President Akufo-Addo has acknowledged the resignation of Trade and Industry Minister, Alan John Kyerematen.
“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 6* January 2023, accepted the resignation from office of Mr Alan Kyerematen as Minister for Trade and Industry,’ a statement signed by Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin, read.
Mr Kyerematen stepped down from his position today, Friday, January 6, 2023.
A statement from the Office of the President revealed that Mr Kyerematen on Thursday, January 5, 2023, informed the president personally of his decision to resign and subsequently submitted his letter of resignation.
In 2017, Mr Alan Kyerematen was sworn in as Trade Minister.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has thanked Mr Kyerematen for his services to his government and to the country.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been appointed to act as caretaker Minister until a substantive appointment is made.
Mr Kyerematen popularly referred to as ‘Alan Cash’ has long been rumoured to be nursing the ambition to contest the flagbearership slot of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
It is however unclear if the resignation is to allow him to concentrate on that ambition.
In 2007, Mr. Kyerematen ran for the NPP leadership and received 32.3% of the votes cast.
The government has designated January 9, 2023, as a public holiday through the Interior Ministry.
In a statement, the Ministry highlighted that Monday was designated a holiday since Constitution Day, which is observed on January 7, falls on a weekend.
“In view of the fact that 7th January, 2023 falls on a Saturday, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, has by Executive Instrument (E.I), in accordance with Section 2 of the Pubic Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, (Act 601) declared Monday, 9th January, 2023 as an additional holiday,” the statement explained.
The public has been entreated to observe the holiday as such throughout the country.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has addressed the President’s remarks regarding Akonta Mining.
Speaking in Koforidua at the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association’s 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress, President Akufo-Addo stated that as of now, the mining company cannot be held liable for unlawful activities endangering water bodies and forest reserves.
“I want to assure you all that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any form of illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak,” he stated.
The Lands Minister believes there is no cause for worry since the president’s comment was not to shield Akonta Mining Limited from further investigation and possible retribution if found culpable.
“The President was not speaking about the wrongdoing or otherwise of Akonta Mining in the past, the criminality or otherwise of Akonta Mining in the past. He was not commenting on what happened in the past. He was giving an assurance of the state of affairs as of the time he was addressing the conference,” the minister told the media.
However, responding to the president’s remarks, Convener of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, noted that current investigations being carried out by the Special Prosecutor against the company to find out some activities it may have engaged in in the past may be compromised.
Worried and disappointed by the president’s comments, he stated that “the Minerals Commission which is the independent regulatory body responsible for issuing licenses also said that Akonta Mining is engaged in illegal activities and so it is worrying the president is saying Akonta Mining is not engaged in illegal mining as we speak.”
“The President may be right when he says Akonta Mining is not engaged in illegal mining activities as we speak, it may be because maybe Akonta Mining has left the forest reserve but the question we must be asking is, was the firm not in the forest sometime last year?” he further questioned.
President Akufo- Addo’s defense of Akonta Mining over its suspected involvement in illegal mining activities in the nation has upset the convener of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, who says he is disappointed.
The President’s remark, according to Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, is concerning and might obstruct current inquiries into the company’s operations.
He claims that the company’s involvement in the conduct has already been established by official organizations tasked with monitoring mining operations in the nation, making the President’s defense weak.
Thus, the CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications questioned President Akufo-Addo about whether the mining company was present in the country’s forest reserves the previous year.
“Some media works had been done and some reportage in the media revealed the clashes between workers of Akonta Mining and residents of the Samreboi community where the residents prevented the miners from mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
Also the Minerals Commission which is the independent regulatory body responsible for issuing licenses also said that Akonta Mining is engaged in illegal activities and so it is worrying the president is saying Akonta Mining is not engaged in illegal mining as we speak.”
IKen Ashigbey
“The President may be right when he says Akonta Mining is not engaged in illegal mining activities as we speak, it may be because maybe Akonta Mining has left the forest reserve but the question we must be asking is, was the firm not in the forest sometime last year?”
Speaking in Koforidua at the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association’s 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress, President Akufo-Addo exonerated the mining company of all wrongdoing.
The President claims that the company is not currently engaging in any criminal activity.
According to President Akufo-Addo, Akonta Mining Company Limited is not currently engaged in any unlawful mining activities in Ghana.
The President made this statement on Wednesday at the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association’s 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress in Koforidua.
