TIG Post

Author: Phoebe Martekie Doku

  • GAX poised for more listings; as over 140 SMEs engage

    The Ghana Alternative Exchange (GAX) is on course to attract additional market listings as managers of the stock exchange have engaged more than 140 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in partnership with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), as well as Stanford Seed Transformation Network Ghana.

    GAX, a parallel market, focuses on businesses at various stages of their development, including start-ups and existing enterprises – both small and medium, with potential for growth.

     

    In an interview with the B&FT on the side-lines of the Entrepreneurs Solutions Summit, incoming Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), Abena Amoah, mentioned that the Exchange has over the last two years stepped up its efforts at engaging with SMEs through the various established associations, which is expected to yield some positive outturns.

    “We’ve signed various memoranda of understanding (MoU) and some are being implemented; one is already with the Stanford Network which is made up of about 140 medium-sized Ghanaian companies run by serious entrepreneurs, and we’re talking to them about utilising the market. We are confident that in the medium-term we can get about 10 of them to come into the market.

    “Another partnership we’re pursuing is with the Association of Ghana Industries. What we are doing is screening SMEs, running clinics for them and preparing them to be put in front of investors,” Ms. Amoah said.

    Some weeks ago, the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) signed an MoU with Development Bank Ghana (DBG) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), ensuring that SMEs listed on the Ghana Alternative Market (GAX) will be able to access long-term debt at a low-cost.

    Even though the agreement will give these companies access to debt funding, it is anticipated that its design won’t prevent the listed companies from using the Ghana Fixed Income Market (GFIM) or seeking equity financing in the long run.

    “We have held some joint clinics with DBG already, screening these companies and even outside that – what we are doing with AGI – we are targetting some of the individual AGI members that could be attractive to the market,” Ms. Amoah said.

    Currently, there are six companies listed on the Alternative Market with a total market capitalisation of GH¢49.8billion, which is woefully inadequate at a time the country is ramping up efforts to be a major player in the continental free trade area.

    Ms. Amoah hinted that the GSE is already engaging institutional investors on possibly investing in some of the identified SMEs, in order to diversify their investment portfolios.

    “We have also been engaging with institutional investors to help them look at how they go about diversifying their portfolios. To this end, we are planning a non-deal road show whereby we bring some significant businesses to sell their stories to institutional investors. Hopefully, by the time some of these companies are ready to come to the market, the institutional investors would already know a lot about them,” Ms. Amoah disclosed.

    “Our stance is that the market is big for businesses, so SMEs should not be afraid of using the market. Many of these SMEs worry about opening up their companies and being transparent about their operations and putting out their financial information to the public,” she added.

    ESG

    The Deputy MD further stated that her outfit is putting in measures to ensure the long-term viability of these companies, with the recent roll-out of its guidance manual for disclosures on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) for listed firms.

    At the launch, she said the manual will help publicly-listed companies, including those listed on the GAX, better position themselves to be globally competitive.

    “It is a well-known fact that businesses across the globe have moved beyond solely focusing on financial metrics in performance evaluation, and are now focusing on both the positive and negative impacts of their operations on the environment… The GSE is thankful to our partners for their support in producing this ESG guide that helps Ghanaian companies be more accountable for the impact of their businesses,” she said, adding that the Accra bourse will lead the way by reporting on its ESG impact as an entity.

    The manual has been in the works for three years, and is the result of efforts led by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA).

    It sees the GSE join some 60-plus stock exchanges globally which provide guidance on ESG reporting, according to the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE), and comes as the value of global sustainable bond issuance is projected to top US$1.5trillion in 2022.

  • See economic crisis as opportunity to grow – businesses told

    Speakers at the 2022 edition of the Stanford Seed Transformation Network Ghana Chapter’s annual flagship Business and Leadership conference have called for businesses to be resilient in the face of economic crisis, and see it as an opportunity to grow.

    Mr. David Ofosu-Dorte, Executive Chairman at AB & David Law who gave the keynote address at the conference, urged businesses to stay true to their vision and mandate during times of crisis, saying: “It is easy for business leaders and entrepreneurs to abandon the core vision and mandate of their business in their bid to survive crisis situations. The courage to stay true to your vision during crisis defines your business”.

    Dr. Alhasan Andani, former CEO of Stanbic Bank said: “Businesses and entrepreneurs should use a crisis as an opportunity to grow and learn from their mistakes”.

    He encouraged participants to pay attention to crisis situations, be receptive and adaptive, and work to evolve their business while taking into account the legal and regulatory framework. “Businesses need to refine their strategies in light of changes in their markets,” he said.

    The multi-stakeholder conference was the fifth in a series of conferences, and held under the theme ‘Growth Opportunities Within the Crisis’. It brought together high-level executives and thought-leaders from across industries to discuss building resilient businesses by identifying opportunities during periods of economic crisis.

    Globally, economies are slowing down this year and expected to slow further in the years ahead. This is due to several factors including high inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the global economy’s growth is expected to slow from 6 percent in 2021 to 3.2 percent in 2022 and 2.7 percent in 2023.

    Ghana’s runaway inflation, coupled with weak government finances and the weakened cedi, is harming the country’s economy. Businesses and entrepreneurs are struggling to stay afloat in this crisis, which is causing some to fold-up because they cannot meet their operating costs.

    Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Network has used its conference to share knowledge and expertise on how members and the general business community can leverage on the challenges presented by crisis to identify opportunities for growing their business.

    The conference is part of the Network’s strategy to connect members with industry experts and their peers, in order to help them gain knowledge that will help them stay ahead in today’s business environment.

    In her remarks, Mrs. Linda Yaa Ampah (president of the Stanford Seed Transformation Network, Ghana and Founder of Cadling Fashions and KAD Manufacturing Ltd.) commended members of the Network for their resilience and ability to create and innovate in order to keep their businesses afloat during this time of economic uncertainty.

    She bemoaned the current economic crisis and how it’s affecting businesses in Ghana. “The Ghanaian business environment has become very challenging,” she said. “There is generally high cost of doing business due to continuous depreciation of the cedi, rising cost of food and imports, a high debt burden, high inflation, high-interest rates and the rising cost of energy. These factors are expected to reduce growth in the short-term due to the current global recession.”

    The private sector can help Ghana’s economy grow if government offers it the right conditions. “Regulators and managers of the business environment need to follow discussions at the conference and provide the conditions which enable businesses to thrive and contribute even better to Ghana’s GDP by creating dignifying and fulfilling jobs for the youth,” she added.

    Participants at the conference had the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals, gained new perspectives and practical strategies to upscale and transform businesses.

     

  • Man withdraws suit demanding right to marry more than one wife from Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court of Ghana is set to decide on a notice of discontinuance filed by a petitioner who had earlier asked the court to grant men the right to practice polygamy.

    Samuel Ampomah had earlier filed a suit at the apex court asking to be granted the right to more than one wife under the marriage ordinance law.

    However the farmer according to a report by Graphic.com.gh on October 22, 2022 filed a notice to discontinue the case.

    Mr Ampomah had gone to the Supreme Court in September 2021 with the case that it was unconstitutional for the Marriages Act, 1884 (CAP 127), and the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) to forbid a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance and also make it a crime.

    It was the case of the petitioner that CAP 127 and Act 29 violated Articles 17 (2) and 21(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which respectively prohibits discrimination and guarantees the right to practice any religion without restriction.

    The petitioner sought various reliefs including a declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Articles 17(2) and 21(1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the spirit of the Constitution, Section 74 (1) of CAP 127 which forbids a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance was unconstitutional, and, therefore, null and void.

    He further sought the court to make a declaration that Sections 262, 263, 264 and 265(2) of Act 29 which make it an offence for a man to marry again under the ordinance while he is already married are unconstitutional.

    The laws of Ghana under CAP 127 recognises three types of marriages – customary, Islamic and ordinance.

    Men under the first two types of marriage are permitted to marry more than one wife while marriage under ordinance restricts a man to a wife.

    Mr Ampomah in his suit argued that marriage under the ordinance applied solely to Christian marriage, but that there was no evidence that monogamous marriage was part of Christianity.

    The petitioner posited that monogamous marriage was a European culture which had been made to look like a religious or Christian culture.

    Mr Ampomah argued that making it compulsory for Christians to marry only one was an imposition which discriminates against people in Ghana who identified as Christians.

    “Plaintiff maintains that in the Christian manual of life known as the Bible, there is no prohibition against Christian men from marrying more than one wife anyway, making the prohibition in Sections 74(1) (b) of CAP 127, and Sections 262, 263 and 265 (2) an undue and improper imposition on the lives of Christians,” he argued.

    The Attorney General in its defense to the suit argued that the petitioner had not made any case to be granted the reliefs that he sought.

    According to the A-G, the three different types of marriages captured under CAP 127 were based on the various religious practices in the country.
    “It is trite that customary and Mohammedan marriages are potentially polygamous, while the Bible which guides Christianity upholds monogamy. This principle is established throughout the Bible and is practiced by Christians the world over,” the A-G argued.
    The A-G further argued that the plaintiff had not properly invoked the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution.

    According to the A-G, the fact that the plaintiff sought interpretation did not mean the law he complained about met the interpretation criteria set out by case law.
    The A-G contended that Section 74 (1) (b) of CAP 127 was clear, concise and admitted no ambiguity, and that there was no need for interpretation or enforcement by the court.

    Man withdraws suit demanding right to marry more than one wife from Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court of Ghana is set to decide on a notice of discontinuance filed by a petitioner who had earlier asked the court to grant men the right to practice polygamy.

