A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Richard Amoako Baah has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo deserves to be sacked not the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, Mr Ofori-Atta cannot be faulted for running the economy down because it is the president who looked on for the economy to take a nose dive.
The former political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) made the call for the president to be sacked while speaking in an interview with the sit-in host of the Ghana Yensom morning show, Nana Otu Darko, on Accra 100.5 FM on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
He said the president cannot be exonerated from the gross mismanagement of the economy by the finance minister.
He alleged the president and his finance minister benefit from the huge borrowings in the name of bonds.
He said all the finance minister did, he did in the name of the president and with the approval of the president.
“The president cannot turn around to tell Ghanaians he did not see what the finance minister was doing with the management of the economy,” he stressed.
He further alleged that when the president met with the Majority of NPP Members of Parliament pushing for the removal of the finance minister, he threatened to ensure they all lose their primary if they did not back down on their call.
He said: “The president [asked] them where they were when the finance minister was using his Databank to finance his campaigns.”
For these reasons, he said the President deserves to be fired.
The chairman of the Competitive African Rice Platform, Yaw Adu Opoku, pushed back against concerns that profiteering from some traders and producers is driving food inflation.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Opoku noted that he was not making excessive profits from his investments in the rice value chain.
“I invest not less than GH¢6,000 on a ton, from farm gate to the retail levels. My margin is not GH¢200. So check. What is the percentage? So if someone talks about profiteering, I beg to differ.”
“It is passion, not profiteering. That is what is driving us, not profiteering. We are not making money out of this,” Mr. Opoku added.
Food inflation is currently at 43.7 percent and traders have been accused of profiteering amid Ghana’s economic crisis.
Ghana was earlier ranked 1st by the World Bank for having the highest food prices in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022.
According to the World Bank’s October 2022, Africa Pulse Report, food prices have gone up by 22 percent since January.
On some of his costs, he said last year, he was paying GHS 14,000 to transport 100 tons of rice from Tamale to Tema.
This has gone up to GHS60,000 to transport the same amount of rice from Tamale to Tema.
At the farm gate, he also said he last week, was paying GHS3,200 for a ton of paddy but this week, he is paying GHS4,800 from the same farm.
Despite this, Mr. Opoku said his rice has been selling for GHS750 for 50 kg, up from GHS500 last week.
He believes the current economic situation is bleak and “we are caught in a vice, all of us.”
“Fuel has jumped up. When the pump price goes down, the transporter will not go down. And the dollar has also gone up so when these two things class, we the ones who deal in them suffer.”
A Security and Foreign Policy Analyst, Adib Saani has said he has no confidence in the Office of the Special Prosecutor to do a good job in the investigation of corruption levelled against Charles Adu Boahen, the sacked Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance.
The Special Prosecutor on Tuesday announced that he had started a probe into allegations of corruption levelled against the former Minister.
This comes after the Secretary to the President, upon the directions of the President, referred to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for further investigations, allegations contained in an investigative exposé published by Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ Tiger Eye P.I. titled “Galamsey Economy”.
Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State in charge of Finance at the Office of the President, captured in an undercover documentary, revealed to Tiger Eye that the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, needs just USD200,000 token as an appearance fee and some positions by an investor for the Vice President’s siblings to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
This revelation was made in a meeting with Tiger Eye investigators, who in an undercover investigation, posed as businessmen, in a hotel room in the United Arab Emirates. This was an investigation into top-level corruption that undermines investor confidence in Ghana.
But commenting further in an interview on Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV, Adib Saani stated that the public should not expect anything progressive from the Office of the Special Prosecutor as it has not done much in the past to prove its efficiency.
“I have absolutely no trust in the Office of the Special Prosecutor. The number of cases that, that office is investigating and the way some of the matters have been treated leaves much to be desired. For instance, the Labianca case. You see, the Special Prosecutor’s Office is a political office and the same people who appointed the Special Prosecutor are the very people he will be investigating.
“So, you don’t expect anything progressive to come out of that Office’s investigations. Who has the Special Prosecutor’s Office successfully prosecuted? So, as for that office, to be honest, it’s not worth saying so much about it or attaching much seriousness to it,” Mr. Saani stated.
A member of the Alan for President 2024 campaign team, Hopeson Adorye, has indicated that the Trade and Industry Minister; Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, will heed the calls to resign to pursue his ambitions of leading the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2024 general elections only if the economy stabilises.
According to him, Mr Kyerematen has a role to play in ensuring Ghana’s economy is brought back on track.
He said Mr Kyerematen cannot afford to put his ambition ahead of the overall interest of the party going into the next elections.
He said the party, and for that matter the government’s successes will be the vehicle Mr Kyerematen will run on as flagbearer for the 2024 general elections.
He admitted there have been calls from all quarters pushing for the Minister to resign from the government to pursue his dreams of leading the party to break the eight-year political jinx.
“Even last night, I had calls from as far as the Upper East and Upper West Regions seeking answers to why Alan was still part of the government when he is supposed to be campaigning to make his ambitions of leading the party a reality,” he revealed.
“Alan Kyerematen is not resigning now because as a country we are in crisis and all hands are needed on deck,” he explained.
He was quick to add that the trade minister will humbly tender his resignation if the party opens nominations for the position of flagbearer.
Mr Adorye made the revelation in an interview with Nana Otu Darko, the sit-in host of the Ghana Yensom morning on Accra 100.5 FM on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
“I know many people are worried about Alan’s delays in resigning to pursue his ambitions,” he noted and added “Alan would have to campaign on the successes chalked on the economy that will be bequeathed to him by the current president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
After facing a tough time from three solid contenders in his quest to retain the seat, Augustus Andrews Nana Kwasi has still emerged as the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition NDC.
The incumbent regional chairman, Nana Kwasi who secured 637 votes scored against his contenders like Evans Amankwah who also had 572 votes, Yaw Owusu Obimpeh 137 votes, and Enoch Amoako Nsiah 4 votes.
After being declared winner, Augustus Andrews Nana Kwasi thanked delegates for the trust reposed in him and called for unity.
Reiterating his commitment to making sure the party gains power in 2024, the re-elected chairman urged members to dissolve the various camps and fight in unity to secure power in 2024.
“No particular person won, and nobody lost. We’ve all won it together. Now that we’ve won, let’s dissolve all camps like camps A, B, C, etc, and get united.
Fighting in unity is the only means through which we can retrieve power from this incompetent NPP government with ease,” he said.
1422 out of 1354 delegates cast their votes on Sunday. The regional election which was initially characterized by a lot of interruptions started late around 2:20 pm, and as a result, ended around 10:41 pm.
Meanwhile, the final results of the election were stated as follows:
ZONGO CAUCUS:
Tijana Abdul Mummin 282
Osman Naziru Hamza 631 (Winner)
Sumaila Amin 334
Omar Farouk Gado 53
DEPUTY TREASURER:
Prince Atta 729 (Winner)
Bamba Adam 334
Hajara Mohammed 288
TREASURER:
Hopeson Kwaku 669
Marvin Philip Norman 680 (Winner)
DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER:
Amo Kamel 869(Winner)
Bernard Kusi Poku 188
Patrick Attua 295
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER:
Alex Kwaku Asafo Agyei 443
Abass Nurudeen 909 (Winner)
DEPUTY ORGANISER:
Bashiru Amissa Dombiri 353 (Winner)
Seidu Alhaji 101
Abban Bilson Yeboah 232
Acquah Kwabena 183
Anyas Ibrahim 126
Robert Owusu 169
Isaac Ofori 115
Joe Tetteh 72
An eight-year-old boy met his untimely death at Ahwetieso in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality after a fuel tanker knocked him down and ran over his head.
Joel Nana Baidoo, who is a pupil of Ideal College in Tarkwa was crossing the road to the other side when the tanker moving from Takoradi towards Tarkwa knocked him down on Tuesday morning.
Cars have been knocking people down all the time at Ahwetieso and this has become a concern for the citizens in the community who have expressed their displeasure on the recurrent incident.
This accident angered youth of the community who blocked the road to prevent cars from moving. This caused huge vehicular traffic on the road which took the intervention of the Tarkwa Police Commander for a free flow of traffic.
Some community members who spoke to GhanaWeb indicated that” we have called for speed rumps for so many years now, but nobody listened to us, and this boy has died just like that”, we shall find a way of doing our own speed rumps, to prevent our children from dying.
This has made community members call for speed rumps on that stretch of road in the community to stop this menace.
Speaking to GhanaWeb in an interview, Assembly Member for the Area Hon Fuseini Rashid Amadu noted that this is not the first time this is happening, adding that “two months ago, another person was knocked down in the Ahwetieso school, hence the agitations by the youth for speed rumps”.
He said he reported the intention of the youth to create their own speed rumps to the assembly where he was assured that the assembly will find a temporal measure to reduce speed on the road.
He added that the assembly has decided to put ropes on the road as temporal speed rumps while they wait for a discussion with the Ghana High Way Authority on a permanent solution to the problem.
The remains of the boy which was deposited at the morgue yesterday is expected to be buried today.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive for Tarkwa Nsuaem, Hon Benjamin Kessie has visited the family to commiserate with them.
Hundreds of jobseekers thronged to the Prempeh Assembly Hall in the Kumasi Metropolis to participate in the second edition of the SNV GrEEn Regional Job Fair, to explore employment opportunities in the Ashanti Region.
The fair, which was held on Tuesday November 15, 2022, brought together jobseekers and employers with the aim of matching both parties with available vacancies while creating networks for future employment opportunities for those unable to get jobs.
Held under the theme, “Green and Circular Economy: A sure way to creating decent & sustainable employment and jobs’’, the fair brought together over 500 job seekers, employers, and exhibitors from the green and circular economy.
Over 46 businesses were present with more than 120 vacancies and openings being offered to qualified job seekers.
Speaking to OTEC News Kwame Agyenim Boateng at the sidelines of the event, Project Manager of the GrEEn Project at SNV Ghana, Laouali Sadda said prior to the 2022 Green Regional Job Fair, SNV Ghana organised a CV Review Clinic in collaboration with the Ashanti Regional Labour Department, AGI and the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs to edit the CVs of job seekers and prepare them for the job openings at the fair as well as educate and sensitise job seekers on Ghana’s labour laws.
He added that, the job fair was held with support from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Labour Department and the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs.
He pledged the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation’s commitment to training the youth in green and circular businesses.
“Our experiences and leanings from these job fairs have resulted in our gathering here today. Today’s Green Regional Job Fair has, as main objective: to properly match job seekers, who we call talents, to employers. We will also be providing business development support to entrepreneurs and inspiring more youth to kick starts their green businesses”. He said.
He commended the European Union in Ghana for their consistent support in creating sustainable jobs in the green economy.
“I would like to deeply acknowledge the wonderful work of the European Union for their dedication to skills development, sustainable job creation and support for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs)”. He added.
