The Head of Economic Regulation at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Abass Ibrahim Tasunti, says his outfit is expecting further fuel price reductions at the pumps from August 1, 2022, following the reduction in prices of Petrol and Diesel on the World Market.
Abass Ibrahim Tasunti, who was speaking to Citi Business News on the sidelines of an NPA media interaction in Takoradi assured that the NPA would be monitoring the pumps to see if fuel stations are complying with the pricing formula in changing their fuel prices.
“The fuel price changes are influenced by changes of the price on the world market and the exchange rate in particular. We have seen reductions at the pumps in the past one month purely because the world market prices have dropped. In the next window in which we are going into, we have observed that the price of petrol and diesel have gone down again, and therefore we expect some price reductions at the pumps in the next window which starts from the 1st of August.â€
“Regarding the level of reduction, because of the deregulated pricing, the percentage changes will vary from company to company. So what we do as regulator is that we will allow the marketer to make their price changes and as we will monitor to see whether they follow the pricing formula in changing their prices“, he said.
Already, the Chamber for Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) has hinted of a six percent drop in prices at the pumps in the coming days.
Currently, diesel is almost GH¢15 per litre while petrol sells for over GH¢11 per litre at the pumps. Some filling stations over the weekend recorded some marginal price drops.
After a rampant increase in the price of fuel at the pumps, consumers seem pleased with the recent drop in prices at some fuel stations and are hopeful of further reductions in the coming months.
This comes as some Oil Marketing Companies across the country reduced their prices by up to 60p per litre over the weekend.
The arrest of the yet-to-be identified man was captured in a viral video which has been sighted by GhanaWeb.
The video captures a living room with about five persons seated. Some men suspected to be military officers identified themselves with one giving his name as WO2 Adu Boateng and another also showing aGhana Armed Forces ID Card bearing the name Kusi Bright.
They go-ahead to interrogate the young man who was seated facing them and looking visibly shaken.
Also seated by the young man was a woman who is suspected to have fallen victim to his recruitment scam.
“You told her you are a soldier and asked her to bring money so you recruit her into the military. What is your rank?†one of the soldiers who was in plain clothing questioned.
With the suspect fumbling to give a reasonable answer, the senior officer ordered his men to handcuff the young man who was immediately triggered into a pleading mode.
“I beg you, please have patience and let my mom come. Please have patience let me call my mother so we can solve the issue,†he pleaded while struggling with the officers to avoid being placed in handcuffs.
“My brother is the MP for Ejisu and my mom is around let us call her and settle this,†he pleaded further.
“You are mad, going about proposing marriage to women because you know the women are struggling,†one of the military officers is heard saying.
The suspect then reaches for his mobile phone to call his mother but had the phone taken away from him. The team of officers go on to show the screensaver on phone which has him in a military uniform as the wallpaper.
“Where did you get the uniform?†the officers shouted in sync.
While fumbling, the suspect blurts saying “I was part of the group which went for training in 2015 and were sacked.â€
The unrelenting officers move ahead to drag him out of the room by his waist while the suspect’s incessant calls for his mother continued.
A building and roads consultant, Ing. Abdulai Mahama, is calling on the Akufo-Addo‘s government to officially announce the resumption of toll collection in the country.
He contends that government owes a number of road contractors and bringing toll collection back will help in the revenue generation for the country.
His call comes after the Finance Minister disclosed that users of the Accra-Tema Motorway will pay tolls post the completion of the expansion project.
Speaking to Citi News, Ing Mahama stressed on the need for toll collection to be digitalized in order to monitor at real time the monies realized.
“The tolls should be brought back because government is over-burdened. There are so many arrears that are owed all the contractors who are even doing normal routine maintenance to ensure improvement on our roads. Government is owing contractors. I even think that, the 38 toll booths in the country are not even enough. The earlier you bring the tolls back, the better. The digitization has to be apt so that we can make about four times of what we are already making.
Ing. Abdulai Mahama further questioned the government’s plans to reintroduce tolls on newly constructed Public Private Partnership (PPP) roads after completion, beginning with the Accra-Tema Motorway.
“If you start to toll the Motorway and any other new road, how many new roads are we going to construct? How many are going to be heavy to attract PPP because the investor is coming to make money within a stipulated time.â€
Government suspended the collection of road and bridge tolls during the 2022 budget statement.
But following Ofori-Atta’s disclosure of the tolling of some new roads during the mid-year budget review presented on Monday, July 25, 2022, some Ghanaians lambasted the government over the issue.
In a statement, the Roads Ministry insisted that government does not intend to re-introduce the road tolls which were suspended a few months ago.
The Minority in Parliament has been putting pressure on government to reinstate the collection of road tolls .
According to the caucus, bringing back road tolls will help government in its revenue drive following current economic challenges.
Vice chairman of the Ghana Association of Road Contractors, Mr. Stephen Attasi, has refuted assertions that the country’s collection of road tolls was the root of the heavy traffic on certain of these roads.
According to him, these claims forced the Ministry of Roads and Highways to stop collecting tolls across the nation.
His comment after the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in his Mid-Year Budget Review presented to Parliament on Monday, July 25, 2022 disclosed the government’s plan to impose a Public Private Partnership agreement toll on some newly built roads.
The Finance Minister indicated that, tolls will be imposed on the finished road to cover the full cost of the finished infrastructure, pay lenders, and give equity investors a profit.
Speaking on the Ghana Yenson morning show hosted by Kwame Obeng Sarkodie on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, July 28, 2022, Mr Attasi, said what is needed is the major expansion of many of the roads to ease traffic and not the cancellation of the collection of tolls.
“In some jurisdictions, they are no more building two-lane roads. The building of two-lane roads has been scrapped, so why should we be here and be constructing two-lane roads that will eventually result in a head-on collision� he stated.
He said many countries now are building 12lane roads – six here, six there – to ease traffic.
He was of the view that road toll is the way to go even though what Ghanaians pay by way of the toll is minimal.
He said the decision to cancel the collection of the tolls was an ill-conceived one and called on the government to offer an unqualified apology to Ghanaians.
Anti-corruption crusader, Vitus Azeem has attributed the increasing rate of corruption in institutions to the lack of commitment on the part of government to ensure the prosecution of offenders.
According to him, institutions including the Office of the Auditor General have consistently released reports which expose corrupt practices by some officials.
These officials are however not tried in a court of law.
His comments follow a survey conducted by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) which revealed the ranking of top 10 state institutions perceived to be corrupt.
In an interview with Citi News, Vitus Azeem said government must show dedication by ensuring that corrupt officials face legal action.
“From 2020 to 2022, how many cases are before the courts from the Office of the Special Prosecutor? How much money has the Office recovered from corrupt practices? It is just not about the setting up of the institutions and claiming to be giving them money.â€
“Every year, the Auditor General comes out with its report, and it ends there. How many people have been prosecuted from the audit report? Government has set up institutions and is financing them, and so if we are not seeing the results, it cannot boast that it has resourced them.â€
According to the Afrobarometer study undertaken by the CDD-Ghana, police are believed to be the most corrupt people in Ghana.
The Office of the Presidency followed in second place on the corruption perception.
For the police service, 65 percent of Ghanaians believe most police are corrupt, while 31 percent believe only some police are corrupt.
At the Presidency, 55 percent of Ghanaians said it was mostly corrupt, while 40 percent said it was partly corrupt.
Legislators, judges and magistrates and tax officials rounded up the top five perceived corrupt institutions.
At the bottom of the list, Non-governmental organisations, Private media and public media were viewed more favourably as being the least corrupt.
Per the report, 77 percent of Ghanaians believe corruption has increased.
This figure has risen from 53 percent of Ghanaians in 2019.
Only 6 percent of Ghanaians currently believe corruption is reducing.
In line with this, the most recent Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International showed that Ghana has failed to make significant progress in its fight against corruption.
Between 2020 and 2021, Ghana maintained its score of 43, which is still below the average, with countries scoring higher viewed as less corrupt and those with the least scores being more corrupt.
As far as fighting corruption is concerned, fewer than 30 percent of Ghanaians believe that people can
report corruption without fear of retaliation, which is a decline of 4 percentage points compared to 2019.
Among key public institutions, the Ghana Armed Forces, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and the courts are the most trusted.
In general, trust in institutions declined between 2019 and 2022, with trust in the presidency declining by 25 percentage points.
The Inspector General of Police, COP Dr George Akuffo Dampare, IGP, has penned down a 5-page response to a report released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and its partners.
The report by GSS and its associates placed the Ghana Police Serviceat the top of the institutions that take the most bribes.
But Dr Dampare reacting to the survey stated that the report doesn’t reflect the current state of the Service.
“We want to place on record that we are concerned about this since the continuous empirically and scientifically unsubstantiated labelling of the police as the most corrupt institution in the country only goes to feed this perception and damage the reputation of the Police Service as well as weaken the morale of its personnel.
