Organised Labour has proposed a 60 percent increment in base pay for the year 2023 as they begin negotiations with the government.
In a letter signed by TUC General Secretary, Dr. Yaw Baah and Isaac Bampoe Addo, Chairman of the forum of Public Sector Workers, Organised Labour cited the rising inflation and the 15% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) granted on the National Daily Minimum Wage as grounds for their proposal.
“Due to the inflationary trends and the fact that 15% COLA has been granted on the National Daily Minimum Wage (NDMw). We humbly propose that a 60% increase on the 2022 Base Pay should be considered,” a portion of the letter read.
According to Organised Labour, a huge gap has been created between the National Daily Minimum Wage and the Base Pay as a result of accepting COLA instead of normal salary increase and granting increases in the National Daily Minimum Wage.
The group said currently, the 2022 daily Base Pay on the 2022 Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) is 16.26% below the 2022 daily minimum wage.
“In order to close the gap and restore the 10% point with respect to the National Daily Minimum Wage (NDMW), the daily Base Pay for 2023 should be GH¢l4.88 plus 10% which is GH¢16.37,” Organised Labour said.
They, therefore, want the annual Base Pay on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) for 2023 to be increased to GH¢5,303.23 from the current GH¢3,672.84.
Organised Labour further contended that the government ought to have increased the annual increment of 1.7% on the Single Spine Salary Structure to 2% in 2012.
This, they said has not happened since 2012 and want the government to implement that next year.
“However, over the years, our plea to adjust the 1.7% step increment (annual increment) to a 2% step increment has fallen on deaf ears. The Organized Labour can no longer wait for the implementation of the 2% step increment,” they stated.
The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori Atta, says he has cautiously supervised the country’s fiscal operations and has not been reckless in the management of finances.
He said this when he appeared before the Ad-hoc Committee of Parliament on Friday, set up by Speaker Alban Bagbin to probe the allegations for the motion of censure raised against him by the Minority.
He, however, said the government’s “strenuous efforts to protect the public purse is what has helped.”
Mr Ofori-Atta insisted that he had, as required of him, always presented government revenue and expenditure propositions to Parliament, which had in turn raised no concerns.
“On all occasions, I have come to Parliament to present the annual or mid-year budget, I have discussed all propositions of government in revenue and expenditure and financing, and on all these occasions, I have received approval as Parliament subsequently passed appropriation bills on them,” he said.
“Every key expenditure made has been supported by this house. Indeed, we also saw the dire consequences when the house, for months, refused to pass a major revenue generation item introduced by the Government to support the financial stability of the economy.”
Mr Ofori-Atta told Parliament’s Ad-hoc Committee that “Parliament’s delay in passing the E-levy has cost the country.”
The Minority in Parliament are calling for the dismal of the finance minister over the poor handling of the economy.
The cedi has seen its value drop by over 50 per cent compared to the United States dollar in the first ten months of this year.
The development had since placed the cedi as one of the worst in the world according to ratings by Bloomberg.
Fiscal recklessness leading to the downward trend of the cedi was one of seven grounds raised by the Minority to demand the dismissal of the finance minister.
Per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on Wednesday, November 9, the country’s inflation rate has hit an all-time high of 40.4 per cent in October 2022.
The data said food and non-food inflation also rose to 43.7 per cent and 37.8 per cent, respectively.
The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Richard Ahiagbah has said the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has destroyed an agenda by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to misinform the public on the Ghanaian economy.
Mr Ofori-Atta appeared before the 8-member ad hoc committee to answer allegations made against him by the Minority in Parliament.
He told the committee among other things that he does not believe that the allegations carry any weight.
On the allegation of deliberate misreporting of economic data to Parliament, he said it is completely not true.
“Since I took office in 2017, I have served the country with integrity and honesty.
“Under my leadership at the Ministry of Finance, there have been significant improvements in the accurate reporting of public finances.
Vote of Censure Paper (1)
Reacting to the presentation by the Finance Minister, Mr Ahiagbah said in a tweet that “It took only 34 pages of evidence…to dismantle the grand NDC agenda to misinform Ghanaians about the state of our economy. Now let’s work together to serve the people.”
He added “The NDC reduced everything in their quest to censure KOA, to politics. Zero evidence, just politics. Sadly, it’s becoming a pattern with the NDC to reduce everything to politics. Recall the 2021 Election petition. Evidence wins.”
Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has commended the 8-member committee investigating the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta for the work done so far.
In his view, Mr Ofori-Atta has been exposed by proceedings at the committee.
“The Committee’s work is commendable though it is not in the form or shape we wanted,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday November 19
He added “the exciting thing is that the minority kept the issues. It is satisfactory although some issues. Now Ofori-Atta can’t sleep, he will vomit the money.”
During proceedings on Friday November 18, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta said he does not believe that the allegations made by the Minority in Parliament for his removal from have any weight.
He told the ad hoc committee that the proponents’ allegations do not have “weight for censure.”
Mr Ofori-Atta said the allegations leveled against him were false and went on to debunk each of them.
On the allegation of deliberate misreporting of economic data to Parliament, he said it is completely not true.
“Since I took office in 2017, I have served the country with integrity and honesty.
“Under my leadership at the Ministry of Finance, there have been significant improvements in the accurate reporting of public finances.
“Today, under President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghanaians are enjoying greater accountability and transparency in the management of the public purse than any other period under the Fourth Republic.”
He said since 2017, the government has complied with the reporting provisions in the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921), including Budget Implementation report, Fiscal Reports, Public Debt Report, Petroleum Revenue Management Reports, ESLA report, etc.
On the issue of not including the financial sector clean up cost and the energy sector IPP payments in the deficit, the Finance Minister said contrary to the position of others, they were clearly stated.
“I want to emphasize, with the Budget document as evidence, that these payments were reflected in the fiscal framework.”
“Energy sector IPP payments were treated as “amortisation” and the non-cash financial sector clean-up payments were reflected in the “memo item” (Refer to Appendix 2A of the Fiscal Tables in the relevant Annual Budget),” the minister said.
READ ALSO: US, Ghana launch seed sector workshop
Ghanaians will recall that in support of data presented by the Ministry of Finance, in May 2020, Dr Albert Touna Mama, the then country representative of the IMF, came on Joy FM’s News File Programme to state that there was no misrepresentation of data by the government as was being alleged. Dr Touna Mama said government was not the one that presented the figures that the IMF published in its statements.
He explained that the difference in figures was as a result of a difference in the methodology of calculation, adding that the figure in fiscal deficit in their statement was a figure they generated themselves from the data government presented to them, having added financial and energy sector payments in line with their methodology, which is different from government’s methodology.
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has exonerated the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, of any wrongdoing in the payment of U$100.7 million into an offshore account in relation to petroleum funds from Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited (JOHL), a subsidiary of the Corporation.
“As far as JOHL is concerned, the finance minister is not responsible for their revenues. We have to, at the end of the day, submit our financials (to the Ministry) and pay our taxes to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and in 2021 JOHL paid 17 million to GRA in taxes,” a Deputy Chief Executive of the Corporation, Joseph Dadzie said.
He made this known yesterday at the day-two sitting of the eight-member Adhoc Committee constituted by parliament to probe grounds on which the minority wants the finance minister removed from office.
The Minority had claimed that the finance minister made illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts in flagrant disregard for the Petroleum Revenue Management Act.
Their claim was anchored on a report by the Public Interest Accountability Committee (PIAC) in 2021 that the Ministry of Finance paid the amount into the offshore account illegally.
Appearing earlier before the Committee yesterday, Vice President of the PIAC, Nasir Alfa Mohammed, insisted that the payment of the amount was illegal.
He thinks that the right account to receive the money from the sale of 900 barrels of crude from the Jubilee Field as lifted by JOHL was the Petroleum Holding Fund and not the company’s offshore account.
But Mr Dadzie said the PIAC has misread the law.
“We disagree with PIAC that revenues from the liftings should have been paid into the Petroleum Holding Fund. JOHL is a hundred per cent subsidiary of GNPC and registered under the Companies Act and for that reason, hundred per cent of the revenues cannot be paid into the Petroleum Holding Fund.
“The company must operate and if at the end of the day it declares profit, and the directors decide that dividends must be paid, that money is paid to GNPC and subsequently into the Petroleum Holding Fund,” Mr Dadzie stated.
He explained that when the original owners of the block in Jubilee, Anadarko, decided to sell their share, GNPC approached to purchase seven per cent which it got for US$164.7 million but due to delays in the finalisation of the agreement, Anadarko decided to set up JOHL to curve out the seven per cent for GNPC.
“When we were ready, we had to buy JOHL so the structure of the transaction wasn’t a GNPC structure. It was a structure that was defined by the seller,” he said.
To this end, he said, when Tullow bought that particular lifting, it paid the money into JOHL’s Cayman Islands account.
The funding of the purchase, he said was done by the Ministry of Finance through a loan; a funding agreement which did not receive parliamentary approval though same was included in the Corporation’s work programme for the year 2021 as submitted to Parliament.
Pressed if the Finance Minister could be held liable for the payment, Mr Dadzie reiterated that “We believe that JOHL is governed by the Companies Act and not by the Petroleum Revenue Management Act and for that matter, the finance minister cannot be held responsible” albeit no illegality in the payment of the amount into the offshore account.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is expected to appear before the Committee today with his defence to the seven grounds for which the Minority wants him censured.
He is said to had been battling a short illness. Dr. Kwesi Botchwey died aged 78.
Dr. Kwesi Botchwey is a well-respected economist and governance expert who served during the military era of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) (1982 to 1991) and the constitutional period of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) (1992 to 1995)
He is known as one of the country’s longest-serving Finance Ministers.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has refuted claims that he has mismanaged the country’s economy leading to the depreciation of the Ghana Cedi against the world’s major trading currencies.
The Minister was speaking when he appeared before parliament’s ad hoc committee, on Friday, 18 November 2022.
One of the 7 grounds, on which the Minority in parliament, is asking for the removal from office of the Finance Minister is “Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world.”
However, Mr Ofori-Atta told the Committee he has not been reckless in managing the country’s economy.
According to him, everything he did, was approved by Parliament.
“On all occasions, I have come to parliament to present the annual or mid-year budget, I have discussed all propositions of government in revenue and expenditure and financing, and on all these occasions, I have received approval as parliament subsequently passed appropriation bills on them.”
Mr Ofori-Atta added: “Every key expenditure made has been supported by this house. Indeed, we also saw the dire consequences when the house, for months, refused to pass a major revenue generation item introduced by the government to support the fiscal stability of the economy.”
Below is Mr Ofori-Atta’s full responses:
Introduction
Hon. Co-Chairs and members of this ad hoc Committee, good morning and through you, good morning to the Ghanaian people. I believe this process we are engaged in here is a useful opportunity to strengthen our democratic processes.
Hon. Co-Chairs, during the course of my remarks this morning, you can expect forthrightness. The Proponents’ motion of censure has accused me of many things and includes some very disparaging remarks and attacks on my person and integrity. I am certain that Ghanaians will have a more balanced view of the events “that led us here’ as I take the opportunity to speak to the matters raised.
My principal reflections today are to ensure that by the end of these proceedings, the “truth” will have taken centre stage and, in the process, any unfounded doubts about my motives, my competence, and my character would have been dispelled.
Before I proceed with my detailed responses, I would like to make a personal comment to the Ghanaian people:
Since, the Akufo-Addo government came into office in 2017, everything we have sought to do was aimed at making the lives of the people better.
We have been focused on this vision to improve lives and in the first 4 years, our efforts were leading to a realisation of the vision.
Today, I acknowledge our economy is facing difficulties and the people of Ghana are enduring hardships. As the person, President Akufo-Addo has put in charge of the economy, I feel the pain personally, professionally and in my soul. I see and feel the terrible impact of rising prices of goods and services on the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Ghanaians. I feel the stress of running a business. But, it is the strength and perseverance of the Ghanaian people that inspire me and my colleagues in Government every morning, to press on. That is what gives me the strength to press on to find solutions and relief for Ghanaians to the myriad of problems that our country and the rest of the world are facing, especially, since March 2020.
Co-chairs, let me use this opportunity to say to the Ghanaian people what I believe, with courage, every Finance Minister around the world may wish to say to his people now: I am truly sorry. When we set out so purposefully between 2017 and the early parts of 2020, we never imagined that a global pandemic such as Covid, with its prolonged economic fallout, would inflict such pain and suffering upon the Ghanaian people. The shock to our system has been hard and the impact on our livelihoods severe. But, we have not been resting on our oars. We continue to work to keep the lights on, to avoid the queues at our filling stations, our classrooms full, our hospitals and dispensaries mostly stocked with medicines, continue to pay salaries and our roads being built and fixed.
