The Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives (PARDA), a non-governmental organisation engaged stakeholders on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as part of many activities under the ‘Power to Choose (P2C) Project’.
The dialogue aims to promote stronger stakeholder commitment to protecting and assisting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
It is also to highlight best practices and lessons learned for enhancing the response to SGBV. The meeting brought together GHS, GES, DOVVSU, NCCE, CHRAJ, and traditional, religious, and youth leaders.
Emmanuel Abazaami, the monitoring and evaluation officer of PARDA said, for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) issues to be properly addressed, it is imperative for community and district-level stakeholders to dialogue to spell out the real issues and possibly identify critical spots for collaboration.
This, he believes will improve stakeholder commitment to protecting people at risk and assisting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
“To meet our agenda, we need to involve stakeholders who are into sexual and reproductive health,” he said.
The seven-year project seeks to support individuals whose sexual and reproductive rights are most constrained (young people, especially adolescent girls and young women, unmarried people, and people living with disabilities in and out of school) to exercise and enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and related rights.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has underscored the need for members of the house to be educated on how motions are couched.
This comes after an objection raised by the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin against a motion of vote of censure on the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“We need to sit together, dialogue and exchange views on the constitution and standing orders for the practice and procedures of the house”, he said.
Alban Bagbin, further pushed the improvement of knowledge of members on the procedures of the house.
“Beyond that, we have the rulings of speakers and literature on the laws and customs of Parliament. The fact that the concept of democracy has remained the say of separation of powers and checks and balances, we need to have continuous education of these matters for us to play our role well.”
On Thursday, Alexander Afenyo-Markin raised an objection to a motion of a vote of censure filed against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The Minority in Parliament had filed the vote of censure against the Finance Minister citing seven reasons which include conflict of interest and fiscal recklessness leading to the sharp depreciation of the Ghana Cedi.
But speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mr. Afenyo-Markin argued that the reasons given by the Minority were unjustified, adding that the Minister of Finance has not been heard on the allegations.
“If you go through our order paper in this House, clearly committees bring reports, we submit applications and motions are advertised on their own. So a motion for a censure against the Finance Minister…Mr. Speaker, we should not forget that we are in a political space. The Minister has been condemned long before he is heard. The respondent in this application has been condemned with allegations, not facts. We all want a fair hearing.”
The first-ever sign language quiz competition has been held for basic schools in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality under the theme: Start Right; Nurturing our children For An Inclusive Society.
Sign language is the only medium through which the deaf community can communicate to themselves and the public, but unfortunately, quite a number of people worldwide do not understand sign language.
Organized by Silanem, a Sign Language and Music School in collaboration with Inclusive Tech Group, a non-profit making organization that is into the development of assistive technologies for the vulnerable in society, especially the disabled, to ensure inclusion in society, the quiz competition was to test the ability of pupils to interpret sign language.
The quiz competition started with lots of schools at the preliminary stage, with four schools; Namess International School, Deyounge School Complex, Daylight Preparatory School, and Holy Standard Academy qualifying for the final stage, which was held at the UMaT Mini Auditorium on October 12, 2022.
At the end of the competition, Holy Standard Academy came first, followed by Namess International School, Deyounge School Complex, and Daylight Preparatory school.
The Executive Director of Silanem, Richmond Baidoo, who congratulated the finalist for being the first schools to have participated in a sign language quiz in Ghana, said sign language is an important language everyone must learn in order to be able to communicate with the deaf, anytime they meet.
According to him, it was difficult introducing sign language to many schools within the municipality because those schools felt that they had deaf pupils in their schools, so there was no need for that.
He added that “sign language entails a lot not only the hand gestures but the parameters within which the person moves can also bring different meanings”.
Speaking in an interview, the Executive Director of Inclusive Tech Group, Dr. Mrs. Millicent Agangiba explained that sign language should be something everyone should desire to learn.
She stressed that though Inclusive Tech Group exists to promote inclusion through Technology, it is the understanding of the persons that determines what device to develop in order to help the disabled be included in societal transformation.
The Head of the Counseling Unit of UMaT, Mr. P.S Koffie, commended the organizers for putting up the quiz competition.
He called on the government to introduce sign language into the curriculum so that the deaf will also feel part of the community in which they live. This, he said, will also help those who can hear to interact with the deaf.
President Akufo-Addo says he is much aware of the difficulties Ghanaians are facing in the face of the current economic challenges.
Nana Akufo-Addo says government is working to mitigate the plight of the citizenry.
“I have seen the difficulties that our currency has been having. I have seen the difficulties and dramatic rise of price levels, significant rise in the cost of living and difficulties generally, in the manner the economy is rising”, he said.
Speaking to journalists at the Jubilee House, Nana Akufo-Addo said he will need the support of all.
“We have to understand that, all sectors and actors of the economy either on the side of management, labour and workers have to find a way of balancing the various considerations so that we can all progress and continue hopefully in building a stronger economy.”
Ghana’s economic indicators keep worsening.
The Ghana cedi for instance has seen a huge depreciation as it has lost close to 50 percent of its value since the beginning of the year.
Bloomberg has also rated the currency the worst-performing worldwide after considering a basket of 148 currencies worldwide.
Ghana’s inflation for September 2022 stands at 37.2 percent while Producer Price Inflation for the same month has risen to 45.5 percent putting majority of Ghanaians in a tight situation because their purchasing power keeps reducing amidst poor salaries.
Prices of food items are high, coupled with the increasing cost of transportation.
On the labour front, workers are demanding better working conditions. Manufacturers are also adopting ways to cut down on operations in the wake of these economic difficulties.
There are ongoing discussions between the government of Ghana and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a US$ 3 million bailout to salvage the economic downturn.
The President and his cabinet have begun a retreat to deliberate on the economy as government’s negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) nears completion.
The President for the past days engaged relevant stakeholders on how best torevive the economy.
Meanwhile, Nana Akufo-Addo will on Sunday, October 30, 2022, address the nation on the current economic situation in the country.
Former President, John Dramani Mahama says the construction of the National Cathedral Project can longer be a top priority, given the existing cost of living crisis in the country.
He maintains, no further attempts must be made to continue committing public funds and the little state resources to the project in these crucial times.
“The public funding of the national cathedral, particularly at this time, must stop”, the former President said.
John Mahama whilst making reference to his Christian values emphasized that resources should rather be channelled to revive the ailing economy, adding that funds already pumped into the construction works should also be subjected to value for money audit.
“Being a Christian myself, and deeply appreciative of the centrality of God in nation building, I agree with most Ghanaians who believe that the project cannot constitute a top priority of government at this moment, warranting further injection of scarce public funds.”
“Because of the non-transparency of the procurements associated with the project, I believe that the project should be subjected to a value-for-money audit in other to open the way for believers who wish to contribute to its construction to do so”, Mr. Mahama added.
John Mahama was delivering a speech themed, ‘Building the Ghana we want’ at the University of Professional Studies, Accra on Thursday, October 27, 2022.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is still unwavering in his resolve to build a National Cathedral in Ghana.
“We will surely build the [National] Cathedral,” President Akufo-Addo stressed.
For him, the project is dear to his heart and will ensure that the facility is built to glorify God despite the tough times.
He insisted that the Cathedral is a “priority among priorities”.
“Though the economic hardships are having a toll on Ghanaians, I am very optimistic that things will get better, adding that “these challenges too will pass.”
Recently, a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project, Rev. Joyce Aryee, said she is optimistic Ghana’s economic crisis will not stop donations to the project.
At a press conference to announce a call centre for Ghanaians to seek answers on the project such as how to make donations, Rev. Aryee, said she did not expect the economic hardship to persist in the long term.
Construction work on the National Cathedral was suspended because of a lack of funds.
The $450 million project was envisioned by the government in March 2017 as a physical embodiment of national unity, harmony, and spirituality.
It remains unclear how much has been pumped into the project from donations and government support.
As of June 2022, various church denominations had contributed GH¢2.21 million towards the construction.
The Member of Parliament for the Talensi constituency, Benson Tongo Baba, plans to push for answers on the delayed Pwalugu Multipurpose dam project sometime next year.
Commenting on concerns that the $993 million project has been abandoned, the MP said there were plans in place to formally visit the project site.
Following this, he said they will try to seek answers from the relevant ministers in Parliament.
“We will definitely go there after the budget presentation by the Minister of Finance, this year,” Mr. Baba said on Eyewitness News.
“Early next year, we will take appropriate action to drag either the Minister of Agriculture or the Ministry of Finance to respond to questions in Parliament as to why the project has come to a standstill.”
The MP was speaking after some farmers in the Upper East and North East Regions protested at Nalerigu to demand the acceleration of the project.
The protesting farmers were led by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana.
Dr. Charles Nyaaba, the Executive Director of the association, called for the Vice President to intervene in the matter.
“We are calling on Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, who is a son of the land, to lead this campaign. We are actually supporting him to ensure that as part of the IMF negotiations, money is allocated and provision is made for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam.”
Some aggrieved National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives and aspirants in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency have accused the incumbent constituency leadership of the party of conniving with other agencies to rig the just-ended constituency election.
They are pointing accusing fingers at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) constituency chairman, the Electoral Commission, NDC electoral committee and police for bullying their way through the election.
The members claim the elections were conducted in an unfair and unjust manner to enable the current leadership to stay in power.
“Some executives are threatening to withdraw their services, others are threatening to resign from their positions. We will not allow their overwhelming shouts of change to be silenced,” said Joshua Essel, one of the disgruntled aspirants.
Speaking at a press conference, Joshua Essel assured party members in the constituency that steps will be taken to annul the results.
“As leaders who believe in the rule of law, we have taken action and addressed the appropriate quarters. We seek redress and the total annulment of the elections because it was nothing but fraud. The election was fraught with many irregularities, illegalities and thievery”.
The leadership of the association says members are not happy over what they say are unfavourable policies by the Medical and Dental Council and demanded a new body to supervise and manage their affairs.
President of the Association, Emmanuel Appiah, says leadership is facing intense pressure from members for an exit from the Medical and Dental Council.
“There is huge pressure on leadership because of the kind of things the regulator has done, so there is nothing members understand. Anything you say, members push it out. We asked members to cooperate because we told them there is a new face of the Council, but it got the members annoyed, so they trust the Council again because they feel it is not ready to help the profession and for that matter, we need an exit from the Council”, he expressed.
Mr. Appiah who spoke at the Association’s 19th Annual General Conference in Kumasi said the government and the Ministry of Health have continuously ignored demands to grant financial clearance for over 800 qualified Physician Assistants who are currently without jobs.