“As we have all now come to accept, perception tends to be more powerful than reality, and therefore we have no choice than to share our position on this matter,†Dr Dampare said.
Also, the IGP raised 14 concerns from the report, seeking answers from the researchers.
Find below the 14 reasons, as stated in the police statement of Wednesday, July 27, 2022:
– It has been observed that the research did not cover some other public institutions such as the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Audit Service, Parliamentary Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Gaming Commission, Public Media houses, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Narcotic Control Commission (NACOC), the Attorney-General’s (AG’s) Department, the Registrar General’s Department among others and these are all institutions, we believe, that the public deal with regularly.
– More importantly, a further scrutiny of the report shows that your two institutions (CHA] and Ghana Statistical Service) were also not part of the research and we are wondering why you do not think they are also candidates for corruption investigation, considering that they also provide critical services to the public.
– We also noticed that some institutions such as the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) were disaggregated into components with one part touching on Customs officers and another part on tax officers. Another example is the Ghana Health Service where you had doctors, nurses and midwives in one group and other health workers in the public hospitals constituting the other group. Even some other institutions such as public utility services, which include the Ghana Water Company, Electricity Company of Ghana and others were aggregated as one. One wonders why the lack of consistency in your approach.
– In addition, in some instances you combined different institutions as one entity; for example, prosecutors are not part of the judicial service but you put them together as one. Also, teachers and lecturers, though both operate in the education sector, do not belong to the same institution but were lumped together. We consider this to be a clear case of combining mangoes and oranges to corrupt the flavour of each.
– For some other institutions, only sections were covered; for example, the Judicial Service is not made up of only judges. Lecturers, professors and teachers are not the full complement of the institutions they represent. What about the other officials of these institutions? Do their actions not affect service delivery of their institutions? This is evident that you compared the whole of some institutions to the parts of some others. In specific terms, you compared the whole of the Police Service with sections of the Judicial Service, sections of the GRA and others.
– We Know that there are three branches (arms) of government, namely the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. From our understanding, most of the institutions covered in your research are under the Executive branch and yet, you also introduced another institution named the Executive Branch of Government without offering any explanation as to what it constitutes. Your comment on this will be helpful.
– We have also read that you used some multiple levels of quality assurance to eliminate errors in your research, but looking at the report, we believe we have good reason to be skeptical about this quality assurance mechanism. For example, we wonder whether you made any attempts to verify and authenticate from any of the affected institutions the credibility of the information given interviewees since we cannot feel that in the research.
– From your report, the corruption prevalence rate is determined by the number of contacts who paid bribes or were asked to pay bribes bu refused as a percentage of the total number of contacts. We realized that a contact is defined as at least a single experience with the institution. This suggests that there could be single or multiple contacts. Did you treat multiple contacts and single contacts in the same way, knowing that this would affect the denominator of the corruption prevalence rate formula and therefore the final percentage for each institution and ultimately, the ranking? For example, if there are two people and one of them has had only one contact with institution A, and the other had 20 contacts with institution B. If we treat the 20 contacts as one contact, then in institution A, there will be one contact and in institution B, there will also be one contact. If in institution A, the contact resulted in a bribe, then the prevalence rate will be 100 percent (1/1×100=100%) and if in institution B, the 20 contacts are treated as one, then the prevalence rate will be 100% (1/1×100=100%). However, if we treat the 20 contacts separately, we will have a prevalence rate of 5% (1/20×100=5%) for institution B. This means that the prevalence for institution B will be 20 times less than institution A. We would like to know which approach you used.
– Closely related to point (xili) above is the issue of how often bribes are paid by a single contact to a public official. In your research, it was analysed in isolation and the average number of times a contact paid bribe during the research period was reported. We want to know how this was factored in the computation of the overall prevalence rate which informed the contact-based ranking.
– From your research, the definition of corruption is about the aggregate of those who paid bribes and those who were asked to pay but refused. This aggregate was used to compute the corruption prevalence rat. We are interested in knowing the portion of those who paid bribes as against those who were asked but refused to pay and whether those who refused to pay were disadvantaged in the service they required. This will enable us assess our mechanisms aimed at educating and empowering the public to resist attempts by any officer to engage in any corrupt practices.
– As you are aware, one of the major consequences of corruption is its ability to take away resources meant for socio-economic development for the benefit of all. Therefore, the value of the amount lost to corruption will play a key role in determining the prevalence of corruption and which institutions are causing the most harm when it comes to the size of bribes paid. When you did the ranking using the value-based (size of bribes paid) method, we realised that the Police Service was one of the least corrupt institutions and came nowhere near the top as per figure 21 of page 32 of your report. This should be projected in the same way that the contact-based ranking is being projected. You also indicated that about Five Billion Ghana Cedis was lost to corruption during the period of your research and we would like to know how much of this was police related.
– Using your contacts-based and value-based ranking methods for your analysis, we would like a regional, monthly and departmental breakdown of your findings for the Police Service to enable us pinpoint where the issues are and tackle them.
– We also did not see any specific recommendations in the report and we find it surprising that a major research like this did not offer any recommendations and solutions.
– There is also the real risk that your research may have been affected by a historically pervasive stereotyping of the Police Service. The Service has almost now become the default institution of choice for such research and has therefore encouraged a deep-seated public stereotype over the years. This stereotype may easily influence respondent choices and it is therefore fair to expect that you factor it in assessing the validity of your findings.
A 32-year-old farmer, has allegedly, impregnated his 15-year-old step-daughter.
Per police report, the class five student who is seven months pregnant, lives in a neighborhood close to Peki in the Volta Region with her mother and her step-father.
Reports also indicate that, whenever the mother of the girl was out for her all-night prayer sessions, the suspect and his step-daughter have several sexual encounters.
It has also been disclosed their intimate relationship started in 2021.
Further information reveals that the victim was unaware of her pregnancy until her condition was recognized by her teachers, who then told her mother, who the victim afterwards blamed for the pregnancy when questioned.
However, Teye Victoria, a 30-year-old corn dough seller and the mother of six children, after being informed of the situation, failed to report the case to police.
The Odumase police who got wind of the issue promptly moved in and arrested Nazah while he was in a meeting with other family members to settle the case.
The victim’s mother who’s not enthused about the arrest of her husband is pleading with the police to release Nazah on the grounds that she’s not in a position to single-handedly cater for the six children.
On Monday, Nazah Joshua was taken into custody by the Odumase Krobo Police while the family was at Nuaso.
On Wednesday, the suspect will be transferred to Peki, for additional inquiries.
Over 300 exhibitors have converged on the Adisadel College School Park, the venue of the Central Expo 2022, to showcase a variety of goods and services to the public and the necessary exposure to the investment community.
The lack of exhibition space hindered the organising committee’s original plan of opening up the fair to over 500 exhibitors.
At 10 a.m. last Monday, when the Expo officially opened, vendors had already set up shop and were ready for the patrons.
There was the display of jewelry, apparels, beverages, agrochemicals, handicrafts and herbal remedies, among other products, by beverage producers, tour operators, insurance providers, banks, educational institutions, hotels and government agencies such as the Food and Drugs Authority at the many booths.
The Central Regional Trade Fair and business and investment fair is aimed at increasing global visibility for the region, as well as ensuring promotions, collaborations and revenue generation in Cape Coast.
Exhibitors
In an interview, the exhibitors expressed delight at the opportunity and said it was a great way to provide them a platform to showcase their products and services to the larger community.
They said that such an initiative would also provide a platform for startup companies to network and meet with potential investors, and expressed the hope that if it was bone the right away, then eventually, they would reap the rewards of the fair’s exposure.
The Director of Operations at R&B Farms, Benjamin Turkson, in an interview said the show had presented an opportunity for exhibitors because it exposed them to investors who might come in and invest even in growing their businesses.
“This is an excellent platform for enterprises and growing businesses because people continue to visit and ask for our contact and services, while others patronise our products ,” he stated.
The highly anticipated fair which has as its theme “Promoting Trade, Tourism and Investments in the Central Region: Challenges, Prospects and Solution”, has exhibitors from the region’s 22 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, as well as an eight-day business opportunity, partnership, network and job development event for indigenes and the rest of the world.
There would also be a two-day business forum, which would bring together creative ideas, entrepreneurs, investors and corporate bodies to find opportunities and solutions for their mutual benefit.
The opening ceremony was graced by various metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), religious leaders, corporate institutions, some members of the Council of State and traditional rulers from the various paramountcies in the Central Region.
Strengthen institutions
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, called on the government to resource institutions that had been mandated to oversee developmental projects with the necessary resources to enable them to live up to expectation.
“If we want to see a nation that has fully developed, then institutions like CEDECOM and the likes that have been given the mandate to spearhead developmental projects should be adequately resourced to allow them to function effectively,” he stressed.
He continued that “if these institutions are not given adequate attention, it will be difficult for any developmental goal to materialise and this will subsequently undermine national efforts.”