Now, let me get into the details:
The ground of the Proponents claiming that there has been “Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral”, I submit as follows:
Hon. Co-Chairs, let me first submit, that I am uncomfortable about the formulation of this ground. It presupposes that Parliament is assuming the jurisdiction to enforce and/interpret a provision of the Constitution, against the combined effect of articles 2(1) and 130(1), which grants the sole and exclusive power to the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, I say with both humility and confidence that I have not breached the Constitution in making payments to support the construction of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
Hon. Co-Chairs, three days ago, when the Proponents were here, they alleged that I had made payments from the Contingency Fund to support the National Cathedral. I want to state that this is just not true. Let me be categorical. I have taken no money from the Contingency Fund to make payments for the National Cathedral.
It appears the proponents have confused the Contingency Fund with the Contingency Vote. Let me explain. There is a difference between Contingency Fund and Contingency Vote.
The Contingency Fund, the Proponents refer to, is what is covered under the Constitution, specifically under article 177. This constitutes money voted by Parliament and advances from this must be authorised by the Parliamentary Finance Committee. The Contingency Vote, on the other hand, is a line under the “Other Government Obligations” vote which is approved by the Finance Committee and passed as part of the annual Appropriation Acts passed by Parliament.
Hon. Co-Chairs, in preparing the Annual Budgets, the practice is that provision is made for indicative expenditures that have not been fully costed at the time of the Budget presentation. Provisions are made in the Contingency Vote to cater for such expenditures. For example, in 2014, there was no specific allocation in the 2014 budget for Ghana’s participation in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Cabinet of President John Mahama, in March 2014, at the time, approved some $9.622 million for that tournament, including that amount which was flown to Brazil in a private jet for the players. A more current example is Ghana’s participation in Qatar. The Black Stars qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, way after the 2022 budget, presented on 16 November 2021, was approved by Parliament. No specific amount was budgeted for it but through the Contingency Vote, we have been able to provide funds legitimately for the team to participate in the competition.
Expenditures in respect of the National Cathedral were made from the Contingency Vote under the “Other Government Obligations” vote as has been the practice before my tenure (I have copies of several payments from the Contingency Vote dating back to 2015 to share). Hon. Co-Chairs, as Finance Minister, I am fully aware of the approval procedures for use of the Contingency Fund and have not breached its requirement.
The National Cathedral is 100% owned by the State and is not the President’s Cathedral as described by the Proponents. Indeed, the Attorney General issued an opinion on 6th January 2022, that the National Cathedral is a state-owned company limited by guarantee, under the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
Hon. Co-Chairs, the policy direction and updates on the National Cathedral have been publicly presented over the years through the National Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented to Parliament.
In paragraph 156 of my Budget Speech on the 2019 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, I announced on the floor of Parliament, Government’s vision for the National Cathedral as well as the commitment to facilitate the construction by providing the land, the Secretariat, and seed money. This subject was part of the policy approval of the Budget after extensive debate.
Subsequently, regular updates on the progress of the construction of the National Cathedral have been provided to Parliament and the nation. These include:
2020 Budget Statement and Economic Policy – Paragraph 385: which announced the establishment of the Board of Trustees and Secretariat for the Cathedral.
Mid-Year Review of the 2020 Budget Statement – Paragraph 279: which provided an update on the ground-breaking ceremony held on 5th March 2020 to mark the formal commencement of the construction phase of the project.
2021 Budget Statement and Economic Policy – Paragraphs 1132 and 1134: which informed the House of the Letter of Intent (LoI) signed on 25th November 2020 between NCG Trustees and RIBADE JV (led by Rizzanni de Eccher with M Barbisotti & Sons and Desimone. And, the Appointment of Apostle Prof. Opoku-Onyinah as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees on 8th February 2021.
Mid-Year Review of the 2021 Budget Statement – Paragraphs 354 and 355: which announced the expansion of the Cathedral project to include a Bible Museum (Bible Museum of Africa – BMOA) and Biblical Garden; as well as
the establishment of the 100-Cedis-a-Month “Ketewa Biara Nsua” Club, in line with the original plan to encourage as many donors as possible to contribute towards the establishment of this national monument.
In conclusion, Co-Chairs, all the payments made for the National Cathedral were lawfully done and from the Contingency Vote under the “Other Government Obligations” vote and not from the Contingency Fund as alleged by the Proponents.
I now focus on the grounds claiming “Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament”.
The issue of deliberate misreporting of economic data to Parliament is not just unfortunate but simply untrue.
I and, for that matter, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) have never misreported data to Parliament as has been alleged.
On Tuesday 13th November 2022, the Proponents clarified their concerns relating to the reporting of fiscal data.
In their submission, they alleged that different sets of data were presented to the IMF and the people of Ghana. That is untrue. The 2019 Article IV, which they cited, actually clearly demonstrates that the computing and Reporting of the deficit is consistent between the Government and the IMF as shown in the Table labelled – Ghana: Selected Economic and Financial Indicators, 2017–24 on Page 4 of the IMF Article IV and appendix 3A of the 2019 budget. More importantly, we were under a Fund programme and could not have been able to exit if there were inaccuracies with the data we reported and the methodology used for computing the deficit.
In actual fact, in the most recent IMF Article IV Report from 2021, one sees clearly demonstrated that the methodology utilized in computing the deficit is and has been consistent as shown in the Table labelled – Ghana: Selected Economic and Financial Indicators, 2019–22 on Page 3 of the Press Release numbered PR21/221.
According to Hon. Ato Forson —“Mr Chairman, paragraph 16, page 11 of the Staff Report – article 4 says, fiscal rules under Ghana; Public Financial Management Act. Fiscal rules could be strengthened – Box one – it goes on to say that about 2.8 percentage points of GDP in financial and energy sector payments were recorded below the line in the year 2019 Budget because the Government considers the financial sector cost as a one-off and energy cost, as debt amortisation. Best international practices would include these transactions above the line as they reflect either direct Government obligation or Government transactions, transfers to State-owned Enterprises.”
Because of the exceptional nature of the expenditure – financial sector cleanup and energy sector IPP payment, we agreed with The Fund that it could be treated below the line as shown in the Table earlier referred to. (Turning to the Presentation on the Board: In fact, as can be seen in the presentation, the style is consistent. We both report with Finsec and without Finsec. All information is reported and none hidden).
Co-Chairs, it is also alleged that I have breached the second fiscal rule under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018, (Act 982) namely the primary balance, in 2018 and 2019.
Firstly, I maintain the legal position that Act 982 was not passed to take a retrospective effect. It is equally instructive to note that the fiscal and primary balance targets presented to Parliament for those two years did not have any estimate on the finsec clean-up cost above the line. Consequently, the primary balance target that we were targeting were, actually, surpluses of 1.6% of GDP in the main budget for 2018 and 1.1% in 2019. This, per our definition, excluded the finsec clean-up cost. Thus, if applicable, could not be said to have breached the law. To reiterate, the agreed style of reporting with the IMF was to show both a deficit including finsec clean-up and one excluding it.
I wish to state that:
The allegation of deliberate misreporting of economic data to Parliament is completely not true. Since I took office in 2017, I have served the country with integrity and honesty.
Under my leadership at the Ministry of Finance, there have been significant improvements in the accurate reporting of public finances. Today, under President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghanaians are enjoying greater accountability and transparency in the management of the public purse than any other period under the Fourth Republic.
Since 2017, Government has complied with the reporting provisions in the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921), including Budget Implementation report, Fiscal Reports, Public Debt Report, Petroleum Revenue Management Reports, ESLA report, etc.
The Proponents have raised the issue of the treatment of energy sector IPP payments and financial sector clean-up payments in the fiscal tables. The Ministry of Finance has explained its position on the treatment of these two items to the relevant Committees of Parliament during their scrutiny of the annual budget from 2018 to 2021. The Ministry of Finance actually issued a Press Release on the subject on 10th May 2020, which we had hoped should have put this matter to rest.
The Ministry included the energy sector IPP payments in the “amortisation” line in the Fiscal Framework during the 2018-2021. Financial sector clean-up costs were included in the fiscal framework annually for the period 2018 to 2021 to reflect the issuance of bonds to cover the non-cash costs.
Contrary to the position of others that the MOF did not reflect the Finsec Payments and the energy sector IPP payments in the fiscal framework, I want to emphasize, with the Budget document as evidence, that these payments were reflected in the fiscal framework. Energy sector IPP payments were treated as “amortisation” and the non-cash financial sector clean-up payments were reflected in the “memo item” (Refer to Appendix 2A of the Fiscal Tables in the relevant Annual Budget).
The MoF reflected Finsec clean-up payments in the memo item called “fiscal deficit (including finsec payments)” for the following reasons:
They are extra-ordinary payment items which need not be mixed up with traditional fiscal operations; and
They are largely bonds and capturing them above the line will imply recognizing their payments now and recognizing their payments again when the payments fall due in the future – a possible double counting. A method that the proponent is or ought to have been very much familiar with from his years as Deputy Minister of Finance.
Likewise, the Energy sector IPP payments were reflected in the fiscal framework as part of the Amortisation line under the Financing part of the fiscal table for the following reasons:
They are debts of SOEs that have been assumed by the government and are largely contingent liabilities that have crystalised for payments; and
They are extraordinary, one-off payments which need not be mixed up with traditional expenditure items. Something, again, which the proponent should be very familiar with.
However, the MoF agreed with the Finance Committee of Parliament in 2021 that going forward from 2022 onwards, both the Energy IPP payments and the Finsec Payments will be treated “above the line” in the fiscal framework for the following reasons:
the Finsec bailout exercise is largely completed and, therefore, ceases to be an extraordinary budget item; and
IPPs payments are expected to be made over the medium term. Given that they have become explicit contingent liabilities, appropriately budgeting for them “above the line” ensures that resources are duly allocated for their settlement.
The 2022 Budget, therefore, reflects this decision. Neither the Ministry nor I have deliberately or dishonestly misreported economic data to Parliament.
This is buttressed by the submissions made in May 2020 by the IMF Country Director, Dr Albert Touna Mama: “Our number includes these two elements (financial sector payments and energy sector payment) and we know why the Governor of Bank of Ghana made the decision not to have these two elements in the fiscal deficits.”
There is also a claim on “Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana cedi which is currently the worst performing currency in the world”, I will respond as follows:
Hon. Co-Chairs, the grounds of recklessness presuppose that I have not been guided by the laid-down regulations. I want to state that I have not been reckless in the management of the FISCAL Operations of Government. Rather, our strenuous efforts to protect the public purse is what has helped this government to have achieved much, much more than any government over a similar period in virtually all sectors, including education, health, social welfare, policing, security in general, roads, railways, agriculture, industrialisation, tourism, digitization, and funding for anti-corruption institutions.
Hon. Co-Chairs, I have come to Parliament House ten (10) times (eleven times since this Government) in the last 6 years to present the Annual and Mid-Year Budgets. On all occasions, I have discussed all proposed fiscal operations of the Government (revenues, expenditures and financing).
On all those occasions, I received approval as Parliament subsequently passed Appropriations Bills for all those Budgets. Every key expenditure made has been supported by this House. Indeed, we all saw the dire consequences when the House, for months, refused to pass a major revenue generation item introduced by this Government to support the fiscal stability of the economy. Sadly, the Minority Leader, when this government was compelled to approach the Fund this year, triumphantly took credit for frustrating the government’s efforts to meet its half-year revenue targets.
“He told the Parliamentary Press Corps last June that: “Thanks to the opposition Government has already lost half-year revenue. That can only be attributed to the purpose and tenacity of the Minority Group in Parliament.”
The consequences of this intentional stance have been dire. It precipitated a lack of confidence in the international market and closed access to Ghana’s traditional Eurobond issuance.
Hon. Co-Chairs, it is worthwhile to note that indeed, the Proponents offered only one item as not having been approved by Parliament for Payment –The National Cathedral of Ghana, and I have shown that to be untrue.
I would hope we can take it that by extension of their proposition, they accept that all other expenditures have been approved by Parliament.
We must all boldly share in the positive achievements regularly reported by the Bank of Ghana in its quarterly ‘Fiscal Development Reports’ for the years 2017-2021.
Hon. Co-Chairs, it cannot be sustained that I have been reckless in supporting the implementation of the decisions of Parliament.
Funding economic growth and transformation
Hon Co-Chairs, with the approval of funds by Parliament in the last 6 years, we have undertaken major transformative investments to improve the quality of life of Ghanaians:
We have mobilised and invested in excess of GH¢28.3 billion (as of Sept. 2022) to Implement transformative Flagship Programs that improve social mobility and the quality of life of Ghanaians; (most of these did not exist prior to 2017); this includes:
Supporting 1,765,977 Ghanaian students under Free SHS/TVET to promote human Capital Development and social mobility.
Enrolling 15,656,160 Ghanaians aged 15 years and above on the National Identification Programme by Sept 2021 to enhance security and economic efficiency.
Support about 100,000 Young graduates to enter the job market.
Providing needed infrastructure to support decentralisation and local governance to expand access to public services under the Regional Re- organisation programme.
Promoting the development of railway network to advance national and regional connectivity
Supporting the ongoing construction of fishing harbours to service key coastal communities including Axim, Dixcove, Moree, Mumford, Winneba, Senya Bereku, Gomoa Feteh, Teshie and James Town.
Increasing School Feeding beneficiaries from 1,677,322 in 2016 to 3,300,000 pupils in 2021.