“Now there are those who have completed schools and have passed the Council’s exams. The Prescribers are needed at the facilities but we don’t get them there because they do not have the financial clearance. So government must set its eyes in that regard because the employment is frustrating.”
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said the cedi appreciation is due to the calls for the removal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, since the minority filed a motion to have Ken Ofori-Atta removed, Ghanaians have regained confidence that action has been taken to curb the economic crisis.
“Because of this motion, you know what has happened to the state of our Cedi. Just because people are given confidence that action is being taken, the Cedi gained some value, and parliament should be commended. It climbed from about 16 to a dollar to around 13, which is a serious gain for this country, and it’s because there is some confidence being given to the people that action is being taken to rectify the wrongs. Please let’s play our role properly and effectively, and at the end of the day, we’ll all benefit,” he told MPs on Thursday.
On October 27, the speaker of parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin admitted the minority’s Censure Motion filed against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
This comes after Members of Parliament on the Minority side signed their signatories to a motion for a vote of censure on Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, filed on Monday.
The Minority cites the overall mismanagement of the economy and ethical concerns, among others.
The motion was filed a day before Parliament resumed recess.
The admission of the motion is contained in the Order Paper of Parliament, issued on Thursday, October 27, 2022.
The House is expected to organize “a secret vote” to censure the Minister. This is scheduled for November 10, 2022.
The Member of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs demanding the dismissal of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has said that had it not been for the Coronavirus and the Russia-Ukraine war, the minister would have been one of the most glorified ministers in the sub-region.
In the view of the MP, who is the Chairman of the Health Committee of Parliament, Ken Ofori-Atta has performed wonderfully, insisting that the growth of the economy and the direction of the economy was on the right trajectory before the global disasters.
He, however, said that in spite of the wonderful work the finance minister has done on the economy, Ghanaians are going through difficult times, the reason for which there is a push for his dismissal.
Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye also likened Ghanaians to the Israelites of the biblical times, when they rejected God any time they went through difficulties.
He added that although the MPs acknowledge Ken Ofori-Atta’s sterling performance, they are only acting upon the instruction of their constituents.
“We represent the people and we must act upon their demand. But for COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War, I am sure Ken would have been one of the most glorified ministers in Africa because the growth of the economy and the direction of the economy was on the right trajectory.
“Working with people is difficult because when things are going well, they won’t complain, but the moment things get difficult, they forget all the good works you have done for them. It’s just like how ungrateful the Israelites were to God in spite of all the things God did for them. In difficult times, they rejected God even to the extent of worshiping idols.
“So, the only way to satisfy our constituents is to act upon their demand of getting Ken Ofori-Atta sacked. They won’t listen to anything you tell them,” he told the Morning show host of Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV, Kwesi Parker-Wilson, in an interview.
He also added that if there are signs of economic recovery, they (the MPs) will abandon the call for the dismissal of the finance minister.
“Yes, we acceded to the president’s appeal so if after the 3 weeks, the economy is doing well, and everyone is talking about it we won’t push through with demand for his dismissal,” he added.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Oforikrom constituency, Ashanti Region, Dr Emmanuel Marfo in his opinion believes the Majority Caucus were in a haste to suspend their request for Ken Ofori-Atta’s dismissal.
The MP in a Facebook post on Thursday, October 27, 2022 stated that,” I read the Statement by the NPP caucus in response to the President’s plea for more time with lots of concern. I do not fully agree with it and perhaps would have been better to say we have taken all concerns on board and will do what will be in the best interest of the political and economic stability of our country”.
On Tuesday, October 25, 2022, some Members of Parliament who are part of the Majority Caucus called for the immediate dismissal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, as well as the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen.
They argued that relieving the duo of their duties will aid in fixing Ghana’s struggling economy, which has been plagued by rising inflation and debt.
In light of this, President Akufo-Addo met with the dissatisfied legislators and demanded that the Finance Minister conclude Ghana’s negotiations with the IMF and submit the 2023 Budget Statement to Parliament.
Briefly after the interaction, the Majority Caucus in a statement dated Wednesday, October 26, noted that after deliberation among members, it will withhold its current demands.
Read Dr Emmanuel Marfo’s Statement here:
*DR. EMMANUEL MARFO (MP) writes:*
Statement by the Majority caucus in Parliament on call for sacking Finance Ministers
I read the Statement by the NPP caucus in response to the President’s plea for more time with lots of concern. I do not fully agree with it and perhaps would have been better to say we have taken all concerns on board and will do what will be in the best interest of the political and economic stability of our country.
I think the turn of events post the press conference begs for some questions in order to come to a conclusion whether the action was needed in the first place. Was the grievance of the 80 MPs and their subsequent action well communicated to the leadership of the Party and the Caucus? Did the Caucus leadership communicate to the President? Did the President provide a response consistent with his plea to leadership? Did leadership convey the President’s response to the concerned MPs or the Caucus?
In effect I am asking whether there was effective engagement within us. If indeed there was, and one may say the President was ‘recalcitrant’ then the press statement may be justified, if not, then perhaps in my humble view, the press Statement was too early.
However, we are made to believe that the sentiments were rightly conveyed to the President and that his response was unfavourable to the concerns of the MPs. In that case, I dont think the MPs, and now the caucus, should have backed down on our demands. Why? Because for MPs in a ruling Party to come to a point of going public to demand of their President to sack an appointee, and no less an appointee than a Finance Minister, a lot of public pressure, political and intellectual thinking and and assessment MUST have gone into that decision.
Securing public and perhaps Party interest must have been stretched beyond its elastic limit and that nothing should stop them from going back. The MPs must have reached a point where the die is cast and that no amount of words were going to stop the crossing of Rubicon. It must be the point of no return and here the words of Sun Tzu come to mind “he will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” Now the cake is half-baked, you cannot eat it, you can’t throw it away!
In any case, I think the response in the Statement, especially the condition that the President must sack them after the IMF and budget assignments, will even worsen the plight of the President, politically-speaking because he has been put in a very tight corner; indeed between the devil and the deep blue sea. If we were going to listen to the President’s plea, then my view is that we should not have given him any conditions and allow events to take their natural course. And indeed, if I were Ken or Charles, perhaps this is the time to have honourably resigned. Why? Because we seem to have passed a death sentence on them and that regardless of what they will do, we are only waiting for the clock to tick, just to wait for their day of cruxificion. Wow!! This is most unfair, to say the least. How would they be in the right frame of emotional, pyschological and intellectual mind to execute the very critical job for which we have been begged to wait till completed? Are we looking for quality output or just to tick the check box that a job is done?
In any case, I cannot also stand for the Statement because it defeats, fundamentally, the very principle for which we called for the cruxificion. Are we saying that regardless of the Ken-led IMF negotation, a role I dont support anyway, or how good his 2023 budget will look like, he must still go? If that is so, and indeed as the statement suggests, then we have already declared no hope in their competence and that nothing good can come from Nazareth. If indeed that is our fatal hope and expectation, then I beg to suggest that there is no need to waste any further time on these gentlemen, they must go! However, the flip side is, if for any reason, they deliver a good IMF programme and a great budget to our satisfaction, would we still insist they go? One may say, of course not but then we would have already created the fertile conditions for their dismissal by the ‘agreement’ in our Statement.
The President, and indeed all of us majority MPs, will come under immense pressure, especially when the press Statement has received immense public applause.
In summary, I think if we really came to a point of going public, then nothing should have stopped us for standing on our demands. If we were going to yield, then we should not have given any conditions to the President. Afterall, it cannot be the case that the 80 MPs did not know that Ken was busy leading an IMF negotation and that he was busy preparing the 2023 budget. It cannot be that the MPs did not contemplate the consequences of our demand on these ongoing assignments.
For me it is a zero-sum game, this symbolic win-win semblance will come back to bite us. Mark my words! He who fights and run away, lives to fight another day-Bob Marley
I like the slogan of an insurance advert, if it must be done, it must be done well. If Ken and Charles must go, they must go now, else lets forever hold our peace and pray for something good to come from Nazareth. The Parliamentary group is a very powerful, respectable and honourable arm of our Party. Next time, when we have to leap, we must weigh and watch and when we leap in the glare of the public, we must never return to base. Before we speak, we must have come to a point of no surrender, less we make mockery of ourselves. This is politics, Selah!
The Assemblyman for Denkyira Obuasi, William Baah, who is standing trial together with 13 others for their respective roles in the lynching of Major Maxwell Mahama, has said he did not order the killing of the young military officer.
William Baah, who is the first accused person, also told the Court that the late Major Mahama “did not give me a chance to find out who he was.”
The Assemblyman, who is also a teacher and referred to by many as Misty, has denied the charge of abetment, with the 13 others also pleading not guilty to the charges of conspiracy and murder.
Mounting his defence to the charge of abetment, William Baah told the High Court in Accra that he tried to know major Mahama’s mission in the town, but he “pointed a gun at me.”
Being led by his lawyer George Bernard Shaw to give his Evidence-in-Chief, William Baah said his responsibility as an Assemblyman is to protect lives in the area, including “strangers.”
“I am in Assemblyman for Denkyira Obuasi. It is my responsibility to protect the lives of the people in the community and even strangers,” he told the Court.
“It is not my intention to harm anyone, and when the incident happened, I tried to go and ask the victim (Major Mahama) who he was and what his mission in the town was.
“Since he did not give me the chance to find out who he was but rather pointed a gun at me, I had no option than to go to the police station to report for the police to come for him,” the accused told the Court.
According to him, “as at the time I was going to the police station, no one had touched the victim or abused him verbally.”
No order to murder
“What I have been charged with by the police is that I have abetted the killing of the deceased. I did not order anyone to use a stick or gun to murder the deceased.
He added that “When I was going there, I was not holding any stick or cutlass or gun” and “since I was born, till I got to JHS level, I have never gotten into a fight before, and I had never seen my parents fighting.”
The accused also told the Court that “it would be very difficult for me as an assemblyman to incite people to pick up weapons to attack any person and kill that person.”
He concluded his Evidence-in-Chief, saying “I do not know anything about what I have been charged with.”
Call to Police Commander
William Baah had told the Court that, after he had made enquiries about where the gun major Mahama was holding after the incident, he called the police commander.
“I called the Police Commander, and I told him I have been trying to reach him on the phone but have not been able to get through to him, and I told him what had happened.”
The Police Commander he said confirmed to him that the person had died after he was conveyed to the hospital.
He told the Court that, after the crowd at the crime scene had cleared, he left back to school.
Fear and panic
William Baah also told the Court that a friend of his at Diaso called and informed him that he had heard that the person who died was a soldier.