For alleged illegalities the company allegedly committed in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western North Region last year, numerous groups and individuals have called for punitive measures against the company and its owners, led by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwo-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
When asked by the event’s chair, Ing. Ken Ashigbey, why Chairman Wontumi is still free to go about his business when he ought to be under investigation and prosecuted, President Akufo-Addo said that Akonta Mining is not now engaging in any criminal activity.
“Let me respond briefly to the chairperson on the issue of illegal mining. I want to assure him and all of you that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak.
“Further, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has through the agency of the Forestry Commission, with the assistance of the military, made the effort to cordon off all 294 sites of forest reserves in the country and rid them of illegal mining as we speak.”
The Lands Ministry forbade the Company, which is owned by Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the chairman of the New Patriotic Party for the Ashanti Region, from mining in the Tano Nimiri forest reserve in October 2022.
The Ministry claims that despite Akonta Mining Limited having a mining lease to conduct mining activities in specific areas of Samreboi outside the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, the company lacked the mineral rights necessary to conduct any mining operations there.
The Special Prosecutor is currently investigating the matter.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced a cash donation of GH¢100,000 towards the National Cathedral project.
The National Cathedral project will be completed, according to the president.
Despite the numerous critiques and backlash, he asserts that this particular promise he made to God will be carried out with help from the Christian community.
President Akufo-Addo made the announcement while on a visit to the construction site where work has been put on hold because of a lack of funding.
“As I have said before, the National Cathedral will not just be another monument adorning the skyline of Accra, it will be a rallying point for the entire Christian community to come together and worship…I am therefore committed to working with the Board of Trustees to ensure the completion of this project to the glory of God.”
According to Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah, Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, the project’s building is crucial for the Church and the wider Christian community.
He further exhorted Christians to contribute financially to the project’s completion, which was initially planned to be completed in March 2024.
“If the Church Leaders stand with us on this project, we can easily raise One million people who will give us GH¢100 each. So essentially, we need the Church to stand with us. The state has done enough, all the preparatory works have been done, and the scope of work has been done without the state it was impossible,” Dr Mensah noted.
“We need the Church in Ghana to stand with us, this is a monument to the Church, this is a monument to God and a symbol of the Christian presence in Ghana,” he added.
Ken Ofori-Atta, the minister of finance, declared in May 2022 that a sum of $25 million had been approved to allow the project consultants to handle some aspects of the National Cathedral’s development.
Since it was announced, the proposal has drawn considerable controversy, censure, and opposition from the Ghanaian people, CSOs, and MPs.
But the finance minister said the amount which was tagged as “seed money” was paid in November 2020, to the project consultants.
Ken Ofori-Atta was subsequently hauled before parliament by the Minority caucus under seven grounds of a censure motion against him.
Meanwhile, the recently published 2021 Auditor-General’s report discovered that a total of GH¢142,762,500 from the national coffers was spent on the Ghana National Cathedral project in 2021.
This particular expenditure was however captured under the government’s priority programmes and interventions for the year under review.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), believes that in 2023, popular resentment of Akufo-Addo would intensify.
The politician claims that this will be exacerbated by the government’s proposed debt swap program, which has already encountered intense opposition from a portion of the people.
He remarked in a Facebook post at the beginning of the new year that, in his opinion, this resistance will negatively impact Ghana’s IMF agreement, which will exacerbate the economic problems in the nation.
“Public agitations against the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta debt exchange programme predicted to reach a crescendo as an overwhelming majority of Ghanaians will outrightly reject the draconian terms.
“The debt exchange resistance and considerable turmoil would lead to a substantial delay in an IMF Board Agreement, which development will further exacerbate Ghana’s current economic calamity”, the MP wrote.
After experiencing a record fall, the nation’s economy has become a hot topic of discussion during the past year.
Excruciating reports of hardship on the part of many Ghanaians accompanied the economic downturn.
Given the circumstances, the Cedi experienced an all-time low value relative to the US dollar and other major trading currencies, which increased the cost of fuel and other goods and services.
The country had to eventually knock on the doors of the International Monetary Fund for an economic bailout on July 1, 2022, despite earlier assurances that the economy would stabilize.
The decision was sharply criticized as well, with many Ghanaians accusing the NPP of applying different standards to it than it did to the NDC when it was in opposition for approaching the IMF.
A portion of the population also used social media to call for the resignation of Ken Ofori-Atta, the finance minister. The hashtag “KenMustGo” gave this more traction.
