An Accra District Court on Monday, October 10, 2022, remanded the founder and leader of Heavenway Champion International Ministries, Evangelist Patricia Oduro Koranteng.
Charged with defrauding by false pretence, Agradaa, as she is popularly known, was denied bail by the court, which asked her to reappear on Thursday, October 13, 2022.
While being taken away into custody, the evangelist, who has denied the allegation of defrauding her church members, led a moment of worship and praise as she sang Mama Esther’s Nedin Ni Yehowa (His Name is God).
She was joined by some of her church members and junior pastors who had come to the court premises to solidarize with her.
Agradaa’s loud voice is heard singing away while security officers bundled her into a waiting vehicle.
Agradaa was arrested on Sunday for alleged money doubling, defrauding
The Ghana Police Service on Sunday, October 13, 2022, arrested repented fetish priestess, Nana Agradaa, now known as Evangelist Mama Pat.
This was announced in a statement by the service and shared via its social media handles on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
“The Police have arrested Patricia Asiedua alias Nana Agradaa following allegations of money doubling scam levelled against her by some members of the public. The suspect is currently assisting police investigation,” the statement said.
Nana Agradaa’s arrest comes on the back of allegations made by scores of her church members, who claimed that she had scammed them after an all-night service.
The former fetish priestess had advertised in a viral video that she was going to give out monies to people who would attend her all-night church service on Friday, October 7, 2022.
Things, however, did not go as planned for many of the people who attended the service as many of them cried foul that they had given out monies to her but she failed to keep to her side of the agreement.
She is eventually reported to have sent the people away from the church, prompting the alarms they raised online.
The police have since called on all persons affected by the supposed scam to report to the Accra Regional Police Command to help with the investigations.
“Anyone who is a victim of the alleged money doubling scam should report to the Accra Regional Police Command for further action to assist the investigation,” it added.
Tidal waves have washed away a man believed to be in his early twenties at Anomabo in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.
The unidentified, man is reported to have visited the town for the festival and went to attend the nature’s call at the beach when the incident occurred.
According to an eyewitness, he was deterred from defecating in the sea, but he did not heed the advice.
The man insisted indicating that he felt good while defecating in the sea because of the sea breeze.
Strong tidal waves hit and washed him away into the sea.
Confirming the incident to Class News’ Nana Tawiah, the Best Fisherman for the Anomabo Community Nana Kwame Sankah, disclosed that this is not the first incident to have occurred in the community.
He expressed surprise at how the deceased was able to go that far to sit on the boulders to defecate.
Mr Sankah further condemned the act of open defecation into the sea and called for an end to the practice.
He disclosed that the community will perform rituals in the sea, to seek forgiveness for the deceased to enable them to retrieve his body.
Despite the number of fishermen who have been to sea to search for the body of the deceased, the search has not yielded any results yet.
The incident has since been reported to the Anomabo Police Station for investigations.
President Akufo-Addo has disclosed that Ghana’s capital town, Accra, has been named the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) world book capital for 2023.
In a series of tweets shared on October 10, the president said that this honour is an acknowledgement of the country’s progress in its development process.
He added that it also means that Accra is now part of prestigious cities in the world which have been UNESCO world book Capital
“I am happy to inform you that Accra has been named the UNESCO world book capital for 2023, making our vibrant city part of the prestigious world book capital cities network.
“This is an acknowledgment of the giant strides that Ghana and Africa are making in developing our book and creative art industry and we thank you for your diverse contribution that made this possible,” he said.
According to UNESCO, the World Book Capital programme is used to acknowledge cities’ commitment t promoting books and fostering reading
It added that cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital undertake to carry out activities to encourage a culture of reading and diffuse “its values in all ages and population groups in and out of the national borders”.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo, while addressing the 215th Meeting of the Executive Board of UNESCO, on Monday, October 10, 2021, charged member states of UNESCO to ensure that education remains a priority in the common development agenda of countries.
“At this moment, we cannot pick and choose between funding guns and education. We cannot pick and choose between the interests of the present generation and the future of our girls and boys.
“We cannot choose geopolitical concerns over preserving our cherished cultural heritages, lest we perish universally,” he said.
Read the President’s tweets below:
This is an acknowledgement of the giant strides that Ghana and Africa are making in developing our book and creative art industry and we thank you for your diverse contribution that made this possible.
The paramount chief of Cape Coast, Oguaamanhen Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, has posited that the central government has too much power.
According to him, the powers of chiefs, who had complete control of their territories before the colonial era, have almost been completely taken away by political authorities.
Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II said that chiefs nowadays have to seek permission from politicians in the capital town of Ghana, Accra, before they are allowed to do anything on their own land, asaaseradio.com reports.
“With the advent of politics as we see it today, chiefs as it were, are relegated to the background. The position they held and the part they played is not the same today; where you had the power to do certain things, you do not have the same power now.
“You have to channel certain decisions to Parliament and even to the government before you implement certain things and I wouldn’t say it’s an affront, but it subjects the chief to either the government or to Parliament and that was not the case in the past. It is a nuisance; it’s a delay in the resolution of matters in your own environment,” he said.
“For example, if you are chief, that land of which you are the chief belongs to you [hold it in trust for the people] and therefore, anything whether minerals or whatever there is in that land, you should have control. If you are misusing it your people are there to check on you,” the chief is quoted to have said by asaaseradio.com.
He added that “Why should I go to Accra to get a permit before I can explore what is in my own land? … you can have your treaties but leave my land for me.”
The Oguaamanhen’s comments come following conservations on the role chiefs play in leasing lands for mining activities in the country.
Many Ghanaians have said that chiefs are complicit in the menace of illegal small-scale mining, otherwise known as ‘galamsey’, in the country.
But the chiefs have maintained their innocence, saying that they are not the ones who give out mining licenses to prospective miners.
Tamale North MP, Alhassan Suhuyini says it is unthinkable that people will fall prey to the alleged money-doubling scam by Patricia Asiedua popularly knowns as Nana Agradaa.
“This is total rubbish to me. They deserve each other. Both Agradaa and her victims, the Tamale North MP, Alhassan Suhuyini said on GH Today on GHOne TV on Monday, October 10, 2022.
Police have arrested Patricia Asiedua alias Nana Agradaa following allegations of a money-doubling scam levelled against her by some members of the public.
She’s expected to be arraigned today following her arrest on Sunday.
A statement issued by the police said: “Anyone who is a victim of the alleged money doubling scam should report to the Accra Regional Police Command for further action to assist the investigation.”
This comes on the back of a viral video on social media of victims recounting their losses.
Some of the victims say they went to the church of Nana Agradaa after she advertised on her TV program that she will be doubling money during Friday’s all-night service.
Speaking on GHOne TV, the Tamale North lawmaker brushed aside the conversation and refused to sympathize with any of the victims saying the ‘Agradaa episode’ is complete rubbish.
“I cannot say it’s lack of education because sometimes you find very schooled people, maybe it’s lack of education but not lack of schooling. You find people with certain levels of certification, and they also fall prey to some of these things. And I think it’s perhaps a problem with our educational system, we tend to just think that it’s okay for people to pass through classrooms and sit in front of teachers and that is considered education. Education is much more than reading and writing. But when you train people to just chew, pour, pass and forget it doesn’t impact their cognitive abilities to think and decipher and analyse issues. And I think it’s a very big problem that we have in this country.
“But the bottom-line line is we need to regulate some these things as a people.”
Some local farmers numbering about 700 have had their farm crops destroyed by the Bagre dam spillage in the Talensi district of the Upper East Region.
Their produce namely millet, cassava and watermelon among others have been washed away.
The farmers say they have lost everything to the water spillage.
Some of them who spoke with Class 91.3 FM’s Upper East regional correspondent Moses Appiah complained about how they have lost everything they invested into the farm as a result of the unannounced spillage.
The District Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Alpha Robert, speaking in an interview noted that his outfit has begun doing some assessment-based reports to ascertain the levels of the danger of the spillage on farmland.
He added that the assessment is only for record-keeping and not to seek relief items for the affected farmers.
President Akufo-Addo has charged Member States of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to ensure that education remains a priority in the common development agenda of countries.
As the recently appointed Domestic Financing champion of the Global Partnership for Education, President Akufo-Addo sought the co-operation and support of UNESCO “to work towards developing sustainable homegrown financial solutions, so we can develop the educational system for the future we want in our various countries.”
Addressing the 215th Meeting of the Executive Board of UNESCO, on Monday, 10th October 2021, in Paris, France, the President noted that the world does not have the luxury to pick and choose which crises it wants to fix.
“At this moment, we cannot pick and choose between funding guns and education. We cannot pick and choose between the interests of the present generation and the future of our girls and boys. We cannot choose geopolitical concerns over preserving our cherished cultural heritages, lest we perish universally,” he said.
Due to global instability, however, President Akufo-Addo noted that, education has become one of many competing priorities of domestic budgets, with development aid to the education sector also seriously under pressure.
“Indeed, countries reduced their spending on education after the onset of the COVID-19, and, at the same time, direct aid to education by bilateral donors fell by some three hundred and fifty-nine million dollars ($359 million), which is not compatible with the objectives of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for financing sustainable development and the goals of the SDGs,” he said.
The President continued, “We are further informed that prospects for reaching funding target, through voluntary contributions, are uncertain as several long-term donors have already reduced significantly their voluntary contributions to UNESCO due to a change in development cooperation priorities, thereby significantly impacting our planned programme implementation.”
In spite of these challenges, President Akufo-Addo commended UNESCO for the lead role it played in ensuring the success of the Transforming Education Summit, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September this year.
Necessitated by the seminal “Futures of Education” report from UNESCO, the President indicated that the Transforming Education Summit, and, indeed, the pre-summit held here in Paris, have been extremely successful in getting the world to reflect deeply on the trajectory of educational systems, and how to addresses the challenges of our time.
Touching on Global Priority Africa Programme, which has been adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its 41st Session, President Akufo-Addo was delighted that UNESCO has made Africa a Global Priority, and was delighted to see UNESCO’s flagship programmes as being relevant to achieving the objectives of the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, i.e. “The Africa We Want”.
He also urged UNESCO’s Executive Board to help win the fight against Climate Change, especially as the planet is heading towards a dangerous tipping point as a result of climate change.
In furtherance of this, he commended UNESCO for the effort to strengthen the “Man and Biosphere Programme”, whose goal is to help protect nature and biodiversity loss globally, through the Biosphere Reserve Concept.
“I urge UNESCO Member States to strengthen measures, at their respective national levels, that recognise formally the contribution of Biosphere Reserves, and designate more biosphere reserves and geoparks as a sure way for solving the climate crisis”, he added.
In concluding, the President informed the Executive Board of the news that Accra has been named as the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2023, making Accra part of the prestigious World Book Capital Cities Network.
This, he stated, is an acknowledgement of the giant strides Ghana and Africa are making in developing Ghana’s book and creative arts industry.
“The year-long programme to celebrate this honor done us by UNESCO will commence from 23rd April 2023, which is celebrated globally as the World Book and Copyright Day. I wish to use this opportunity to invite you all to join Ghana in this year-long celebrations,” the President added.
The Ashanti Mampong District Police Command of the Ghana Police Service have arrested a 14-year-old boy and 10 other suspects in two communities in the Ashanti Region for possessing illegal drugs.
According to a Daily Guide, the 11 suspects were arrested at ‘wee’ joints during a police swoop at Akyeremade, Zongo, and Tunsoum in the Ashanti Region.
The Daily Guide indicated that a police document it cited said that the police found some illegal drugs, including cannabis, popularly known as “wee”, during the arrests.
“The suspects were arrested with 4 pieces of partially smoked substances suspected to be Indian hemp,” it said.
Also, the Ashanti Mampong District Police Command said that the arrests form part of efforts to stop the sale of narcotics and their use in the area.