He disclosed that, SNV Ghana and the European Union through the GrEEn Project, aside supporting job creation and skills development also promote growth of local businesses and SMEs that are green in their operations by making use of waste materials or not engaging in activities that adversely affect the environment.
“Businesses with innovative ideas also receive matching grants so they can scale up and create jobs at the local level. In 2021, under the GrEEn Innovation Challenge, 12 businesses received a totalling matching grant of GHS 1.17 million. In September while 51 green businesses received matching grants totalling GHS 1.5 million under the second GrEEn Innovation Challenge in 2022?”
The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Hon. Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Commended the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation for their efforts in training and support start-ups in the country.
In a speech read on his behalf by Gloria Bortele Noi Director, Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, at the Ministry, Hon Baffour Awuah said the youth need the requisite employable skills to get job opportunities.
He therefore urged the youth to take advantage of opportunities in the SNV GrEEn Project to develop enough employable skills.
About SNV
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is a not-for-profit international development organisation that makes a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty by helping them raise incomes and access basic services. SNV specialises in three sectors: agriculture, renewable energy and Water and we are present in over 25 countries. SNV has been working in Ghana since 1992.
About GrEEn Project
The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project is a four-year action from the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
The project aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses and providing employable skills training to youth job seekers in two selected regions in Ghana: Ashanti and Western in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.
GrEEn is implemented under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa with a total contribution of EUR 20,600,000.
A former chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the Afigya Kwabre South Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, known in political circles as (COKA), has pinpointed dishonesty, greediness and corruption’ as the core bane to Ghana’s under development.
The NPP stalwart, believes Ghana is not developing because the country has been infested with large number of dishonest and greedy individuals with high tendency of engaging in corrupt practices to serve their own parochial interest.
“I personally describe these individuals as, “Economic Demons”, their toxic nature has collapsed thousands of both private and state owned companies which had the potential of employing more youth and generating massive revenue at the same time in the country “.
Expressing his frustrations on his social media handles, on Tuesday November 15, 2022, Chairman COKA described as worrying, what he says is the increasing incidence of greed and selfishness exhibited by a large number of Ghanaians.
“When you take your time to research, you will find out that the demons in Africa are powerful than those in Europe. You travel to Europe and you will see a company which was established 80 years go and the founder is no more yet the company is thriving. In Africa, a company dies after the founder is no more all because we are always thinking about today”.
“However, those in the other part of the world think of today, tomorrow and their next generation to come. All our visions and dreams die with us all because there are people who are envious of our progress”. Plan for the future and stop selfishness”. He said in a Facebook post.
Mr Odeneho Kwaku Appiah further noted that, the slow pace of the country’s development can only be blamed on such tendency, adding that, Ghana needs what he describes as service citizens and leaders to change the course of development.
Some residents in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, have kicked against the directions by the leadership of some religious leaders to declare fasting and prayers aimed at reviving Ghana’s ailing economy.
According to them, “prayers and fastings alone won’t solve our economic hardship, but what Ghana needs is strong, incorruptible leaders with the very strong mentality to formulate and implement good policies to revive the economy.”
The current economic hardship, which has been widely speculated about by many Ghanaians and admitted by the president, has resulted in many people suggesting solutions on how to propel the country to greater heights.
Church of Pentecost
The Church of Pentecost (COP) declared a three-day fast and prayer session for all members starting on November 10, 2022.
The Church’s Executive Council arrived at the decision in the wake of economic hardship being experienced in the country.
“It is apparent that the country for some time now has been going through some economic challenges which threaten the peace and security of the nation.
“The church in times like this has a divine responsibility to intercede for the nation,” he said. Addressing the congregation on Sunday, the Chairman of COP, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, told the members to adhere to the directive.
Recognizing that the announcement was made on short notice, he urged the gathering to do so in order to invite divine guidance into Ghana’s leadership and put the economy on a better footing.
He highlighted a biblical reference to buttress his point. ‘So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer’ (Ezra 8:23).
On the back of this, he indicated that “we should also pray for wisdom for our leaders to find immediate solutions to these challenges.”
The fasting and prayers are expected to take place from November 10th to November 13th.
Presbyterian Church of Ghana
The Presbyterian Church of Ghana also declared a three-day fast and prayer for Ghana’s economy.
The church noted that most economies around the world are facing economic difficulties, and Ghana is not an exception.
The church said they remain hopeful that the Lord will step in and put an end to these difficulties.
“In light of this, the Moderator of the General Assembly, with the support of the General Assembly Council, has declared a three-day fasting and prayer from November 28th to November 30th, 2022, to fervently intercede for the wellbeing of Ghanaians.
“We encourage all congregations to set aside these days to pray for the nation,” a statement issued by the Church on Thursday, November 10, said.
But speaking to OTEC News on Friday, November 11, 2022, some said they would not participate in the fasting and prayers for the country because it is a waste of time and energy, adding that “if prayers and fasting were the solutions to Ghana’s problems, we would have been a prosperous nation by now.”
Instead of fasting and praying all the time, they charged religious leaders to advise their church members on proper ethical behaviour, discipline, and adhering to the responsibilities of the state and the community.
Another noted that, if praying for the country’s economy was the answer to the problems in the country, the economy would have been fixed already.
Another citizen said traders increasing the prices of their goods at an unreasonable price also affects the economy, so if they do not refrain from that, the economy will never grow no matter the number of prayers and fasting.
The identity of a civil servant who is currently a Principal Economics Officer at the Ministry of Finance (MoF), believed to be the first port of call for Tiger Eye P.I. investigators in their endeavour to secure contact with the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and the then Deputy Minister for Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, has been revealed to Asaase News by a reliable source.
The civil servant, Solomon Amponsah, who works at the External Resource Mobilization and Economic Relation Division of the Ministry of Finance, is believed to have received a call from the late Ahmed Hussein-Suale, a Tiger Eye P.I. investigator, who suggested to Mr Amponsah to arrange a meeting between him (Ahmed Hussein-Suale), a Ghanaian Lawyer and the two Ministers of Finance in Dubai, towards a desire to open a bank in Ghana with about $500 million dollars.
Subsequently, the Ghanaian lawyer and Charles Adu-Boahen on the strength of the arrangement made by Solomon Amponsah, met with the undercover team posing as investors in a hotel suite in Dubai on 8 February, 2018, just 13 months after the Akufo-Addo administration assumed office.
After the meeting with Charles Adu Boahen, Tiger Eye’s next move was to meet the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta. Solomon Amponsah, came in handy again to continue with his arrangements towards a meeting between the Finance Minister and the Tiger Eye P.I. investigators who had posed as investors in Dubai.
They (Tiger P.I) were to have their chance, they thought, when after several attempts Mr Ofori-Atta agreed to meet them at the airport in Dubai on transit to Tokyo, Japan.
In the company of his then Personal Assistant (PA), Michael Bediako, Mr Ofori-Atta, met the supposed investors (investigators) at one of the terminal hotels at the Dubai International Airport hotel on Sunday 8 November 2018 at around 6:30am.
Mr Ofori-Atta according to the source, was informed the meeting was with the Chairman of Al Baraka Islamic Bank of Bahrain, whose interest was to invest $500m to set up an “ethical” bank in Ghana.
The meeting, per our checks, which had Mr Solomon Amponsah, and the Ghanaian lawyer present, lasted some five minutes. Ken Ofori-Atta, left very peeved when he was offered a “gift”, which he refused to accept, and walked out with his PA who was also offered a gift that was rejected as well.
It remains to be seen if these engagements with Solomon Amponsah were part of the Tiger Eye P.I. investigation and whether or not it will feature in future releases by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
The Ghana Standards Authority is informing the public and more specifically importers of used vehicles that beginning January 1, 2023, all used vehicles imported into Ghana shall be accompanied by a valid Certificate of Conformance (CoC) from an approved body.
The certificate must thus demonstrate conformance of the used vehicle to requirements of the Ghana Standard for used vehicles GS 4510:2022 Road vehicles — requirements for imported used motor vehicles.
This is in line with the Customs (Amendment) Act 2020, Section 61 of Act 891 amended and related legislation.
Enforcement of this aspect of the law shall ensure improved safety, quality and asset value of used vehicles imported into Ghana, while sustaining the value chain of the used vehicle industry. Certificates of Conformance can be obtained from approved third-party inspection bodies or through trained and licensed used vehicle dealerships.
The GSA said an updated list of approved inspection bodies and licensed used vehicle dealerships with contact details shall be provided on the website of the Authority.
It, therefore, wished to take this opportunity to remind all importers and assemblers of new vehicles to register with the authority and ensure that vehicle models imported or assembled are homologated (certified) by the authority in line with the relevant Ghana Standards for new vehicles of categories M1 (Passenger cars and SUVs), M2 (Minibuses), and N1 (Pickups and cargo vans).
New vehicles of models not homologated (certified) by the authority shall not be permitted for importation from January 1, 2023.
Ghanaian artiste, Rocky Dawuni, has received a nomination for the upcoming 65th Grammy Awards.
This will be a record-third nomination from the award scheme as far as the Ghanaian music scene is concerned.
The selection of his song ‘Never Bow Down’ for the Best Global Music Performance category comes after the musician was considered by the Grammys back in 2015 and 2021.
The development was announced on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, by the Recording Academy.
The reggae artiste says he is “honored to be nominated.”
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
“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,” he posted on Twitter.
The other songs gunning for the same award are Burna Boy’s ‘Last Last’, ‘Udhero Na’, by Arooj Aftab and Anoushka Shankar, and ‘Gimme Love’, by Matt B and Eddy Kenzo, and ‘Baythe’ by Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikode.
The main event, however, comes off on Sunday, February 5, 2023.
Last year, Rocky Dawuni’s project ‘Voice of Bunbon Vol. 1’ secured a place in the Best Global Music Album category after his ‘Branches of The Same Tree’ was nominated for Best Reggae Album in 2015.
The Institute for Energy Security(IES) says Ghanaians will enjoy some relief in relation to the increasing prices of fuel if the Cedi continues to maintain stability against the Dollar.
This follows the latest prediction by the energy think-thank in the reduction of fuel prices due to the stability of the Cedi. The IES has however predicted an increment in the price of LPG.
Speaking to Starr News, the Research and Policy Analyst with IES, Derick Hadzi said the local economy will feel the impact of the reduction soon enough if the Cedi stabilizes.
“Two major factors that affect fuel pricing is that of the international price and the strength of the Cedi. At the international level, we do not have control over it. It depends on the forces of demand, what we have control over is the strength of our local currency. For the ending of October, the Cedi depreciated almost 30% to 45%. So for this second pricing window from November the Cedi has been a little bit stable.”