    Samuel Ampomah had earlier filed a suit at the apex court asking to be granted the right to more than one wife under the marriage ordinance law.

    However, the farmer, according to a report by Graphic.com.gh on October 22, 2022, filed a notice to discontinue the case.

    Mr Ampomah went to the Supreme Court in September 2021 with the case that it was unconstitutional for the Marriage Act, 1884 (CAP 127) and the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) to forbid a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance and also make it a crime.

    It was the case of the petitioner that CAP 127 and Act 29 violated Articles 17 (2) and 21(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which respectively prohibits discrimination and guarantee the right to practice any religion without restriction.

    The petitioner sought various reliefs, including a declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Articles 17(2) and 21(1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the spirit of the Constitution, Section 74 (1) of CAP 127 which forbids a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance was unconstitutional, and, therefore, null and void.

    He further sought the court to make a declaration that Sections 262, 263, 264 and 265(2) of Act 29 that makes it an offence for a man to marry again under the ordinance while he is already married as unconstitutional.

    The laws of Ghana under CAP 127 recognise three types of marriages – customary, Islamic and ordinance.

    Men under the first two types of marriage are permitted to marry more than one wife, while marriage under ordinance restricts a man to a wife.

    Mr Ampomah, in his suit, argued that marriage under the ordinance applied solely to Christian marriage but that there was no evidence that monogamous marriage was part of Christianity.

    The petitioner posited that monogamous marriage was European culture which had been made to look like a religious or Christian culture.

    Mr Ampomah argued that making it compulsory for Christians to marry only one was an imposition which discriminated against people in Ghana who identified as Christians.

    “Plaintiff maintains that in the Christian manual of life known as the Bible, there is no prohibition against Christian men from marrying more than one wife anyway, making the prohibition in Sections 74(1) (b) of CAP 127, and Sections 262, 263 and 265 (2) an undue and improper imposition on the lives of Christians,” he argued.

    In its defence to the suit, the Attorney General argued that the petitioner had not made any case to be granted the reliefs he sought.

    According to the A-G, the three different types of marriages captured under CAP 127 were based on the various religious practices in the country.

    “It is trite that customary and Mohammedan marriages are potentially polygamous, while the Bible which guides Christianity upholds monogamy. This principle is established throughout the Bible and is practiced by Christians the world over,” the A-G argued.

    The A-G further argued that the plaintiff had not properly invoked the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution.

    According to the A-G, the fact that the plaintiff sought interpretation did not mean the law he complained about met the interpretation criteria set out by case law.

    The A-G contended that Section 74 (1) (b) of CAP 127 was clear, concise and admitted no ambiguity, and that there was no need for interpretation or enforcement by the court.

     

  • Swap our debts for climate interventions – Akufo-Addo to rich countries

    President Akufo-Addo has asked rich countries to allow heavily indebted poor African countries to swap their debts with climate interventions.

    The President has been addressing the world at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27 in Egypt.

    Ghana is currently facing crippling economic crisis fueled by huge debt.

    The debt situation is proving to be a major stumbling block to getting an IMF deal in time.

    Ghana is seeking a $3 billion bailout but the IMF has made it clear it will not lend to a country with unsustainable debt levels.

    The IMF team has already worked with the finance ministry to complete a debt sustainability analysis.

    The IMF executive board is expected to base its final decision on the report which may include debt restructuring.

    President Akufo-Addo took advantage of the COP27 stage to raise the issue with the rich world.

    “I urge those who hold African debt to commit to debt for climate swap initiatives,” the President said.

    The President did not hold back in dismissing the global financial architecture as not fit for purpose.

    He said a “Radical restructuring of the global financial architecture as proposed by the African finance ministers to accommodate the demands of the developing world is of urgent necessity.

    “It is evident that with these poly crisis that it is not fit for purpose.”

    The President once again took on the rich world for failing to honor a pledge to release $100 billion to help developing countries deal with the impact of climate change.

    He also announced that his government will soon be launching a number of climate interventions to create jobs for Ghanaians.

    This he says will happen through the rollout of initiatives that will promote regenerative agriculture that requires less fertilizers and reforestation with strong biodiversity content.

  • OSP petitioned to probe alleged bribery attempts of MPs by businessman

    Pressure group, OccupyGhana has petitioned the Special Prosecutor to investigate a supposed wealthy businessman, who allegedly attempted to bribe a group of MPs calling for the head of the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, and Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen.

    In a letter addressed to the Special Prosecutor, OccupyGhana contended that the act is a potential corruption offense that ought to be probed by the Special Prosecutor for prosecution if established to be true.

    “We have followed media reports from interviews by Joy FM with Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu (MP, Suame, Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs) and Andy Appiah-Kubi (MP, Asante Akim North), which have been widely circulated by other media portals,” the OccupyGhana statement said.

    “In these interviews, the MPs alleged that an unnamed, wealthy businessman had attempted to bribe them. That would be an attempt to influence the conduct of MPs in the course of their official duties, a potential corruption offence that falls within the remit of your office,” the letter added.

    Below is the letter:

  • Gov’t playing hide and seek with IMF over debt restructuring roadmap – Minority

    The minority in Parliament has disclosed the government is not showing any commitment towards getting a deal with the IMF.

    According to the NDC MPs, government is playing hide and seek with the Fund while pursuing other options which they argue are not favorable to the survival of the country’s economy.

    Addressing journalists in parliament, a minority spokesperson on finance, Isaac Adongo disclosed the IMF bailout has been delayed as a result of government’s refusal to announce a debt restructuring roadmap.

    “In the meantime, they are buying themselves time to see whether that can disappear, but they will need to take that bold decision on debt restructuring because it’s not an option. Ghana as we speak today does not comply with the requirement of IMF for a funded programme because the IMF does not lend into an unsustainable situation and Ghana’s debt has been concluded to be unsustainable. And this fact was communicated to government in its 8th memoir that the IMF issued the last time before it left. So there is no way we can have an IMF programme that is supported by funding without undertaking steps to bring our debt to sustainable levels so that we’re in compliance with the IMF own internal requirements.”

    The deputy ranking member for the finance committee further disclosed government is struggling to put together the 2023 budget thus the inability to present it by the stipulated November 15 per the public finance management Act.

  • Cut the ¢3.1bn budget earmarked to your office – Mahama tells Akufo-Addo

    The Akufo-Addo administration has ballooned the budget of the Office of the President in the last six years,  Former President John Dramani Mahama has said.

    Mr Mahama revealed that the budget has been increased from ¢700million to ¢3.1billion.

    He asked Mr Akufo-Addo to cut the budget to his office.

    “The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022,” he tweeted on Tuesday November 8.

    He added “For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget.”

    Regarding the construction of the National Cathedral, he said public funding of project particularly at this time, must stop.

    “Being a Christian myself, and deeply appreciative of the centrality of God in nation building, I agree with those who believe the project is not a top priority of at this moment for government,” he intimated.

  • Savings of ¢1bn can be made if Akufo-Addo reduces budget to his office – Mahama

    Former President John Dramani Mahama has noted that the budget to the Office of the President in 2022 was too high.

    He said the budget has been increased from ¢700million to ¢3.1billion this year.

    Mr Mahama asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to cut the budget to his office in these times of economic difficulties.

    “The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022,” he tweeted on Tuesday November 8.

    He added “For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget.”

    His comments come at a time the government is seeking support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with the economic challenges.

    President Akufo-Addo says negotiation is going on well despite claims by some quarters that it is not.

  • Ofori-Atta will come and meet an empty chamber if calls for his resignation are not addressed – NPP MP

    New Patriotic Member of Parliament for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro, Sylvester Matthew Tetteh, has accused Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of acting in bad faith after the president pleaded with the majority in parliament to step down on calls for his dismissal.

    According to the majority member of parliament, comments made by the minister after they heeded the president’s request for time can affect the president’s plea.

    “But when the finance minister, after this, goes public and starts making such public statements, we don’t know the challenges he’s gone through… I mean, these are comments in bad taste, and that is what I am saying, from where I sit, the signals I am picking, such comments, if it is not checked, will go down on the president’s plea,” he stated on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, edition of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV.

    “We had a meeting, and the president had made a plea; the majority caucus had taken that plea in good faith and to have gone through a process the president had asked. One party, in this case, should not go to town. It’s not good,” he added.

    He hinted that the caucus would likely take action, such as boycotting the minister’s upcoming budget presentation in parliament, if his utterances are not checked.

    “Events after and the subsequent pronouncements by the minister, the signals I am picking, if they don’t address it, he will come to the house to meet an empty chamber,” he stated.

    Following an open call by about 80 majority MPs for the sack of Ken Ofori-Atta, President Akufo-Addo convened a meeting with the caucus where he is said to have made some pleas.

    According to reports, the president asked the caucus to give the minister some time to conclude the government’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the presentation of the 2023 budget in parliament.

    But responding to the calls for his sacking, Mr Ofori-Atta, in a recent engagement with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), said he rather remains focused on helping the country overcome the current economic challenges despite the pains he has gone through being the minister.

    “You have a finance minister who has gone through all the pains and aches, and nobody can really come and say, ‘we don’t understand what we’re doing’,” he stated.

  • Unlike NDC, Ofori-Atta has something to show for all monies he has borrowed – Nana Ofori-Atta

    Board Chairman of the National Theatre, Nana Fredua Agyeman Ofori-Atta, has refuted suggestions that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government has nothing to show for all the monies it has borrowed.