It stated that the 10 suspects included Richard Brako, 24; Mohammed Mubarak, 18; Allah Mohammed, 19; and Amin Rashwan, 19.
It added that the other suspects are Isaac Acheampong, 40, Kwame Okyere aka ‘Palapa, 36; Tutu Collins, 22, Stephen Kwabena, 42; Ibrahim Yakubu, 26, and Yeboah Rehand, who is aged 24.
The police further stated that the 14-year-old boy has been released to his parents and will be brought to the police station occasionally to assist with the investigation.
“The rest of the suspects are in police custody as exhibits have been retained. Suspects will be screened, profiled, and those found culpable will be put before the court,” it added.
The Breast Care Center at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti has raised red flags over the high prevalence of breast cancer in the region.
According to the center, breast cancers are on the astronomical rise in the Ashanti Region affecting hundreds of both men and women.
A Nursing Officer at KATH‘s Breast Care Center, Mariama Amadu said 90 percent of people who reported to the center for biopsy in the last three years turned out to be serious breast cancer cases.
Mariama Amadu was speaking on the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM’s Health show, “Apomuden Ahotoso” on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
“The rate at which we are recording breast cancer in the past few years is frightening and should be of concern to all stakeholders”. She told host of the show, Kate Appiah Boateng (Radio Nurse).
Medical Check Up
Mariama Amadu urged Ghanaians to regularly do a self-examination of their breast and seek early treatment if they detect any anomalies.
“Early detection was the surest way to win the fight against breast cancer infections”.
She stressed the need for individuals to report any changes in their breasts at health facilities to ensure early treatment.
The nurse however pleaded with men to support their wives when they notice any changes in their breasts and not to abandon them.
The Founder of Heaven Way Church in Accra, Patricia Asiedua formerly known as Nana Agradaa, who has been arrested for allegedly scamming some members of her church, has accused some men of God of plotting her downfall.
She said her enemies have made all manner of accusations against her which include burying her own child in the church. But she, said, God is on her side.
Nana Agradaa indicated that she never defrauded anyone.
“I announced to Ghanaians that I was going to give out cash to members of my church to invest in their businesses and that anyone who needed cash support should come. If you aren’t a church member, the first thing to do in order to benefit from this gesture is to register to officially to join us.
“I did the all night event and distributed the money to members of my church and so if you only registered that day and couldn’t get a share of the cash, that cannot be fraud, I have not offended you in any way.
“In every church we have offertory, I am the only one who does this on camera. This was a fundraising exercise which I announced to everyone that it was starting from 1000 Cedis to Coins,” she said in a recorded video which has gone viral on social media.
She added “Everybody in Ghana knows that people are plotting my downfall, they want to destroy my ministry , there were demonstrations against me when I was being ordained , people even accused me of burying my own child to grow the church but God is with me.”
The Police arrested her on Sunday October 9 following allegations of money doubling scam levelled against her by some members of the public.
She is currently assisting police investigation.
“Anyone who is a victim of the alleged money doubling scam should report to the Accra Regional Police Command for further action to assist the investigation,” the Police said in a statement on Sunday October 8.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has said it has commenced an investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of illegal small scale mining (Galamsey).
A statement issued by the OSP on Monday October 10 said the investigations targets some officials of the Ministry of Lands and natural Resources and the Forestry Commission.
It also targets the activities and expenditure of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), especially in respect of seizure and management of excavators, machinery, road vehicles and gold nuggets.
“The investigations include the active and ongoing inquiry into allegations of use of public office for profits against Charles Bissue during his tenure as Secretary to the IMCIM arising from an investigative documentary titled ‘Galamsey Fraud Part 1, published by Tiger Eye PI.
“The investigations further target activities of the Akonta Mining Limited and other companies nationals of foreign countries allegedly involved in illegal mining and allegations of corruption and corruption related offence against Municipal and District Chief Executives political party officials.”
This comes just few days after Charles Bissue descended heavily on Anas Aremeyaw Anas for recently revisiting his issue on galamsey.
Charles Bissue, a former Western Region Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), had been mentioned by the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a candidate of imprisonment over his involvement in small-scale illegal mining as captured in the work of Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
The former Presidential Staffer then replied Sammy Gyamfi, accusing him and the NDC of misleading Ghanaians.
But Anas’s Tiger Eye PI then revisited the issue.
It was this that goaded Mr Bissue to issue a statement dated Friday, October 7, 2022.
He sought to clarify the content of the 2018 investigative documentary.
“I did not demand any money from the applicant with promise of fast tracking or facilitating the process,” he refuted Anas’s allegations, describing his work as “corrupted”.
“The money in question was a donation from Bernard Antwi Boasiako [alias Chairman Wontumi] for a party activity. I did not grant the company any rights to resume mining when at the time, the ban was in force as published by Tiger Eye P.I.”
He added: “For the record, I don’t consider your work as an entrapment. In fact, it is hollow and a failed attempt to smear my reputation with lies, just as you’ve done to your victims in the past.
“I dare say, and I repeat that you are a liar, and should Ghanaians entertain your deceitful antics, this fight will never yield any results.”
The founder of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, has said that Ghana is currently experiencing what he describes as “environmental terrorism” under the government of Akufo-Addo.
He said that President Akufo-Addo is looking on as illegal miners (galamseyers) terrorize the country by stealing its natural resources.
He added that the galamseyers are also destroying its lands and water bodies, and to an extent, the lives of Ghanaians.
Speaking in an Onua TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb, on Friday, October 7, Odike added that the environmental terrorism in Ghana is worse than the terrorism, coups, and other upheavals in countries in the West African sub-region because it is not only killing Ghanaians but it is also denying the country the needed resources to develop.
“You (Akufo-Addo) you are superintending evil; you are superintending environmental terrorism. When there are coups in West Africa, you come out and say that they (the coups) are not good, but what you are doing is worse than coups.
“Our lands that you are destroying is worse than someone organizing a coup. Because, despite the coup in Burkina Faso, their lands will still be intact. If they stop the coups, their lands will still be there for them.
“There hasn’t been any coup in Ghana but our lands are being destroyed, and we don’t have portable water. Who is better off between us and Burkina Faso? The Rwandans had a conflict, nobody destroyed their land and now that they have resolved their issues, they are using their resources to develop their country,” he said.
Odike also berated Akufo-Addo for failing to go to any of the ‘galamsey’ sites across the country to see for himself the devastating effects of menace.
“… have you seen Akufo-Addo visiting any of the galamsey areas? As a president whose lands and water bodies are being destroyed by galamsey, Akufo-Addo has never visited any of these sites,” he noted.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has travelled to France to receive an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Sorbonne University on Monday, October 10, 2022.
According to myjoyonline.com, the president left Ghana on Saturday, October 8, 2022, and will be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree and an Award of Honoris Causa as part of the activities for his six-day working visit to France.
A statement issued on Sunday, October 9, 2022, said that before receiving the award, the president will address the 215th Session of UNESCO.
“Prior to receiving the Honorary Doctorate from Sorbonne University, the President will address the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its 215th Session,” Joy News quoted part of the statement.
It further stated that Akufo-Addo will also address the Asia Society Forum on the theme, “To Act in Troubled Times: new perspectives from France, Asia, Africa and the world”.
The statement also indicated that the president will commission the refurbished Chancery building of Ghana’s Embassy in Paris.
The Oti Regional Minister, Joshua Gmayenaam Makubu has reiterated the government’s intentions of adding value to the region’s recently discovered iron ore deposits.
According to him, the government is determined to ensure Ghana realizes the full benefits of the iron ore deposit and at the same time, make sure its full value chain is retained in the Oti Region.
He said this when he took his turn at the State of the Region Report, a platform put together by the Ministry of Information for Regional Ministers to brief the media on developments in their respective regions on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
“Recently, the Region has discovered large quantities of Iron Ore. The Ghana Geological Survey Authority led the discovery of large quantities of Iron ore deposits. The iron ore is 55.22 weight percent (fe) and of a higher grade
“Government is determined to provide value addition to its raw commodity and would ensure that the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development work closely with the GGSA and the communities to ensure that full value chain is retained in the region and the country,” he said.
The large iron ore deposits were discovered in Akokrowa, a farming community in the region,
Mr. Makubu described the discovery of the iron ore as good news for the region and urged the chiefs and people to work in harmony to drive development to the area.
He maintained that the exploration and the business of the Iron will create jobs and wealth for the people of Oti and the country in general.
Already, 10 local and foreign investors have expressed interest in mining the iron ore. None of the investors according to Mr. Makubu will exclusively own a concession but will rather sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC) and the host communities to mine within a specific period to benefit the region and the country at large.
Roads
Touching on the kilometres of road constructed in his since 2017, Mr. Makubu said a total of 587km of road have been constructed and a further 185.7km are under construction. It includes the rehabilitation of the 21km Nkonya Wurupong to Kwamekrom road, the 30km reconstruction of the Hohoe to Jasikan road, the Jasikan to Dodo Pepeso road, upgrading of the 26.8km Kete Krachi to Buya road and several others.
Health
On health, he said 10 projects have been completed in the region while 8 are still under construction. He said these projects include the CHPS compound at Dadease in the Nkwanta South Municipality, the CHPS compound at Azua market in the Nkwanta North District and the CHPS compound with nurses’ quarters at Nkonya Asakyiri in the Biakoye District.
Administrative Officers in the Local Government Service are likely to lose their jobs in the coming days, Head of the Local Government Service, Dr. Nana Ato Arthur has disclosed.
According to him, the Service is taking steps to undertake an exercise to lay off some Administrative Officers because the sector is bloated and the number of Administrative officers in the various Assemblies has resulted in ‘poor quality service delivery’ within the sector, the Chronicle reports.
He further noted how worrying it is that sometimes, such officers numbering up to 10 or more are employed to work in one District or Municipal Assembly alone, leaving a situation where there are more staff than work to be done.
Dr. Ato Arthur disclosed this in a speech read on his behalf at the third National Conference of Ghana National Association of Local Govt Service Administrators (GALGA) at Tamale in the Northern Region recently.
Reacting to this, however, immediate past Secretary of GALGA, Andrew Asare Bediako indicated that the Association will resist any such attempts to dismiss its members from work, the Chronicle reports.
According to him, the Administrative Officers cannot be blamed for over employment considering they have no hand in the employment of Local Government Service workers and therefore should not bear the brunt.
Mr. Asare Bediako further suggested that training workshops are rather organized for Administrative Officers to ensure productivity and enhancement of their skillset.
Students of the University of Education Winneba (UEW) will today, Monday, October 10, 2022 embark on another demonstration against the management of the school.
The students have been agitating over the management’s failure to resolve concerns about their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
Authorities of the school were given an October 7, 2022 ultimatum to settle the outstanding issue, but have failed to do so.
The students say they will protest to demand a resolution to their concerns.
In addition, the agitated students say they will not partake in an exams scheduled for them this week.
“What they are doing is just to frustrate us. They are telling us to write a re-sit on Monday. We are not going to write the exams. If things are not done in order, we will retaliate,” one of the affected students spoke to Citi News on condition of anonymity.
Last Friday, students on the Southern campus of the university protested to express their outbursts.
Students have been complaining that the school had not been updating their GPA records
The agitation came with the students expected to graduate in the next few weeks. The school is also setting up a help centre to receive complaints.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has commenced investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences related to illegal small-scale mining, also known as galamsey, in Ghana.
“It also targets the activities and expenditure of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal
Mining (IMCIM), especially in respect of the seizure and management of machinery, road excavators, vehicles, and gold nuggets.”
The investigation will include the active and ongoing inquiry into allegations of use of public office for profit against Charles Bissue, during his work at the IMCIM, to an investigative documentary titled Galamsey Fraud Part I, published by Tiger Eye P.I.