Leading Oil Marketing company GOIL on Wednesday announced a reduction in the prices of
Ghana’s leading indigenous Oil Marketing Company, GOIL, has announced a reduction in the pump prices of both types of gasoline (petrol) and gasoil (diesel) at all its retail outlets across the West African nation.
A litre of petrol is now selling at Gh16.82 while diesel is selling at Gh20.50 per litre.
Previously, a litre of petrol sold at Gh17.99 while diesel was selling at Gh¢23.49 per litre.
This means that a litre of petrol has been reduced by Gh¢1.17 while diesel saw a reduction of Gh¢2.99 per litre.
The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has questioned whether the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, has the power to extend the contract of justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
A Supreme Court Judge, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, announced in court on Thursday, July 28, 2022, that Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah had extended his retirement to enable him to complete the ongoing criminal trial of former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Opuni.
“The Chief Justice, as the Administrative Head of the Judiciary, has the power under the Constitution to grant an extension to a retiring judge.”
“In pursuant to Article 112(2) of the Constitution, 1992, the chief justice has granted me a limited time to conclude this case. In the circumstances, this court shall, in addition, sit on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. for early disposal of this four-year-old case. In view of the pending vacation, the case is adjourned to October 3, 2022, at 10 a.m. for continuation,” he said.
But Dafeamekpor, in a tweet he shared on November 15, insinuated that the move by the chief justice was wrong since the President of the Republic is the only appointing authority and he alone can extend the contract of his appointees.
He also questioned whether the vetting and approval of the president’s appointees are valid after their retirement age.
“In re the extension of time of Hoenyenuga JSC by the CJ: the Constitutional Question is: Can the CJ extend the life of a Supreme Court Judge beyond his statutory 70yr tenure?
“Remember, the Prez is the Appointing authority. Also, is the Parliamentary vetting valid beyond 70yrs?” the MP’s tweet read.
View the MPs tweet below:
In re the extension of time of Hoenyenuga JSC by the CJ: the Constitutional Question is: Can the CJ extend the life of a Supreme Court Judge beyond his statutory 70yr tenure? Remember, the Prez is the Appointing authority. Also, is the Parliamentary vetting valid beyond 70yrs?
— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) November 15, 2022
The Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has donated GH¢100,000.00 in support of the construction of the Ejura-Sekyedumase Divisional Police Command in the Ashanti Region.
The money was to fund the roofing of the storey building which is almost ready to house about hundred police officers in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality.
This donation followed Dr. Bawumia’s first presentation of one thousand bags of cement during the initial stage of the project which was the brainchild of the chief of Ejura Traditional Area Barima Osei Hwedie II in 2021.
Dr. Bawumia made the donation during a short meeting with the chief of Ejura Traditional Area, Barima Osei Hwedie II in Accra on Sunday, November 12, 2022.
Dr. Bawumia during the presentation said it was his utmost wish that the project will be completed on time to help beef up security in the area.
He pledged his commitment to supporting authorities at Ejura to maintain law and order in the area.
Chief of Ejura Traditional Area Barima Osei Hwedie II who welcomed the support said, Dr. Bawumia’s kind gesture was timely.
He praised the vice president for his continuous support of the development of the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality and Ashanti Region as a whole.
“Dr. Bawumia’s efforts to ensure that Ejura Traditional Council’s vision of putting up a place for the municipality’s Divisional Police Headquarters come through is unprecedented”
“We are very lucky to have the support of no other than the vice president who is keen on working towards enhancing peace and security of Ejura Residents”
“We at Ejura are wishing him well in all his future endeavors and we hope he will continue to shine in his political career and help others ”
Customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana in the Lower Manya and Yilo Krobo Municipalities of the Eastern Region have expressed divergent experiences over the use of prepaid meters.
Backed by the military, most parts of the Krobo area have been successfully rolled onto the new meters by the ECG after several months of hostilities between the power distributors and their customers over the deployment of the meters.
Months after some communities have been rolled onto the new billing system, GhanaWeb interacted with some residents and business operators on their experiences with the meters.
For Georgina Ametepey Ghalley, the meter was installed at her shop in August 2022. A seamstress at Somanya said purchasing Ghc50 worth of credit is always enough to last her for over a month compared to her average monthly bill of Ghc 70 on the postpaid meters. To her, the meter has proven to be a better option as she’s in a position to monitor her consumption.
“My experience so far, the prepaid meter is okay, not like the postpaid. At times the bills that will come are very high at times too they say it’s a network problem so the prepaid is better,” she said. “Because I can check my balance, what I’ve used for the day and everything so I think the prepaid is okay.”
Having used this type of meter before, she had no fears prior to its deployment, contrary to the reservations of most people in the locality.
According to her, she still uses the same items and does not have cause to adjust their usage in any way.
Auntie Victoria Mamle, a waakye (rice and beans) seller and also a resident of Mampong had the meters installed for her some three months ago.
Admitting that she was one of many opponents to the introduction of the new meters, she said her reservations were over buying of credit, adding that her fears were being confirmed.
“We didn’t want it because of the credit you’ll buy,” she said. “If we had the old one, we can get the money to pay for the monthly bills but this one if you don’t have money today and it is finished, you’ll go off.”
Expressing her frustrations over the situation, Auntie Mamle complained that she buys about Ghc200 worth of credit in a month, twice her monthly bill on the postpaid meters. She said, “I think the old one is good because since I got this meter, if I buy the credit like Ghc50, I don’t even get one week and it’s finished so I think the old one is good because with the old one, in a month, I get a bill of between Ghc90 and Ghc100.”
Some customers however believe the ECG is using the new meters to defray its old bills.
Though the power consumer assured the residents that the old bills would not be passed onto the new meters, some of the residents believe the ECG is subtly defraying the existing bills on the old meters with the deduction of what it calls service charges.
According to them, the service charges of about 15% of the amount bought, are deducted with the remaining credit lasting them relatively shorter periods compared with the postpaid meters.
Auntie Doris Odonkor, a fishmonger at Ayikpala, a suburb of Kpong owns three meters in her house. She explained that the service charges being deducted were mere smokescreens behind which the Company hides to deduct the accumulated bills on her meters.
“When the meters were fixed, they were each credited with Ghc10.00. The ten cedis ran out after three days and I bought an additional Ghc100. Out of this Ghc15 was deducted,” she said.
According to her, the charges were explained as processing and maintenance fees, adding that these deductions were repeated when she returned to buy more credit.
The elderly woman furthered that her fears that she would struggle to understand how the meter works due to her poor education were manifest.
Assemblyman for Kpong Ahudzo, honorable Raymond Gborson observed that there was very little difference between the postpaid and prepaid meters.
Estimating his monthly expenses on the prepaid meters compared to the postpaid bills, the Assemblyman said his consumption was around the same amount.
“Using this for a month, I don’t see any difference between this one and the postpaid ones. This one is paying as you go, the only difference is that if you don’t have credit on it, you can’t use it as compared to the postpaid ones that you can use as and when you have money,” he said.
Contrary to complaints of deductions from some consumers, Hon Gborson said he only paid the statutory charges through the deductions whenever he bought credit although he admits he had unpaid bills on the postpaid meters.
To him, the agitations that greeted the proposed installation process stemmed from the low education ahead of the deployment of the meters.
He added that following the instructions on the meter was easy and called for understanding and acceptance by all and sundry.
He noted: “The agitation of people before the installation of the prepaid to me has been that proper and vivid education has not taken place…for years, decades Krobos and for that matter we Ghanaians were used to the postpaid meters.”
Three Nkrumahist political parties have kick-started talks to join forces to wrestle power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The three Nkrumahist parties are the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC).
The National Chairman of the PPP, Nana Ofori Owusu, gave this hint on Accra 100.5 FM’s 6 a.m. news on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
According to him, there is a need for the Nkrumahist parties to unite to prosecute the 2024 general elections with one accord.
The Nkrumahist political parties are parties that believe in the ideologies and principles of Ghana’s first President Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
He charged that the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not a reliable alternative as he decried how abysmally the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has managed the affairs of the country under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He asserted that the NPP/NDC will not take Ghanaians anywhere, adding that it is only the Nkrumahist party that has the track record of driving the country’s industrialisation agenda as evidenced in the First Republic.
Parliament has announced a raft of stringent security measures such as mandatory body scan for everybody including the speaker of Parliament.
The House through the Marshall’s office is also considering the idea of banning the use of mobile phones by journalists in the press gallery.
This idea is however vehemently opposed to by leadership and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps.
In announcing some of the security measures on the floor, speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin explained the decision to enhance security in the legislative house is for the good of members, staff and visitors given the times the country finds itself.
“It’s compulsory for all Members including me, Speaker to pass through the machine to be scanned before we enter the Chamber of Parliament. All strangers who are also to do so, who intend coming in, whether to the public gallery, or to the Press gallery, or to the important visitors’ gallery are all to pass through the scanning machine. It’s for your own good that we want to implement this rule.
“So please, starting from tomorrow, any person who is not willing to pass through this machine will definitely not be allowed to enter this chamber.”
The Chairman of the Competitive African Rice Platform, Yaw Adu Poku, has dismissed claims of unnecessary profiteering by retailers of food products on the local market.
Commenting on the Planting for Food and Jobs market at the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture, on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, Mr Adu Poku revealed that his profit margin is insignificant considering the cost of transportation and price of raw materials.
“Last July for a 50,000 tonne truck, I was paying GH¢14,000, that is the 50kg bag [of rice], a thousand of that… Today I am contracting two articulated trucks taking 50 tonnes, and I am paying GH¢60 cedis per bag and that is GH¢60,000 to move from Tamale to Accra.”
“I was [recently] buying from the farm gate at GH¢3,200 a ton of paddy. This week I am paying GH¢4800 from the same farm and I haven’t moved from that farm, so the difference now is GH¢1600 on the raw material, and I am paying in excess of 44,000 for transport so all this comes together and makes it exorbitant… This is the reality on the ground.”
“I invest not less than 6000 cedis on a ton from a farm gate to retail level and my margin is 200 cedis so check what is the difference. So if someone says that we are profiteering, then I beg to differ.”
We lack leadership and innovative thinking
Mr Adu Poku also admonished the government to be innovative and find ways to make food products accessible and affordable to Ghanaians.
He said the project must be maintained only as a pilot project while the Minister comes up with new ways to ensure that prices of food products at the market are made cheaper.
“The [Agric] Minister wants us to know that food is in the hinterlands and carting it to Accra is the issue, so it is not the market woman nor the aggregator, it is all of us caught in this situation that we cannot put our fingers on.”
“What we need to do, is to isolate it as a pilot project and think around it how we get food to the urban areas where it is needed. We need to go back and rethink. The problem we are facing is leadership; they are not giving us what makes us call them leaders.