    Speaking in an interview on GHOne TV, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, Agyeman Ofori-Atta said that unlike the era of John Dramani Mahama, all the monies Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta borrowed have been used for projects that are visible to every Ghanaian.

    He added that it is true that Ofori-Atta has borrowed a lot, but all the monies he borrowed were put into strategic sectors of the economy that will help propel the development of Ghana.

    “The difference between the NDC government’s borrowing and the NPP government’s borrowing is in the purpose. The monies they (the NDC) borrowed, where did it go? How many things do we remember they used the money for?

    He added that for the Akufo-Addo government the monies borrowed have been invested in “agriculture, health, education, industry, transport, the list goes on. You can see it. Let them list theirs, and let’s see.”

    “So, that is the point; the point is the money has been borrowed, these are matters of fact, you can twist it. (The problem) is what it (the borrowed funds) has been spent on. Are we going to see the benefit?” he queried.

    He added that the Akufo-Addo government had invested so much in railway infrastructure, which is critical in expanding Ghana’s economy.

     

  • Strike by pre-tertiary teacher unions entirely preventable – Dr. Apaak

    Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr. Clement Apaak, says some of the strikes in the education sector are entirely preventable if government will be sincere in dispensing its responsibilities to the various groups and their members.

    Taking particular note of the ongoing strike action in the pre-tertiary education sector to protest the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as new Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr. Apaak noted that that was the most preventable of all the strikes currently ongoing.

    “I believe that this matter can be resolved very quickly because their strike is not based on conditions of service by and large, it is not precipitated by any other factor, but it is precipitated primarily with their disagreement and opposition to the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah to serve as the Director General of the Ghana Education Service which they reject to. And I believe they have proffered very reasonable arguments to justify their decision to oppose that appointment,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express.

    According to him, the strike action which is adversely affecting the education of some 8million Ghanaian pupils and students can simply be halted if the appointing authority, that is, the President, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, rescinds the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah.

    “So for me, if the appointing authority, in this case the President who acted in making this appointment upon the recommendation of the Sector Minister wants to end this strike he can just do it by a simple pronouncement.

    “I mean, I cannot see why 400,000 teachers have to leave classroom to the detriment of over 8million students and pupils because of one appointment that has been made which the teacher unions deem to be unacceptable as far as their standards are concerned,” he said.

    Dr. Apaak noted that while it may be argued that the President’s decisions are final in matters of appointment, it is only right for the President to do the necessary engagement and background checks to ensure that his appointments do not cause the kind of ruckus happening now.

    “Yes the argument has been made that there is no law and that perhaps, you know, nobody has the power to challenge the President’s authority in appointing, well and good.

    “But when you are functioning within the space of stakeholders, where you know that there are elements within the space who also have interest, who are professionals, one of the things you ought to do is to always do some background diligent work to ensure that whomever you’re going to bring on board is generally acceptable to principally those who are in the middle of that theatre, and this is the about 400,000 teachers. That was not done.

    “And I believe if that was done …the insensitivities that greeted the ouster of the former Director General of the Ghana Education Service Professor Opoku Amankwah, we will not be here,” he said.

     

  • I expect a cut in government appointees – Prof. Peter Quartey on 2023 budget

    The Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Prof. Peter Quartey has suggested some fiscal measures to be included in the 2023 budget to help shore up revenue for the government.

    According to the Economist, the country’s fiscal space is currently in a bad state, thus would need innovative revenue measures to stabilize the economy.

    Speaking on Joy Business’ Pre-Budget Forum on Monday, Prof. Peter Quartey urged the government to reduce its appointees and use the savings to fund the 2023 budget.

    “Government said it is going to pursue an austere budget…I expect a step further. I think there should be a reduction in the number of government appointees and how much is spent on them and many other areas, it would go a long way to help streamline our fiscal position,” he told Winston Amoah.

    With regard to revenue generation, Prof. Peter Quartey commended the Ghana Revenue Authority for its recent initiative of the E-VAT Invoicing system.

    The Authority had said the E-VAT Invoicing system will help it monitor the issuance of VAT by companies and will also deal with the inaccuracies associated with the filing of VAT by companies.

    The ISSER Director believes that the 2023 budget should introduce more of such policies to maximize the country’s revenue generation.

    “We want to see more of that and I think it is a step in the right direction. We need to enforce that and raise our revenue upstream and so these are some of the innovative measures that we want to see that we aggressively pursue our revenue mobilisation without destroying the base,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the 2023 Budget may not be read on November 15 as scheduled.

    Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu revealed that the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may delay the presentation.

    “Nothing should be done which will eventually become wishy-washy. They want to have the best to be able to uplift us from where we are as a country. And that being the case, if we want to do a thorough job, I think there will be too much pressure if it has to be done on the 15th,” the MP told journalists last week.

     

  • Government has cheated us for far too long – CETAG President

    President of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), Prince Obeng-Himah, says government has cheated members of his union for far too long.

    The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) and the Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG) have threatened to embark on a strike action starting Friday November 11, should government fail to prioritise their welfare.

    Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, the President of CETAG explained that the government has largely ignored the members of the staff associations working in the 46 colleges of education across the country for far too long.

    Explaining the situation he said; “The members who are working in the colleges are one of the few people who have been cheated, slighted for far too long. The genesis has been the fact that when we even had our negotiation in 2017, it took us up to 2021 before we threatened, we went on strike before government decided to give us some kind of compensation for failure to pay what we negotiated for in 2017.

    “It means that we had remained without any form of condition of service from that time up till 2021. Now eventually when that compensation was given us, the MOU or the agreement we had was that we were going to quickly negotiate for 2022 conditions of service and we started in August 2021.

    “The anticipation was that we would have finished by December 2021 so that it will take effect in 2022 January. Indeed we can say that we are still around the negotiation table from that time up to this time, talk about the resources we’ve pumped into it, and we still haven’t been able to finish.”

    The Union in an earlier press statement to announce their ultimatum to government expressed their disappointment at “the way Government has handled issues affecting the welfare of our members in the colleges of education over the years.”

    Some of the issues include non-finalisation of Conditions of Service (CoS) negotiations, unilateral determination of April 2023 by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) as effective date for placing First Degree Holders of CENTSAG on 17H on the SSSS, undue delay by the Ministry of Education in responding to our request for payment of compensation among others.

    CETAG and CENTSAG insist that “by Friday, 11th November, 2022 if our demands have not been met, we shall reactivate our indefinite strike actions which we suspended on January 24 and April 14, 2022 respectively.”

     

  • NCA has no technical modality for adoption of e-SIM – Sam George

    The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has dared the National Communications Authority(NCA) to provide a technical modality leading to the country adopting e-Sims.

    According to Sam George, after several trips by officials of the NCA to international conferences on the move of the telecoms industry to adopt e-SIM, the authority is yet to roll out a roadmap on how the country will make the switch to e-SIMs.

    “As we speak, the Directors of the National Communications Authority and the Minister for Communications and Digitalization have travelled to several international conferences over the last five (5) years where conversations have centred around the move of the telecoms industry to adopt e-SIMs. After using our taxes to attend these conferences, the National Communications Authority as we speak today has no technical modality for the rollout of the e-SIMs in Ghana today,” Sam George said in a statement issued on Monday.

    The outspoken MP added, “I challenge the National Communications Authority to publish within the next 24 hours the framework agreed with the industry players for the implementation of e-SIM if they have one. I am well aware of the reasons for the dragging of feet by the regulator. I would come to that at another time.”

    An e-SIM is an industry-standard digital SIM that allows you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without having to use a physical SIM.

    The Ningo-Prampram MP, in his statement also defended his claim that Voter ID Cards will be accepted for the registration of SIM cards.

    Mr George maintained that the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has through the National Communications Authority engaged with the Telcos to adapt the platform to accommodate the Voter’s ID Card.

    He claimed that there are plans to integrate the Ghanaian Passport in line with the Minister’s earlier directive for Ghanaians abroad.

    Responding to the statement from the NCA, Mr George said, “this incontrovertible fact is contained in their very own release.”

  • Meeting between gov’t, striking teacher unions ends inconclusively again

    A meeting between the leadership of three striking teacher unions and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to deliberate on a decision by the unions to lay down their tools ended inconclusively on Monday.

    This is the second time the two parties have failed to reach a consensus over the impasse.

    The meeting is expected to be held later today, Tuesday, November 8, 2022, to address the concerns of the teachers.

    The unions including the Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers have laid down their tools following the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

    Meanwhile, some students want government and teacher unions to immediately resolve the stalemate for academic work to resume.

    The teacher groups say, they will not call off the strike until government addresses their concerns.

    Since the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah on October 19, the unions have opposed the move, arguing that the new GES Director-General does not qualify to occupy the position.

    But the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum had defended the appointment saying that the accusations of the teacher unions were unfounded.

    The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has started engagements with the teachers to end the strike.

    Their meetings have so far been unable to resolve the teachers’ concerns.

  • Teachers ambushing school kids with unfair strike – Afenyo-Markin

    The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has implored the striking teachers to return to work after a strike to demand the removal of the new Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr. Eric Nkansah.

    Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the teachers were “ambushing the future of young Ghanaians who are supposed to be in school,” with an unjustified strike.

    “I think it is most unfair to Dr. Nkansah to be receiving such attacks… I would want to appeal to the union leadership, especially because of the kids, to look again within.”

    The three unions, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT) have been on strike since November 4, 2022.

    They are upset with the appointment as they believe Dr. Nkansah does not have a teaching background.

    The Deputy Majority Leader said their grievances were not serious enough to warrant the strike.

