A former Commissioner of Customs Division at the Ghana Revenue Authority, Colonel Kwadwo Damoah and a former Deputy Commissioner of the Division, Joseph Adu Kyei, have sued the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) over the Labianca report.
They are seeking the court to dismiss the investigative report by the Special Prosecutor into the activities of Labianca Company Limited, a frozen foods company.
Col. Damoah was removed as the Commissioner of the Customs Division in the wake of the Labianca saga.
Earlier, when the Labianca report was released, he accused the OSP of targeting his person in an attempt to bring him down. In his view, the report is hollow and actuated by malice.
The OSP also called for wider investigations into the Customs Division of the GRA and demanded for a copy of Integrity plans to prevent corruption.
The suit by the former Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner has been filed at the High Court in Accra.
Col. Damoah was indicted in corruption-related acts involving Labianca.
A Council of State member, Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, who owns Labianca Company and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority was accused of using her position to get a favourable decision from the Customs Division of the GRA, leading to a reduction in her company’s tax liabilities.
A Deputy Commissioner of Customs in charge of Operations, Joseph Adu Kyei, was cited for issuing unlawful customs advance rulings to Labianca, according to the Special Prosecutor’s report.
This led to the reduction of the values of intended imports between a range of 5 percent and 10 percent
below the benchmark values.
The ruling was said to have been approved by Col. Damoah.
Though Col. Damoah distanced himself from the wrongdoing, the Special Prosecutor found that he gave his “tacit approval”.
The German Ambassador to Ghana H.E Daniel Krull has advised the government to encourage farmers to venture into full-scale organic farming to help them become more resilient to the economic crisis.
According to him, organic farming will not only improve the livelihoods of farmers and their families but will also have an enormous positive impact on the country’s trade balance as the government will stop the importation of fertilizers, pesticides and also reduce the importation of food.
Speaking at the Maiden Ecoland Organic Farmers Day Celebration held in Bunso, H.E Daniel Krull indicated that only organic farming guarantees greater fertility of the land and will help farmers and their families become more resilient to the economic crisis.
The Overlord of Akyem Abuakwa State Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin who indicated that Ghana has a future in organic farming said it can only be achieved if Ghanaians respect nature and end the destruction of the environment through illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
“Organic farming will work only if we put up the right attitude. The right attitude is respecting the rule of law and the rule of nature. We have a future to build ourselves to a middle class in organic farming, so let’s all join and make this work. We have to plant our own food and eat our food and plant it in surplus so we can send some somewhere and get the needed foreign exchange.”
The President of Ecoland International Rudolf Buhler whose company has taken a giant step in the cultivation of organic ginger in Bunso addressing the gathering indicated that organic agriculture is the only sustainable climate and environmentally friendly way of land use and food production.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has submitted his nomination forms to contest the position of general secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana’s largest opposition party.
The former Director of Elections of the party presented the forms on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at the party headquarters in Accra.
Presenting the forms, Elvis Ankrah stated that the pending national delegates congress of the NDC is its most critical election ever because it holds the hopes of many Ghanaians.
“But I can tell you right now that this delegate congress is the most critical elections in the history of our dear country. If we get it right as a party the whole country will get it right and if we get it wrong the country will sink.
“Take a moment and carefully think about the ramifications of putting the wrong people in the right offices. It’s akin to going fishing with a sharp shovel. This party is the last frontier of hope for the many hopeless people across this country and this election is the most hopeful thing that the people of this country are looking forward to this year,” he said.
He added that the outcome of the elections will largely determine the future of the party.
“How we move forward as a party and a country is predicated largely on the outcome of this election,” he said.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah is facing competition from Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, the current Deputy General Secretary of the NDC; and Fifi Kwetey, a former Member of Parliament for Ketu South and Deputy Minister of Finance.
The NDC will hold its national delegates congress in December 2022.
Private legal practitioners Martin Kpebu and Maurice Ampaw have clashed over the former’s demand for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to step done for his poor management of Ghana’s economy.
The clash comes after Maurice Ampaw berated Martin Kpebu for his call for the president’s removal and suggested something might be psychologically wrong with Martin Kpebu.
“In fact, Kpebu needs psychiatric treatment. I’m being frank because a lawyer wants us to enter into a constitutional crisis. Because the Kpebu that I know is a very good lawyer, a brilliant lawyer. But now that he has ventured into politics, it looks as if he has become a different lawyer.
“Now, he is not putting on legal spectacles; he is putting on political spectacles and look at what Kpebu is professing. A whole lawyer is saying that a government must be forced to leave power to hand over power to the opposition.
“… and he buttresses this with Article 41. Tell him that if he has forgotten the Constitution, he should read Article 41 – the duties of the citizens. Where in that provision is it written that the citizen has the right to force the president to resign,” he said in Twi.
Reacting to this in an interview on Neat FM, which GhanaWeb monitored, Martin Kpebu said that Ampaw suggesting that he does not understand the law does not make sense because his records show that he is a better lawyer than him (Ampaw).
“… Maurice Ampaw himself knows that I am a better lawyer than him. He can’t talk about me in this manner. Maurice is someone who has not practised law as I have, and so he can not speak about me like this in public.
“Ask him the number of cases he has done in court. Ask him who his clients are… as a lawyer, how many cases he has worked on. Where is your chamber?” he said in Twi.
Ampaw, who was also on the show, then clapped back at Kpebu, saying he was a more experienced lawyer than him.
“Tell Martin Kpebu that I am his senior. When I was studying law, he was in JHS (Junior High School). When I started winning civil cases, he (Kpebu) was not a lawyer yet. He should bring the court cases he has won for us to compare.
“Does he know my background? He is not my colleague when it comes to legal practice,” he said.
Lawyer Ampaw added that Kpebu’s attempt to get the president to step down is a treasonable offence which he should be punished for.
The minority caucus of Parliament has called for an independent investigation into allegations that the government is training mercenaries at the seat of government, the Flagstaff House.
According to the minority, allegations by broadcaster Kelvin Taylor indicating that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government intends to use these mercenaries to influence the 2024 elections are very serious and should be investigated.
James Agalga, the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee who made these remarks in Parliament on November 8, 2022, also called on the international community to intervene.
“(There are allegations of) recruitment and training of mercenaries by government operatives based at the Jubilee House to cause chaos and mayhem in the country and blame the political position.
“Due to the seriousness of the allegations made and coupled with the involvement of government-sponsored armed tugs in the disruption of the Ayawaso West Wagon Constituency bye-elections, we demand an urgent independent probe into the allegation made,” he said.
James Agalga also alleged that the government is creating a security apparatus loyal to the NPP and not the state by recruiting its party members in various positions.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has dismissed the call for a probe by the minority caucus in Parliament concerning the alleged training of mercenaries at the Jubilee House as part of the government’s plans towards the 2024 elections.
Nitiwul described the allegations, first published by US-based social commentator Kevin Taylor, as “rubbish”, stressing that the government had no such plans whatsoever.
He told journalists in Parliament on November 8, just after a press conference by the minority, that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was committed to handing over to a duly elected president in 2025.
“Let me state to you that this president will hand over to the duly elected president of Ghana on January 7 2025. The duly elected president will be chosen by the people of Ghana.
“Nobody will interfere in the choice of the people of Ghana. Not from the military, not from the police, not from any politician,” Nitiwul stressed.
Members of Parliament (MPs) on Wednesday took turns to hail the role of journalists in nation building.
Mr Akwasi Konadu, the MP for Manhyia North, who presented a statement on the floor of the House to mark “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists”, entreated the House to help in any way possible to ensure that media practitioners go about their duties without fear or favour.
This, he said, could be achieved by ensuring the safety and security of media practitioners and giving them all the necessary support to do their jobs.
He urged the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) not to relent in its pursuit of justice for all journalists who had suffered any form of injustice in their line of duties.
He also appealed to the Police to ensure that the killers of Mr Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an investigative journalist and Mr Samuel Kwanena Ennin, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GJA, were brought to book.
“Parliament, we also want to assure all media practitioners that we stand shoulder to shoulder with them,” Mr Konadu said.
The United Nations General Assembly in 2013 set aside November 2, as the “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists” to condemn attacks and violence against journalists.
Contributing to the presentation, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader, said the National Media Commission that was charged to regulate the conduct of media practitioners captured under Article 167 of the 1992 Constitution was to promote and ensure the freedom and independence of the media for mass communication or information.
To take all appropriate measures to ensure the establishment and maintenance of the highest journalistic standards in the mass media, including the investigation, mediation and settlement of complaints made against or by the press or other mass media and to insulate the state-owned media from governmental control.
“Mr, Speaker, the Media Commission, regardless of their intention, they are toothless in trying to call media practitioners who to astray to order,” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.
“Mr Speaker, we need the media, but the media should not otherwise assume positions that are abhorrent to our society.”
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader, said the Day provided journalists an opportunity to evaluate their own performance and to their contributions to Ghana’s functional democracy.
He lauded the contributions of journalists in their collective efforts for Ghana to attain the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“But Mr Speaker, as reported by the UN Secretary General, some 70 journalists have been killed this year in the course of their work and in the course of their duty of contributing to a more enlightening world,” Mr Iddrisu stated.
He said they were demanding Justice for the killing of Ahmed Husein-Suale and urged nvestigative or prosecutorial body handing the matter to discharge the responsibility with some credibility to give assurance to practicing journalists that they would not just wither away their lives in their services without support or compensation for their family.
“It is important that we celebrate and commend the Ghana Journalists Association and to urge them, what we need is the commitment of Government to continue to respect those freedoms,” he said.
He said Ghana still needed a new broadcasting law to regulate broadcasting generally.
Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, the MP for Abuakwa South, in his submission, said, as a legal practitioner, he had had to represent some people in the courts of law, who were defamed by certain media publications.
He noted that when someone’s hard won reputation was defamed through the publication of the journalist, it was difficult repairing, especially when it was carried on the internet.