“We should think, what will make food affordable is that when the farmer is well resourced, then food will be more affordable. When the value chain is well resourced, then food will be available. This is what we have to do,” Mr Adu Poku told Sit-in host Nathan Quao.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Friday, November 11, started piloting food items at its premises to the general public.
According to the Ministry, the move forms part of efforts to cushion Ghanaians and mitigate the impact of rising food prices.
Some members of the NPP in Anloland asked the Spokesperson of the Awoamefia, Agbotuada Kumasah, to render an unqualified apology to Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, over his comments in regards to the booing of the Vice President at the just-ended Hogbetsotso durbar.
According to the youth, the comments suggest that there was a deliberate attempt to embarrass the vice president.
“Such comments from no less a person than Agbotadua Kumasah, made it look like the Vice President was deliberately invited by the Anlo state to be disgraced,” the group said in a letter signed by the convener, Augustine Ocloo.
The statement also added claims that the vice president was booed for touting achievements that were untrue as there have been developmental activities in the Anlo-land since the NPP assumed office.
“Agbotadua Kumasah cannot be too naive not to have seen the developmental activities that this government had undertaken in Anlo-land, a government Agbotadua Kumasah is an appointee for in the Keta Municipal assembly.
“We, the disgruntled NPP youth of Anloland, cannot stand aloof while this disgraceful, uncalled for, uncultured, and developmentally crippling behaviour goes unanswered.”
The youth thus urged the President of the Anlo Traditional Council to take disciplinary action against Kumasah.
“The Anlo Traditional/State Council should explain to we the youth why they allowed members of the Hogbetsotso planning committee to set and lay the Vice President such ambush.
“We also demand that disciplinary action be taken against Agbotaduah Kumassah for displaying such infantile attitude when he was rather expected to use the fine opportunity to emphasize the positives of the celebration,” myjoyonline.com quoted.
Former Minister for Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has noted how several false allegations were made against him following Ghana’s participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil.
Mr Afriyie Ankrah shared some of the outrageous allegations leveled against him with GhanaWeb’s Edward Smith Anamale on the Election Desk program.
According to him, he was alleged to have put his mother in charge of the sale of replica jerseys, but stated that his mother had absolutely no knowledge of football.
“There were all manner of wild stories. I’d give you just a few. There’s this story that my wife was a caterer… I mean, my wife has absolutely nothing to do with cooking. The only reason she went was because we had buried her mother three weeks earlier. So, I took my wife and my two kids because the other one was in boarding school, and I bought the tickets myself – Air Portugal, and took them. It was not at government expense, but there was the story out there. They said my mother was in charge of replica jerseys. What they didn’t know is that my mother doesn’t live in Ghana; my mother has never lived in Ghana since I was six months old. She doesn’t know the difference between a corner kick and a penalty. She has no idea, so when I told her, ‘Mummy, they said you are in charge of replica jerseys, she said, what is that?’ “She has no idea,” he said.
He shared other allegations made against him but expressed happiness about the report of the Dzamefe Commission, which, according to him, vindicated him.
“I woke up one day and there was one of the papers with me sitting with some ministers, with coconut in front of us. They said coconut was $200, $2000. There was nothing about coconut. I always drink coconut because I’m a health-conscious person, and at the camp, coconut was virtually free. And even if you buy it, it’s less than $1. Nothing; it was all manufactured.”
“It was later that I found out that there were some unseen hands behind it, but I keep saying that if those things hadn’t happened, and especially if the commission hadn’t been put in place and a report officially there, which clearly shows that I was audited by Ernst and Young,… by the time I was leaving office, the World Cup money itself, which the government gave to us, was still in the account,” Afriyie Ankrah, who is vying for
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw Ghana get eliminated at the group stage of the competition, but it also came with several camp-related stories, among other stories of corruption allegations.
A member of the NPP communications team, Adomako Baafi, has raised concerns over the referral of Charles Adu Boahen to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for further investigations on allegations of corruption in the investigative exposé, ‘Galamsey Economy‘.
According to him, there is a conflict of interest as the Special Prosecutor was once the lawyer for investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in the case between former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi and Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
“The president referred Adu Boahen’s case to the Special Prosecutor. My worry is that the same Special Prosecutor is Anas’ lawyer. So, why will the president give him a case involving Adu Boahen? There is a conflict of interest here because how come the Special Prosecutor is Anas’ lawyer,” the MP noted.
In a press release, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Adjabeng, said his office has commenced an investigation into the actions of Charles Adu Boahen and any other implicated persons contained in the investigative exposé, ‘Galamsey Economy’.
Charles Adu Boahen alleged on video that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia needs just USD 200,000 as an ‘appearance fee’ and some positions from an investor for his siblings to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, has expressed optimism for Ghana’s economy to rebound soonest despite the prevailing economic challenges.
Palgrave Boakye-Danquah assured Ghanaians that the Akufo-Addo-led government would leverage the economic policy initiatives to drive growth and prosperity.
The government, he indicated, had outlined a series of economic measures, including seeking the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in the short term, to help repair our finances.
The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah stated, had greatly compromised the country’s economy.
He stated that “the government would revive and revitalize the country’s economy and put it back on the path of rapid growth,” Palgrave Boakye-Danquah exclusively told Kwaku Owusu Adjei (Patoo) on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9.
He attributed the situation to “so many malevolent forces,” which he said have come together at the same time to cause the current economic turmoil bedeviling the country.
He mentioned that no party in Ghana has displayed the organizational skills and capacity that the NPP has.
Host of Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere has criticised the modus operandi of investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, following his recent expose implicating Minister of State for Finance, Charles Adu Boahen.
According to the journalists, he ever escaped two attempts of entrapment when some people sought to cause him to implicate himself.
“These things happen all the time and I have had experiences that I will share with you. First one happened many years ago in 2006 or 2007. I had some job to do in Takoradi so I was in a car going to Takoradi with two or three friends of mine.”
“The guy called me with some Arab sounding tone, he says he likes my programme and I said okay. Then he says he wants to appear on my programme. I said Okay you can appear on my programme, what do you want to say? He says he wants to talk about how my programme is good but the reason why he is calling me is that he wanted to know how much it costs to appear on my programme,” he recounted.
Paul Adom-Otchere noted that despite the insistence of the caller, he declined the invitation from the man who said he will ‘treat him well’
“I said please I am not interested in you making me happy. I am happy already, if you want to do something on the programme go to commercial,” he stated.
The programme host added that it later turned out that the call was a prank call from programme aired on Peace FM.
He further recalled his second experience where another anonymous caller sought to induce him with a proposal of leading him to meet the president.
“2018 or 2019, somebody called me and says he has 19 million dollars to give to Bank of Ghana but he is having difficulty in bringing the money to the Bank of Ghana so he called me. I said so what do you want me to do? He says I want you to take me the president and I said really? You want to bring money to Ghana and you want to go to the president, okay, go to Bank of Ghana and talk to them about it or go to finance ministry and talk to them about it.”
“Then he said I have 54 million. I said your 19 has now jumped to 54? He said yes, we have a lot of money we want to bring to Ghana but we want influential people we can take us…” he recalled.
He noted that he ignored the proposal by the anonymous caller insisting that he takes his business proposal to the appropriate government quarters.
“Should we be doing that as a country? I don’t agree. Should we engender, facilitate and encourage this kind of way in which we find corruption? I am not sure we should do that,” he cautioned.
Aremeyaw Anas’s latest exposé dubbed ‘Galamsey Economy’ has compelled President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the Minister of State in Charge of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen from office.
Charles Adu Boahen on video alleged that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia needs just USD200,000 as an ‘appearance fee’ and some positions by an investor for his siblings to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.
Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has signaled that the constitution of the ad hoc committee set up by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, could pose an obstacle at the end of the proceedings.
The committee which was set up by the Speaker to investigate allegations of corruption and incompetence leveled against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta by the Minority side of Parliament in their motion of censure is evenly constituted with members from both divides of the House.
The 8-member ad hoc committee is chaired by the Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T. Hammond and Bolgatanga East MP, Dominic Ayine.
Other members of the committee from the Minority side are; North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Klottey-Korle MP, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings and Akatsi South MP, Bernard Ahiafor.
The rest from the Majority side include; Okaikoi Central MP, Yaw Boahmah, Ashanti Akyem Central MP, Emmanuel Anyimadu-Antwi and Sekondi MP, Andrew Egyapa Mercer.
According to Inusah Fuseini, while the membership of the committee may be trying to communicate a sense of neutrality, recent developments in the house may suggest otherwise.
“After the time that the Speaker established this committee, you could see the partisanship. And you could see the various actors in Parliament lining up behind their various leaders. So I’m not surprised at all that even though there had been attempt to appear to be neutral and interested in [presenting] the facts for people to understand what is at stake, those who are disputing the facts have laced their objections with political undertones.
“And there has been an attempt by the Minority to prove beyond doubt that Ken must go, and equally the Majority who are unrelenting in their defence of the Finance Minister. So then you have for the first time in our parliamentary democracy, apart from the censure motion, this is the only time a committee of Parliament has been formed which has no Majority, which has no Minority,” he said.
He noted that this membership structure will prove to be a problem at the end of the seven days when members are expected to come up with a resolution to be presented before the House.
According to him, with the even distribution of the committee and the unyielding stance of both sides, it is unlikely that a consensus will be easily reached, that is, even if it is reached at all.
“Committees of Parliament take decisions based on unanimity or consensus. So if it is going to be consensus, the issue would have to be put to a vote and I don’t know whether Speaker in establishing the eight member committee with co-chairmen had also thought of the custom vote. Because if the vote is taken and there is a tie, what happens?
“The constitution says that when there is a tie in parliament on an issue, the issue fails, it falls. What will happen at the committee level? So there are many around that. We’re waiting cautiously to see what happens after Friday because the issues cannot be resolved at the committee level. And like I told you when the committee was established, this issue will finally be resolved on the floor of the House,” he said.
President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo waits to speak during the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021.
Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has bemoaned President Akufo-Addo’s refusal to remove his Finance Minister.
According to him, had the President heeded to calls for a Ministerial reshuffle or simply gone ahead to remove the Finance Minister, Parliament would not be locked up in a censure motion proceeding; further derailing the business of government.
He stated that the country is in a crucial situation where a Finance Minister is expected to be drawing a budget while leading the Ghana team in the IMF negotiations, however, currently all of that has been put on hold while the incumbent Minister is being ‘tried’ by an ad hoc committee.
The Minority in Parliament has filed a motion of censure against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, accusing him of corruption and gross incompetence.
In proceedings currently ongoing in Parliament, the Finance Minister is expected to answer to these charges before an eight member ad hoc committee evenly constituted by members from both sides of the political divide.
With both sides polarized on the matter, Dr. Kojo Pumpuni has noted that such polarization is not what a country in crisis needs to resolve its issues.
