Former Deputy Minister for Finance, George Kwaku Ricketts-Hagan, is calling for the dismissal of the governor of Ghana’s Central Bank, Dr Ernest Addisson.
Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia programme monitored by GhanaWeb, Ricketts-Hagan said Dr Addison must be removed from office after current efforts to get the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta to resign succeeds.
“In fact, from the finance minister we should be going for the governor to go as well,” he told the host of the show, Kwame Nkrumah Tikese on Friday, November 16, 2022.
According to Ricketts-Hagan, the BoG governor is equally guilty of contributing to Ghana’s current economic challenges for which the finance minister is facing a censure motion in parliament.
“Part of the inflation is also a result of the Bank of Ghana printing money for the government, this is what is causing what we call hidden inflation. This same Bank of Ghana after printing money for the reckless spending of the government leading to high inflation has also turned around to increase interest rate because of the high inflation,” he said.
The former deputy finance minister who is the current member of parliament for Cape Coast South added that the BoG has failed in its monetary management duty just as the finance ministry has failed in its fiscal management policy hence the need for the two officials to be removed from office.
“If I am to be pushing anything from my minority in parliament, the push next when we get Ofori-Atta is that Addison must also follow. Because the country has failed in both fiscal and monetary policy. So if we remove the finance minister and we fail to remove the one in charge of monetary policy, it will be like a cake half-baked,” he said.
The minority group in parliament has moved a motion of censure against the finance minister citing various allegations including conflict of interest and mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy.
An 8-member ad hoc committee set up by the Speaker of Parliament to probe the allegations has so far received evidence from the minority group.
Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to appear before the committee later today, Friday, November 18, 2022, to respond to the grounds of the motion and the allegations levelled against him.
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta will today, Friday, November 16, 2022, will appear before an 8-member ad hoc committee of parliament.
The minister is the subject of a censure motion moved by the minority group in parliament who have cited various grounds for a vote of censure to be passed against him.
Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to respond to the grounds of the motion which among other things accuses him of conflict of interest, mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy, and breaching the country’s Financial Management Act.
The 8-member ad hoc committee was set up by the Speaker of Parliament to probe the motion by the minority and issue a report advising the plenary for action to be taken.
Ken Ofori-Atta has been under fire with various calls being made for his removal.
An aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogatri, has described moves by the Agric Minister to sell foodstuff at its premises to control prices as a disaster.
According to her, it is unbelievable, the “incompetent Minister for Agriculture actually went ahead to sell plantains in the ministry” while quizzing if plantain is the only food item Ghanaians eat.
In a Facebook post, she said should this be a standard of measuring the performance of the Agric Minister, then all farmers will qualify to be Agric Ministers.
“Who would have thought that six years down the line, a debate about food prices will ensue and government will pour plantain at the centre of Ghana’s ministerial enclave to sell at controlled prices? I simply can’t believe the obviously failed and incompetent Minister for Agriculture actually went ahead to sell plantains in the ministry. Is plantain the only food item Ghanaians eat and which is expensive to buy today? How can the sale of plantains at controlled prices ensure food security for our entire population? And should all Ghanaians move to the ministry in Accra to buy the plantain at the controlled prices?”
“What a disaster! If this is the measure of a Minister’s performance then all our farmers would be excellent Agriculture Ministers,” she shared.
As part of the efforts to control prices of foodstuff, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture began selling foodstuff within its premises to serve people in Accra.
The product is brought from the farms to the ministry and sold to consumers at a cheaper price.
However, when the project commenced, plantain was the only item at the venue.
But the Ministry announced that some other foodstuffs will be added as time goes on.
It is based on this Joyce Bawa has raised concerns about the project describing it as a disaster.
Leader of the Ghana Freedom Party, Madam Akua Donkor, has been sharing her thoughts on Ghana’s economy on the GTV Breakfast Show on Wednesday, November 17, 2022.
She suggested that Ghana needed to begin to refine petroleum as a sure way to reduce prices.
Madam Akua Donkor said she can support the government in achieving this feat.
She advocated “bringing back” road tolls to cushion the economy.
Banking sector:
The GFP leader stated that the forex market should be streamlined in order to deal with the cedi’s depreciation against major currencies.
She joined in the “eat what you grow”, mantra, to eliminate the overdependence on foreign goods.
Fitch Solutions has projected that in the possible event of the removal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, ongoing negotiation with the International Monetary Fund will not be affected.
According to Fitch, this is because the next person tipped to be Ofori-Atta’s replacement, Mark Assibey-Yeboah “would take a more accommodative approach towards negotiations with the Fund.”
Therefore, in the latest article on “Division within Ghana’s Ruling Party to Weigh on Political Stability”, Fitch said with the current state of events a change of finance minister will happen quickly and would not result in significant delays in talks with the IMF.
It said “While Ofori-Atta remained opposed to an IMF bailout – we believe that he [Mark Assibey-Yeboah] would take a more accommodative approach towards negotiations with the Fund. As such, we believe that a change of finance minister would most likely not impact the timeline of IMF negations and we would retain our view that a staff-level agreement will be reached in Q123 [quarter 1, 2023].”
The international research firm also projected an increase in protests and strikes due to the deteriorating living standards in the country.
“Worsening living standards amid rising consumer prices – inflation reached 40.4% year-on-year in October 2022, the highest reading since 2001 – and tighter monetary conditions have led to a 72.7% quarter-on-quarter increase in protests and riots across in quarter 3 2022. The country has also seen large industrial action in recent months, including a three-day retail strike in Accra in October [2022],” it added.
Details are emerging about how Chinese national, infamous for Galamsey activities, began in the country.
The state prosecution’s third witness, a director of a mining prospecting company disclosed at an Accra High court that the 47-year-old started her operations by encroaching on his concession in 2015.
Submitting documents including maps and receipts from the Minerals Commission Nana Sarfo Prempeh told the court that he obtained a permit to undertake prospecting of minerals in areas in the Ashanti Region.
According to Nana Sarfo Prempeh sometime in 2015, Aisha Huang entered his concession and started undertaking mining activities, this he said took a toll on his company and impeded them from carrying out explorations.
The witness further explained that in an attempt to halt the activities of Aisha he wrote letters to the Regional Security Council, filed a complaint with traditional council and the Police headquarters in Accra but all proved futile as the accused continued with her mining operations.
He ultimately filed an injunction at the Bekwai District Court which was granted and the accused was barred from continuing her operations.
“I know the accused person. My knowledge of her bothers her illegal activities at the Volta resources concession. In 2015, she commenced her mining operations at the concession of Volta resources.
“She later moved to another part of our concession at Bepotenten where her Chinese workers were arrested in May 2017
“From that period of 2015-2017, we made all efforts to evict her from the land and stopped her illegal activities which all proved futile.
“I hereby state that her activities were illegal because my company Volta resources limited had been granted a prospecting license so there is no way she could possibly have a mining license over the same piece of land.
“I reported the case of her encroachment and illegal mining to REGSEC and also to the chiefs and traditional leaders of Bekwai. That also proved futile. I wish to tender into evidence a letter dated 3rd June, 2015 from Volta Resources Ltd to REGSEC as proof of our complaints about the encroachment activities of the accused person.
“In February 2016 VRL made a formal complaint at the Police HQ. A team of investigators were assigned but nothing came out of it.
“On April 11, 2017 VRL filed a writ of summons against En Huang at the Bekwai circuit Court. Edward Koranteng was the plaintiff in behalf of VRL against Aisha Huang of Kumasi.
“Volta Resources Ltd also caused to be published in the media the encroachment and devastating effect of the illegal mining activities of the accused person in its concession and the effect on host the communities.
“Letter dated 8th June 2017 with the subj being petition to IGP regarding the land seizure of excavators, machinery and equipment relevant to the case of the republic vs En Huang but nothing came out of it.
The accused person has caused tremendous devastation to the resources of VRL”
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has denied reports that he invited the 98 New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament who want the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta sacked, for a meeting.
Mr Kufuor said in a statement that the reports indicating that he invited the lawmakers are not true and should be disregarded.
“We wish to bring to the attention of the general public that there is no truth in the said publication,” the statement signed by his Senior Aide and Spokesperson Dr Kwabena Osei Adubofour, said on Thursday November 17.
It added “The office of the former President vehemently detests the developing trend in the disinformation that mischievously seek to draw President Kufuor into issues that he has not commented on.”
The 98 NPP Members of Parliament calling for Mr Ofori-Atta’s removal are being led by Asante-Akim North MP Kwame Andy Appiah-Kubi.
They believe that Mr Ofori-Atta should be changed for a fresh hand to manage the economy.
The MP said they do not expect Mr Ofori-Atta to present the 2023 budget statement.
The Public Interest Accountability Committee (PIAC) has maintained that an amount of $100 million of Ghana’s petroleum revenue not paid into the Petroleum Holding Fund (PHF) flouted the laws of Ghana.
Appearing before the parliamentary committee probing allegations against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, Vice Chair of PIAC, Abdul Nasir Alfa Mohammed said: “We explored all the laws, in our opinion, that border around this issue, and we still came to an independent opinion, which we stand by on any day, that those revenues ought to have formed part of the petroleum revenues of Ghana and ought to have been deposited in the petroleum holding fund and not in any other account.