“In trying to fly your story to make some money, be careful of the reputation of others, because money cannot buy the reputation of someone,” Mr Atta Akyea said.
Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, MP for Wa Central, urged Ghanaians to hold journalists in high esteem and not to look at them with disrespect.
He said Ghana was seen as an oasis of peace in the subregion, and that Ghanaians should ensure to handle journalists with pride; saying that journalists would be comfortable in doing their jobs, and that Ghana could be a source of inspiration for other nations.
Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr Clement Apaak, has stated that the government failed to adhere to due process in appointing Dr Eric Nkansah as the new Director General of the Ghana Education Service.
According to Mr Apaak, the government, among other things, failed to engage in proper consultations, including factoring in the input of the GES Council before the appointment.
“The Council has a say even if the president has the power to appoint, and that is why the process requires that before the minister makes a recommendation to the president, that should have happened before the recommendation. And that is where the problem is; when we try to circumvent and ignore laid-down processes and procedures, this is what happens.
“I believe that if the processes had been followed, a sense would have come that this appointment that the president was intending to make would not receive popular support from major stakeholders or if they had that sense, they would have done some background work to try and prepare the grounds,” he said during an interview with Okay FM monitored by GhanaWeb.
His comment is on the back of the strike action declared by pre-tertiary teacher unions following the appointment of Dr Eric Nkansah by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), in a collective decision, announced the strike action last week.
At a press conference last week, the unions rejected the appointment of Dr Eric Nkansah, who has a banking background, as the new GES boss.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, October 20, the president of NAGRAT, Mr Angel Carbonou, said teachers were hoping that a person with a background in education would be appointed to bring his or her expertise to bear.
“What annoyed and surprised all of us was that a new Director General has been appointed to the Ghana Education Service.
“The authority to appoint Director General of GES is the president of the land. Unfortunately, contrary to what the teacher unions indicated that we would want a Director General who is a professional teacher who has passed through the mill, who can bring his knowledge, skills and influence to bear on the activities of teachers and non-teachers in the GES.
“Contrary to that, the gentleman who was appointed yesterday is not a teacher; he is a banking officer who was a special assistant in the office of the minister and has been appointed as the DG of the GES. We are not happy with this development; it is as if we don’t have professionals and well-educated people who have gone through the mill in education in this country to run education,” he stated.
Private legal practitioner, Nkrabea Effah Dartey, has questioned the insistence of investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw to testify with his identity hidden in the criminal trial of former GFA President, Kwasi Nyantakyi.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, quashed a High Court ruling which granted the journalist the right to testify with a mask in the case of the Republic v Kwasi Nyantakyi & Another.
Reacting to the court’s ruling in an interview with Okay FM, Mr Effah Dartey questioned why the journalist wants to testify with his identity hidden saying, “If you know what you are doing and what you are saying is the truth why should you be afraid?”
“Me Nkrabea Effah Dartey, if you look me in the eyes and call me an ex-convict I won’t be happy but that is the truth. I was convicted in June 1981. I was convicted and sentenced for planning a coup, to stage a coup and become a head of state. But if you as a journalist claim Kwasi Nyantakyi has taken a bribe you should come out openly and tell us,” he added.
Cromwell Gray LLP, lawyers for the celebrated investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has urged the public to disregard what it describes as a false reportage within a section of the media that the Supreme Court of Ghana presided over by Baffoe-Bonnie, JSC, has ordered the journalist to testify without a mask.
According to a seven-point release available to GhanaWeb, the lawyers indicated that the Supreme Court in its ruling on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, did not make such an order. They also noted that their client is not being compelled by the apex to appear in court without his mask.
Background:
Mr Nyantakyi and a former Chairman of Northern Regional Football Association (RFA), Abubakar Alhassan, were charged with conspiracy to commit crime in a football scandal following Tiger Eye PI expose.
Mr Nyantakyi is facing additional charges of corruption by a public officer and fraud by an agent.
They have, however, denied the charges and have been admitted to bail in the sum of Gh¢1m with three sureties each; one of the sureties is to be justified.
The Director of the Ghana School of Law, Yaw Oppong, has directed that all social media handles of students at the school be monitored for characters befitting their profession.
This was after he directed that the students of the school submit their social media handles for monitoring, a report by myjoyonline.com said.
Yaw Oppong explained that this will help the students use their social media handles to promote ethical characters befitting of the profession they are entering.
“Everybody will have to provide their social media handles. We are going to look at it and you will be monitored in terms of conduct. We are required by law to make recommendations. We don’t want to stampede you.
“You are going to reapply beyond the pass and submit yourselves for all legitimate checks,” he said.
The Ghana School of Law director made these comments at the swearing-in ceremony of executives of the School of Law Students’ Representative Council (SRC), the report added.
Yaw Oppong urged the students to live upright lifestyles befitting their status as legal practitioners so that the General Legal Council will not be in a position to bring their characters into question one day.
“Once we are doing our best to ensure that as many of you as possible who want to help yourselves go beyond the stage you are, and we are succeeding, it will not compromise your good character.
“It’s of no use if you are qualified to go to second year, and you are told that you cannot go because of bad character,” he added.
The Ghana School of Law was established in 1958 by Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to become a centre of excellence in Africa and the world at large for professional legal training and research.
An aide to the Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, Nana Dubin Kwapong, has said that the MP is currently having discussions with the leadership of the majority caucus before she will resume her parliamentary duties.
Speaking in a Neat FM monitored by GhanaWeb, Dubin Kwapong intimated that the MP is discussing issues surrounding the majority caucus’ push for her to be removed from the House.
He added that as soon as Adwoa Safo knows her stance, she will start attending to her parliamentary duties.
“Adwoa Safo has not gone to Parliament since her return. As we all know, there are some issues that have to be resolved regarding whether she will continue as a Member of Parliament or she will be removed.
“So, in the meantime, she is engaging with the leadership of Parliament so that she will know her stance before she resumes her duties,” he said in Twi.
Dubin Kwapong further stated that Adwoa Safo has no issues with her colleague MPs who want her removed.
“If you know honourable, she is not someone who takes things too personal; she has taken everything that happened in good strides. She is now discussing what exactly happened with the leadership, and I am hopeful that something useful will come out of this,” he added.
Meanwhile, the MP for Tamale Central, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, has said that it was curious that Adwoa Safo’s much-awaited return is coinciding with a vote of censure motion the minority caucus was due to move against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, the latest development is akin to the last time she was in Parliament, that is, to help with the passage of the 2022 Budget statement of the government.
“You know there is an important vote coming up?” Suhuyini asked New Day host Berla Mundi before adding: “The finance minister’s vote of censure, she has showed up. When did she last show up last minute? On the budget.
“They knew where she was; they could bring her, they just didn’t want to,” he submitted.
Thaddeus Sory, Lead counsel for former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, has stated that his side is only ensuring due processes are followed in the ongoing criminal trial of his client.
According to the private legal practitioner, the decision to seek a Supreme Court ruling to quash an order of the High Court granting investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas the right to testify against his client with his identity hidden is to ensure due process is followed.
“We are not bent; that is a constitutional provision. If you check, it says every trial should be in public. It is statutory; it is a constitutional right to have your trial in public. So if you want to go contrary to that, it should be a compelling reason. So it is not as wanting somebody or not wanting somebody to testify in camera.
“Basically, that is what it is (following due process), so that is what the constitution says that every proceeding should be in public and that if you want to testify or have a proceeding in camera, there are laid down processes and procedures that you go through. So if he comes today and says that he wants to testify in camera, yes, you should come properly; bring an application, support it with an affidavit,” he told GhanaWeb iLawyer for Kwasi Nyantakyi speaks on Supreme Court ruling on Anas testifying
n an exclusive interview.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, quashed a High Court ruling which granted the journalist the right to testify with a mask in the Republic v Kwesi Nyantakyi & Another case.
Meanwhile, Cromwell Gray LLP, lawyers for the celebrated investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has urged the public to disregard what it describes as a false reportage within a section of the media that the Supreme Court of Ghana presided over by Baffoe-Bonnie, JSC, has ordered the journalist to testify without a mask.
According to a seven-point release available to GhanaWeb, the lawyers indicated that the Supreme Court in its ruling on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, did not make such an order. They also noted that their client is not being compelled by the apex court to appear in court without his mask.
Mr Nyantakyi and a former Chairman of the Northern Regional Football Association (RFA), Abubakar Alhassan, were charged with conspiracy to commit crime in a football scandal following Tiger Eye PI expose.
Mr Nyantakyi is facing additional charges of corruption by a public officer and fraud by an agent.
They have, however, denied the charges and have been admitted to bail in the sum of Gh¢1m with three sureties each; one of the sureties is to be justified.
Anas, who is a witness of the prosecution nominated to testify against the accused persons after his colleague, Ahmed Suale, who was the lead witness, was murdered on January 19, 2019.
The Office of former President John Agyekum Kufuor has refuted claims the former President has forfeited six months of his salary to the state.
In a statement signed by the Former President’s Senior Aide and Spokesman, Dr. Kwabena Osei Adubofour, he stated that “the reportage is fake, and should be treated with the contempt that it deserves.”
He added that while they are at a loss as to the object for such false reportage, the situation calls for “rational reflection on the use of the present avenues of communication that the digital age affords all of us.”
Dr. Adubofour further urged the general public to disregard the “utterly mischievous piece.”
A majority of Ghanaians want the government to regulate natural resource extraction such as mining, oil drilling, and wood harvesting more tightly to reduce its negative impacts on the environment, according to an Afrobarometer survey.
In a press release, Afrobarometer said citizens are evenly divided in their views on whether local communities receive a fair share of revenues from nearby natural resource extraction activities, and fewer than half think that the benefits of natural resource extraction outweigh its costs, such as pollution.
Only about half of Ghanaians say ordinary citizens have a voice in decisions about natural resource extraction that takes place near their communities.
Other Key findings from the survey are:
Most Ghanaians (85%) want the government to regulate natural resource extraction more tightly in order to reduce its negative impacts on the environment (Figure 1).