Commitment
Odeefuo Buadu added that the fair was a commendable initiative that needed the full backing of traditional leaders in the region.
He said with the concerted effort and collaboration from stakeholders in the region the “aspiration as a region to see a new Central Region where there would be more industrial activities to spur development will materialise.”
The expo, he further stated, would also foster a distinct atmosphere that would give young people greater self-assurance to launch their own endeavours.
“I am very hopeful that the outcomes of this fair will help us create the new Central Region we we wish to see and also change the narrative of being one of the poorest in the country,†he said.
Traditional rulers in the area, he said, were prepared to dedicate themselves to the effort of turning the Central Region into a magnet for investors, by making available problem- and litigation-free areas for enterprises and construction initiatives.
He lamented the fact that chieftaincy disputes had prevented the area from experiencing significant economic growth for a while but stressed that the situation was more likely to come to an end because traditional leaders were prepared to move forward with a unified front and resolve all outstanding disputes amicably to make the area peaceful and appealing to investors.
Improve roads
The Omanhen of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, who chaired the function, made a request to the government and other stakeholders to step up efforts to improve road infrastructure in the Central Region in order to improve tourism.
If road infrastructure is not expanded to allow tourists the ease of transportation to the area, he cautioned that efforts to revive the tourism industry would most likely encounter roadblocks.
“The tourism industry will be enhanced if the main road from Accra to Cape Coast is improved. Something must be done about it because it takes a long period for tourists to travel to the region and this can cripple efforts to improve tourism in the region,” he said.
Sustainability
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, sought the support of regional stakeholders and development partners to ensure that the programme was sustained for the region’s economic benefit.
She expressed the hope that the fair would increase interest in the Central Region for investment, trade and tourism.
She stated that the event would foster the expansion of successful business alliances and networking across the nation, adding that the Regional Coordinating Council was poised to encourage constructive dialogue between institutions and individuals to promote local economic development.
The agreement was laid in the house, a day after the Majority Leader and Suame MP, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, was attacked in his constituents over the nature of roads in his constituency where the interchange will be constructed.
Speaking during the debate, the Majority Leader urged his constituents not to foment trouble due to the nuisance of dust pollution that may occur during the construction.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu recently assured that the project would start in September 2022.
Construction of the road started late in June 2022, but was suspended due to a shortage of bitumen.
The contractor is however said to have resumed work after the tensions that saw the MP accosted by artisans in the Suame Magazine enclave when he visited the area.
Residents have complained that the poor road is hampering business in the industrial hub due to the build-up of dust brought on by the moving cars.
Education think tank, African Education Watch, is demanding what it calls further details on specific strategies being deployed by the Ministry of Finance to clear the over three hundred million debt owed food suppliers.
African Education Watch says Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during the mid-year budget review, missed an opportunity to give fine details of interventions being put in place by his Ministry to resolve the poor disbursement of approved funds for feeding under the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.
Speaking to Citi News, the Executive Director of African Education Watch, Kofi Asare indicated that strategies should be made known to stakeholders, to avert a widespread shortage of food in public second-cycle schools.
“The main cause of the food supply disruptions is the GH¢340 million owed the Buffer Stock and by extension owed the suppliers under the Free SHS program.â€
“We thought that, the Minister of Finance had to explain why the Ministry is unable to disburse cash in accordance with cash flow projections by the Ministry of Education and more importantly what is being done to ensure that there is cash flow so that the academic calendar is not disrupted because of the lack of food.â€
Kofi Asare also alleged that there are inconsistencies in the expenditure figures on the Free SHS put out by the Finance Ministry and the Education Ministry.
He called for clarification on the expenditure.
“We want the Minister of Finance to come and clarify what the actual expenditure on the Free SHS is from inception to 2021 because data credibility on the expenditure is very important for policy accountability.â€
President Akufo-Addo has said in times of crisis and difficulties, people tend to pay attention to their faith hence his decision to build the National Cathedral as a symbol of faith.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking in Accra at the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), where he said all over the world people are turning to their faith, hence a project like the National Cathedral will be something Ghanaian Christians can look up to in difficulties.
The president noted that if one were to consider only developmental needs, there would never be a good time to build a Church, a Cathedral or any of the great buildings of faith around the world in France, Italy and the United States.
In an address yesterday, the President told critics of the National Cathedral project that he will go ahead with the project no matter the cost involved or how long it will take because there can be no better time to build it.
“My personal view has always been that even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground.†He said.
“It will serve as a collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on Ghana sparing the nation of ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all neighbours, and the outbreak of mass epidemics.
“Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been what can be called an appropriate time to build a cathedral. Invariably, it has taken many years, sometimes centuries, to complete,†the President added.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the particular section that will be affected is the Akasanoma to Nsawam route.
The road will be blocked from midnight of Friday , July 29, 2022 through to Sunday midnight, July 31 2022.
The Ministry indicated that the closure is to aide the contractor, QG KONSTRUKTION AB, fix some damaged areas on the stretch.
The Road Ministry, however, urged commuters and motorists to bare with the new development and abide with all traffic management measures that will be put in place at vantage points of the road.
According to the MP, Koku, despite being a benefactor of the benevolence of former President Mahama, has rather decided to return the favour with disdain for the former President.
“Koku’s campaign as deputy general secretary was partly financed by me and Lordina Mahama. Ask him who the Land Cruiser he went around the entire country to campaign with belongs to. It was mine. Who was giving him money to fuel the car? Lordina Mahama and Julius Debrah. We don’t want to talk.
“I won’t say everything, but what I can say is that if there is anyone justified to be bitter because of ingratitude, it is rather John Mahama who should get hurt. But President Mahama is all forgiven; he has forgotten about it. Every day he keeps asking what the problem with Koku is? It worries him because he loves him. Lordina calls me sometimes and asks what the problem with my brother is,” he stated during an interview on Power FM.
Koku Anyidoho, who served as director of communications at the presidency during the era of the late President Mills, fell out with former President Mahama, who was vice president under the late President.
Following the demise of President Mills, Koku Anyidoho also fell out with the NDC after he lost his bid to move from the party’s deputy general secretary to the general secretary position.
But according to Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Koku, who feeds on attention, has allowed that trait to lead him into a state of bitterness which is causing his own downfall.
“The message I have is that those who love him should call him and advise him that he is hurting himself. I looked at him yesterday and I realized he looks older than me even though I am more advanced in age than him. This is because he is engulfed with bitterness. He does not listen to advice,” the MP stated.
Koku Anyidoho has accused former President John Dramani Mahama of harbouring hatred toward him.
He also accused the former President of undermining the late President Mills when he was his vice.
On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, President Akufo-Addo, made an additional four new appointments to the apex court of Ghana, the Supreme Court.
The appointment, which was announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, is on the advice of the Judicial Council, as a result of pending vacancies in the Apex court.
In a statement to parliament, the president said, “he is fully satisfied that each person is duly qualified, and eminently fit to discharge the functions of justice of the apex court.â€
In all, President Nana Akufo-Addo has made 15 appointments to the Supreme Court since he assumed office, making him one of the Heads of State with the highest appointments in Ghana, only next to John Agyekum Kufuor.
Among the new appointments made by President Akufo-Addo is Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, who was captured in a 2016 poster as a contestant for the Ho central constituency seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party; the ruling party.
Below is the list of all the justices appointed by President Akufo-Addo to the Supreme Court since 2018. It must be stated that of the 15, one of the judges recently passed on:
The popular movie producer Actress Tracey Boakye is set to tie the knot with her sweetheart, Frank Badu Ntiamoah, a young and fine gentleman whom she has kept a secret all this while.
On Tuesday morning, her confidant and member of the ‘Mafia Gang’, Afia Schwarzenegger, published the pre-wedding photos of Tracey and her man.
She congratulated her and also welcomed the man she described as her son-in-law.
“Let me officially introduce you to my son-in-law #Francey22. Congratulations Piesie @tracey_boakye,” read the caption of the post sighted by GhanaWeb.
Afia, however, deleted the photos a few minutes after they were released.
As earlier reported, the actress held a black-themed bachelorette party on July 26 ahead of her big wedding, which is expected to take place in Kumasi.
Ahead of Tracey Boakye‘s much-awaited wedding, her bridesmaids and friends organized an intimate bachelorette party for the bride-to-be, whose union came as a surprise to many.
The actress and producer could not hide her excitement at the July 26, 2022 party that came as a warm-up towards her big day.
The wedding dubbed #Francey22 will take place in Kumasi and already friends of the actress have disclosed that they will leave no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring that Tracey’s marriage to her heartthrob trends across all social media platforms.
On the morning of July 27, the incoming bride published some scenes from her bachelorette party on her official Instagram page and also announced the vendors that are on board for her wedding.
Ghana’s favourite musicians including Kwabena Kwabena, Becca and Ohemaa Mercy have been billed to perform at the actress’s wedding.