“So, for us, it was contrary to the law for that money to have been deposited in any accounts, if at all.”
The Minority in September this year revealed that the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government had failed to to account for over $100 million of oil funds that accrued to the state for petroleum lifting in the first quarter of 2022.
A statement by NDC MP for Yapei-Kusawgu, John Jinapor, said: “The decision by the current NPP government to transfer revenues accruing from about 944,164 bbls of crude lifting in the Jubilee and TEN fields to a company established in a safe haven (outside Ghana) without parliamentary approval, amounts to a gross violation of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815) and Public Financial Management Act (Act 921)”.
“We have become aware that following the acquisition of a 7-per cent interest in the Occidental (Oxy) transaction in respect of the Jubilee and TEN fields by the government, ostensibly for GNPC in 2021, the Minister of Finance has clandestinely ceded the shares to an offshore company known as JOHL (a company set-up in the Cayman Islands) in a very surreptitious and opaque manner”, the statement added.
The Petroleum Holding Fund (PHF) was established under Section 2 of the PRMA, as the designated public fund at the Bank of Ghana to receive and disburse petroleum revenue due the Republic of Ghana.
The PHF is held offshore at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as the Bank of Ghana Petroleum Holding Fund Account.
Former workers of the various toll booths across the country are demanding the reintroduction of toll collections.
They want government to make such an announcement in the 2023 Budget Statement, scheduled to be read in Parliament on November 30, 2022.
The Transport Ministry on November 18, 2021, announced an immediate cessation of the collection of tolls.
The action was taken after government claimed there was chaos at various tollbooths following an announcement the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta made in the 2022 budget on the cessation of such revenue collection.
Speaking to Citi News a year after they were laid off, Secretary to the Ghana Toll Workers Union Edward Duncan said toll workers have been forced back on the streets while others face eviction from their landlords.
“Most of my colleagues are knocking on the doors of companies, but the jobs are not there, so we hope that the Government will understand or know that they made a mistake with that policy [cancellation] and then they have to reverse it and come back.”
“We are hoping and looking at the announcement they will make concerning toll collection. We are keen on that because it has been a year since the tolls were cancelled and there is no livelihood and there is nothing for us,” he lamented.
Many Ghanaians condemned the cancellation and demanded its immediate reversal.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament demanded its reinstatement but the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu praised the cancellation saying it was timely implemented to save lives and properties.
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.
A beheaded body of an unidentified man believed to be in his late 40s was found in a bush at Abam near Sekyedumase in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality of the Ashanti Region on Thursday.
Some indigenes of the area found the body of the yet-to-be-identified deceased covered in a black polythene bag and circulated the information in the community.
Police later moved to the scene, inspected the body, and conveyed it to the morgue.
Officers of the police service also found traces of gunshots in parts of the body, which was without the head.
Assembly Member for the Dapaafo Electoral Area, Emmanuel Tweneboah Koduah said the deceased is not an indigene of the area.
He however called for intensified police patrol in the area to curb such crimes.
The Mental Health Authority has indicated that four mental health illnesses will soon be covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), as part of measures in improving the country’s mental health system.
Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of the World Health Organization’s conference on assessing Ghana’s Mental Health system, the Administrative Director for the Mental Health Authority, Victus Kpesese, disclosed that his outfit had been given the opportunity by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to select the mental ailments to be covered by the scheme.
“That is currently being worked on, and we hope that in the first quarter of 2023, these top four conditions will be included in the National Health Scheme benefits package.”
“We’ve already recommended schizophrenia and its various types, bipolar and all forms of depression to the National Health Insurance Authority.”
“So people who have these conditions, once they have the National Insurance Card, they will be covered and reimbursement will be done to the hospital,” Mr. Kpesese said.
Only 2 percent of Ghana’s 2.3 million people living with mental health conditions are receiving psychiatric treatment and support from health facilities, according to the World Health Organisation.
Kobina Tahir Hammond, Member of Parliament for Adani Asokwa in the Ashanti Region has clarified widely reported comments claiming he does not buy fuel because he doesn’t own a car.
The comment was apparently made in jest at the ad hoc committee of Parliament probing a vote of censure motion brought against the embattled Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
Hammond is a co-chair of the committee along with Dominic Ayine.
In rebutting a point about rising fuel costs raised by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu on day one of the committee sitting, November 15, the Adansi Asokwa MP said, “I don’t buy fuel, I don’t have a car, so I don’t buy fuel.”
At the beginning of Day Two of sitting, KT Hammond made clarifications to his earlier statement: “On the Tuesday, I did not make any categorical such statement as to whether I buy fuel or I don’t, you should be able to distinguish various segments of what anybody speaks.
“Any sentence should be able to be broken down into its minutiae to be clear what the person is saying,” he stressed before adding that all MPs bought their own fuel because they did not have any coupons or rebates.
The fuel price situation is one plank of the general rise in cost of living bedeviling the Ghanaian economy. Price hikes have affected especially transportation fares which have increased steadily across the year.
Incidentally, the MP, only weeks ago had shared an experience where he nearly fought a fuel attendant after he though he had been shortchanged only to be alerted to the new prices of the commodity.
“We appreciate it, it’s been put on record many times, we all know what is going on, it is not a matter that anybody is running away from, we are all in it together. How we get out of it is also in the hands of all of us, let us get the reportage fairly right,” he stressed.
Kobina Tahir Hammond, Member of Parliament for the Adansi-Asokwa Constituency has explained that contrary to public perception, MPs pay for their fuel without any subsidy.
The comment was made as he clarified a recent comment to the effect that he had said he did not buy fuel because he didn’t own a car. The said comment was apparently made in jest on Day One (November 15) of the ad-hoc committee of Parliament probing a vote of censure motion brought against the embattled Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
Hammond is a co-chair of the committee along with Dominic Ayine.
At the beginning of Day Two of the committee’s sitting (November 17), KT Hammond made clarifications to his earlier statement: “On Tuesday, I did not make any categorical such statement as to whether I buy fuel or I don’t, you should be able to distinguish various segments of what anybody speaks.”
He tasked the media to do better by reporting comments with context and capturing the full import of what is said.
“Let me get it on record, Members of Parliament buy fuel, we don’t have any coupons, we don’t have rebates, we don’t have anything, we are suffering the same way every Ghanaian is suffering.
The fuel price situation is one plank of the general rise in the cost of living bedeviling the Ghanaian economy. Price hikes have affected especially transportation fares which have increased steadily across the year.
Incidentally, the MP, only weeks ago had shared an experience where he nearly fought a fuel attendant after he thought he had been shortchanged only to be alerted to the new prices of the commodity.
“We appreciate it, it’s been put on record many times, we all know what is going on, it is not a matter that anybody is running away from, we are all in it together. How we get out of it is also in the hands of all of us, let us get the reportage fairly right,” he stressed.
In rebutting a point about rising fuel costs raised by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu on day one of the committee sitting, November 15, the Adansi Asokwa MP said, “I don’t buy fuel, I don’t have a car, so I don’t buy fuel.”
The Strategic Thinkers Network Africa, STRANEK-Africa has called on the government of Ghana to adopt a long-term plan to fight illegal mining otherwise known as galamsey in local Ghanaian parlance.
In a statement outlining some of the devastating effects of the galamsey menace, STRANEK-Africa noted that the government’s efforts of fighting the illegal menace have over the years remained a promise.
The group has thus called on all stakeholders involved in the galamsey fight to contribute their quota in ending the menace whiles noting that the fight against illegal mining ought to be approached as a marathon and not a sprint.
“There are various ways in which the activities of galamsey can be curbed. STRANEK-Africa believes that there should be heavy 24 hours monitoring by the military in communities where galamsey activities is on the rise. The 24-hour military monitoring will assist in reducing the illegal smuggling of gold and the high rate of destroying forest and rivers. The country is likely to lose millions of dollars yearly to illegal smuggling. People found guilty of such illegalities should be drastically dealt with by the law. Also, significant resources will need to be invested in oversight agencies such as Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency and Precious Minerals Marketing Company, the body responsible for assaying and monitoring gold exports.
“Chiefs must put their foot down and ensure that activities of illegal miners are not condoned. There must be active involvement of residents living in galamsey communities by saying ‘No’ to galamseyers in order to safeguard their environment,” STRANEK-Africa in a statement signed by Executive Director, Nii Tettey Tetteh said.
Ghanan is currently grappling with the devastating impact of unmitigated illegal mining activities across the length and breadth of the country.
Currently, several of the country’s forest reserves and river bodies are under threat from the activities of illegal miners.
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has heaped praises on President Akufo-Addo for the massive development of port infrastructure in his region.
According to the Regional Minister, the construction of the ports is opening the region up to several economic opportunities and creating more job opportunities for the teeming youth of the region.
“Under President Akufo-Addo, we have been able to construct 4 ports in the Western Region. This is very unprecedented. You all know that under Dr Kwame Nkrumah, he did for us the Sekondi Naval Base and you know the British in 1928 did the Takoradi Port. Under President Akufo-Addo we have done another port inside the Takoradi Harbor which is the Atlantic Port Service with a private sector Ibistek.