    “So far nothing has been raised against him [Dr. Nkansah],” Mr. Afenyo-Markin said.

    “They may be stretching their luck rather too far. We don’t need to break our shoulders over this matter.”

    “They will have to, in all humility, accept the man, give him the chance and assess his competence from there,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin added.

    He also felt the teachers should be happy with Dr. Nkansah’s diverse background, which comprises academia and banking.

    The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has started engagements with the teachers to end the strike.

    Their meetings have so far been unable to resolve the teachers’ concerns.

     

  • Polls on current economic crisis biased – NPP Communications Director

    The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director, Richard Ahiagbah, has downplayed the growing discontent with the Akufo-Addo government, which has been reflected in polls and recent protests.

    Speaking on The Point of View, Mr. Ahiagbah maintained that Ghana’s economic crisis has external causes because “the whole world is not going in the right direction.”

    A recent poll by Global Info Analytics has indicated that 77 percent of Ghanaians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.

    This comes amid crippling inflation and fuel prices that have left many Ghanaians frustrated.

    But Mr. Ahiagbah remarked that “I think polling in this environment is biased, to begin with, because people’s emotions are in a certain place, so you are going to get a predictable outcome.”

    “What is really of consequence is the effort and the commitment of the government that is in power who for some reason is caught up in this global economic downturn,” he added.

    But responding to Mr. Ahiagbah on the show, the organiser of the recent ‘Ku Me Preko’ protest, Martin Kpebu slammed the NPP communicator’s remarks.

    Mr. Kpebu told him: “don’t ever say that in public again because the more you say people are being emotional, the more people will come at you.”

    “Our savings, your money in the bank or under your bed, over 60 percent of its value is gone, and you say people are being emotional?”

  • Enough of the CSR – PIAC pushes for parliamentary scrutiny of GNPC’s budget

    The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) says the practice of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) committing huge sums of its funds into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) must end.

    Vice Chairman of PIAC, Nasir Alfa Mohammed, says Parliament needs to scrutinize the budget of GNPC to ensure that the state company uses appropriated funds for the specified project aimed at fetching government enough revenue.

    “Usually, GNPC will end up spending on other areas other than their core mandate, which is to ensure that they do more prospecting and exploration of more oil for us to get more revenue”.

    Nasir Alfa Mohammed made these comments when he was addressing a media engagement during the presentation of its semi-annual report.

    “We are of the opinion that Parliament should pay particular attention to the budgetary request of GNPC, scrutinize very well and ensure that GNPC does not take money approved by parliament and utilize it more on Corporate Social investments”, he further added.

  • We’ll need funding to organize more protests – Kpebu addresses low numbers at demo

    Martin Kpebu, the lead convener of the November 5 ‘Kume preko Reloaded‘ protests has revealed that there will be more protests across the regions in the coming weeks.

    Kpebu led hundreds to march on the streets of Accra principally demanding the resignation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo citing mismanagement of the economy and general hardship.

    In an interview on Joy FM, November 7, Kpebu said the group he led was undertaking an assessment of how the protest went admitting that the number that attended the protest was not big enough.

    “We are still debriefing, it is quite a process. We’ll have other meetings to analyse but even before we were done with this one, we had received invitations from people in Kumasi, Takoradi, and even Tamale to come.

    “So we’ll need funding,” he told hosts on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show.

    In seeking to explain the low turnout, Kpebu stated on Akan-Speaking Asempa FM: “The numbers will improve because they saw that they were not attacked by the police and we also conducted ourselves well.”

    Kpebu speaks at protest

    Kpebu led hundreds of demonstrators who marched through the capital on Saturday demanding the immediate resignation of President Akufo-Addo over Ghana’s current economic woes.

    Addressing protesters during the march, he said: “We are dying; citizens are dying; citizens can’t afford food; citizens are starving all because of misgovernance by President Akufo-Addo.

    “It never happened that you have a president in office and every time that the country borrows, the president’s family becomes richer; how? This can’t continue.

    “We can’t borrow all the time and have Databank becoming richer all the time. Citizens have a duty as stated in Article 41 [of the Constitution] to ask the president to resign and this is not the first time that a president of Ghana is going to resign,” Martin Kpebu said.

  • Girl,10, commits suicide at Agona Duotu

    A 10-year-old girl class 3 pupil of Agona Duotu D/A Basic School in the Central Region has hanged herself.

    The deceased, Afia Awusi, hanged herself in the corridor of her home on Monday, November 7, 2022 morning.

    It is unknown what pushed the little girl to take her life.

    Some residents in an interview with Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan, say they suspect someone might have killed and hanged her since they don’t believe the little girl could hang herself.

    The body has been deposited at the Agona Swedru Government Hospital Mortuary for autopsy and preservation.

    Meanwhile, the case has been reported to the Agona Swedru Police Command for investigation.

     

  • I never joked with paying arrears; it boosted economy – Duffuor

    Flagbearer hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) and former Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, says he was serious about paying arrears to contractors and other persons who had worked for the government while he was in office.

    According to him, the regular payment of arrears went a long way in boosting the growth of the economy.

    “We never joked with expenditure. I was not making payments when there was not enough money. But as soon as money hit government account, I paid off people who government owed. We managed government bill very well. I never joked with arrears. I never denied contractors their money. I ensured I paid regularly in bit until all the debt is cleared,” Dr Kwabena Duffuor said on Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV on Monday.

    He added: “When we paid contractors, their work also progressed, and we also took the taxes. You pay arrears with your right hand, and you take taxes with your left hand. That is how it is done. If a contractor has executed a project worth GHC10m and you say you’ll not pay him, how does he take care of the workers? The money is not for him; it is for the workers. When he pays them, then you also take the tax from them. That helps the economy to grow very fast, and a lot of taxes are paid. If government does not pay contractors, their businesses collapse, and there’ll not be enough taxes to build the country.

     

  • Start expenditure rationalization from Akufo-Addo’s office – Mahama

    Ghana’s former president, John Dramani Mahama, has charged the government to start slashing down its ballooning expenditure from the Office of the President.

    In a tweet, John Mahama stated that the budget of the president’s office has ballooned exponentially in the last six years to GH¢ 3.1 billion.

    “The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022,” he tweeted.

    The former president further advised the government to start cutting down the expenditure of the president’s office, as it could save the country a substantial amount of money.

    “For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget,” he added.

    The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been faced with a lot of economic challenges in the last year, with inflation figures skyrocketing.

    Fuel prices and the rate of exchange of the Ghana cedis to the US dollar have also been extremely high in recent months, plunging a lot of businesses into disarray.

    See John Mahama’s tweet below:

    The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022. For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget.

    — John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) November 8, 2022

  • Ofori-Atta can’t restore the economy; get a new hand – Lord Mensah

    Economist, Professor Lord Mensah, has said the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta must resign for a new person to take over the management of the economy.

    According to him, the Finance Minister is trying to dissociate the economic dynamics from its management adding that what Mr. Ofori-Atta is doing is not real and it doesn’t happen anywhere.

    The Economist explained that economic management goes with economic dynamics.

    “Obviously it has to do with management so if the entire population is calling for his head. It sends the signal that what is on the grounds is not good. So for him to say that we should focus on the IMF and possibly restore the economy it’s uncalled for.

    “For me his understanding of the management and influence of economic dynamics, he should understand that the economy is not on autopilot, the economy must be managed. If at the end of the day those that are supposed to feel the impact of the economy are saying that things are not going well with them that he should resign, he has to. He is not the one to come and explain and tell us that we have to focus on how we can restore the economy,” Prof. Mensah told Starr News.

    He further stated that a new hand can give Ghanaians breathing space.

    “I think his resignation will bring about some confidence to the economy and as a result of that maybe the economy will head in the right direction. Trust me you cannot dissociate human thinking when it comes to economic dynamics from the real numbers that are on the ground. We are waiting for him to resign so that we can have breathing space. As we speak now his presence as a Finance Minister has brought about a whole lot of uncertainty in the economy.

    “People cannot even plan, investors cannot even look ahead and look at the next moment. As we speak now there are so many things going on at the back side of the economy that we don’t even know.”

     

  • Probe claims a wealthy businessman attempted to bribe ‘KenMustGo’ MPs – OccupyGhana to OSP

    Pressure group, OccupyGhana (OG), has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to probe allegations of a wealthy businessman who attempted to bribe some 80 lawmakers of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who were calling for the resignation of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    The allegation was first made by Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.

    According to OccupyGhana attempting to bribe MPs is an attempt to influence the conduct of the lawmakers in the course of their official duties which is a potential corruption offence that falls within remit of the Office of Special Prosecutor.

    The group wants a probe into the claim and if the allegations are established to be true, proceed to prosecute.

    Some 80 NPP MPs at a press conference called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to fire Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    However, after a meeting with the President, they backtracked and gave the Minister time to prepare the 2023 budget and also finish his engagement with the International Monetary Fund.

  • Ghana’s ambassador to Qatar praises world cup hosts for hospitality, outstanding values

    Ghana’s ambassador in Doha, Mohamed Noureddine Ismail has praised Qatar for being a hospitable country with a lot of good values.

    Speaking to QNA, the Ghana ambassador also applauded Qatar for putting in a lot of effort to host a successful 2022 FIFA World Cup.

    “What draws attention and is taken into consideration is the huge infrastructure implemented by Qatar to host the tournament for the first time in the Arab region and the Middle East, including, for example, international stadiums, hotels, apartments, road networks, as well as the hospitality industry, which in turn confirmed its readiness to receive over 2mn guests expected to visit Doha during the World Cup.