Increasing LEAP beneficiaries from 195,860 households in 2017 to 344,023 in 2021 to improve the livelihoods of for the underprivileged in our society.
Increasing food production and security through Planting for Food and Jobs. It has led to a 71% increase in the national production of maize and 34% in paddy rice.
We have invested significantly in retooling the security sector to maintain territorial integrity and improve internal security (CCTV, motor bicycles, vehicles, Forward Operating Bases, recruitment of security personnel etc);
We have recruited over 200,000 Ghanaians into crucial service areas such as Education, Health, Security and Local Government; and
Established a Tree Crop Development Authority with a focus on mango, cashew, rubber, oil palm, shea and coconut, in order to diversify our economy and provide raw materials for industrialisation.
These and many more we have done.
On the issue of fiscal recklessness and depreciating cedi,
Hon. Co-Chairs, the idea that the depreciation of the Cedi is the result of fiscal recklessness is not supported by the available facts.
The Ghana Cedi consistently performed very well throughout my tenure as Finance Minister, up until March 2022. The records show that between 2012 and 2016, the Cedi depreciated by an average of 17% whilst between 2017 and 2021, the average rate of depreciation was 7%.
The major contributors to the currency problem are not necessarily fiscal factors Hon. Co-Chairs, unlike July 2014 when the cedi was last rated as the world’s worst-performing currency, the 2022 depreciation is largely attributed to extraordinary global factors including the strengthening of the US Dollar (even against major international currencies like the UK Pound and the Euro); and speculation due to economic uncertainties. For example, in this year, 2022, the Euro is worth less than the dollar for the first time in 20 years.
As stipulated in Article 183 of the Constitution, Section 2(a). The Bank of Ghana shall promote and maintain the stability of the currency of Ghana and direct and regulate the currency system in the interest of the economic progress of Ghana. As such, the Bank of Ghana, which manages our reserves is leading the interventions to contain the depreciation of the Cedi.
The government, on its part, is undertaking real sector interventions through initiatives such as 1D1F and the GhanaCARES programme, to accelerate the import substitution of products such as poultry and rice, and promote an export-led economy thereby reducing foreign exchange pressures from the imports of those products.
We intend to announce additional measures to promote the consumption of local produce. Furthermore, the implementation of the AfCFTA positions Ghana as a continental trade hub, and we shall take advantage and boost the export orientation of our industries.
The Ministry of Finance has also arranged significant financing including the US$750 million from Afrexim Bank to support the 2022 Budget and boost our foreign exchange reserves. This forex inflow has improved the supply of foreign currency and boosted the stability of the local currency. We continue to explore avenues to secure additional financing to boost the reserve position.
On the issue of “Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis” I state as follows:
Hon Co-Chairs, these are very strong language. The choice of words for this part of the motion is worrying, especially as it relates to the functioning of the whole national economy. The truth is, considerable progress has been made under my tenure as Minister for Finance. Since 2017, we have competently managed the economy.
Hon. Co-Chairs, we have competently managed the economy since 2017. Indeed, to appreciate where we are now, we need to look back at where we came from. At the close of 2016, an assessment of the Economy revealed:
limited fiscal space (fiscal deficit 6.5%);
a distressed financial sector (NPL ratio-17.3%);
an asset quality review document which had not been released;
a derailed IMF-ECF programme and reduced economic output (GDP growth-3.4%);
Inflation was 15.4% at the end of 2016;
The monetary policy rate (interest rate) was 25.5% at the end of December 2016;
Limited CAPEX to MDAs; and
‘Dumsor’ which had decimated local industry and strongly impeded national productivity.
Hon. Co-Chairs, it is important to note that through our leadership and commitment to turn around the economy from its state in 2016, we made great strides and remarkable progress in the years before the pandemic and the records attest to this.
The headline facts are:
We doubled economic growth in our first three years, and Ghana’s growth in 2019 was touted as one of the highest globally;
Inflation came down significantly from 15.4% to 7.9% at the end of 2019 and remained in single digits till the pandemic hit in March 2020;
The fiscal deficit which was about 6.5% was brought down to under 5 per cent by the end of 2019;
Exchange rate depreciation reduced significantly to under [5 per cent] in 2017 and averaging [8.7 per cent} between 2017 and 2019;
We reduced interest rates in line with declining inflation expectations. The Monetary Policy Rate declined from 25.5% at the end of December 2016 to 16% at the end of 2019 while the average lending rate for the same period declined from 31.70% to 23.7%;
The government directly spent GH¢25 billion to save the banking and SDI sector, protecting the near-collapse of the financial sector; saving close to 5,400 direct jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs; making sure 4.6 million depositors were protected; and
The government also implemented comprehensive reforms across the energy sector and kept the lights on to date.
On the back of good economic management, in April 2019, Ghana successfully completed and exited the IMF-ECF programme that we inherited. To ensure the irreversibility of the macroeconomic gains, the government introduced a number of measures including:
passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982) to cap the fiscal deficit at 5% of GDP and ensure maintenance of a positive primary balance;
passage of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (LI 2378) to strengthen regulation of the Public Financial Management System; and
establishment of the two Social Partnership Programmes with Labour and Faith-Based Organisations.
Clearly, there was strong momentum and optimism towards the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda at the end of 2019.
However, with the onset of the pandemic, the gains from over three years of fiscal rectitude were reversed as a result of efforts to ensure lives and livelihoods were protected.
Ultimately, these considerations informed the raft of revenue and expenditure measures outlined in the 2022 Budget Statement.
We laid out the 2022 Budget to achieve Fiscal Consolidation anchored on debt sustainability. It is important at this point, to also highlight that a key component of the national debt stock related to three (3) exceptional expenditure items that are neither external nor a creation of this Government:
Energy Sector Excess Capacity payments (GHC 17 billion), which relate to a legacy of take or pay contracts that saddled the country’s economy with annual excess capacity charges of close to US$1 billion;
Direct COVID-19 expenditure amounted to GHC 12.0 billion; and
the Banking Sector Clean up (GHC 25 billion).
These three items alone, contribute to about 23% of our annual debt servicing cost. These three items were not created through the recklessness of the New Patriotic Party. The long dumsor that Ghanaians endured under the NDC administration between 2012 and 2016 was more to do with the NDC government’s inability to pay for power. So, Co-Chairs, I find it curious that Hon. Ato Forson will choose to cite energy bills as an example of the recklessness that the Minority charges me with and seek my removal by censure. Especially when we have had to pay around
$500 million dollars a year in excess capacity charges, for power the previous administration negotiated that we do not need and we do not use.
Hon Co-Chairs, in actual fact, we have been able to renegotiate some of these power purchase agreements and the new agreements with the Priority IPPs, once finalized and executed will offer estimated nominal savings of more than USD 4 billion over the next 5 years.
We have also used a significant part of the borrowing to undertake key transformative investments such as:
The fixing and construction of over eleven thousand, five hundred (11,500) kilometres of new roads between 2017 and 2021;
The construction of 12 major interchanges since 2017 as compared to 5 interchanges in the previous 8 years.
the construction of the Eastern Regional and Central Gonja Hospitals;
Commencing work on eighty-seven (87) of the Agenda 111 projects;
funding ongoing airport projects, including the Kumasi International Airport; and
promoting the establishment of the Development Bank Ghana to provide competitive finance for Ghanaian Entrepreneurs.
Indeed, the E-Levy was borne out of this heightened need to mobilize resources sufficient for managing the pre-eminent
challenges of our time: fiscal consolidation, debt sustainability, and reducing youth unemployment.
Unfortunately, the delay in the passage of the E-levy adversely impacted market confidence and largely contributed to the downgrade in Ghana’s sovereign credit ratings in January 2022 and these resulted in a whole deterioration of the financial conditions for Ghana and closed Ghana’s access to the international capital markets (ICM) due to Deteriorated perception and loss of confidence by investors.
For this reason, access to ICM funds was no longer available which resulted in a severe BOP problem that needs to be addressed.
The Government thus resorted to the IMF as a lender of last resort to not only address the immediate and active BOP need but also to protect all the macro and social policy gains made in the last 5 years.
Undoubtedly, the last few months have seen considerable economic uncertainty and challenges. These have been characterised by high inflation levels and rapid depreciation of the cedi. Indeed, the economic challenges we are facing require deliberate but urgent, well-thought-out, strategic steps as well as the support of the Ghanaian people.
The above notwithstanding, there are still some bright spots.
Overall, our growth outturn of 3.4% and 4.8% in Q1 and Q2 2022 respectively, coupled with modest improvements in our fiscal position suggests our economy is gradually on the upswing despite the numerous shocks we have faced over the past two years.
This progress gives us a solid foundation to confront the challenges in front of us.
Undoubtedly, risks remain that we are highly attuned to; however, the Ministry of Finance is committed to working alongside all stakeholders, including the members of Parliament to ensure we can reposition our economy back on a path of growth and prosperity.
There is a claim of “Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy, which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship”. I want to re-state that:
Hon Co-Chairs, the current economic challenges we are experiencing in Ghana is not the outcome of mismanagement. But we acknowledge the hardships our people are going through in these difficult times.
This assessment is wholly shared by objective observers. In the recent words of the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva and I quote: “to the people of Ghana, like everybody else on this planet, you have been hurt by exogenous shocks. First the Pandemic, then Russia’s War in Ukraine and what we need to realise is not because of bad policies in the country but because of this combination of shocks…”
I have already discussed the domestic triggers behind the depreciating Cedi. We simply cannot overlook the significant impact of the delayed passage of the revenue measures outlined in the 2022 Budget, which resulted in negative market reactions, credit rating downgrades, the narrowing of financing sources, and the eventual depreciation of the cedi. The timelines are obvious and cannot be ignored.
Going forward
Hon. Co-Chairs, it is time to have an honest national conversation on the patterns of expenditure as a people. Our preference for imported goods, which requires foreign exchange that we do not earn enough of, implies that our cedi will continue to be under pressure
It has become clear that we cannot continue in a business-as-usual mode. We have to significantly change our consumption patterns and support investments in local capacity for production and export.
Hon. Co-Chairs, even in these challenging times, we have not been rudderless. We have prepared the Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG) as the domestic blueprint, which has benefitted from input from all key stakeholders including Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), social partners (labour unions, employers, and FBOs), academia, industry professionals, and the leadership of Parliament.
This document contains a set of time-bound structural reforms and fiscal consolidation measures to place our debt levels and fiscal accounts on a sustainable path over the medium term and has underpinned the Government’s engagement with the IMF.
The negotiation with the IMF is progressing steadily and well and we are working assiduously to achieve a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) by end of December 2022.
As the President announced recently, Government is aggressively pursuing initiatives that will structurally boost the export orientation of this economy. In the coming 2023 Budget, and following consultations with key stakeholders, including AGI, Labour and the trading community, we expect to announce critical measures in this regard. This will complement the ongoing private sector-led interventions being promoted under the 1D1F and the GhanaCARES programme.
However, the world had no playbook to help us tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Parts of the Ghanaian economy were shut- down, including hotels, restaurants, and events. Our efforts were further destabilised by the disturbances in the global supply chain. But even in those times, we provided electricity and water-free, grants and loans to businesses in the formal and in formal sectors. We also paid our workers even when some were home for 9 months and did not lay off anyone.
No country has been saved from the disruptions in supply chains, and record hikes in prices of energy, food and commodities. Every economy is facing macro-fiscal challenges, rises in public debt levels and narrowing fiscal space. Our situation was not helped by a combination of historic weaknesses in the structure of our import-dependent economy and our low capacity, even as compared to our neighbours, in raising domestic revenues. The 2023 Budget will contain policies directly aimed at tackling these vulnerabilities.
Hon. Co-Chairs, I am aware of the enormity of the challenges we face. I am aware that lives and livelihoods need to be protected. We have a well-consulted plan and the commitment to address this economic challenge. The Ministry of Finance and I
have been working so hard 24/7 to quickly restore market confidence and ensure economic growth. We are nearly through with the IMF negotiations. I am confident that once we conclude our debt sustainability programme and secure a Fund programme, the nation will next year see the stability and fiscal space that can spur us back on to a sustainable economic recovery and growth, which should endure considering on the investments we have made in all sectors.
Concluding remarks
Co-Chairs, as a child, I was taught a hymn that has guided me throughout my life:
Land of our birth, we pledge to thee our love and toil in the years to be,
when we are grown and take our place as men and women with our race.
Land of our birth, our faith, our pride, for whose dear sake our fathers died;
O Motherland, we pledge to thee head, heart and hand through the years to be.
Inspired by the words of this hymn, Hon. Co-Chairs, when I assumed the position of Minister of Finance, I resolved to serve the people of Ghana with my all.
Under my tenure as Minister of Finance, I have overseen some great strides in the development of Ghana and the improvement of the lives of the Ghanaian people.
As a nation, we are being tested. Our circumstances require a united and concerted response to the crisis. I implore our chiefs, elders and churches to take the mantle and speak a common language. Let us all work as one country to support labour negotiations, find a solution to the impasse in Parliament and rise above witch-hunting and entrapment. These are not ennobling and progressive for a society seeking transformation.