Others in the House of Representatives joined the chorus and demanded the dismissal of Mr. Ofori-Atta.
However, despite the protracted unrest, there was a little respite when the cedi began steadily increasing against the dollar in the latter months of the year.
In view of this, the institute of Energy Security (IES) also predicted that, fuel products will reduce, starting Sunday, January 1, 2023.
However, Mr Ablakwa believes that the temporary cool of Ghanaians will soon be overthrown with more agitations from government.
Meanhwile, government has assured that it is throwing in all arsenals at its disposal to restore the economy and place it on a more desirable footing.
This was contained in the President’s earlier Christmas Day message, as well as his New Year message to Ghanaians at the beginning of 2023.
President Akufo-Addo is projecting better days ahead for Ghana as the country ushers into a new year.
In a Twitter post on January 1, 2023, he wrote: “Wishing you, my fellow Ghanaians, a happy and prosperous new year. 2023 promises to be a good one for our country.”
The President, in his tweet, did not indicate how exactly his government would ensure a conducive environment for businesses and citizens in general.
However, government has on several occasions stated that its yet-to-be-finalised agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will augur well for Ghanaians.
Meanwhile, former President John Dramani Mahama has entreated Ghanaians to remain hopeful of an economic recovery this year.
Despite the economic setback the nation experienced in the previous year, he claimed that Ghanaians “cannot give up on our dear homeland Ghana” in the face of the sacrifices and austerity measures that 2023 will bring.
“As we face the future with fortitude, let us remember the solemn words of the hymnist, Johnson Oatman Jr, when he urges us to Count Our Blessings and Name Them One by One. We have been fortunate to survive as a nation and are lucky by the grace of the Almighty to be alive to see the dawn of a new year,” he said in a Facebook post.
He is optimistic that as long as Ghanaians have life, there will be ample opportunity to “be better versions of ourselves and work even harder towards salvaging our dear nation from the avoidable abyss into which she has been plunged.”
“May this new year open the pathway and bring us to the cusp of building the ‘Ghana We Want’— a Ghana of opportunities for all and one in which our individual and collective aspirations are achieved. I wish you all, my fellow countrymen and women, a very Happy and Prosperous New Year,” he shared.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the Appointments Committee of Parliament to play its patriotic duties by approving his Supreme Court justice nominees; Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu and Justice George Kingsley Koomson.
The two justices were among four justices nominated by the president in July 2022 for elevation to the country’s apex court.
They were nominated alongside Justices Frances Barbara Ackah-Yensu and Samuel Kwame Adibo Asiedu, both previously being Court of Appeal justices who were approved by Parliament’s Appointments Committee before the House went on the Christmas recess, leaving the fate of justices Gaewu and Koomson on the balance.
President Akufo-Addo made the appeal during the swearing-in of Justices Ackah-Yensu and Adibo Asiedu at the Presidency on December 28, 2022.
Addressing the importance and the need for the occasion, the president said, “I perform the most important act of the administration of the third arm of government which is the swearing into Office of two Justices of the Supreme Court and I refer to Justice Frances Barbara Ackah-Yensu and Justice Samuel Kwame Adibo Asiedu who would be appointed to succeed two justices of the Supreme Court; the late Justice Samuel Marful-Sau who passed away on August 10, 2021, and Justice Yaw Apaw who retired on August 2, 2021.”
During the swearing-in which is in accordance with the stringent details of Article 144 Clause 2 of the Constitution of Ghana, the president reiterated his confidence in the remaining two nominees saying they were rigorously selected through the Judicial Council and in consultation with the Council of State and therefore urged Parliament to have them approved.
“I, therefore, await Parliament’s approval of the two remaining nominees; Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu and Justice George Kingsley Koomson to fill the vacancies created as a result of the retirement of Justice Clemence Honyenuga which took place on September 24, 2022, and Justice Agnes Dordzie who retired on October 2, 2022.”
The leader of the minority caucus of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has said that the House failed Ghanaians in 2022.
He explained that the house failed Ghanaians because it did not check the unbridled borrowing of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.
Haruna Iddrisu, who said this in a TV3 interview monitored by GhanaWeb, added that the huge debt accumulated by the government is the cause of the economic challenges in the country now.
“Where the country is today, you will hear everybody talking about unsustainable debt. It means we overborrowed. We borrowed excessively.