Ghanaian actress and socialite, Tracey Boakye has released the full list of persons who would perform different functions at her much-anticipated wedding.
Although the groom-to-be is unknown, the stipulated time for the wedding is Saturday, July 30, 2022. On her official page, Tracey Boakye dubbed her wedding #Francey22.
The occasion is expected to be graced by some musicians booked to perform.
The likes of Abena Serwaa Ophelia, Brother Sammy, Ohemaa Mercy, Obaapa Christy, Piesie Esther are scheduled to perform at the traditional marriage ceremony while Nakeeyat The Poet, Clevester The Poet, Ohemaa Mercy, Becca and Kwabena Kwabena will perform at the dinner.
Mc PapJay of Y102.5FM, Kumasi, has been billed to be the Master of Ceremonies with DJ Lamar as the official disc jockey.
The event, according to Tracey Boakye’s post, will be produced by filmmaker Kofi Asamoah.
Below is the full list of event planners and their respective roles alongside musicians performing.
For Reggae/Afro Dancehall artiste, Article Wan, the reason why Nigerian acts seem to be doing much better than their Ghanaian counterparts is because more money is pumped into their craft than it is done here.
“This is because they have more investors who understand the business and are ready to back the artistes financially in order to grow their music industry.
“I won’t say their songs are better than ours but they put so much into their works. They have so many investors who support them financially in their work, unlike here where they are very few.
“That is the advantage they have over us but the truth is we are also trying our very best to get there,” Article Wan told Graphic Showbiz in an interview.
Further commenting on the current music industry, the Solo hitmaker said things had changed since COVID-19 reared its ugly head.
“Everything has changed. We are just balancing it; the music scene is not how it used to be. Music does not trend for long.
“Everyone is struggling in the system. From the A-list artistes to the up and coming ones, everyone is struggling. That is the situation we find ourselves in at the moment”, he said.
Asked if it is difficult to get a hit song, Article Wan said: “That is a very dicey question because you might be doing something in the studio and before you realise, it is all over the place and becomes a hit.
“On the other hand, you might be working on something and you are so sure it will become a hit but it comes out and it is so ordinary.â€
Article Wan said he believed there could be a strategy in landing a banger. “It depends on what you want to do, the writing, the beats, the lyrics and the recording. They all come to play. The major thing is promotion; promotion can make a hit song,” he stated.
Article Wan, however, said he did not believe that an artiste who did not release a hit song for more than two years was lazy.
He said: “Making music is not easy. Let me give you an example. Shatta Wale was down for almost 10 years but currently, he is one of the strongest musicians we have, so you can never tell.”
Touching on controversy, he disclosed that he did not mind riding on one to trend, saying: “So far as I am a musician, if the chance is there, why not? It is not my thing though but when the opportunity comes, why not?
“However, not every controversy is good for an artiste, some may bring you down.”
Born Bright Homenya, Article Wan has been on the scene for almost a decade and has songs like Solo, Fire Burn Dem, That Thing, Hallelujah feat. Joey B, Wala feat Prince Bright, Jollof and Afrobeat feat Lilwin, Position Yourself, among others.
He is currently working on his latest single, Mute and Shoo, which he intends to release before the end of this month.
Actress Tracey Boakye has hinted at her wedding, which will take place in the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi at an undisclosed date.
Rumours of the marriage between the movie producer, nicknamed ‘East Legon Landlady”, and her secret man was first fueled by blogger Zionfelix, her close friend.
He shared an image that declared July 26 as Tracey’s bachelorette party.
Earlier, the actress published a video of herself wearing a golden engagement band on her ring finger. This development further heightened the rumors.
On July 26, Tracey Boakye announced her wedding hashtag. The union has been dubbed “#….cey22”. She has left followers to guess the identity of her soon-to-be husband.
Some wedding vendors, including Menscook, have already published the said image on their Instagram page, adding that they can’t wait to serve the incoming couple and their guests.
On Tuesday morning, the 31-year-old mother of two took to her Instagram story to repost some congratulatory messages from fans.
Also, videos captured the arrival of some friends at Kotoka International Airport who are in for the supposed wedding.
Ghanaian-born American-based musician, Okaidja Afroso, is hopeful his new album will help promote Ghana’s traditional music to the international music space.
Okaidja Afroso is currently in Ghana promoting his sixth album titled “Jaku Mumor”, which translates into English as “Ancestral Spirit”.
According to the artiste, who has performed on some big stages in the USA, more should be done to promote traditional music despite the dominance of other foreign genres.
Okaidja Afroso explained that traditional highlife music represents Ghana’s music identity and takes pride in doing traditional music, having performed on some international stages.
Speaking about the album, the traditional musician said his new project seeks to protect the identity and culture of the Gadangmes with various poetic rhythms.
“My new project contains a lot of traditional literature as I aim at educating listeners about the virtues of the Gadangme culture.
“The traditional percussion used for projects gives a natural and authentic feel of Ghanaian traditional music, which I am very proud of,” he said.
Okaidja Afroso further revealed that he is open to featuring other Ghanaian artistes in his quest to generate more traditional music in the system.
Sports presenter, Countryman Songo, has disclosed that back in Achimota Senior High School, daughter of Ghana’s former President, Jerry John Rawlings, saved him from going hungry.
According to Songo, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, who was his classmate at Achimota Senior High School showed him kindness and that he will forever be grateful to her.
“There was a day I was famished. It was break time…one interesting thing was that Zanetor had bodyguards meaning all other students had maximum protection. Students who attended Achimota those days felt so proud. You will mostly spot her car and the bodyguards monitoring every move.
“I was hungry and went looking for my cousin, thinking I will get some food. I spotted Zanetor setting alone so I approached her. I said hello and she responded calmly and asked how I was also doing.
“I straight forward said I was hungry and so she offered me her toast and tea in her flask, I ate it. The interesting thing was that I took food from the President’s daughter,” he added.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM, the sports presenter, described Zanetor as the genius of the their time back in school adding that “she swept all the awards at our speech and prize-giving day”.
Zenator is the eldest daughter of the 1st President under the 4th Republic of Ghana Jerry Rawlings and former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman.
She was born on 1 June 1978 in Accra, Ghana in. She hails from Dzelukope in the Volta Region of Ghana.
She had her basic education at the North Ridge Lyceum school and Achimota School and high school the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast.
She is currently a member of parliament for the Klottey-Korle Constituency and a medical doctor.
Ghana’sMzVee has shared a story of how her previous relationship collapsed due to her status as a female celebrity who has “a lot of men coming her way”.
She has disclosed that any man who wishes to be in a relationship with her type must deal with his insecurities and also get rid of jealousy.
The female vocalist explained that dating a famous lady comes with sacrifices and a lot of understanding.
A man must possess confidence in knowing that he is enough for his girlfriend despite the big men that come her way.
Speaking in an interview with Zionfelix, she explained how her relationship with a man she dearly loved hit the rocks due to his insecurity.
“He started getting jealous and stuff like that. He just couldn’t handle it because it comes with the work. Female musicians get a lot of passes from men and to be with a female musician, you have to be very confident about yourself because she’ll meet a lot of men along the way and at a point, you’ll feel like she doesn’t love you…and that is what happened.”
In MzVee’s case, her then-boyfriend, wanted more of her, a situation that conflicted with her work. Eventually, they had to call it quits after several attempts to keep afloat.
“He was insecure I think. I didn’t try to make it work because the way he was handling it, it wouldn’t have worked. I didn’t even stress it. I did love him. We were together for a while and it got to a point where I realized that no matter what we do, it is still going to be bad. I talk to him once in a while,” MzVee said in an interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
The award-winning Ghanaian musician is considered as one of the industry’s most successful female singers.
She has a number of songs to her credit, in June 2022, MzVee released her 5th studio project titled “10 Thirtyâ€.
Ghanaian gospel musician, Obaapa Christy, will celebrate her 20 years in the music industry with a concert on September 4, 2022.
The concert to be held at theUPSA Auditorium would witness the celebration of the illustrious music career of Obaapa Christy, who is one of Ghana’s finest gospel music veterans.
Speaking at the launch of the concert dubbed “Obaapa Christy at 20 concert”, the award-winning gospel musician said she wanted to use the concert to demonstrate her gratitude to God for his blessings in her career.
Obaapa Christy revealed that her childhood dream was to become a gospel musician and inspire people, and she was overjoyed with how far she had come in her career.
“God has really blessed me in my 20 years in music, and I want to thank him for how far he has brought me. I started music in school and at a young age, my aim was to become a gospel musician.”
“God has been a helper and very compassionate in my music career despite coming from a very poor home. I never dreamt of being a big gospel musician, so I want to praise God for his mercies with this concert, “she said.
Obaapa Christy, who once featured with the Hallelujah Voices Group, has 12 albums to her credit which has numerous timeless gospel hit tracks.
The 2022 edition of TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful pageant (GMB 2021) was launched on Sunday, July 17, 2022.