“I don’t understand why the President has ground his teeth on this matter. Because now we’re in a process, the Finance Minister was supposed to go and present the budget next week. Now the Finance Minister is spending his time in a court room trying to respond to charges against him and so on and so forth when he should be, if indeed he’s the one preparing this budget for our consideration, he should be doing that work.
“Some of these steps should have been taken by the President a long time ago and I don’t know why he’s not seeing the bigger picture that we’re going to diffuse a lot of the tension. Because in a country where you have crisis, the last thing you need is more polarization and more time spent on this kind of actions rather than focus on the business of actually dealing with the problems that Ghanaians are facing,” he said.
Ghanaian statesman, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe is disappointed in the way President Akufo-Addo has managed the country’s affairs.
According to the politician, the personalities surrounding the president have not done much in pushing the country in the right direction.
For him, the downturn the country is currently experiencing is a testament to the fact that the President’s disciples have contributed little in nudging the President toward national development.
“These are people who are afraid to tell him exactly what is happening. This has happened to a lot of Presidents in this country. If Nana Addo will listen, I’m sure the way he is going right now he will never go there,” he added.
Speaking to JoyNews, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe insisted that his advisors and helpers have failed to tell him the true situation.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe says that if the President were abreast of all the issues, persons accused of corruption under his watch should have been axed by now.
“People have been accused of several things, there have been infractions all over since Akufo-Addo came to power, what has been done to them?” he asked.
“I know Nana Addo was not like that, so what has happened? I’m surprised. The Nana Addo that I knew is not the one that is ruling Ghana now,” he told JoyNews‘ Benjamin Akakpo.
So far he believes the country has retrogressed under the Akufo-Addo administration adding that the President and his cohorts are to blame.
He listed a number of people who could have coerced the President in the right direction if govern the chance.
They conclude; “Charles Brobby, myself, Kwesi Pratt. There are people who will tell him exactly what is happening.”
The leadership of striking public university worker unions will today, Wednesday meet the National Labour Commission (NLC) to continue ongoing negotiations about their conditions of service.
The unions on strike are the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), 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 has entered its 6th week, forcing some academic activities on various campuses to be at a standstill.
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.
Speaking to Citi News ahead of the meeting with NLC today, National Secretary of the UTAG Dr. Asare Asante Annor said they are hopeful today’s meeting will yield the desired results.
“The issue in contention is still about the variation of our conditions of service and as we speak, we have made certain offers to the government, but we have not received the same from them.”
“Until the vehicle maintenance and off-campus allowance and the ex-pump rate of GHS10.99 is used, unfortunately, we still have to be on strike,” Dr. Annor said.
The government has recently appealed to striking workers pushing for improved conditions of service to consider the current economic crisis.
Gabby Otchere-Darko, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party, has disputed claims by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, that he said the Majority Leader was behind moves to get the Finance Minister removed.
Responding to reports that the Majority Leader also accused him of trying to undermine his attempt to be the Suame MP, Mr. Otchere-Darko said on Facebook: “I have since sent him a message on this denying same.”
Reports indicated that Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said Mr. Otchere-Darko had called him the ringleader behind the NPP MPs calling for the resignation of the Finance Minister.
Mr. Otchere-Darko is alleged to have sponsored a failed candidate against the Majority Leader in the NPP parliamentary primaries in Suame leading to the 2016 general elections.
These claims by Mr. Otchere-Darko are said to have come during a broadcast on Asaase Radio.
But he refuted these claims in his Facebook post.
“I have said no such thing on Asaase Radio or any other radio station or media house, whether on air, online, or in print, either directly or indirectly. Indeed, my position, so far, on this issue in Parliament within the Majority Caucus, has been to deliberately stay away from commenting on it publicly.”
“I have never sponsored any candidate against the Majority Leader for the Suame seat. I would never do such a thing to a person I considered a strong loyalist, even within the NPP,” he posted.
The first day of the public hearing of the committee on the motion of censure against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, was characterized by heated exchanges and clashes between the Minority members and some members of the Majority side.
The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, also engaged in heated exchanges with counsel for the Finance Minister, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
Mr Otchere-Darko had sought to advise Mr Ablakwa to reserve some of his comments for a press conference and not the committee sittings, but in a sharp rebuttal, the North Tongu MP asked the seasoned lawyer not to attempt to teach him his job.
“You can’t come here and teach me how to do my work,” Mr Ablakwa said, adding, “you can’t come here and throw your weight about. This is Parliament, you can’t tell me what to do, you are not the chairman so don’t tell me what to do,” a livid Ablakwa retorted.
Mr. Otchere-Darko had earlier expressed concern that his client would be caught off guard by the evidence and requested “full particulars of the facts in support of the allegations against the [Finance] Minister.”
He also said there would not be enough time to scrutinise the evidence outlined by the Minority.
“It would not be fair for the Minister of Finance to be ambushed right here without any preparation to start answering questions.”
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, also dismissed suggestions that the current economic crisis in Ghana was mainly caused by the war being waged on Ukraine by Russia.
Addressing the Committee, the Tamale South MP said the “reckless borrowing” and “reckless spending” by the Finance Minister are the cause of Ghana’s woes.
“Did you borrow to support the war in Ukraine,” Mr Iddrisu asked, arguing that, it was because of Ofori-Atta’s recklessness that caused Ghana’s economic woes.
Mark Darlington Osae, the manager of Reggie ‘N’ Bollie and Skrewfaze has dragged the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame to court over the ban on celebrities from advertising for alcoholic beverages.
The FDA’s directives bar the use of celebrities in plugging alcoholic beverages.
This according to the Authority is to protect minors from being influenced by celebrities into alcoholism.
Prior to this suit, a lot of stakeholders in the creative industry including, Wendy Shay, Shatta Wale, Brother Sammy, Kuami Eugene, and Camidoh, had spoken against the law and had called on powers that be to repeal it.
On November 11, 2022, the plaintiff, Mark Darlington Osae, also a music publisher at Perfect Note Publishing, issued a writ of summons, saying the FDA’s 2015 regulations are discriminatory against the creative arts industry.
Mark, who is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Ghana Music Alliance, says the FDA directive which ordered that, “no well-known personality or professional shall be used in alcoholic beverage advertising,” is inconsistent with and in contravention of articles 17(1) and 17 (2) of the 1992 Constitution.
Articles 17(1) and 17 (2) of the 1992 Constitution guarantee quality before the law and prohibit discrimination against persons on grounds of social or economic status, occupation, among others, and consequently null, void, and unenforceable.
In February 2017, Mark Darlington led his artistes, Reggie ‘N’ Bollie, to sue Fan Milk Ghana Limited for using their song titled ‘New Girl’ for commercial purposes without their consent.
The Greater Accra Regional Hospital, popularly known as the Ridge Hospital, has set up a seven-member bed management committee to deal with the issue of “no bed syndrome” in the health facility.
The “no bed syndrome” has over the years been a topical issue as some health facilities have been rejecting emergency cases because of the shortage of beds, which sometimes leads to the death of patients.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the Greater Accra Regional Hospital’s 5th anniversary, Medical Director Dr Emmanuel Srofenyoh disclosed that the “no bed syndrome” is gradually becoming a thing of the past at the facility.
“To respond properly to this, we established the bed management committee, and they go round every four hours, once there is a bed space somewhere they identify the space, and they inform the emergency department for patients to be transferred, so we create space within the emergency.”
“So at all times, we have a bed space within the emergency to receive any emergencies that are transferred,” Dr Srofenyoh said.
A former Minister of Transport, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, has stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) needs an astute General Secretary to steer its affairs to win the 2024 elections.
According to the former Ketu South MP, the implementation of systems to effectively monitor activities before, during and after the general elections is key to securing victory.
Addressing party members after the vetting and balloting of nominees at the party headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Kwetey said his contenders played key roles for the NDC in the 2020 elections but completely failed in their respective roles and lack the competence to lead the party to victory in 2024.
“My two colleagues, I am contesting, one of them was in charge of the elections as director of elections and the other was the deputy general secretary in charge of operations. So those two were clearly in the heart of the operations, and they failed in their jobs. They both slept on their job.”
“One of them was even unable to ensure that the collation of results was done on time and so if you fail, you cannot blame the opponents for stealing the election,” Mr Kwetey said.
The NDC will elect its national executives on December 17 after electing regional and constituency executives.
It remains one of the most intense moments in the country after the country’s national football team, the Black Stars, made their third appearance at the World Cup, which was fraught with a lot of scandals.
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw Ghana get eliminated at the group stage of the competition, but it also came with several camp-related stories, among other stories of corruption allegations.
Recalling the moments and some of the happenings during the period, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who was the Minister of Youth and Sports, explained how he received one of his biggest blessings in disguise.
He explained that, upon the return of the team to the country and the eventual setting up of the Dzamefe Commission to look into the issues surrounding Ghana’s appearance at the Mundial, he got a unique opportunity to understand things better.
In hindsight, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah says he would not advise any politician to consider using state money to send supporters to a soccer tournament like the World Cup.
“With the benefit of hindsight, I probably should have… I should have just left it, and they would have said whatever they wanted to say, and it would have saved me a lot of headaches.
“It’s not worth it and I would advise – and I’ve been saying this that the current minister, in this economic crisis, don’t bother our supporters. If you want to go and watch the World Cup, if you have your own money, get your ticket and go. So, those were the lessons, of course, fortunately, or not, the Commission was a blessing in disguise,” he said.
Speaking to Edward Smith Anamale on GhanaWeb TV’s Election Desk, the aspiring General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said that it was during the hearings of the Dzamefe Commission that he heard some of the wildest things.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah said that some of the allegations were so wild that they even involved stories that his wife and his mother were also implicit in some purported corrupt practices.
“There were all manner of wild stories. I’d give you just a few. There’s this story that my wife was a caterer… I mean, my wife has absolutely nothing to do with cooking; the only reason she went was because we buried her mother three weeks earlier. So, I took my wife and my two kids because the other one was in boarding school, and I bought the tickets myself –Air Portugal- and took them.
“It was not at government expense but there was the story out there. They said my mother was in charge of replica jerseys. What they didn’t know is that my mother doesn’t live in Ghana; my mother has never lived in Ghana since I was six months old. She doesn’t know the difference between a corner kick and a penalty. She has no idea so when I told her, ‘Mummy, they said you are in charge of replica jerseys, she said what is that?’ she has no idea,” he said.
Elvis Ankrah also recalled how there was news that he had paid about $2000 just for coconuts when, in actual fact, after the Commission’s hearings, it was established that he was not guilty.
He added that by the time he left office as the Minister of Youth and Sports, he was able to leave behind well over $4 million of the money the government gave them to go to the World Cup.