“Parliament, under Article 181 of the Constitution, exercises that mandate (to check the executive) for and on behalf of the people of Ghana. So, it simply means that Parliament has failed the people of Ghana. We didn’t hold the executive to check to say that don’t borrow any longer or borrow at this limit.
“We all know that when debt exceeds 70 percent of GDP you are debt distressed. So now Ghana is a debt-distressed high-risk country,” he said.
Haruna Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, however, indicated that the minority caucus cannot be blamed for failing to hold the executive in check.
“There are those who have been very critical of the minority including me, saying that why did we pass the budget. It was because we don’t want the country to come to a standstill. A budget means a lot not just for government or the New Patriotic Party (NPP) but for citizens,” he added.
Deputy ranking member of the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak, has slammed the New Patriotic Party government for the reintroduction of the quota system for colleges of education.
The Builsa South legislator believes the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration owes Ghanaians an apology for breaking a promise made to the people of Ghana.
“The current NPP government promised to, and restored a diluted form of teacher trainee allowance. And they assured Ghanaians that they would not reintroduce the quota system that restricted more teachers from being trained. They have since made a U-turn.
“From the foregoing, it smacks of dishonesty when the same government that made a promise to win an election has turned back on its words and is now doing what was not even close to what it condemned to win the 2016 election.”
“I strongly insist that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government has an obligation to tell Ghanaians the justification for the reintroduction of a quota system they promised not to introduce, and admitted will close the door to many prospective teachers.”
Below is the full statement from the Dr. Clement Apaak
Return of quota system for Colleges of Education and Matters Arising (1)
The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government owes Ghanaians an apology, and an explanation for abandoning mid-stream a promise made to the people of Ghana. The current NPP government promised to and restored a diluted form of teacher trainee allowance. And they assured Ghanaians, that they will not reintroduce the quota system that restricted more teachers from being trained. They have since made a U-turn.
As evident in the leaked GTEC letter to the Principals of Colleges of Education, the cardinal reason for the introduction of the admission quota system for Public Colleges of Education for the 2022/2023 academic year, is due to government’s inability to fund the feeding grant and allowances for as many who qualify and want to train as teachers.
The GTEC letter – with the list of allocations per College – dated December 16, 2022, states categorically, that allocations to various Colleges cannot be varied and must be adhered to. The letter added, that “for the avoidance of doubt, payment of feeding grants and trainee allowances will be guided by these numbers.”
On the face of the allocations list attached to the GTEC letter to the Principals of the Colleges of Education, the highest number allocated to a College is 320 students, while the lowest number is 160 students. Based on the list of allocations given, the impact of this sudden policy change is reflected in the fact, that only a paltry 12,002 prospective teacher trainees will be admitted into the 46 Colleges of Education for the 2022/2023 academic year. This means 260 students per College on average, a clear waste of space, and an obvious hindrance to training more and much needed teachers.
So no doubt, that the quota system announced for admission will prevent many prospective applicants from getting admission into Colleges of Education. And this is bound to have negative consequences. With thousands of qualified applicants chasing few spaces, partisan-influenced protocol admissions and the ‘whom-you-know’ syndrome will deny many qualified and worthy applicants who truly desire to become teachers a fair opportunity to gain admission.
Below are two reasons, culled, courtesy citinewsroom.com, which I believe, justify my call on government to apologise to Ghanaians for the U-turn as far as the promise to pay trainee allowances and still allow as many who qualify to train as teachers to do so. Evidently the reintroduction of the quota system has badly exposed the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government as captured in the words of the then Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education:
1) “Professor Kwesi Yankah, then Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education in 2017, said Colleges of Education could admit as many qualified applicants as their available facilities can allow but without compromising quality and standards.”
2) “He insisted that the Ministry of Education under the Akufo-Addo government will not introduce a quota system for admission which could prevent many prospective applicants from getting admission into teacher training colleges.
From the foregoing, it smacks of dishonesty when the same government that made a promise to win an election has turned back on its words and is now doing what was not even close to what it condemned to win election 2016.
I strongly insist that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government has an obligation to tell Ghanaians the justification for the reintroduction of a quota system they promised not to introduce, and admitted will close the door to many prospective teachers.
Truth Stands! Dr. Clement Apaak
M.P, Builsa South and Deputy Ranking Member On Education Committee of Parliament
Experts claim that this increases citizen trust in the government.