This information, he said, led to some of the people in the town running away.
Explaining to the Court why the people were running away, he said, “in the beginning, they thought they had killed an armed robber, but when they heard that the victim was a soldier, they panicked and started to run away.
Commander advised me to go into hiding
“I called the police commander on phone and talked with him, and he told me now that it had been confirmed that the victim was a soldier, and they had come to his office.”
He added: “I asked him what would be done now and when the soldiers come to the town, they wouldn’t know who is who, so I should go into hiding for now.
“So, I left that town and went to a town called Ampa Abena in the Diaso District.”
He told the Court that he stayed at Ampa Abena for two days, but upon hearing his name mentioned on the radio, that he had run away and the police were looking for him for investigation, he called the Commander and disclosed his location, and they came for him.
Time with the Police
He told the Court that, after he was picked from his location, he was taken to the Cape Coast Police Station and interrogated.
He told the Court that, after interrogation, they took him to Police Headquarters handcuffed.
“They handcuffed me and made me sit at the edge of the seat with my toes suspended, and I was shaking, and anytime I try sitting properly, they scold me that we have killed a soldier.”
Statements, video
He also told the Court that he moved to another office after telling him that some people had come, and “they showed me a video of what had happened, and they asked me to show them where I was standing and the dress I was wearing.”
He said when he was brought back to the Cape Coast Police headquarters, some of the things that he said were not captured in his statement.
“After my statement was taken, it was read back to me, and I realised I said some things that were not taken down, so I told him (officer), so he slammed his hand on the table, and I panicked.”
He added that the officer told him, “I was not the one to show him how to do his work.”
The Court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, a Justice of the Supreme Court sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, has adjourned the sitting to October 31 for further Cross Examination.
Background
The late Major Mahama of the 5th Infantry Battalion, Burma Camp, Accra, was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi, and on May 29, 2017, some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him.
The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The Assembly Member and 13 others are still in prison custody after they pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime, murder, abetment of crime and other charges.
They are Baah, Bernard Asamoah, alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame,a.k.a Abortion, AkwasiBoah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo.
The Bank of Ghana has revoked the license of the Airport City Forex Bureau within the Atlantic Tower building and Trade House Forex Bureau Ltd, a popular forex bureau at the Marina Mall.
The closure follows the failure of the operators to issue receipts and the breaching of Foreign Exchange laws in the country.
The two forex bureaus are under the same ownership and were detected by a mystery shopping exercise by the central bank.
The Head of Other Financial Institutions Supervision department of the Central Bank, Yaw Sarpong, noted that they were not issuing electronic receipts and not requesting valid proof of identity.
Mr. Sarpong said the “two bureaus on several occasions have been found not to be complying.”
“The way they set their prices are detrimental and we think that the licenses of the two bureaus have to be revoked,” he added.
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) will offer five full university scholarships to five outstanding contestants of the just-ended 2022 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ).
As a supporting sponsor of the contest, GNPC will provide the scholarship package as part of the academic scholarships to be awarded to the outstanding contestants of the grand finale of the 2022 edition of the NSMQ.
Five of the nine contestants who competed in the National Science and Maths Quiz grand finale will receive the Full Scholarship, which covers tuition, accommodation, living expenses, learning materials, as well as Book Allowance and Dissertation/Project Allowance.
The chief executive officer of the Corporation, Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah an alumnus and former contestant of the National Science and Maths Quiz for the Presbyterian Boys Senior High School speaking at the closing ceremony of the competition at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology underscored the corporation’s commitment to maximizing local participation in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. (STEM)
“Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), as the national oil company (NOC), recognizes the urgent need to maximize local content and local participation for the people of Ghana, through developing expertise in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) within the value chain, for job creation.”
According to him, the National Science and Maths Quiz has proven to be a good project over the years through its promotion of STEM education, hence the GNPC’s decision to sponsor the competition.
“Indeed, the NMSQ is a good project, and that is why the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has decided to join in promoting the study of Science and Maths, which is the bedrock of our very existence as a society. Today, every thriving society is making huge investments in the study and promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).”
The chief executive officer of GNPC further appreciated the organisers of the competition-Prime Time limited, for sustaining the programme for close to three decades while churning out great leaders through the contest.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank the management of Primetime production for having sustained this project for the past 29 years. Next year will be three (3) decades of the National Science and Maths Quiz, one whole generation of patronizing the backbone of the country.”
The Presbyterian Boys Senior High School won the 2022 National Science and Maths Quiz, thus becoming the competition’s seven-time winner.
Presbyterian Boys’ SHS won the competition in the final round surprising the students from Prempeh College, who had led in previous rounds.
At the end of the contest, the Presbyterian Boys SHS had 50 points, while Prempeh College garnered 41 points with Adisadel College ending the contest with 32 points.
A national chairman hopeful on the ticket of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nii Armah Ashitey, is urging the rank and file of the party to unite and challenge the governing New Patriotic Party’s ‘Break the Eight’ mantra in 2024.
“We can alone break the NPP’s break the eight mantra if we solidly unite for a purpose,” he rallied.
The former NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Klottey Korley Constituency in the Greater Accra Region made this comment speaking in an interview with Emmanuel Quarshie (The Hitman), host of the Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, October 27 2022.
“Unless the NDC unites after the elections that it can devise a strategy to break the NPP’s quest to break the eight,” he said.
“It is incumbent on the winners in the last elections to reach out to the losers in last Saturday’s Constituency elections to achieve the purpose of breaking the NPP’s break eight,” he added.
“Unfortunately, as a party, we have not taken any interest in the NPP’s mantra to break the eight but we can break the NPP’s quest to break the eight,” Mr Ashitey bemoaned.
“I have always shied away from scoring the president on his performance because he has failed on all cylinders,” he noted.
He added that NPP has failed to give Ghanaians hope by not bringing the needed change in the country.
“Ghanaians have had enough of the bad governance of president Akufo-Addo,” he put forth.
The former Minister of Manpower and Labour Relations said Ghana as a nation, ‘we have it all but we have not been able to fix the problems of the country because all economic measures being churned out favour foreigners in the country.”
He called for the need for Ghana to domesticate its economic gains.
The man who is a lawyer by profession said he had worked in various capacities within the rank and file of the party hence he is capable to lead the party as a national chairman.
“I’m ready to share my experience in the leadership of the party” he said, adding that the NDC has a problem because it lost elections in 2016 and in 2020.
A comprehensive report that looked at equity and governance as far as the distribution of Coronavirus vaccines are concerned in Ghana has been launched.
Titled “Monitoring Compliance of Ghana’s National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) and Citizens’ COVID-19 Vaccination Experience,” the SEND GHANA report assessed compliance of Ghana’s National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) and the equitable uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines.
With a focus on how health workers and teachers in particular adhered to the protocols set out for the vaccination of Ghanaians, the report found that many people were satisfied with the processes and had little complains.
Speaking to the media right after the report was launched in Accra, the Deputy Country Director of SEND GHANA, Dr. Emmanuel Ayifah, explained that the challenges from the global impacts of the novel Coronavirus influenced this report.
“All of us know that 2020 was a bad year globally because of COVID, and Ghana as a country put in place certain measures to contain the spread of the virus. One key thing that was done, of course, was vaccination.
“So, what SEND GHANA, in partnership with PTF did, was to monitor the COVID vaccinations. We have what is called the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP), which is protocol that has to be followed, and so we sought to monitor to see to what extent health personnel at vaccination centers were actually following NDVP.
“Another was also to assess citizens who have gone to vaccinate, their experiences as to how the vaccination went; whether they were satisfied or otherwise, and once we did that, we also had to focus on certain specific groups: health workers and teachers,” he said.
He also explained that it had been established, from the report, that many beneficiaries of the vaccination in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions (where the findings were done), were averagely satisfied with the professionalism of health workers.
“You remember that during the COVID, health workers and teachers were prioritized in terms of vaccination. So, we wanted to also find out to what extent the vaccination did well. What we established, in terms of the findings and some key recommendations, was that generally, citizens we interviewed during the exit interview session, were very satisfied as far as COVID vaccination was concerned,” he added.
Dr. Emmanuel Ayifah further said that from the findings in this report, SEND GHANA has recommended to the Ghana Health Service to employ the use of a messaging strategy that aims at protecting people’s families and friends.
He said that with such a strategy, more people, like they did during the vaccination for the COVID-19, would be willing to participate.
The SEND GHANA report was done with funding support from the Partnership for Transparency Fund (TFP).
The report also looked at an assessment of citizens experiences, opinions and motivations for vaccinations; vaccination uptake among prioritized groups using data from COVID-19 vaccination database; the adherence to vaccination safety protocols; the distribution of cold chain and logistics; as well as the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among health workers and teachers.
The report also focused on eight districts in the Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions (four for each) and involved exit interviews from a total of 677 people between the ages of 20 and 60 plus years.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi, has insisted that his party, the New Patriotic Party, are better managers of Ghana’s economy compared to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking in an interview on TV3, which GhanaWeb monitored, Okyere Baafi said that if the NDC were the handlers of the economy in these difficult times, Ghanaians would be suffering so much that they would have to resort to selling people to make a living.
“When we say people have the men to govern, have the ideas to govern, it is even out of place to compare the NDC and the NPP. I don’t stand to be corrected. How do you say that? It is completely out of place.
“You cannot situate this at any given talk or conversation. What were you (the NDC) able to do? As a matter of fact, I am telling you with confidence that if you people were to be in power by this time, people will be selling human beings on the street of Ghana… It is a statement of fact that I’m making to you,” he said.
Okyere Baafi, who is the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, also refuted assertions by the NDC that Ghanaians are facing a lot of challenges because the Akufo-Addo government does not listen.
According to him, the advice given to the government by the opposition NDC are out of bad will.
“The mindset (of the opposition), the spirit behind the talk is not clear. It doesn’t seem good. It is not honest,” he added.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has faulted the Supreme Court for delivering judgment in a matter the legislature was a party to without giving it a hearing.
According to Alban Bagbin, he “had no knowledge about the suit.”
He made this comment in Parliament on Thursday, October 27, 2022.
In July 2022, the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional the law on granting licence to grow cannabis, popularly known as ‘wee’ in small quantities for industrial and medicinal purposes.
Section 43 of Act 1019 of the Narcotics Commission Act stipulates that “the Minister on the recommendation of the Commission, may grant a licence for the cultivation of cannabis popularly referred to as “wee” in Ghana, which is not more than 0.3 % THC content on a dry weight basis for industrial purposes for obtaining fibre or seed for medicinal purposes.”