Hon Co-Chairs, Ghana is a resilient country. Ghana has faced economic challenges since independence. Ghana has always come through each of them stronger and better than before. God willing, we shall come out of these difficult times too. Ghana, will, and must rise again!!
A Member of the 8th Council of State representing the Oti Region, Richard K. Atikpo, is pushing for an ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ agenda in the Oti Region.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the Jasikan Municipal Assembly on Wednesday 16th November, 2022 at the Assembly forecourt. The Assembly was inaugurated as a result of coming into force of a Legislative Instrument (L.I) 2437, which elevated the Assembly’s status from a District to a Municipal.
In his observation as the Chairman of the occasion, he bemoaned the need to revisit the ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ initiative by having backyard gardens to produce the basic foodstuffs we need at home. He added that, that’s the only way to ensure food security in the area.
He also appealed to the Assembly to partner and support the locals to venture into agriculture.
He thanked the chiefs and the people for the peace and unity that the District continue to enjoy.
The Jasikan and the Kete-Krachi Districts were part of the Districts that were elevated into Municipality status on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Oti Region.
Also, in attendance were the Oti Regional Minister, MP for Buem Constituency, the MDCEs in Oti Region, Heads of Departments, Chiefs, the Clergy, Assembly Members, students and all stakeholders in the District.
Aspiring National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has reiterated his pledge to build a more formidable NDC, which will become more attractive to win the 2024 elections convincingly.
General Mosquito, as he is affectionately called, says the NDC, under his leadership as chairman, if he wins the December 17 national congress, will actively engage all elected executives and influential persons within the party to rejuvenate the grassroots base.
Mr Nketia, who is currently on a campaign tour of the Western region, has been engaging footsoldiers, party influencers across the length and breadth of the country as well as delegates.
He has also promised, among others, to revive the NDC Heroes Fund to serve as a sustainable means of supporting party functionaries, who suffer disabilities in the course of their duties or their dependents in the event of death.
“My objective, at this stage in my political life and love for the NDC, is to colleague national executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to work hard and build the party into a more formidable, attractive, and modern organization”, he emphasised.
He said: “The NDC, I am optimistic will be the party of choice, especially the youth, women, the vulnerable in society and people from all walks of life and background.”
Speaking to delegates in various constituencies in the Western Region, Mr Asiedu Nketia assured the party executives that he will do more than before and will join them in their constituencies to sell the good message of the NDC, come 2024.
He said the NDC has no choice than to present former President John Dramani Mahama as its leader for the next elections and, therefore, called for hard work from all supporters, sympathisers, and executives of the party.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia, who has already toured the regions of the north, is receiving overwhelming responses from party members, some of whom wait deep into the night to engage him directly.
Kofi Bentil, the vice-president of IMANI Africa has described the decision by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to halt forex support for imports for some eight items as a bad move, which will badly affect the poor.
The items include rice, poultry, vegetable oil, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water, ceramic tiles and other non-critical goods.
The move, according to the central bank, is in accordance with the president’s directive, issued in his recent address on the Ghanaian economy, made to the nation on Sunday 30 October 2022.
An electronic message from the Bank of Ghana to banks in the country said: “In accordance with the president’s directive, issued in his recent address to the nation on the Ghanaian economy on Sunday 30 October 2022, the Bank of Ghana will no longer provide FX support for the imports of rice, poultry, vegetable oils, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water, ceramic tiles and other non-critical goods.”
“Please be advised and act accordingly,” the Bank said.
Reacting to the development on Facebook, Bentil said the policy will force importers to rely on the open market for forex, adding that it will drive up prices of goods.
“Another round of policy incoherence has been unleashed. We will all suffer, especially the poor.
“You support essentials whose price increase will affect the poor. Toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water and ceramic tiles are NOT essential. You don’t need to support their imports.
“If you withdraw support. You haven’t reduced demand, you’ve just created shortage, so The importers will buy FOREX from the open market and drive-up FOREX rates. And that will also drive-up prices of these essentials and everyone will suffer especially the poor,” Bentil posted.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has expressed fear that the cedi will continue to be under pressure if Ghanaians’ taste for imported goods is not ceased.
Mr. Ofori-Atta advised Ghanaians to as a matter of urgency change their voracious appetite for imported goods.
It is estimated that majority of the country’s products are imported from other countries.
The local currency has taken a downturn in the past months, with prices of goods and services, fuel among other consumables soaring high.
But appearing before the ad-hoc committee of Parliament on Friday, November 18, 2022, the Finance Minister indicated that the country does not earn much from imported products which require foreign exchange.
“Hon. Co-Chairs, it is time to have an honest national conversation on the patterns of expenditure as a people. Our preference for imported goods, which requires foreign exchange that we do not earn enough of, implies that our cedi will continue to be under pressure. It has become clear that we cannot continue in a business-as-usual mode. We have to significantly change our consumption,” he advised.
Ghana spends billions of cedis annually to import products from other countries.
Ghana imports mostly industrial supplies, capital and consumer goods and foodstuffs. Its main import partners are China, the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom and France.
The Parliamentary ad hoc committee probing a vote of censure motion brought by the Minority Caucus against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta concluded their public hearings on Friday, November 18.
The eight-member committee was co-chaired by KT Hammond and Dominic Ayine with three members apiece from the Majority and Minority Caucuses.
One of the critiques of the committee’s composition is that it had an even number of members and two chairs which meant that decisions could mostly be split in the middle.
That situation did play out a number of times during their sitting as blocs voted en bloc on issues.
Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading GUIDE newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako is predicting that the committee could potentially end up with two separate reports.
He observed in a Facebook comment that it would not be the first time such a scenario would play out if it so happens.
“They may end up issuing two seperate reports akin to what happened in the “Cash For Seats” Probe! Watch this space!” baako wrote.
He was commenting on a pro-New Patriotic Party activist’s post about how the November 18 hearing which had the Finance Minister appearing to answer questions on the allegations brought against him.
The cash for seat controversy
In February 2018, a special ad hoc parliamentary committee was set up to probe ‘Cash for Seat’ allegations leveled against officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
The five-member committee, headed by the then majority chief whip, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, had consistently asked for more time to compile an elaborate report after its public hearing had ended on January 24, 2018.
However, the laying of the report was not without controversy, as the minority members on the committee said their views were not captured in the report.
Eventually the Majority side officially presented their report (which cleared officials of any wrongdoing). It was, however, rejected by the Minority, who later published their own report from the hearings.
The minority chief whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, had filed an urgent motion asking the house to probe the ‘Cash for Seat’ allegation against some officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, as well as the Millennium Excellence Foundation.
The officials were accused of collecting between $15,000 and $100,000 from expatriate business people to sit on the presidential table during the Ghana Expatriate Awards night on December 4, 2017.
Legal Practitioner and a Senior Lecturer of the College of Art and Built Environment of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Dickson Osei-Asibey has expressed regrets contesting the 2012 parliamentary elections as an Independent candidate.
A staunch member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) went independent and contested against the Deputy Minister for Land and Natural Resource Mr. Benito Owusu Bio in 2012.
According to Dr. Dickson Osei-Asibey, his decision to go independent unknowingly tore his party apart in the constituency and brought a lot of harm to them as well.
“I regretted going independent because it didn’t help the party. It brought a lot of division in the party and I didn’t know that was going to cause that harm”, Dr. Dickson Osei Asibey revealed.
Recounting the genesis of his decision on Ghanaman TV in an interview monitored by MyNewsGh.com, he noted that he contested the primaries with Benito Owusu Bio with another candidate but got disappointed with the party’s decision in the long run and felt betrayed.
“We were three that time and Hon Benito won and I was second. At that time the District had not been divided, it was Atwima Nwabiagya so later they decided to split the district. After the split, I was expecting that after Hon Benito had contested in the North, I would also be allowed to contest in the South but that didn’t happen, the third person instead was made to contest on the ticket of the South leaving me the second runner. So the whole community was not happy”, he narrated.
Dr Dickson Asibey explained that his decision to going dependent was because the community felt he should lead the newly created district.
“Later on I regretted going independent because it didn’t help the party. It brought a lot of divisions in the party and I didn’t know that was going to cause that harm. They had to bring President Kufuor, the late Jacob Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey and some NPP big men to talk to me. I still went on as an independent candidate and amassed a lot of votes, but it didn’t help,” he reiterated.
Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah has commended the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu for his commitment to promoting efficient justice delivery in Ghana.
Justice Anin Yeboah cited among others a field investigation conducted by the renowned lawyer and his team on the state of courts in the region. They visited 8 courts across the region, meeting with the Regional Coordinating Council of the Region; as well as judges, magistrates, registrars and other judicial service staff of the courts they visited.
They also had the opportunity to speak to some court users.
Dr. Agyeman-Budu’s effort was recognized at this year’s Chief Justice’s Forum held on Thursday (November 17) in the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi. According to the Chief Justice, these “findings would serve as a good source material” in the near future.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Agyeman-Budu and his team”, the Chief Justice said.
The forum, under the theme: “improving access to justice in a pandemic through technology” was purposed to create a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on key issues in the justice sector and how they could work to enhance the efficiency and effective delivery of justice in the country.
The forum was also meant to serve as a feedback mechanism for the Service, where stakeholders would have knowledge of the concerns of the public, in order to come up with strategies that would improve its service delivery.
It would further offer an opportunity for the Service to disseminate information to court users and the general public on its operations to ensure transparency and accountability
Profile of Dr Agyeman-Budu
Kwaku Agyeman-Budu is a lawyer by profession and a legal academic. Since January 2013 he has taught various courses at the GIMPA Faculty of Law in Accra, Ghana.
In September 2013, he established the Justice Foundation (www.tjf-gh.org), an apolitical, not-for-profit, non-religious human rights organisation, with the sole purpose of increasing access to justice in Ghana.
In this capacity, he has represented many indigent criminal defendants in the courts of Ghana, pro bono.
Agyeman-Budu holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Ghana, as well as a qualifying certificate in law from the Ghana School of Law.
He also holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in international law and justice and a doctorate in juridical science (SJD) from Fordham University School of Law in the United States. At present, he is the head of law centres within the Faculty of Law at GIMPA, where he oversees the management of the African Centre of International Criminal Justice (ACICJ) (www.acicj.org) and the African Centre on Law and Ethics (ACLE) (www.acle-gh.org).
He is also a member and co-ordinator of the Judicial Service of Ghana’s internship and clerkship committee, for which he oversees the placement of law students with courts in Ghana.
Dr Agyeman-Budu teaches constitutional law, international human rights and humanitarian law and intellectual property law at the GIMPA Faculty of Law.
His research interests include all of the areas above, as well as criminal law, international criminal law and justice, business and human rights, and legal ethics.
Associations
Kwaku Agyeman-Budu has been a member of the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers (ANCL) since April 2021.
He has also been a patron of the Adansiman Progressive Association (APA) since December 2020. From December 2020 to date, he has also served as a convener of the Coalition of Professionals for Peaceful Elections (CPPE).
He is a member of the Nairobi-based African Group of Experts in International Criminal Justice and the Ghana Bar Association, which he joined in October 2013.
Dr. Agyeman-Budu is also a Managing Attorney at Agyeman-Budu & Company PRUC, a law firm based in Accra, the capital city of Ghana.
About 8 months ago, MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, sounded a word of caution to members of the New Patriotic Party.
He asked that NPP members tread carefully in matters relating to him, or else he was going to unveil a video from investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw he has from 2018.
According to him, but for his intervention, the investigative journalist would have aired an investigative piece that showed a minister receiving some amount of money.
In a video posted on NET2 television on its YouTube channel on February 23, 2022, the MP asked members of the NPP to be careful in their dealings with him (Agyapong) since he is the “saviour” of the party.
“Anybody who tries to disgrace me, the information I’ll bring out, from Anas, the sin he was going to commit against us that I stopped. Anas was going to show a video where he has given the minister money on a table like this but he was not going to show that he had planned with people that it was a political fight in 2018,” Kennedy Agyapong said.
He also detailed how Anas coached persons he picked up on the streets of Dubai, and coached and assigned them to set up Ghanaian businessmen and ministers.
He said: “If you dare me, I’ll release Anas’ video. I swear to God. If the NPP does not tread carefully and they talk, Yaw Buabeng Asamoah. You have to be careful else I’ll bring the party down completely. If I bring the video and see if you’ll get even one Ghanaian to vote for us.”
Speaking further he said “What Anas did as far back as February 8, 2018, when Anas set our businessmen and ministers up in Dubai. The only person in Authority I wanted to prove something to, about how I have saved this party and not a jerk like Yaw Buabeng Asamoah. In the course of the investigation, I chanced on the video where Anas was coaching people, and even the people he was coaching themselves panicked.
“The people he wanted to use against our ministers and businessmen, Arabs he picked up on the street. He picks them on the street, and coaches them to destroy personalities in this country, Africa, and everywhere. That is what Anas was doing,” he added.