“It is like the MPS we have in Tema. We also have another port which is a fishing port in Dixcove and another one in Axim and we are now developing what we call the fuel operating base like the naval base at Ezinlibo close to our oil fields,” he said.
He said this when he took his turn at the State of Region Report, a media engagement platform put together by the Ministry of Information to regularly update the media on developments in their regions on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
Touching on related infrastructure projects, the Minister stated that work on the railways, Takoradi market, the Paa Grant road interchange, the Agenda 111 among other state interventions were on course to restore hope to the people of the region.
On roads, he said 252.37 kilometres of roads have been completed in the region. He said the road projects spanning urban, feeder roads and highways include the emergency rehabilitation of the Ahwetieso to Tarkwa road, Bogoso Junction and Assembly Office in Tarkwa, regravelling of Sankor to Cape Three Points road, reconstruction of Tarkwa to Darmang road and the construction of Agona Nkwanta to Tarkwa trunk road.
He said the construction of the roads coupled with the numerous developmental projects in the region will help boost socio-economic activities, particularly when the region plays a critical role in the country’s development.
Broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere has questioned the timing of the release of the ‘Galamsey Economy’ exposé by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which was recorded in 2018.
In an editorial on his Good Evening Ghana show, Paul Adom-Otchere said that the explanations given by renowned journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr on why the documentary was delayed point to an ongoing fight.
He hinted that the documentary was not released to fight corruption but to score points against someone he described as a presidential candidate who got hold of the documentary in 2018.
“It (issues surrounding the documentary) comes out as a major vendetta between two people. It may not even have been about Charles. Now, we are hearing that the fundamental opponent to Tiger Eye, whom we know (a presidential candidate) … in the process of investigating Tiger Eye, probably found the material (the documentary). It is believed that he found this material and shared it with other people… so this material has been in the system since 2019.
“…so, it looks like the person that Kweku Baako said stole it; he took it and shared it with other people. And as Kweku Baako alleges, somebody (either the person who stole the documentary or another person) was boasting about having the documentary.
“So, when the Tiger Eye people, whom Kwaku Baako described as owners and authors, found out that they had a copy of the material, they decided to fire it (publish it). So that is the vendetta. At that stage, I’m not sure it is about fighting corruption to support Ghana. It is a personal vendetta,” he said.
The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr, explained why his protégé, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, used a video shot in 2018 to expose and cause the dismissal of Minister of State, Charles Adu Boahen.
The journalist premiered an investigative documentary dubbed ‘Galamsey Economy,’ in which the minister was engaged in acts considered to be of a corrupt nature, whereas he (the minister) also impugned corruption on others, especially Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
One of the main defenses the sacked minister has advanced is that he was recorded four years ago in the United Arab Emirates but that the journalist is now using the said footage in his so-called investigation.
Kweku Baako’s explanation was contained in a purported response to a Facebook user by the name of “Kwadwo Yeboah-Gyan.”
Baako wrote: “Somebody “stole and sold” it to somebody; thinking the evidence had been deleted forever! The “buyer” went out boasting about his possession for years, for whatever reason nobody could tell! Apparently, the real “owners/authors” subsequently discovered an extra copy! Today’s story begins from there. PAY ATTENTION!”
“Same guy who fabricated a video of Candidate Akufo-Addo receiving a donation from a lady supporter of the NPP in his Nima residence in 2016 when Akufo-Addo was not President but tried to make it look as if he was the President!” he added.
The Central Regional Secretariat of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has directed aspirants in the race for the National Executives Committee elections to seek the approval of the secretariat before embarking on their campaign activities in the region.
The Secretariat has observed with great concern that some national aspirants are meeting Constituencies in the Central Region for a campaign engagement without prior permission from the regional party leadership.
Thus, the party has issued a directive in a statement dated November 17, 2022, signed by Gabriel Nii Kommey Adams, the Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress.
Below is the full statement:
We bring you warm greetings and compliments from the Central Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
We wish to congratulate all National Aspirants who were successful at their vetting and have been duly cleared by the National Vetting Committee to contest the upcoming National Executive Committee Elections for various positions in the party.
Incidentally, the Regional Party Secretariat has observed with great concern that some National Aspirants are meeting Constituencies in Central Region (CR) for a campaign engagement without prior permission from the Regional Party Leadership.
Consequently, the Regional Party Secretariat wishes to bring the following directive to the notice of all National Aspirants and all Constituency Chairmen in the Central Region:
1. That all National Executive committee aspirants are advised to notify the Regional Party Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Central Region, through the Regional Secretary, with full details of their profile and planned campaign activities in the Region (CR). This should include possible dates for entry and exit.
2. That all National Executive committee aspirants are advised not to engage any constituency in the region unless explicit permission is granted by the Regional Party Secretariat.
3. All National Aspirants who adhere strictly to this directive will be granted permission to engage delegates in the region and an officer from the Regional Executive Committee will be assigned to assist in his or her campaign tour of constituencies in the Central Region.
4. That all National Executive committee aspirants are advised to make provisions to meet with the Regional Executive committee as part of their planned campaign touring activities in the Region (CR).
5. Furthermore, all Constituency Chairmen and Secretaries, shall be notified to request from National Executive aspirants evidence of permission granted by the Regional Secretariat before granting any constituency engagement with aspirants.
6. Failure on the part of any Constituency Chairman to adhere to this directive shall result in disciplinary actions.
7. All Constituency Chairmen are to ensure that this information gets to the attention of all delegates in their respective constituencies with immediate effect.
On behalf of the Regional Executive Committee of the Central Region Branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), I welcome all National Executive Committee aspirants into the Central Region and wish them good luck as they prepare to run successful campaign tours in the Central Region.
Deputy Minister for Works and Housing Abdulai Abanga has indicated his outfit has no knowledge of the construction of the National Cathedral under the Ministry of Works and Housing.
According to him, the National Cathedral‘s construction is not the ministry’s responsibility.
Abdulai Abanga made this known after Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo asked the minister about the current state of the national cathedral and also how many judges are still being housed in hotels as a result of the demolition of their bungalows to pave the way for the construction of the National Cathedral.
In response to these questions, Abdulai Abanga said;
“…Mr Speaker the question relating to the national cathedral is an activity that is outside the remit of the Ministry of Works and Housing.
“Mr Speaker the Ministry of works of housing has therefore written to this house in a letter on November 11, 2022, to the principal assistant and assistant clerk and head of table office to draw their attention to this matter,” he added.
Following his response, the Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, directed that the table office redirect the question to the appropriate office.
The Minister for Health has revealed that as many as 110 newly qualified doctors have accepted postings to deprived areas to bring healthcare delivery to the doorsteps of the rural folks in the various regions.
The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Dormaa West Constituency in the Bono Region, Kweku Agyemang Manu, made this revelation in parliament, answering some urgent questions on measures the ministry is taking to ensure that doctors accept postings to deprived areas of the country.
Kweku Agyemang Manu indicated that the ministry has run a survey, out of which many recommendations have been made to include financial incentives for doctors who accept postings in deprived areas of the country.
He said this financial incentive will be based on the severe nature of the area of one’s posting.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah had just finished reading a Master’s degree course in International Relations and was hoping that he would receive a callback from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to start his dream job with them.
And as is the case for most young graduates, the urge to experience working in any environment that presented him with much more made his hopes even greater.
But Elvis Ankrah said something that jolted his dream sideways and put that long-time dream on permanent hold.
And it all started when he was approached by one of the stalwarts of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ato Ahwoi, to take up an unusual job: a spokesperson for a presidential candidate.
The job was for him to deputise as a spokesperson for the late former president of Ghana, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, who was by then campaigning to become Head of State.
He explained to GhanaWeb TV’s Edward Smith Anamale that when that call came through, it was not one of the things on his mind.
“I went to do my Masters in International Relations and when I came back, I was on the verge of… I’d actually gone to ECOWAS to put in an application for a job and I was expecting a response because I had spoken with Dr. Chambas and all that, and then Mr Ato Ahwoi called me and said he wanted me to be the deputy campaign spokesperson for Prof Mills’ presidential primaries.
“It was a very difficult decision to make: go to ECOWAS, go and earn some good dollars because I studied international relations so that had been my interest; to work with an international agency: ECOWAS, AU or the United Nations, so local politics was not part of my plan,” he explained.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, however, explained in the election Desk interview on GhanaWeb TV that after a while, he agreed to take on that job, also because of something profound that Ato Ahwoi said to him.
“And he said, go and do this thing for us, and after several months, I eventually agreed because he told me something: ‘If you go to your ECOWAS or UN and after 15 years you come back to Ghana, don’t you know you’ll be a stranger, and your colleagues would have gone ahead of you? So, what will happen to all the experience you gathered as SRC president and NUGS.
“So, that really got me thinking so I took up the challenge and so, myself, Ludwig and Rojo, we went round with Prof Mills around the whole Ghana. We went to almost every city, town, village – every nook and cranny. It was a very eye-opening experience and that is where I gathered a lot of data and network with the grassroots,” he explained.