However, the Apex court in a 4-3 majority decision on July 28 annulled Section 43 of Act 1019 and declared that it is a violation of Article 106 of the 1992 constitution.
But the Speaker has faulted the court saying although Parliament was a party to the suit, they were not granted hearing on the matter.
He insists that the fact that the ruling affected portions of the law is what even makes the implications dire.
“Yet, judgment was delivered by the Supreme Court in which a section of a law we passed was struck out as unconstitutional. If the speaker is a party to a suit, at least the speaker should be served. There was no service,” he said.
The Justices who ruled for the majority decision were; Justices Jones Dotse, Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi while Justices Nene Amegatcher, Prof Nii Ashie Kotey and Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu disagreed.
The case was brought before the Apex Court by one Ezuame Mannan against the Attorney-General.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin says the Cedi has gained some value against the US dollar following moves in parliament to remove Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.
According to him, the action being taken by the minority concerning a motion for a vote of censure against Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, has begun restoring some level of confidence in the Ghanaian economy.
“Because of this motion, you know what has happened to the state of our Cedi. Just because people are given confidence that action is being taken, the Cedi gained some value, and parliament should be commended. It climbed from about 16 to a dollar to around 13, that is a serious gain for this country, and it’s because there is some confidence being given to the people that action is being taken to rectify the wrongs. Please let’s play our role properly and effectively, and at the end of the day, we’ll all benefit,” he told MPs on Thursday.
Meanwhile, he thanked the Deputy Majority Leader, Afenyo Markin, for drawing the attention of the House with regard to the proper procedure in filing the motion for a vote of censure against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
“You’ve done well by drawing our attention, but I think the proper thing has been done, and we should leave it as it is. I know as we keep on jaw-jawing, we’ll do what is proper in this House.”
The deputy majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had argued that the minority MPs failed to attach evidence to the motion to back their claims.
“Mr. Speaker, I beg to submit that the legal grounds or grounds for submission are not embedded in the motion. I am saying that Mr. Speaker, the motion is supposed to be advertised; that is what the constitution says. The constitution is not saying that you should accompany it with allegations as part of the motion; that is my contention. And if they beg to disagree, they should say so for the records to capture. And if there is any other provision that perhaps I have not read which allows you to state allegations, not fact, to support your motion, they should again draw my attention; we are here to learn. I’m not ashamed if I get it wrong, and I’m corrected. Mr. Speaker, I so submit.”
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu however, rubbished the claim arguing there’s enough evidence to impeach Ken Ofori-Atta.
“We have made reference to constitutional provisions of Article 178, 176, and 82. Mr. Speaker to demonstrate with facts on this floor that the Minister is in breach of the law apart from the fact that he’s trashed the Ghanaian economy, we’ll do so. You cannot question the competence of the Speaker in admitting the motion. And we have not given you any fact, we are only giving you headlines of the matters to which we’ll lead with evidence.”
Background
Members of Parliament on the Minority side have tabled a motion for a vote of censure on Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, filed on Monday.
The minority cites the gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship among others.
The motion was filed a day before parliament resumed from recess.
The majority in parliament wants the motion for censure against finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta thrown out for want of evidence.
Speaking on the floor, the deputy majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, argued the minority MPs failed to attach evidence to the motion to back their claims.
“Mr. Speaker, I beg to submit that the legal grounds or grounds for submission are not embedded in the motion. I am saying that Mr. Speaker, the motion is supposed to be advertised; that is what the constitution says. The constitution is not saying that you should accompany it with allegations as part of the motion; that is my contention. And if they beg to disagree, they should say so for the records to capture. And if there is any other provision that perhaps I have not read which allows you to state allegations, not facts, to support your motion, they should again draw my attention; we are here to learn. I’m not ashamed if I get it wrong, and I’m corrected. Mr. Speaker, I so submit.”
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu however, rubbished the claim arguing there’s enough evidence to impeach Ken Ofori-Atta.
“We have made reference to constitutional provisions of Articles 178, 176, and 82. Mr. Speaker, to demonstrate with facts on this floor that the Minister is in breach of the law apart from the fact that he’s trashed the Ghanaian economy, we’ll do so. You cannot question the competence of the Speaker in admitting the motion. And we have not given you any facts; we are only giving you headlines of the matters to which we’ll lead with evidence. Mr. Speaker, our evidence will be in the category ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt’ – that the Ghanaian economy is a trashed economy, the cedi worst performing currency in the world.
“You have done what is constitutionally right. I expect him to be assuring me that his side will support this, and by consensus, we save this country. We need to save this country, save its businesses. Businesses are collapsing, industry is collapsing, the Ghanaian citizens are reeling under unprecedented hardships. That must be your concern. We are invoking provisions of the constitution.”
The Aspiring General secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Peter Buamah Otukonor has revealed that the NDC will do everything possible to win the 2020 general elections.
According to him, the 2024 elections will be a ‘do or die affair’ as they will not let history to repeat itself.
In an interview with GhanaWeb, he said they don’t expect the NPP to repeat whatever they did in the 2020 elections.
“(2024 elections) do or die it will certainly be because we can not afford to stand a minute with this incompetent and clueless government. Most importantly and particularly too, on behalf of the people of this country, we cannot tolerate the continuance of this government and so whatever it will take to win political power in 2024 we are going to do that together with the people of this country to make sure we change government and bring a government to understands the plight and need of people,” he said.
He added that the power of the people should not be underestimated.
He said the signs are already clear that the Ghanaians have lost trust in the President Akufo-Addo.
He cited the booing in his recent public appearance and the during his tour as clear examples of the mistrust.
Pressure group Arise Ghana has announced its decision to demonstrate over the severe economic hardship visited on Ghanaians by president Akufo-Addo’s administration.
The group made the announcement to demonstrate in a statement jointly signed by Mr Rex Omar, Mensah Thompson, Bernard Mornah and Bobie Ansah.
The demonstration is expected to come off on November 15, 2022.
Below is the full statement:
“Arise Ghana observes with grave concern the current trend of severe economic hardship that has been visited on Ghanaians.
“We are of the view that such degree of suffering visited on Ghanaians are as a result of the recklessness, incompetence and greed of President Akufo-Addo, Ken Ofori-Atta and Dr Mahamadu Bawumia.
“Arise Ghana also notes with even greater concern the recent spate of insults thrown at Ghanaians at the mere attempt to complain about the severe economic hardship they are forced to endure under President Akufo-Addo, not only from the President himself but from his family and close acquaintances.
“Arise Ghana as the most vibrant pressure group that has led Ghana’s economic struggles in recent past deem it very important to yet again rise to the ocassion and bring some hope to struggling young people and the good people of Ghana.
“Arise Ghana, therefore, wishes to use this medium to announce its plans to lead a massive demonstration in the capital on 15th November 2022.
“Ahead of this massive demonstration, Arise Ghana will also engage various groups such as trade unions, labour groups, youth groups and other stakeholders.
“Again we want to use this medium to commend people like lawyer Martin Kpebu, Prof Ransford Gyampo, Prof Bokpin and others who have been fearless in pointing out the current crisis that we find ourselves in.
“We wish to assure them that they enjoy unflinching support from Arise Ghana and we shall stand with them through thick and thin.
“But finally, we wish to use this opportunity to call on young people of this country to remain calm as we prepare to provide them a platform where they can express their frustrations in a democratic manner.
“We also call on the Ghana Armed Forces to remain calm as we explore democratic avenues to put this country back on the path of prosperity and bring relief to the people.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has admitted that Ghana is currently going through an economic crisis which has brought untold hardships on many Ghanaians.
Speaking at a Standard Charted Bank event in Accra on Wednesday (October 26), Dr. Bawumia intimated that to get out of this current situation, Ghanaians must prepare themselves for more hardship because the government will soon commence implementing tough measures to help resolve the crisis.
The vice president went on to list the measures which he indicated the President Akufo-Addo, will soon address Ghanaians on.
Fiscal and debt sustainability
Dr. Bawumia indicated that the government would put together expenditure and tax measures that will ensure a reduction in government debts.
He said that these measures are being discussed as part of the ongoing discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and will soon be made known to Ghanaians.
“In Ghana specifically, we are dealing with an economic crisis that we have to address in different dimensions. The first and most important, which affects the confidence that we have in the economic system, is to make sure that we have fiscal and debt sustainability. This has been one of the areas where we are having discussions and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund about,” he said.
“Restoring fiscal and debt sustainability will no doubt is not going to be easy. It will require very bold, difficult, but firm decisions. And I think these are part of the discussions that we’re having with the IMF. I’m sure once those are concluded, it will be clear that it will not be and it should not be business-as-usual because we have to adjust to the new global and domestic realities,” he added.
Tightening foreign exchange regime:
Dr. Bawumia went on to say the government will also be looking at the foreign exchange regime, which he described as being very loose.
“We also have to look very clearly at our foreign exchange regime. It’s very clear that it is quite loose, and this is why we are going to be working to see how we can tighten the foreign exchange regime.
“When the President addresses the nation, hopefully by the end of the week, some of these details will be fleshed out in more specifics. But in broad terms, I think you cannot address the current economic crisis without addressing the fiscal and debt sustainability, without addressing the production side, without addressing the foreign exchange regime and what allows us to lose a lot of foreign exchange,” he said.
Digitalising Ghana’s economy
The vice president further stated that addressing the digitalizing needs of Ghana is very critical to resolving the difficulties in the country.
“But more importantly, if we are going to address this, this economy must be digitalized. And that is something we started since 2017 in earnest because no economy can really participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution without the digitalization of the economy,” he said.
Chief State Attorney, Evelyn Keelson, had a field day in court after she was permitted to dissect the medical records of former COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr. Stephen Opuni, to the utter disbelief of her colleague lawyers in the courtroom.
Evelyn Keelson had earlier put up a spirited defence of her resolve to delve into the health status of an accused person when other lawyers rejected the move because the health issue was not the substantive case of why the parties were in court.
Even though she was cleared to ask questions bothering on Dr. Opuni’s health condition, she failed to get the court to reject an excuse notice issued to the former COCOBOD boss.
Dr. Opuni underwent four surgeries on his left eye, specifically his retina, and was given six weeks to rest the left eye to ensure proper healing.
This was brought to the attention of the court on October 11, after the two-month legal vacation, as his counsel, lawyer Samuel Codjoe asked the court for an adjournment.
“My lord, this explains the absence of the first accused in court. My lord, as a result of his absence due to ill health, we pray that this court adjourns this case till the six weeks’ notice,” he said. He also informed the court that his client wants to exercise his right under Article 19 (3), which demands that the trial is conducted in his presence.