Kennedy Agyapong also stated that what Anas sought to do was influenced by a political fight with the NPP.
“Do you know what Anas did, he gave them the questions to ask the businessmen and the ministers, they panicked and Anas asked them; Why are you afraid, this is a political fight, I have done it before.
“Anas has a political fight with NPP. If NPP makes a mistake, they know they cannot sacrifice me in the party, I’ll bring the video up and see if the NPP can even survive up to 3 months. As I speak to you, I’ve given copies of the video to the persons who were set up and they have admitted. NPP always wants to sacrifice me when there is an issue, they don’t know that I am the one saving this party,” he told the host.
Earlier this week, investigative agency, Tiger Eye PI aired an investigative piece named “Galamsey Economy.”
Before the televising of the piece, snippets were shared, which showed a now-former Minister of State Charles Adu-Boahen in a meeting with some potential investors.
The minister was heard telling investors that to be able to meet the Vice-President, they would have to pay an “appearance fee” of $200,000.
After the release, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo terminated his appointment.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber has called for the reduction of the electronic transactions levy (E-levy) from 1.5% to 0.1%.
According to Dr Ken Ashigbey, the introduction of the e-levy at 1.5% has proven counterproductive to both the government and the development of Ghana’s digital economy.
He explained that while calling for a total scrap of the tax measure would be insensitive considering the government’s dire need for money amidst economic turmoil, reducing it to 0.1% would revamp the digital economy thus generating more revenue for government.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express Business Edition, he said, “Our proposition is the fact that, you know, they should scrap it. But we need to be real, government needs money at this particular stage.
“The deficit position is not good for the industry, it affects the industry, it’s one of the things that would account for the depreciation of the cedi. The macros would be destabilised.
So we think that the best thing to do is to reduce the level. Some in the industry have talked about 0.5, but I have said that the best thing to do is to do 0.1%.”
He added that while the government reduces the rate, it should also place a cap on it.
Dr Ken Ashigbey suggested that transactions that are 5,000 cedis and above should only attract a fixed e-levy rate to attract more large transactions on mobile money platforms.
According to him, the current cap-less system makes it most undesirable to transact business with large sums of money via digital platforms.
“You know, push the level down to 0.1 and then put a cap on it. Say ¢5,000. At ¢5,000 the levy is fixed so that if anybody wants to send ¢10,000, you know, that will happen,” he said.
“Take out the discrimination between the ¢20,000 that you give to the banks and then you give to mobile money so that the discrimination is not based on that,” he added
On the other hand, Dr Ashigbey is calling on the government to place a cap on the amount of cash that can be used in a transaction.
According to him, when physical transactions are capped at ¢2,000, for instance, people will be forced to transact business via mobile money platforms for large transactions.
“Another innovative thing that we would say is that put a cap on any transaction that can be done by cash, so let’s say ¢2,000. If you want to do any transaction above ¢2,000 use a digital means for mobile money, for the banks and all of that.
“What will happen is that a lot of the things that happen underground… a lot of that you’ll be able to take them off and then you’ll be able to see a lot of movement in terms of cash and that also will help,” he said.
“And then in terms of government payments, make sure that all government payments mandatorily are made simple and let people be able to pay so that tolls that people pay in the market and all that will use these digital means. And if you’re going to do that make sure that it is seamless, it’s not difficult to do,” he added.
The Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, says elements within his own party are behind his leaked audio tape, based on which he is currently standing trial.
Speaking in a yet-to-air exclusive interview on Adom TV, the embattled Chairman told host, Daakyehene Nana Yaw Asante, that the leaked audio is an evidence of how cruel the NDC can be when they want to destroy one of their own.
Substantiating his claims, he said the in-house traitors secretly recorded his comments in a closed door meeting and leaked the recording to the New Patriotic Party for him to be prosecuted.
According to him, he has been to court on seventy separate occasions as a result of the internally orchestrated treachery.
“When NDC wants to disgrace you, they first tag you as anti-Mahama. My own party folks recorded me at a meeting that I held with the party, with the people and went to sell the recording to the NPP, for which reason I’m standing trial. I’ve been to court 70 times”, he stated in a trailer to the yet to air interview.
In addition to tagging an individual as anti-Mahama, he said some elements within the party can travel all length to cause disaffection for someone they do not like.
The interview will be aired on Saturday, November 19 at 10:00pm on Adom TV’s weekend current affairs programme, Sɛdea Ɛteɛ Nie.
Meanwhile, ahead of the airing of the interview, some supporters of the NDC have expressed disgust over the comments of the party’s National Chairman.
According to his critics, his sentiments are unnecessary, as they will wreak more havoc for himself and the party at large.
Others have however sympathized with him, and expressed solidarity with the alleged treachery he was subjected to.
In their view, the revelations by the NDC Chairman is understandably from a place of pain, and therefore he should not be chastised.
Currently, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo’s role as the NDC’s National Chairman is also being threatened by the decision of the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia to unseat him.
In what has been described as the main contest in the party’s upcoming national delegates election, Mr. Asiedu Nketia is frantically taking steps to take control of the party as National Chairman ahead of the 2024 general election.
Touching on this development, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo stated in the yet-to-air interview that, the move by Asiedu Nketia to unseat him is politically inexpedient.
According to him, notable personalities within the party, including the party’s Council of Elders and the NDC’s 2020 flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, all made efforts to prevent the contest, but to no avail.
The upcoming national delegates conference will however take place on 10th December, 2022, in the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi.
Eligible party delegates will elect a new crop of executives to man the affairs of the party at the national level for the next four years.
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has praised Ghanaians for their high sense of humour despite the current economic condition in the country.
Anyidoho, who was reacting to a video of some market women dancing to music composed from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s famous quotes during his recent address to the nation, “Sika Mp Dede,” said that one of the reasons he loves Ghana is its humour.
In a tweet shared on Friday, November 18, 2022, the former NDC deputy general secretary added that it is his wish that he will be Ghanaian again in the next world.
“I’ve not stopped laughing since I saw this of Ghana. I can’t stop loving Ghana because of our great sense of humor. I pray to God that in the next world I will still be a Ghanaian,” parts of the tweet read.
The woman singing the ‘Sika Mpɛ Dede’ song was skilfully using previous pronouncements made by both Akufo-Addo and ex-President John Dramani Mahama to give hope to Ghanaians.
Market women and other persons passing by could not help but joyfully dance to the music.
President Akufo-Addo came under some criticism when he said the speculation was Ghanaians is the main reason for the depreciation of Ghana’s currency (the Ghana Cedi); saying ‘Sika Mpɛ Dede’ literally translates: money does not like noise.
Top National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member and Legal Practitioner, Elikplim Lorlormavor Agbemava, says he is disappointed about the quality of representation on the NDC side of the committee on the Censure hearing against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Lawyer Agbemava, believes the NDC Membership, as constituted lacked the needed depth and acumen to ask the most potent and probing questions.
This, he implied, has culminated in a saintly outlook for Ken Ofori-Atta and a vindication of his safely guarded repute as a man of spotless integrity.
Venting his dissatisfaction via a Facebook post today, Lawyer Agbemava wrote, “we need to tighten the questions la”, with the last word of the statement, an exclamation in the local Ewe parlance, summing up his obvious frustration.
His noticeable distress has been another depiction of the general sentiments shared among key members of the NDC, and the rank and file about the so called shallow disposition of the NDC panel on the committee.
NDC supporters in general had been hitherto incredibly bubbly and cheerful on the occasioning of a bi-partisan Censure Committee.
To them, what should have been the last straw on the already quick-sand dwindling fortunes of Ken Ofori-Atta, have churned counter-productive results and rather inched him a notch higher in his approval ratings.
With an initial seven-point allegations plan, sliced down to five, the beginning of the end of a no-case conclusion had been made clear. Credence had been given to those who believed the minority was indeed on a fishing expedition.
And any NDC member, who had been left with any form of hope that something dire and worthy of its weight in gold can be pushed against Ken when he took his turn at the hearing, is right to be disappointed.
The Finance Minister aced in his responses and had once again shown that his proven standards as an astute administrator of public financing has not and cannot be compromised.
For Lawyer Agbemava and some NDC faithful who followed the proceedings, the tide, as it stands now, flows graciously in Ken Ofori-Atta’s meticulous favour.
Social media giant, Twitter is facing a new crisis at its headquarters which may result in the closing down of the company.
Earlier this week, the firm’s new owner, Elon Musk said employees had to commit to working long hours and would “need to be extremely hardcore” or leave the company.
In an email to staff, Musk said workers should agree to the pledge if they wanted to stay.
The email also stated that employees who refuse to sign the form by 5 pm Eastern on Thursday, November 17th, would be let go and would receive three months of severance pay.
The message sent to Twitter staff
“If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below,” Musk said.
However, after long hours for workers to check “yes” on a Google form accepting Elon Musk’s proposal of working “long hours at high intensity”, it seems a large number of employees have rejected his vision.
In light of this, the firm is on the verge of collapse and losing even more employees following the mass layoffs of engineers and managers who keep the firm running.
Users of the platform have taken to its blogging site to express their concerns and worries.
Twitter employees say given the scale of the resignations this week, they expect the platform to start breaking soon. Some “legendary engineers” have reportedly left one by one.
I swear to god, if Twitter shuts down, we at LazytSpo is gonna to be dissapointed. for the love of god, please save Twitter altogether, because otherwise, it will be game over for Twitter. #RIPTwitter
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is deeply concerned about how many remaining employees could leave the company.
The departures of the employees raise new questions about whether the remaining Twitter engineers will be able to reliably keep the service up and running.
Twitter no longer has communications staff, but Musk so far hasn’t publicly commented on the resignations.
The embattled Finance Minister says the controversial National Cathedral project belongs to Ghana fully.
Ken Ofori-Atta said the project does not belong to President Akufo-Addo as asserted in some circles.
According to him, Ghanaians will enjoy the full benefits of the project and not the President.
“National Cathedral is 100 per cent owned by the state and is not the President’s cathedral as described by the proponents,” he said when he appeared before the Ad hoc Committee hearing the censure motion against him on Friday.
Touching on the expenditure for the controversial project, he said he has not breached any laws in that regard.
He disclosed that the monies that have been disbursed for use for the project were from the contingency vault.
According to him, this practice is not new as was done by the previous Mahama-led administration.
Mr Ofori-Atta said he has in his possession several pieces of evidence to prove his claim.
“Expenditures in respect of the National Cathedral were made from the contingency vault under the other government obligations vault as has been the practice before my tenure.
“I have several copies of payments from the contingency vault dating back to 2015 to share.
“Honourable co-chairs as Finance Minister I am fully aware of the approval procedures for use of the contingency funds and I have not breached its requirements,” he added.
Ms. Gifty Nyarko, the Sunyani West Municipal Physical Planning Director has called for strict adherence to section 98 (sub-section 1-5), sections 97 and 113 of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, Act 925 (2016) which stipulates that “a person shall not dispose of land or property to a prospective buyer unless that the land has been zoned or rezoned for which it is being let or acquired or otherwise disposed of.”
“This legal provision is further reiterated by section 103 sub-section 1-3 of the Local Governance Act, Act 936, 2016 to help solve the rate of uncontrolled and haphazard developments in the country,”
According to her, evidence of title to lands such as Lease, statutory declaration, indentures and allocation notes does not imply development permits and that developers should adhere to Land Use and Spatial Planning Regulations which she is optimistic, would reduce most of the economic, social and environmental problems in the country.
She indicated that people usually assume that once they have evidence of title to land, they have the power to develop without due regard to planning regulations and standards, a practice she urged the public to refrain from it since it’s the Assembly that has the sole authority when it comes to the issuance of development and planning permits but not Chiefs and Landowners.
Ms. Gifty Nyarko attested to the fact that Chiefs are the custodian of land however; the power to develop the land for a specific use is the exclusive mandate of the Assembly but not Chiefs or landowners.
She noted that most of the time, the allocations made by Chiefs and landowners contradict that of the local plans, and attempts by physical planners to explain to prospective developers always result in heated arguments and conflicts.
She, therefore, entreated prospective developers to apply for development and planning permits before the commencement of physical developments and to also adhere to the laid down principles and rules regarding the acquisition of land to help prevent any misunderstanding that might occur between legally mandated land sector institutions and land users.
She disclosed that developers most of the time get frustrated due to the bureaucratic nature of the permitting process even though the new Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, Act 925,2016has simplified the process.
Madam Gifty Nyarko on this note appealed to the various Assemblies to adhere to the new permit flow chart by adhering to the 30 working days mandated duration for permit approval to fast-track the process for applicants. This according to her will go a long way to reduce the rate of uncontrolled and haphazard physical developments in the country.
A communications team member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kafui Amegah, has chided the Minister for Works and Housing Francis Asenso Boakye over the proposed sale of the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project.
According to him, it does not make sense for the government to sell the Saglemi Housing Project only to invest proceeds in another affordable housing unit.
“The Works and Housing Minister should not joke with Ghanaians. The Minister and his advisors should put off the idea as it doesn’t make sense. Gov’t should find money and complete the project and not take Ghanaians for granted.”