The investigation further targets the activities of Akonta Mining Limited and other companies; nationals of foreign countries allegedly involved in illegal mining; and allegations of corruption and corruption-related offences against some Municipal and District Chief Executives and political party officials.
Traders within the Central Business District in the Kumasi Metropolis in the Ashanti Region have closed down their shops to protest what they say are exorbitant taxes imposed on businesses by the government.
Most of the locked-up shops had red bands tied on them as traders say the protest will last for three days.
The traders are also kicking against a decision by the Ghana Revenue Authority to station their officers at each shop to record Value Added Tax (VAT) on products they sell.
The affected shops are for traders who deal in groceries and are situated at Pampaso and PZ in the Central Business District.
Some of the shop owners who spoke to Citi News want the government to reduce the taxes on businesses.
The Department of Energy of the United States of America (USA) has called for strengthened partnership with Ghana to enhance environmental protection through sustainable exploration of mineral resources and adoption of clean energy.
Deputy Secretary of Energy, David Turk, explained that all countries have an active role in efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change, hence the need for partnerships towards protecting the environment.
He was speaking in Accra on Thursday when he led a delegation from the USA to pay a courtesy call on officials of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
The delegation, including the USA Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Virginia E. Palmer, and other senior officials from the Department of Energy, were received by the two Deputy Ministers of the Ministry, Mr George Mireku Duker, and Mr Benito Owusu-Bio.
Mr Turk noted that the two countries could contribute to the protection of the environment through the adoption and promotion of clean energy methods as well as sustainable exploration and use of mineral resources.
On the part of the USA, he said their commitment towards environmental protection had resulted in the passing of a clean energy legislation which would ensure the country invest US$500 billion into clean energy projects.
Mr Turk explained that the USA would not only discuss issues about clean energy but would also provide adequate support to countries, including Ghana, to save the environment.
As a country with a thriving democracy, he said the USA was convinced that Ghana should make their own decisions and be active participants in discussions about climate change and environmental protection.
Mr Turk said the USA was committed to strengthening its relationship with Ghana in the areas of energy to promote the enactment of legislations that controlled the energy sector, and discourage methods and practices which would harm the environment.
In his response, Mr Duker also highlighted the co-operation and rich history between Ghana and the USA, resulting in many achievements in the country.
He commended the USA for leading the fight to protect the climate, saying that Ghana would adopt the measures necessary to reduce emissions and safeguard the climate.
Ghana, he noted, was ready to partner with the USA for the exploration of the recently discovered lithium for shared benefits.
On his part, Mr Owusu-Bio applauded the USA’s efforts in seeking to actively transition to new and clean energy practices.
The Principal of Agogo Presbyterian Women’s College of Education (APWC), Rev. Dr Mrs Grace Sintim Adasi, has made a passionate appeal to philanthropists, NGOs and entrepreneurs to intervene in the security situation at Agogo Presbyterian Women’s College which has been occasioned by land encroachments and the lack of adequate residential facilities on the campus.
Speaking to the media at the launch of the Homecoming and Maiden Founders’ Day ceremony under the theme ‘Enhancing the Presbyterian values through the provision of Quality female Teacher Education’, the principal indicated that due to the encroachment on the school lands, which has resulted in a merger of the indigenous community and the student body of the school, a serious security situation exists and needs to be addressed urgently.
She also said the students are unsafe on campus because they do not have enough walls around the school compound.
The Principal further stated that the College would appreciate the construction of a 24-seater toilet plus disability friendly facilities on campus by Ghana Gas.
According to the report, the two are close friends who do everything together in the community, including the consumption of abandoned dead animals.
Information gathered by Adom News‘ Augustine Boah suggests they always look for a dead animal, prepare and share it among themselves.
The assemblyman for Paboase electoral area, Simon Okom, said a misunderstanding, however, ensued between them over a recent dead goat a resident gave to them.
Azulay felt cheated because his suck was used to carry the dead goat and was expecting to get a greater share of the meat.
The matter, which many thought had been resolved, came up again after he went to the deceased’s house to take his suck during which they reportedly attacked each other with cutlasses and sticks.
Unfortunately, Azulay struck Buley’s head with a stick, causing him to be unconscious but was later pronounced dead by the medics at the Sehwi government hospital.
The corpse has been deposited at the Sehwi Wiawso government hospital morgue.
Meanwhile, the suspect, Azulay is said to have fled the town after committing the crime.
Dubbed “Innovation, Research, Extension and Advisory Coordination Hub” (iREACH), it is aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt the improved agricultural technologies to increase productivity and quality.
It is under the sponsorship of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)with support from the Kansas University in the United States of America, West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) and Africa Rising.
The technologies include improved crop varieties of cowpea, maize, soybean and peanuts.
Among the varieties of the peanuts are CRI Yenyawaso, CRI Dehyee and CRI Obolo.
They have early maturity period between 85-90 days and are tolerant to aflatoxin and high oil content and resistant to rust.
The other improved varieties are roots and tubers such as yam, cassava and sweet potatoes, among others.
At the demonstration, improved agronomic practices and insect pests and diseases management strategies to cultivate the improved crop varieties to increase productivity were also presented to the participants.
Dr P.V Vara Prasad, Director of Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification at the Kansas University, indicated that about 30 per cent of food was lost during harvest, after harvest and storage in both developed and developing countries in the world.
That, he said, had been estimated that about 9.5 billion people worldwide were affected and not having food to eat.
“This means that there is the need to increase and provide access to food for all,” he said.
He urged farmers to use the improved technologies to boost production as he called for effective collaboration between government and non-government institutions, and the need for human and institutions capacity building towards food security.
“We should bring all these together to make sure that the technologies are showcased and disseminated to farmers and entrepreneurs for adoption,” he mentioned.
He advised the youth to take up agricultural production because “agriculture is food, technology, business and health”.
The Project Coordinator, Prof. Emmanuel Otoo, chief research scientist at the CSIR-CRI, said a good number of technologies had been developed which needed to be disseminated to the end users.
However, funds to do that remained a great constraint to the institute, and therefore, appealed to other companies and donors to partner with them to help disseminate the technologies towards food security in the country.
Prof. Moses B. Mochiah, Director, CSIR-CRI, used the occasion to appeal to government to help do away with obsolete machines/equipment to ensure higher productivity.
Some of the farmers noted the technologies had broadened their knowledge and could be applied to cultivate several crops even throughout dry seasons.
About 50 to 60 percent of suspected cases of breast cancer has been recorded during a breast cancer screening for over 250 women at the Kaneshie Medical Centre(KMC) during the breast cancer month-long campaign.
This was disclosed by the Medical Officer of the Kaneshie Medical Centre, Dr Obed Boamah,in an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra on Friday.
Organised by the New Times Corporation (NTC) in partnership with other organisations such as Kaneshie Medical Centre, Unichem Ghana Group, World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Kaneshie Polyclinic, the exercise was to create awareness about breast cancer, leading to low mortality rate.
When the Ghanaian Times got to the Medical Centre at the Kaneshie Market Complex, it observed that some women who had made their way to the place were seated patiently waiting to go through the screening process.
The women were also educated on the disease by the nurses who were attending to them while ensuring that the screening process went on smoothly.
According to Dr Boamah, those who had suspicious cases were recommended to visit scanning centres depending on their proximity and later report back to the Medical Centre.
Additionally, he said the screening would also afford the Medical Centre the opportunity to determine who needed urgent attention based on the medical report after the scan had been done.
Dr Boamahnoted that illiteracy was proving a challenge in the fight against the disease as he asserted that through his interaction with the women,it came to light that most of them had little or no knowledge about the disease.
This, Dr Boamah indicated, called for intensified awareness creation by showing images of the disease on various media platforms including broadcast, print and online media and the use of a language that would be understood by the women.
Heappealed to government to include breast cancer screening such as mammogram and ultra-sound screening to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as most clients found it costly.
For his part, the Acting Head of Clinical Service at the KMC, Dr Seth KwabenaMawuena, lauded NTC and its associate partners for the exercise, describing it as impressive considering the enthusiasm with which it had been received by the women.
He said through the exercise, breast cancer cases and other health-related cases that would have gone unnoticed had been detected with the appropriate medical assistance being offered.
Dr Mawuena noted that early detection was key in the fight against breast cancer, saying “early detection is very important because when there is late detection it becomes complicated and there is a high chance of death.”
He, therefore, urged the public, especially women, to take advantage of breast cancer screening in order to know their status.
Some women whom the Ghanaian Times spoke to expressed high level of satisfaction about the whole exercise and called for intensified awareness creation about the disease.
They also urged women not to wait until the cancer became severe before visiting the health centre for treatment but rather make frequent check-up a habit.
More than 80,000 people, including illegal miners, have gained direct and indirect jobs under the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP) since its rollout a year ago.
Of the beneficiaries mainly from mining communities, 16,920 were engaged in Akotom in Western Region; 27,280, Adinkra in Ashanti; 16,002, Techire in Ahafo; 18,869, Akwatiakwaso in Eastern and 500 in Fufuo, Ashanti.
The remaining 500 were employed at Hohoe in the Volta Region as an intervention for residents of the region and Oti who were found to have moved to the mining areas to work.
The NAELP Coordinator, Dr Louise Carol Serwaa Donkor told the Ghanaian Times on Friday, that they worked at five main seedling sites and a satellite site at Hohoe to raise 20 million seedlings to support massive reafforestation efforts anchored on the 2022 Green Ghana tree planting exercise.
She said permanent staff members were about 400; casual workers, 1,199 while the rest were food /water suppliers, drivers, labourers, machine operators, seed suppliers/loaders/off loaders/planters and others in charge of soil.
She disclosed this in an interview on the progress of work under the programme and the impact being made in the alternative livelihood agenda in the mining sector ahead of its first anniversary in a couple of weeks.
Launched by President Akufo-Addo on October 25, last year, the NAELP, aims to provide alternative employment and livelihood to illegal miners(galamaseyers), potential ‘galamaseyers’ and related workers in the industry impacted by the government’s clampdown of illegal mining.
It also seeks to reclaim degraded lands in mining communities to restore the country’s water bodies, enhance livelihoods as well as ensure responsible small-scale mining, with the five focus regions Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Western North and Western.
Under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the programme is hinged on six modules including Agriculture and Agro-processing; Land Reclamation and Re-Afforestation and Mine Support Services.
The others are Responsible, Viable and Sustainable Small Scale Mining, Apprenticeship, Skills Training and Entrepreneurship and Community enhancement Projects.
Apart from small scale miners other targeted beneficiaries are their small scale mining sponsors, fuel suppliers, hoteliers, metal fabricators, transport operators, food caterers, traders and farmers.
Dr Donkor said the jobs created meant a lot to the miners and to the government because many of the beneficiaries were displaced as a result of the sanitation of the mining industry, to wit, anti-illegal mining operation by the government.
“So it was important for the government to come up with how to integrate them better through employment opportunities,” she said.
Dr Donkor said the permanent workers were paid G¢ 700 after tax deductions; their social security was paid in addition to breakfast and lunch and other end of year benefits.
For casual workers, she said, they were paid a daily wage of about GH¢100, or GH¢ 2000 a month depending on the work they did because their wages were calculated based on their output.
“The main thing is to target areas where there is mining, where galamsey is endemic because we want to be able to use them as labour. In those communities if you keep them (idle) they will keep doing the things we don’t want them doing. So we went through the chiefs to engage them,” she said.
She explained that at the moment, pending the next funding stage, the programme is yet to nurse the next set of seedlings to keep the people continuously engaged for another massive reafforestation drive to restore the country’s forest cover.
“Ghana has lost 1.41 million hectares of tree cover from 2001 to 2021 equivalent to a 20 per cent decrease in forest cover and it is for our sustenance on earth to reforest,” she said.