But Chief State Attorney Evelyn Keelson, who advocated for a virtual trial of the accused, who is recuperating from a retinal surgery, said that the excuse notice was not binding on the court and also insisted that the medical director who issued the notice be summoned to give “further and better particulars” about the medical records of Dr. Opuni.
The court yielded to the demand of the Chief State Attorney and summoned the medical director, who appeared before the court on October 17.
When he appeared before the court presided over by the retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Clemence Honyenuga, the medical director explained that patients who undergo retinal operations need about six months to completely heal.
“The healing process of epiretinal membrane surgery is between three and six months. Anybody here can check the healing process online,” he told the court.
Early on, the medical director, who is an opthalmologist (an eye surgeon) with several decades of experience, told the court the precarious situation Dr. Opuni was facing.
“He was given post-operative advice for the six weeks excuse duty; the first 14 days of the six weeks, he had to stay head down because of the gas Gas tamponade [inserted in the eye because of the surgery to keep the retina in correct position]. A few days after the operation, he developed high intraocular pressure on the operated left eye and severe photophobia.”
According to him, the intraocular pressure was managed with glaucoma medication, and he was advised to wear dark glasses and avoid light. He has to go for weekly checks for the intraocular pressure to be managed.
The court admitted into evidence the medical folder of Dr Opuni as well as two different Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) test results.
The medical expert said if the high pressure was not managed properly, it would lead to Dr Opuni going blind. “The whole eye can become like stone, so for that reason, he was asked to come every week for us to control the eye pressure.”
The trial judge, Justice Clemence Honyenuga (Rtd), felt “constrained” by the compelling expert account of the medical director who issued the excuse notice and therefore shelved his initial plan of holding a virtual trial, let alone a physical trial.
But when the Chief State Attorney was cleared to cross-examine the medical director, she suggested that once Dr. Opuni was able to visit the clinic every week, he could attend to other duties as well.
“So when he wears his dark glasses, he can attend to duties he is mandated to attend to without any harm,” she asked.
But the medical director explained to her that:
“He wears dark glasses because of photophobia. It can’t correlate with the eye, why because his natural lens is on the right eye, but the left is the artificial lens. The capacity of the artificial lens to absorb light is zero. So focusing on bright things cannot be comfortable.
“All the same, the six weeks is not for the photophobia; it is the retina; with the fragility of the retina, anything can happen.”
The medical director, whose facility gets referrals from The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, etc., went on to admonish patients to adhere strictly to post-operative advice.
Nonetheless, the Chief State Attorney asserted: “I am putting it to you that the same way Dr. Opuni can attend to a clinic, he can attend to court in this courtroom and sit quietly with his shades without any damages to his retina.”
But the medical director insisted that the excuse notice was to ensure proper healing “and not for the patient to blame the surgeon or the whole clinic” if something goes wrong.
He further stated that the six weeks’ notice was crucial and ought to be observed in every surgery of the retina.
Both counsel for Dr. Opuni and Seidu Agongo, who earlier stated that it was unhealthy to discuss someone’s health status in public, and noted that the cross-examination of the medical director had no bearing on the substantive case, declined when they were invited by the judge to take their turn.
Counsel for Dr. Opuni, lawyer Samuel Codjoe had previously advised Evelyn Keelson to be mindful that “no one has a monopoly over good health”.
Meanwhile, Justice Clemence Honyenuga, who is on retirement and has been given limited time to dispose of the case, has adjourned the hearing to November 7.
The former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Opuni, and businessman Seidu Agongo as well as Agricult Ghana Limited, have been facing 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretences, willfully causing financial loss to the state, corruption by public officers and contravention of the Public Procurement Act in the purchase of Lithovit liquid fertiliser between 2014 and 2016.
They have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are on a GH¢300,000.00 self-recognisance bail each.
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has reacted to Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Murtala Mohammed, who described him as a spare parts dealer.
According to the majority leader, he is a proud spare parts dealer and being a spare parts dealer does not mean one cannot contribute to the issues of law in the country.
He said even when the NDC was compiling the 1992 constitution, many groups from the informal sector were asked to contribute to the drafting of the constitution; therefore, being a spare parts dealer does not make one senseless.
“What exactly is he saying? Does he want to say you don’t have sense if you sell spare parts? When the NDC was drafting the constitution, wasn’t the GPRTU included? Drivers, fishermen, and farmers, among others, were called to the consultative assembly to share their ideas, don’t they know anything about the law?
“What’s funny is that Murtala is my good friend. I sold engine parts, and I’m very proud of that, even if I sold Sam paper, I’m very proud of that because Murtala is currently doing his PHD, and he wants to be called Dr Murtala if he completes school, he recently came to my office to discuss parliamentary practice, and I was with him for two hours, teaching him how to go about but what he said I didn’t take it as a big issue. This is a law issue,” he said in an interview with Okay FM, monitored by Ghanaweb.
The Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, criticised the majority leader for saying that the Speaker of Parliament does not understand the laws of Ghana.
According to the MP, the majority leader always wants to challenge the Speaker and has been attacking him needlessly.
He added that Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu could not compare himself to Speaker Alban Bagbin when it comes to constitutional and legal matters.
“The majority leader has a penchant for attacking the person of the Speaker. And he does that all the time. Any opportunity he gets, he picks on the Speaker. He did that on the floor, the Speaker didn’t want to sink into the gutters, and the Speaker was very diplomatic.
“You listen to him in the press conference and he even said that the Speaker doesn’t even understand the law. When the Speaker was a lawyer practising you, Honourable Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, you were selling spare parts at Magazine, at the time the Speaker was a practising lawyer,” he said.
It was based on the above comment that the majority leader said he is proud to be a spare part dealer.
Calls for the sack or the resignation of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, have been relentless over the past few weeks, with even Members of Parliament (MPs) of his own party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), joining the calls.
One of the names that have come up as a possible replacement for Ken Ofori Atta should President Akufo-Addo heed the calls for his sack or should he resign from his post, is Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah.
Even though Dr. Assibey-Yeboah has been an ardent critic of the Akufo-Addo government, some Ghanaians including broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere have said that he (Assibey-Yeboah) is considered as the favourite among the rank and file of the NPP to replace Ken Ofori-Atta.
Dr. Assibey-Yeboah has, on a number of occasions, criticised the implementation of a number of policies of the Akufo-Addo government, including the Free Senior High School and the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy). Prior to Ghana returning to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah warned of harsh economic conditions and therefore called on the government to resort to the Fund at an earlier time ahead of its July 1, 2022 decision.
Who is Dr. Assibey-Yeboah?
Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah is a Ghanaian politician and member of the 6th and 7th Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana (from 2013 to 2021), representing the New Juaben South Constituency in the Eastern Region on the ticket of NPP.
He is a Christian and was born on March 2, 1974. He comes from Obo-Kwahu, a town in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region of Ghana.
During his term as an MP, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah served as the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament. During his tenure as chair, he led many engagements toward sound economic indicators of government and was noted for demanding accountability from the government. He was also a member of the Sports Committee of the 6th Parliament.
Before venturing into politics, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah was a lecturer between 2009 and 2010 at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), a senior economist at the Bank of Ghana between 2011 and 2012 and a lecturer at the Ghana Technology University College from 2011 to 2012.
He had also previously worked as a lecturer at the University of Tennessee and as an adjunct faculty at Milligan College – both in the United States of America. He was also a board member of the ADB Bank Ghana from August 2018 – 2021.
He is a member of the American Economic Association.
Educational background of Dr Assibey-Yeboah
The former MP attended Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Legon and the Ghana Secondary School, Koforidua, where he obtained his GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level, respectively.
Dr. Assibey-Yeboah holds a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Economics degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He also holds an MS (Agricultural and Resource Economics) from the University of Delaware, USA.
He also holds an MA and a PhD, both in Economics from the University of Tennessee, USA specialising in International Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics and Econometrics.
Some of his research work has been published in reputable journals, including the Economic Record, the International Journal for Finance and Economics, the Journal for International Trade and Economic Development, and The North American Journal of Economics and Finance.
The Minority in Parliament has distanced itself from its Deputy Whip’s endorsement of Johnson Asiedu Nketiah in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) chairmanship race.
In a statement, the Minority said the Deputy Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim’s claim that the NDC caucus in Parliament was supporting Mr. Nketiah was untrue.
It said the leadership of the Caucus never met on the matter “and have not taken any decision on the matter.”
It also said the Caucus has not met and has not taken any decision on any of the candidates contesting any position within the Party
The Minority added that “the Leadership and the Caucus has no position on any of the candidates vying for the respective positions in the Party.”
The Minority also said Mr. Ibrahim, who is also the Banda MP, has apologised to the NDC Caucus for the comments.
“We accordingly urge our rank and file and the public to disregard the purported statement made during the launch.”
Some Members of Parliament (MPs) have expressed varied opinions to the Speaker of Parliament’s ruling on the fate of some three Members of the house over absenteeism.
The Speaker, Alban Bagbin’s on Wednesday referred the report of the Privileges Committee asking for the declaration of the seat of the MP for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo and two others as vacant to the plenary for a determination on the matter.
In his ruling, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin said, “the preliminary objection for the admissibility of the report is hereby dismissed in limine.”
Members are divided over the ruling. Whilst the Majority which is pushing for the seats to be declared thinks the Speaker erred in his ruling, the Minority side believes the Speaker’s decision is apt.
“The Speaker was presiding, and the Privileges Committee is a Committee of the house so once it is charged to go and do something, the recommendation of the committee shall be in the form of a report to be presented to the house which they have done so clearly, so what the speaker is saying is that, the right thing must be done”, one of the MPs said.
The three MPs are Kennedy Agyapong, MP for Assin Central; Henry Quartey, MP for Ayawaso West, and Adwoa Safo; MP for Dome Kwabenya.
They had been referred to the Privileges Committee for absenting themselves from Parliament beyond the permissible period without any reason.
The Majority in Parliament has been pushing to have Adwoa Safo vacate her seat because she has been out of the country for most parts of the year.
Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey appeared before the committee and attributed their absence to ill health, but Adwoa Safo failed to honour the summons and the option of a virtual appearance.
“The Committee cannot take a decision, they have come to the plenary for a debate on its report then a decision is taken, so I think that, the Speaker is on the right path”, another legislator suggested.
The Majority was left upset with the Speaker of Parliament’s ruling and said it would challenge it with a substantive motion.
The Majority Leader, on the floor of Parliament, further accused the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, of pandering to the Minority in Parliament, which has been opposed to making the Dome Kwabenya seat vacant.
One other opined, “as a member of the committee, it is the Speaker that has to make that decision and not the house debating it.”