Fewer than half (46%) of citizens think local communities receive a fair share of revenues from natural resource extraction; just as many (46%) think they don’t (Figure 2).
And only 39% say the benefits of natural resource extraction, such as jobs and revenue, outweigh negative impacts such as pollution.
Half (51%) of Ghanaians “agree” or “strongly agree” that ordinary citizens have a voice in decisions about natural resource extraction near their communities, while 40% disagree.
The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,369 adult Ghanaians in April 2022.
Veteran lawyer, Sam Okudzeto, has recalled the several times he has been a victim of political incarceration.
Making this known during a donation to the inmates at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons by his firm, Sam Okudzeto and Associates (SOA), the veteran lawyer said he since kept a soft spot for people in prisons.
“As a former political prisoner on four different occasions, I have a special personal connection with prisons and the welfare of inmates. I have been a member of the Prisons Ministry of Ghana for several years and continue to serve on its Board. For over 20 years, I have spent every Christmas with inmates to demonstrate love and care, and to encourage them. We are pleased to celebrate this milestone with them,” he said.
Sam Okudzeto and Associates (SOA) is marking its 50th Anniversary as a law firm and as part of the activities commemorating the anniversary, the firm paid a visit to the prison and made some donation of medical supplies, food items, sanitary products, among others.
“The firm, Sam Okudzeto and Associates has grown through 50 years of legal excellence, and we are delighted to celebrate this remarkable feat. However, the history of this firm cannot be fully recounted if we omit to refer to our engagements and work with the prisons over these years,” he added.
The law firm was founded in 1971 by one of the country’s finest and most astute lawyers, Mr. Sam Okudzeto, (SAG. FCIS, LLB (Hons) Lond. Dip, College D’Europe, Belgium, Notary Public) after he moved on from Law Chambers.
It now boasts close to 30 lawyers and six partners. The firm’s new office has an ultra-modern library, fully equipped and updated with the most current law reports for legal research, as well as an ICT facility.
A Supreme Court Judge, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has cautioned the General Legal Council against lowering the standards for admission into the Ghana School of Law.
According to the Supreme Court Judge, it is imperative for persons seeking to study law to meet the requirements of the profession.
Speaking at a dinner for persons qualified to be called to the bar, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie underscored the need to maintain high standards of the legal profession in order to enhance justice delivery in the country.
“This year if they pass we will pass them, if they fail, they will not be admitted, and we are not going to lower standards just to accommodate anybody who has applied. Law is law and you must meet the requirements,” Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said.
His comments come after over 80 percent of students passed the final examination conducted in July by the Independent Examination Committee (IEC) of the General Legal Council (GLC) to select qualified students of the Ghana School of Law (GSL).
The general position of Ghana’s law is that the GLC is the primary institution that regulates legal education in Ghana.
Citi News‘ analysis of the results revealed that some 81 percent of the over 800 Part Two Professional Law Course students – defined as candidates who started and completed their professional law course on various campuses of the GSL – passed.
However, 18 percent of candidates who sat for the exams failed at least one or more of the papers written in July 2022.
The percentage of successful candidates belonging to the post-call law class – defined as persons who have been called to the Bar in other common law jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Nigeria and The Gambia was, however, lower; at over 60 percent.
Around 33 percent of post-call candidates failed at least one paper, meaning they are ineligible to be considered for the Ghana Bar this year.
Put together, some 850 candidates of the Ghana School of Law are fit to be considered for the Ghana Bar on November 11, 2022, provided they have equally met other requirements, such as “Good character”
The Ghana Free Zones Authority has revealed that it expects about US$230 million to be injected into the economy from thirty nine newly licensed companies by the Authority.
The thirty-nine new free zones companies which were licenced to operate within the last year and a half are also expected to bring in about US$529 million by way of export earnings into the country.
This was disclosed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA), Ambassador Michael Oquaye Jnr. during the launch of 2022 Investment Week.
“Since I took over as CEO, some 39 new companies have been licenced and they are expected to inject an estimated capital of US$230million into the economy. In addition, the estimated export earnings from the 39 companies is US$529million from an estimated production value of US$436million. I am also happy to report that the cumulative exports from the Free Zones enterprise since the programme’s inception stood at US$27billion as of 2020,” he said.
He stated that as the country is currently grappling with a balance of trade deficit and depreciation of the currency, it is critical that Ghana increases its exports to earn needed foreign exchange to stabilise the free fall of the local currency.
“Export-led industrial growth is one of the most appropriate strategies to achieve economic development; this has been the mandate of the GFZA. Thus, the Free Zones programme’s importance in reversing our balance of trade deficit and depreciating cedi is vital.”
Amb. Oquaye Jnr. also revelaed that the cumulative exports from the Free Zones enterprise since the program’s inception stood at USS 27 billion as of 2020.
This he noted indicates that Ghanaian companies also have the potential to take advantage of free zones incentives and make a mark in the international market. Currently, the total number of active companies is 217.
Out of the 217 active companies 72 are wholly Ghanaian-owned companies, representing 33percent; 74 are wholly foreign-owned companies, representing 34 percent; and 71 are joint ventures, representing 33 percent.
“I am giving this breakdown because the Free Zones programme has been misconstrued as mainly favouring foreign investors. On the contrary, the programme is open to all investors, both foreign and local. Moreover, with the opportunities that AfCFTA also offers, we are encouraging Ghanaian-owned businesses to take advantage of the 1.3 billion African market to expand their activities. The impact of these achievements on the economy cannot be overemphasised.” he added.
Lawyers for investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas have asked the public to disregard media reports suggesting that the Supreme Court has ordered him to testify in a court case without his iconic face mask.
In a statement dated November 8, 2022, and issued Tuesday night, Cromwell Gray LLP, lawyers for the ace journalist stated: “Anas may choose to testify as a prosecution witness or not.”
“Anas and his Tiger Eye team will continue to wear the iconic face beads as a symbol of impartial anonymity in investigative journalism and to highlight the extreme risks in that line of duty,” they stated.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court had quashed the Accra High Court’s decision for Anas Aremeyaw Anas, to testify in-camera against Kwesi Nyantakyi for his documentary dubbed ‘Number 12’ on football administration and alleged bribery.
A witness for the Republic, Ahmed Suale, who was one of the investigative journalists in respect of the documentary, was murdered in Madina, Accra weeks before his testimony could be taken.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas had then agreed to testify in the stead of Ahmed Suale, on condition that he be allowed to do so in camera or in chambers.
The court had agreed but lawyers for the accused person, Kwesi Nyantakyi petitioned the Supreme Court to quash the High Court’s decision for Anas to testify in camera.
The Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Baffoe-Bonnie on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, granted the application for certiorari filed by Kwesi Nyantakyi quashing the order of the Accra High Court granting a dispensation to Anas to testify in camera as a prosecution witness in the criminal case entitled Republic v Kwesi Nyantakyi & Another.
In March 2022, during Case Management Conference, the High Court presided over by Justice Elfreda Dankyi granted an application by the prosecution for Anas to give evidence in camera as a prosecution witness in the case of Republic v Kwesi Nyantakyi and Another.
Mr Nyantakyi therefore applied to the Supreme Court for an order of certiorari to quash the dispensation given to Anas.
Grounds
Mr Nyantakyi’s grounds for going to the Supreme Court were that the order of the High Court offended the human rights of the applicant as guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution, that the order was made without regard to the procedures and rules of court which required that a formal and not an oral application be made in such circumstances; and the order of the court was made in excess of jurisdiction of the court.
The Supreme Court upheld the application and quashed the order of the High Court as having been made without the requisite legal basis.
Following that, some media reports had suggested that Anas would now have to testify in open court without his iconic face mask.
Reaction by Anas’s lawyers
But reacting to the media reports on the ruling by the Supreme Court, lawyers for Anas explained that the criminal proceedings were instituted following Anas’ petition filed with the Attorney-General.
“The Star witness for the Republic, Ahmed Suale, who was one of the investigative journalists in respect of the documentary, was murdered in Madina, Accra weeks before his testimony could be taken.”
“Anas Aremeyaw Anas agreed to testify in the stead of Ahmed Suale on condition that he be allowed to do so in camera or in chambers.”
“The public should disregard false reportage that Anas has been ordered by the Supreme Court or is being compelled by the Supreme Court to appear in court without his trademark face beads.
“Anas may choose to testify as a prosecution witness or not. Anas and his Tiger Eye team will continue to wear the iconic face beads as a symbol of impartial anonymity in investigative journalism and to highlight the extreme risks in that line of duty.”
Attached below is a copy of the statement from Anas’s lawyers
PRESS RELEASE
IN RE: REPUBLIC v. KWESI NYANTAKYI & ANOTHER
We are lawyers for the celebrated undercover investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Our attention has been drawn to developments in the ongoing criminal trial of the former head of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi who is standing trial for corruption and fraud over the Number12 investigative report aired in 2018. The documentary uncovered football related corruption in Ghana and other African countries.
The criminal proceedings were instituted following Anas’ petition filed with the Attorney-General.
The Star witness for the Republic, Ahmed Suale, who was one of the investigative journalists in respect of the documentary, was murdered in Madina, Accra weeks before his testimony could be taken.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas agreed to testify in the stead of Ahmed Suale on condition that he be allowed to do so in camera or in chambers.
The public should disregard false reportage that Anas has been ordered by the Supreme Court or is being compelled by the Supreme Court to appear in court without his trademark face beads.
Anas may choose to testify as a prosecution witness or not. Anas and his Tiger Eye team will continue to wear the iconic face beads as a symbol of impartial anonymity in investigative journalism and to highlight the extreme risks in that line of duty. Cromwell Gray LLP 8 November 2022
To grow the local economy and industry the government must lead the way by ensuring it prioritizes sourcing from local businesses and institutes policies to check foreign competition for such entities.
Players in the manufacturing sector believe these parameters are critical amidst the present economic turmoil and will improve the country’s fortunes.