This year’s edition, the 15th season, will commence on Sunday, July 17, 2022, with the first four weeks being eviction-free.
At the launch, the 16 contestants who passed the auditions to represent the various regions of Ghana were unveiled.
1. Ahafo – Tiwaa
Lauretta Tiwaa Boateng, from Duayaw Nkwanta, is the representative of the Ahafo Region. Tiwaa is 26
Tiwaa is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where she studied Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Linguistics with Akan as her major.
Hariya Yussif is the representative for the Savannah Region. At 20, Hariya, as she will be known on stage, is one of the youngest contestants for this edition.
Hariya is a student at the University of Ghana, where she is studying Information Studies, History, and Archaeology.
An activist for women’s rights, Margaret Brew-Ward, has revealed that a young student who scored 30 in her Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was branded a witch.
She added that the girl resided in a rural area where no one had earned the necessary grades to enroll in a Senior High School.
“Recently, there was a case we heard when we visited one of the communities that a girl who got around aggregate 30 in the BECE was [branded a witch]… meanwhile you know in the cities people are striving for aggregate 8, eight 1s and what not.
“Just because in that community, no girl had passed to go to the secondary school, so for a girl to do that, she [must have been a witch]†she explained on JoyNews.
Brew-Ward further mentioned that the scope of persons to become victims of such attacks is very wide. Referencing the girl’s story to underpin her submission, she said the young student was tagged a witch after she surpassed expectations in the BECE.
The manager of the Action Aid campaign finds this discouraging.The activist claims that in order to secure the aid she need, a partnership between her group and a few state agencies was required.
Mrs. Brew-Ward mentioned additional demographic categories that are frequently labeled as such and stressed the importance of developing a roadmap for its eradication.
Kofi Adomah, who doubles as the CEO of KOFI TV, celebrated his birthday on the day and had his wife, Miracle Adomah, pulling a surprise on him in the studio.
Reacting to the surprise from his wife, Kofi Adomah talked about their love life and how she has been exceptionally good to him.
Among many things, the broadcaster revealed that Mrs Adomah has stood by him in their 19-year-old even though he has fathered many children with other women.
While Adomah has always shared photos and videos of his wife without showing her face, a lady has shown the face of his wife. In a video (slideshow) which has surfaced on Instagram, the smitten couple is seen in different poses showing affection for each other. The lady who put together the slideshow was running commentary about Adomah and his wife in the background.
Meanwhile, Kofi and Miracle recently released a loved-up video showing how strong they are going even in the midst of the backlash after his confession.
Their latest video has stirred loads of reactions online with many people encouraging and praising them.
Earlier, Kofi Adomah Nwanwani had shared a lovely photo with his pretty wife, Miracle Adomah.
The photo released on Kofi Adomah’s Facebook had his wife showing off a voluptuous figure in a tight dress.
Adomah’s wife’s shape in the photo has triggered some hilarious reactions, with some people wondering if he can handle her.
AWARD winning Gospel musician, Celestine Donkor, is entreating Gospel music lovers in Ghana to embrace their songs rendered in English with the same enthusiasm they do to those in our local dialects.
Not doing this goes a long way to limit the potential of Gospel artistes to the confines of the country and virtually turn them into local champions hindering their prospects of being accepted on the global scene.
According to the Celestine Donkor, she has observed over the years, through the records and performance of her songs, both in local and English languages, that the former is patronised more, which to her had the tendency to stifle the progress of Ghanaian artistes reaching global market.
Speaking with the Graphic Showbiz in an interview, Celestine Donkor mentioned that she was making public her observations over the years.
This is particularly at a time when her new song, No One (featuring Nigeria’s Steve Crown) is being streamed heavily in other African countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania while same could not be said with Ghana. Our streaming numbers pale against theirs badly.
“Over the years, I have noticed a trend with my songs. Anytime I release a song that is 100 per cent English, it has low streaming and downloads from Ghana. Interestingly, it is a different story in other African countries.
“It’s quite surprising that when songs are from Nigeria and they are 100 per cent in English, they are sung in churches and are always on people’s playlists.
“They are fully embraced but the moment an English song is coming from a Ghanaian artiste, it doesn’t get the same reception.
“I believe it is something we need to look at seriously because the world is becoming a global village and English is a global language.
“If we want our Ghanaian artistes to go international, then we must patronise their English songs just like their local songs,” Celestine Donkor said.
In 2020, Celestine Donkor’s Agbebolo, which was predominantly in English, shot her status up in the Ghanaian gospel sector. It earned her many awards including Artiste of the Year at the 2021 National Ghana Gospel Music Awards.
When her attention was drawn to Agbebolo, which is rendered in English, as one of her biggest songs in Ghana, she said: “Yes, Agbebolo is in English but it is laced with Ewe, a local language.
“You see, when the song has a touch of our local language, it is appreciated and well patronised. However, the moment it is purely an English song, patronage is low.
“I had quite an unpleasant experience with my song Supernatural in Ghana. So yes, for an artiste like myself, I make sure there are songs in both the local language and English on my album.
“All that I’m saying is that we should push and appreciate the English language ones just like we do with the local ones so that we don’t make our artistes local champions because it’s the direction we are probably unknowingly pushing them.
“If we can celebrate songs in English by foreign acts and make them popular by using them all over the place, we should do so and more for our artistes and the songs they do in English,” she stated.
CEO of Lakeside Village, organizers of the event, Dr Bernard BNA Yartey, said the seasoned artists befits the event considering their pedigree in the terrain.
The duo are poised to deliver some of their hit tracks that dominated the airwaves in recent years and in the past.
So far, organizers of the event, Lakeside Village and Net Village have called on high profile dignitaries to officially invite them to the event.
Lakeside Village boss in an interview said ” We thought through and realized how important the media is, so we decided to come up with this dinner gala.
“It is not an award ceremony, the media all over the world go through a lot of stress, resulting in the death of many. There will be a lot to eat and drink on the evening, we believe it will go a long way to distress them and bring them together to network in a relaxed atmosphere.”
Dignitaries from the traditional, political, Diplomatic Cops, corporate and entertainment fraternities are expected to grace the event.
The annual Ghana media music and dinner night is a yearly celebration of media excellence, dedicated to honoring and acknowledging the achievements of media personalities in Ghana, both past and present.
The event also seeks to discover and invest in the art and act of journalism in Ghana while creating opportunities for knowledge transfer and sharing between the Ghanaian media and their contemporaries from around the world.
The event is being supported by Rosewood Residence, UK, Trap, The Radio Advertising People, Foreword Media Group and Universal Merchant Bank(UMB).
Ghanaian Hiplife legend, Okyeame Kwame, has asserted that having a strong mentality as a musician, defines how successful you will be regardless of your talent.
According to Okyeame Kwame, who is one of the most decorated rappers in Ghana’s music industry, the downfall of many talented artistes was due to the lack of mental toughness to deal with social issues.
In an interview with GNA Entertainment, Okyeame Kwame explained that once you become famous and become a celebrity, your personal life is taken away from you and you would be scrutinized in every endeavor of yours.
“Once you attain fame as a musician, you cannot enjoy your privacy, so you would need to re-evaluate yourself by checking your temperament and how you react to societal issues.
“Social pressures are bound and celebrities are more prone to issues of depression in comparison with other careers, and the inception of social media, so if you don’t have the right temperament, it could lead to depression,” he said.
Okyeame Kwame, who has had an illustrious career in music spanning over two decades, further revealed that it was often very difficult to get a strong mentality at the start of every musician’s career, but psyching yourself was key in such moments.
“You have to develop a strong mental resilience to deal with certain issues so that you don’t cause your own downfall, regardless of how talented you may be. You must learn how you deal with certain issues, especially at the early stages of your music career, ” he said.
Hiplife artiste, Kwaw Kese, has said that he looks younger and more energetic when compared to his friends because of his constant adherence to the advice of his doctors
“Take me and some of my friends or agemates as a case study and you will think that they are way older than me,†he stated in an interview with Okyeame Quophi on Angel TV.
The “Abodam†hitmaker while speaking on the medicinal use of the cannabis said he now uses it for tea and sprinkles it on other foods since it gives him the strength he needs.
Medical doctors in Log Angeles, USA, he claimed advised him to take in herbs; an advice which he said has helped him a lot.
To this end, Kwaw Kese urged critics of the herb to contact their doctors so they can be well-informed and educated on its importance.
He also claimed that the American police have stopped arresting weed smokers because they have realized its benefits and are instead advertising it.
The rapper added that Americans are administering the herbs to the weak and aged because they have realized that it so many medicinal uses.
Former Hasaacas Ladies forward, Evelyn Badu, has written her name in African football history after winning big at the 2022 Confederation of African Football(CAF) Awards in Rabat, Morocco.
The Black Princesses captain won two inaugural awards at the event, which took place on Thursday, July 21, 2022.
The double awards add to Badu’s three previous CAF debut awards, making her the first African female footballer to win five CAF debut awards.