The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security, Nana Amoosi VII, has cautioned the government against using GOIL to influence the market amid further increases in the price of fuel.
While he said some fuel stations were starting to sell petrol at over GH¢17, he said GOIL was not increasing prices.
The analyst expressed concern that this would distort the market.
“Strangely, we find that GOIL is selling something far below what these other marketing companies are putting out, and we are not surprised.”
“You can’t use a state institution or quasi-state institution to manipulate the market. It is a deregulated market. The least you can do is to manage your forex exposure well,” Nana Amoosi VII said on Eyewitness News.
According to Nana Amoasi VII, the government owes GOIL over GH¢80 million.
He warned further that this debt could affect the Bulk Oil Storage Transportation Company.
“BOST owns close to 20 percent of GOIL’s shares, so any losses that GOIL will create, will come back to you and I to pay in the name of BOST.”
Nana Amoasi VII said he expects the challenges with fuel prices to continue because “there is no clarity on how the managers of the economy are seeking to bring down the fast-depreciating cedi, so we may be heading for rougher times.”
Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has admitted that Ghana’s foreign exchange systems appear to be loose.
This he believes has contributed to the current economic challenges confronting the country.
He maintains that government and key stakeholders have to look at tightening the foreign exchange regime by reconsidering innovative ways of production.
Speaking at the Standard Chartered digital banking Innovation & Fintech Festival in Accra, the Vice President said government will present details of addressing this shortfall of the exchange rate in the coming days.
“It is very clear that our foreign exchange regime is quite loose, and that is why we are going to see how we can tighten our foreign exchange regime. In broad terms, you cannot address the current economic situation without addressing the fiscal and debt sustainability, production and foreign exchange regime.”
Dr. Bawumia underscored the importance of major policy changes in the wake of a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“Once those [negotiations with the IMF] are concluded, it will be clear that it will not be, and it should not be business as usual because we have to adjust to the new global and domestic realities,” the Vice President said.
For one, he said the nature of production needs to change because Ghana has more trade surpluses and current count deficits, “which means that a lot of the foreign exchange that we are earning from our trade doesn’t stay in Ghana.”
Vice President Bawumia also said Ghana would be working to reduce import dependency to address Ghana’s forex problems.
Ghana’s global-worst depreciating currency has been noted as one of the main causes of inflation amid the current economic crisis.
Vice President Bawumia said the President would address the nation in the near future, where the government’s plan “will be fleshed out in specifics.”
“More importantly, if we are going to address this, this economy must be digitalized,” the Vice President added.
A political science lecturer, Dr. Abdul-Jalilu Ateku, has urged the Minority in Parliament to engage the Majority MPs opposed to the Finance Minister to ensure their support in having him removed.
Speaking on The Point of View on Citi TV, Dr. Ateku said he did not expect the President to heed the calls of 80 disgruntled Majority MPs for him to remove Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.
They also want the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, removed.
“The Minority needs to engage with the other people from the other side since they all have the same objective of getting the Finance Minister out.”
“Leaving it for the President, the President will not remove the Finance Minister,” Dr. Ateku said.
The Minority has filed a motion for a vote of censure on the Finance Minister and made calls for support from the Majority MPs.
But the Majority MPs have indicated that they will not back the Minority.
Previous calls for the removal of Ken Ofori-Atta have been rebuffed by President Akufo-Addo, who said he would continue to back Mr. Ofori-Atta.
Responding to the recent demands by the group of Majority MPs, the President appealed to them to hold on until Ghana concludes negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
The President noted that terminating the appointment of Mr. Ofori-Atta will disrupt the programme.
Renowned economist and statesman Kwame Pianim has insisted that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, must, one way or the other, leave office now.
His call comes after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo urged Members of Parliament of his party, the NPP, to hold on with their demand for Ofori-Atta to be sacked over the economic difficulties in the country till the International Monetary Fund bailout negotiation he is leading is completed.
But according to Kwame Pianim, replacing Ofori-Atta is very critical to turning around the economy to get Ghanaians out of the current difficulties.
The senior statesman, who made these remarks in a TV3 interview monitored by GhanaWeb , outlined the following reasons as the justification for Ofori-Atta to leave office now.
Success of the IMF negotiation:
According to Kwame Pianim, the government’s current negotiation with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout is not going well because the Fund does not see any seriousness on the side of the government.
“What the IMF is waiting for is a bold, credible pronouncement from the president as he did over the COVID-19 (pandemic). And then you need a credible messenger. Ken Ofori-Atta is not a credible messenger.
“Somebody who didn’t want you taking this route, how can you say he should lead it?” he questioned
Save Ghanaians from additional misery
The economist intimated that Ofori-Atta’s mismanagement of Ghana’s economy is the cause of the hardship in the country and, therefore, he should step down.
“The hardship on Ghanaians is unprecedented. So, he Ofori-Atta should save Ghanaians additional misery by stepping down.”
Save the reputation of the NPP
Again, Kwame Pianim said that Ofori-Atta had to go to save the New Patriotic Party’s reputation as good managers of Ghana’s economy.
“NPP has a reasonably good reputation as a good manager of the Ghanaian Economy. And it is time that (the current economic meltdown) is stopped so that irreparable damage is not done to the reputation of the NPP as good managers of the economy,” he said.
Save the legacy of Akufo-Addo
Also, the statesman intimated that Ofori-Atta staying in office would make it very difficult to restore Ghana’s economy and also risks destroying the legacies of President Akufo-Addo.
“If he (Ofori-Atta) does not go and the president doesn’t let him go, we risk irreversibly dragging the president’s legacy and his presidency into the gutters,” he said.
The Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) has attributed Ghana’s current economic woes partly due to overspending on capital projects amid political and campaign promises.
This is according to the 2021 and 2022 Economic Outlook Report released by the Institute.
Presenting the findings of the report in Accra, Director of Research at ISSER, Professor Peter Quartey, said the research revealed that government had overspent its budget prior to the 2020 general election.
He however said should government cut its overspending on capital projects, especially during election periods, the country will begin to witness significant changes in its finances.
“When you look at our expenditure during political periods, I think election can also be blamed for where we are at the current economic situation. We overspent on so many projects, we cut sod for a lot of projects that we have to borrow to fund them,” he is quoted by Joy Business.
“…So, in the end, we use three years to clear the mess. Every election year we enter into such situations then two years after election, there are fiscal challenges,” Prof. Quartey said.
In addition to this, ISSER has admonished President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reduce the size of the current government as part of efforts to cut down spending and boost investor confidence in the economy.
“I can’t put a number to how many ministers the government should have but the President must look at merging some of the ministries and get the work done. There shouldn’t be duplication in any role,” he said.
Touching on the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy, the ISSER Director called for a downward review of the 1.5 percent rate imposed on transactions.
Meanwhile, a review of the economic performance of Ghana in the third quarter of 2022 noted government must begin to critically address significant loopholes in the tax system, among others.
Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North, Kwame Andy Appiah-Kubi said on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 just after adjournment whiles on his way to the Majority caucus meeting that he is not under pressure after addressing the media calling for the sacking of the Finance Minister and Minister of State at the Finance Ministry.
“Do I look like someone under pressure? I have been in court this morning representing my client and back to Parliament to participate in business of the House”.
As to what they would be discussing when they have their caucus meeting later in the day, he noted that as at the time of granting the interview there was nothing on the table he knew of up for discussion.
He further pointed out that when it comes to the general caucus, he does not speak for it but only speaks for the group within the Majority caucus that took the action to call for the sacking of the Finance Minister and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry.
Again, let me give this correction, “we are more than eighty percent of our number 137, he said in an interview with a section of the Parliamentary Press Corps.
He condemned this approach and further described it as ‘irritating’.
He explained in an interview with TV3’s Paa Kwesi Asare on Wednesday October 26 that the decision came at a time Ghanaians were going through untold hardships.
He said “cut expenditure, not planting GRA officers in shops, people are suffering, when people are suffering that is not when you irritate them.
“Things are not going well and we are looking for the President to come up the way he did during Covid, we need a credible message from him that ‘I am going to cut expenditure to stabilize the economy’.”
The GRA recently positioned its officers at shops, restaurants, and other businesses in some parts of the country including the Ashanti region.
The officers were tasked to take details of sales for tax purposes.
This infuriated the shop owners leading to the shut down to protest against the GRA’s action.
This attracted flak from some quarters including a Deputy Communications of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ernest Owusu Bempah.
Mr Owusu Bempah called for the sacking of the GRA boss for what he believed was a poor approach to collecting taxes.
“What is his motivation for doing this in the Ashanti Region which is the stronghold of the NPP? Who is behind him?
“You don’t put system in place, no consultation done before you roll out this, the man should be sacked,” he said in a statement.
Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has suggested that it is untenable that Ken Ofori-Atta’s dismissal as Finance Minister will derail Ghana’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
His comments come on the back of reports that President Akufo-Addo has asked the over eighty (80) NPP MPs demanding the sack of Ofori-Atta to allow him complete the IMF negotiations.
In a Facebook post, the award-winning journalist wondered if the negotiations with the Bretton Woods institution will grind to a halt if Ofori-Atta fell ill or passed away.
He wrote: “God forbid, but if Ken Ofori-Atta falls sick or dies, will the IMF negotiations cease? The excuse that his removal will derail the IMF negotiations is what we call in Gurune “nagenbeto”.
Background
On Tuesday, October 25, a group of NPP MPs held a press conference to demand that want Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen be sacked from their respective roles.
According to them, new faces in their stead will inject confidence in the economy which is on slope of decline.
Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, the Member of Parliament for the Asante-Akim North Constituency, who spoke on behalf of the over 80 MPs said they will boycott the 2023 budget reading and debate if President Akufo-Addo fails to dismiss his appointees.
Following this, the president has held meetings with the MPs where it is reported that he has appealed to them to allow Ken Ofori-Atta in particular complete the IMF negotiations.
Meanwhile, the majority caucus in Parliament have said in a statement that there is a consensus to dismiss Ofori-Atta however it should be deferred to after the IMF negotiations.
On October 26, 2022, Alban Bagbin gave a ruling on absentee MPs who were referred to the privileges committee.
He ruled that the report from the committee set up to look into the cases of the MP and two others who had absented themselves for some sittings should be presented before the plenary to be debated.
He, therefore, dismissed the objection of the Majority Leader to the admissibility of the committee report for the consideration of the House.
“As I have noted in this ruling, the decision (sic) on not to admit a motion is the exclusive preserve of the Speaker. In view of the foregoing, the House is well within its right to receive and consider reports of the committee and make a determination arising out of the consideration.