    “I have found Qataris to be warm and loving people, who believe in respect, trust, and friendship,” Mohamed Noureddine Ismail said in the interview.

    He further indicated that he is confident Ghana will excel at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to go far in the tournament.

    “Ghanaian players are prepared to go beyond the group stage and if possible, to the semi and final stage,” Ghana’s Ambassador to Qatar shared.

  • Someone shut down my 2021 AFCON dream – CK Akonnor

    Charles ‘CK’ Akonnor discusses how someone did not want him at the helm of the Ghana national team and pushed for his sacking ahead of the 2021 Afcon.

    WHAT HAPPENED: The tactician was fired on September 13, 2021, after the Black Stars suffered a 1-0 loss away against South Africa in Group G’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

    The move happened about four months before the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations which was eventually held in Cameroon.

    THE BIGGER PICTURE:

    Milovan Rajevac was eventually appointed 11 days later, making a return to the team he had coached in 2010.

    However, his stay was short-lived as Ghana performed poorly at Afcon and collected just a point in their group. The then 67-year-old was shown the door with Otto Addo taking his place.

    The latter helped the Black Stars qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

    Akonnor has now stated he was hurt by the changes, insisting there was foul play.

    WHAT HE SAID: “[Being the head coach at the 2021 Afcon] was a dream but one way or the other, somebody shut it down, who that person is, I don’t know,” Akonnor told Joy Sports’ Prime Take.

    “I wouldn’t say so [I would have done better than what Rajevac did], but I had a plan and if that plan had worked, maybe we would have done better than we did.

    “At least, the FA should have allowed me to go to the Afcon and come back because my contract was even running out. I was hurt but I am better now.”

  • Check out Otto Addo’s possible 26-man Black Stars squad for 2022 World Cup

    Black Stars head coach, Otto Addo is expected to name his final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the coming days.

    This will be a massive cut down from the 55-man provisional list released on Friday, November 2.

    FIFA has set November 14 as the deadline for all 32 participating countries to release final squads.

    However, 3 countries- Japan, Costa Rica, and Brazil have already named their final squads for the tournament due to start on November 20.

    The Black Stars have a tall order as they have been pitted against Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay in Group H of the World Cup.

    They will begin their World Cup campaign against Portugal on November 24, followed by South Korea on November 28, and conclude against Uruguay on December 2 at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakra.

    Checkout the GhanaWeb’s 26-man squad for World Cup

    Goalkeepers

    Abdul Manaf Nurudeen, Joseph Wollacott, Richard Ofori.

    Defenders

    Tariq Lamptey, Alidu Seidu, Dennis Odoi, Gideon Mensah, Baba Rahman, Daniel Amartey, Salisu Mohammed, Alexander Djiku, Joseph Aidoo, Stephan Ambrosius

    Midfielders

    Thoams Partey, Baba Iddrisu, Kudus Mohammed, Andre Ayew, Abdul Salis Samed/Jeffery Schlupp, Daniel Kofi Kyere, Osman Bukari, Fatawu Issahaku, Kamal Sowah/Kamaldeen Sulemana, Jordan Ayew.

    Strikers

    Inaki Williams, Felix Afena-Gyan, Antoine Semenyo.

  • Ghana’s food prices ranked as highest in sub-Sahara Africa – World Bank report

    The 2022 World Bank’s Africa Pulse Report has ranked Ghana as the country with sub-Sahara Africa’s (SSA) highest food prices.

    The report was released at the end of last month, October 2022, and indicated that domestic food prices have gone up by 122 percent since January this year.

    Indeed, the country’s inflation has been rising to an all-time high of 37.8 percent for September 2022 – driven largely by food prices, according to data from the Ghana Statistical Service(GSS).

    With many Ghanaians feeling the heat and cost of food prices running out of control, the situation is being exacerbated as the year-on-year inflation rate for September 2022 from the 16 administrative regions was almost 38 percent.

    This means general price levels have soared in September 2022, higher than September 2021 as month-on-month inflation between August 2022 and September 2022 was 2 percent, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.

    Correspondingly, panelists in the agribusiness sector during the 11th Ghana Economic Forum (GEF) cautioned Ghanaians to brace for more hikes in cost of food over the coming months.

    The panel included Chairperson of the Agribusiness Association of Ghana Industries, Fatima Alimohamed, who disclosed that “there is a looming shortage of foodstuff and its associated high costs”.

    The discussions were on the topic ‘Ensuring food sustainability and security: an analytical overview of the PFJ and implications for economic growth’.

    Also, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has projected in its Finance and Development Journal that food import bills for some 62 vulnerable countries will hit more than US$25 billion this year, putting 1.7 billion people at risk of going hungry in the future.

    A chunk of these 62 countries, according to the FAO, are African countries south of the Sahara.

    The FAO said rising cost of fertiliser on the global market will negatively affect availability of rice and other staple foodstuffs for the entire 2023, and probably beyond.

    The organisation observed that rice production and availability will slump to their lowest from 2023 due to increase in the cost of fertiliser, as prices of the cereal are starting to rise.

    “These developments pose risks because rice is a key staple around the world, including sub-Saharan Africa,” the FAO indicated.

     

  • Dairy imports hit US$400m annually as local demand soars

    Dairy import data from the Ghana National Association of Cattle Farmers (GNACAF) indicate that the country imports in excess of US$400million dairy products annually, as demand for fresh milk and other dairy products rise.

    Despite this increasing demand, the local dairy industry is stagnating; thereby creating a deficit that can only be offset by importation.

    Whereas special breeds have been grown and nurtured in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the west to give a maximum 30 litres and minimum 15 litres of fresh milk per cow each day, the situation is different in Ghana according to the GNACAF.

    The president of GNACAF, Imam Hanafi Sonde, confirmed to B&FT that just about eight out of every 100 milk-cows in Ghana are able to give 3 litres of fresh milk per day; a phenomenon that he said demands more investment into domestic production to lessen the country’s reliance on foreign dairy imports.

    The need to focus on milk

    “The reason for low milk production is due to focus on meat, though the quest for fresh milk is rising incessantly. To increase milk output, the country must put emphasis on special breeds through insemination; and the introduction of technology for milk extraction,” Imam Sonde said.

    The demand for milk has been increasing incomes of cattle owners more rapidly than meat in recent times, as Imam Sonde said milk has become a growing alternative source of income for farmers.

    An estimated US$90million worth of dairy products were imported in 2017, according to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture; but the amount, Mr. Imam Sonde said, has reached a staggering US$400million in just four years, by 2021.

    New Zealand, Brazil, Belgium and regional neighbours – key among them being Nigeria, remain the country’s top trading partners for dairy products. But the GNACAF said other countries are venturing in, since Ghana is experiencing an increase in dairy product consumption as diets continue to change, coupled with a growing population that is more urbanised.

    Historically, limited access to cold storage and transportation has limited Ghana to the consumption of ultra-high-temperature pasteurised products.

    Although these products have a long shelf-life, improved infrastructure is causing a push for fresher dairy and a bigger local dairy industry.

    In 2018, MoFA released a statement that the country would start to import cattle from the United States to help build the domestic dairy industry. The imported cattle were supposed to be special milk breeds for insemination and to grow the local industry here.

    But Imam Sonde said the animals are yet to be imported since the announcement was made, adding: “Maximum attention has not been given to the industry, as the sector continue to face biting challenges”.

    In Ghana, cattle farmers rely heavily on natural grazing – which is not ideal for milk production, especially in the dry season when there are no pastures. The Association maintains that special improved imported breeds for insemination are the solution to increase production and close the escalating import gap.

    On the national level, the Amrahia Dairy Farm – which is designed as capacity building centre for local cattle farmers to boost dairy production for industrialisation – is defunct.

    But the GNACAF said it is currently scouting for investors to collaborate on insemination for special breeds which can increase milk output and enable local farmers to concentrate on milk production. The value chain includes breeders, shepherds, traders, transporters, butchers, veterinary products and the hospitality industry, among several others.

  • Kume preko reloaded: Is Martin Kpebu asking for a coup? – Anyidoho asks

    Koku Anyidoho, a one-time presidential spokesperson has reacted to the ‘Kume preko‘ reloaded protest that took place over the weekend.

    The protest which saw hundreds of Ghanaians clad in red and black and holding placards critical of the government was called by a private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu.

    The lawyer decried the spate of economic mismanagement as a core plank for his call for the president and his vice to resign and hand over power to the Speaker of Parliament.

    It is that demand that Anyidoho built his views around in a tweet dated November 6, 2022.

    It read: “When a lawyer goes on demonstration to ask that the President and Vice President should resign; is he asking for a coup?”

    Kpebu speaks at protest

    Kpebu led hundreds of demonstrators who marched through the capital on Saturday demanding the immediate resignation of President Akufo-Addo over Ghana’s current economic woes.

    Addressing protesters during the march, he said: “We are dying; citizens are dying; citizens can’t afford food; citizens are starving all because of misgovernance by President Akufo-Addo.

    “It never happened that you have a president in office and every time that the country borrows, the president’s family becomes richer; how? This can’t continue.

    “We can’t borrow all the time and have Databank becoming richer all the time. Citizens have a duty as stated in Article 41 [of the Constitution] to ask the president to resign and this is not the first time that a president of Ghana is going to resign,” Martin Kpebu said.

    What Akufo-Addo said about Ghana being in a crisis

    Amid an economic downturn, calls for Akufo-Addo to resign has heightened with a November 5, 2022 protest dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ making the loudest call as activists and politicians marched in Accra to press home that demand.