Apart from the job creation, DrDonkor said the programme was reclaiming 1,000 hectares of degraded lands BibianiAnwiaso and BekwaiJuaboso of Western North; BosomeFreho District in Ashanti and Abuakwa South and Atiwa West of Eastern.
“Under the Land Reclamation and Re-Afforestation module, we are working on the degraded land, bringing them to the right chemical balance for vegetation again, extracting all the harmful chemicals and redirecting streams from polluted areas,” she said.
Under the other modules, Dr Donkor said, artisanal and Small-Scale Miners will soon be receiving capacity building and skills enhancement training for sustainable and responsible mining.
She said the mining related skills development training modules would be rolled out along with large scale miners for a more efficient and widespread impact.
“The government is not against mining, but it is against the illegal and unsustainable ways of mining which compromise the environment,” she said and called for support for the programme.
The implementation of the textiles tax stamps policy aimed at tackling the influx of pirated and fake textiles in the country as well as other challenges in the industry is slated to commence on November 1 this year.
Implementation modalities of the policy, according to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen would include having textiles stamps affixed on all textile prints traded in Ghana.
Speaking at an engagement forum with textiles wholesalers and retailers on the policy in Accra on Friday, he said, the textiles tax stamp policy was one of six measures aimed at finding lasting solutions to the challenges and also strengthen the textiles sector to create jobs for Ghanaians.
Mr Kyerematen (second from left) interacting with the traders during the engagement forum
The forum was to sensitise and educate the public, particularly dealers in the industry on the introduction of the textiles tax stamps as part of the government’s commitment to addressing the challenges of the textiles industry as well as developing the sector to harness the significant gains the sector stands to offer.
Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ghana Revenue Authority-Domestic Tax Revenue Division, Intellectual Property Office and Ghana Standards Authority.
The other measures, he noted include, Import management systems; Introduction of Designated Entry Corridors (Tema Port and Aflao Border for textile imports); Provision of Incentive Packages for local manufacturers to make them competitive; attract foreign textile manufacturers to set up or relocate their plants in Ghana; and reconstitute the Task Force to embark on effective market monitoring and surveillance.
Mr Kyerematen revealed that the local demand for African prints was about 120 million yards per annum, of which the local supply is just about 35 per cent (42million yards), with the remaining 65 per cent imported.
He recalled that the local textiles industry used to be vibrant in the last three decades, but that the influx of pirated designs and gross infringements on trademarks of local textile manufacturers have been identified as two of the key areas which have adversely affected the textiles industry in the country.
The government, he said, we convinced that the policy measures would lead to the development of the local textile firms to reduce the import of pirated textiles by promoting local manufacturing.
Mr Kyerematen assured the stakeholders that, despite the introduction of the measures, importation of textiles was still allowed since the country does not currently have the local manufacturing capacity to meet the total national demand of over 120 million yards per annum.
He expressed the hope that the policies were going to help streamline the imports of textiles and further ensure that all the players involved in the textiles industry benefit.
About 48 businesses are currently undergoing prosecution for evading taxes and failing to issue Value Added Tax (VAT) invoices on purchase of goods and services.
According to the Commissioner-General of GRA, Rev. Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah, the businesses were put before the Tax Courts for acting in contravention to Section 80 of the Revenue Administration Act 2016 (Act 915).
Mr Owusu-Amoah (left) interacting with a participant
He explained that, the prosecution of tax defaulting businesses was one of the strategies adopted by the Authority to promote tax compliance and enforcement.
He was speaking on Friday during a meeting with editors of the various media organisations in Accra.
As at the end of September this year, Mr Owusu-Amoah said the GRA had collected GH¢51.6 billion as against a target of GH¢52 billion.
“We fell short of the target by GH¢466 million. The performance represents nominal growth rate of 29.0 per cent over same period compared to last year’s collection of 26 per cent. Domestic revenue grew nominally by 28.6 per cent while Customs revenue grew nominally by 29.8 per cent,” he added.
The Authority, he said, was implementing a number of tax policy initiatives including Taxpayers Portal, Electronic VAT Invoicing, Electronic Auction, and Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate to boost revenue generation this year.
He stated that Taxpayers portal was an online self-service system which allows taxpayers to file returns, initiate payments and access other tax related services such as Tax Clearance Certificates (TCCs), apply for tax reliefs, withholding tax exemptions, refunds and update of taxpayer information.
The Commissioner-General noted that the Electronic VAT invoicing was introduced to eliminate invoice cloning, carding and non-issuance of invoices and other irregularities which were affecting domestic tax performance.
“The E-VAT invoicing implementation will be done in phases starting October 1, 2022 and this will help the GRA to monitor the issuance of invoices by taxpayers by certifying all invoices issued for the purpose of accounting and filing of VAT returns,” he stated.
He said a new Excise Tax Stamp Authenticator had also been developed and would soon be used for scanning stamps on excisable products to ascertain whether the stamps were genuine or not.
Starting October 15, Mr Owusu-Amoah said the Electronic Auction platform would be piloted to deal with corruption associated with the auction of confiscated goods at the port and simplify the auction process.
He said the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate was geared towards automating the process of obtaining Tax Clearance Certificates(TCCs) via the Taxpayers’ portal.
Additionally, the Authority, he noted, had instituted an Informant Award Scheme to award individuals, entities or organisations who offer confidential information to the GRA leading to the recovery of tax adding that an informant was recently paid GH¢130,000 for helping the Authority to recover tax.
“We encourage persons or individuals who have such information to call GRA. The information one provides will be treated with utmost confidentiality and where the information leads to the recovery of taxes, the informant will receive cash amounts in line with our Informant Policy,” the Commissioner-General stated.
Also, to improve the culture and professionalism of staff of GRA, he noted that a new Code of Ethics that defines the expected staff behaviour in line with GRA’s values of integrity had been published.
Citizens of any country are usually encouraged to participate in the day-to-day developments of their nations, but even more, the bigger expectation mostly rests on the shoulders of the people in political office.
Much as this is the ideal situation, something very interesting happened in the Parliament of Ghana in August 1959.
Teased out of a newspaper report by Ghana Times, with the headline, ‘No sacrifice by U.P. M.Ps,’ the story captured the reasons behind the refusal of Members of Parliament of the opposition party at the time, United Party, to take a pay cut.
The pay cut was intended to support the government of Kwame Nkrumah’s of the successful implementation of the Second Development Plan.
“Member of the Ghana Parliamentary Opposition yesterday demonstrated in the National Assembly that they were not prepared to sacrifice a penny of their allowance to the nation towards the successful implementation of the Second Development Plan.
“This happened during a debate on a motion moved by Mr. K. A. Gbedemah, Minister of Finance, asking both sides of the House to approve the Development Fund (Members Contributions) B111 which sought to cut the salaries of the Speaker, Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and the allowance of Members of Parliament.
“There was uproar in the House on several occasions, and the Speaker, Mr. A. M. Akiwumi, had to call members to order,” the Saturday, August 1, 1959, report stated.
Explaining their reasons for rejecting the progressive motion in the House, the UP MPs claimed that it was something that was being forced on them.
The other side of the House – the incumbent MPs, also tried to convince their colleagues but when their attempts failed, they tagged the MPs “enemies of the nation.”
“During debate, the opposition claimed that they government was using a means of forcing them to accept a bill which they did not support, while government backbenchers contended that they agreed that ‘as real patriots’ there should be cut in salaries and allowances.
“They called members of the opposition names and described them as ‘enemies of the nation,’” it added.
The Minister of Finance, K. A. Gbedemah however still tried to argue the decision of his government, making reference to the example of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and his commitment to the course, but that was still not convincing enough.
You can read the full report in the photo snippets, exclusive to GhanaWeb, below:
The October 2022 Bank of Ghana (BoG) Summary of Economic and Financial Data has revealed that Ghana’s public debt stock went from ¢9 billion ¢402.4 billion as of July 2022.
This, according to the central bank, is equivalent to 68% of the Gross Domestic Product and is in sharp contrast to the projected 104.6% of debt to GDP ratio in 2022 by the World Bank.
In dollar terms, the country’s debt dropped marginally to $53.2 billion in July 2022, from $54.4 billion in June 2022.
Based on the data, the nation did not borrow fresh funds from the international market during the period. However, the debt level will go up going forward, following the $750 million Afrieximbank loan that came in August 2022.
According to the data, the external debt remained largely unchanged at $28 billion, equivalent to 35.8% of GDP.
The domestic debt however has been going up since January 2022 because of the significant borrowing by the government in the domestic financial market.
The domestic debt stood at ¢190.3 billion in July 2022, from ¢190.1 billion in June 2022.
Data available shows that the domestic debt began the year at ¢181.9 billion in January 2022 and then went up to ¢185.4 billion in February 2022 and ¢190.1 billion in March 2022. It subsequently shot up to ¢189.2 in April 2022 and ¢188.5 billion in May 2022.
On the other hand, the financial sector resolution bond fell by ¢100 million to ¢14.4 billion in July 2022. This is equivalent to 2.4% of GDP.
The total public debt stock of the country dropped to ¢388.1 billion in April 2022, from ¢392.1 billion in March 2022. It later went up marginally to ¢389.2 billion in May 2022 and subsequently to ¢393.4 billion in June 2022.
Meanwhile, the World Bank in its latest Africa Pulse Report classified Ghana as a high debt distress country as it projects the nation’s debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 104.6% by the end of 2022.
According to the report, debt is expected to jump significantly, from 76.6% a year earlier, amid a widened government deficit, massive weakening of the cedi, and rising debt service costs.
Renowned economist and businessman, Dr. Kofi Amoah, has berated the government for failing to regulate the activities of religious organisations in Ghana.
In a tweet shared on Saturday, October 9, Dr. Amoah intimated that the government’s failure to regularize religious activities has led to the influx of phoney entities who end up scamming Ghanaians.
He questioned why the government looks unperturbed as Ghanaians are continuously scammed by fake religious leaders like Agradaa as countries such as Rwanda crack down on this menace.
“People are continuously robbed of their savings thru deceptions n promises of fake pastors. Good govts protect citizens from such scams.
“Rwanda closed down 700 fake churches n 200 mosques over nite. Why do our political leaders look on unconcerned? WHY?” parts of the tweet read.
Dr. Amoah made these remarks while reacting to a report by GhanaWeb that scores of people who went to the church of one-time fetish priestess, Nana Agradaa, now known as Evangelist Mama Pat, are crying foul in what they described as a scam by the repented woman.
In several short video clips that have since gone viral in the last few hours, a number of the victims are seen running away from the church building of Evangelist Mama Pat, even as many raised alarms about the fact that they had been deceived and scammed.
GhanaWeb’s further checks showed that the people were at the church in their numbers on the day because the repented priestess had earlier advertised through her television channel that she was going to give out monies to people.
She is also said to have advertised that she would double monies that are brought to her church, Heavenway Champion International Ministry, on the day.
However, as has been typical of her, particularly from the days when she was a fetish priestess, it seems the evangelist only played on the gullibility of the scores of people who appeared at her church to extort monies from them.
When she was done, as has been shared in a number of the videos available to GhanaWeb, she booted them out of the building, aided by her well-built bodyguards.
A number of the affected people are also heard ranting and calling her out.
“This is Agradaa’s church, Heavenway, and she advertised on her TV station that she was going to share monies to everyone only for us to get here, and she rather collects monies from people. She told people to bring ten million (GHc10,000) and come for two billion (GHc200,000) after which she asked people to leave the church. Things immediately turned chaotic here,” a lady giving voice commentary in one of the videos said.