The Alvaldsnes forward won her previous three at the inaugural edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021.
Here are all five CAF debut awards won by Badu
CAF Interclub Player of the Year Awards (Women)
Badu won the Interclub award at the 2022 CAF Awards.
She beat two Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies players, Andile Dlamini and Bambanani Mbanie, to claim the new category.
CAF Young Player of the Year (Women)
Badu landed her second of the night at the awards gala, winning the Women’s Young Player of the Year award.
She defeated former teammate Doris Boaduwaa (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies) and Yasmine Zouhir (Morocco & AS Saint-Etienne).
 CAF Women’s Champions League Player of the Group Stage
During the 2021 CAFWCL, Evelyn Badu became the first player to win the group stage award.
She netted three goals in three games and won back-to-back woman-of-the-match awards.
Player of the tournament
Badu ended up being named the best player of the tournament after her stellar performance that gained her prominence on the continent.
CAF Women’s Champions League top scorer
Badu won the top scorer of the tournament with five goals, three in the group stage and two in the knockout round.
The Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament has recommended the setting up of a bi-partisan committee to probe the circumstances that led to the clash between the Police and students at the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi.
The committee as part of its report from the fact-finding mission to the school on the matter also recommends the sanctioning of the Ashanti Regional Director of Urban Roads for failing to take action about the root cause of the riots in the school.
The chairman of the Committee, Kennedy Agyepong, presented the report to the house on the floor.
“The committee requests the Ministry of Roads and Highwaysas a matter of urgency to provide a pedestrian crossing and speed rams.â€
“The committee recommends that Parliament should set up a bi-partisan committee to further investigate the matter. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning is also expected to release the approved budget to the Minister of Interior for the procurement of the necessary tools.â€
About 30 students of the school were rushed to the hospital after police allegedly opened tear gas on them while they were demonstrating over frequent knockdowns in front of the school weeks ago.
The students of the school were said to have blocked the road in front of their school in the course of their protest, prompting authorities to invite the police.
The police were accused of using excessive force to disperse the demonstrating students from the streets.
Three senior officers were subsequently interdicted by the IGP over the incident.
A Nigerian criminal syndicate led by one Sunny Anwamini (Sam), has been busted by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for defrauding a Ukrainian businessman to the tune of $6.5 million.
The suspect, Sunny, 52, was apprehended on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, by EOCO in an intelligence-led operation in partnership with the state National Security.
According to sources at EOCO, the suspect met his victim (Mazen Farakh), in December 2018 in Ghana during which the latter expressed interest in purchasing expensive wood pieces known as “Teak.â€
Sam, after receiving the sum of $6.5 million from the Ukrainian businessman, sent photographs of fake pallets of teak stored in custom bonded warehouses to him and promised to get the goods delivered in Ukraine.
However, Mazen Farakh in his statement at the EOCO, disclosed that for over three (3) years, Sunny failed to deliver containers of the products as stated in their agreement.
On March 27, 2022, Sunny was arrested by police personnel from the Ghana Police Headquartersin Accra but was later released after a brief detention.
A case in point was when one Kofi Karikari, a police officer with the Accra Regional Police Command, was seen openly providing escort for Sunny in very suspicious circumstances.
Meanwhile, Mazen Farakh wants to recover his $6.5 million from the Nigerian criminal syndicate and is therefore appealing to the powers that be to ensure that Sunny Anwamini is made to face the full rigors of the law.
The Ukrainian businessman and his partners have expressed worry over the present state of affairs in relation to the country’s justice delivery system, calling on authorities to ensure that Sunny is made to face justice in a manner that will make him recover his money from the Nigerian criminal syndicate.
For this reason, the Ukrainian businessman is currently in the country to ensure that Sunny is brought to book.
The Association is also calling on the government to pay all outstanding allowances of trainees and rotation nurses and midwives.
President of the Association, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, made the call on Wednesday at a press briefing in Accra on issues affecting Nurses and Midwives trainees, interns and unemployed personnel.
The issues include delay in the payment of trainee allowances of up to 11 months, delay in the posting of 10,727 Nurse Assistant Clinical (NAC) and Nurse Assistant Preventive (NAP) belonging to the 2019 batch who have been registered on the Ministry of Health’s recruitment portal.
Others are, delay in the issuance of financial clearance for permanent recruitment of the 2019 Diploma and Degree referred group who completed their rotation or national service in September 2021 and delay in financial clearance for the permanent recruitment of the 2020 NAC and NAP.
Mrs Ofori-Ampofo called on the Ministry of Health to investigate all allegations of corrupt practices in the posting of Nurses and Midwives and also refrain from arresting them when they come to the Ministry to demand for their posting.
The Association urged all Nurses and Midwives awaiting employment by the Government to have confidence in their group leaders and accept the periodic updates from them from the engagements with the Ministries of Health and Finance.
“We call on all trainees, rotation Nurses and Midwives and all categories of unemployed personnel to remain calm as the leadership of the Association work with their group leaders and the government to find lasting solutions to their issues,” she said.
Mrs Ofori-Ampofo called on the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana to take disciplinary actions against individuals who resort to social media to dent the image of the profession.
She called on government to immediately resolved the Ministry issues raised before September 2022 to ensure industrial harmony devoid of any labour unrest.
The President said even though the Association recognised the effort of the Government in employing the backlog of unemployed Nurses and Midwives in the past, the authorities had not been able to prevent the creation of new backlogs in the system.
Ms Georgina Kwakye, the Public Relations Officer, 2019 Second Batch of Nurses and Midwives, said they had become a liability to society, adding, ” we are home since November 2021 doing nothing.”
“I am currently at home selling pure water, some of my colleagues have to borrow before they eat, we are depressed, others are working in a private hospitals with meagre salaries while others engage in social vices,” she said.
She said, “Nursing is a practical work but we are home doing nothing, if we do not practice our profession, we will forget our lessons which will be detrimental to the health sector.”
Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum according to Countryman Songo announced his resignation as Asante Kotoko coach to the Board and Management during a zoom technical meeting on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
Claiming that Ogum was disrespectful in the said meeting, the Fire for Fire show host said the former WAFA coach after raising his voice severally in the meeting thanked some board and management members while adding that he has resigned despite efforts to get him to retract the statement.
“There was a meeting and we (Management) presented what you gave us to the Board and they called you to also come and have your say. He joined the meeting initially but the Board told him to wait until we are done with our presentation before he can join. He started saying all sorts of things as if he has been told to resign the moment he joined the meeting after our presentation.”
“He just thanked some Board and Management Members and said that he has resigned and he can’t continue with the job. Even the way he resigned was not proper per how he spoke. Nobody sacked him from the job.”
“Just because he was not allowed to get his way during the meeting. Even Man United don’t get all their targets in a transfer window. He wanted everyone to keep quiet for only him to talk”
He added that the club has accepted the resignation of coach Ogum and will move on from him.
“The Management has accepted his resignation and we won’t go back to him. We won’t allow Ogum to intimidate the Board and Management for him to be allowed to do what he wants to do in the club.”
“You can’t disrespect the Board and Management at a meeting and we will come and beg you to come back. He was just afraid to go to Africa and defend the league title that he won,” Countryman Songo.
Highlife legend, Amakye Dede, has disclosed how he managed to keep his band together for years and the reason behind his decision to give a fair share of his gains to members of his band.
The 64-year-old composer, known for his energetic performances, has stated that working with his band is easy because he does well to keep them happy.
His kind gestures include buying them cars and giving out money to hardworking members.
Amakye Dede in an interview on StarrChat with Nana Aba Anamoah on July 19, 2022, recalled his first encounter with his longest-serving band member, Kwame Thomas Woernle, who is a violinist.
Amakye and Thomas first met in Denmark back in the ’90s. The instrumentalist wowed him with his strings. Later, he relocated to Ghana to play with his band.
According to the music legend, Kwame Thomas, a white man from Denmark, travelled all the way to Ghana on a motorbike.
“I have played with my band for a long time. Remember my white guy? He’s been with me for over 30 years…Musicians always want you to do what they like, and if you do that, they won’t leave you.
“I have bought cars for some of my guys. I don’t have to use the money for myself. I spread it and they are happy.
“The white guy, Kwame Thomas, is from Germany…I first met him in Switzerland. I was playing in Denmark and all of a sudden, this guy came on stage and used the violin, and I said this guy can help me. Whatever he played satisfied the music.
“He came to Ghana with a bike from Denmark. He rode here to meet me and he told me that day that he wanted to play in my band and I told him to come. He came to Ghana purposely because of me…I was very surprised to see him. Kwame Thomas loves my music…he is married to a Ghanaian,” said Amakye.
Speaking on his musical journey, Amakye Dede, who has close to 30 albums, advised his colleagues to create a long-lasting bond with their team and also ensure that their needs are met.