“In the circumstances, it is my ruling that the motion was rightfully admitted, and the report of the committee is subject to the consideration of the House. It goes without saying that the (sic) objection of the Majority Leader today (sic) is hereby dismissed…” he concluded his verdict.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth Wing has made a strong-worded call on President Akufo-Addo to not only sack Ken Ofori-Atta but for him to also resign as Head of State.
Issued under the hand of the National Youth Organiser of the party, George Opare Addo, the group said that Ghanaians have had enough of the performance of this administration that has plunged the country into a lot of hardships.
The statement added that many Ghanaians have lost their investments and livelihoods because of the kind of government the president has run in the last six years.
“Over the past six years, you, your cousin the Finance Minister, your Economic Management Team headed by your incompetent Vice President, as well as your entire Government have pursued economic and fiscal policies that have wreaked havoc on our nation’s economy and resulted in untold hardships for the Ghanaian people.
“Today, because of your reckless governance, Ghanaian families are unable to put food on the table. People’s entire life savings are going down the drain, and our currency, the cedi, is depreciating at a rate never seen in the history of our nation in the past four decades. Yours has been a failure of historic proportions; one that has plunged our nation into its most acute economic downturn in an entire generation,” the statement said.
The NDC Youth Wing, therefore, called for an immediate resignation from the president else they would embark on an unprecedented resistance to his government.
“Enough is enough! Ghanaians did not give you the mandate to put us through this level of suffering that has spared no family nor business. The Ghanaian people cannot continue to suffocate under your repressive and destructive misrule. It has become apparent that you lack the fortitude to properly govern this country. We demand that you sack your finance minister and resign now, to stem the suffering that has engulfed our nation and save our country from further collapse and international ignominy!
“If you remain headstrong and refuse to sack the finance minister and resign from office as President, we will confront you with a level of resistance never experienced by any President in the history of our country,” it added.
The group further called on the youth of the country to be on standby to picket against the government.
“We are by this medium calling on all young people of this country to picket at Government offices and protest across the country whenever they are called upon by the Leadership of the Youth Wing to do so,” the statement said.
Already, there has been a call by 80 Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, as a way of restoring public confidence in the economy.
The president has since met with the MPs and urged them to give the minister some time to complete some pertinent government business, including the completion of an IMF negotiation.
Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has stated that President Akufo-Addo’s engagement with identifiable economic groups and institutions in the country has been fruitful and smooth and the deliberations has largely focused on the need to restore economic stability.
He said this when he addressed the press at the Jubilee House on 26 October 2022, at the end of two days of broad consultations between the President and multiple groups and stakeholders in the country’s economic space.
Amongst the groups the President held meetings with are; Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Association of Bankers, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and Transport Operators.
The rest are Forex Bureau Association of Ghana, Forex Bureau, Market Women, Ghana Employers Association, Private Enterprise Federation, and the leaders of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
In his interaction with the identifiable bodies, President Akufo-Addo, according to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, briefed them on the state of negotiations between his government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the implications of a possible programme with the fund on the country’s economy in the coming weeks and in the long term.
“Cost of living has been big on the agenda, the currency is being big on the agenda but item number one has been stability, restoring economic stability and then on the back of that, looking to how we can bring back so growth and expansion on the Ghana economy. These discussions have gone very smoothly” Oppong Nkrumah said.
“Our expectation is that all of these will form a part of what the President and cabinet will be considering over the weekend prior to making some decision and then on Sunday, he [President Akufo-Addo] will have the opportunity to address the nation and we take the steps from there” he added.
President Akufo-Addo’s engagement with economic groupings in the country and the upcoming Cabinet retreat follows the challenging state of the country’s economy as a result of the hit it has suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the geo-political war ongoing between Russia and Ukraine.
The entire global economy according to financial expects is slipping into recession as the World Bank warns that it will take all the countries of the world several decades to pay off the debts they have accumulated over COVID-19 spending in the last two years alone.
The Majority Caucus in Parliament on Wednesday issued a tempered statement following a surprise announcement on Tuesday by some of its members who had called for the removal of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Minister of State for Finance Charles Adu Boahene.
Wednesday’s press statement by the Majority Caucus, signed by Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, MP, Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, confirmed a much anticipated, but quick, meeting between President Nana Akufo-Addo and his party’s MPs about the surprise announcement, with Members of Parliament (MPs) of the governing National Patriotic Party (NPP) pledging to back the President.
Sources at Jubilee House had earlier indicated that the call for the removal of the Ministers for Finance had caught the Presidency by surprise.
According to the statement, the President has requested that the matter be delayed and “acted upon” after “the conclusion of the round of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)” as well as the next presentation of the budget statement and economic policy”. This is to be followed by the passage of the Appropriation Bill, which is also a few weeks away.
The Majority Caucus, in their press statement, said that after internal discussions among their rank and file on Wednesday, they had “agreed to accede to the President’s appeal”.
In the meantime, analysts have pondered over the timing of Tuesday’s surprise announcement with looming fears over the uncertainty of the state of the country’s economic health should the Finance Ministers step aside, especially at a watershed moment. The two are currently leading negotiations on Ghana’s 17th return to the IMF. They are also in the middle of a yet-to-be finalised debt restructuring programme.
Ghana has been recognised as the only country in Africa to achieve 100% access to financial inclusion on the continent.
The honour was contained in this year’s State of Inclusive Instant Payment in Africa Report put together by AfricaNenda and launched at the ongoing Mobile World Congress Africa 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.
This feat was achieved through the successful implementation of the Mobile Money Interoperability (MMI) system, which integrates all payments platforms across banks, fintechs and telcos, allowing every Ghanaian to make and receive instant payments.
Commenting on the monumental achievement at the ongoing Standard Chartered Bank Digital Banking, Innovation and Fintech Festival in Accra on Wednesday (26 October 2022), Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia expressed delight that the government’s digitisation agenda, began in 2017 and touching almost every aspect of national life, is beginning to yield the desired results.
“In fact, because of mobile money interoperability, where fintechs, banks and telcos have essentially payment platforms that enable every Ghanaian to access and receive payments, Ghana was the only country to score 100% on financial inclusion in Africa at the ongoing Mobile World Congress Africa 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. And it just makes you proud in this context that yes, we are doing what is actually quite right.
“You’ve seen mobile money interoperability; you’ve seen the national ID card; you’ve seen digital addresses, you’ve seen the paperless ports, universal QR code, Ghana pay, and so on. All of this is laying a particular foundation in this country that will allow us to fully participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“It is also comforting to note that even the credit reference agencies are leveraging on these infrastructure, the digital infrastructure that we have put in place, digital addresses, national ID and so on. We are expecting that individual credit scoring by the credit reference agencies will start taking place by the first quarter of next year, which will allow and underpin the development of a real credit system in Ghana which is very, very critical in terms of the development of this country,” Bawumia said.
Digital technology has changed the way Africa’s financial service industry offers products and services to consumers, Dr Bawumia pointed out, noting that new financial service business models based on digital technologies are enabling inclusive access to financial services across diverse product types for consumers.
“As a government, we realized it was imperative to adopt digital innovation to transform the economy. It is not a venture without opposition, and there are huge costs associated to get to our destination. However we are unwavering as we are convinced the benefits will outweigh the costs, and these benefits are already beginning to show.
“Thus far, we have introduced some interventions such as mobile money interoperability, digital renewal of National Health Insurance, implementation of the digital address system, the national ID card, paperless port system, QR-Code, among others.
“We are already seeing the impact of these digitisation initiatives including efficient public service delivery by all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies on the Ghana.gov portal, combating corruption by removing the middle man, and also ghost names in many transactions, bringing more Ghanaians into the formal sector and driving domestic revenue mobilization, amongst others.”
To achieve greater success and faster growth, Bawumia called for more collaboration between all players in the fintech ecosystem – banks, fintechs, telecom companies, governments, regulators and consumers – in order to position Africa as a fintech innovation hub.
“A strong regulatory framework is also necessary across the sub region to drive innovation. Central banks need to be ahead of the market and put in place regulations that are innovation friendly bearing in mind all associated risks.”
Award
The State of Inclusive Instant Payment in Africa Report examines all instant pay rollouts across the continent to identify the areas of commonality with the view to driving adoption to boost financial inclusion on the continent.
This year, the report focused on inclusive instant payment systems in 12 African countries and Ghana was the only country that scored 100% on access to financial inclusion.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Interbank Payments and Settlements Systems (GhIPSS), Archie Hesse, who was present at the launch of the report in Kigali, said from a humble beginning of integrating three instant payment platforms into what he called the ‘financial inclusion triangle’, GhIPSS has since improved the services by adding other services like Proxy Pay, Internet Gateway Payment, Request to Pay and the Universal QR Code dubbed GHQR, which can be linked to both bank accounts and digital wallets, with affordability as the key driving force.
GhIPSS, in collaboration with the banks, have also come up with a bank-wide wallet called GhanaPay to ensure that the banks also play a role in the mobile money space with the view to bridging the financial inclusion gap, he added.
The minority in parliament have been wearing black to parliament since they reconvened on October 25.
According to the minority, their reason for wearing black is to communicate their dissatisfaction with the country’s current economic situation, including the cedi depreciation.
On Wednesday, October 26, almost all the MPs who showed up in parliament were dressed in black attires.
The Minority and Majority Members of Parliament seem to be on the same page following the call to remove the finance minister from office.
While the Minority in Parliament has filed a motion to have Ken Ofori-Atta sacked, the Majority also threatened to boycott the 2023 budget presentation if the finance minister is not relieved of his post.
The MPs explained that their position follows several concerns over the poor management of the economy, which has forced the government to seek IMF assistance.
While addressing the parliamentary press corps, the minority urged the majority to not relent on calling the finance minister out.
The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, noted “as representatives of the people and as duty bearers, we must move a motion to call for the end of the Finance Minister.
“Our brothers in the Majority believe in this. What they should do is to support the call of the Minority Leader and the motion for the Minority Leader for the dismissal of the Finance Minister.”
Barely a month after the massive dam spillage from the Weija Dam that caused flooding in many homes in the area, some gates of the dam have been reopened.
A statement from the office of the Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Tina Gifty Mensah, indicated that, as of Thursday morning, some 5 gates with levels totaling 47.9ft have been opened to spill water out of the dam.
The notice further cautioned residents in the area and its environs to be on the look-out and to vacate all their residences, shops, and the like to avoid any casualties.
“The levels will soar higher in the course of the day,” it further added.
