 2022 Budget, he [Ofori-Atta] promised that with an E-levy and Property Rate, there will be no need to go to the IMF for support… As we speak now, that has not happened, and the property rate is even yet to take off.”
“We are not convinced that it should be Ken Ofori-Atta and nobody else. It is our political decision that Mr. Ofori-Atta must go for the collective interest of the NPP,” he added.
Mr. Appiah-Kubi reiterated that his group still stands by the position that the vote of censure being spearheaded by the Minority side would not yield any results since, after that move, they will still need to appeal to the President to remove him.
He maintains that the majority MPs are not demanding Ofori-Atta’s removal on grounds of economic mismanagement, but because Ghanaians have lost confidence in him.
Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to present the 2023 Budget Statement of government to Parliament on Thursday, November 24, 2022.
As the daughter of actor Johnny Depp and singer Vanessa Paradis she grew up fully aware of celebrity, though she told Elle magazine in a recently published interview “my parents protected my brother [Jack] and me from it as much as possible.”
Now, as a model and an actress set to star in forthcoming series, “The Idol,” the 23-year-old is sharing why she didn’t publicly speak out during her father’s high profile trial with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
“When it’s something that’s so private and so personal that all of a sudden becomes not so personal…I feel really entitled to my secret garden of thoughts,” the younger Depp told Elle. “I also think that I’m not here to answer for anybody, and I feel like for a lot of my career, people have really wanted to define me by the men in my life, whether that’s my family members or my boyfriends, whatever. And I’m really ready to be defined for the things that I put out there.”
Paradis is a star in her native France and Depp talked about how much she idolized her mom growing up.
Now she’s carving her own path, having appeared in several productions like the 2019 film, “The King.”
Depp said she finds celebrity “a weird thing to navigate.”
“It’s different experiencing it firsthand rather than by proxy,” she said. “I guess it’s something that I’ve had to make my own way with.”
“The Idol” is set to air next year on HBO, which is owned by CNN’s parent company.
Some 14 suspects have been arrested by a joint police-military team in connection with the killing of the Borae Ahenfie Chief, Nana Meebo, and two others in the Krachi Nchumuru District in the Oti Region.
The 14 persons are currently in police custody at Kete Krachi, the capital of the Krachi West Municipality.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Nkrumah Kwasi Ogyile, who is also the Chairman of the District Security Committee (DISEC), confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
He added that the assailants ambushed and shot the chief and the two to death.
He said the late chief had a misunderstanding with some factions in the community over a piece of land; a case he won at the Krachi West District Court.
Mr Ogyile noted that the late chief later presented the judgement from the court to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Charles Dormaban, the Oti Regional Police Commander, where the factions were advised to stick to the court order.
An election petition case against the Member of Parliament for the Jomoro constituency, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, has been struck out by the Sekondi high court.
This comes after a citizen, Joshua Emuah Kofie, went to court to challenge the eligibility of the MP to contest as a representative of the people in the constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on grounds that she had multiple nationalities, including American and Ivorian citizenships, which is against the 1992 Constitution.
The Sekondi High Court presided over by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere dismissed the case on grounds that the MP was eligible to contest as she lost her Ivorian citizenship at the very time, she acquired her Ghanaian citizenship.
In regards to her American citizenship, the MP denied having American citizenship.
The case has been in court for over 20 months since she was elected to represent the people of Jomoro constituency.
Current data from the United Nations COMTRADE database have indicated that Ghana imported US$151million worth of raw sugar in 2020 alone – with the country being ranked 45th largest importer of the commodity globally.
The commodity is also ranked among the first ten most-imported products into the country, as Ghana’s essential food imports bill continuously rise year by year – currently valued at US$2billion according to the finance ministry.
The data also added that the imports of sugar and sugar confectionery was US$158.3million in 2019, with Mexico, Brazil, USA, Guatemala, France and India being the lead importers.
Data from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) show that the country consumes about 370,000 tonnes of sugar annually, with domestic production currently at an all-time low.
Industrial and domestic supply prospects
Huge supply opportunities exist for large industrial sugar importers, such as FNJ Investments, Fan Milk, Multi-Pac, Kasapreko, Stallion Industries, Nutrifoods and Blow Chem, among others
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has further projected that domestic consumption of sugar in Ghana could rise to 872,000 metric tonnes in 2030.
Similarly, the West Africa sub-region – which is also forecast to experience rapid growth in sugar consumption – also presents a potential sugar export market for Ghana. Amid these market potentials and existing congenial climatic and lithospheric conditions, production of sugar remains at zero.
The Sugar Industry in Ghana
Ghana’s sugar industry is virtually fully dependent on imports. Local production remains negligible at a mere 150 tonnes in 2013 according to the UN data, and there’s a mere 6,000 hectares of sugar plantation in existence.