Dr. Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament for the Tano North constituency in the Ahafo Region, has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to collaborate with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the. Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) to conduct routine inspections on school buses in the country.
This would go a long way toward ensuring that school buses, particularly those used by private basic schools, meet the required road safety standards.
She emphasised the use of ‘over-aged’ buses for conveying and risking the precious lives of ‘innocent’ schoolchildren in the country remained unacceptable and breached road safety regulations.
“The uncontrolled use of over-aged buses to convey school children do not only risk the lives of the children, but also remains a serious road safety offense as well,” Dr. Prempeh told reporters at Duayaw-Nkwanta when she reacted to a crash which happened on the Techire-Adrobaa stretch in her constituency.
Police have since put the death toll at six, in a gory crash that happened on the Techire-Adrobaa stretch in the early hours of Friday, November 11, 2022.
The accident happened when the driver, also deceased, of the DS Elites Academy school bus with registration number AW 6315-11 had gone to pick and transport the school children from Adrobaa to Techire.
On their way back, the ‘old’ Benz bus was said to have developed a mechanical fault, and in the process, the driver lost control.
Describing the crash as unfortunate, Dr. Prempeh, also a Minister of State at the Office of the President, asked the GES to intensify its monitoring and supervisory roles in all basic schools in the country.
She said with support from the GES, the NRSA, and the DVLA, they would be able to identify and stop schools that used over-aged buses to convey children.
The MP, however, expressed her deepest condolences to the bereaved families and their relatives and entreated them to take comfort in God.
As of the filing of this report, journalists had gathered the mortal remains of the deceased children, which were to be laid in state at the Adrobaa town square on Thursday, November 17.
The Takoradi Habour Circuit court A, presided over by His worship Michael Kwodjoe Ampadu, is expected to give judgement today in the case involving Josephine Panyin Mensah, the lady from Columbia in Takoradi who was allegedly kidnapped while pregnant.
Josephine Panyin Mensah has been charged with two counts of deceiving a public officer contrary to section 251 (B) of the Criminal office’s Act and Publication of false news with intent to cause fear and panic contrary to section 208 subsection 1 of the act of the criminal offence.
Josephine, who has been facing prosecution since September 2021 when she was found at Axim, showed up at the Takoradi Habour Court looking pregnant, but the court is expected to receive pregnancy test results today before judgement in the substantive case.
Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, says Ghana’s constitution is no longer fit for purpose.
According to him, the ongoing motion of censure proceedings in Parliament has thrown into the limelight some of the many flaws of the 1992 Constitution which must be reviewed as soon as possible to prevent future constitutional crises.
His comments were based on assertions by Dr. Amoako Baah, a Political Science Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, that the country might just be headed for a constitutional crisis should the President continue to remain entrenched in his resolve not to sack the Finance Minister even after he has been censured.
Article 82 Clause 5 of the 1992 Constitution states that “Where a vote of censure is passed against a Minister under this article the President may, unless the Minister resigns his office, revoke his appointment as a Minister.”
According to Dr. Baah, the use of “may” instead of “shall” does not obligate the President to heed the counsel of Parliament in the matter and thus the President through his refusal to remove his Minister will create a constitutional crisis.
“I’ve said this several times for a long time, six years now. Now we’re beginning to see. Everywhere you look in the constitution there is a problem so now we’re heading towards almost like a constitutional crisis. They vote for censure and he doesn’t resign and the President does not remove him, what happens?” he said.
Agreeing with Dr. Amoako Baah, Martin Kpebu added that with the constitution demonstrably not fit for purpose, it is only right that it be reviewed extensively and as soon as possible.
According to him, he is hoping that in the upcoming 2024 Presidential elections, candidates will couch their campaign messages around the need for a constitutional review.
“So for the next government coming and even assuming President Akufo-Addo doesn’t leave as we’re calling on him to leave with Bawumia and so we have to wait till 2024. I can see that constitutional review is going to take front and centre of the election. It’s going to be front and centre.
“A candidate to be able to win massively will have to promise us a quick constitutional review. We’ve seen that this constitution is no longer fit for purpose, we have to redesign it, cut down the powers of the executive President, make sure that parliamentarians will remain parliamentarians –they can’t be that cross breed, so to speak.
“Ministers will be ministers, we will no longer want parliamentarians to be ministers at the same time, no, we’ve learnt hard lessons from that. So you see that across the table we all agree that this constitution is now such a big problem, it’s an albatross on our neck and we need to fix it,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has recanted its earlier statement warning Ghanaians to avoid making non-essential trips to Nigeria’s national capital, Abuja.
In a statement dated Thursday, November 16, 2022, and issued on the letterhead of the ministry, members of the general public were asked to avoid travelling to the city due to security developments.
However in a rejoinder issued some hours after, the ministry said the contents of the earlier statement were unauthorised.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration wishes to refer to the travel advisory published this evening, Wednesday 16th November 2022 advising against non-essential travel to Abuja and wishes to state that the statement was unauthorised.
“The Ministry is not aware of any threat targeted at Ghanaians who continue to live in harmony with their Nigerian brothers and sisters,” the statement copied to the media said.
In the earlier statement, the ministry said the travel advisory was necessitated by recent security events in the Nigerian Capital.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration wishes to inform the travelling public about security developments in Abuja, Nigeria, and the subsequent directive by local authorities to hotels operating in residential buildings to shut down.
Accordingly, the public is advised to avoid non-essential travel to Abuja, due to the unpredictable security situation in the city, and the high danger of terrorism, criminality, inter-communal conflict, armed attacks, and kidnappings.
“Whilst advising travellers who must travel out of necessity to Abuja to take precautionary measures the Ministry will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public when the situation improves,” it added.
However, in its latest statement, the ministry said it regrets any inconvenience that may have risen out of the travel advisory.
It is clear now that the number of Members of Parliament on the Majority side of parliament who want their own, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, out, have increased.
From the initial 80 New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs, the number has been reported to have risen to 98 in the last few days, owing from a revamped decision by the lawmakers to have the embattled minister step down.
In that first press conference to call on the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to heed to their call, the MPs also threatened to boycott government business in parliament in protest, should their request be refused.
But a few hours later, something major happened that got the ‘angry’ MPs to relax their stance.
Akufo-Addo meets NPP MPs calling for Ken Ofori-Atta’s dismissal:
Following the public declaration of disapproval of the finance minister by the MPs, an emergency meeting was conveyed at the behest of President Akufo-Addo to deliberate and understand the misgivings of the MPs towards the minister.
The major fallout from the meeting was the president’s requests to the MPs to allow the finance minister three weeks to prepare the 2023 budget and conclude negotiations with the International Monetary fund.
Speaking to Oyerepa TV, the Member of Parliament for Efiduase Asokore, Nana Ayew Afriyie, stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised to act in a manner that will not require the MPs to come back to him.
“He [Akufo-Addo] promised us this way, after the end of the budget it won’t be necessary for us to come to him because of what he would do about the finance minister, because by then, there will be no need to come back to him,” he said.
Ayew Afriyie said the president also mentioned four decisions he will take with regard to the matter.
“He can do any of the following: sack the finance minister, reshuffle, re-assignment, or a replacement. He will do something that will not require us to come back to him,” Ayew Afriyie said.
He however added that: “Even if the economy bounces back, we still want Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen to be gone.”
And then after a while – when the NPP MPs seemed to have been living by the request of the president, they returned to state that they want him out again.
This time, the number shot up to 98.
And while this happened at a time an ad hoc committee in parliament, put together by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to look into a vote of censure on the finance minister, the MPs insisted on still pushing for Ofori-Atta to be sacked.
President Kufuor meets with 98 NPP MPs:
According to a starrfm.com.gh report, former President John Agyekum Kufuor has reportedly invited the 98 NPP MPs threatening to boycott the 2023 budget presentation should the current finance minister go ahead to read it in parliament.
The meeting Starr News understands is for the former leader to resolve the standoff that has prevailed over the past weeks.
Spokesperson for the agitating MPs, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, publicly announced the decision and stated that they have resolved to get Ken Ofori-Atta out this time.
He stressed that they are convinced it is time for the beleaguered finance minister to leave, amid the minority censure motion laid in the House against him.
“We’ve gone back to (our demand for the President to) sack him now and therefore should the budget be presented under the stamp of the finance minister, we’ll not participate because as far as we’re concerned we’re never going to do business with him.
“And if we’re not going to do business with him, he does not participate in any process from the Presidency to the House. We will not participate in deliberations too,” Appiah-Kubi said.
It remains to be seen whether the group will compromise its position the second time after the former president’s intervention.
Relative calm has returned to Kenyasi No. 2 in the Ahafo Region following Tuesday’s disturbances in which the police allegedly shot at some irate youth in the town, resulting in the death of one person and four others injured.
One of the injured persons was still receiving treatment at Donhart Hospital in Kenyasi after the other three were treated and discharged, while the dead had been deposited at the hospital’s mortuary, hospital sources had confirmed.
Several vehicles and property belonging to a multi-national mining company, Newmont Ahafo Mines were damaged in the melee.