“Selling the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project doesn’t make sense. I am pained at this sort of thing. The taxpayer’s money was used to construct over 1,500 housing units and now you want to sell them because you don’t have the money to complete it? Does the private person have more money than the government? Many people in the NPP do not agree with the Minister’s idea to privatize the Saglemi project so he should stop it now,” Kafui Amegah exclusively told Kwaku Owusu Adjei(Patoo) on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9
“They are many security agencies in Ghana like Police, Prisons whose personnel do not have any place to stay so why don’t you give them a place to stay? he quizzed.
Kafui Amegah asserts that instead of government selling off the Saglemi Housing Project, it should free up monies used in running ministries and departments, slash government expenditures, and use those monies to complete the project.
Background
Government has decided to wash its hands off the Saglemi Housing Project to allow a private developer to refurbish the housing units and sell them to potential owners, according to the Ministry of Works and Housing.
Sector Minister, Francis Asenso Boakye revealed this at a meet-the-press session in Accra on Sunday, November 13, 2022.
He said the government is exhausted and handicapped and can’t commit further to the Saglemi project.
On this basis, “we’re allowing for a private sector developer to take up the initiative to build and sell the housing units,” he said.
The Minister asserted that “a committee will be commissioned to guide the process and ensure transparency in the bidding process”.
The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has said it is not aware of any deductions from its office holding allowances paid to members of the Colleges of Education Association of Ghana (CETAG) and the Colleges of Education Teachers Association Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG).
“FWSC is not aware of any such deductions,” it said in a statement.
It however requested the leadership of the unions to “furnish” it with evidence to enable it “deal with the issue.”
The FWSC also addressed the issues raised by the unions.
According to the FWSC, the government team began negotiations with CETAG on their conditions of service on “17 August 2022, where the rules of engagement were signed.”
The parties on “5 November 2021 agreed on all items presented by CETAG and were ready to sign an agreement.”
CETAG however requested that two of the items Non-Basic allowance and Research Allowance be merged and sent a letter officially on “25 April 2022,” asking for the merger.
After receipt of the letter, the FWSC noted it took steps to request for Mandate from the Ministry of Finance.
“On 30 May 2022”, CETAG shifted its position on the merger and rather asked for the “Approved research allowance for Academic Senior Members of Public Universities.”
Also, “on 3rd August CETAG submitted entirely new demands to the Government team for consideration which was a departure from all agreed items. The Government Team met with CETAG on 15 August 2022 to deliberate on their new demands.
“Government Team and CETAG met on 28 August 2022 to conclude negotiations but CETAG was unwilling to accept the counter-proposals by the Government Team.”
It further disclosed that: “At the last engagement with CETAG on the 27 October, CETAG requested to go back and explain the status of negotiations to their constituents. It was therefore a surprise that they issued a joint Communique with CENTSAG threatening to embark on strike action if their demands are not met.”
It also indicated that it invited CETAG to a meeting on 10 November 2022 in order to bring finality to the matter, but CETAG and CENTSAG declined.
Again both associations declined another invitation to a meeting on 14 November 2022,
The associations also declined a meeting with the Minister for Education Dr Yaw Adutwum on Tuesday, 15 November 2022.
“These unforeseen delays occasioned by CETAG’s continuous shift of positions have unduly stalled negotiations and the extension of CETAG’s Conditions of Service to CENSTAG,” the statement added.
The two unions began an indefinite strike in all 46 colleges of education across the country over the government’s failure to prioritise their welfare.
The unions said they are disappointed at the non-finalisation of Conditions of Service (CoS) negotiations, the unilateral determination of April 2023 by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) as the effective date for placing First Degree Holders of CENTSAG on 17TH on the SSSS, undue delay by the Ministry of Education in responding to requests for payment of compensation among others.
They gave the government a five-day ultimatum last Monday to address their concerns or they strike.
Following the expiration of the deadline, CETAG and CENTSAG declared a strike on, Monday 14 November 2022 until their demands are met.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has urged the nation to work together as a unit in finding solutions the raging economic challenges instead of fault-finding and blame-gaming.
“Let us all work as one country to support our labour negotiations, find a solution to the impasse in parliament and rise above witch-hunting and entrapment,” Mr Ofori-Atta said on Friday, 18 November 2022 when he testified before parliament’s ad hoc committee that is investigating seven allegations against him in connection with a censure motion filed against him by the minority caucus.
At the hearing, Mr Ofori-Atta also said he did not breach the law when he drew funds from the contingency vault to sponsor the construction of the national cathedral.
“National cathedral is 100 per cent owned by the state and is not the president’s cathedral as described by the proponents”, he said.
“Expenditures in respect of the national cathedral were made from the contingency vault under the other government obligations vault as has been the practice before my tenure”, Mr Ofori-Atta explained.
“I have several copies of payments from the contingency vault dating back to 2015 to share”, he added.
“Honourable co-chairs, as finance minister, I am fully aware of the approval procedures for use of the contingency funds and I have not breached its requirements,” he added on Friday, 18 November 2022.
Josephine Panyin Mensah, who was at the centre of the fake pregnancy and kidnapping hoax has been fined GHC7,200.
The Takoradi Circuit Court A sentenced her for the publication of false news to cause fear and panic to the public.
Mensah, who is now pregnant, could have spent a maximum of three years in jail but for her current condition.
It was established in court during the trial that Josephine Panyin, whose alleged kidnapping case caught national attention, was never pregnant or taken hostage as initially alleged back in September 2021.
Justice Michael Ampadu said the prosecution was able to establish that the accused feigned the act of kidnap and pregnancy because she could not bear the shame of communicating her initial miscarriage to the husband.
“What will make a woman go through all the stress of walking from Takoradi to Agona Nkwanta and continued on foot to Axim bearing all the risks in mind… I think families must begin to support women, especially when they get miscarriage because it is a natural act,” the judge said.
The Ghana Police Service has commissioned four marine boats in the Krachi West Municipality of the Oti Region that will be used in the fight against human trafficking on the Volta Lake.
The boats were provided with support from the International Justice Mission (IJM).
The IJM agreed to offer marine police operational logistics and capacity-building trainings so that they could actively patrol some areas of the Volta Lake. This collaborative initiative led to the birth of the Volta Lake Marine Police Patrols Boat Team located in the nank of Kete-Krachi.
The director general of operations, Henry Otoo expressed worry about the increase in child trafficking in the area, adding that children are being forced into fishing and other aquaculture related activities.
According to him, children are being separated from their biological parents with some indulging in smoking, exposing them to other vices in society.
Anita Budu of the International Justice Mission said the presence of the police on the lake will help combat child trafficking.
A motorcyclist believed to be in his late thirties lost his life in an accident involving a fuel tanker on the Sofoline-Abuakwa highway in the Ashanti Region on Thursday.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred after the deceased who was riding a motorbike got trapped under the fuel tanker while using the road and was later run over by the vehicle, thereby killing him instantly.
Eyewitnesses say, although the driver of the vehicle stopped to observe the happening, he later allegedly fled the scene after realizing that some youth were approaching his direction with different weapons to attack him.
“What happened was that my vehicle was faulty, so I was sitting down thinking about how to get it fixed. That was when I saw the fuel tanker and the motorbike approaching. All of a sudden, I saw the motor rider trapped under the tanker truck, and we just saw that the tanker truck had run over the man and crushed his head.”
“The tanker driver drove ahead to park at the traffic light area. It was then that some of the boys around started rushing towards the tanker driver with canes and other weapons. So, fearing for his life, the tanker driver ended up fleeing the scene. As for the deceased, he died instantly when we rushed to check on him,” an eyewitness, Kofi Yeboah, said.
The body of the deceased who is yet to be identified has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) pending an autopsy.
Member of the 8-member ad hoc committee hearing the motion of censure against Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, took exception when the minister sought to raise an objection to some words used in the grounds for the motion.
According to Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the minister for finance had no moral authority to raise issues about the language used in the grounds supporting the motion against him.
“The minister himself on the 12th of March 2013, is on record at the William Ofori Atta Institute for Integrity Lectures to have actually called for a coup, nothing can be stronger than that. So I don’t think we will be taking lectures on language from the minister,” the MP stated during the committee’s sitting on Friday, November 18, 2022.
The censure motion against the minister brought by the minority group is on seven grounds which among other things levels allegations of conflict of interest, mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy, and breaching of the country’s fiscal management laws.
However, appearing before the committee to answer to the grounds of the motion, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta raised concerns about the language used by the proponents of the censure motion.
But according to Mr Ablakwa the finance minister by his concern “appears to want to lecture us on language”.
Referencing a statement by the finance minister in 2013, Mr Ablakwa said Ken Ofori-Atta by saying “the country’s silence on the election petition could trigger a coup” could not raise such an objection.
Akyem Abuakwa chiefs storm Parliament to support Ofori-Atta as he faces censure committee.
Former Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea, has said that the vote of censure filed by the minority caucus of Parliament against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta might amount to nothing even if it is passed.
According to him, the 1992 Constitution indicates that the President of the Republic, which is now Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has the final say even if Parliament passes a vote of census against any of his appointees.
Nana Akomea, who made these remarks during a panel discussion on Good Morning Ghana monitored by GhanaWeb, added that the vote of censure might not even pass because the minority caucus does not have the support of the majority that they need.
“Even if you get the support of the majority on your vote of censure, what the Constitution says is very simple, it says in Clause 5 of Article 82 that where a vote of censure is passed against a minister the president may revoke (it).
“So, this vote of censure that you’re coming to beat us, that is the way to go and that is what will succeed; even if you succeed which is not likely if you don’t get the support of the majority; but even if you succeed and you have the numbers and you do it, it will still be left with the president.
“So, what is the rush (by the minority caucus),” he said.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, referred a vote of censure filed by the minority caucus of Parliament for the removal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to an 8-member ad hoc committee which started meeting on Monday, November 14, and is expected to decide on the removal of the minister within 7 days.
The minority caucus has cited mismanagement of Ghana’s economy, conflict of interest, misrepresentation of figures on Ghana’s economy and unconstitutional withdrawal from the consolidated fund among others.
The majority caucus, who have also indicated that they want the minister removed, have, however, stated that they will not support the vote of censure spearheaded by the minority caucus of the House because they do not agree with the reasons the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs cited.
The embattled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, says he has not taken any money from the contingency fund for the construction of the National Cathedral contrary to what the Minority in Parliament is accusing him of.
The Minister of Finance disclosed this while responding to accusations by the proponent of the motion of censure against him that he has taken monies from the Contingency Fund for the Construction of the National Cathedral project without approval by Parliament.
“There is a difference between the contingency vote and contingency fund the proponents refer to. Contingent vote under Article 177 constitutes monies voted by Parliament and advance on this must be authorized by the Parliament finance committee,” he told the eight member Ad-hoc Committee hearing the Censure Motion against him.
He said no specific allocation in the 2014 budget for were made for Ghana’s participation in the FIFA World cup in Brazil.
“The cabinet of John Mahama in March 2014 then approved some $9.22 million dollars for that tournament in a private jet for the players.
“The more current example is Ghana’s participation in Qatar, the Black Stars qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. We after the 2022 budget was presented on the 16 November 2021 was approved by parliament. A specific amount was voted for it (Black Stars) but through the contingency vote we have been able to provide funds for the team to participate in the competition,” Mr. Ofori-Atta stated.
He added that expenditure for the National Cathedral was from the contingent vault as has been the practice before his tenure.
Mr. Ofori-Atta further added that he is aware of the process in getting money from the contingent fund and he will not do the contrary.
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is set to present the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government of Ghana for the year ending, in parliament, on Thursday, November 24, 2022.
After his presentation, the House is expected to commence debate on the budget on Tuesday, November 29.
In the business statement, the House is expected to have a well-researched and informed debate which will end on December 6.
All committees have been advised to work expeditiously on the budget estimates for the passing of the Appropriation Bill prior to the house adjourning sine die in the fourth week of December 2022.
The Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) has declared an indefinite strike.
This is due to concerns about conditions of service.
“Upon further deliberations by the National and Chapter Executives of TUTAG, we declare an indefinite strike action which takes immediate effect,” a statement said.
Below is the full statement by TUTAG
We refer to our letter on the subject “NEW RATE OF FUEL ALLOWANCE FOR MEMBERS OF UTAG AND TUTAG” with reference number TUTAG/GTEC/02 dated 26th September 2022, addressed to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and copied to the Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Chairman of the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.
We wish to state that issues raised in the above letter have since not received any attention from the aforementioned government agencies. TUTAG views the inaction by these agencies as an indication that the concerns expressed in our letter have not been treated with the seriousness they deserve.
We also refer to the NLC’s directive of 2nd September 2022 under the subject “RE: IN THE MATTER OF NOTIFICATION OF INTENDED STRIKE ACTION BY TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY TEACHERS’ASSOCIATION OF GHANA (TUTAG)” with reference number NLC/TUTAG/2022/21 which was in relation to TUTAG’s demand for the implementation of the negotiated internally generated fund-related conditions of service.