People are continuously robbed of their savings thru deceptions n promises of fake pastors
Good govts protect citizens from such scams
Rwanda closed down 700 fake churches n 200 mosques over nite
Why do our political leaders look on unconcerned? WHY? ???????? https://t.co/s2IpLN74XI
Nigerian singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has hinted at plans to marry his girlfriend cum baby mama, Chioma Rowlands, in 2023.
In a video making rounds on the internet, a UK-based Nigerian pastor, Tobi Adegboyega, hosted the couple in his apartment in London where the ‘Jowo’ hitmaker was making such revelations.
Tobi Adegboya was heard referring to Chioma as ‘Our wife, Our real wife’ and Davido interrupted while disclosing his intentions to marry Chioma in 2023, ‘Hundred percent, going down, 2023.’
On the other hand, Chioma was seen blushing while running into the arms of his lover.
Davido and Chioma’s rollercoaster relationship
It can be recalled that sometime in 2019, the 30 BG boss held an introduction with Chioma’s family.
Shortly after that particular event, fans anticipated an imminent wedding ceremony, which never took place.
Rather their relationship took a turbulent turn, and the two were rumoured to have broken up after they welcomed a baby boy, Ifeanyi.
Although they never confirmed their break up, Davido, at that time, seemed to have moved on as he was severally captured with different women.
There were reports that Davido welcomed another baby with a London-based makeup artiste, Larissa Yasmin Lorenco.
Earlier in 2021, Davido opened up about how he was under pressure to marry the mother of his son and how that affected his sanity.
Tic Tac is the latest artiste to publicly accuse Deputy Tourism and Creative Arts Minister, Mark Okraku-Mantey, of sabotage.
This comes after dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale, raised similar claims during an interview with MetroTV’s Good Evening Ghana.
Shortly after Shatta’s submissions against Mark, Tic took to social media to side with him.
He labelled the deputy minister a “bad spot” in the entertainment industry in an earlier tweet.
“The man called Mark Okraku-Mantey is a very bad spot in our Ghanaian entertainment space. Now occupying the Deputy Minister’s seat for the creatives makes it even worse for our motherland????????,” he wrote.
But stressing his point during a phone-in conversation with United Showbiz, Tic painfully narrated several instances where he had either been belittled or sidelined by Mark.
“When I activated the Tik brand, I organized a show in Bukom area. The next day on Hitz FM, they were discussing the programs that happened over the weekend, and Mark said he doesn’t know why I even organized my event. As a gatekeeper, it is dangerous for him to pass such a remark. As a musician of my calibre, this stage in my career is very difficult, so it took a lot of sweat and resources to do what I did.
“I confronted him in his office about why he made such statements and he did not even apologize. He was saying things that did not make sense to me. Fast forward, this person is now our deputy minister. Do you think that if something good is coming my way through him, he will allow it? Obviously, he will sideline and sabotage me.
“There was going to be a big show in Ghana, and the organizers contacted me for the gig. We negotiated but they couldn’t afford the price, so they went to Mark and informed him about the situation. Mark told them that I am just being pompous because I am even unable to realize such an amount at my own events,” Tic bitterly narrated.
He also disclosed his first hurtful encounter with Mark.
“Some time ago, I approached him to produce me, but perhaps he didn’t consider my talent worth producing.”
Dennis Nana Dwamena, a Ghanaian singer popularly known as KiDi, has apologized to his many fans for walking off stage at the just-ended Student Representative Council’s (SRC) week celebration at the University of Cape Coast.
The singer was billed to perform at the climax of the SRC week, which was scheduled for Saturday, October 9, but he had to walk off the stage due to some technical challenges.
This move, although understandable, was not welcomed by his fans as they expressed disappointment in the SRC executives for putting up a shambolic show.
Reacting to the turnout of events, KiDi explained that he waited for over three hours for the organizers of the event to fix all technical and sound issues so he could perform, but unfortunately, the problem persisted and he was compelled to walk off the stage.
“Sorry UCC, I waited 3 hours for the problem to be resolved. I really wanted to give you guys a show… but I couldn’t do that with a dysfunctional sound system…thank you for the love still,” KiDi wrote on his Instagram story.
KiDi was recently in the news after some negative posts he published on social media in the past resurfaced on the internet.
His posts largely attacked some notable faces in the country.
KiDi apologized for his past mistakes and stated that he is a transformed person.
The founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, has accused traditional authorities in Ghana, particularly chiefs in the Ashanti Region, of ruling their subjects without a vision.
According to him, most of the chiefs are only interested in the pride and pageantry that comes with being chiefs and do not have any plans to improve the livelihood of their subjects.
Odike accused the chiefs of selling off all the lands that have been entrusted to them to illegal miners whose activities are now endangering the lives of their subjects.
“The lives of your subjects are not important to you (the chiefs). You are only interested in selling our lands to enrich yourself. Akufo-Addo has only two years of his term as president left. He will not be president forever. But you, the chief, will be chief till you die, and all the destruction you are causing in the environment with the help of Akufo-Addo will be your burden.
“…When I become president, I will school you on leadership. You people (the chiefs) do not understand leadership. We don’t rule people by oppressing them. We rule with a vision. What is your vision? Tell us the vision you have for the Ashanti land.
“How can you call yourself leaders? People travel abroad and make money to come and bid to be chiefs. As they are bidding to become chiefs, all they think about is how they are going to sell lands to enrich themselves. Their mindset is to only sell land; they don’t think about what is going to happen to their grandchildren,” he said in Twi in an Onua TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
He added that should he become president, he will review the country’s land tenure so that chiefs will not have 100 percent ownership of lands under their jurisdiction.
The Kumasi Traditional Council, in August 2022, performed rituals to banish Odike for accusing Ashanti chiefs of condoning illegal mining.
According to the Kumasi Traditional Council, the businessman turned politician made inciteful statements that the Council deemed to be distasteful, unsubstantiated, and meant to dent the image of Manhyia.
Odike, in an interview on Oyerepa Radio, berated the chiefs for failing to help end the ‘galamsey’ menace.
He went ahead to urge the youth to rise and demonstrate against the chiefs if the traditional rulers fail to come clean on their roles in or stance against illegal mining.
Reading was not something I loved to do when I was a tweenager!
And I know that may come to you as a surprise considering my line of work, but that’s the truth. I mean, we were made to read books in our time. “Go to the naughty corner (or your room) and read your book!” – a parent would say to a recalcitrant tweenager.
“Go to the library and read a book; and think about what you did wrong”, my teacher would say to me for being disruptive in class. What? You didn’t think I gave my teachers stress, like some of you are doing now? LoL!!
The Gilded Ones
And when that happened, I would refuse to read a book. Within moments, I would realise I was bored and wanted something to do in my confined space. Then I would reach for a book to just flip through the pages, and I found myself reading. Then, next thing I knew, I was either bursting out laughing or tearing up because I was moved by the story, and “Your time is up; you can go back to class”, the librarian would announce to me.
And this was how my love for reading was nurtured. I loved to read because it took me to some place instead of the current place I found myself, especially if I didn’t like it there. Through reading, I had travelled to many different countries around the world before actually setting foot there.
The places I enjoyed the most, mainly because they tugged at the African in me (read as relatable), were Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and somewhere in the deep south of America (a predominantly African American community).
When I was in secondary school, by which time my love for reading was firmly established, I read books by African authors. Again, not by choice, but this time I’d say it was curated…deliberately chosen to have a certain effect on our thinking, maybe? Or not?
I will admit that these books exposed me to the cultures of some settings in Africa. I found out that Senegal is a West African country that has a 95 percent Muslim population and considered begging for alms a part of their culture. Soweto in South Africa, when I read about it, was a place where African children had to live with the reality and harsh effects of Apartheid; Kenya’s Mau Mau revolution to reclaim their land and freedom from the colonisers. When I read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, I was taken in by how very verbose and colourful Nigerians were with language – and the intrusion of Western missionaries and colonial governments among the Igbos.
What all these books did for me was to prepare me for my later travels to these countries. I was knowledgeable (albeit a tad) about these countries to the point where I could hold conversations with their citizens when we met. Remember, in our time, we didn’t have the Internet, which now allows you to read up on anything and anywhere under the sun before you venture there.
I love my African-authored books, especially those that dwell on their culture and societal structures or challenges. I have noticed, though, that many of you do not have such books in your collection nor have you read any (or should that be, enough?) To be fair, finding such books – targetted at you, tweenagers – is quite the task, so I’m not blaming you. However, I would love to introduce you to a few of these books; read them before you finish secondary school, and you will notice how your perspective in and about life will shape up
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe (Penguin Modern Classics edition): the struggle between change and tradition is explored through the life of a young Nigerian man, Okonkwo.
Purple Hibiscus – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: explores the themes of religious hypocrisy, finding one’s voice, and the persistence of love through the story of a young Nigerian woman struggling to find her way in a world beset with conflict and strife.
The Marriage of Anansewaa – Ama Ata Aidoo: tells of a father, Ananse, who submits his daughter’s suitors to test to find out which one of them can display financial strength and also seek the welfare of his daughter.
The Gilded Ones – Namina Forna: an action-packed new fantasy series following the story of a young female, named Deka, who lives in the West-African-inspired society of Otera, where women live to be of service to men, and their roles in everyday life are grounded in misogyny.
Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, one of Ghana’s finest creative directors and film producers, shares her journey through life on another impactful episode of the Y Leaderboard Series on Y107.9FM.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Film Authority of Ghana, hosted by Rev. Erskine, rolled out her life through childhood, life experiences and some guides to quality filming, among other things, to inspire the younger generation. Reliving her childhood memories, she reflects on how people identified her as a core Ashanti, bearing the prominent name, ‘Yaa Asantewa’.
For most Ghanaians, particularly Ashantis, the name ‘Yaa Asantewa’ brings back memories of the past. In the early days of Gold Coast, she was a brave and revered woman who inspired an entire ethnic group to reclaim victory over their oppressors in the early beginnings of Gold Coast (Ghana).
However, the Founding President of the Black Star International Film Institute, organiser of the Black Star International Film Festival, disclosed she is originally from Akwamu in the Eastern region.
As a young child, she only knew little about the name she carried as her parents moved to Liberia. “Growing up, I didn’t know all that about the legend Yaa Asantewa. Here was I a little girl in Liberia. Everywhere I moved people just knew me as Juliet because of the popular novel Romeo and Juliet.
“I didn’t know much about Yaa Asantewa but everyone in my family only called me Yaa. So it was in later years that I realised a great deal about her. That didn’t come from the impact of the name on me but actually came from appreciating my Africaness and saying to myself that I wish I had moved forward with my African name which really is my soul name because I was born on a Thursday. So that was what drove me to that realisation. I do appreciate the historical figure, especially coming to know that we were born on the same day. I mean that was interesting,” she shared.
She also advised parents to allow their children to chart their course with their guidance. For her, creating expectations only limits the potential of children.
Yaa Asantewa indicated that she has only been able to benefit from such grooming as her parents made room for her to make their own decisions. “I was lucky my parents, my dad especially, gave me the room to make my own decisions. My dad always told me he would support my choices – which he did. He didn’t create expectations for me.”
Although she desired her parents to be more demanding of her and her siblings, they would always choose to offer their guidance to their wards.
Sharing her experiences in film and acting, Yaa Asantewa described creatives as some of the most brilliant professionals in the country. However, they are barely recognised as such.
According to her, the acting profession is one of the most challenging fields in the world, with professionals having to lose themselves playing the roles of other characters. She urged professionals to adopt coping strategies, such as self-care practices and back-up plans to assist them in distinguishing themselves from the personas they play.
“Good actors are able to take care of themselves; that is do lots of self-care, a lot of grounding and you need lots of fall back routines that you can use. You have to go through the work of understanding how to separate that character from your true self. Sometimes, you have to play characters you don’t like, yet you’re supposed to play that character well,” she said.
Yaa Asantewa also admonished filmmakers to build rich and strong characters.