The incident, which started as a peaceful protest by youth in the twin town against the company, degenerated into a full-blown confrontation between the youth and the police, leading to the fatality and injuries, burning of lorry tyres, and destruction of property.
The initial cause of the protest could not be authenticated by the Ghanaian Times.
However, snippets gathered in the community indicated that Newmont had been allegedly preventing some of the youth from continuously engaging in illegal mining (galamsey) on the company’s concession in the area and this might have infuriated them.
When the paper visited Kenyasi yesterday morning, the street was empty with only a few shops open, while there was a heavy military-cum-police presence.
The leader of the youth group, Abdul Karim Yeboah, who spoke to the Ghanaian Times, accused Newmont of using the police to molest them whenever they were arrested on their concession.
He said they would stop at nothing if justice was not served to their departed colleague who had been killed by the police.
The youth leader called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to cause an investigation into the matter to bring about lasting peace to the area.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by Newmont Ahafo Mines and signed by Mr. David Ebo Johnson, Director, Communications and External Relations, and copied to the Ghanaian Times confirmed the incident but could not confirm what brought about the disturbances.
The statement indicated that relevant regulatory authorities had been notified of the incident and that the company was cooperating with police investigations.
“The company is also working closely with security personnel who have been deployed to the scene to keep the situation under control,” the statement stated.
The police said they had opened investigations and anybody found culpable would be taken through the due process of the law.
An attempt to get the striking public university workers union to rescind their decision could not be achieved at a meeting between the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the unions on Wednesday.
According to the Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Ransford Gyampo, it was revealed at the meeting that the Finance Ministry has a key role to play in addressing their concerns.
He added that the process may delay following the ongoing probe of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, following a motion of censure against the minister in Parliament.
Speaking to Citi News after the engagement, Prof. Gyampo disclosed that the meeting has been rescheduled to be held in the next ten days.
“We have brought this proposal to the National Labour Commission, and they have also sort of agreed that we should wait and go on with the discussion in the next 10 days.”
The other unions on strike are the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) and Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA).
The strike by the four unions in public universities is in its sixth week.
UTAG’s concerns, for example, are with the adjusted ex-pump rate of GHS10.99 being implemented to affect Vehicle Maintenance and Off-Campus Allowances.
The union has complained that the agreed Conditions of Service of University Workers by the Employer were not being adhered to.
A leading figure of the Coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance, Dr. Kojo Asante, has described the censure hearings against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as frustrating so far.
“It has just become like a courtroom. It was meant to be a debate; an establishment of facts in parliamentary style, but it has just become like a courtroom,” Dr. Asante complained.
The committee had a contentious start during its proceedings on Tuesday as its members debated the manner in which the Minority members could present their evidence against the Finance Minister.
Some of the committee members felt the hearing should be treated as a quasi-judicial proceeding.
Dr. Asante felt these discussions were unnecessary considering the concerns around the economy and the Finance Minister.
“I don’t know whether it is because there are too many lawyers leading these processes. It becomes a thing about needing evidence and so on… That is not helpful. Part of that, I find very frustrating.”
“This could have been dealt with a long time ago if the President had listened to all of us. Unfortunately, we are now in the space and this tug of war and still, our crisis hasn’t gone anywhere,” he added.
The Public Interest Accountability Committee (PIAC) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) are expected before the committee later on Thursday.
The Finance Minister will appear on Friday after he requested time to prepare based on the evidence tendered to the committee by the Minority.
A member of the ad hoc committee, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the Public Interest Accountability Committee (PIAC) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) will appear before the committee of Parliament probing allegations in a censure motion against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Thursday, November 17, 2022.
In a Facebook post, the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, shared “the Ken Ofori-Atta Vote of Censure Parliamentary Committee resumes public hearings tomorrow at 11am. We expect PIAC and GNPC to appear before us.”
The ad hoc committee has commenced a public hearing on the motion of censure against Ken Ofori-Atta.
At the first sitting the Minority, represented by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and, Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, cited PIAC reports from 2019 to 2022 and the Petroleum Management Act as some of the basis for their allegations against the Ofori-Atta.
It is based on this the PIAC and GNPC are expected to appear before the house to respond to this allegation.
Eight people have been granted GH¢100,000 bail with two sureties each by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly engaging in illegal currency trade on the ‘black market’.
One of the sureties must be justified by land documents or any property equivalent to GH¢100,000.
The accused were also ordered to report to the police twice a month.
They have been charged with engaging in the business of dealing in foreign exchange without licence.
They all pleaded not guilty.
The court presided over by Mrs. Adelaide Abui-Keddey set December 12 for the next hearing.
Arguing for bail, counsel for the accused, Victor Kojogah Adawudu, told the court that his clients were engaged in decent work such as trading, security work, and commercial dispatch ‘Okada‘ riding at Tudu.
He added that it was unfortunate that the accused were at the wrong place when the police conducted a swoop to arrest people engaged in illegal currency trade at the location.
He added that his clients had a fixed place of abode, posed no flight risk, and had family and friends ready to stand in as sureties.
In opposition, Chief Inspector Isaac Babayi expressed concern that granting the accused bail may interfere with their investigations as they were on the hunt for other culprits, whose accused may tip off when released.
He added that the accused also posed a flight risk and pointed to defense counsel’s submission that one of the accused Barkisu Yakubu was travelling to Nigeria for business when she was nabbed.
The facts led by Chief Insp Babayi were that the accused were Mohammed Ali, Barkisu Yakubu, Shaibu Suleman Issah, and Baryl Ali.
The others were Bashiru Saadu, Saadu Hamidu, Mumudu Shamsudeen and Karim Yahaya.
Chief Insp. Babayi said on November 10, 2022, a team of police personnel in collaboration with officials of the Bank of Ghana embarked on an intelligence-led operation to clamp down on illegal activities of forex trade business in Ghana.
That operation, he said, led them to Tudu in Accra where they arrested the accused who was transacting the business of exchanging currencies.
He added that investigations later disclosed that the accused were engaged in foreign exchange business without a license.
Chief Insp. Babayi told the court that a search conducted on the accused revealed thousands of Ghana Cedis and other foreign currencies on some of them.
He said others succeeded in passing monies on to their accomplices who fled with it.
“These monies were retrieved from the accused as indicated against their names; Mohammed Ali GH¢2,300 and $87 USD, Barikisu Yakubu
GH¢10,010 and ₦6,002 Naira, Shaibu Suleman Issah GH¢3,850 and CFA65, 000, Baryi Ali GH¢ 848, CFA 80,000 and USD $70.
“Bashiru Saadu GH¢ 52.00 and ₦25 Naira, Saadu Hamidu GH¢ 361 and Karim Yahaya GH¢42,” he told the court.
When rapper Eno Barony, one of Ghana’s talented musicians known to deliver hardcore rap announced that she was releasing a song featuring De Wills, the son of popular Ghanaian preacher Nicholas Duncan-Williams, music lovers anticipated something big that could shake tables.
‘Don’t Judge Me’: Eno Barony and Duncan William’s son top trends with new single on November 16 released the music video for her 2022 single ‘Don’t Judge Me’ featuring Dee Wills.
Social media users on Wednesday widely published the new tune which tackles society and how some individuals wrongly judge others based on their outward appearance and ability not to conform to what is termed as the norms.
As expected, Eno dropped some bars on the song which has garnered over 67,000 views on YouTube in less than 24 hours.
The award-winning rapper channelled her energy into calling for change with a special message from Duncan Williams’s son who gave a few seconds of delivery on the chorus.
Dee Wills who is a singer has received recommendations and praises for his exceptional delivery on ‘Don’t Judge Me’.
Media personality, A Plus, has warned that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government must brace up for a massive protest.
He adds that the protest will incidentally come from within the governing New Patriotic Party‘s youth wing.
In a November 16, 2022 post describing why and how the protest will come about, the political activist cum musician said the demand of the youth will be for the removal of the president from office.
“The next big demonstration against Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be by the NPP youth. They will hit the street to demand his removal or early congress,” his post noted.
It continued: “That is when Gabby will remember a conversation we had in London some time ago. Apparently, Kwame A Plus is not the only traitor in the party. The fruits of the spirit include long suffering. Kwame A Plus the vindicated soul.
“Now all those who insulted me will be the president’s worst critics. I feeeel gooood, tanananananana. I knew that I would…God is good, God is good, god is good,” the post concluded.
The government has been hit in the last few months by a number of protests over the economy and its mis/management.
The most recent was the ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ which was led by lawyer Martin Kpebu along with a number of anti-government groups. They marched through the streets of Accra demanding Akufo-Addo resign over the economic hardships Ghanaians are facing.
The Producer Price Index (PPI) for October 2022 rose to 65.2% up from the 45.9% recorded in September.
The report from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicates that between October 2021 and October 2022, year-on-year, the PPI increased by 65.1%, representing a 19.3 percentage points increase in producer inflation relative to the rate recorded in September 2022: 45.9%.
The month-on-month change in the PPI between September and October 2022 was 15.4%.