The directive reads: “That the Minister of Finance (MOF) is hereby directed to ensure payment in January 2023 and should also ensure that it issues the necessary letters to the various University Councils within a reasonable time to make budgetary provisions in the budget to take care of payments on the effective date.
Even though January 2023 is less than two months away, and most universities are done with budget preparations for 2023, the Minister of Finance has still not issued the letter as directed by the NLC. It is important to state that a certain letter (electronic version), supposedly written by the FWSC, was shown to the President at NLC, the content of the said letter was in sharp contrast with the negotiations done with the Governing Councils of the various universities. Indeed, our checks from the listed recipients indicate that the said defective letter had not even been received.
Further, reference is made to issues raised in our letter under the subject “NOTIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL ACTION” with reference number TUTAG/NLC/02 dated 10th October 2022, some of which have still not been resolved by the government agencies.
In view of all these, and upon further deliberations by the National and Chapter Executives of TUTAG, we declare an indefinite strike action which takes immediate effect.
Former Director of Operations of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Joseph Bediako, has berated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the arrest of Salamatu Mohammed, a mother of four, for wishing the president dead.
Speaking in a CTV interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Biadiako said that the arrest of Salamatu Mohammed just because of her comments is a characteristic of dictatorships.
He added that Ghana is a democracy, and if the president wants to be a dictator, he should be one in his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“I read on GhanaWeb that a woman has been arrested. For which reason? So, now Akufo-Addo wants to be a dictator. If he wants to be a dictator, he should be one in the NPP… why was the woman arrested for insulting the president.
“He should be a dictator in his party, where he speaks and no one has an opinion. In this same Ghana, didn’t we see people insulting the late president, Atta Mills?
“Don’t members of the NPP say worse than the comments the woman made? NPP members should blow their heads in shame because when it comes to politics of insults no one tops them,” he said in Twi.
GhanaWeb reported on Wednesday, November 16, that Salamatu Mohammed had been arrested for wishing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo dead in a viral video.
In the said viral video, which was sighted by GhanaWeb, the woman, who was berating the president for the current economic conditions in the country, questioned why witches and ritualists from the northern parts of Ghana have not killed the president yet.
“Akufo-Addo we are begging you in the name of God, we cannot even afford pots to cook our food. Do you want us to use your head to cook?
“Now the price of an aluminium cooking pot has increased from 6 million (GH¢ 600) to 12 million (GH¢1200). Why?
“God will punish you. The witches in Ghana and the ritualist from the north can’t you kill this man… I have four children; do you know the feeding fees I pay? Do you know the feeding fee, I am going to pay today… Idiot,” she said in Twi.
The lawyer of Salamatu Mohammed, Gideon Koku Abotsi, said in an interview with GhanaWeb that his client was released by the police without being charged with any crime.
He confirmed that the police arrested Salamatu Mohammed because of the viral video and that they (the police) said they would be investigating the matter further.
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is set to present the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government of Ghana for the year ending December 31, 2023, in parliament on Thursday, November 24, 2022.
Ten ministers are expected to appear before the House to answer questions from their respective sectors.
The ministers expected to appear before the House are Minister for Energy, Interior, National Security, Health, Trade and Industry, among others.
The Ministers for Lands and Natural Resources, Defence, and National Security will apprise the House on efforts taken by the government to address the galamsey menace.
The Minister for the Interior will also answer questions on the current state of the investigation into the 2022 serial killing and short-term measures to address the national security threat associated with rising youth unemployment.
The 8-member committee that is investigating the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has dropped two out of the seven charges against him.
This was after the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC) which was called upon by the committee to testify on Thursday did not say that the Finance Minister authorised payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts.
During proceedings on Friday November 18, Co-chair of the committee Dr Dominic Ayine said “…They also did not say anything to the effect that you gave the instructions with respect to that payment. On account of the evidence adduced which kind of contradicted the evidence that was led by the proponent of the motion, the committee has taken the view that you will not be called to deal with this matter.”
He added “…So in essence, there are now five grounds that you will have to deal with. Those are grounds 2, that is the unconstitutional withdrawals in relation to the national cathedral, then we have ground 5, 6 and 7 to deal with.”
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has stated that the government will keep burning excavators and other machinery used in small-scale mining otherwise known as ‘galamsey’.
This he said is to deter people from giving out their excavators for galamsey activities.
He warned that the move is to deal ruthlessly with big men behind the illegal mining menace.
He warned that government will not watch aloof for small-scale miners to destroy lands and water bodies.
The Regional Minister added that health workers in the region report that kidney cases have gone up due to activities by small-scale miners.
Mr. Darko-Mensah said government will not allow the activities of small-scale miners to destruct governance in the country.
“We will keep burning excavators till small-scale miners (galamseyers) stop purchasing such machines. We will definitely burn excavators used to destroy our water bodies. We will burn the excavators so that the big men who have lost their sense of reasoning will be hit the most. The mercury they use in mining directly affects Ghanaians, it’s killing so many people. Dr. Afriyie says kidney cases have gone up in the region due to galamsey. We won’t sit down for this to continue. We will not allow galamseyers to intimidate us. If we allow them to operate, they will continue to destruct governance in the country and create problems, so anyone with plans to purchase excavators for small-scale mining in the 2024 election year will think twice,” Mr. Darko-Mensah said on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo.
He questioned how the country will benefit from the region if small-scale mining activities continue without proper checks.
“We want to continue to support this country, so we will not allow small-scale mining (galamsey) to go on. Out of 700,000 metric tons of cocoa produced in Ghana, 444,000 metric tons came from the Western region, so if we allow galamsey in the region how will Ghana benefit from the region,” he asked on on the show.
The Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta has denied allegation that he withdrew funds from the Contingency Fund for the National Cathedral project.
He told the 8-member ad hoc committee that is investigating the allegations made against him by the Minority, that it was rather funds from the Contingency Vault that were used for the project.
The Contingency Fund and the Contingency Vault, he said, are two different thing altogether which should not be confused.
“I did not withdraw funds from the Contingency Fund for National Cathedral,” he told the committee on Friday November 18.
He added “The withdrawals were lawfully done from the Contingency Vault and not from the Contingency Fund as alleged by the proponents.”
The committee dropped two out of the seven charges against him.
This was after the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC) which was called upon by the committee to testify on Thursday did not say that the Finance Minister authroiused payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts.
During proceedings on Friday November 18, Co-chair of the committee Dr Dominic Ayine said “…They also did not say anything to the effect that you gave the instructions with respect to that payment. On account of the evidence adduced which kind of contradicted the evidence that was led by the proponent of the motion, the committee has taken the view that you will not be called to deal with this matter.”
He added “…So in essence, there are now five grounds that you will have to deal with. Those are grounds 2, that is the unconstitutional withdrawals in relation to the national for national cathedral, then we have ground 5, 6 and 7 to deal with.”
Mr Ofori-Atta appeared before the committee on Friday November 18 to answer the charges against him.
In his initial submission, he told the committee that “I am certain Ghanaians will have amore balance view of what has led us here.”
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has said that the overreaching focus of the president Akufo-Addo government has been to do their utmost to make lives better for the citizens.
Appearing before the Adhoc Committee of Parliament hearing the censure motion brought against him, Mr Ofori-Atta said everything that the administration had sought to do was aimed at making the lives of the people better.
He also assured the committee that he would be forthright in his responses with the aim of aiding them to establish the truth.
He said the motion contained disparaging remarks that attacked his integrity and vowed to help give Ghanaians a balance views of issues.
“Hon Co-Chairs, during the course of my remarks this morning, you can expect forthrightness.
The proponents’ motion of censure has accused me of many things and includes some very disparaging remarks and attacks on my person and integrity.
“I am certain that Ghanaians will have a more balanced view of the events that led us here as I take the opportunity to speak to the matters raised,” he said.
He said his principal reflections were to ensure that by the end of the proceedings, “the truth will have taken center stage.
He was hopeful that the truth would help dispel any “unfounded doubts” about his motives, competence, and character.
“Before I proceed with my detailed responses, I would like to make a personal comment to the Ghanaian people: Since, the Akufo-Addo government came into office in 2017, everything we have sought to do was aimed at making the lives of the people better.
“We have been focused on this vision to improve lives and in the first four years, our efforts were leading to a realisation of the vision,” he said.
The Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has told proponents of the motion of censure for his removal that they should not confuse Contingency Vault with Contingency Fund with respect to funding for the National Cathedral project.
He said funds were taken from the Contingency Vault for the cathedral and not from the Contingency Fund as is being alleged by the Minority.
Mr Ofori-Atta said these while denying allegation that he withdrew funds from the Contingency Fund for the National Cathedral project when he appeared before the 8-member committee on Friday November 18.
The Contingency Fund and the Contingency Vault, he said, are two different things altogether which should not be confused.
“I did not withdraw funds from the Contingency Fund for National Cathedral,” he told the committee on Friday November 18.
He added “The withdrawals were lawfully done from the Contingency Vault and not from the Contingency Fund as alleged by the proponents.”
The committee dropped two out of the seven charges against him.
This was after the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC) which was called upon by the committee to testify on Thursday did not say that the Finance Minister authroiused payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts.
During proceedings on Friday November 18, Co-chair of the committee Dr Dominic Ayine said “…They also did not say anything to the effect that you gave the instructions with respect to that payment. On account of the evidence adduced which kind of contradicted the evidence that was led by the proponent of the motion, the committee has taken the view that you will not be called to deal with this matter.”
He added “…So in essence, there are now five grounds that you will have to deal with. Those are grounds 2, that is the unconstitutional withdrawals in relation to the national for national cathedral, then we have ground 5, 6 and 7 to deal with.”
Mr Ofori-Atta appeared before the committee on Friday November 18 to answer the charges against him.
In his initial submission, he told the committee that “I am certain Ghanaians will have amore balance view of what has led us here.”
Director of Research at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Dr John Kwakye has said all ministers who are resigning or being sacked should be made to declare their assets and compare to what they declared when they were appointed.
Dr Kwakye asked the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to ensure that that is done.
“All those resigning from office or being sacked must be made to declare their assets before they leave and this must be compared with the declaration when they assumed office. OSP, over to you,” Dr Kwakye tweeted.
All those resigning from office or being sacked must be made to declare their assets before they leave and this must be compared with the declaration when they assumed office. OSP, over to you!
The OSP earlier announced in a statement signed by the Special Prosecutor Mr Kissi Agyebeng on Tuesday November 15 that, it has commenced in investigations to the alleged corruption by the sacked Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen.
The statement said “The Office of the Special Prosecutor has promptly commenced investigations into the action of Mr Charles Adu Boahen and any other implicated persons contained in the investigative exposé, ”Galamsey Economy’.”
“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has terminated the appointment of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, with immediate effect.
“After being made aware of the allegations levelled against the Minister in the exposé, ‘Galamsey Economy’, the President spoke to Mr. Adu Boahen, after which he took the decision to terminate his appointment, and also to refer the matter to the Special Prosecutor for further investigations.
“The President thanked Mr. Adu Boahen for his strong services to his government since his appointment in 2017, and wished him well in his future endeavours,” a statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin said on Monday November 14.
A Government Communicator Kofi Tontoh said the principle of natural justice will play out properly when Adu Boahen gets his day before the OSP to answer allegations of corruption made against him.
Mr Tontoh stated that investigations by the OSP will determine the next action to be taken against him.
Commenting on this matter, Mr Tontoh said on the Big Issue on TV3 with Berla Mundi on Tuesday November 15.“This is a decisive decision by the President.”
He added “It is an attempt to show that the President doesn’t condone corruption but let us allow Adu Boahen to have his day and ones all the facts come out if any further action is needed it will be taken.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has bemoaned the failure of the government to give financial clearance to some medical doctors who have completed their housemanship.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, November 18, 2022, the speaker said that he has come across doctors working in government hospitals without pay.
He added that because of the poor working conditions of health professionals in Ghana, including nurses and doctors, many of them are now leaving the country for greener pastures abroad.
“One and a half weeks ago, I met my colleague Speaker of Parliament of Barbados and he informed me that between last year and this year they were able to recruit 400 nurses … I meet some in Canada (medical officers) who told me, they are no longer interested in returning because of the lack of tools in our health facilities.
“… a few years ago, we had what we call brain gain, health personnel were returning to the country to work because things had greatly improved. I think the substance has gone down and you will have to sit up.
“It is a very serious matter, as of now, I know a number of district hospitals being manned by doctors who are not being paid. The new doctors that you are talking about financial clearance, they are unemployed and they have just volunteered to go to those district hospitals just to work for free. So, it is an urgent matter,” he said.
Speaker Bagbin urged the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, to engage the Public Services Commission of Ghana to help resolve the challenge of getting financial clearance for doctors who have completed their housemanship.
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, has defended the modus operandi his protégé, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, employs in his undercover investigations.
According to him, Anas will continue to use the undercover methodology to unearth any and all negatives within society whether it pleases his critics or not.
Addressing the Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Tiger Eye P.I. modus operandi in a Facebook comment, Kweku Baako agreed, however, that it is ok for those who do not agree with Anas and his methodologies to ask questions.