    The government is meanwhile, grappling with an economic crisis, which along with the galamsey scourge and corruption are the major drivers for the call on Akufo-Addo to resign along with his Vice President, Mahamadu Bawumia.

    Akufo-Addo in his October 30 address on the economy blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causes for the country’s economic woes.

    While admitting that the country was in crisis and rallying support for various government interventions to stem the tide, he said the situation was not peculiar to the country as many nations across the world were also experiencing difficulties.

    “We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time.

    “But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedevilled our economy,” he said.

    But like before, President Akufo-Addo blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causative factors for the economic woes.

    When a lawyer goes on demonstration to ask that the President and Vice President should resign; is he asking for a coup?

  • GES directs heads of schools to ensure the safety of students amid strike

    The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the heads of public kindergartens and primary schools, as well as junior and senior high schools, to move in to ensure that students at the pre-tertiary levels in the country are kept safe.

    This is in the absence of teachers at the pre-tertiary levels after the three teacher unions declared a withdrawal of their services effective Friday, November 4, 2022.

    The teacher unions withdrew their services in protest of the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as the Director General of the GES.

    The President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Rev. Isaac Owusu, said in an earlier press conference that it was doing so in protest of the fact that the new GES boss was a banker.

    “It is unacceptable for a banker to be appointed as a Director-General of the Ghana Education Service instead of an educationist at the same time when many teachers who did the same courses and related ones were rejected by GES because it is not related to education

    “We stated that both the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should apologize to teachers for accepting the very qualifications they rejected when teachers presented them…We have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians our intention to go on strike, having reached the November 4 deadline we gave the government. Consequently, we have decided to embark on strike from today, Friday, November 4, 2022. By this, we are informing the general public that we are withdrawing all our services in all the pre-tertiary institutions,” he said.

    But the GES has called on the heads of the institutions to take over the safety of students who have been affected by this strike.

    “Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has read from the media that the three (3) Teacher Unions in the Pre-tertiary Education sector have declared withdrawal of their services effective Friday, November 4, 2022.

    “Heads of public kindergarten and Primary Schools as well as Junior and Senior High Schools have been directed through the Regional and District Directors to mobilise their management teams to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in schools,” the statement, signed by Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of Public Relations, said.

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed Dr. Eric Nkansah to act as the new director general of the Ghana Education Service on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.

    The appointment, according to a statement signed by Secretary of the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, aligns with Section 19 (1), (2) (a) and (b) of the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049).

    See the GES statement below:

  • Brogya Genfi sues Tolon MP over alleged forgery; demands annulment of polls

    The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth Organiser aspirant, Yaw Brogya Genfi has filed a writ at the Supreme Court for the annulment of the election of New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for the Tolon constituency, Habib Iddrisu.

    The writ filed by Brogya Genfi stated that the MP had been convicted of fraud and forgery in Australia and was not fit to contest an election in Ghana at the time he filed his nomination to contest as an MP.

    The writ filed on Monday, November 7, stated that Mr Iddrisu was convicted on his own plea by the Perth Magistrates Court in Australia on November 28, 2011.

    Among the reliefs being sought by Brogya Genfi include;

    “A declaration that the 1st Defendant, Mr. Habib Iddrisu, who was elected the Member of Parliament for the Tolon Constituency in the Northern Region of the Republic of Ghana during the 2020 Parliamentary Elections, was not qualified to be elected a Member of Parliament within the meaning of Articles 94(2)(c)(1) and 94(5)(a) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana by reason of the fact that, at the time of filing his nomination for the said elections between 5th and 9th October 2020, he had been convicted of forgery and fraud (both offences involving dishonesty) on his own plea by the Perth Magistrates Court in Australia on the 28 of November 201 and ten (10) years had not passed at the time when Mr. Habib lddrisu filed his nomination for the said elections;

    “A declaration that the decision of the 2nd Defendant to permit the 1st Defendant to contest Parliamentary Elections in the Tolon Constituency when the 1st Defendant had been convicted for forgery and fraud (both offences involving dishonesty) on his own plea by the Perth Magistrates Court in Australia on the 28th day of November 2011 is inconsistent with and violates Articles 94(2)(c)(9 and 94(5)61) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and ten (10) years had not passed when the 2nd Defendant made the decision to allow the Defendant to contest the 2020 Parliamentary Elections.”

    “A declaration that the election of the 1st Defendant as the Member of Parliament for the Tolon Constituency notwithstanding his conviction for forgery and fraud (both offences involving dishonesty) on his own plea by the Perth Magistrates Court in Australia on the 28th day of November 2011 is inconsistent with and violates Articles 94(2)(c)(i) and 94(5)(a) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and to that extent is unconstitutional, null and void and of no legal effect;

    “A declaration that the swearing-in of the 1st Defendant as Member of Parliament for the Tolon Constituency is inconsistent with and violates Articles 94(2)(c)() and 94(5)(0) of the .1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and is to that extent unconstitutional, null and void and of no legal effect.”

     

  • Upper West: 33,868 students benefit from Free SHS, says minister

    At least 33,868 students in the Upper West Region have benefited from the government’s flagship Free Senior High School programme, according to official figures.

    Addressing journalists over the weekend, the regional minister Hafiz Bin Salih attributed the increment in secondary school enrolment in his region to the visionary leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo in making education accessible to all.

    “The introduction of the Free SHS programme in 2017 saw all 35 public SHS/SHTS/TVET schools in the region being enrolled onto the programme. So far, the programme has benefited 33,868 students in the region,” Salih said.

    He said though the region was faced with the challenge of inadequate infrastructure when the programme was first introduced in 2017, the government through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has completed 33 new educational projects, with 11 facilities being constructed in different areas within the region.

    “In addition, from 2017 to date, the GETFund has completed 33 new infrastructural facilities, and 11 new facilities is in progress. These projects include dormitories, classrooms, science laboratories, administrative blocks, accommodation among others,” he added.

    In addition, the minister said strenuous efforts are being made to complete a further 52 stalled GETFund projects in the region. These projects, he said, include some critical infrastructure including the Hilla Limann Technical University, some senior high schools and basic schools across the region.

     

  • Minority leadership whips its 136 MPs for vote of censure on November 10

    Parliament will this week give effect to the vote of censure filed by NDC MPs in the House to determine the fate of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    The debate and vote on the censure motion will be taken on Thursday 10th November, 2022 following the expiration of the seven-day notice mandated by the Constitution.

    Speaking to Journalists, Deputy Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim said all NDC MPs have been instructed not to miss sittings in order to get the required number to carry out their objective, thus removing the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta from office.

    According to Mr. Ibrahim, there would be consequences if a member fails to show up.

    “The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak has sounded a note of caution to all Minority MPs that all the 136 MPs must be in the chamber on Thursday, so any member who absents himself on Thursday is at his own risk…On Thursday, whether we want Ken Ofori-Atta to be impeached or censored, the opportunity is being given to us,” he said.

    According to him, the Finance Minister will also be allowed to defend himself on the same day.

    For the vote of censure to succeed, 183 MPs must vote for it. With the Minority having only 136 MPs, 46 NPP MPs must join them.

    Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim believes the NPP MPs will not back down on their calls to get the Finance Minister sacked.

    “Whether the Majority is going to walk the talk to make sure that the motion that they staged, they still stand by it, is over to them. But I strongly believe that per the information and signals I am picking this morning, they are still going to walk the talk,” he said.

    The Banda MP said it is important to remove Mr. Ofori-Atta now before the economic situation worsens. He urged the Finance Minister to step down before the vote of censure.

  • Ban the use of weapons at festivals – Dagbon traditional council to government

    The Dagbon Traditional Council has passed a resolution to stop the use of weapons at festivals, funerals and other social gatherings following an emergency meeting with security stakeholders.

    The decision comes after the traditional council expressed concern about the proliferation of small arms in the town.

    Speaking to Asaase News, the executive secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Afi Yakubu, outlined the implications of using unregistered weapons.

    “In Ghana, we are governed by laws, it is not everybody who can go out and go to the market and buy a gun. That is why we don’t have gunshots displayed all over the place,” Yakubu said.

    “There is a criteria to own a gun in Ghana and it is determined by a law that was established way back in 1962,” she said.

    The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Shaibu, who doubles as chairman of the security council, said that conflicts elsewhere in Africa have escalated because of the rapid spread of illegal small arms and other light weapons.

    “Let me emphasise that conflict in the West Africa and Sahel regions have escalated and in recent years, due to uncontrolled proliferation of small arms that are illegally found in the hands of the youth.

    “As a council it is about time, we gave advocacy roles in educating the youth and general public on the dangers of illegal arms and the acquiring of them. The potential of disturbing the peace and stability in the region in particular and Ghana as a whole.

    “I wish to make a passionate appeal to all stakeholders to make illegal sales, trafficking of small arms and light weapons to the citizens in this region unattractive,” Yakubu added.

    Criteria for owning a gun

    According to Yakubu, “If you want to own a gun, you have to be 18 years and above. So, it means that those we’ve been seeing carrying weapons around may be going against the law.

    “You must be of sane mind. Are you physically fit to operate the weapon? Do you have a clean criminal record?”

  • CSOs urge government to activate National HIV/AIDS fund in 2023

    Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the fight against HIV/AIDS have expressed concern over the inactivation of the National HIV/ AIDS fund six years after it was passed into law.

    According to them, the inactivation of the fund was partly to blame for stalled progress and disruption in gains made towards the HIV/AIDS fight in Ghana, over the years.