“I woke up one day and there was one of the papers with me sitting with some ministers, with coconut in front of us. They said coconut was $200, $2000. There was nothing about coconut. I drink coconut always because I’m a health-conscious person, and at the camp, coconut was virtually free. And even if you buy it, it’s less than $1. Nothing; it was all manufactured.
“It was later that I got to know that there were some unseen hands behind it but I keep saying that if those things had not happened, and especially if the commission had not been put in place, and a report officially there, which shows clearly I was audited by Ernst and Young… by the time I was leaving office, the World Cup money itself, which government gave to us, $4.444 million was left in the account,” he explained.
Prince Harry is connecting with military children who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
In honor of Remembrance Sunday, the Duke of Sussex penned a letter to Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a U.K. charity for bereaved military children and young people. Having lost his mother Princess Diana at age 12, Prince Harry said, “We share a bond even without ever meeting one another, because we share in having lost a parent. I know first-hand the pain and grief that comes with loss and want you to know that you are not alone.”
He continued, “While difficult feelings will come up today as we pay tribute to heroes like your mum or dad, I hope you can find comfort and strength in knowing that their love for you lives and shines on. Whenever you need a reminder of this, I encourage you to lean into your friends at Scotty’s Little Soldiers. One of the ways I’ve learned to cope has been through community and talking about my grief, and I couldn’t be more grateful and relieved that you have amazing people walking beside you throughout your journey. We all know some days are harder than others, but together those days are made easier.”
“Today and every day, I admire and respect all the men and women who have given their lives in service of us — especially those in your family,” Harry said. “I am also incredibly proud of you for being the best example in remembering them.”
On Sunday, 55 members of the Scotty’s Little Soldiers and their parents marched in the National Service of Remembrance parade in London, sporting yellow and black scarves.
“When you march together in today’s parade, wearing your yellow and black scarves, I know it will be hard, but equally important to do,” Prince Harry wrote. “Today you will bring new awareness to young people, just like you, who will benefit from this community of support. I salute you for serving others in need, in the most honourable memory of your parent.”
He signed the letter, “With my deepest respect, Harry.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers said on their website, “Prince Harry knows November can be a proud but emotional time for bereaved British Forces children, and he understands what it is like to experience the death of a parent. He has been involved with the charity for several years, and today he wrote this special letter for our members at Remembrance.”
Scotty member 14-year-old Samuel Hall, who was only 3 years old when his dad Lt Cdr Andrew Hall died by illness in 2012, said: “It’s comforting to know Prince Harry understands how we feel and cares about us. It was great to receive the letter. Remembrance is a difficult time and being with Scotty’s helps me and the other members know people are there for us.”
Georgia Paterson, a 14-year-old girl whose father Cpl Norman Stevenson died when she was 7 years old, said: “It’s amazing knowing someone as important as Prince Harry has reached out to us. To know he’s thinking about us and our parents means a lot. I feel able to relate to him as he understands what we have been through.”
The charity was set up by war widow Nikki Scott in 2010 following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan the previous year.
“We are so grateful to Prince Harry for his continued support,” Scott said in a statement. “Our members know that he truly understands what it’s like to grow up without a parent and it means so much to them to know his thoughts are with them. To receive his letter on Remembrance Sunday has given them a huge boost on a proud but difficult day.”
The Duke of Sussex met Nikki and some of the charity’s members at 2017’s Party at the Palace. When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, Scotty’s was selected as one of the charities to benefit from donations to mark the couple’s wedding.
Princess Diana and Prince Harry.Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty
Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, marked Veterans Day in the U.S. and Armistice Day in the U.K. on Friday by sharing a new post on their Archewell Foundation website. The couple shared a photo by Chris Allerton, their wedding photographer, where they face military personnel, including one holding an American flag.
“On this Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, we honor service members across the world,” they wrote. “These brave men and women, as well as their families, have made tremendous sacrifices and embody duty and service. We are proud to work with so many organizations that support veterans and military families, including: The Invictus Games Foundation, The Mission Continues, Team Rubicon, Scotty’s Little Soldiers and The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation. Today and every day, thank you for your service.”
Last year, Meghan and Prince Harry made a surprise visit to a New Jersey military base to mark Veterans Day after attending the 2021 Salute to Freedom gala at the Intrepid Museum in New York City. In a speech at the gala, Prince Harry discussed the isolation service members often feel when returning home and stressed the importance of supporting veterans.
“My experience in the military made me who I am today, and I will always be grateful for the people I got to serve with — wherever in the world we were,” said Harry, who served a decade in the British army and undertook two tours in Afghanistan. “But in war, you also see and experience things you hope no one else has to. These stay with us, sometimes like a slideshow of images.”
He went on to welcome the 2021 Intrepid Valor Award honorees, who he said “are part of an everlasting bond. You are part of the team of teams. And we will always have your backs. You are not alone.”
The Chief of Dompim Pepesa Tufo, a suburb of Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, Tufohene Nana Awuah Koanpong VII, has claimed that at least two of the forest reserves in his area are being used for illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).
According to him, his attempts to stop the menace have endangered his life as well as the lives of the people with whom he is fighting the galamseyers.
Nana Koanpong called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to support his efforts by deploying some law enforcement personnel to his community to help him stop the illegal miners.
“There is active galamsey going on in my area. There are five communities under Dompim. We have Bonsa, we have Biponekyei, and we also have Trebou. The galamsey is very prevalent in Bonsa and Trebou. Bonsa and Trebou have thick forests, and that is where the galamsey is taking place.
“When you are going to the forest at Trebou, you will see a community mining sign post, and we have President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, and the Deputy Minister of Lands, Mireku Duker, on the post.
“The ironic thing is that there is no land for this community mining in Trebou aside from the forest… there is another post there that says that this forest is not part of areas for community mining. But that is where the galamsey is taking place,” he said in Twi.
The Tufohene further stated that a community task force, he set up to fight the galamseyers were once stripped naked by people in military uniforms who were guiding the mines.
He added that if the government is serious about fighting galamsey it should come to his aid with the need force to stop it in his area.
Ghanaians say the government and ordinary citizens share responsibility for fighting climate change, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows. While fewer than half of citizens have heard of climate change, a majority of those who are aware of the phenomenon say it is making life in the country worse and requires urgent government action.
Citizens also call on other key stakeholders – including business and industry, developed countries, and ordinary citizens – to do a lot more to limit climate change.
Key findings
▪In Ghana, 44% of adults say they have heard of climate change (Figure 1).
▪ Among Ghanaians who are aware of climate change:
o Six out of 10 (60%) say it is making life worse, a 12-percentage-point increase since 2020 (Figure 2).
o More than three-fourths say that ordinary citizens can help curb climate change (77%) and believe that the government needs to take immediate action to limit climate change, even if it causes some job losses or other harm to the economy (87%) (Figure 3).
o Views are divided as to whether the government (43%) or ordinary citizens (42%) have the primary responsibility for fighting climate change and limiting its impact.
Far fewer place this responsibility mainly on business and industry (9%), rich or developed countries (3%), and traditional leaders (2%) (Figure 4).
o But a slim majority (53%) say the government is performing “fairly badly” or “very badly” in handling climate change (Figure 5).
o Strong majorities say the government (81%), business and industry (74%), developed countries (69%), and citizens (67%) “need to do a lot more” to limit climate change (Figure 6).
Afrobarometer surveys
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2022) are currently underway. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,369 adult Ghanaians in April 2022. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Previous surveys were conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019.
The NPP MP for Sekondi Constituency in the Western Region, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, has said that the Minority in Parliament is rehashing old and debunked allegations against the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Mr Mercer said the allegations of misreporting were first raised in May 2020, and rejected by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as being untrue.
He, therefore, wondered why the Minority would use the same issues as bases for a motion of censure against Mr Ofori-Atta.
The MP made the statement at the first hearing of the Ad Hoc Committee on the motion of censure brought against the Finance Minister.
Egyapa Mercer’s claim was also in response to Dr Cassiel Ato Forson’s presentation which was centred on the misreporting of the fiscal deficit, fiscal treatment of expenditures above or below the line and general public sector accounting.
The MP said the past Country Representative of the IMF, Dr Albert Touna Mama, had debunked the allegations on Joy News File in May when he was called to respond to them when first raised by Dr Forson.
“Indeed, the said Dr Touna Mama was the Country Representative of the IMF. He was called to respond to allegations on misreporting of figures that the Finance Ministry had presented to IMF and he said all the figures were known by the IMF and therefore it was untrue that there was misreporting,” Mr Mercer said.
Meanwhile, in May 2020, Dr Touna Mama said that whilst his outfit tried “as much as possible to stay out of debates” they felt compelled to clarify statements made by Fact Check Ghana concerning the $1 billion IMF COVID-19 relief fund to the government.
Fact Check Ghana, an affiliate of the Media Foundation for West Africa, through its website, stated that government of Ghana presented data to the IMF which was different from figures in the annual budgets for 2018 and 2019.
But speaking on Joy FM’s News File Programme in May 2020, the IMF Country Representative to Ghana, Dr. Albert Touna Mama suggested that Fact Check Ghana misrepresented the facts because the government was not the one that presented the figures that the IMF published in its statements as Fact Check Ghana reported.
The IMF Country Director explained that the difference in figures was as a result of a difference in the methodology of calculation, adding that the figure in fiscal deficit in their statement was a figure they generated themselves from the data government presented to them, having added financial and energy sector payments in line with their methodology, which is different from government’s methodology.
Earlier, Mr Ofori-Atta, asked the committee for a fair hearing.
He asked that he be furnished with the documents that they intended to rely upon, to execute the motion of censure initiated against him.
The minister’s lawyer, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, said the rules of natural justice and fair hearing required that the accused was not only heard but also necessarily be furnished with the documents that formed the bases of the allegations made against him.
The Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir Hammond, has stated that he has no idea of the current fuel prices as he does not have a car to buy fuel.
This was in response to Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, who sought to inquire from KT Hammond during the committee hearing on the motion of censure against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, whether he was aware of the current fuel prices.
Mr. K.T. Hammond, who is also a Chairman on the committee, in response said “I don’t buy fuel, I don’t have a car so I don’t buy fuel”.
Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, has appeared before the ad hoc committee to probe allegations in a vote of a censure motion against him.
The eight-member committee is to be co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (MP for Bolgatanga East) and KT Hammond (MP for Adansi-Asokwa). Members from the majority side include; Patrick Boamah, Andrew Agyapa Mercer (MP for Sekondi), and Kwame Anyimadu Antwi. Members from the minority include Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (MP for Korle Klottey), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP for North Tongu), and Bernard Ahiafor (MP for Akatsi South).
The committee is expected to submit a report within seven days.
Football fans travelling to the 2022 FIFA World Cup could be thrown in jail if they travel to Qatar with pork, porn or sex toys.
With less than a week to the start of the tournament, the United Kingdom government has published foreign travel advice pertaining to the World Cup.