Elisabeth Owusu Gyebi the Public Relations Officer for Interplast limited further highlighted the struggle manufacturers in the country are currently battling due to the prevailing economic challenges.
She stated that “we are spending more money to get the same raw materials that we were getting a couple of months ago and this has to be carried on to the consumer because we have tried our best to absorb these extra expenses that came.”
She added that she believes the government’s engagement with local industries is critical to turning the situation around.
“Government need to take the bold step by buying made in Ghana products themselves for all these projects they get themselves into.”
Sherif Abdellah Sherif is the assistant marketing manager at Golden Africa Ghana, which is into manufacturing and export of soap, he believes the government must also prioritise providing businesses like his with incentives over foreign competition.
“A lot of tough competition comes from imported goods and because of that many manufacturing firms cannot sustain locally due to a lot of cutthroat competition in the market.”
“So if we can prioritise the people who are manufacturing locally with local resources then I think that can give some space for the industry.”
Both business leaders spoke to Citi Business News on the sidelines of the National Consumers’ Choice Awards Ghana 2022.
At a time when inflation is at an all-time high, utility tariffs are up and the cost of fuel in the country keeps hiking, manufacturers are amongst the worst affected.
The cedi has significantly depreciated by about 40 per cent this year and traded at some point last month at about GHS16 to the dollar.
The fluctuations of the currency pose a major challenge for industries that have a hard time figuring out how to price their products.
This led to some locally made commodities like oil seeing their prices on the market more than double.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana says the introduction of an import license policy will only add to the bureaucracy and cost of doing business in Ghana.
Their concern follows calls by the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) that such a policy is needed to regulate the imports that come into the country.
According to the importers and exporters, the requirement of certain licenses are already needed before one can import goods into the country.
There have been growing calls from various stakeholders on the need to cut down on importation especially amidst the country’s current economic challenges.
However in an interview with Citi Business News, General Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association, Sampson Asaki Awingobit said the introduction of such a license will rather go against the ease of doing business in Ghana.
“We already have a several importations that you need license to venture into. i.e., when you are bringing in Food into the country you will need permits from FDA, standards authority among others so we go through all these to get permits so I don’t know why they want government to introduce licenses to further entrench the bureaucracies” Mr. Awingobit said.
He also noted that the existing bureaucracies place Ghana at a disadvantaged position in the global list of countries with high barriers to trade and the introduction of another layer of bureaucracy will only worsen the situation.
Ghana will in the short term review the standards and requirements used for the importation of goods into the country.
This according to the Ghana Standards Authority is crucial to cut down on the number of goods imported into the country even as the country takes steps to scale up manufacturing and production.
Ghana’s imports for 2021 were estimated at over 22 billion dollars, a situation which has been affecting the strength of the local currency.
Speaking at the Standards Partnership Pilot Launch, President of the African Organization for Standardization, Professor Alex Dodoo said more will be done to improve the standards of locally produced goods
“The world needs world-class goods and services from Africa. Africa needs world-class goods and services from each other. To realise these, Ghana and Africa must have standards since standards are the language for trade, be they national or international. The Standards Partnership Programme affords us the opportunity to develop and deploy world class goods and services to a world that needs them in exchange for foreign exchange and other benefits that we also need. This is a “win-win-win” for Ghana, for the UK, for Africa and for the world” – Professor Alex Dodoo said.
Professor Alex Dodoo further noted that “To create jobs, Ghana and Africa need to add value to our natural and mineral resources using the human resources available to it backed with world-class technology. When that is done, we will be able to produce good quality goods and services that are already in demand globally and that meet international standards”.
“If these products do not meet world-class standards, they will not be able to be sold on international markets and Ghana and Africa will not get the foreign exchange we desperately need to grow our countries and our continent. In this regard, standards represent an extremely powerful and unavoidable means to transform lives and livelihoods for Ghana and Africa. To put it simply– No standards – No trade. And No trade – No economy. And no economy, no jobs”
The leadership of the three teacher unions on strike will today, Wednesday, November 9, 2022, meet the National Labour Commission (NLC) to arrive at ways to resolve their concerns.
This comes on the back of a decision by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to refer the impasse between the government and the striking unions to the NLC.
The teacher unions declared a sit-down strike on November 4, in protest of the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Speaking to Citi News, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu said the unions were summoned by the NLC hence the need to honour the invitation.
“The NLC has invited us to meet which means we have been summoned so absolutely, we shall be there.”
The National Labour Commission says it is hopeful the matter will be resolved after hearing from the teacher unions and government.
“We will try to resolve the matter at our level. We are capable of handling it so by close of day today, there is likely to be a resolution”, says Eyram Dotse Totimeh, the Head of Public Affairs at NLC.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah, says the teacher unions must resort to other ways to channel their grievances to the government. He argues that embarking on a strike is not the best option.
“If there is any other way you can use to get your grievances across to the appointing authority, then you can do so, but to use only use strike to get to government which affects our children, we must give consideration to that. There are other avenues they can get to government to decide whether that appointment should hold.”
The three unions on strike are the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT).
The unions have been engaging with the government since the strike began, but the meetings have been inconclusive.
Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery says government is committed to justice for the victims and families of those who died during the 2020 elections.
At least five people died in separate violent incidents across the country during the election that saw president Akufo-Addo win a second term.
Two years after the incidents, there have been no arrests or prosecutions.
At a press conference, the Interior Minister promised government’s willingness to get to the bottom of the murders.
“We want to investigate the murders and the investigations are ongoing. The police service did not have a department that handles cold cases, but now it has. As soon as we find the people, we will deal with them, but I can assure you that we are investigating those people who were killed.”
For instance, in the last polls, two persons lost their lives in the Techiman South constituency after being hit by warning shots from security personnel, while six others sustained gunshot wounds.
The incident started after a misunderstanding ensued over the declaration of the election results.
Members of the NPP in the constituency, in March 2021, petitioned the Interior Ministry to investigate the shooting incident.
Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, the Member of Parliament for the area, has said some measures are being taken to secure justice for persons who suffered the brutalities.
He said the violence is regrettable and must not recur.
The MP has stated that he is aware that police investigations into the matter have been concluded and that there would be further action on the outcome soon.
Most Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, the 18th Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has tasked Ghanaians to tone down on criticism of the government amid economic hardship.
Speaking at an event to climax the Centenary celebration of the Asante presbytery in Kumasi over the weekend, he said the difficulties Ghanaians were experiencing were not unique to Ghana.
But that over-politicization has become the norm, hence opposition parties are always acting in ways that shame the government so that they can boost their chances of winning power.
“Ghana has become very difficult. But I also know that the whole world has become very difficult. I know that things have become very difficult and in Ghana, many people are not educated to know that there is a serious world crisis.
“If you say it, many don’t believe because everything is politicized, so the opposition is interested in doing what will shame the ruling government so that he can be voted for. That kind of politics must be shunned, it is not nice. It doesn’t convince those of us who are educated,” he stressed.
He also tasked Ghanaians to critique the government using the proper channels stressing that doing otherwise ultimately hurts the economy as it has the tendency of chasing away investors.
“There is a medium to raise concerns about issues not to dirty each other in the media. The more we say negative things about our country, the more prices will shoot up. Because there is no investor who will seriously take you seriously.
“It is this that someone wanted to say when he said sika mpɛ dede,” he added in reference to controversial comments President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made in his October 30 economic address to the nation.
What Akufo-Addo said about Ghana being in a crisis
Amid an economic downturn, calls for Akufo-Addo to resign has heightened with a November 5, 2022 protest dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ making the loudest call as activists and politicians marched in Accra to press home that demand.
The government is meanwhile, grappling with an economic crisis, which along with the galamsey scourge and corruption are the major drivers for the call on Akufo-Addo to resign along with his Vice President, Mahamadu Bawumia.
Akufo-Addo in his October 30 address on the economy blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causes for the country’s economic woes.
While admitting that the country was in crisis and rallying support for various government interventions to stem the tide, he said the situation was not peculiar to the country as many nations across the world were also experiencing difficulties.
“We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time.
“But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedevilled our economy,” he said.
But like before, President Akufo-Addo blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causative factors for the economic woes.
Most Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, the 18th Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has tasked Ghanaians to critique the government using the proper channels stressing that doing otherwise ultimately hurts the economy as it has the tendency of chasing away investors.
“There is a medium to raise concerns about issues not to dirty each other in the media. The more we say negative things about our country, the more prices will shoot up. Because there is no investor who will seriously take you seriously.
“It is this that someone wanted to say when he said sika mpɛ dede,” he added in reference to controversial comments President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made in his October 30 economic address to the nation.
The clergyman was speaking at an event to climax the Centenary celebration of the Asante presbytery in Kumasi over the weekend, where he observed that the economic difficulties Ghanaians were experiencing were not unique to Ghana.
But that over-politicization has become the norm, hence opposition parties are always acting in ways that shame the government so that they can boost their chances of winning power.
“Ghana has become very difficult. But I also know that the whole world has become very difficult. I know that things have become very difficult and in Ghana, many people are not educated to know that there is a serious world crisis.
“If you say it, many don’t believe because everything is politicized, so the opposition is interested in doing what will shame the ruling government so that he can be voted for. That kind of politics must be shunned, it is not nice. It doesn’t convince those of us who are educated,” he stressed.
What Akufo-Addo said about Ghana being in a crisis
Amid an economic downturn, calls for Akufo-Addo to resign has heightened with a November 5, 2022 protest dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ making the loudest call as activists and politicians marched in Accra to press home that demand.
The government is meanwhile, grappling with an economic crisis, which along with the galamsey scourge and corruption are the major drivers for the call on Akufo-Addo to resign along with his Vice President, Mahamadu Bawumia.
Akufo-Addo in his October 30 address on the economy blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causes for the country’s economic woes.
While admitting that the country was in crisis and rallying support for various government interventions to stem the tide, he said the situation was not peculiar to the country as many nations across the world were also experiencing difficulties.
“We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time.
“But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedevilled our economy,” he said.