“Thomas has been the only guy who has played the band longest. He is always happy to play in the band. Keep your team happy, that’s the only secrete…if you satisfy musicians, they will always be serious with you,” he admonished in the interview monitored by Ghanaweb.
Teachers and lecturers in private schools in Ghana have been identified as the highest recipients of bribes in Ghana.
This is based on a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
According to the report, teachers and lecturers in the private sector scored 9.6% in the bribery analysis by the UNODC.
The next on the list were doctors, nurses and midwives in private hospitals, who were pegged at 7.6%.
Security guards in the private sector followed next with a bribery rating of 7.3%; while employees from insurance companies followed in 4th place with 4.1.
In 5th place was other business employees who were rated at 3.7%; with bank employees at the base of the ratings with 3.6%.
In the public sector, the Ghana Police Services was ranked first amongst ten other top recipients of bribe.
The Leader and Founder of Glorious Word and Power Ministries International, Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah, has said he has stopped praying for President Akufo-Addo, the man he spiritually backed in opposition until he ascended unto the highest office of the Presidency in 2016.
According to him, he used to be close to the president, but today, there has been a gap between them.
He said he has stopped praying for a president, and never will he pray for any regime that emerges on the political scene going forward.
Speaking on Accra-based Okay FM, the man of God advised that the president should, as a matter of urgency, gather some men of God to intercede on his behalf because what is happening in the country is not normal.
“This is not to disrespect the president, but I have stopped praying for the president like I used to do. I (used) pray for the president and that God should protect him and make sure that his tenure is successful; to pray for the president like I used to do some time ago, I have stopped doing that,” Rev Owusu Bempah said.
“Like Saul, Samuel and David in the Holy Bible as instances, Nana Addo has turned away from God. He is no longer the man ruling the country because he has become disobedient like Saul in the Bible,” Owusu Bempah added.
He noted that no political party – whether NDC or NPP – can be able to make it without spiritual backing.
“If you claim to be of God, then let the people of God back you with prayers; if you claim to believe in other gods, then let your magicians intercede for you like King Pharaoh because, without power, you can never succeed in life,” he stressed.
When asked what has brought about the ‘bad’ blood between him and the president to the extent that he has stopped interceding for him, he explained that, as a man of God, he is willing and ready to intercede for anybody who approaches him for spiritual help and direction but “when I see that after praying for you, you do not have any belief in the prayer, I will just withdraw and stay within my lane.
“I am human, and if after fighting to do whatever that you want, you decide not to mind and appreciate whatever I have done for you, therefore, you keep disregarding me, [I won’t mind you again].
“It is very painful to go all out and help someone to achieve some status in life, and later the person behaves like you have been rejected; it makes you feel that you have fought and done all that you needed to do in vain. I am not saying if I do something bad, nobody should confront me or the law so be twisted to favour me, no, but at least the person should be able to remember whatever I have done for him; the person should remember that if not for this individual, I would not have achieved such status.
“I do not want the glory or recognition for myself, no. When President Akufo-Addo mentioned my name during his victory speech, I took that recognition for the Lord; what I mean is that when you start with God, you need to finish with him. The battle is the Lords should be the altar and finisher of your faith…,” Rev Owusu Bempah explained further.
According to the Ghana Police Service, the suspects attacked a company in the area and in the process killed one person while others sustained injuries.
Without giving further details on the incident, the Ghana Police Service in a statement said its men are bent on arresting the suspects for them to face justice.
“The Police are on a manhunt to arrest some robbers who attacked a company at Achiaman in Amasaman, Accra. In the process, one person died, and two others sustained injuries.â€
“We wish to assure the public that we will surely get the robbers arrested to face justice,†the Ghana Police Service added in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Thursday, July 21, 2022.
According to him, Dr Bawumia is loved in the Ashanti region, therefore, he will lead a charge on people who will try to make things unduly difficult for the Vice President’s emergence as NPP flag bearer.
Speaking on Wontumi TV on Wednesday, July 20, Dr Nana Ayew Afriye noted that, some rift between the people of the Ashanti region and the MPs is gradually creating disaffection for the Vice President, who hitherto is loved by the people in the Ashanti region.
“I believe we need to break the eight with Dr Bawumia, and I will stand by Dr Bawumia on any day but if you make things difficult for Dr Bawumia, we are not going to keep quiet and spare you.
“The current happenings in the party will create problems for Dr Bawumia if we don’t speak about it, because the Vice President is loved by the Ashantis. The Ashantis want the Vice President as the flagbearer of NPP but what is happening is creating some hatred for him and we won’t allow it to spoil his chances,” Dr Nana Ayew Afriye explained.
The MP had earlier served a warning that he will speak against all the happenings creating some disaffection between the MPs and the people of Kumasi.
“When I start going hard on the government, nobody should talk to me.”
Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, MP, Suame, was attacked by some angry residents within his constituency over the poor nature of the roads on Monday, July 18.
The MP, who was in his constituency was accosted by the angry residents with some throwing various items in his direction and hooting at him.
It took the timely intervention of the Police to calm tension and shield the MP from harm.
The residents had organised a demonstration and called on authorities to ensure work resumes on the stretch.
After escaping the attack, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu addressed the media, and assured stakeholders that efforts were being put in place to complete work on the road as early as possible.
He also said he understood the anger of his constituents.
“If they are really angry that it has been a while since the scraping of the surface and the dust is killing them, certainly when they see any government official, they will vent their spleen on the person. So I am not worried,†Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.
Prof. Adei indicated that average Ghanaians are more interested in showing off their wealth by buying excess clothes and having more clothing than millionaires in western countries like the late Steve Jobs who owned only four pairs of jeans, graphic.com.gh reports.
He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to learn to avoid wasting their monies on unnecessary acquisitions including excess clothes.
“… limit the price of financial success… In other words, don’t make certain sacrifices, that is financial discipline, not wasting your money.
“The average Ghanaian has more clothing than a millionaire in America, yes…” Prof. Adei is quoted to have said at the Springboard Your Virtual University show.
Also, Prof. Adei said that it is wrong for people to prioritise wealth over having good relationships.
“Getting rich at the expense of personal integrity, a good marriage, family life, fellowship and friendship only makes you a rich fool,†he added.
The banking sector in the country last year lost GH¢61 million through fraud and other banking malpractice. This represents a surge of 144 per cent losses due to fraud in the banking sector from GH¢25 million in 2020 to GHC61 million in 2021.
In all, 53.46 per cent of the incidents of fraud reported last year involved staff of the financial institutions.
The upsurge in losses recorded for the period was due to the increased use of online payment platforms for fraudulent transactions.
This was contained in the Banking and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions (SDIs) and Electronic Money Issuers (EMIs) fraud report for 2021 issued by the Bank of Ghana.
Statistics
Statistics indicate that staff involvement in fraud cases increased to 278, as compared to 253 in 2020, representing an increase of 9.88 per cent year-on-year.
Rural and Community Banks recorded the highest rate of staff involvement in fraud with a figure of 46.04 per cent, the Universal Banks accounted for 28.06 per cent, while the Savings and Loans companies accounted for 16.55 per cent.
The report, however, recorded 2,347 attempted fraud cases, which represents a minimal decline of 12.09 per cent or 2,670 in 2020.
Another significant fraud type was impersonation which recorded a loss of GH¢10 million. This loss was attributed to lack of due diligence on the part of bank staff and customers of financial institutions when carrying out transactions.
Weak systems
ATM card/POS related fraud also recorded the highest loss of GH¢22 million. This can be attributed to negligence of some customers and weak systems of some financial institutions.
The significant fraud types that accounted for this figure included ATM card/POS fraud, impersonation, lending and credit fraud, forgery and manipulation of documents, cash suppression and E-money fraud.
The increase in the usage of electronic and digital platforms in the financial sector resulted in an increase in ATM card/POS fraud.
The EMI sector reported a significant number of mobile money (MOMO) fraud incidents and loss values in 2021.
EMIs also recorded 12,350 mobile money-related fraud incidents in 2021. The total value of fraud reported by EMIs for the 2021 amounted to GH¢14.2 million.
Rural banks
Out of 144 licensed Rural and Community Banks, 111 of them, representing 77.08 per cent of the sector submitted fraud reports for the period under review.
The rate of submissions in the Rural and Community Banking sector increased marginally from 105 institutions in 2020 to 111 institutions in 2021, representing an increase of 5.71 per cent in year-on-year terms.
For the Microfinance Institutions, out of 180 licensed institutions, 34 of them submitted fraud reports for the year 2021, representing a submission rate of 18.88 per cent. In 2020, 35 MFI institutions submitted fraud reports for the sector.
Out of the 25 licensed Savings and Loans Companies, 13 institutions submitted fraud reports for the period under review, representing a submission rate of 52 per cent, as compared to a submission rate of 48 per cent recorded in 2020.
Teachers of the Nurses Training College in Damongo on Wednesday morning embarked on a strike, leaving students to loiter on campus.