Therefore, it is not helpful when the president, who is the head of the government, makes public statements that are in conflict with those of his appointees or that subsequently require explanation or clarification from his appointees.
According to many analysts, effective communication is an essential component of any country’s government system.
Experts claim that this increases citizen trust in the government.
Therefore, it is not helpful when the president, who is the head of the government, makes public statements that are in conflict with those of his appointees or that subsequently require explanation or clarification from his appointees.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo-Addo has admonished Ghanaians who are in fortunate positions to lend a helping hand to the needy in society during this festive season.
He further urged Ghanaians to offer some comfort to people who are in distress to avert any untoward circumstances in their lives.
The President believes the gesture will put some smiles on the faces of the poor and the needy.
“I urge all of us, to celebrate the season safely and responsibly, if you are in a more fortunate position, remember to lend a helping hand to those who are in need, let each one of us do our bit to help feed those who are hungry and offer comfort to those who are in distress,” the President said this his Christmas message to Ghanaians.
He expressed hope that Ghana will rise up again as his government works around the clock to prudently manage the economy.
“I am happy that in spite of it all, we are beginning to emerge out of the difficulties which encourages me to say that with hard work, dedication and continued prudence in the management of the affairs of our nation, we will rise up again,” the President added.
According to the Bank of Ghana’s interbank exchange rates, the Ghana Cedi is now trading against the dollar at a purchasing price of 8.2988 and a selling price of 8.3072 as of today, December 26, 2022.
Compared to the trade of 8.2959 as the purchasing price and 8.3042 as the selling price from yesterday. The exchange rate for buying and selling the dollar in Accra is 10.00 for buying and 11.50 for selling.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 11.00 and sold at a rate of 14.50.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 8.8173 and a selling price of 8.8276 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 8.7899 and a selling price of 8.7986.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 10.50 and sold at a rate of 12.00.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.4889 and a selling price of 0.4893 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 0.4837 and a selling price of 0.4840.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.45 and sold at a rate of 0.90.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 54.6501 and a selling price of 54.7332 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 56.5771 and a selling price of 56.5664.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 10.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 14.00.
Undoubtedly, 2022 will be one of the most difficult years Ghanaians have ever experienced, especially for those who did not experience the 1980s drought.
Many expect the father of the country, the president, to give hope to the citizenry with his public pronouncements. Unfortunately, some statements President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made added insult to injury for many Ghanaians.
The president’s comments that annoyed Ghanaians were mostly made during his tour of some parts of the country.
Here are three statements by Akufo-Addo that did not sit well with many Ghanaians:
To those of you saying bad things about me in the Ashanti Region, I will shame you all – Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo, while speaking during a sod-cutting ceremony for the Suame Interchange on October 18, 2022, as part of his Ashanti Region tour, berated his political detractors in the region.
According to him, these people will be shamed one by one for the numerous things he has done for the people of the region, which is considered the ‘political world bank’ of his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
President Akufo-Addo stated that for the past six years that he has been in office, the people of the Ashanti Region have benefitted enough from his government; therefore, his detractors cannot say otherwise.
“And to those of you going around saying bad things about me in the Ashanti Region, one after the other, they are all going to be shamed convincingly today, tomorrow and the day after.
“In spite of our present difficulties, which I know will be gone as soon as possible, I continue to be excited about the future prospects of the nation, and I urge all Ghanaians to join hands in building the Ghana that we want, we can realize it if we all work at it,” he said.
Your threats to vote against the NPP don’t frighten me – Akufo-Addo
The president once again raised eyebrows in an interview on OTEC FM during his tour of the Ashanti Region when he stated how unfazed he was about the NPP losing the next general elections.
He explained that while there are threats to vote against them, he is unmoved, adding that the intimidation of voting against the NPP due to unfulfilled promises or lack of development under his tenure is a voter’s personal decision he cannot be bothered about.
“People make those kinds of threats; they don’t frighten me. Somebody votes for you, and somebody supports you. It’s because they want you to do certain things for them. I understand that. But there is no need for people to say that if I am unable to do this and that… those are their own issues to deal with. Of course, I will do it (the road).
“But if it comes to the election and you choose to vote for the NDC, that is your own issue; that is not my worry because nobody holds your thumb to vote; it is your own work. The important thing is that I understand my responsibility, and we will deal with it,” the president said.