But like before, President Akufo-Addo blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causative factors for the economic woes.
Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Alhassan Suhuyini, has advanced a reason why embattled Dome-Kwabenya lawmaker, Sarah Adwoa Safo, is returning to Parliament after a long absence.
Suhuyini in an interview on TV3, November 8, 2022, said it was curious that the lawmaker’s much-awaited return was coinciding with a vote of censure motion the Minority Caucus was due to move against Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, the latest development is akin to the last time that she was in Parliament, that is to help with the passage of the 2022 Budget statement of the government.
“You know there is an important vote coming up?” Suhuyini asked New Day host Berla Mundi before adding: “The finance minister’s vote of censure, she has showed up. When did she last show up last minute? On the budget.
“They knew where she was, they could bring her, they just didn’t want to,” he submitted.
“When it is important to this government…remember Adwoa Safo told us the president is aware of her absence and the president understands her and the president has never denied it.
“For me, it is curious that an important vote is coming up….and the president has found a way and remember the president wants to save the Finance Minister at all costs, Adwoa is back,” he stressed.
Adwoa Safo makes no-show in Parliament
On Tuesday, November 8, when proceedings in Parliament started at about 11.38 am, her seat was empty indicating that she was not in the Chamber.
Journalists and even her colleague MPs were expecting to see her join the debate which was going on at the plenary but that did not happen.
Sarah Adwoa Safo’s seat remained empty till the end of the day’s proceedings at 2.00 pm.
It is, however, unclear why the MP, after her return to the country failed to show up in the House.
The MP was relieved of her ministerial post despite having been given extended leave from last year and her seat in Parliament is the subject of a heated debate between the Speaker and Leader of the Majority Group.
After referring her absence from Parliament to the Privileges Committee of Parliament, the Speaker of Parliament said he investigated their work and was not satisfied with it and has since referred it to the floor of Parliament for a decision to be taken.
The government has announced plans to establish a rice processing factory in the Kintampo municipality of the Bono East Region.
This will bring to five the number of factories in the region operating under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) programme.
The factory is expected to facilitate value addition and increase rice production in the region, officials said.
The Bono East regional minister, Kwasi Gyan, made this known at the climax of the 2022 Bankadi Kurubi festival in Kintampo.
“We understand that times are hard but be rest assured that the government is hoping to turn things around with the Planting for Food and Jobs programme,” Gyan said.
“We believe that something good will come out of these factories in Kintampo.”
“Under President Akufo-Addo and his vice Dr Bawumia we have four different factories that we are establishing, the fifth one, we are about establish is a rice processing factory,” Gyan added.
Calm has been restored at the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) following a successful meeting held between senior management of the company, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) together with the local union executives regarding recent developments that attracted some media attention.
Asaase News is learning that the parties have agreed to return to the negotiating table to continue and complete their Wage negotiations.
The leadership of all the key stakeholders, including the CEO of VALCO, Dan Acheampong, director of HR and Administration at VALCO, Festus Quaidoo, general secretary for ICU, Morgan Ayawine, and chairman of the local union, Edgar Tetteh, at their meeting on Monday, 7 November 2022, signed an undertaking to demonstrate their commitment to the process and lend their full support towards ensuring the resumption of full operations at VALCO.
VALCO in recent weeks has dominated the media space following labour agitations by some workers who refused some management members entry into the facility, a situation that disrupted operations and led to a planned shutdown of the aluminium smelter.
VALCO management, in a press statement, noted that in line with the board’s directive they worked with the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to take down the power to the operating line in an orderly fashion to save the Smelter in order to allow for a smooth restart.
With calm restored at VALCO, all employees at the facility are expected to be called in to resume work as their leadership continues the wage negotiation process with the declared objective of an amicable settlement.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has referred the impasse between the government and the striking unions to the National Labour Commission.
This comes after a second meeting between the parties involved on Monday to find a common ground ended in a stalemate.
The teacher unions declared a sit-down strike on November 4, in protest of the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service.
They believe Dr. Nkansah does not have a satisfactory teaching background.
The three unions on strike are the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT) have been on strike since November 4, 2022.
The strike has generally disrupted academic work at pre-tertiary institutions.
Speaking to Citi News on the referral of the matter to the National Labour Commission, the Secretary for the GNAT, Thomas Musah said the gesture does not show good faith.
According to him, the development was unexpected because “the understanding social partners at the table had yesterday was that we would meet today at 2 pm to continue where we left off.”
“For the Ministry of Labour Relations to refer this matter to the National Labour Commission simply means they have declared a deadlock.”
The Supreme Court of Ghana has delivered a damaging blow to Anas Aremeyaw Anas after ordering the journalist to appear in open court without his usual face mask to face Kwesi Nyantakyi.
The highest ruling body in Ghana ruled on Tuesday morning that the reluctant journalist must appear in court without any face mask covering to testify in the case with the former Ghana FA President.
Anas, who has been extremely reluctant to appear in court let alone without his mask, will now be publicly seen in court in his real flesh as he testifies in court.
This comes after the Supreme Court quashed an earlier ruling by a lower court giving permission to Anas to testify in camera.
The journalist, whose investigation led to Nyantakyi resigning several football posts, claimed his life would be in danger if he testifies in court.
The order of the High Court 2, Criminal Division granted permission to Anas Aremeyaw Anas to testify on camera in the case against Kwesi Nyantakyi.
But on appeal by lawyers of Nyantakyi, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the former football chief and asked Anas to appear in flesh to be cross-examined in open court by Nyantakyi.
By this decision of the Supreme Court Anas Amereyaw Anas must give evidence in open court.
Nyantakyi is fighting his case against the controversial journalist in a bid to clear his name.
The former Ghana FA capo is serving a global ban following the documentary.
Nyantakyi, who was rising to the very top of global football administration, had to step aside from his roles with Caf including as 1st vice-president, the most senior figure at the confederation after its former president, Ahmad.
Nyantakyi and other football officials from around the continent were secretly filmed by undercover reporters receiving cash gifts as part of a documentary by controversial Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Brigadier General [Rtd] Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, a former Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, has spoken about how he was prevented from seeing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to discuss issues relating to the economy.
According to him, he approached his good friend Kwame Pianim, who then called one Gabby and told him that the former CDS would like to have a word with the president.
He said, that Gabby on the phone told him that the president was attending a UN Assembly in New York and when he comes, he will facilitate a meeting with the president.
Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah told Adakabri Frimpong Manso on Neat FM that, one week later, he [Pianim] called to ask if he had been called to meet the president but he answered in the negative.
He narrated: “I have been a soldier all my life. So, if I am the one experiencing these challenges on the battlefield, I would move to the front to observe exactly what is happening and address the soldiers and tell them that that is not how to position yourself on the battlefield…
“I know President Akufo-Addo more than any other politician, I was his campaign manager in 1998. You said you won’t call me so I decided to reach out to him myself but he says he doesn’t have the time, what should I do again?
“In September last year, I went to his office with one of the retired soldiers – a former CDS, he is almost 90 years old – with our experience we said where the country is heading, we are going to hit some rough patches because as an elder, sometimes you see things that ordinary minds don’t see; you see things with experience instead of the eyes, for experience is the best teacher. . . I went with a friend and approached Kwame Pianim – who is a good friend – I told him that I want to go and see the president and he called one Gabby and told him that I want to see the president but he said he [president] is in New York [for UN General Assembly] so, when he comes, he will call me to go and meet him. One week later, he [Mpiani] asked if I have been called and I said nobody has called me, and then he got angry.”
Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah continued: “Later Kan Dapaah called me and said ‘General, the president said, I, the Security Advisor, and the National Security Coordinator should come and meet you’. I told him that ‘Kan, I am not the only one that wants to meet the president, there is this elder friend of mine who also wants to see the president so, let me go and talk to him and I will get back to you’.
“The former CDS when I discussed with him said, ‘General, forget about them. . .We saw this thing coming . . . and up till now we did not get access to the president to talk to him. I was really sad because we were not going to beg the president for anything . . .
“I was going to tell the president that look I’m not an economist but we are too dependent on the dollar to buy virtually everything; we’ve spoilt the cedi so, at least let us mitigate the situation by doing things to help ourselves… let’s mobilise the nation and feed ourselves and reduce the pressure on the cedi. . . I was going to offer myself without pay. . .”
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has warned that if steps are not taken to remedy the incessant increase in transport fares, truancy among teachers and students will increase.
According to the Chairperson of the Madina-Adenta-Abokobi (MAA) GNAT District, Christian Yaw Adinkra, if the prices of items and services increase and the teacher’s salary remains the same, then a time will come that the classrooms will be half empty and some few teachers may be in school.
“From the way things are going, I foresee that in the coming days, the rate of truancy is going to go up on the part of students and teachers as well. For some time now you can see that some parents are struggling to give their wards transportation to school” he mentioned
Mr. Adinkra disclosed that it has become common to find classes half empty after break because the students don’t have enough money to pick a car home hence they have to set off early in order to get home on time.
He told Alfred Ocansey on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show that the current price hikes and high cost of living has rendered the 15% of cost of living allowance (COLA) insignificant and has brought untoward hardships on teachers and workers in general.
“As it stands now the salary of the teacher cannot sustain him or her for more than a week. The average teacher takes about one thousand eight hundred (GHS 1,800) whereas prices of food and everything the teacher lives on have skyrocketed including transport. It would be unfair to ask the teacher to come to school when he or she has no lorry fare” Yaw Adinkra stated.
The leader of the teachers’ union added that the food that is being fed to the students in school falls short in quantity and quality as well. A situation he claims is influencing some students to steal from their colleagues.
GNAT has further appealed to the government to suspend the tax component on teachers’ salaries as it is being done in other African countries such as Rwanda to ameliorate the living conditions of teachers.
Chairman Christian Yaw Adinkra again recommended a possible shift system for teachers so that the number of days a teacher attends school could be reduced as well as the transportation cost.