The advice urges its nationals to respect all local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times in the Islamic country.
See a list of some dos and donts if you are travelling to Qatar;
Drugs
There is zero tolerance for drug-related offences in Qatar. The penalties for the use of, trafficking, smuggling and possession of drugs (even residual amounts) are severe. Punishment can include lengthy custodial sentences, heavy fines and deportation.
Many people transit via Hamad International Airport on their way to other destinations. The airport makes use of the latest security technology, all bags are scanned and transiting passengers carrying even residual amounts of drugs may be arrested.
Some prescribed and over-the-counter medicines may be controlled substances in Qatar. If you need to bring in controlled/prescription medication into Qatar, ensure you carry your official doctor’s prescription, hospital note or a letter from your GP, detailing the drug, the quantity prescribed and dosage. This note or letter should also be signed by the doctor/consultant and stamped by the hospital or surgery.
Alcohol
It is an offence to drink alcohol or be drunk in public. British nationals have been detained under this law, usually when they have come to the attention of the police on a related matter, such as disorderly or offensive behaviour. For example, drinking in a public place could result in a prison sentence of up to 6 months and/or a fine up to QAR3,000. Alcohol is available only at licensed hotel restaurants and bars, and expatriates living in Qatar can obtain alcohol on a permit system. Don’t carry alcohol around with you (except to take it on the day of collection from the warehouse to your home). The legal drinking age in Qatar is 21, and establishments serving alcohol will ask for original photo ID upon entry.
Offensive behaviour
Swearing and making rude gestures are considered obscene acts and offenders can be jailed and/or deported. Take particular care when dealing with the police and other officials.
Photography/media
Be aware of cultural sensitivities when filming or photographing people and religious, military or construction sites. Some visitors attempting to film or photograph in sensitive areas have been arrested. If in doubt, seek permission.
If you’re working as a journalist, you’ll need to get permission from the Qatar News Agency (QNA) to film or photograph as part of your work and enter the country on a visiting press permit. This permit will clear technical equipment like cameras through airport customs and provides other necessary information.
There are strict privacy laws in Qatar. Posting material (including videos and photographs) online that appear to insult, slander or are culturally insensitive, may be considered a crime punishable under Qatari law. Individuals have been detained, prosecuted and/or convicted for posting this type of material.
Importation of Goods
Importing drugs, alcohol, pornography, pork products and religious books and material into Qatar is illegal. All luggage is scanned at Hamad International Airport Arrivals Hall. DVDs and videos may be examined, censored and confiscated.
Qatar law also prohibits the importation, sale and purchase of electronic cigarettes, liquids and other similar products (eg electronic shisha pipes). The law applies regardless of quantity and intended use. Customs officials may seize and confiscate any such items found entering the country by any means, including in passengers’ luggage or sent by post.
Dress code
You should dress modestly when in public, including while driving. Women must cover their shoulders and avoid wearing short skirts. Both men and women are advised not to wear shorts or sleeveless tops, when going to government buildings, health care facilities or malls. If you do not dress modestly, you may be asked to leave or be denied entry to these locations.
Dressing modestly is especially important during the holy month of Ramadan.
Relationships outside of marriage
Any intimacy in public between men and women (including between teenagers) can lead to arrest.
Living together whilst unmarried is prohibited in Qatar, and sex outside of marriage, regardless of whether this is same sex couples or opposite sex couples, is illegal. This can lead to arrest and a potential court case where the judgement can include a fine, a custodial sentence and deportation once the sentence is complete. This is especially so where the behaviour has caused offence. See Local laws and customs page.
Due to the laws on sex outside marriage, if you become pregnant outside marriage, both you and your partner could face imprisonment and/or deportation. Doctors will ask for proof of marriage during ante-natal checks. An unmarried woman who gives birth in Qatar may also encounter problems when registering the birth of the child in Qatar, and could be arrested, imprisoned or deported. To get a birth certificate from the Qatari authorities, you must provide a marriage certificate and the authorities may compare the date of the marriage against the estimated date of conception.
LGBT
Homosexual behaviour is illegal in Qatar.
Financial crimes
Financial crimes, including fraud, giving somebody a cheque which bounces (including post-dated and ‘security cheques’) and non-payment of bills (for example hotel bills or car hire) can result in imprisonment and/or a fine and deportation in Qatar. Bank accounts and other assets may also be frozen. You may also be liable for cheques that you have signed on behalf of a company.
If you have unpaid loans or financial commitments you won’t be able to cancel your residence permit, and may find yourself subject to a travel ban which will prevent you from leaving Qatar including to go on holiday. All debts should be settled in full before you leave the country. Ask your bank for a certificate to confirm you have no outstanding debt once you have cleared the balance.
Equally, you may find that there is a block on your sponsorship which will prevent you from transferring to a new sponsor (employer) and any end of service benefits you may be entitled to could be used to offset the outstanding debt.
Deportation
Should you be found guilty of committing an offence, the State of Qatar reserves the right to issue an Administrative Deportation order. This is regardless of whether the judgement included deportation. If you are employed in Qatar this will obviously impact your employment and may affect your ability to return to Qatar in the future.
A 37-year-old mother of four, Donkor Margeret, is battling for her life at the Tamale Teaching Hospital after her husband inflicted machete wounds on all parts of her body for demanding her share of proceeds from the sale of their cocoa farm.
According to the victim, her husband sold their cocoa farm to relocate to Tatale with the family.
Before the sale of the farm, the husband reached an agreement with her to give her GH¢10,000 from the sale of the farm to start a business.
“He told me one day we needed to relocate to the village and that he was putting our farm out for sale and will give me GH¢10,000 as my share of the sale to start a business which I agreed.”
She said after 10 months of relocating to Tatale, and upon several demands for her share of the money, the husband failed to honor his side of the agreement and became abusive.
She narrates how her husband attacked her with a machete.
“I realized he has been making some secret calls after the money was paid to him and when I enquired, he got angry and locked me up in the room and started inflicting cutlass wounds on my body, saying he wanted to kill me so I don’t enjoy the money.”
She was rushed to the Tatale Polyclinic unconscious with blood oozing from all parts of her body.
Health officials at the Tatale Polyclinic who could not handle the situation immediately referred her to the Tamale Teaching Hospital, where she is currently receiving treatment.
She has since undergone surgery at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and responding well to treatment.
The incident, which was reported to the Tatale police, has since been referred to the Yendi Divisional Command for further investigation.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the Yendi Divisional Command to respond to the issue has since yielded no positive result.
According to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), as of August 2020, 31.9% of Ghanaian women have faced at least one form of domestic violence – physical, economic, psychological, social or sexual.
In February 2007, Ghana’s Parliament voted to enact the Domestic Violence Act (Act 732).
The efforts against domestic violence reflected the global momentum in pushing for women’s rights to be recognised.
This has prompted advocacy from Civil society organisations (CSOs), women’s rights organisations and international bodies.
These actions resulted in the Government of Ghana enacting a number of national laws to protect women’s rights and outlaw violence against women and girls.
Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has asked the Minority caucus in Parliament to furnish him with documents that they will rely upon to execute the motion of censure initiated against him.
This is according to the Minister’s lawyer, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who made the request on behalf of Ken Ofori-Atta on Tuesday morning when the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee commenced sitting to hear the motion.
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko said the rules of natural justice and fair hearing required that the accused was not only heard but was furnished with the documents that formed the bases of the allegations made against him.
He, therefore, insisted that the Minority, led by its Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, provide the documents to him and his client.
The request was met with hesitance from the Minority, who appeared unprepared and insisted that the documents were already in the public domain and did not have to be tendered.
Following a debate on the matter, co-Chairs of the Committee K.T. Hammond and Dr Dominic Ayine, ruled that the Minority presented the documents to the finance minister and the committee.
The documents were then subsequently listed.
Below are the seven-points for which the Minority want Ofori-Atta censured:
a. Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang
b. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral.
c. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.
d. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament.
e. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world
f. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis.
g. Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship.
The General Secretary of the United Front Party (UFP), Listowel Nana Kusi Poku, has praised the major opposition political party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for the successful regional elections it held across the country on Saturday, November 12, 2022.
Speaking in an XYZ TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Listowel Kusi-Poku said that the smoothness of the election shows that the NDC is ready for the December 7, 2022 polls and it (the NDC) will win the elections.
He, therefore, urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party government to start preparing their handover notes.
“The success of the elections the NDC held shows that Akufo-Addo and the NPP must start preparing to leave office if they have not started already. He (Akufo-Addo) should also reimburse all the monies he has stolen because we are going to chase him for it.
“So, he should start packing his things out of the Jubilee House,” he said in Twi.
At least 712 candidates contested for various regional executive positions in the NDC in all 16 regions of Ghana except the Bono East, Ahafo, and the Eastern Regions, where the elections were partially suspended.
The positions contested include those of chairman and vice chairman, secretary and deputy secretary, organizer and deputy organizer, treasurer and deputy treasurer.
The remaining positions are Communications Officer and Deputy, Women’s Organiser and Deputy, the Zongo Caucus Coordinator, Youth Organiser and Deputy Youth Organiser.
In the Greater Accra Region, Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore beat incumbent regional chairman Ade Coker to become the new chairman of the party.
The party is set to hold its national executive election on Saturday, December 17, 2022.
A National Youth Organiser aspirant for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Brogya Genfi, has called out the incumbent Organiser, George Opare Addo, and other leaders of the party for frustrating TEIN presidents during their just-ended regional elections.
In a statement, the aspirant indicated that the elections proved again that some leaders of the party do not treat members of the TEIN, the tertiary students’ wing of the NDC, well.
He explained that he was a victim of some of these ‘maltreatments.’
“I must observe that the elections although hugely successful, once again highlighted the continuous mistreatment and marginalisation of the intellectual wing of the party – the TEIN front. I personally witnessed this mistreatment in various incidents and reports that emanated from the Regions, and I join our teeming hard working TEIN youth in expressing our revulsion and total condemnation of same.
“Regrettably in a few regions, the TEIN fraternity was subjected to clear manipulation, intimidation and open abuse in the lead up and on the actual day of elections as they tried to exercise their franchise as a recognised outfit under the youth wing. We cannot reward the hard work of our TEIN leaders with this level of frustration,” he wrote.
Brogya Genfi added that he was particularly surprised that the National Youth Organiser of the part, George Opare Addo, was at the forefront of such unhealthy activities.
“The most unfortunate part of this whole spectacle was the fact that the National Youth Organizer of the NDC, George Opare Addo (who promised TEIN some few months ago that their voices will be heard at congress) was the main architect and mastermind who undermined the credibly approved and accredited TEIN institutions and tried to deny their voting rights. How could we be this unfair to the young people who on a daily basis put in the toil and hard work to project the party on various campuses?” he added.