I’m not so sure if Aisha Huang was deported – Akufo-Addo
In September 2022, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo contradicted statements by some of his appointees that illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) kingpin, Aisha Huang, was deported from Ghana in 2018.
Speaking in an interview on Stone City Radio in Ho during his tour of the Volta Region, which GhanaWeb monitored, Akufo-Addo expressed uncertainty about whether Aisha Huang was deported.
According to the president, it is likely that the ‘galamsey’ queen was never deported but fled the country in 2018.
“… I am not still sure whether she was, in fact, deported or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back or whatever. There still seems to be some uncertainty about it.
“Whichever way it is, she has become a sort of nickname for all that the ‘galamsey’ represents and also, unnfortunately, for the involvement of Chinese nationals in this illicit trade,” he said.
Oppong Nkrumah’s shocked expression after Akufo-Addo said Aisha Huang wasn’t deported.
Due to the nation’s economic difficulties, this year’s Christmas appears a little different.
However, the political authorities in Ghana are urging the Ghanaians to have confidence and hope for the best in 2023.
The President of the Republic, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in a video message shared on social media, expressed optimism about the ability of Ghana’s economy to bounce back.
“I am happy that in spite of it all we are beginning to emerge out of the difficulties which encourages me to say that with hard work dedication and continued prudence in the management of the affairs of our nation, we will rise up again,” Akufo-Addo said.
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, in a tweet he shared, wished Ghanaians well and urged them to work together for a better 2023.
“May unity in serving the Republic be our mantra in 2023,” parts of his tweet read.
The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, in a video message, said, “It is my prayer that this Christmas will fill you and your families with hope, joy, peace and above all good health”.
Below are some of the Christmas and New Year messages shared by Akufo-Addo, ex-President John Dramani Mahama and other politicians:
At the birth of Jesus, a bright star lit up in the sky and the wise men followed it with, gold, frankincense and myrrh. May this X’mas day, speedily bring, gold, frankincense and myrrh, your way in the mighty name of Jesus. I wish us all well. Ghana ???????? will not die. Shalom????❤️????— Samuel Koku Anyidoho???????? (@KokuAnyidoho) December 25, 2022
Wishing everyone in my constituency and beyond a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. May this festive season bring lots of Joy and Happiness in everyone’s life. #TogetherWeCanpic.twitter.com/vuEGC3rqeT— Hon. Dorcas Affo-Toffey (@AfoDorcas) December 25, 2022
At the core of this festive season is the message of hope, peace and love. Despite these crushing economic challenges, I respectfully ask Ghanaians to take heart and collectively commit to the spirit of hope in entering the year 2023. Merry Christmas to you and your families. pic.twitter.com/H7rbVolZnW— Dr. Kwabena Duffuor (@DrDuffuor) December 25, 2022
One of the contenders in the race has caught the attention of many Ghanaians as Nigerians get ready to cast ballots in February 2023 to choose new political leaders and a new president.
This is because of the slogan the candidate, Abdulrahnan Abdulrazaq, is using in his campaign, which is very common in Ghana too.
In a billboard spotted by GhanaWeb, the candidate, who is the current governor of Kwara State and is seeking re-election, had the inscription, “Four More To Do More.”
That slogan was very prominent in Ghana in 2020 because the sitting president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), used those same words in their re-election bid.
It has therefore become very interesting that the Nigerian politician, who is running on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), would also run with the same tagline.
Nigeria will hold its general elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
He remarked, “This administration is borrowing endlessly. It must be paid for by someone. My grandkids will cover the cost of any bonds you take out instead of me.
“You succeeded in dividing the nation more sharply than ever before. Who will listen to you if there are fights in the House of Commons?
We don’t need every member of parliament or party member to be macho in order to demonstrate how strong he is for the party. We want jawing,” he said.
The Akufo-Addo administration is currently borrowing as though there is no tomorrow, an Economist and New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart, Mr. Kwame Pianim, has said.
Speaking on the New Day show on TV3 with host Berla Mundi on Wednesday, December 221, he said “COVID-19 should have taught us that cut your coat according to your cloth. There is no father Christmas.
“This government is borrowing as if there is no end. Somebody has to pay for it. If you take a bond, I am not going to pay for it, my grandchildren are going to pay for it.”
Making a projection for the next year, he said “You managed to divide the country in a way it has never been so divided. Fisticuffs in Parliament, who is going to listen to you?