“Our salaries have been invaded by the dollar and swallowed by inflation, hence the teacher’s salary can’t sustain him or her for more than a week. The current economic hardship is creating inevitable truancy. Teachers are not regular school and students’ is worse, and those who are trying to be regular have to walk to a point before picking a car. The situation is dire and something needs to be done before it gets out of hand” He lamented.
Philip Assafua, the chief executive officer of Appeb Cylinder Manufacturing Company has suggested to the government to ban the importation of gas cylinders into Ghana.
His comment comes amidst the recent depreciation of the Ghana cedi, which has made locally manufactured gas cylinders quite expensive as compared to imported ones.
Speaking to Asaase News on Monday (7 November), Assafua said the government must swiftly intervene to save the local cylinder industry.
“It is my expectation that by now, there should be some directive, a least, like we are talking about import substitution, there shouldn’t be the reason why anybody should import cylinders into the country,” he said. “Because we have the capacity here and we can meet any demand in the country.”
“These are some of the things I am talking about in terms of protection. The government must come out with policies to protect the industry in terms of cost.
“If a factory in Ghana, is managing within the current circumstances, and that factory is still keeping people employed… that factory needs the support of the government. A lot of companies are sacrificing their profit margins just to survive,” Assafua added.
The Ghana Alternative Exchange (GAX) is on course to attract additional market listings as managers of the stock exchange have engaged more than 140 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in partnership with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), as well as Stanford Seed Transformation Network Ghana.
GAX, a parallel market, focuses on businesses at various stages of their development, including start-ups and existing enterprises – both small and medium, with potential for growth.
In an interview with the B&FT on the side-lines of the Entrepreneurs Solutions Summit, incoming Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), Abena Amoah, mentioned that the Exchange has over the last two years stepped up its efforts at engaging with SMEs through the various established associations, which is expected to yield some positive outturns.
“We’ve signed various memoranda of understanding (MoU) and some are being implemented; one is already with the Stanford Network which is made up of about 140 medium-sized Ghanaian companies run by serious entrepreneurs, and we’re talking to them about utilising the market. We are confident that in the medium-term we can get about 10 of them to come into the market.
“Another partnership we’re pursuing is with the Association of Ghana Industries. What we are doing is screening SMEs, running clinics for them and preparing them to be put in front of investors,” Ms. Amoah said.
Some weeks ago, the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) signed an MoU with Development Bank Ghana (DBG) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), ensuring that SMEs listed on the Ghana Alternative Market (GAX) will be able to access long-term debt at a low-cost.
Even though the agreement will give these companies access to debt funding, it is anticipated that its design won’t prevent the listed companies from using the Ghana Fixed Income Market (GFIM) or seeking equity financing in the long run.
“We have held some joint clinics with DBG already, screening these companies and even outside that – what we are doing with AGI – we are targetting some of the individual AGI members that could be attractive to the market,” Ms. Amoah said.
Currently, there are six companies listed on the Alternative Market with a total market capitalisation of GH¢49.8billion, which is woefully inadequate at a time the country is ramping up efforts to be a major player in the continental free trade area.
Ms. Amoah hinted that the GSE is already engaging institutional investors on possibly investing in some of the identified SMEs, in order to diversify their investment portfolios.
“We have also been engaging with institutional investors to help them look at how they go about diversifying their portfolios. To this end, we are planning a non-deal road show whereby we bring some significant businesses to sell their stories to institutional investors. Hopefully, by the time some of these companies are ready to come to the market, the institutional investors would already know a lot about them,” Ms. Amoah disclosed.
“Our stance is that the market is big for businesses, so SMEs should not be afraid of using the market. Many of these SMEs worry about opening up their companies and being transparent about their operations and putting out their financial information to the public,” she added.
ESG
The Deputy MD further stated that her outfit is putting in measures to ensure the long-term viability of these companies, with the recent roll-out of its guidance manual for disclosures on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) for listed firms.
At the launch, she said the manual will help publicly-listed companies, including those listed on the GAX, better position themselves to be globally competitive.
“It is a well-known fact that businesses across the globe have moved beyond solely focusing on financial metrics in performance evaluation, and are now focusing on both the positive and negative impacts of their operations on the environment… The GSE is thankful to our partners for their support in producing this ESG guide that helps Ghanaian companies be more accountable for the impact of their businesses,” she said, adding that the Accra bourse will lead the way by reporting on its ESG impact as an entity.
The manual has been in the works for three years, and is the result of efforts led by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA).
It sees the GSE join some 60-plus stock exchanges globally which provide guidance on ESG reporting, according to the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE), and comes as the value of global sustainable bond issuance is projected to top US$1.5trillion in 2022.
Speakers at the 2022 edition of the Stanford Seed Transformation Network Ghana Chapter’s annual flagship Business and Leadership conference have called for businesses to be resilient in the face of economic crisis, and see it as an opportunity to grow.
Mr. David Ofosu-Dorte, Executive Chairman at AB & David Law who gave the keynote address at the conference, urged businesses to stay true to their vision and mandate during times of crisis, saying: “It is easy for business leaders and entrepreneurs to abandon the core vision and mandate of their business in their bid to survive crisis situations. The courage to stay true to your vision during crisis defines your business”.
Dr. Alhasan Andani, former CEO of Stanbic Bank said: “Businesses and entrepreneurs should use a crisis as an opportunity to grow and learn from their mistakes”.
He encouraged participants to pay attention to crisis situations, be receptive and adaptive, and work to evolve their business while taking into account the legal and regulatory framework. “Businesses need to refine their strategies in light of changes in their markets,” he said.
The multi-stakeholder conference was the fifth in a series of conferences, and held under the theme ‘Growth Opportunities Within the Crisis’. It brought together high-level executives and thought-leaders from across industries to discuss building resilient businesses by identifying opportunities during periods of economic crisis.
Globally, economies are slowing down this year and expected to slow further in the years ahead. This is due to several factors including high inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the global economy’s growth is expected to slow from 6 percent in 2021 to 3.2 percent in 2022 and 2.7 percent in 2023.
Ghana’s runaway inflation, coupled with weak government finances and the weakened cedi, is harming the country’s economy. Businesses and entrepreneurs are struggling to stay afloat in this crisis, which is causing some to fold-up because they cannot meet their operating costs.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Network has used its conference to share knowledge and expertise on how members and the general business community can leverage on the challenges presented by crisis to identify opportunities for growing their business.
The conference is part of the Network’s strategy to connect members with industry experts and their peers, in order to help them gain knowledge that will help them stay ahead in today’s business environment.
In her remarks, Mrs. Linda Yaa Ampah (president of the Stanford Seed Transformation Network, Ghana and Founder of Cadling Fashions and KAD Manufacturing Ltd.) commended members of the Network for their resilience and ability to create and innovate in order to keep their businesses afloat during this time of economic uncertainty.
She bemoaned the current economic crisis and how it’s affecting businesses in Ghana. “The Ghanaian business environment has become very challenging,” she said. “There is generally high cost of doing business due to continuous depreciation of the cedi, rising cost of food and imports, a high debt burden, high inflation, high-interest rates and the rising cost of energy. These factors are expected to reduce growth in the short-term due to the current global recession.”
The private sector can help Ghana’s economy grow if government offers it the right conditions. “Regulators and managers of the business environment need to follow discussions at the conference and provide the conditions which enable businesses to thrive and contribute even better to Ghana’s GDP by creating dignifying and fulfilling jobs for the youth,” she added.
Participants at the conference had the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals, gained new perspectives and practical strategies to upscale and transform businesses.
The Supreme Court of Ghana is set to decide on a notice of discontinuance filed by a petitioner who had earlier asked the court to grant men the right to practice polygamy.
Samuel Ampomah had earlier filed a suit at the apex court asking to be granted the right to more than one wife under the marriage ordinance law.
However the farmer according to a report by Graphic.com.gh on October 22, 2022 filed a notice to discontinue the case.
Mr Ampomah had gone to the Supreme Court in September 2021 with the case that it was unconstitutional for the Marriages Act, 1884 (CAP 127), and the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) to forbid a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance and also make it a crime.
It was the case of the petitioner that CAP 127 and Act 29 violated Articles 17 (2) and 21(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which respectively prohibits discrimination and guarantees the right to practice any religion without restriction.
The petitioner sought various reliefs including a declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Articles 17(2) and 21(1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the spirit of the Constitution, Section 74 (1) of CAP 127 which forbids a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance was unconstitutional, and, therefore, null and void.
He further sought the court to make a declaration that Sections 262, 263, 264 and 265(2) of Act 29 which make it an offence for a man to marry again under the ordinance while he is already married are unconstitutional.
The laws of Ghana under CAP 127 recognises three types of marriages – customary, Islamic and ordinance.
Men under the first two types of marriage are permitted to marry more than one wife while marriage under ordinance restricts a man to a wife.
Mr Ampomah in his suit argued that marriage under the ordinance applied solely to Christian marriage, but that there was no evidence that monogamous marriage was part of Christianity.
The petitioner posited that monogamous marriage was a European culture which had been made to look like a religious or Christian culture.
Mr Ampomah argued that making it compulsory for Christians to marry only one was an imposition which discriminates against people in Ghana who identified as Christians.
“Plaintiff maintains that in the Christian manual of life known as the Bible, there is no prohibition against Christian men from marrying more than one wife anyway, making the prohibition in Sections 74(1) (b) of CAP 127, and Sections 262, 263 and 265 (2) an undue and improper imposition on the lives of Christians,” he argued.
The Attorney General in its defense to the suit argued that the petitioner had not made any case to be granted the reliefs that he sought.
According to the A-G, the three different types of marriages captured under CAP 127 were based on the various religious practices in the country.
“It is trite that customary and Mohammedan marriages are potentially polygamous, while the Bible which guides Christianity upholds monogamy. This principle is established throughout the Bible and is practiced by Christians the world over,” the A-G argued.
The A-G further argued that the plaintiff had not properly invoked the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution.
According to the A-G, the fact that the plaintiff sought interpretation did not mean the law he complained about met the interpretation criteria set out by case law.