With two sugar mills in Asutsuare and Komenda, these facilities have been lying idle since 1983 largely due to inefficient management. However, the Komenda Sugar Factory was revived in 2015 and 2016 – but was shut down shortly after due to lack of raw materials.
Attempts to revive Komenda sugar factory
In 2016, government secured a US$35million loan from the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of India and invested it in the factory. An additional US$24million was set aside to support out-grower farmers.
The factory, which was inaugurated on May 31, 2016 to produce sugar, became stillborn due to a multiplicity of factors that were touted as technical and operational challenges.
On June 3, 2020, however, Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen announced in parliament that Cabinet had officially approved Park Agrotech Limited as a new strategic investor to operate the factory.
That notwithstanding, the current status of the investment by Park Agrotech is unknown.
Nevertheless, a number of plans, according to the trade ministry, are also underway to develop sugar-cane plantations for a second revival of the Komenda sugar factory.
Also, plans by multinational trading house Cargill to build a sugar refinery in Tema are a possibility.
GEPA’s NEDS projections
Meanwhile, GEPA through the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS) has designed a blueprint for harnessing the full potential of sugar production to curb the rising imports.
In the NEDS, the Authority has projected revenues from the export of sugar by 2029 to be US$1.2billion.
The Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF) has received US$70million in funding since its founding in 2006 – leaving a US$102million funding deficit in the aim to fulfil its objective of providing financing to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector.
Prior to the World Bank’s recapitalisation of VCTF under the Ghana Economic Transformation Project with US$40million and a US$5million technical assistance facility, assessments by Bolton Consulting Group (BCG) revealed that VCTF needed a minimum of US$172million to carry out its purpose.
In an interview with B&FT, the Chief Executive Officer of VCTF, Yaw Owusu-Brempong, stated that securing long-term funding sources is a top priority for the VCTF board.
“At the board level, one of our major issues is a permanent source of funding. Because it’s a revolving fund, either we get one large money – which is very difficult – and then we don’t even go back to the ministry again, just like Development Bank Ghana; or on gradual basis, if for the next 10 years – if every year we are getting an additional US$10million – then after 10 years there will be no need to actually go back to the ministry. Because it doesn’t make sense that every now and then government will pump money into the fund.
“We keep returning because financial inflows haven’t been steady, but if financing does start to flow steadily, as the BCG has advised, then there may come a day when we won’t even need government support because we’ll be able to stand on our own two feet,” Mr. Owusu-Brempong said.
“The VCTF needed minimum of US$172million per recommendations by the BCG, and over the years from 2006 to 2021 the total monies given to us was US$30million; so there was a gap of US$142million. Now in 2022, as a result of the recommendation, US$40million has been received under the Ghana Economic Transformation Project. This leaves the current fund gap at US$102million,” the CEO revealed.
VCTF commitments
The VCTF has committed about US$25million – at different exchange rates – to seven funds between 2006 and 2020; and GH¢60million in 2022 and an additional GH¢60 million by the end of 2022.
Over the next five years, VCTF intends to deploy GH¢1.5billion to support SMEs. With this amount, we intend to leverage about GH¢5 for every GH¢1 spent; thereby increasing the capital pool for SMEs to about GH¢7.5billion.
Cause of funding gap
When the VCTF was set up in 2004 and started operations in 2006, the Fund was supposed to get 25 percent of the National Reconstruction Levy – mainly a levy on the banks and insurance companies, with seed money of about GH¢22million, equivalent to US$22million at the time.
“Unfortunately, in 2006 the levy was abolished – and that has been our biggest challenge,” the CEO said.
“So, our source of funding was the reconstruction levy and then allocation from the Ministry of Finance; but if the levy had been there, I’m sure we wouldn’t even have needed money from the Ministry of Finance. Unfortunately, it was abolished. So, subsequently, allocations from the Ministry of Finance were not consistent. There were some years we weren’t getting anything at all, depending on the ministry’s priorities,” Mr. Owusu-Brempong stated.
Oil prices hovered near two-month lows on Monday as supply fears receded while concerns over China’s fuel demand and rising interest rates weighed on prices.
Brent crude futures for January had slipped 28 cents, or 0.3%, to $87.34 a barrel by 0103 GMT after settling at their lowest since Sept. 27.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for December were at $80 a barrel, down 8 cents, ahead of the contract’s expiry later on Monday. The more active January contract fell 21 cents to $79.90 a barrel.
Both benchmarks closed Friday at their lowest since Sept. 27, extending losses for a second week, with Brent down 9% and WTI 10% lower.
The front-month Brent crude futures spread narrowed sharply last week while WTI flipped into a contango, reflecting dwindling supply concerns.
Tight crude supplies in Europe have eased as refiners have piled up stocks ahead of the Dec. 5 European Union embargo on Russian crude, putting pressure on physical crude markets across Europe, Africa and the United States.