Below is the full statement:
COMMUNIQUE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR WEIJA-GBAWE CONSTITUENCY ON THE DAM SPILLAGE
The Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe Constituency, Hon. Tina Gifty Naa Ayeley Mensah and the Municipal Chief Executive for Weija-Gbawe Municipality, Hon. P.K.B. Kumor inform all residents that 5 gates with levels totaling 47.9ft of the Weija dam has been opened to spill water out of the dam.
Residents are, however, advised to be on the watch-out and also vacate from all residential apartments, shops, and offices situated in the spillage ways to avoid casualties.
A Ghanaian American-based preacher, Bishop Adonteng Boateng, has called on all stakeholders, including members of the clergy, to adopt a concerted approach in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Reacting to a recent viral video where members of the clergy, during a fact-finding mission, were seen praying at the bank of a river polluted by galamsey, Bishop Adonteng Boateng called for pragmatic efforts instead of fasting and prayers in battling galamsey.
“Prayers cannot stop galamsey and no amount of fasting can stop galamsey. My prayer is that the leadership of the country will rather make a concerted effort to help the people because at the end it is only a few people who benefit from galamsey at the expense of the larger population,” he told Oman Channel in an interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
He emphasised that while the pastors may have had a clear motive in praying at the river bank, there is however the need for practicality to be used in curbing the galamsey menace.
“I don’t know the motive with which the pastors went to pray at the river bank. It was probably to bring attention to the effects of galamsey and so I wouldn’t want to criticise them. Most of them are my fathers whom I hold in high regard,” he stated.
Several of Ghana’s water and river bodies are currently under threat from the effects of illegal mining activities. This has led to various public calls on the government to take drastic measures in fighting the menace.
Meanwhile, the Christian Council has declared Monday, October 24, 2022, to Sunday, October 30, 2022, as ‘National Week of Fasting and Prayers Against Galamsey’.
In a release dated Monday, October 17, 2022, the council said “For many years now, our sovereign country Ghana has been witnessing under our very naked eyes, the saddest “environmental coup d’éta” ever unleashed upon our nation, heralding a programmed and complete “ecological disaster” or destruction.
“We are calling for a week of fasting and prayers to pray for change of heart and for God’s mercy upon our nation for the destruction we have caused the environment 2. We call for the IMMEDIATE BAN of all small-scale mining,” it added.
An Executive Member of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council, Dominic Dadzie, has alleged that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are giving premix allocation, a situation he laments contributes to the scarcity of the product at landing beaches.
According to him, this arrangement has become a great source of worry to fishermen as they end up buying the product from agents of these MMDCEs at exorbitant prices.
“I can tell you that DCEs have been given premix allocation and it is sad. These people do not have boats. Some don’t even know how fishing is done and yet they get considerable amount of premix. Now, they end up selling the product back to the fishermen at unbearable prices. This is sad.”
He mentioned that, “apart from this arrangement is the biting issue of shortage. As I speak some landing beaches have been without premix for months”.
Mr. Dadzie revealed that the current premix shortage “is also because there is a huge debt that government must clear. So there is a huge premix debt”.
Speaking at the dialogue series organised by Media General’s Takoradi-based radio station Connect FM on the theme ‘Premix, Illegal Unreported and Unregulated IUU Fishing Practices’ at the Sekondi Landing Beach, Mr. Dadzie expressed worry that the current formula used in distributing premix to the fishermen have been overly politicised.
“Just look at the current make of the premix committee. It is made up of representatives of the party of the day. It is only the Chief Fisherman that we can conveniently say is not political.
“So other fishermen said to be of the other divide struggle to get premix. So, imagine what will happen when another party comes to power. It’s a bad precedent we are setting. So if these arrangements don’t change, we will always struggle with the product getting to the right people”.
Western Region Director of the Fisheries Commission Joseph Yeboah, on his part, stated that the Ministry of Fisheries is concerned about the supply of premix and is working tirelessly to resolve it.
“As I speak, we are looking at digitalising the supply of premix. What it means is that without a card, one will not be able to buy the product. Unfortunately, the fishermen are not coming forward to embrace this innovation. We brought 500 cards and only 200 have so far been collected. So we are indeed concerned and working to resolve the premix issues.”
According to him, the growing number of fishermen has also affected the supply of premix.
He, therefore, entreated fishermen to be judicious in the use of the little allocation that they get.
As part of measures put in place by the Ga traditional leaders for the funeral of the late Tema chief, Osonnaa Nii Adjei Kraku II, there will be a total blackout from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am to honour the dead chief on, Wednesday, October 26.
The directive has received mixed reactions from the general public with a section of Ghanaians and residents of Tema calling for a reversal of the directive due to the inconveniences.
However, Dr Evans Ago Tetteh, the husband of renowned Ghanaian broadcaster Bridget Otoo, has jabbed persons who seem to have an issue with the directive.
In a tweet dated October 26, he called out persons who termed the Ga tradition as archaic. He instructed naysayers to pack out of Ghana’s capital if they so deem.
“The final funeral rites of the late Tema Mantse, Nii Agyei Krakue II begins today with the first Faa Foo (River crossing). Just stay home between 7pm-12am. If you think our culture is archaic, pack your things and go back to your hometown,” read the tweet sighted by GhanaWeb.
The dealers, who blamed the depreciating cedi on the Finance Minister, are calling for his removal from office.
According to them, if the President fails to sack his Finance Minister, they will hit the streets to press home their demand.
Speaking at the Launch of Transport Forum, held in Accra Wednesday, October 26, 2022, the President of the Automobile Dealers Union, Kwaku Boateng, bemoaned the effects of the depreciation of the cedi against the dollar on their business.
“The increase in the dollar is affecting us, we have spoken to the President, and we’ve written several letters about the Finance Ministry. We’ve realised that the President has made up his mind not to mind anyone to remedy the situation.
“We have also realised that our brother Ken Ofori-Atta is the problem when it comes to the rising dollar. So we will hold a press conference next two weeks; when we’re done, we’ll continue with a demonstration on November 19.”
Mr Boateng stressed that: “We [union] will be demonstrating against President Nana Addo over his refusal to sack Ken Ofori-Atta because he’s the President, he appointed him, so if he’ll sit down for Ken Ofori-Atta to destroy Ghanaian businesses then we will demonstrate.”
The automobile dealers have also called on the Freight Forwarders to join in the demonstration to compel the President to remove the Finance Minister from office as both work together.
President Akufo-Addo reportedly met with the top hierarchy of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the demands by some of the party’s Members of Parliament for the dismissal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to a report by Asempa FM, the president met with the Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ayensu Ntim; the General Secretary of the party, Justin Frimpong Koduah, the National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye and other national executives of the party.
Also, present at the meeting were at least three regional chairmen of the party, whose members are allegedly pushing for the sack of Ofori-Atta, including the Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, a.k.a. Chairman Wontumi; the Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, a.k.a. Abronye DC; and the Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Divine Otoo Agorhom.
The report indicated that the officials met the president on the fourth floor of the Flag Staff House in the late afternoon on Tuesday, October 25.
Officials of the government, privy to the details of the meeting, who spoke to Asempa FM on the condition of anonymity, told their presidential correspondent, Elton John Brobbey, that the president could not make a decision because there was no petition before him.
Elton Brobbey said that the officials indicated that news of the demand of the NPP MPs came as a surprise to the presidency.
He added that the officials had told him that the president was only going to make a decision on the matter if the petition signed by the NPPs who are calling for the sack of Ofori-Atta is presented to him.
“One issue that run out through all the conversations I had with the officials was that there was no petition before the president communicating the decision of the 80 MPs for the president to sack Ofori-Atta,” he said in Twi
He reiterated that even though there has been meeting and press conferences, no official petition has been sent to President Akufo-Addo.
The Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin, has berated the minority caucus over its handling of a motion filed to get Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta impeached.
According to him, the minority is creating the impression the House (Parliament) has accepted the motion and it has the support of the majority caucus which is false.
Speaking to the press at Parliament on Wednesday, October 26, Afenyo Markin intimated that the majority are against the idea of forcing Ken Ofori-Atta to resign.
“Admissibility of questions, motions or any process is the sole mandate of Mr. Speaker. So, until your motion or any application is admitted by the speaker you cannot assume that you have the motion properly before the House.
“So, I will like to say that, simply put, they are just throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians. We are all aware that the whole world is in a crisis. We are all aware that government has taken steps to address this economic crisis that we face as a nation.
“As we speak, we have an ongoing negotiation with the IMF. Midway into the negotiation government cannot come and make an announcement,” he said.
Afenyo Markin, who is the Member of Parliament (MP)
for Effutu, urged Ghanaians to stop politicizing the current challenges in the country and treat it as a national issue.
The minority caucus of Parliament filed a motion to have Ken Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State (in charge of Finance), Charles Adu-Boahen sacked.
The MPs explained that their position follows several concerns over the poor mismanagement of the economy, which has forced the government to seek IMF assistance.
The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, noted “as representatives of the people and as duty bearers, we must move a motion to call for the end of the finance minister.
“Our brothers in the majority believe in this. What they should do is to support the call of the Minority Leader and the motion for the Minority Leader for the dismissal of the finance minister.”
Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari, has said the ongoing SIM Card registration exercise seeks to ensure the centralization of KYC data to boost the delivery of financial services devoid of fraud.
According to him, the exercise has become necessary to curtail theft, opportunities for money laundering and financing of terrorism.
Speaking at the 2022 Digital Banking, Innovation and Fintech festival organised by Standard Chartered Bank, Dr. Opoku-Afari said, “the consumer should be at the centre of our collective efforts. As such, the Bank will not relent on its effort to protect them.”
“It is in this vain that the Bank of Ghana has developed an artificial intelligence-powered automated customer complaint system, I believe this community refers to it as a chatbot; dubbed ‘Akushika’,” he disclosed.
He explained that this customer experience solution is being deployed as an additional mechanism, to manage consumer complaints and promote consumer protection.
“The chatbot is currently in its pilot phase and I would like to use this opportunity to encourage you all to interact with it to ensure that it becomes fit for its purpose,” the Deputy BoG Governor added.
Touching on the introduction of the central bank digital currency known as the eCedi, Dr. Opoku Afari said the comprehensive pilot testing process has been completed.
He noted that the pilot process saw the testing of online and offline versions of the eCedi in Accra, Tarkwa and Sefwi Asafo.
“The pilot has unearthed useful insights on the impact of the initiative of the Bank which will prove instrumental in the event of a full-scale deployment of the eCedi.”
The deputy central bank governor in his conclusion said as part of the effort to build stronger collaboration and cooperation with industry, the regulator has embarked on an engagement drive through the FinTech and Innovation Office.
He further said the central bank remains resolute in its commitment toward a cash-lite agenda in Ghana.