Though the reason for the strike has not been officially communicated by the tutors to the media, citinewsroom.com understands they are demanding the payment of allowances due them from last semester.
When Citi News visited the campus at 10:00am on July 20, 2022, all offices of the tutors were locked up, with none of them on campus except the academic coordinator.
Some students were seen loitering on campus, while others were idling in the classrooms.
The principal of the school, Hajia Rabiatu Iddrisu who had just arrived from Tamale said she was yet to ascertain the reason for the strike and will communicate same to the media afterwards.
Students who will not speak on record say they hope authorities will resolve the issue as soon as possible for tuition to resume.
The school reopened from break last week and only on Monday 18th July started tuition for the semester.
Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has said Ghanaian medical students in Ukrainian schools who were displaced because of the war will be admitted into Ghanaian universities to complete their programmes.
According to the Minister who was responding to questions in Parliament on Wednesday, a committee chaired by the Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Nsiah Asare has been set up and has identified the affected students.
He explained that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is conducting an audit of the list after which eligible students will be admitted into Ghanaian medical schools.
“Mr. Speaker regarding what is happening to them now, I have inaugurated a committee chaired by Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, the Presidential advisor on health to compile the list of all students who were displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war.
“The Committee comprises representatives of all stakeholders including the Deans of all medical schools in Ghana. So far, the Committee has collated information on 300 students. The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is currently validating their credentials, once the process is completed the eligible students will be admitted into our Ghanaian universities at various levels,†he said.
The Russian-Ukraine war which started a couple of months ago affected many people in diverse ways. One of such people is Ghanaian students studying in Ukraine who have to run for their lives and now seeking support to go back to the classroom to continue their studies.
The Government in May established a 13-member committee to come out with guidelines to help absorb them into Ghanaian universities to continue their studies.
The Committee is constituted as follows: representatives of the Students Representative Council (SRC), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Health, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Medical and Dental Council, Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Vice Chancellors of Medical Schools, the Rector of College of Physicians and Surgeons among others.
Rex Omar, the Interim Director of Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO), has assured members that the outfit remains resolute in the discharge of its duties despite a court ruling on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, that set aside elections organized by the management on March 15, 2022.
In a statement sent to GhanaWeb, Rex Omar mentioned that “GHAMRO is vigorously pursuing its mandate in terms of Licensing music users, collecting the said fees and distributing same. Further to Section 30 of the L.I1962, GHAMRO has duly submitted its report as required under law to the Regulators, the Attorney Generals Department through the Copyright Office.â€
“We, therefore, urge all music users: radio, TV, pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, banks, shopping malls, barbering & hairdressing salons etc. to apply to GHAMRO for a license under section 36 to enable GHAMRO fulfill its mandate to distribute royalties to right owners.â€
Rex Omar in the statement announced to members that the governing board has been asked by the court to step aside “pending the determination of the substantive matter†brought before it by aggrieved members led by Steven Boahene.
Below is the statement.
As you may be aware, the GHAMRO constitution enjoins the organization to organize elections every four years to elect a governing Board to steer the affairs of the society.
We have followed this pattern since the year 2015 till date, recently, however, some aggrieved members took the organization to court over the mandate of the Board and the Election Process.
After one year of the case follow-up, the court in February this year ruled favour of the Organization paving the way for the Board elections on 15th March 2022.
These aggrieved members led by Steven Boahene appealed against the decision which the trail Judge duly set aside on Tuesday 19th July 2022 pending the determination of the substantive matter. Thus, by implication, the Governing Board has been set aside.
I will like to take this opportunity to assure our members and the general public that, GHAMRO is vigorously pursuing its mandate in terms of Licensing music users, collecting the said fees and distributing same.
Further to Section 30 of the L.I1962, GHAMRO has duly submitted its report as required under law to the Regulators, the Attorney Generals Department through the Copyright Office.
We, therefore, urge all music users: radio, TV, pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, banks, shopping malls, barbering & hairdressing salons etc. to apply to GHAMRO for a license under section 36 to enable GHAMRO fulfill its mandate to distribute royalties to Right Owners. GOD BLESS US ALL. THANK YOU.
Ghana has been listed among a dozen developing nations facing a looming debt crisis amid the general economic downturn.
Other countries in the list of 12 nations at risk of debt default included: Ukraine, Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, Belarus, El Salvador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Argentina and Ecuador.
According to a Reuters report, factors that occasioned Ghana’s specific crisis rest on among others massive borrowing, rising inflation, a slumping currency and soaring debt to Gross Domestic Product, GDP, ratio.
“Furious borrowing has seen Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio soar to almost 85%.
“Its currency, the cedi, has lost nearly a quarter of its value this year and it was already spending over half of the tax revenues on debt interest payments. Inflation is also getting close to 30%,” the report noted.
The report cited Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Russia, Suriname and Zambia as nations already in default, Belarus, it added was “on the brink and at least another dozen are in the danger zone as rising borrowing costs, inflation and debt all stoke fears of economic collapse.”
It stated that countries that are looking to avert an economic collapse were among others looking to the International Monetary Fund, for rescue programmes.
Ghana is currently in talks with the IMF for one such programme after the government.
Entertainment pundit and television presenter, Tilly Akua Nipaa has said that it has become unfavourable for foreign promoters to bill Ghanaian musicians for shows abroad due to the constant disappointment from some artistes.
Tilly in her submission tagged local musicians who always create problems for promoters as ‘stomach direction’ people.
According to her, they only consider their interest and benefit and care less about organizers who put them on shows outside Ghana.
Speaking on Okay FM with Ola Michael on the back of Shatta Wale’s misunderstanding with the CEO of Akwaaba UK, Dennis Tawiah, and the artiste’s decision to call off his performance at this year’s Ghana Party In A Park UK, Tilly outlined the effect Shatta’s move can have on the event next year.
“These are the many reasons promoters outside don’t like to work with our artiste or bet on our artiste. They know that our artistes are ‘stomach direction’ people. They don’t think about the second person.
“Do you know what is going to happen right now? The patrons that paid money just to come see Shatta Wale are disappointed. Their trust in the event has gone down now so the next year if they (organizers) say they are bringing an artiste, it is a 50/50 for them now.
“So the next time, do you think these same people (organizers) will bet on a Ghanaian artiste? When you give them your word and say, let’s do it… You might just be thinking about yourself but how will it affect the businessman who will put you on the next time?” she quizzed.
Meanwhile, Shatta Wale has explained that organizers of the UK music festival failed to honour their earlier agreement with him, the reason he cancelled his performance at the last minute.
Speaking with Hitz FM’s Andy Dosty on Tuesday, July 19, he noted that organizers of the show changed the entire plan of having a ‘GOG experience’ in the UK and also failed to provide visas for four members of his team.
“I told him (Dennis) to do a GOG flyer for me in conjunction with Akwaaba UK. So the whole title was supposed to be Akwaaba UK in conjunction with Shatta Movement GOG Experience and we accepted that.
“Secondly, I told him to try and get visas for my team. You know my team is big but we came to a conclusion that we pick 4, plus myself which makes it 5 and we agreed on that.
“I told him I would perform for him for free but he should just get these two things done for me…later I saw a flyer with a whole lot of artistes…we forgot about that side …for the past three weeks, I was asking when my team was going to get their visas…I told him I can’t leave Ghana without my team,” Shatta explained.
In October 2021, Idris Yusif, better known as Deportee, a close friend and member of Shatta Wale‘s team, landed himself behind bars over the singer’s fake gun attack.
Deportee was named as an accomplice of the popular dancehall musician and was arrested with two others, Nana Dope and Gangee and charged for abetment of crime.
An Accra Circuit court remanded them into prison custody and later granted bail to the tune of GH¢100,000 each for the publication of false information that claimed Shatta had been shot.
Fast forward to July 2022, Deportee has alleged that Shatta Wale only settled his bail, leaving him to his fate.
He added that the Shatta Movement boss currently has issues with him, but in due time he will tell his side of the story and the reasons why their relationship has once again gone sour.
“My relationship with Shatta is out there, people know it… we had our issues back then, but this time around…there is an issue that is the reality. At the right time, the issue will pop up. He has issues with me but I don’t.
“Recently we went to court, you know we went to prison together. He got himself bailed, but without us…these are the things, I don’t want to speak. Maybe with time, we will speak. I know it is a bombshell and it will go out there and it is going to escalate a whole lot of things,” Deportee disclosed in an interview on ‘Time With The Stars’ with Larry Bozzlz.
According to the singer, who doubles as an artiste manager, he doesn’t condones negative energy from his circle of friends.
“Anyone who knows me, when you ask they will tell you that forget who you are, when you go wrong he will tell you. When you are on the right path he will tell you. When you make a mistake, he will tell you and that is the person I am.
“I don’t want to be around you and be faking. I can’t do that, no matter who you are. I will let you know on the low…there are people who don’t like my type. I can’t be faking and cover things that are not right,” he added in the interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