    Thus, in the face of dwindling donor funding to the area, the CSOs have appealed to the government to as a matter of urgency, activate the fund in its 2023 budget.

    They made the call in Accra at the launch of the 2022 World HIV/ AIDS day on the theme; “Equalise; a call to action, a forceful appeal to the government, civil society, private sector, and individuals to work together to remove all inequalities that perpetuate the spread of the HIV epidemic.”

    President of the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET), Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, in a remark, said the National HIV and AIDS fund was needed to preserve the lives of over 250,000 Ghanaians currently surviving on life-saving anti-retroviral (ART) drugs.

    He stated that about eight percent (20,000) of this number were children and needed to be supported to remain on medications and realise their potential in life.

    “According to the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) Act, 938 as amended in 2016, the only person who can activate the fund is the Minister of Finance.

    I, therefore, wish to appeal to the Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, to unfailingly activate the fund in the 2023 budget which will be read exactly two weeks from today,” he stated.

    Mr. Ortsin maintained that it was expected that the Global Fund which presently was a major donor for Ghana’s HIV/ AIDS interventions to withdraw its activities in view of new global interests, as such, “as a country, we need to take our destiny into our own hands.”

    “This is why GHANET and all CSOs in health are calling on the President and the Minister of Finance to activate the fund as immediately as possible.”

    The Director-General of the GAC, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene disclosed that in the last five years, the country has averagely recorded 21,000 new HIV infections.

    From January to June this year, Ghana had already crossed the average mark, recording 23,495 new HIV infections which are, two percent of 948,094 people who undertook HIV testing during the period.

    The DG said high-risk behaviours, and complacency amidst disregard for preventive tools were contributing to the spread of the disease, urging members of the public to take responsibility for protecting themselves from HIV infection.

    Currently, Ghana is doing 71-99-79 of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target which aims to diagnose 95 percent of the HIV population, have 95 percent on anti-retrovirals, and 95 percent, achieving viral suppression of the disease.

  • Kumasi teachers return to work, defy strike in protest of new GES boss

    Some teachers at the Pre-tertiary level in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, have defied the directive by the leadership of three teacher unions to embark on a nationwide strike.

    The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT) on 4th November declared a strike over the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as the new Director General of the Ghana Education Service.

    The teacher unions want President Akufo-Addo to revoke the appointment with immediate effect, insisting that Dr. Nkansah does not qualify to occupy the position.

    A visit by Citi News to some of the schools on Monday morning showed that many teachers were in class as academic work was going on smoothly.

    The authorities in those schools who spoke to Citi News on condition of anonymity said there has not been any formal communication for them to embark on the strike, hence their decision to go ahead with normal academic work.

    Some teachers however refused to go to class as they complied strictly with their leadership’s directive.

    The teachers who spoke on grounds of anonymity said, although they had their own reservations and do not necessarily agree with the leaders to embark on the strike, they felt there was a need to comply.

    Heads of various schools who spoke to Citi News said they are not under any obligation to compel the teachers to return to the classroom and as such, they have asked their students to be available for any teacher who decides to teach them.

    The Kumasi Technical University chapter of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana has also backed the appointment of Dr. Nkansah as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service.

    The group insists that the credentials of Dr. Nkansah and his contributions to Ghana’s education sector make him fit for the job.

  • Unemployed nurses vow to protest at Health, Finance ministries over postings

    Some unemployed nurses comprising Nurse Assistant Clinical (NAC) and Nurse Assistant Preventives (NAP) have hinted at plans to picket at the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Finance, on Thursday over the government’s delay in posting them.

    According to them, they have been forced to take this action as a series of engagements with the relevant authorities have yielded no results.

    Speaking to Citi News, the Northern Zonal Vice President of the Nurse Assistant Clinical and Nurse Assistant Preventives, Francis Mengmi, said they won’t relent on their quest to get their concerns addressed.

    Since completing school in 2019, he said his batch had engaged authorities on their posting, but to no avail.

    “We are still on our grounds to continue hitting the streets and continue pouring out the frustrations we were going through as a batch after three years.”

    “Imagine someone who has been catered to for three years or two years to complete a course then after school, you have nothing to pay back. It is a huge crisis on you,” Mr. Mengmi said.

     

  • India to inject $150m into Ghana’s Agric mechanisation

    The Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E Sugandh Rajaram, has promised an injection of $150 million into mechanisation of Ghana’s agriculture to maximise productivity.

    He noted that the Indian government is committed to establishing mechanisation centres in all rural districts across the country where farming equipment such as tractors, combined harvesters, tillers among others will be supplied and maintained.

    H.E Sugandh Rajaram disclosed this at Sefwi Anhwiaso where he paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council and president of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II as part of his official visit to the Western North Region.

    Citi News’ Western North correspondent, Stanley Boadi, reported that the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana also engaged with traditional rulers and other stakeholders on developmental areas of the economy where his government can assist.

    According to H.E Sugandh Rajaram, the venture is to strengthen the cooperation between India and Ghana as they celebrate their 75th independence.

    He added that agriculture is the major contributor to the country’s economy, but its processes are mainly subsistence. He said his country is willing to invest 150 million dollars into the sector through mechanisation.

    In his welcome address, the Paramount Chief for Sefwi Anhwiaso and president of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II expressed his profound gratitude for the visit and also seized the opportunity to table a number of areas within his traditional area where assistance is needed from the Indian government for development.

  • Kaleo Solar Power Plant will boost economic activities in the Upper West Region – Regional Minister

    The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih has said the completion of the Kaleo Solar Power Plant will help transform the region into a hub of economic activities to create jobs, improve livelihoods and alleviate poverty.

    Addressing journalists during the State of the Region Report, a media engagement platform put together by the Ministry of Information for Regional Ministers to provide updates on developments in their regions, Dr. Salih said the completion of phase II of the solar plant will make the region the largest contributor of solar energy to the national energy grid.

    “Works has also commenced for the construction of phase II of the Kaleo plant to add 15Megawatt peak. When completed, it will make the region the largest contributor of solar energy to the national energy mix,” he said

    President Akufo-Addo in August this year commissioned phase I of the 13 Megawatts solar power plant. The project is the second utility-grid-connected solar project in the country.

    Together with the Lawra solar project commissioned by the President last year, the systems will provide a combined generating capacity of 22.8-megawatt peak and will complement the national grid in Wa to provide efficient and reliable power for the region.

    This Dr. Salih expressed delight at the coming on stream of the project expressing the hope that the projects would stimulate socio-economic activities and bring about an improvement in the lives of people in the region.

     

  • Diallo Sumbry enstooled as development chief in Ghana

    On Monday, October 31st, Diallo Sumbry was enstooled as the Nkosuohene (Chief of Development) in Nyame Bekyere, a community in the Eastern Region of Ghana approximately 1.5 hours away from the capital city of Accra.

    Diallo whose title became Nana One (Nana is used as the title of a monarch to signify their status) was recognized by the village elders for his consistent work in the community of Nyame Bekere and his efforts to build bridges between Ghana and the global African diaspora as a Tourism Ambassador to Ghana, co-architect/founder of The Year of Return, Director of Partnerships at African Ancestry, author of The Smart Repatriation Guide to Ghana, and CEO of The Adinkra Group, a cultural resource organization which has organized Birthright Journeys to Ghana for over 1000 African Americans since 2019.

    After being enstooled, Sumbry’s first order as a new Chief was performing a naming ceremonies for 8 members of African Ancestry Homecoming who traced their lineage to Ghana through DNA as well Dwayne, Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Wade who were also in attendance at the enstoolment along with over 300 members of royal families, government officials, media, family, friends, and local residents of the community.

    Following the naming ceremony, Sumbry, the Wade Family and other guests participated in a ribbon cutting and unveiling for a 3 story library and community center Diallo has developed in the town which also featured a live performance go-go band, Black Alley from Washington DC who were in Ghana for the festivities.

    “As a creative and cultural community leader for the past 25 years, I have dedicated my life and work to showing the beauty and relevance to African and African American culture. Since coming to Ghana, I have been committed to bridging the gap and allowing both sides to experience and learn from each other. It is an honor to be bestowed the title of a Chief/King, however I believe that like a fruitful harvest, greatness requires a supportive environment that will provide the necessary elements to produce ripe fruit. That is my vision for Nyame Bekyere and I and invite others to join me here to support the development of this community and other communities I build and work in Africa and in the US,” shared Sumbry.

    In December 2018, Sumbry was appointed US Ambassador for Tourism for Ghana in recognition of his impact on the country’s cultural and tourism sectors, and his role as one of the architects of The Year of Return. He is the first African-American to receive this title.

     

  • Akufo-Addo has no reason not to step down – Oliver Barker-Vormawor

    The convener of the political pressure group, #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor, has said Akufo-Affo has no reason not to resign as president.

    This, he explains, is because he has failed Ghanaians amidst the current crisis the country is facing.

    Oliver Barker-Vormawor, who was part of the demonstrators calling for the resignation of Akufo-Addo, added that it is important for citizens to save democracy, hence the need for them to call for action.

    “….as far as I understand that Akufo-Addo himself said that if we ever got here and he was demanded to get out, he will get out, so I see no reason why he will not get out, unless you are calling the president a liar, which a lot of people seem to agree he is,” he said in an interview with GhanaWeb.

    Some Ghanaians showed up in their numbers to demonstrate in demand for better living conditions and also called for the resignation of Akufo-Addo, Bawumia, and Ken Ofori-Atta.

    The protest started at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and ended at Black Stars Square in Accra.