He advised that the leadership of the party takes immediate steps to correct these anomalies so that it does not escalate and affect their fortunes in the future.
Read his full statement below:
THE DELIBERATE FRUSTRATION OF TEIN PRESIDENTS IN NDC YOUTH CONFERENCES IS SHAMEFUL AND UNACCEPTABLE.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), over the weekend successfully conducted Regional conferences to elect new regional leaders, including youth organisers in thirteen out of the sixteen regions of the country.
The spirit of comradeship that was displayed across the regions, and particularly, the positive energy of the youth convinced me beyond doubt that the NDC youth are poised to lead and drive the forward match of our great party back to the seat of government in 2024. I hereby seize this opportunity to congratulate all winners in the Regional youth elections and to wish all who did not win, better luck next time. Be rest assured that there will be a place for all of you under a leadership of courage and united purpose for our collective ultimate victory
Having said this, I must observe that the elections although hugely successful, once again highlighted the continuous mistreatment and marginalisation of the intellectual wing of the party – the TEIN front. I personally witnessed this mistreatment in various incidents and reports that emanated from the Regions, and I join our teeming hard working TEIN youth in expressing our revulsion and total condemnation of same.
Regrettably in a few regions, the TEIN fraternity was subjected to clear manipulation, intimidation and open abuse in the lead up and on the actual day of elections as they tried to exercise their franchise as a recognised outfit under the youth wing. We cannot reward the hard work of our TEIN leaders with this level of frustration.
The most unfortunate part of this whole spectacle was the fact that the National Youth Organizer of the NDC, George Opare Addo (who promised TEIN some few months ago that their voices will be heard at congress) was the main architect and mastermind who undermined the credibly approved and accredited TEIN institutions and tried to deny their voting rights. How could we be this unfair to the young people who on a daily basis put in the toil and hard work to project the party on various campuses?
There is however a window of opportunity for redemption, and it is my expectation that the right thing will be done this time around. As the party prepares to hold elections in three remaining Regional Youth Elections yet to be held, we must right the wrongs to avoid the ugly scenes we witnessed in the other regions where TEIN delegates were deliberately frustrated and prevented by an incumbent who should be representing their interest. This should present a golden opportunity for the party to restore hope in TEIN by adhering strictly to the FEC approved TEIN delegates list.
More importantly, the party must cease this opportunity to revive the lost hope and restore confidence in TEIN at the level of the upcoming National Youth Election. TEIN remains the production line of the party for breeding future leaders. All party leaders, elders and stakeholders must therefore rise to the occasion and join hands to fight off any repeated attempt to disenfranchise TEIN at the National Youth Conference. Suffice it to add that any such repeated attempt at the national level, will be mightily resisted.
It is my vision and solemn pledge to reposition TEIN to become a potent vehicle for mobilization for the party’s 2024 victory. The anticipated repositioning of TEIN will help mobilize first-time voters for the party, and serve as agents to secure the ballots at the polling stations. Therefore, any one or group of persons who are allowed to dampen the spirit of the TEIN front will be dealing the party a fatal blow as same will amount to handing a license to someone to hurt the NDC 2024 electoral fortunes, for their own parochial interest. Our victory in 2024 is non-negotiable and must not be toyed with.
A former Minister of Youth and Sports under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has stated that there was never such a thing as Guinea fowls flying out of Ghana.
According to him, the propaganda and exaggerations that have been told around the guinea fowls, which were part of the government’s Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) initiative, were all false.
Explaining a point to GhanaWeb TV’s Edward Smith Anamale on the Election Desk, the aspirant for the General Secretary position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said that they were all untruths.
“So, we actually restructured it but by then, the issues were already there but the focus was on those issues and of course, there were exaggerations; things like guinea fowls flying. There was nothing like that; absolutely nothing like that. Those were some of the exaggerations that occurred,” he explained.
The Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has expressed anger over some allegations levelled against him by a stalwart of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
According to the Member of Parliament for Suame, Mr Otchere-Darko has wrongly accused him of being the mastermind behind some NPP MPs demanding the sacking of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“From nowhere, we hear Gabby Otchere-Darko on his Asaase Radio accusing me of instigating what was happening, for what? What do I stand to gain from that?” he retorted.
Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Sompa Radio, the majority leader questioned the authority of the cousin of the finance minister for leveling such allegations against him.
“There are people who would rather want to cause disintegration while you are committed to integrating. But now this has brought about another sense of anger. That Gabby Otchere-Darko, who does he think he is? I serve Akufo-Addo, and I serve the party as well as the government… when we talk about the government itself, what is your locus standi to be accusing me of being an instigator?” the majority leader questioned.
The majority leader noted that it rather took his intervention to instill calm when a group of MPs in the NPP made public demands for the dismissal of the finance minister.
“With the way the thing started, if I had not been hinted at by a colleague to intervene, we would have been in a bad place. Today is November 15, and we were supposed to present the budget today, but we had to postpone to 24th because I realised we may not be prepared after studying the situation. I sat with the finance minister and agreed with him to postpone it. After doing this and you turn to accuse me of being an instigator, what if I decide to watch and let everything fall apart?” he stated.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who also doubles as the Minister for Parliamentary Business, further accused Gabby of sponsoring a contestant against him in the 2016 primaries of the NPP, noting that he failed in his agenda.
“You (Gabby) are the same person who wrote something for someone to publish on his radio station that I will lose if I contest for re-election, hence my saying that I will not contest again. Gabby Otchere-Darko, have you contested an election before? They are the same people who sponsored people to contest against me in 2016, it didn’t work for them.”
According to the majority leader, Gabby Otchere-Darko accused him of instigating calls for the finance minister’s sacking just so the leader of government business in parliament can be considered as a replacement for the under fire Ken Ofori-Atta.
There have been public calls for the sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta, with his critics citing him as responsible for Ghana’s current economic challenges.
In a recent press conference, NPP members in parliament demanded the minister’s dismissal, claiming that doing so would help restore confidence in the Ghanaian economy.
Their demand, however, is said to have been met by a request from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who asked that Ken Ofori-Atta be allowed to conclude Ghana’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
The president further demanded that the minister be allowed to present the 2023 budget before the demand for his removal may be considered.
The Koforidua Area Head of The Church of Pentecost Apostle Mike Kwame Etrue is hopeful that Ghana’s economy will bounce back strongly after the 3-day fasting and prayers by the Church.
According to Apostle Mike Etrue, Ghana will never plunge into disastrous economic crises and political instability like Sri Lanka, saying, the country’s economy is going to be restored unto the path of prosperity.
“In times of despair, there is only one hope. our hope is in the Lord. He will never fail our nation Ghana. Ghana will prosper. Ghana will succeed. Ghana will continue to be blessed. Ghana will move from grace to grace. Once we have petitioned God, fasted, and prayed God will surely answer our prayers and Ghana will enjoy peace. Ghana will be victorious out of this economic crises” Apostle Mike Etrue stated.
He continued “Ghana will never be like Sri Lanka Ghana will never be shaken. Ghana’s economy will not collapse. Ghana will stand tall. The table will turn and Ghana will enjoy peace.”
He said this at Central Terbenacle in Koforidua during Sunday service to climax the three-day fasting and prayers instituted by the Executive Council of the Church for divine intervention in Ghana’s economic crises.
Apostle Mike Etrue said the fasting and prayers had nothing to do with politics but in fulfillment of divine responsibility that in times of adversity and despondency, God is the only hope to change situation.
“We are not doing politics. We want to save Ghana.”
Using Ezra 8:21-23 as main text, Apostle Etrue said, Ezra, camped the Israelites for three-days to proclaim a fast in order to humble themselves before God and to pray for His protection and leading during a perilous journey.
Prayer was said for the manifold wisdom of God for the President, Ministers, CEOs, MMDCEs, and parliamentarians among others to manage the affairs of the country well.
“God should intervene in the IMF negotiation. The nation will surely change. God should grant President, MPs, and Ministers wisdom to manage the economy.”
The prosecuted former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, has challenged the authority of the trial Judge, Clemence Honyenuga, to hear the charges against him.
His Lordship Honyenuga was expected to have retired last September but had a six-month extension from the Chief Justice.
This extension by the Chief Justice, lawyers for Dr. Opuni argued, is unconstitutional and a usurpation of the powers of the President of the Republic.
They maintained that “the power to extend the tenure of a Supreme Court judge is not exercised by the Chief Justice, who is not the appointing authority.”
“The only person who can grant an extension to the tenure of your lordship as contained in article 145(4) is the President and not the Chief Justice”, Samuel Cudjoe argued.
Notwithstanding that the Chief Justice is the administrative head of the Judiciary, Mr Cudjoe submitted that the Chief Justice “cannot grant an extension to the tenure of a judge who has attained the mandatory constitutional retirement age.”
This position was, however, sharply contested by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, who described it as baseless in law.
“It is our case that the CJ has power under the 1992 Constitution to grant power to a Justice of the Superior Court to sit for a limited period of time”, she submitted.
Relying on articles 139(c) and 145(2)(a) and (4), the DPP argued that the Chief Justice not only had the authority to appoint Judges to Courts but to also give such limited extension to Judges due for retirement to enable them to complete cases commenced under them before their retirement age.
“In very simple terms, this means that your lordship on attaining the age of 70 years may continue in office for a period not exceeding six (6) months in relation to the case of Republic v Stephen Opuni, Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Ltd. that was commenced before you prior to your attainment of the age of 70.”
The DPP thus submitted that the question of who has the authority to grant the extension had been clearly answered by the Constitutional provisions cited.
Therefore, “no ambiguity or confusion as to whether it is the President or the Chief Justice who grants an extension to a Judge previously determining a case to continue with that matter for a limited period” could be raised.
The High Court presided by His Lordship Clemence Honyenuga dismissed the application and adjourned the case to November 16, 2022, for continuation.
“The Chief Justice as the Administrative Head of the Judiciary has the power under the Constitution to grant an extension to a retiring Judge.”
The second prosecution witness in the case of Aisha Huang has told the High Court in Accra that the Chinese galamsey queen used a forged marriage certificate and Ghanaian passport to gain an indefinite residence permit.
The witness, Superintendent of Immigration David Essien is attached to the Kumasi Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Immigration Service and has worked for the service for the past nine years.
He told the Court that Aisha Huang contracted a “supposed marriage to a Ghanaian known as Anthony Fabian”, based upon which she was granted the indefinite residence permit.
Investigations however revealed, according to Supt. Essien, that the documents were forged in her application for the permit.
The permit was consequently revoked by the Comptroller General of the Ghana Immigration Service on grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation.
This action, the witness told the court, was in accordance with section 22(2a) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
Aisha Huang was also subsequently repatriated on December 19, 2018; the witness told the Court.
The case has been adjourned to Tuesday, November 15, 2022, for lawyers for Aisha Huang to continue with their cross-examination.