“Mining and quarrying (86.4%), manufacturing (73.1%), transport and storage (71.4%) recorded the highest rates, while information and communication activity recorded the lowest rate of 1.4% in October 2022,” the GSS report released on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 said.
The Producer Price Index (PPI) measures the average change over time in the prices received by domestic producers for the production of their goods and services.
The Interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana today, November 17, 2022, have shown that the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 13.0872 and a selling price of 13.1022.
As compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 13.0742 and a selling price of 13.0872. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 14.35 and sold at a rate of 14.95.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 15.5617 and a selling price of 15.5799 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 15.5334 and a selling price of 15.5503.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 16.40 and sold at a rate of 17.00.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 13.5969 and a selling price of 13.6105 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 13.5497 and a selling price of 13.5623.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 14.30 and sold at a rate of 14.90.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.7573 and a selling price of 0.7577 compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 0.7557 and a selling price of 0.7559.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.65 and sold at a rate of 1.10.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 33.8271 and a selling price of 33.8806 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 33.9717 and a selling price of 33.9722.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 17.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 21.00.
For the CFA, it is trading at a buying price of 48.1949 and a selling price of 48.9062. At a forex bureau in Accra, CFA is being bought at a rate of 19.70 CFA for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 23.50 CFA for every 1 Cedi.
One of the hottest songs on the planet now is ‘Cough (Odo)’ by Nigerian singer Kizz Daniel.
The singer has finally revealed why he chose a Ghanaian word for the title of his song.
He explained to Lexis Bill on Drivetime on Joy that his choice for a Twi word ‘Odo’ which translates to ‘love’, stems from the realization of how much Ghanaian fans were endeared to his preceding single, ‘Buga’.
“Buga stayed at number 1 in Ghana the longest, out of all the African countries. So I was like ‘big love to Ghana’, Kizz Daniel disclosed. The song, which currently has 91 million views on YouTube, enjoyed massive airplay in Ghana and was streamed by millions of Ghanaians.
Kizz Daniel, who is billed to perform at the 2022 Qatar World Cup this month, will later be in Ghana for his ‘Kizz Daniel Live in Ghana’ concert at the Untamed Empire Event Garden in Accra. The event is scheduled for December 23, 2022, powered by Joy Entertainment and has already proven to be one of the most-anticipated concerts for the ‘December in GH’ line-up.
According to Kizz Daniel, he hasn’t “been to Ghana in a while, it’s been like 5 years”, and he “can’t wait to come back home”.
He stated, “I am really excited, Ghana it’s been a while, I miss you, and I want to come back home. I need you to accept me. I promise you, it’s going to be an epic experience”.
Organizers of the event, Play Network Africa and Pepperdem Worldwide Entertainment have announced that Ghanaian acts, Kidi, Gyakie, Camidoh and Herman Suede will also perform live at the ‘Kizz Daniel Live in Ghana’ concert, come December 23.
“My brothers out there are coming to support me as well, so I can’t wait to see you guys. Let’s make it a memorable day for myself and for you guys”, Kizz Daniel told host Lexis Bill on Wednesday, November 16.
Music fans in Ghana and beyond can access tickets by visiting eventbrite.com.
Other contending nominees in the category include Arooj Aftab and Anoushka Shankar, Matt B and Eddy Kenzo, Burna Boy, Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikod
Rocky Dawuni announcing his nomination on his official social media handles appreciated his recognition.
“I am truly honoured to be nominated for another #Grammy award for my song “Never Bow Down” feat. @blvkh3ro,” he said.
He also acknowledged how huge the honour was, with “Africa and the Caribbean coming together on this global roots anthem.”
He added “Thank you to everyone who was part of this project, and congrats to my fellow nominees. This is a song of the times to inspire all of us to #nevabowdown. Ghana to the world! Africa to the universe.”
Rocky Dawuni in 2015 became the first Ghanaian to be nominated for a Grammy award. His sixth studio album, ‘Branches of The Same Tree’ qualified him for the Best Reggae Album category.
This was followed by another nomination last year with his ‘Voice of Bunbon Vol. 1’ album, also in the Best Global Music Album category.
I am truly honored to be nominated for another #Grammy award for my song “Never Bow Down” feat. @BLVKH3RO This is huge for Africa and the Carribean coming together on this global roots anthem! Thank you to everyone who was part of this and congrats to my fellow nominees. pic.twitter.com/FcsdMy6zYV
Former United Nations Senior Governance Advisor, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, says he is hoping that in the coming days, the Finance Minister would quietly resign from his position or the President would terminate his appointment.
According to him, their refusal to do so could possibly lead the country into a constitutional crisis which could further exacerbate the economic crisis the country is going through.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is currently facing a vote of censure motion filed against him by the Minority side in Parliament over accusations of corruption and gross incompetence.
The Speaker of Parliament has constituted an eight member committee to probe the accusations leveled against the Minister and provide a detailed report within seven days.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Prof. Agyeman-Duah noted that should the ongoing stalemate happening in Ghana’s Parliament over the vote of censure continue, it may negatively affect the country’s financial relations with the outside world.
“Well my hope is that we will not get there. What I expect to happen in the coming days or weeks is perhaps the Finance Minister taking himself out of this dilemma, or the President just announcing that he’s displacing the Finance Minister because it will just be tragic for these two individuals to lead the country into such a constitutional jam. We don’t want that.
“We all know the difficulties we face, and in fact what we’re not even thinking about is the very negative impact of this crisis, or this stalemate I should say on our international partners and our financial relations with the outside world. Somewhere else our market would have plummeted further.
“So in fact we are doing ourselves a lot of ill if in fact the President and the Finance Minister continue to be intransigent on this matter and not to appropriately respond to the ground swell of public demand for the displacement of the Finance Minister,” he said.
Prof. Agyeman-Duah who has described the formation of the eight member committee as a face-saving measure by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, to pacify both factions of the House, says the entire hearing process is unnecessary.
According to him, no matter the path taken, it will still end with the Finance Minister getting censured.
“I think we’ve come to a point where this matter should be resolved. It’s not necessary to go through this whole process. And I do agree with Amoako Baah and the others that look, this matter should have been settled right on the floor of Parliament. All this process of committee and… I don’t think it’s necessary. We are prolonging something that is inevitable,” he said.
Ace broadcaster Elizabeth Ohene has submitted that investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has some serious questions to answer.
She said this has become necessary due to some grey areas and questions arising out of the ‘Galamsey Economy‘ video he aired at the Accra International Conference Center earlier this week.
According to the former Information Minister, the name ‘Galamsey’ suggested illegal mining activities was the subject of the video but that was not the case.
She also questioned why the main corruption video was recorded in February 2018 but released in November 2022, more than 4 years later.
“I was looking for the definitive exposé that will stop the speculation and leave the authorities with no choice but to move decisively on the problem. It turns out I was wrong and the person that was in the crosshairs of the Anas treatment this time was Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance.
“It is not clear if our intrepid underground investigator was playing on the nickname, GALANSEY, that Mr Adu Boahen has been known and called by his mates since his childhood days,” she said.
“I believe Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his team owe us some explanations.
“If, as it turns out, this incident with Charles Adu Boahen was filmed back in 2018, why have they kept it under wraps all this while and why have they chosen this time, November 2022, almost five years later, to release it?
“If, in their judgement, they saw what transpired in that hotel room in the United Arab Emirates as so reprehensible, why have they kept it for almost five years?
“They have looked on while Charles Adu Boahen served a full term as Deputy Minister of Finance in the first Akufo-Addo government.
“They looked on while Charles Adu Boahen was nominated by the re-elected President Akufo-Addo as a Minister of State and vetted by Parliament and sworn into office.
“They have looked on as Charles Adu Boahen has performed his duties as Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.
“In the intervening four plus years, one must wonder what they were doing with their film and what relationship, if any, they had with the Minister of State,” she added.
Read Elizabeth Ohene reaction to Galamsey Economy
I have not seen the latest Anas video, dubbed Galamsey Economy. I am following the stories surrounding the video and I acknowledge that many of us had been sent off track when the first announcement of the approach of the video was made.
I did, like many other people, think that this was going to be a documentary on illegal mining and the devastation being wrought on our lands and water bodies.
Yes, I was holding my breath to find out the big names that were behind the galamsey phenomenon, the names that people hint at, but do not ever disclose.
A number of queasy things emerge from the accounts of this video, not sure if it qualifies as a documentary, but that is another story.
I believe Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his team owe us some explanations.
If, as it turns out, this incident with Charles Adu Boahen was filmed back in 2018, why have they kept it under wraps all this while and why have they chosen this time, November 2022, almost five years later, to release it?
If, in their judgement, they saw what transpired in that hotel room in the United Arab Emirates as so reprehensible, why have they kept it for almost five years?
They have looked on while Charles Adu Boahen served a full term as Deputy Minister of Finance in the first Akufo-Addo government.
They looked on while Charles Adu Boahen was nominated by the re-elected President Akufo-Addo as a Minister of State and vetted by Parliament and sworn into office.
They have looked on as Charles Adu Boahen has performed his duties as Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.
In the intervening four plus years, one must wonder what they were doing with their film and what relationship, if any, they had with the Minister of State.