    Addressing the crowd, the convener, lawyer Martin Kpebu, gave President Akufo-Addo, Dr. Bawumia, and Ken Ofori-Atta a three-day ultimatum to resign after the “Kume Preko demonstration” on November 5, 2022.

    He said the trio must resign for their roles in the current economic crisis the country is facing while they get richer.

     

  • I never joked with paying arrears, it boosted economy – Duffuor

    Flagbearer hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) and former Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor says he was serious with paying arrears to contractors and other persons who had worked for the government while he was in office.

    According to him, the regular payment of arrears went a long way in boosting the growth of the economy.

    “We never joked with expenditure. I was not making payments when there was not enough money. But as soon as money hits government account, I paid off people who government owed. We managed government bill very well. I never joked with arrears. I never denied contractors their money. I ensured I paid regularly in bit until all the debt is cleared,” Dr Kwabena Duffuor said on Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV on Monday.

    He added: “When we paid contractors, their work also progressed and we also took the taxes. You pay arrears with your right hand and you take taxes with your left hand. That is how it is done. If a contractor has executed a project worth GHC10m and you say you’ll not pay him, how does he take care of the workers. The money is not for him, it is for the workers. When he pays them, then you also take the tax from them. That helps the economy to grow very fast and a lot of taxes are paid. If government does not pay contractors their businesses collapse and there’ll not be enough taxes to build the country.

  • I’m glued to my seat in Parliament – Adwoa Safo tells constituents

    The Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has assured her constituents of her continuous service to them as their representative in the legislature.

    The assurance comes few days after she returned from the United States, when tensions surrounding her political career seem to have abated.

    Madam Sarah Adwoa Safo had been away since early months of 2021 on the back of an excuse to deal some personal issues.

    By October 6, 2021, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, had indicated an indefinite extension of her leave which was supposed to have ended on August 31, 2021.

    Her continuous absence from the country and consequently parliament over the period thus breached parliament’s 15-sitting-day threshold for absenteeism.

    This led to the Speaker’s decision to refer her together with two other MPs to Parliament’s Privileges Committee to inquire into her absence and make recommendations to the House.

    Although efforts to get the embattled MP to speak about her absence have proved futile, the House will in the coming days debate whether or not her seat should be declared vacant.

    That notwithstanding, her actions over the period had also fomented discussions in the public space, creating divisions even among her own constituents and party members, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), some of whom believed that she determined to hold the party and government to ransom.

    But like a Phoenix rising out the ashes, the MP who has been stripped of her responsibilities as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, has indicated that she will remain the lawmaker for the people of Dome-Kwabenya.

    “Thanks to the whole constituency, especially Taifa, for all the prayers and all the support. I know I will be back and I will continue to be your Member of Parliament”, said the former Minister during her thanksgiving at some churches in her constituency on November 6, 2022.

  • Man mistakenly shoots 12-year-old nephew to death

    A man has mistakenly shot his 12-year-old nephew to death at Mankuma, a farming community in the Bole district of the Savannah region.

    According to a myjoyonline.com report, the boy was left in the care of his uncle, who was on his way to the farm, by his mother.

    However, on their way to the farm on a motorbike, the uncle mistakenly clicked a locally manufactured gun trigger that he was carrying, leading to the instant death of his nephew.

    The deceased has since been buried.

    Meanwhile, the Bole district police command has commenced an investigation into the matter.

    The families involved have also indicated that they want to settle the case without any police interference.

     

  • Economic hardship forces former MP to pick ‘trotro’

    Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumbungu constituency, Ras Mubarak, has abandoned his luxury lifestyle due to the current economic hardship and increasing cost of living in Ghana.

    He joined public transport, popularly called ‘trotro’, over the weekend due to fuel hikes.

    The former National Democratic Congress MP was part of the ‘Ku Me Preko’ demonstration in Accra to pile pressure on President Nana Akufo-Addo to resign for his inability to manage the Ghanaian economy.

    Ras Mubarak took to Facebook to share his frustration.

    Below is his post on Facebook:

  • I’ve not changed – Ordained pastor Blakk Rasta says

    Media personality now turned pastor Ahmed Abubakar popularly known as Blakk Rasta has stated that he is still the old person he used to be even after being ordained as a pastor.

    Blakk Rasta is known for being one of the outspoken media personalities in Ghana. He has stated that he will not change his personality even after being ordained.

    A few days ago, Blakk Rasta was ordained as a pastor after passing out from the Breakthrough Family chapel Bible school. There were photos of the media personality in a clerical collar that went viral on social media.

    “Nothing will change about my views on topical issues. I always say that I speak to build and not to destroy. Speaking my mind is a way of helping society to develop so I will continue with that,” he told Graphic Showbiz in an interview recently.”

    “In fact, I had no respect for anything spiritual and that is because I have read widely and believed everything has to be physical.

    Even though I had more than 20 men of God telling me I would join them one day, I still believed if I have to succeed in life, it has to be physically and that is by working hard. I never believed in spiritual things,” he asserted in an interview with Graphic Showbiz.

  • Ifeanyi: We didn’t arrest Actress Eniola Badmus – Police

    The Lagos State Police Command has debunked reports making rounds that Nollywood actress and best friend of Davido was arrested in connection to the death of Ifeanyi Adeleke.

    In the late hours of yesterday, a video of a woman went viral claiming that Eniola Badmus was arrested by the police over the death of Ifeanyi Adeleke.

    According to the woman in the video, Eniola was in communication with the nanny of Davido’s son Ifeanyi and collected vital and sensitive information from the nanny to her friend Sophia Momodu, the first baby mama of Davido.

    The woman further stated that Eniola was the one who called the nanny the day Ifeanyi drowned and distracted her attention from the little boy.

    The news of Eniola Badmus was carried around by some media outlets but the report has been debunked by the Lagos Police.

    However, the command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a chat with newsmen on Saturday said there is no iota of truth in the report as the actress was never arrested.

     

     

  • How are online casinos using social media to stay ahead of the competition

    Social media has become an integral part of our lives, with most people spending hours every day scrolling through various platforms. It’s no surprise, then, that businesses have also taken to social media in a big way, using it as a tool to reach out to potential customers.

    One industry that has particularly embraced social media is the iGaming industry. In a highly competitive market, casinos and betting sites need to find ways to stand out from the crowd and attract new players. Social media provides the perfect platform for doing this, allowing casinos to show off their games and promotions and reach a wider audience. For example, different betting sites with welcome bonus will want to showcase their promotions to attract more customers.

    How does social media help online casinos to reach more customers?

    Social media can be a great way for online casinos to reach more customers. By creating a strong social media presence, online casinos can connect with potential customers who may not be aware of their services otherwise. Additionally, social media can be used to build trust and credibility with potential customers, which can encourage them to try out the casino’s services.

    How online casinos are using social media to create a buzz around their product

    Social media has become a powerful tool for businesses of all kinds, and online casinos are no exception. In fact, social media can be a great way to create a buzz around your product and reach new potential customers.

    There are a few things you can do to make sure your online casino is making the most of social media. First, make sure you have an active presence on the major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Post regularly and interact with your followers to keep them engaged.

    Another great way to use social media is to run promotions and giveaways. This is a great way to generate excitement and get people talking about your casino. Just be sure to follow all the rules and regulations regarding gambling promotions.

    How online casinos are using social media to promote their brand

    Many online casinos are using social media to reach out to potential and current customers in order to promote their brand and increase their customer base.

    There are a few different ways that online casinos can use social media to their advantage. For one, they can use it as a platform to advertise special promotions and offers. This is a great way to get people interested in what you have to offer, and it can also help encourage existing customers to come back and try your casino again.

     

  • Let’s unite against attempt to stop oil and gas exploitation in Africa – Napo speaks at COP27

    Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has charged his colleague Ministers for Energy at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt to have a united voice and stand up against attempts by environmentalists pushing for Africa to abandon its gas and oil resources and instead shift to renewable energy sources.

    “We should not allow ourselves to be divided,” Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh made the call during a panel discussion at the recent African Energy Week 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa.

    According to Dr Opoku Prempeh, Africa is awash with huge minerals and oil and gas resources and, therefore, cannot abandon them while the majority of the youth are without jobs and struggling to survive.

    Dr Opoku Prempeh stated categorically that Africa would continue to exploit its mineral resources to bring development and lift the majority of the people from poverty.

    He warned that any attempt to abandon the continent’s huge mineral resources could trigger chaos.

    “We are going to use what God has given us to develop our nations,” he said.

    Using Ghana as an example, Dr Prempeh said millions of Ghanaians do not have jobs and “you want me to go and stand in front of them and say we’re not going to exploit our oil and gas? There will be a coup,” he stated.

    According to him, it appears that some people deliberately want to set up African leaders for coup d’état.

    “It was an existential threat for Africa to be told that don’t exploit your oil resources,” Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh pointed out.

    Making a strong case for why oil and gas resources have to be exploited and not abandoned, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh said God in His wisdom created the sea, wind, and sun and put oil and gas resources under the earth for man’s exploitation.

    Shooting down the argument and supporting the shift from the use of fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh said if the answer to energy security was in, say, solar energy, God would not have put oil under the desert of Saudi Arabia because of the abundance of sun.

    “If we are going to participate in the energy transition process, we are going to use what God has given us to achieve that,” he stated forcefully.

    “Why did God put oil in Gabon. He put the trees and He put the oil. We have to exploit both. You can’t say you want to exploit one and leave the other. How are you going to exploit one without touching the other?” He quizzed.

    COP27 is scheduled for November 7 and 18 in Egypt.