Sharing details of a recent filmmaking workshop she spoke at, the Founding President of the Black Star International Film Institute, stated: “Just a couple of days back, I did a workshop at the Black Star International Film Festival where I spoke to these young filmmakers on building characters that have depth”.
She asserts that contemporary filmmakers do not typically use rich characters, and depth cannot be attained if a director does not comprehend fundamental concepts like character business and character creation through non-dialogue.
She suggested that character development should follow the five-second rule.
Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante further hinted that festivals are perfect grounds for content and inspiration for filmmakers. She advised filmmakers to make it a point to attend various festivals in Ghana. According to her, a lot of the things she’s currently pursuing, especially the major ones, all came out of festivals she attended.
Programmes Manager of YFM, Eddy Blay, expressed after the interview that the time with Yaa Asantewa Asante has been one of the most insightful sessions on the radio. “Every youth who aspires to be creative and listened to Yaa Asantewa today will definitely have a different approach to life as a Ghanaian. It is a great feeling to have accomplished personalities speak to the youth from the heart.”
The former Chief of Staff of Ghana, Julius Debrah, has narrated the circumstances that led to him becoming the Chief of Staff of former President John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking in an interview with Kwahu Ambassador, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, Julius Debrah said that he never expected in his wildest dream to become the Chief of Staff of Ghana just months after losing a parliamentary election.
According to him, after losing his bid to become the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Suhum Constituency in the 2012 Election, he surprisingly got his first appointment under President John Dramani Mahama as the Eastern Regional Minister in 2013.
After serving as Eastern Regional Minister for just one month, he was appointed Greater Accra Regional Minister, a position he held for less than a month. After serving as the Greater Accra Regional Minister, he was once again appointed the Eastern Regional Minister, which he held for less than a month.
Julius Debrah added that because of his hard work, ex-President Mahama had come to love him and he (Mahama) appointed him Local Government and Rural Minister in June 2014.
He said that the greatest shock of his life was when President Mahama appointed him as his Chief of Staff while he was on an official government assignment abroad.
“The president one day sent me on an official assignment in Kenya; I was leading a delegation there. So, I went to the president a day before leaving for the assignment to appreciate better what he needed me to do, so I will not go and waste the state’s money. So, the president told me what he needed from me when I went to the programme.
“The surprising thing is that the president never told me that he wanted me to be his Chief of Staff. After I had arrived in Kenya and was resting, I received a call from Ras Mubarak, who started congratulating me. So, I asked him why he was doing that. And he told me to stop pretending.
“I asked him what he was talking about and he said I was the new Chief of Staff. I could not believe him. I was asking myself whether this could be true because I was just with the president just the day before and he did not tell me anything but the calls kept coming and people were congratulating me,” he narrated in Twi
“I cannot explain how this happened. In less than two years, I was a minister for two regions, a cabinet minister and a chief of staff,” he told the host.
Brief profile
Mr Debrah studied at Mpraeso Secondary School and then moved to Achimota Secondary School for A-Levels from 1987 to 1989.
Following this, he gained admission to the University of Ghana where he obtained a BA in Archaeology and Sociology.
Debrah spent 18 years of his working life in the Real Estate Agriculture sector.
A native of Obomeng Kwahu, Debrah is married with two children.
The dollar has hit the ¢11 to $1 mark as some forex bureaus in parts of Accra are selling a dollar at an average of ¢11.2 on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
Checks by Joy Business indicate that the demand for the dollar keeps surging, as there is very little dollars in circulation.
Some forex bureau operators who spoke to Joy Business on condition of anonymity said the recent action by the Bank of Ghana has yielded little return.
According to them, there are no dollars in circulation.
But, they hope the inflows from the $1.13 billion cocoa syndicated loan will help improve supply and slow down the rate of depreciation of the currency. The first tranche is expected by the end of this month.
On the interbank market, the Bank of Ghana quoted the dollar at 9.63 (selling) on Friday, October 7, 2022.
Meanwhile, the cedi is also not faring well against the Pound and Euro.
It is going for ¢12.5 to the Pound and ¢10.57 to the Euro respectively.
Analysts say the local unit continues to post heavy losses on the interbank market as unrelenting foreign exchange demand continued to weigh down the cedi against the dollar.
Demand exceeded supply by last BoG Forex Forward Auctioning
The last Forex Forward by the Bank of Ghana indicated that demand exceeded supply by $75.25 million in the latest auction.
This is compared with the $82.75 million recorded a month ago.
Cedi loses 40% in value to the dollar – Bloomberg
Bloomberg quotation had earlier put the depreciation of the Ghana cedi at 40.05% in value to the US dollar in nine months of 2022.
This ranked it as the second worst-performing currency in the world in the 147th position, according to Bloomberg.
Also, this decline in the local currency against the American currency is the worst in over three decades.
Cedi loses 37.5% in value to a dollar as of September 30, 2022 – BoG
However, the Bank of Ghana said the Ghana cedi depreciated by 37.5% to the US dollar as of the end of September 2022.
At the same time, the cedi had depreciated by 24.1%, and 27.5% against the Pound, and Euro.
Once again, the month of October is here with us. This month is Dyslexia Awareness month and we, the team at Africa Dyslexia Organisation (ADO), wish to bring the attention of the general Ghanaian populace that dyslexia is a common learning disorder of concern, and it is worth the attention of all.
This condition called dyslexia is a learning disability characterised by difficulty in processing, producing and using language. Thus, it is a language-based learning disorder that makes it extremely hard for its sufferers to express their language skills as others easily do.
Some of the most common problems dyslexics experience is the inability to read, write, spell and speak.
In Ghana, it is estimated that about 10-15 percent of the Ghanaian population is suffering from dyslexia. According to a report by Dyslexia Ghana, 4 percent of Ghanaians have severe forms of dyslexia. Sadly, many Ghanaians, including parents and teachers are not aware of this learning condition or disability; hence, are unable to offer any form of support to dyslexics where necessary.
As a result of this, dyslexic children of school-going age are faced with the challenge of not receiving the needed attention and assistance to do well in their learning. These dyslexic children, therefore, often go through emotional and mental health challenges in class as they are labelled by teachers and classmates as dumb and lazy learners.
According to International Dyslexia Association’s Dyslexia Fact Sheet (2008), dyslexia is essentially a disorder of phoneme processing: feasibly in visual and hearing. The condition predisposes dyslexics to see and hear things differently. Dyslexics, therefore, only process information and learn things differently, hence, being dyslexic is not synonymous to being unintelligent.
Dyslexics do not lack intelligence or the desire to learn, they are only differently intelligent and learn differently as well. When dyslexics are taught by teachers using the appropriate learning methods, they will enjoy and experience learning successfully.
There is, therefore, the need for teachers, especially those at the basic levels in our educational system, to receive the needed training to equip and empower them to help pupils who are dyslexic or have other forms of learning disabilities.
Given that over 10 percent of the Ghanaian population has dyslexia, we are calling on the Government of Ghana to make it mandatory for Teacher Training Colleges to incorporate dyslexia training in their curriculum. There is no doubt that this will equip the trainee teachers to be well-educated and empowered to support all students with varying learning needs.
A recent research study by two Ghanaian researchers have revealed that a greater percentage of Ghanaian teachers have average knowledge and awareness on dyslexia, as well as any form of available support services for children with learning difficulties (Abraham, 2014; Akyeampong et al., 2019). The findings of these studies show that Ghanaian teachers need to get proper professional training on learning disorders, especially dyslexia.
When teachers get trained properly, it will go a long way to support dyslexic students while boosting the confidence of teachers in their various classrooms. Every teacher needs to have some basic knowledge and training on how to handle children with various forms of learning disabilities.
In this month of Dyslexia Awareness, we deem it important to let Ghanaians know that there are a group of learners in every class who are unable to read, write or spell because of dyslexia; and these learners deserve some attention too. We cannot have an inclusive educational system where some learners are neglected due to a condition they have no control over. It is only fair that we give each learner a fair chance to advance in their learning, regardless of their condition.
Besides teachers not being adequately educated and knowledgeable on the subject of dyslexia, there is also the challenge of large class sizes, making identification of dyslexic students difficult; hence, a teacher cannot pay particular attention to learners with dyslexia. This also makes it challenging for the teacher to make time to prepare and develop instructions tailored to meet the needs of dyslexic learners.
At the national level, we currently have only one training centre in the country’s capital city, Accra. And it is unfortunate to know that this centre is in a deplorable state, needing some retooling and resourcing. It is about time the Government of Ghana took interest in this, and channelled resources into creating a befitting centre for learners in all sixteen regions of the country. The establishment of such learning centres will help in the screening and identification of students with dyslexia. It will also help in getting such students the needed available support services, so they get to make the most of their learning experiences.
We, at ADO, believe that it is time to set up a task force on special education needs, and one specifically for children with dyslexia, so that they get support when needed. We are, therefore, calling on all stakeholders in the Ghanaian Educational sector to ensure that we get a well-resourced facility for such interventions.
To deal with the issues raised, we are advocating for a mandatory dyslexia training for teachers in Ghana, especially those assigned to learners at the primary and secondary levels of our educational system. Some other interventions we would like to recommend in order to enhance the teaching and learning experience of dyslexic students in our schools are:
Schools, especially the public schools, should carefully plan and reduce class sizes to enable teachers pay attention to all learners in each class.
Ghana Education Service should consider revising the Education Curriculum in order to incorporate the needs of learners with learning disabilities.
The government should invest more into inclusive education, and make it more accessible for all, especially children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
The government should also establish Dyslexia Assessment Centres in all regions in Ghana; and if possible, have screening centres at the district levels as well where students screened are set up with individual learning plans for their personal studies.
We can do more for Ghanaian learners, especially those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. The Government of Ghana should commit to investing in our learners as we create awareness of dyslexia this month. Teacher training on dyslexia must be made mandatory. It should be a core element of their training. Every learner deserves the best, and our teachers should be in a good place to give them just that. Let’s do more for today’s learners because they are our tomorrow’s leaders!
14 ladies, 7 groups, 7 novel business ideas all on “The EmeraldSeason”.
The delegates have one task; to develop an Online Business and demonstrate how to recoup invested capital within a year. They are required to use Vodafone’s newly introduced digital service platform called “Your Business Online”. The platform aims at driving SME business growth and is thus idealfor the delegates’ New business.
Becoming an entrepreneur is nurturing a commercially viable idea, creating the business, bearing the risks and solving a problem or providing a need and subsequently enjoying rewards(profits).
However, the journey between the first and final step can be long and rough especially for a “Gen Z”. In view of these challenges the “Big Pitch’ has successful business executives serving as judges and potential investors.
Let’s watch who is prepared enough to grab the opportunitieslined up. Here is the future as props lay in one hand and business ideas on the other, elegantly styled with GTP, the delegates are all set for the Big Pitch.
Our Business Gurus are; Kweku Darteh Anane –Appiah – Marketing Communications Strategist, Edwin Kwasi Seglah – SME Regional Sales Manager – Vodafone and Trudy Boateng, Owner of Studio 7 Beauty Lounge and 2nd Runner up Miss Malaika 2015.
“I really believe these ladies are really on to something great. As young people it is easy to get ‘lost’ in youthful shenanigans and lose focus on the big picture. I am extremely encouraged for a brighter future for the youth through platforms like Miss Malaika who offer young ladies the opportunity to learn and build themselves to become better in society” – Kweku Darteh, one of the judges.
Do you have a business idea? Are you an entrepreneur or hope to be one? This episode is specially designed for you and yours. Prepare to learn, adjust an idea, be encouraged to do and be more on this episode. Grab a pen and a notepad!
Catch this educational episode TONIGHT on GHOne TV and Mx24 at 9pm and streaming live on all Miss Malaika socials.