Hello, Mr Adu Boahen, good morning, just calling to check up on you and to make sure you remember your encounter with the Sheikhs in the hotel room.
Hello, Mr Adu Boahen, good evening, we saw a picture of you today with a high-powered delegation from some foreign country talking high finance and we just remembered your encounter with the Sheikhs in the hotel room in the Emirates.
Hello Mr Adu Boahen, good afternoon, we do hope you are having a good day, you are on the radio speaking about the government’s plans for the next five years and we thought you might want to remember your encounter with the Sheikhs in the hotel room.
Hello Mr Adu Boahen, long time, we are doing a clear-out of the closets in our offices and we came across some old canned films and we were wondering if you still remembered your encounter with the Sheikhs in the hotel room so long ago.
Nobody is ever likely to emerge smelling roses when associated with dollars in black plastic bags and once there is a scene captured on camera of the then deputy minister stuffing monies into a plastic bag, it was fair to conclude his fate was sealed.
In spite of the fact that he said in the course of his unnecessary premature counting of dividends that he believes in working for his money, that stuffed plastic bag paints a picture of greed.
It is not disclosed in the video how much there was of the dollars given to him as shopping money and he must have cursed himself a thousand times since that day he didn’t turn down the offer.
Surely, he didn’t need that money and he could have done without whatever shopping he did that day, but I suppose we can all think of some things we would have done differently and we are just lucky our moments were not captured by hidden cameras.
Some have made the point that it would have been culturally unacceptable to turn down “shopping money” offered by millionaire Sheikhs in the Emirates. Maybe we should all not be so concerned about upsetting the cultural sensibilities of unknown rich people.
As far as the parts in the video in which the Vice-President was the subject are concerned, I am going to stick to the then Deputy Finance Minister saying: the Vice-President is not really like that. I am also mindful of the fact that we were taught to resist what lawyers call leading questions when conducting interviews.
Tiger Eye says this was a documentary aimed at exposing those making Ghana unattractive for investors and cut deals at the expense of the state.
If indeed, they had managed to “penetrate the modus operandi” of these people and had then kept silent for almost five years, they must be almost guilty of collusion. We need some answers.
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe, a founding member of the New Patriotic Party, has wondered why President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is hesitant to dismiss Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, despite calls from NPP lawmakers.
According to him, this can be interpreted to mean that, the finance minister is sitting on some rot the president trusts that he is the only one who can fully protect.
He noted that a new minister might expose what the president and the finance minister are hiding from Ghanaians.
Speaking on Accra-based Joy FM, the former soldier added his voice to the numerous calls for the dismissal of the minister.
He said, after the minister had bragged that Ghana is a sovereign nation and it is capable of managing its own affairs and does not need any external help, he would have resigned the very day Ghana decided to seek support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“So you ask yourself, why is he still there? When a person is in position and the populace says ‘we’ve had enough of you, go away’ and still he wants to be there, the simple thing that should come to the mind of any ordinary Ghanaian is that he is sitting on the rot. When he’s not there, we’ll see how massive that rot is,” Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe explained.
When asked who Ofori-Atta is covering up for, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said, “Who is the appointing authority of this country? And has the President approved of his removal?
“The President should have asked him to go away. Here we have a situation where even an ordinary person in the streets says, ‘Ofori Atta must leave’.”
The national daily minimum wage has been increased from GH¢13.53 in 2022 to GH¢14.88 pesewas for the year 2023, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah has announced.
Organized Labour, the Ghana Employers Association and government have been meeting on the determination of the national daily minimum wage for 2023 since Monday November 14.
This afternoon, the Minister said at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday November 16 that, the national tripartite committee concluded the negotiations and “we think this is the best time to communicate to Ghanaians on the outcome of the negotiations.”
The committee, he said, took into account the current economic challenges, cost of living, sustainability of businesses and desirability of attaining higher levels of employment.
“The committee concluded on the need to increase the national daily minimum wage by 10 per cent over the 2022 national daily minimum wage which translates into new national daily minimum wage of GH¢14.88 pesewas and a cost of living allowance of 15 per cent over the 2023 national daily minimum wage.
“The effective date for the implementation of the 2023 national daily minimum wage shall be 1st January 2023.
“All establishments, institutions, organizations whose daily minimum wages are below the new rate should adjust accordingly effective 1st January 2023,” he said.
Kwame Sefa Kayi, the host of Peace FM’s Kokrokoo’s program could not believe the allegation by his colleague, Dan Kwaku Yeboah that the government spends $1million on every Black Stars game.
Dan Kwaku Yeboah claimed during a panel discussion on Ghana’s squad for the 2022 World Cup that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has confirmed that every Black Stars game costs Ghanaians a million dollars.
Kwaku Yeboah was bemoaning what he views to be the profligacy and mismanagement of funds on the Black Stars.
He noted worryingly that the wastefulness is to be blamed for the failure of the country to channel funds from the World Cup into major projects.
“We’ve been told by the ministry that we spend $1million on every Black Stars game. The ministry says we spend $1million on every Black Stars game,” he said.
A gobsmacked Sefa Kayi retorted in disbelief “a million dollars a game? Do you know what a million dollars is? I don’t want to believe it. It has shocked me.”.
On the same show, Dan Kwaku Yeboah lamented the inclusion of Reading defender Baba Rahman in the Black Stars.
He asserted that the left-back is in the squad due to his association with GFA boss, Kurk Okraku, and not because he merits a call-up.
Coach Otto Addo on Monday, November 14, 2022 announced a 26-man squad for the tournament which will be held in Qatar.
The team had some new faces as well as some old faces led by skipper Andre Dede, his deputy Thomas Partey and his brother, Jordan Ayew.
Ghana will begin the tournament on November 24 against Portugal before taking on Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.
The family of a woman in her 40s reported to have been arrested for wishing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo dead in a viral video has confirmed the arrest.
A family member who spoke to GhanaWeb said that her relative is currently being held by the police at the headquarters of the Ghana Police Service.
The relative indicated that the name of the woman who has been arrested is Salamatu Mohammed, a mother of four who stays at Nyamekye Ward in the Ablekuma North Constituency.
She added that the police have not given them any reason as to why they arrested Salamatu and have also not told her family of the crime she is accused of.
“We are waiting on our lawyer. We have not heard anything from them (the police),” she said.
GhanaWeb’s earlier report indicated that Salamatu Mohammed was 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 third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Chinese national, Aisha Huang, has stated that the illegal activities of the accused person badly affected his business.
Nana Kofi Sarfo Prempeh during a sitting at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, gave his evidence in chief in a statement which detailed the impact Aisha Huang’s illegal activities have had on his minerals prospecting business.
Nana Prempeh who is the Managing Director of Volta Resources Company Limited said his company in 2013 legally acquired a concession land from Realistic Company Limited for mineral prospecting.
The witness tendered into evidence documents, letters of correspondence and receipts detailing the transaction between his company and Realistic Company Limited as well as approval and permission from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Lands Commission.
The witness said he came to know the accused person through her illegal mining activities which encroached his company’s prospecting concession covering a land mass of 70.82 square kilometers and stretching through communities such as Komamyem, Kromkrom, Bepotenteng, and Nimbreso in the Ashanti Region.
Nana Prempeh said the prospecting activities of his company were rendered ineffective because of the illegal mining activities of the accused person.
He added that various attempts by his company to evict the accused person from the land proved futile.
According to the witness who is also a divisional chief of the Asante Akyem Agogo Traditional Council said his company among other efforts reported the issue to the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) as well as the traditional leadership of the Bekwai Traditional Area.
The witness tendered evidence proof of a letter dated June 3, 2015, and addressed to the REGSEC complaining about the illegal activities of the accused person on his Nimbreso Concession.
Volta Resources according to the witness also filed a court suit on February 11, 2017, at the Bekwai Circuit Court for which the court in April 2017 granted an ex parte injunction against the accused.
The witness also tendered into evidence news publications about the illegal activities of the accused person as well as a letter written to the Inspector General of Police on June 8, 2017, complaining about the failure of some arresting officers to seize equipment used by employees of the accused when they were arrested on in 2017.
“In conclusion, I wish to state that the activities of the accused have caused tremendous damage to Volta Resources,” the witness told the court.
Aisha Huang is facing charges for engaging in mining and the sale of minerals without a license.
She was recently arrested in Ghana following her repatriation in 2018.
Aisha Huang, who is said to have been engaged in illegal mining upon her return to the country, according to the prosecution entered the country using forged documents and identity.
Hearing of the case is scheduled to continue on Monday, November 21, 2022, with the defence counsel expected to cross-examine the prosecution’s third witness.
Ghanaian politician, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Samuel Aryeequaye has told African leaders to make youth empowerment their focus instead of giving them ‘peanuts’ for votes.
Speaking at this year’s edition of the Africa Humanitarian Actions Conference which took place in Abuja, Nigeria over the weekend, the Best Diplomat United Nation Simulation’s representative to Ghana said, the only way to see Africa get better is by having leaders who pay more attention to youth empowerment.