“People are entitled to ask questions of Tiger Eye and its “methodologies”. That’s fair game. No problem. Tiger Eye will continue to unearth any and all “negatives” applying its “methodologies” whether its critics like it or not!” he wrote.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ latest ‘Galamsey Economy‘ exposed Charles Adu Boahen, the dismissed Minister of State at the Finance Ministry over an alleged corruption.
Anas in a post on his Facebook timeline hours before the showing of the ‘Galamsey Economy’ film noted that the minister made some shocking revelations to his team in a hotel in UAE, when they posed as possible investors to Ghana.
Adu Boahen among other things alleged that Bawumia will require about USD200,000 as an appearance fee from an investor to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo, however, referred his former appointee to the OSP in the November 14 letter that announced his dismissal.
The dismissal was on the back of allegations of corruption-related issues in Anas’ documentary.
The OSP, subsequently, issued a statement on November 15 confirming that it had started work on the referral from the presidency.
Kweku Baako added, “for now, Tiger Eye has indicated its readiness to assist the investigation announced by the Special Prosecutor; upon the presidential referral of the conduct of Mr. Adu Boahen to the OSP! DUE PROCESS is underway. That’s where Tiger Eye’s FOCUS is!
“Those who want to continue asking questions and criticising “methodologies” and perceived/alleged omissions of Tiger Eye, are entitled to continue! FREE SPEECH!!”
He also denied any meeting between the Tiger Eye P.I. team and Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister, in Dubai as it has been reported widely within some sections of the media.
“The last time I checked, Tiger Eye has no video depicting any interaction with Ken Ofori-Atta! None! Assuming without admitting that there were attempts to “entrap” Ken Ofori-Atta, and the attempts proved unsuccessful? What would that mean? That Adu Boahen failed the “test of integrity” while Ofori-Atta succeeded? Or?
“By the way, documentaries are not exhibits in criminal investigations and/or prosecutions. The RAW FOOTAGES are. And the latter have always been submitted to the relevant statutory authorities for the purposes of criminal investigations and prosecutions that were triggered by undercover ops by/of Tiger Eye!” Abdul Malik Kweku Baako stated.
Ground three of the seven-point vote of censure hearing against embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta was up for hearing on Day Two (November 17) of Parliament’s ad hoc committee sitting.
The ground read: “Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.”
To assist the committee, witnesses were called from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, GNPC, to explain matters, especially with the deposition of oil funds into specific accounts.
It emerged that the Finance Minister was not in any way connected to the receipt or transfer of any funds from GNPC’s Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited, JOHL, into any account.
Co-chair of the committee put a pointed question to the GNPC witness about the role of Ken Ofori-Atta in purported illegal payments.
“I need to understand this, in all of this, what relates to the Finance Minister in terms of the allegations made against him?” KT Hammond asked.
The GNPC witness responded: “As far as JOHL is concerned, the Finance Minister is not responsible for the revenues… obviously, we have to at the end of the day, submit our financials and GRA, and have to pay whatever assessed tax that we have to pay.”
“I don’t think the Finance Minister has any direct control,” Deputy Chief Executive (CEO) of the GNPC in charge of Commerce, Strategy and Business Development, Joseph Dadzie stressed.
Asked whether any monies from oil liftings were paid into an offshore account by the co-chair of the committee, Dominic Ayine, he added: “To the extent that the question relates to the receipt of crude, yeah, it was paid into an account held at the Ghana International Bank in London.”
He explained further that, “buyers of the crude paid directly into whichever account which you designate for them to pay.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has denied banning the use of mobile phones in the gallery of the House.
This comes after Daily Guide in a publication claimed that the Speaker of Parliament had issued a directive banning the use of mobile phones in Parliament as part of enhanced security measures.
But a statement issued by the Office of the Speaker of Parliament rejected the report, describing it as false.
“Mr. Speaker has issued no such directive banning the use of phones in Parliament,” the office said in the statement.
Mr. Bagbin’s office also said, “no member of Parliament has been stopped from using his phone in the chamber.”
“The press corps who operate from the press gallery have equally not received any directive banning them from using their phones in the execution of their functions as parliamentary reporters”.
There have been suggestions in the past for MPs to be banned from using their phones in Parliament.
In 2020, the Majority Leader remarked that phones were a source of distractions during proceedings in Parliament.
The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) says the country can adopt the use of electronic systems in court proceedings to help ensure speedy justice delivery.
Lawyer Yaw Acheampong Boafo, however, says this good option can be realized if the country’s judiciary invests in resources and laws to aid in its implementation.
The GBA President was speaking at 2022 Annual Chief Justice’s Forum currently ongoing in Kumasi.
The Judicial Service of Ghana instituted the Annual Chief Justice’s Forum as part of measures to enhance its public image, trust and confidence through engagement with stakeholders on issues of access to justice, transparency and accountability.
The annual event also brings together key stakeholders to deliberate on pertinent issues that affect the administration of justice.
It also serves as a platform to receive feedback on justice delivery.
The GBA President pointed out that the traditional modes of justice administration and judicial processes – with their well-known challenges – sometimes breed frustration, result in delays and blockage of cases.
“Thus, the time is now for a transition face-to-face court proceedings to digital modes of delivering justice by the courts embracing newer and modern technologies that support the various court processes and proceedings. The virtual court hearings during the legal vacation was a welcome innovation.
“The exigencies and challenges of the time brought about by the pandemic should serve as a catalyst for reform and innovation,” he stated.
“It is my conviction that it is possible to implement technological or digitization tools that host and drive almost the entire legal processes from the time of filing to serve through discovery, case management, trial and even to delivery of judgments in ways that ensure accessible justice,” he said.
Lawyer Acheampong Boafo also proposed the publication of key court judgements of the superior court on social media handles to inform the public of its decisions.
The Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, assured the public that the judiciary will continue to adopt technology in order to expand access to justice delivery.
He pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic showed the importance of technology, with the judiciary adopting many digital tools in order to serve public.
“Technology has afforded us an opportunity to cut cost, be more efficient, and avoid unnecessary delays in administering justice. For the first time in the history of the judiciary, this year, vacation courts in Accra, held virtual sittings. This meant that lawyers who were even abroad on vacation could participate remotely, of course, they had to be properly attired with good internet connectivity,” he added.
The Mamponghene, Dasebre Osei Bonsu, who represented Asantehene, pointed out that Covid-19 disrupted nearly every aspect of our individual and collective lives.
“Improving access to justice in a pandemic through technology challenges all of us to reflect on how we can use technology to ensure that justice delivery continues unabated, despite what we have been asked to think of as the new normal.”
Two persons are in the grips of police in the North Dayi District of the Volta region for allegedly stealing food items belonging to the Sovie C.Y.O Technical and Vocational Institute.
The suspects include the storekeeper of the school Mr. Elias Tsitsiwu and Mr. Christian Mane, a taxi driver who was allegedly carting the food items away from the school’s store on Wednesday night.
The arrest of the two suspects follows several weeks of surveillance and intelligence work by some students of the school upon suspicion.
Luck, however, eluded the two suspects when some students through a dangerous but an act of bravado chased and arrested suspect Christian Mane who sped off from the school campus in an Opel Caravan with registration number GR 6243-T fully loaded with food items purportedly stolen from the school’s store.
Upon arrest, the suspect driver allegedly mentioned the school’s storekeeper, Mr. Elias Tsitsiwu as his accomplice.
The vehicle is also believed to be owned by the storekeeper.
A student who spoke to Starr News’ Faisel Abdul-Iddrisu on anonymity said, “Last night, I was going to bath when I suddenly heard the whistle and as a cadet member, I had to obey the whistle.”
“I got there and there was a car fully loaded with our kitchen food so we decided to push the car to the school then the man who stole the food -our kitchen storekeeper came begging us but we refused,” he added.
Things, however, got dramatic when the driver of the Opel Caravan attempted to speed off with the items forcing the students to jump onto the car.
“The storekeeper while begging us told us that the driver would bring the car to the headmaster’s residence claiming that the steering wheel was locked but when the driver sat in the car, he switched on the ignition and started speeding off.”
“So I and my two other friends jumped onto the car with one person finding his way into the car and attempted struggling with the driver but he pushed him onto the floor. So we started shouting while the remaining two of us cringed onto the top of the car.”
But what really looked like a blockbuster would soon come to an end as the driver had a tyre burst on a speed ramp around the Anfoega hospital.
At this point, town folks including Okada boys who heard the distress call from the two students atop the vehicle joined in the chase.
The two students chased and pulled down the driver who attempted to abandon the vehicle even before the town folks and the police came in to help drag him to the police station with the vehicle and the items.
The items allegedly stolen include bags of gari, rice, beans, and corn. Other items include tin tomatoes and 2 cartons of sardines.
The District Chief Executive for North Dayi, Edmond Kudjo Attah who is livid about the incident has called on the police to ensure that the suspects are prosecuted.
“I want to see the logical conclusion of this matter and for the police, I want to see how they will end this matter. People must answer for their wrongs.”
The DCE believes such actions, mostly undertaken by greedy, selfish persons are aimed at sabotaging the government’s efforts in addressing the recent food shortage that has hit second cycle school’s across the country.
“Things are difficult, the President admits himself, I admit same and so when out of such difficult the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is able to make funds available for us to feed our children and this is what people will do to us as a country,” Kudjo Attah laments.
“Where are we going? I have this simple question; who is killing the nation? It is you and I. This kind of attitude, we are destroying the nation and the time has come for us to stop it and that is it,” the DCE retorted.
Police in the North Dayi District have confirmed the arrest but are tight-lipped on any further details.
The two are, however, expected to be charged for stealing and duly arraigned before court after investigations.
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Editor-In- Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper has described as infantile nonsense assertions that investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas targeted Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta for undercover investigation which failed as infantile nonsense.
According to Asaase Radio, Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ Tiger Eye PI investigators failed to ensnare Ken Ofori-Atta after meeting with him and attempting to ‘bribe’ him with a gift.
“Investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, and his Tiger Eye P.I. targeted the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, in 2018, as part of the exposé that was released last Monday but failed to entrap him.
Details emerging from the premiered documentary of Anas Aremeyaw Anas titled ‘Galamsey Economy’ on 14 November 2022 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), confirm that beyond the then Deputy Minister for Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, the main objective of the investigation was to entrap the substantive Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
This was just over a year of the New Patriotic Party taking over from the National Democratic Congress in office.
It has also emerged that Anas Aremeyaw Anas used a civil servant at the Ministry of Finance, who was then a Senior Economics Officer, to get, first to the Deputy Minister and it was the same civil servant who introduced the private legal practitioner to the fake bankers from Al Baraka Islamic Bank, Bahrain, and later on facilitated Ken Ofori-Atta’s meeting which failed to snare the minister,” the report read in part.
But Kweku Baako has described the assertion as infantile nonsense.
The Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is currently facing a censure motion from the minority in Parliament for mismanaging the economy. Nearly 100 Members of Parliament on the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) also want him sacked…
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, mentor and Godfather of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has responded to news of patrons being disappointed after viewing the latest undercover investigative piece of Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Mr Baako is of the view that they’re entitled to their judgement of the work.
He added that despite their disappointment, the President has taken action in the aftermath of the investigation by firing the implicated Minister of State in Charge of Finance Charles Adu Boahen and referring him to the special prosecutor for investigations.
“Patrons are entitled to their judgment! The outcome is that the President who’s an experienced lawyer has terminated an appointment and made a referral to the OSP. And Tiger Eye is prepared to help the investigations with further and better particulars! For God and Country, we move forward!,” Mr Baako wrote.
Many who thought the investigative piece was going to be explosive have been left disappointed after viewing the documentary dubbed Galamsey Economy -Ahmed Last Investigation. Some contend that the nature of the exposé did not meet their expectations given that it was just a repeat of someone engaged in influence peddling and receiving a gift.
But Mr Baako has defended the piece, insisting that the outcome is good enough .
The Minister for the Interior, Mr. Ambrose Dery, has charged the Ghana National Fire Service to pay particular attention to the phenomenon of ‘burnt to death cases’ during fire outbreaks.
He said the situation where fire victims are trapped and firefighters are unable to rescue them is on the rise and is a worry to the nation.
Mr. Ambrose Dery made the call during the start of a three-day Fire Conference for stakeholders and regional Fire Commanders.
The 3-day maiden Fire Conference discussing “Fire Safety and Management, Safer Use of Electricity as a source of power to prevent fire, the role of the Forestry Commission in the management of bush fires in Ghana.
The conference is also to touch on employing the right structural design and appropriate tools and equipment for effective fire management for national development. The meeting brought together stakeholders from other sectors and the various regional fire commanders.
Mr. Dery charged them to come up with strategies that would help reduce domestic fires, which are on the rise in the country.
The Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Julius Kuunuor, encouraged the personnel to continue their hard work to ensure the growth of the service.
The conference is on the theme: “Enhancing effective fire management for national development.”
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Twitter employees say given the scale of the resignations this week, they expect the platform to start breaking soon. Some “legendary engineers” have reportedly left one by one.
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