“Every parliamentarian, every foot soldier of the party wants to show how strong he is for the party by being macho, we don’t need that. We want jaw jawing.”
Asked about his view on whether or not Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta has managed the economy better, he answered “No, he hasn’t done a good job, he is over-borrowing, we are not getting value for money.
Mr. Painim also rejected the E-levy proposal in the budget statement for the 2022 fiscal year.
“There is so much money you tap into, don’t go and touch technology,” he said.
The Glorious Word Power Ministry International’s founder and leader, Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah, has revealed his first prophecy for the upcoming year.
Usually, the man of God announces his prophecies on December 31 but on Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25, 2022, Owusu Bempah detailed a spiritual encounter he had which gives him confidence that 2023 will be a great year.
Addressing his congregation, he prophesied into their lives that their prayers will be answered in the coming year.
“I had a revelation that I was holding a mango. I saw another mango hanging and God asked me to hit the mango I was holding with the one hanging. I did just that and both mangoes fell into my hands. There will be blessings in 2023.
“Mangoes will fall into your hands. Something joyous will come to life. 2023 will be exciting. Don’t be surprised if you park your car here. Those without lands will buy land,” he said.
Reverend Owusu Bempah also promised his church members to expect fireworks on December 31, 2022, when he will announce new prophecies.
“This year’s 31st All Night will be different from the others. We will see things we’ve not seen before and Ghanaians will hear what they’ve never heard before.
“I’m very keen on the 31st night service and I can’t sleep. I wish tomorrow was 31st. It’s like Jesus rising to Heaven after his death. He was wild because he didn’t want anything to disturb him.
“In the World Cup, there is an Argentine player called Messi and I heard that he couldn’t sleep because of the game, I’ve meant 31st night more than Messi meant the World Cup,” he said.
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bwumia on Sunday, December 25, 2022 visited Reverend Owusu Bempah’s church to mark Christmas Day.
Bawumia appealed to Reverend Owusu Bempah to continue praying for the Akufo-Addo-led government.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has cautioned against what it terms to be charlatanic activities. In a statement issued on Friday, it warned the public to desist from such ventures.
“The activities which often begin with misleading advertisements on some mainstream and social media platforms lure unsuspecting members of the public including children, and deceive them into engaging in dubious acts, in the hope of getting rich overnight”, the police said.
Meanwhile, financial news portal, Bloomberg is predicting that the economy in the coming year could be worse than 2022 where government admitted huge headwinds that hit the economy with depreciation of the cedi and galloping inflation as main indicators.
President Akufo-Addo has extended his felicitations to Ghanaians as Christians celebrate the birth of Christ.
Delivering his 2022 Christmas message on Saturday, he said, “on behalf of the government, my wife Rebecca –the First Lady, my daughters, grandchildren, my entire family, I send warm greetings and best wishes for the season to all Ghanaians.”
He prayed for the celebration to bring joy to all adding that 2023 should also usher in a new year of the blessing of growth.
President Akufo-Addo further urged Ghanaians to continue to draw divine inspiration and guidance from Christmas believing the economy will bounce back.
“Let us be prepared to make the sacrifices that will enable us to build a happy progressive Ghana we all desire,” he added.
He also entreated all and sundry to celebrate Christmas safely and responsibly.
President Akufo-Addo said as the season is to spread love, therefore, “If you are in a more fortune position, remember to lend a helping hand to those who are in need.”
“Let each one of us do our best to help feed those who are hungry and offer comfort to those in distress.”
He also called on Ghanaians to be hospitable during the yuletide.
“Let us provide the famous Ghanaian hospitality to the thousands and thousands of people who are visiting us this Christmas as our capital Accra and our country Ghana have become important global destinations for the Christmas holiday.”
“Let us take the time to gather, love, listen and learn from each other and to remember that with the help of God, we can overcome every challenge and achieve every future of which we can dream,” he added.
The entire construction of the Tema Port took roughly ten years, and it was initially built modestly before eventually expanding. The Keta Port Project needs to go through the entire process; we don’t need to speed it, said Mr. Michael Luguje, GPHA Director-General (DG), at the GPHA’s 2022 Press Soiree in Tema.
He stressed that the Keta Port project, which would be the third seaport in Ghana after Tema and Takoradi Ports, had received a lot of public bashing after the appointment of a director even though the actual construction was yet to take off.
Addressing such concerns, the GPHA Director-General said the Keta Port is a strategic project of the state, therefore, the necessary procedures required for building such a facility must be followed to the latter.