Research has shown that among all the continents on the globe, Africa has majority of its population being youth — more than 60% of its population is under the age of 30 — and many of them are desperate and have no or little hope.
According to him, most African leaders instead of educating the youth and creating jobs for them to be independent, rather hoard monies and share to electorates which he believes is a bad practice.
The central regional chairman of the Liberal Party of Ghana and 2020 parliamentary candidate for Agona East mentioned that, there is a higher rate of unemployment in Africa because majority of African Leaders hardly empower the youth, create enabling environment for them to create jobs for themselves and others.
According to him, as a politician and philanthropist, one of his major priorities is to see the African youth get better and by so doing, while other politicians are sharing money for votes, he chooses to give young people in his constituency vocational training — a great way of reducing the ‘galloping’ rate of unemployment.
He cited in his speech at the said conference that, in the constituency where he lost an election, he organized a skills training session for over two thousand young people of which majority of them are making a living out it.
Revealing one of his happiest moments in life, he gave an account on how some of the young people he trained walked up to him to say thank you and how the training is contributing to the betterment of their lives.
Samuel Aryeequaye is the brain behind ‘Saye Foundation’ — an Advocacy for change and growth.
The Director of St. Patrick D’Pious, Patrick Agblehor, has appealed to the government to relook at the current policy of reserving 30% of slots in ‘Category A’ Senior High Schools for only students from public Junior High Schools.
According to him, the policy has been negatively affecting enrollment in private Junior High Schools since its introduction.
“The governmental policy of giving attention to children from public schools is affecting us.” The parents now know; therefore when their children get to form one or two, they withdraw them from the private schools to the public ones so the government may think it is the public schools that are doing well but at the end of it, it is the private school students who go there to make the grades,” he explained
The appeal came during the 25th anniversary celebration of St. Patrick D’Pious Academy in Ashaiman.
The Free SHS Secretariat announced that the Free SHS policy, which aims to achieve equity, will reserve 30% of placement in Category A’ Senior High Schools for only students from public basic schools who did well during the BECE.
But the private schools have objected to the move. “If the child in a private school scores an aggregate 8 for example and a child in public school scores an aggregate 14, preference is given to the child with an aggregate 14 from the public school, and that is affecting our enrollment here,” said, Mr. Agblehor.
Meanwhile, private school teachers have attributed the proliferation of telenovelas in the Ghanaian media and the lack of parental control to poor academic performances among a majority of the pupils.
According to Patrick Agblehor, the proprietor of the St. Patrick D’Pious Academy in Ashaiman, the rapid growth of telenovelas is distracting pupils from taking their studies seriously.
On the sidelines of the school’s 25th anniversary celebration, Mr Agblehor revealed that their analysis of students’ performance shows that those who watch these contents on a regular basis perform worse.
“Nowadays, children always watch telenovelas, and when you give them homework, they don’t pay attention to do them. And for those parents who are not controlling their children, we found that it is affecting their performances in class as compared to those whose parents supervise their homework. We make follow-ups in their homes to find out why a child who has been performing well is declining all of a sudden, and we found out they’re exposed to telenovelas due to ineffective parental control,” he disclosed.
In addition to the time spent viewing telenovelas, the school proprietor stated that these children are exposed to immorality as the majority of them feature explicit content and romance. Mr Patrick Agblehor went on to say that it is completely inappropriate for parents to enjoy watching these contents with their children as opposed to watching them while their children read their books.
“We have to go back to our olden times. It looks like parents nowadays are too permissive as we permit our children to do whatever they like; let us control them, ” he emphasised.
Other teachers from different schools who graced the 25th Anniversary Celebration of St. Patrick D’Pious Academy corroborated his point, saying it is a general problem that needs to be addressed with urgency.
They have therefore called on parents and other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Communication, and the National Communication Authority, to pay proper attention to the rise of telenovelas as they pose a significant threat to the quality of education.
In a related development, the grand durbar for the 25th Anniversary Celebration took place on November 12, 2022, under the theme; “celebrating 25 years of excellence.” It was graced by dignitaries from the education directorate in the Ashaiman and Kpone Katamanso Municipalities, the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) and representation from traditional authorities.
The chairman of the occasion, Patrick Adjison, Assistant Headmaster, Administration of Sege Senior High School, urged all stakeholders to take a keen interest in providing quality education for children to “future-proof” them against any shock in the future, be it socio-economic or socio-political.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has advised the general public against making non-important travels to Abuja in Nigeria.
In a statement dated November 16, the Ministry explained that this is “due to the unpredictable security situation in the city, and the high danger of terrorism, criminality, inter-communal conflict, armed attacks and kidnappings” happening.
The Ministry also warned about the subsequent directive by local authorities to hotels operating in residential buildings to shut down.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has noted that it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public when the situation improves.
A local chief in Nigeria has been shot dead by suspected separatists in his palace in the Oguta council area of Imo State.
Ignatius Asor and two of his aides were killed on Monday, November 14.
According to spokesperson for police in Imo, Michael Abattam, the attackers are members of the leading pro-Biafra group.
Reports have it that the gunmen arrived at the local palace in Imo’s Obudi Agwa village, where they were received by the chief after disguising themselves as “persons in distress” and who had come to report an emergency situation to him.”
However, Emma Powerful, a spokesperson for IPOB, has denied the group’s involvement in the attack. They accused the police and government of trying to “implicate them in every criminality going on in our territory.”
The Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has told world leaders that the aim of Africa is to develop without being caught up in a place of pollution.
He said that the need for the developed world, including Europe, to transition in the area of energy, should be done hand in hand with Africa and not in a way that gives the continent the impression that it is not invited.
Making a spirited contribution as a guest during a forum held on the sidelines of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt, the minister urged the world’s leaders to be equally interested in Africa’s transition.
“Africa doesn’t want to pollute to develop. We want to have clean, sustainable, reliable, affordable energy to develop but someway somehow, somebody must pay for it. If you want Africans to pay for it, it will take a longer time so don’t tell me that when I say I’ll transit in 2070, you say it’s not ambitious. It is very ambitious in Ghana if I have to find 562 billion to do my transitional plan,” he said.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh explained further that Africa needs support to go through the right channels in doing this right alongside the rest of the world.
“So, for those who are talking, and we all know for the poor person who is hungry, he doesn’t care about where the food is coming from; he has to feed the family. So, if you want the food to come from a place, then provide him the access, the ability to be able to cultivate and do the needful.
“So, all Africa is saying is that this transition, we all want to participate. It must be just, it must be fair, it must be equitable and not at the expense of Africa,” he stated.
The minister also stated that there is the need for the world leaders to know that energy is a must for all.
He said that while he calls for support for Africa, should it not come, the continent will develop nonetheless but not through the right channels.
“Energy is not a luxury; it’s a fundamental right and so governments must work to ensure that the whole population has access to energy, to develop socio-economically… when a person doesn’t have energy, how does the person become productive?… the world should understand that if they don’t support Africa through grants, leverage funds, concessional funding, and also taking the hard work out, Africa will develop anyway, and they might develop through the bad way,” he said.
Founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addae, widely known as Odike, claims the Electoral Commission (EC) is being used as a tool against him.
According to him, the arbiter for all political parties has now turned into a tool for President Akufo-Addo to do as he pleases.
Reacting to the cancellation of his party’s certificate by the EC during an interview with Happy98.9FM’s ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ political talk show, he said, “Jean Mensa was brought in to destroy me by Akufo-Addo. As a party, all our documentations are intact. We have our head office around the Top Radio area and have offices in every region in the country. The UPP had its certificate cancelled because of me and not because we didn’t meet requirements.”
Odike claims he saw this coming as far back as the 2020 elections when Wontumi told him he will be unable to contest in the general elections.
The politician at the initial stages of the election went through all checks and was successfully okayed for the elections. He was even congratulated by the EC Chair, Jean Mensa only to hear in the news he had been disqualified 2 weeks after.
Decrying the unfair treatment meted out to him and his party by the EC, he called on Ghanaians to gather courage and support parties and individuals who speak against the government and its ills.
The Electoral Commission has struck out the names of some 17 political parties from Ghana’s political parties register.
Between May and June 2022, the EC embarked on a nationwide exercise to inspect the offices of all registered political parties in Ghana.
But after the exercise, the EC invoked Section 15 (3) (c) of the Political Parties Act of 2000, Act 574, which mandates it to cancel the registration of Political Parties which do not have offices at the National and Regional levels.
The affected political parties are; the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), United Front Party (UFP), United Development System (UDSP), Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere, Yes People’s Party (YPP), United Ghana Movement (UGM), Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), New Vision Party (NVP), Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP), Ghana National Party (GNP), Power Unity Party (PUP), United Progressive Party (UPP), Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD), People’s Action Party (PAP), United Renaissance Party (URP), National Reform Party (NRP), United Love Party (ULP).
A woman in her 40s has reportedly been arrested for wishing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo dead in a viral video.
A source close to GhanaWeb indicated that the woman, who is from the Ablekuma North Constituency in Accra, is currently being held at the Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service.
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 (GHC 600) to 12 million (GHC 1200). Why?
“God will punish you. Can’t you kill this man, Ghanaian witches and northern ritualists?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.