The A-G contended that Section 74 (1) (b) of CAP 127 was clear, concise and admitted no ambiguity, and that there was no need for interpretation or enforcement by the court.
Man withdraws suit demanding right to marry more than one wife from Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Ghana is set to decide on a notice of discontinuance filed by a petitioner who had earlier asked the court to grant men the right to practice polygamy.
Samuel Ampomah had earlier filed a suit at the apex court asking to be granted the right to more than one wife under the marriage ordinance law.
However, the farmer, according to a report by Graphic.com.gh on October 22, 2022, filed a notice to discontinue the case.
Mr Ampomah went to the Supreme Court in September 2021 with the case that it was unconstitutional for the Marriage Act, 1884 (CAP 127) and the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) to forbid a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance and also make it a crime.
It was the case of the petitioner that CAP 127 and Act 29 violated Articles 17 (2) and 21(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which respectively prohibits discrimination and guarantee the right to practice any religion without restriction.
The petitioner sought various reliefs, including a declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Articles 17(2) and 21(1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the spirit of the Constitution, Section 74 (1) of CAP 127 which forbids a man from marrying more than one wife under the ordinance was unconstitutional, and, therefore, null and void.
He further sought the court to make a declaration that Sections 262, 263, 264 and 265(2) of Act 29 that makes it an offence for a man to marry again under the ordinance while he is already married as unconstitutional.
The laws of Ghana under CAP 127 recognise three types of marriages – customary, Islamic and ordinance.
Men under the first two types of marriage are permitted to marry more than one wife, while marriage under ordinance restricts a man to a wife.
Mr Ampomah, in his suit, argued that marriage under the ordinance applied solely to Christian marriage but that there was no evidence that monogamous marriage was part of Christianity.
The petitioner posited that monogamous marriage was European culture which had been made to look like a religious or Christian culture.
Mr Ampomah argued that making it compulsory for Christians to marry only one was an imposition which discriminated against people in Ghana who identified as Christians.
“Plaintiff maintains that in the Christian manual of life known as the Bible, there is no prohibition against Christian men from marrying more than one wife anyway, making the prohibition in Sections 74(1) (b) of CAP 127, and Sections 262, 263 and 265 (2) an undue and improper imposition on the lives of Christians,” he argued.
In its defence to the suit, the Attorney General argued that the petitioner had not made any case to be granted the reliefs he sought.
According to the A-G, the three different types of marriages captured under CAP 127 were based on the various religious practices in the country.
“It is trite that customary and Mohammedan marriages are potentially polygamous, while the Bible which guides Christianity upholds monogamy. This principle is established throughout the Bible and is practiced by Christians the world over,” the A-G argued.
The A-G further argued that the plaintiff had not properly invoked the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution.
According to the A-G, the fact that the plaintiff sought interpretation did not mean the law he complained about met the interpretation criteria set out by case law.
The A-G contended that Section 74 (1) (b) of CAP 127 was clear, concise and admitted no ambiguity, and that there was no need for interpretation or enforcement by the court.
President Akufo-Addo has asked rich countries to allow heavily indebted poor African countries to swap their debts with climate interventions.
The President has been addressing the world at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27 in Egypt.
Ghana is currently facing crippling economic crisis fueled by huge debt.
The debt situation is proving to be a major stumbling block to getting an IMF deal in time.
Ghana is seeking a $3 billion bailout but the IMF has made it clear it will not lend to a country with unsustainable debt levels.
The IMF team has already worked with the finance ministry to complete a debt sustainability analysis.
The IMF executive board is expected to base its final decision on the report which may include debt restructuring.
President Akufo-Addo took advantage of the COP27 stage to raise the issue with the rich world.
“I urge those who hold African debt to commit to debt for climate swap initiatives,” the President said.
The President did not hold back in dismissing the global financial architecture as not fit for purpose.
He said a “Radical restructuring of the global financial architecture as proposed by the African finance ministers to accommodate the demands of the developing world is of urgent necessity.
“It is evident that with these poly crisis that it is not fit for purpose.”
The President once again took on the rich world for failing to honor a pledge to release $100 billion to help developing countries deal with the impact of climate change.
He also announced that his government will soon be launching a number of climate interventions to create jobs for Ghanaians.
This he says will happen through the rollout of initiatives that will promote regenerative agriculture that requires less fertilizers and reforestation with strong biodiversity content.
Pressure group, OccupyGhana has petitioned the Special Prosecutor to investigate a supposed wealthy businessman, who allegedly attempted to bribe a group of MPs calling for the head of the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, and Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen.
In a letter addressed to the Special Prosecutor, OccupyGhana contended that the act is a potential corruption offense that ought to be probed by the Special Prosecutor for prosecution if established to be true.
“We have followed media reports from interviews by Joy FM with Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu (MP, Suame, Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs) and Andy Appiah-Kubi (MP, Asante Akim North), which have been widely circulated by other media portals,” the OccupyGhana statement said.
“In these interviews, the MPs alleged that an unnamed, wealthy businessman had attempted to bribe them. That would be an attempt to influence the conduct of MPs in the course of their official duties, a potential corruption offence that falls within the remit of your office,” the letter added.
The minority in Parliament has disclosed the government is not showing any commitment towards getting a deal with the IMF.
According to the NDC MPs, government is playing hide and seek with the Fund while pursuing other options which they argue are not favorable to the survival of the country’s economy.
Addressing journalists in parliament, a minority spokesperson on finance, Isaac Adongo disclosed the IMF bailout has been delayed as a result of government’s refusal to announce a debt restructuring roadmap.
“In the meantime, they are buying themselves time to see whether that can disappear, but they will need to take that bold decision on debt restructuring because it’s not an option. Ghana as we speak today does not comply with the requirement of IMF for a funded programme because the IMF does not lend into an unsustainable situation and Ghana’s debt has been concluded to be unsustainable. And this fact was communicated to government in its 8th memoir that the IMF issued the last time before it left. So there is no way we can have an IMF programme that is supported by funding without undertaking steps to bring our debt to sustainable levels so that we’re in compliance with the IMF own internal requirements.”
The deputy ranking member for the finance committee further disclosed government is struggling to put together the 2023 budget thus the inability to present it by the stipulated November 15 per the public finance management Act.
The Akufo-Addo administration has ballooned the budget of the Office of the President in the last six years, Former President John Dramani Mahama has said.
Mr Mahama revealed that the budget has been increased from ¢700million to ¢3.1billion.
He asked Mr Akufo-Addo to cut the budget to his office.
“The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022,” he tweeted on Tuesday November 8.
He added “For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget.”
Regarding the construction of the National Cathedral, he said public funding of project particularly at this time, must stop.
“Being a Christian myself, and deeply appreciative of the centrality of God in nation building, I agree with those who believe the project is not a top priority of at this moment for government,” he intimated.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has noted that the budget to the Office of the President in 2022 was too high.
He said the budget has been increased from ¢700million to ¢3.1billion this year.
Mr Mahama asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to cut the budget to his office in these times of economic difficulties.
“The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022,” he tweeted on Tuesday November 8.
He added “For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget.”
New Patriotic Member of Parliament for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro, Sylvester Matthew Tetteh, has accused Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of acting in bad faith after the president pleaded with the majority in parliament to step down on calls for his dismissal.
According to the majority member of parliament, comments made by the minister after they heeded the president’s request for time can affect the president’s plea.
“But when the finance minister, after this, goes public and starts making such public statements, we don’t know the challenges he’s gone through… I mean, these are comments in bad taste, and that is what I am saying, from where I sit, the signals I am picking, such comments, if it is not checked, will go down on the president’s plea,” he stated on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, edition of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV.
“We had a meeting, and the president had made a plea; the majority caucus had taken that plea in good faith and to have gone through a process the president had asked. One party, in this case, should not go to town. It’s not good,” he added.
He hinted that the caucus would likely take action, such as boycotting the minister’s upcoming budget presentation in parliament, if his utterances are not checked.
“Events after and the subsequent pronouncements by the minister, the signals I am picking, if they don’t address it, he will come to the house to meet an empty chamber,” he stated.
Following an open call by about 80 majority MPs for the sack of Ken Ofori-Atta, President Akufo-Addo convened a meeting with the caucus where he is said to have made some pleas.
According to reports, the president asked the caucus to give the minister some time to conclude the government’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the presentation of the 2023 budget in parliament.
But responding to the calls for his sacking, Mr Ofori-Atta, in a recent engagement with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), said he rather remains focused on helping the country overcome the current economic challenges despite the pains he has gone through being the minister.
“You have a finance minister who has gone through all the pains and aches, and nobody can really come and say, ‘we don’t understand what we’re doing’,” he stated.
Board Chairman of the National Theatre, Nana Fredua Agyeman Ofori-Atta, has refuted suggestions that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government has nothing to show for all the monies it has borrowed.
Speaking in an interview on GHOne TV, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, Agyeman Ofori-Atta said that unlike the era of John Dramani Mahama, all the monies Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta borrowed have been used for projects that are visible to every Ghanaian.
He added that it is true that Ofori-Atta has borrowed a lot, but all the monies he borrowed were put into strategic sectors of the economy that will help propel the development of Ghana.
“The difference between the NDC government’s borrowing and the NPP government’s borrowing is in the purpose. The monies they (the NDC) borrowed, where did it go? How many things do we remember they used the money for?
He added that for the Akufo-Addo government the monies borrowed have been invested in “agriculture, health, education, industry, transport, the list goes on. You can see it. Let them list theirs, and let’s see.”
“So, that is the point; the point is the money has been borrowed, these are matters of fact, you can twist it. (The problem) is what it (the borrowed funds) has been spent on. Are we going to see the benefit?” he queried.
He added that the Akufo-Addo government had invested so much in railway infrastructure, which is critical in expanding Ghana’s economy.
Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr. Clement Apaak, says some of the strikes in the education sector are entirely preventable if government will be sincere in dispensing its responsibilities to the various groups and their members.