The EU’s energy policy chief told Reuters the EU expected to have its regulations completed in time for the introduction of a G7 plan to cap the price of Russian crude on Dec. 5.
RBC Capital analyst Mike Tran said the weak December WTI contract expiration indicated paper market selling rather than true physical market softness.
“Tight global inventories do not support the traditional surplus of barrels rationale for contango,” he said in a note.
While North Sea and West African spot market indicators are far from strong, they are also not suggesting signs of distress, he added.
Diesel markets remained tight, with Europe and the United States competing for barrels. While China nearly doubled its diesel exports in October from a year earlier to 1.06 million tonnes, the volume was well below September’s 1.73 million tonnes.
Demand in the world’s top crude importer remains bogged down by COVID-19 restrictions while expectations of further interest rate rises elsewhere have elevated the greenback, making dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for investors.
Some five members of the New Patriotic Party in the Ellembelle constituency have been served notice to retract and apologize to the District Chief Executive of the area, Kwasi Bonzoh over some defamatory comments they made against him in their petition to the presidency demanding his removal.
The five persons, namely Bernard Cobbinah, Joseph Cudjoe, Matthew Kwaw Mensah, Paul Attabiah and Rahman Salifu as well as Pro-NPP group, Concerned NPP Youth have been given seven days to act on the dictates of the notice or face legal action.
In a letter of notice sighted by GhanaWeb, Kwasi Bonzoh observed elements of defamation in the petition dated November 3, 2022.
He also noted that the aforementioned persons in various media engagements made allegations that sought to injure his hard-won reputation.
According to him the content of the petition and subsequent media engagements were “derogatory, disparaging and defamatory”
Kwasi Bonzoh through his lawyers has thus given them seven days to retract and apologize and also refrain from making unfounded statements about him in the future.
He warned that he will resort to the court to seek redress if they fail to act in accordance with the dictates of the petition.
“Take notice that we are under further instructions to demand that you RETRACT the said defamatory statements and or publications within SEVEN DAYS of receipt of this letter.
“Further, we demand you to render an UNQUALIFIED APOLOGY to our client via the same medium with which you published and or caused to be published the said defamatory statements, that, upon your failure and or neglect to cease, desist and or retract the said defamatory statements and render an apology for same, we have our client’s full instructions to commence legal action against you, and without further recourse to you,” a letter addressed by the legal representatives of the DCE said.
Dr Amoako Baah, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is unconcerned about the difficulties Ghanaians are facing.
Speaking in a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Dr Baah said that all the president cares about is the pageantry that comes with the presidency.
Dr Baah, who was reacting to viral pictures of the president with the British monarch, King Charles III during his private visit to the UK, said that Akufo-Addo only wants to be like Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
“This is what he (Akufo-Addo) likes (meeting powerful people). He is called Nana Show boy. He likes beautiful things. He wants to be a statesman.
“In spite of the fact that Nkrumah was the one who locked up his grandfather, he really likes him (Nkrumah). And so, he wants to be like Nkrumah in everything he does. He wants to be like a stateman; standing in front of people and giving speeches and so on, that is what he likes to do,” he said in Twi.
“The thing is that Nana Addo does not have the genes of the NPP in him… Because why will someone like a person who locked up his grandfather which led to his death?
“He (Akufo-Addo) does not have a good character. His grandfather died bitterly at the hands of Nkrumah but that does not disturb him. He only wants to be a show boy just as Nkrumah was,” he added.
An aspiring General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has responded to questions on whether he will be able to adequately fill in the shoes of the longest-serving General Secretary of his party, Asiedu Nketiah.
According to him, there is no doubt that the position Nketiah has held over the years comes with a large task; however, he is eager to contribute his bit to the party’s future.
Speaking in the yet-to-be-aired second part of his interview with GhanaWeb TV’s Election Desk, the former Director of Elections of the party acknowledged the immense work that the party’s outgoing Chief Executive Officer has done over the period.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah described Asiedu Nketiah as a peculiar character who has paid his dues.
“I think we must give credit where it is due. Having held that position for 17 years; which led to two electoral victories and, of course, two defeats, I think that he has paid his dues. He’s a peculiar character, somebody that I get along with very well; the same way that I get along with the National Chairman also. I’ve worked with both of them very very closely.
“I think that there’s a lot to learn from him, but we are also building an NDC for the future. I believe in learning lessons from the [past], looking at the present, and forging a way forward,” he said.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who is also a former Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, stated that while it appears that should he win the race to be the party’s CEO, he would be left with a huge responsibility of filling a big shoe, he would do things differently.
He explained that, rather, he would come to the job with his own shoes and execute the job accordingly.
“So, somebody asked me if I was going to fill his shoes; can I fill his shoes? I said no. I love General’s shoes – beautiful shoes (figuratively), but I’ll wear my own shoes,” he added.