To vote your favorite to ensure their continuous stay in the competition and subsequently becoming the next Miss Malaika Queen, simply dial *711*80# and enter the delegates code as provided above to vote. Visit Miss Malaika Ghana official pages on all socials for more.
Miss Malaika Ghana is a Charterhouse production and is proudly sponsored by GTP, Club Shandy, and Vodafone with support from Lux, Pepsodent, Vaseline, Tasty Tom and Garnier.
Ghana’s economic situation is expected to see marginal improvements in the coming days as the country continues to discuss financial assistance with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
An economist, Dr. Patrick Asuming, has stated that before the end of the year, there are two things that can make a difference in the trajectory of macroeconomic indicators.
The Economist indicated that being able to secure funding from the IMF before the year ends could make a difference in Ghana’s situation because this will improve investor confidence in the economy.
Also, he added that the commitment that will be proven by the government in the 2023 budget will also go a long way to show that it is making efforts to ensure that the economy rebounds.
“There are two news items that we are expecting before the end of the year which could make a difference. One is if the IMF deal goes through and the other is what the finance minister will say during the reading of the 2023 budget. If there is the indication from the budget that the government is showing commitment by way of fiscal policy measures, we might see some improvement.
“If also there is the indication that the IMF deal has been agreed and we will make progress quickly, that might change investor sentiments and thereby improve what will happen after that,” he is quoted by citibusinessnews.com.
As of August 2022, the country’s inflation has stood at 33.9%.
The Ghana cedi has also depreciated by almost 40% against other major trading currencies, ranking as the second worst-performing currency in the world.
Former Chief of Staff to the former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has opened up about his second love, aside from politics.
Speaking about how he made it well in life in the early 1990s, he said he chose to be a businessman over education, because as a Kwahu indigene, a man was then measured by the strength of his money.
Mr Debrah disclosed this in an interview with vlogger Kwahu Ambassador, sighted by GhanaWeb.
Having abandoned the idea of going to university after completing senior secondary school, Mr. Debrah mentioned that he was one of the finest young entrepreneurs in Okaishie, Accra, in the early 1990s.
As a young man, he owned a car, had enough money, and had built a house from his hard work at that time.
However, when his friends updated him about their lives – some being Managing Director in some companies – he felt the need to go back to school, despite having enough money then.
“In the 1990s, majority of the people thought the strength of a man then was solely money and not school. So I didn’t want to go the university. I stayed at Okaishie to work for sometime…At a point, you meet your friends and they tell you, I’m the managing director in some of the big companies.
“Even though I had built my house, bought a car and had money, I was not feeling enough. So I had to go back to the university. Until I came into politics, I was not known.
“I was only interested in business as a Kwahu indigene. At that point in time, in the early 1990s, I was one of the youngest entrepreneurs at Kinsway. At the time, Heritage Towers was not built. That place was then called Swanzy Arcade in Accra,” he told the vlogger.
The former Chief of Staff added that successful people like Sakyi Amankwaah, Kan Dapaah all started as entrepreneurs at Okaishie.
“We had people like Sakyi Amankwah, Kan Dapaah, A foreign affairs minister during former President Kuffour’s era ….Then I met late President Mills, the rest is history,” he reiterated.
The usually bustling streets of Accra during the weekends became a thing of the past as the increase in oil prices compelled then-General Ignatius Kutu (I.K) Acheampong’s government to ban the use of petrol by private vehicles on weekends.
The ban on October 22, 1975, was from 6.00 pm on Fridays to 6.00 pm on Sundays.
The rationale behind the ban on the use of petrol by private vehicles on weekends was to help conserve fuel following a 10 per cent increase in oil prices announced recently by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (O.P.E.C.).
This was also a way for I.K. Acheampong’s government to cut down on petrol consumption which would assist Ghana’s balance of payments.
The government in a statement explaining why the ban had been imposed said: “it was not going to pass on the total price increase, estimated at between five and six million pounds sterling.”
Effects of an increment in oil products
An increment in oil or petroleum products usually affects inflation and reduces economic growth. In terms of inflation, oil prices directly affect the prices of goods made with petroleum products. It also affects costs such as transportation and manufacturing.
The increase in these costs in turn affects the prices of a variety of goods and services, as producers may pass production costs on to consumers. The extent to which oil price increases lead to consumption price increases depends on how important oil is for the production of a given type of good or service.
Oil price increases can also stifle the growth of the economy through their effect on the supply and demand for goods other than oil. Increases in oil prices can depress the supply of other goods because they increase the costs of producing them.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has said its involvement in the fight against illegal mining in the country was a very successful one and something that Ghanaians would not believe really happened.
The military also described their role in the fight against the menace as massive and unbelievable.
“There is a lot of success being achieved and I think that is not what comes out most of the time because in terms of the operations that we conduct, ideally, it shouldn’t be something that we report on an everyday basis that will come up with certain situations and report to Ghana”. Director Public Relations Ghana Armed Forces, Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi said this in an interview with Citi TV monitored by MyNewsGh.com.
“In terms of the roles of the armed forces and the number of seizure of excavators that we do, some that have been immobilized or destroyed and the number of equipment in terms of structures are massive. It is not something that you would even believe that this is what was going on”, Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi added.
The statement comes from the military comes a few days after the President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo addressed the House of Chiefs in Kumasi on the fight against illegal mining and the way out.
Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi further noted that, there is more to be done as a country in the fight against illegal mining adding that, there should be a collaborative effort by all stakeholders.
“But there is a lot of success being achieved. There is more to be done but a collaborative effort is what is needed at this material time”., he urged.
Even before his case was heard in court, a thief by the name of Daniel Laryea, tried a more unconventional attempt with the woman he had stolen from, hoping it could have been the perfect getaway for him: two slaps and I go scot-free.
This, however, was rejected and he had his day in court, getting twelve months in jail imprisonment from a magistrate of an Accra court in April 1959.
According to the Wednesday, April 1, 1959, edition of the Ghana Times newspaper in GhanaWeb’s possession, with the title, “’Mad’ thief asked for two slaps,” it details the rather intriguing court case of how Daniel Laryea wanted to get easily for his crime.
The man, an unemployed resident of Accra, was in court for stealing seven yards of a white drill from a market woman at the Makola No. 1 market, Madam Florence Quaye.
According to the report, Laryea made more than one attempt at getting off the hook even before the case was heard in court.
“Madam Florence Quaye, whose white drill was stolen, told the court that later after Daniel Laryea was asserted, he went to ask her privately to see the police to dismiss the case. Thomas Kwesi Hammond, who arrested the accused at the market told the court that Laryea pleaded to be freed.
“’He asked me to give him two slaps and set him free.’ Of course, the police did not slap him, he took Laryea to the station and charged him with the offence,” portions of the newspaper report stated.
The report added that on the day of the judgment, the thief acted very absentminded and stubbornly, refusing to answer questions asked him.
It was when the Magistrate, E. A. Bannerman, interjected that Daniel Laryea left perhaps, his last dose of theatrics, although it wasn’t enough to save him.
“Then the Senior Magistrate, who must have been a spectator to many of such tricks, told Laryea in a cool advising voice: ‘I have seen this several times, have you anything to tell me?’
“Then Laryea, struggling with the police in the dock, tried the last trick: ‘Your Worship, I am hungry, I can’t do anything,” it added.
The Ghana Times report concluded by providing a criminal history of the thief.
“According to his record, Laryea had six previous convictions of stealing,” it concluded.
The Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has entreated the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) to comply with the United Nations Paris Principles in the implementation and protection of the rights and freedoms of all persons.
Mr Joseph Whittal, CHRAJ Commissioner, also urged NHRIs to hold governments accountable for their human rights obligations.
Mr Whittal made the call during an experience sharing visit of a three-member high level delegation from the National Human Rights Commission of Mali (Commission National des Driots de l’Homme) (CNDH).
The CHRAJ Commissioner, who also doubles as the President of the Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI-WA), said international human rights performance standards such as the Paris Principles would ensure independence, competence, credibility, and accountability of NHRIs, and empower them to be effective in their work.
Mr Whittal recalled a study of a comparative analysis of African NHRIs and whether their legal frameworks met the effectiveness criteria of the Paris Principles.
He said the study analyzed the independence, competencies, responsibilities, funding, and financial autonomy of NHRIs, and discovered some limitations in their legal framework, as well as their operational, financial, and appointment autonomy.
He observed that restrictive mandates imposed by enabling legislation, including poorly written legislation, inadequate protection within the enabling legislation regarding the security of tenure, and ambiguous laws on the powers and functions of these institutions were pointed out as major threats to the legal autonomy of NHRIs.
The CHRAJ Commissioner disclosed that the report revealed the inadequate ability of some NHRIs to execute their mandates without external interferences, controls, influence or obstruction from any branch of the government, private bodies, and other powerful individuals.
He noted that withholding of finances by the State to exert controls and inconsistencies in the appointment or removal of Commissioners along with harassment, arbitrary arrests, and murder of human rights defenders, threatened the independence and effectiveness of NHRIs.
Mr Whittal emphasized that African Governments ought to be conscious of human rights and adopt transparency in the appointment of Commissioners to guarantee the designation of people with integrity, skill, qualification, and competence to head the NHRIs.
He said a substantive level of political will was required to promote and protect human rights by guaranteeing NHRIs a secure and conducive operating environment.
He, therefore, urged the delegation from CNDH to resist interference in their operations and to continuously work at implementing the Paris Principles, coupled with adhering to the recommendations of GANHRIs Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) which are aimed at strengthening NHRIs.
The President of the Mali CNDH and head of the delegation, Mr Aguibou Bouare, also stated that the visit to CHRAJ was critical in the light of the new challenges facing Mali under its Military Regime to draw inspiration from the experience of the Commission, which has maintained its ‘A’ status since 1996.
He said CHRAJ was a relevant institution beyond Ghana, which inspires a lot of African NHRIs, and so was excited to learn and benefit from its rich experiences to enable them “maintain and consolidate their ‘A’ status”.
Mr Bouare assured CHRAJ that they would spare no effort in discharging their duty to promote a human rights culture, and adopt the knowledge gained from CHRAJ, as well as implement the SCA’s recommendations in Mali.
The Paris Principles are a set of standards that frame and guide the work of NHRIs which were drafted at an international NHRIs workshop in Paris in 1991 and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 48/134 of 1993.
The criteria of these Paris Principles require NHRIs to be independent in law, membership, operations, policy and control of resources.
They also require that NHRIs have broad mandates, pluralism in membership, broad functions, adequate powers, adequate resources, cooperative methods, and engagement with international bodies to be credible and independent.
Aspiring New Patriotic Party Parliamentary Candidate for Ledzokuku Constituency. Nii Ashitey Ollenu has commended the government of President Akufo-Addo for introducing policies to empower the Ghanaian youth.
Speaking on Top FM’s Final Point programme, the philanthropist and youth activist noted the need for deliberate actions aimed at empowering the youth of Ghana.
“My focus is on youth empowerment, unfortunately, some people have boxed up the youth with unfulfilled promises. So all the time the youth are living in disappointment. So it is about time the youth get empowered to bring out the giants in them,” he told the host of the programme, Kwabena Owusu Agyemang.
He however lauded the government for introducing the YouStart programme which aims at providing funding and technical guidance to youth of Ghana to go into entrepreneurship.
“One thing I believe the government of President Akufo-Addo deserves commendation for is the introduction of the YouStart programme. It is a youth-focused programme and if it is administered as it had been planned the youth will be relieved
“My doors are always opened and I am also glad that the Ghana Enterprises agency which is formally the National Board for Small Scale Industries is the agency behind the policy,” he added.
At least 17 people have been killed by Russian missile strikes on the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the Ukraine defence ministry has said.
Dozens more were wounded, and several residential buildings destroyed.