Taking particular note of the ongoing strike action in the pre-tertiary education sector to protest the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as new Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr. Apaak noted that that was the most preventable of all the strikes currently ongoing.
“I believe that this matter can be resolved very quickly because their strike is not based on conditions of service by and large, it is not precipitated by any other factor, but it is precipitated primarily with their disagreement and opposition to the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah to serve as the Director General of the Ghana Education Service which they reject to. And I believe they have proffered very reasonable arguments to justify their decision to oppose that appointment,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express.
According to him, the strike action which is adversely affecting the education of some 8million Ghanaian pupils and students can simply be halted if the appointing authority, that is, the President, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, rescinds the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah.
“So for me, if the appointing authority, in this case the President who acted in making this appointment upon the recommendation of the Sector Minister wants to end this strike he can just do it by a simple pronouncement.
“I mean, I cannot see why 400,000 teachers have to leave classroom to the detriment of over 8million students and pupils because of one appointment that has been made which the teacher unions deem to be unacceptable as far as their standards are concerned,” he said.
Dr. Apaak noted that while it may be argued that the President’s decisions are final in matters of appointment, it is only right for the President to do the necessary engagement and background checks to ensure that his appointments do not cause the kind of ruckus happening now.
“Yes the argument has been made that there is no law and that perhaps, you know, nobody has the power to challenge the President’s authority in appointing, well and good.
“But when you are functioning within the space of stakeholders, where you know that there are elements within the space who also have interest, who are professionals, one of the things you ought to do is to always do some background diligent work to ensure that whomever you’re going to bring on board is generally acceptable to principally those who are in the middle of that theatre, and this is the about 400,000 teachers. That was not done.
“And I believe if that was done …the insensitivities that greeted the ouster of the former Director General of the Ghana Education Service Professor Opoku Amankwah, we will not be here,” he said.
The Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Prof. Peter Quartey has suggested some fiscal measures to be included in the 2023 budget to help shore up revenue for the government.
According to the Economist, the country’s fiscal space is currently in a bad state, thus would need innovative revenue measures to stabilize the economy.
Speaking on Joy Business’ Pre-Budget Forum on Monday, Prof. Peter Quartey urged the government to reduce its appointees and use the savings to fund the 2023 budget.
“Government said it is going to pursue an austere budget…I expect a step further. I think there should be a reduction in the number of government appointees and how much is spent on them and many other areas, it would go a long way to help streamline our fiscal position,” he told Winston Amoah.
With regard to revenue generation, Prof. Peter Quartey commended the Ghana Revenue Authority for its recent initiative of the E-VAT Invoicing system.
The Authority had said the E-VAT Invoicing system will help it monitor the issuance of VAT by companies and will also deal with the inaccuracies associated with the filing of VAT by companies.
The ISSER Director believes that the 2023 budget should introduce more of such policies to maximize the country’s revenue generation.
“We want to see more of that and I think it is a step in the right direction. We need to enforce that and raise our revenue upstream and so these are some of the innovative measures that we want to see that we aggressively pursue our revenue mobilisation without destroying the base,” he added.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Budget may not be read on November 15 as scheduled.
Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu revealed that the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may delay the presentation.
“Nothing should be done which will eventually become wishy-washy. They want to have the best to be able to uplift us from where we are as a country. And that being the case, if we want to do a thorough job, I think there will be too much pressure if it has to be done on the 15th,” the MP told journalists last week.
The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) and the Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG) have threatened to embark on a strike action starting Friday November 11, should government fail to prioritise their welfare.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, the President of CETAG explained that the government has largely ignored the members of the staff associations working in the 46 colleges of education across the country for far too long.
Explaining the situation he said; “The members who are working in the colleges are one of the few people who have been cheated, slighted for far too long. The genesis has been the fact that when we even had our negotiation in 2017, it took us up to 2021 before we threatened, we went on strike before government decided to give us some kind of compensation for failure to pay what we negotiated for in 2017.
“It means that we had remained without any form of condition of service from that time up till 2021. Now eventually when that compensation was given us, the MOU or the agreement we had was that we were going to quickly negotiate for 2022 conditions of service and we started in August 2021.
“The anticipation was that we would have finished by December 2021 so that it will take effect in 2022 January. Indeed we can say that we are still around the negotiation table from that time up to this time, talk about the resources we’ve pumped into it, and we still haven’t been able to finish.”
The Union in an earlier press statement to announce their ultimatum to government expressed their disappointment at “the way Government has handled issues affecting the welfare of our members in the colleges of education over the years.”
Some of the issues include non-finalisation of Conditions of Service (CoS) negotiations, unilateral determination of April 2023 by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) as effective date for placing First Degree Holders of CENTSAG on 17H on the SSSS, undue delay by the Ministry of Education in responding to our request for payment of compensation among others.
CETAG and CENTSAG insist that “by Friday, 11th November, 2022 if our demands have not been met, we shall reactivate our indefinite strike actions which we suspended on January 24 and April 14, 2022 respectively.”
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has dared the National Communications Authority(NCA) to provide a technical modality leading to the country adopting e-Sims.
According to Sam George, after several trips by officials of the NCA to international conferences on the move of the telecoms industry to adopt e-SIM, the authority is yet to roll out a roadmap on how the country will make the switch to e-SIMs.
“As we speak, the Directors of the National Communications Authority and the Minister for Communications and Digitalization have travelled to several international conferences over the last five (5) years where conversations have centred around the move of the telecoms industry to adopt e-SIMs. After using our taxes to attend these conferences, the National Communications Authority as we speak today has no technical modality for the rollout of the e-SIMs in Ghana today,” Sam George said in a statement issued on Monday.
The outspoken MP added, “I challenge the National Communications Authority to publish within the next 24 hours the framework agreed with the industry players for the implementation of e-SIM if they have one. I am well aware of the reasons for the dragging of feet by the regulator. I would come to that at another time.”
An e-SIM is an industry-standard digital SIM that allows you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without having to use a physical SIM.
The Ningo-Prampram MP, in his statement also defended his claim that Voter ID Cards will be accepted for the registration of SIM cards.
Mr George maintained that the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has through the National Communications Authority engaged with the Telcos to adapt the platform to accommodate the Voter’s ID Card.
He claimed that there are plans to integrate the Ghanaian Passport in line with the Minister’s earlier directive for Ghanaians abroad.
Responding to the statement from the NCA, Mr George said, “this incontrovertible fact is contained in their very own release.”
A meeting between the leadership of three striking teacher unions and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to deliberate on a decision by the unions to lay down their tools ended inconclusively on Monday.
This is the second time the two parties have failed to reach a consensus over the impasse.
The meeting is expected to be held later today, Tuesday, November 8, 2022, to address the concerns of the teachers.
The unions including the Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers have laid down their tools following the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Meanwhile, some students want government and teacher unions to immediately resolve the stalemate for academic work to resume.
The teacher groups say, they will not call off the strike until government addresses their concerns.
Since the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah on October 19, the unions have opposed the move, arguing that the new GES Director-General does not qualify to occupy the position.
But the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum had defended the appointment saying that the accusations of the teacher unions were unfounded.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has started engagements with the teachers to end the strike.
Their meetings have so far been unable to resolve the teachers’ concerns.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has implored the striking teachers to return to work after a strike to demand the removal of the new Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr. Eric Nkansah.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the teachers were “ambushing the future of young Ghanaians who are supposed to be in school,” with an unjustified strike.
“I think it is most unfair to Dr. Nkansah to be receiving such attacks… I would want to appeal to the union leadership, especially because of the kids, to look again within.”
The three unions, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT) have been on strike since November 4, 2022.
They are upset with the appointment as they believe Dr. Nkansah does not have a teaching background.
The Deputy Majority Leader said their grievances were not serious enough to warrant the strike.
“So far nothing has been raised against him [Dr. Nkansah],” Mr. Afenyo-Markin said.
“They may be stretching their luck rather too far. We don’t need to break our shoulders over this matter.”
“They will have to, in all humility, accept the man, give him the chance and assess his competence from there,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin added.
He also felt the teachers should be happy with Dr. Nkansah’s diverse background, which comprises academia and banking.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has started engagements with the teachers to end the strike.
Their meetings have so far been unable to resolve the teachers’ concerns.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director, Richard Ahiagbah, has downplayed the growing discontent with the Akufo-Addo government, which has been reflected in polls and recent protests.
Speaking on The Point of View, Mr. Ahiagbah maintained that Ghana’s economic crisis has external causes because “the whole world is not going in the right direction.”
A recent poll by Global Info Analytics has indicated that 77 percent of Ghanaians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.
This comes amid crippling inflation and fuel prices that have left many Ghanaians frustrated.
But Mr. Ahiagbah remarked that “I think polling in this environment is biased, to begin with, because people’s emotions are in a certain place, so you are going to get a predictable outcome.”
“What is really of consequence is the effort and the commitment of the government that is in power who for some reason is caught up in this global economic downturn,” he added.
But responding to Mr. Ahiagbah on the show, the organiser of the recent ‘Ku Me Preko’ protest, Martin Kpebu slammed the NPP communicator’s remarks.
Mr. Kpebu told him: “don’t ever say that in public again because the more you say people are being emotional, the more people will come at you.”
“Our savings, your money in the bank or under your bed, over 60 percent of its value is gone, and you say people are being emotional?”
The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) says the practice of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) committing huge sums of its funds into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) must end.
Vice Chairman of PIAC, Nasir Alfa Mohammed, says Parliament needs to scrutinize the budget of GNPC to ensure that the state company uses appropriated funds for the specified project aimed at fetching government enough revenue.
“Usually, GNPC will end up spending on other areas other than their core mandate, which is to ensure that they do more prospecting and exploration of more oil for us to get more revenue”.
Nasir Alfa Mohammed made these comments when he was addressing a media engagement during the presentation of its semi-annual report.
“We are of the opinion that Parliament should pay particular attention to the budgetary request of GNPC, scrutinize very well and ensure that GNPC does not take money approved by parliament and utilize it more on Corporate Social investments”, he further added.