The city is under Ukrainian control, but it is part of a region that Russia claimed it annexed last month.
Zaporizhzhia has been hit repeatedly in recent weeks, as Russia hits back at urban areas after suffering defeats in the south and north-east of Ukraine.
Parts of the Zaporizhzhia region, including its nuclear power plant – which is around 30 miles (52km) from the city – have been under Russian control since early in the invasion.
The Ukrainian regional governor in Zaporizhzhia, Oleksandr Starukh, said 12 Russian missiles partially destroyed a nine-storey building, and levelled five other residential buildings.
“There may be more people under the rubble. A rescue operation is under way at the scene. Eight people have already been rescued,” he said on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Zelensky called the shelling “merciless strikes on peaceful people again”.
“Absolute meanness,” he said. “Absolute evil. Savages and terrorists. From the one who gave this order to everyone who fulfilled this order. They will bear responsibility. For sure. Before the law and before people.”
At the plant itself, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on Saturday the security situation had deteriorated further after overnight shelling the previous night cut all external power.
The plant now relies on diesel generators for the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety, Mr Grossi said.
The IAEA is pushing for a protection zone to prevent further damage to the site. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the shelling.
Image caption, A map showing the four areas of Ukraine that Russia claimed it annexed last month, plus Crimea, which it has occupied since 2014
Meanwhile, Russian divers are beginning a fuller examination of the damage done by Saturday’s explosion on the road and rail bridge linking occupied Crimea with Russia.
Though limited traffic has resumed along one lane, a section of the bridge was brought down by the blast.
Security has been tightened and Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a full investigation.
The government has decided not to launch a public information campaign on reducing energy use this winter after the prime minister’s office raised objections, the BBC has been told.
A source said there was a “reasonably well-developed plan” to encourage household energy-saving.
But Climate Minister Graham Stuart denied a Times report that a campaign had been blocked by Downing Street.
He said UK energy was secure despite a National Grid warning of blackouts.
Its message about possible power cuts was based on a worst-case scenario of gas shortages if the energy crisis in Europe escalates.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was considering plans to encourage households to switch off their appliances and heating to conserve energy whenever possible during winter.
However, the BBC was told the department was stopped from taking the plan forward because of objections from the prime minister’s office and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
DHSC sources said they did not believe they had played any specific role in any decision, but indicated there might be broad “concern about the elderly being afraid to turn on their heating”.
The Times newspaper reported that Downing Street’s intervention came on Thursday when National Grid issued its warning.
The UK is heavily reliant on gas to produce electricity, with gas-fired power stations generating more than 40% of the country’s electricity.
In the “unlikely” event that gas supplies ran extremely low, homes and businesses in the UK could face three-hour planned blackouts, National Grid said.
The government says National Grid has drawn up plans to launch a voluntary service to reward users who reduce demand at peak times.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Stuart said he was “confident the government has done everything in its power” to make sure energy rationing would not be necessary this winter.
But he added: “We make plans for all scenarios.”
During the Conservative leadership campaign, Prime Minister Liz Truss pledged there would be no energy rationing this winter.
On Thursday, when asked if she could guarantee there would be no blackouts, Ms Truss said: “We do have a good supply of energy in the UK.”
In a statement, BEIS said: “There are no plans for the government to tell the public to reduce usage for the sake of our energy supplies.
“The UK has a secure and diverse energy system and we are confident that the steps we are taking will protect security of electricity and gas supplies.”
When asked to comment, Mr Stuart indicated there had been discussions within BEIS, but confirmed there would not be a government-led effort to get people to reduce usage, saying “it has been decided that there will not be a campaign”.
Mr Stuart also denied that a well-developed campaign had been prepared and then blocked by the prime minister’s team.
How will the demand flexibility system work?
National Grid wants to be able to reduce British energy demand at peak times if there is going to be a shortage.
This winter, starting in November, it is going to have 12 trial days where it asks customers who have signed up via their energy suppliers to reduce the amount of energy they are using at particular times of day.
They would be given a day’s notice that they would be asked to do this.
In return, they would be paid for using less energy. National Grid has not yet decided how this will work but has suggested that for the trial days customers might be able to make back £10 a day.
Expect National Grid to announce more details later this month with customers being able to sign up from 1 November as long as their energy suppliers are participating in the scheme.
The Times newspaper had reported that the prime minister had rejected plans for a £15m public information campaign, which was signed off by Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.
It suggested Ms Truss was “ideologically opposed” to the campaign amid concerns it would be too interventionist.
In her speech to the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday, the prime minister said her conservatism was about “freedom”.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do, or what to think or how to live your life,” she said.
Some question whether a campaign is needed at a time when many people are already changing their behaviour and saving energy where they can.
But those with knowledge of a campaign say they don’t understand the logic of blocking it. “Slightly mystifying,” they say.
In a tweet, Conservative MP Guy Opperman said he would he “fully behind” an energy-saving campaign that would help people and the taxpayer save money.
“This is not Nanny state,” he wrote, arguing it was about “preserving supply, saving money for everyone, and encouraging localism”.
Stew Horne, head of policy at not-for-profit organisation Energy Saving Trust, said the government needed to consider how to reduce demand this winter to increase energy security.
He said the European Commission had recently announced plans to reduce peak demand by 5% across EU member states. In Italy, central heating use will be reduced and households have been asked to turn down their thermostats to reduce energy demand.
Mr Horne said he “would welcome consideration of similar measures to improve energy security”.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused turmoil and volatility in the energy markets, sending fuel bills rocketing, and tightening supplies of oil and gas globally.
Ahead of winter, countries across Europe are scrambling to shore up supplies, as gas flows from Russia are restricted.
Since taking office Ms Truss’s government has been seeking to boost energy security, with a ban on fracking for shale gas in England lifted last month, and a new oil and gas exploration licensing round launched on Friday.
This comes after government stepped in with an energy support package to help people with soaring bills.
Jobs growth in the US has slowed for a second month, in a sign that the labour market in the world’s largest economy may be starting to cool.
US employers added 263,000 new jobs in September, the fewest since April 2021.
Despite the lower figure, analysts said the US central bank will need to do more to slow the economy if it wants to rein in rapidly rising prices.
The dollar strengthened following the report, as investors expect interest rates to continue to rise.
This strengthening pushed the pound down to $1.11, having been above $1.12 before the jobs figures were released.
The labour market in the US is being closely watched, as the US central bank raises borrowing costs sharply.
Officials hope the higher interest rates will cool demand for big-ticket items such as homes and cars, and ease the pressures that are pushing up prices at the fastest pace since the 1980s.
They have warned that the slowdown in activity is likely to lead to some job loss, but say they hope to avoid a sharp economic downturn.
Analysts said that Friday’s report from the US Labor Department showed the jobs market remains relatively tight, as a backlog of unfilled positions pushes companies to continue to hire despite fears of wider economic slowdown.
Restaurants, bars and health care firms led the job gains last month, while the unemployment rate fell from 3.7% in August to 3.5%, returning to a 50-year low.
The average hourly wage in September was also 5% higher than a year earlier.
While that lags the inflation rate, analysts said the gains still put upward pressure on prices, especially as the pool of workers with jobs or looking for work has remained stubbornly below pre-pandemic levels.
“Although this month’s jobs report is weaker than the figures recorded last month, the labour market remains relatively strong,” said Richard Flynn, managing director at Charles Schwab UK.
“The Fed has been increasingly clear that substantial weakness in the economy may be the expense for a return to lower inflation. As rate hikes feed through to the real economy in the months ahead, the labour market may weaken further, reflecting investors’ recessionary concerns.”
Consumer spending – the main driver of the US economy – has held up in recent months, despite the spike in prices eroding purchasing power.
But anecdotal reports of job losses are rising, as firms announce job cuts or hiring freezes, especially those in the housing and tech sector. Peloton this week announced its fourth round of job cuts this year, shedding another 500 positions – or roughly 12% of its workforce.
Some retailers have also scaled back hiring plans. Walmart, for example, has said it is hiring 40,000 workers for the holiday season, after taking on 150,000 last year.
The US is introducing further measures to restrict sales of computer chip technology to China in a bid to hobble the country’s military advances.
Under new rules, the US said it would bar US firms from selling certain chips used for supercomputing and artificial intelligence to Chinese companies.
The restrictions also target sales from foreign firms that use US equipment.
The US is engaged in an arms race with China over control of the supply of semiconductors.
The sweeping new measures will make it harder for China to obtain advanced chips for cutting-edge technologies.
Alan Estevez, undersecretary at the US Commerce Department announced the rules, saying his intention was to ensure the US was doing everything it could to prevent “sensitive technologies with military applications” from being acquired by China.
“The threat environment is always changing and we are updating our policies today to make sure we’re addressing the challenges,” he said.
As news of the plans for new restrictions emerged in recent weeks, Beijing criticised the measures and said the US should stop treating Chinese firms unfairly.
The US has previously barred sales of technology to specific Chinese companies, such as Huawei, on national security grounds. But these measures go much further, with many of the measures aimed at preventing foreign firms from selling advanced semiconductors to China, or providing China with the tools to make advanced chips.
Jim Lewis, a technology and cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington DC said the measures would “set the Chinese back years”.
US officials said they hoped that other governments would join them in making similar restrictions, conceding that the controls would lose effectiveness and could hurt US companies’ standing in the market without international collaboration.
The Semiconductor Industry Association, which represents chipmakers, said it was studying the regulations. It urged the United States to implement the rules “in a targeted way” and called for collaboration internationally to “help level the playing field”.
The measures come as the US pours billions of dollars into its domestic chip industry, moves aimed at boosting US competitiveness.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) will from Friday, October 21, 2022, begin the auctioning of vehicles on an online platform.
The platform known as the E-Auction module on the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) will be piloted with the auction of selected vehicles.
All interested persons can log onto http://auction.icums.gov.gh to view the advertised vehicles.
A screenshot of the platform
The online platform is expected to eliminate corruption associated with auctioning of goods at the ports.
Speaking at a ceremony to launch the GRA Service Charter last week, Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev Amisshadai Owusu Amoah said prospective vehicle buyers will go online to make bid bids without appearing physically.
He said is outfit was working to implement the new initiative as part of efforts to prevent revenue losses that emanates from the auctioning process.
“We’re working to improve our services through various online and technology platforms such as that customers will feel comfortable dealing with us,” the Commissioner-General said.
“We have the E-VAT, E-invoicing and other innovative means which customers are able to pay taxes and avoid some alleged corruption in our various offices. Another initiative is that by the end of October, we want to begin an E-Auction at the ports so that if you want to buy a car, just be home and click to search the kind of car you want without coming to the port”.
Rev. Amoah further disclosed that customers will make payments immediately after their bids are electronically approved.
Auctioning returns after halt
Last month, the Office of the Special Prosecutor said the Customs Division of the GRA could commence the auction of vehicles and other goods after a halt during a corruption investigation.
The OSP is investigating suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of auction sales of vehicles and other goods by the Customs Division between July 1, 2016, and August 15, 2022.
On August 19, 2022, the Special Prosecutor directed the Commissioner of Customs Division to halt and discontinue all auction sales in aid of facilitating an investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of auction sales of vehicles and other goods between July 1, 2016, and August 15, 2022.
A statement dated September 12, 2022, and issued by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng said the directive had been reviewed:
“The Customs Division may commence auction sales of vehicles and other goods from Monday 12 September 2022.
“The auction sales should be conducted strictly in accordance with legal requirements, especially the provisions of the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891).
“The Customs Division should cooperate and work closely with authorised officers of the Office of the Special Prosecutor in respect of the investigation and the conduct of auction sales.
“The Office of the Special Prosecutor reminds all officers of the Customs Division and prospective bidders at the subsequent auctions that the investigation is still active and ongoing.”