Mr. Luguje stressed that, “Building a port is a meticulous process, it has a life cycle, which includes feasibility and other studies, analysis, before the actual construction, and also an Executive Instrument must be signed by the President.”
The DG indicated that a lot of progress have been made about the Keta Port project, explaining that a feasibility study, stakeholder engagements, and an environmental assessment were done.
He also said an advert for the expression of interest had also been published, and a few proposals had been received, which were been reviewed to select the best.
Mrs. Esther Gyebi-Donkor, General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, GPHA reiterated the determination of the Authority to build the Keta Port.
She stressed that the GPHA was focused and was not perturbed by public sentiments on the project as they would deliver.
Mrs. Gyebi-Donkor urged the media to contact the GPHA on issues that they needed clarification on instead of the penchant of some media outlets to publish one-sided stories, which ended up creating confusion in the public arena “let us work together to educate and inform the public truthfully”.
She said GPHA considered the media as a strategic partner and was ready to engage them, adding that in 2023, they would organize some training sessions for the media to keep them well informed on the operations of the Port.
All fees and charge increases for 2022–2023 would be 15% higher than current fees, according to the Ministry of Education, acting through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.
This means that tuition increases and other charges at universities and colleges are limited to a 15% rise above what they were in the academic year 2021–2022.
The ban follows fee increases of more than 40% at certain public universities that infuriated parents and students.
In a circular signed by Prof. Mahama Salifu, Director-General of the GTEC copied exclusively to MyNewsGh.com, GTEC stressed that all “fees and Charges must not exceed 15% of the fees charged for the 2021/2022 academic year.”
“The advice we have received is that, alongside the passage of the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 (Act 1080), a 15% increase across board was approved by the . Please be advised therefore that Fees and Charges applicable in all Public Tertiary Education Institutions for the 2022/2023 Academic Year may be adjusted by up to a maximum of 15% of the last approved rates,” the notice said.
“Please refer to the Second Schedule of Act 1080 for the baseline figures for your guidance. For avoidance of doubt, any adjustments made to the Fees and Charges must not exceed 15% of the fees charged for the 2021/2022 academic year,” the notice added.
The Central regional capital, Cape Coast, has hosted a three-day market session titled the “Bronya Farmers Market.”
Minister Justine Marigold Assan of the Central Regional is the one who started it.
It was developed so that locals may buy for holiday food at a discount.
The trading day lasted from Wednesday, December 21, 2022, until Friday, December 23, 2022.
At Adisadel College in Cape Coast, farmers from all over the area congregated to sell a variety of delicacies, including plantains, yams, coconuts, and poultry, among other items.
Addressing the media, the minister stressed the important role farmers play in society and the country as a whole.
She said: “I don’t take farmers for granted. Most of the time, we hear various professionals embarking on strike action; however, farmers never go on strike. So, they are very dear to my heart.”
She, however, bemoaned the little earnings farmers make after harvesting and selling their farm produce.
“What’s painful about it is, when they put in so much to cultivate their crops and they harvest and want to sell to take care of their kids in school, and buy food, it becomes difficult. We go to buy from them and sometimes, they don’t make a lot of profit. They even struggle to sell them,” she observed.
The Central Regional Minister stressed that the initiative has not only afforded farmers the opportunity to sell but also residents of the region the chance to purchase foodstuffs at cheap prices.
“So, we’ve brought all of them together here at the Bronya Farmers Market. You can see all the things here are fresh. We’re doing this so that the farmers can reap the benefit of their rewards.”
“The upside about it, too, is what they are selling is like buying directly from the farm, so, it’s cheaper. We all know the times Ghana finds herself in,” the Regional Minister added.
Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has described as ridiculous the Ghana Revenue Authority’s decision to ensure Ghanaians get a tax clearance certificate for the registration of vehicles and renewal of professional driving licences.
He said the revenue collection authority cannot forcibly take the meagre money unemployed people have for tax clearance.
Speaking on the floor of parliament, the Adaklu MP entreated all to reject the move by the government to introduce a tax clearance certificate requirement for the registration of vehicles and the renewal of professional driving licences.
“Mr Speaker, as I speak, there is no GRA office in Adaklu; you are telling me that the trotro operator should look for a GRA office before registering for a driver’s licence,” he said.
“I agree if the professionals should have tax clearance before they re-register for certificate. It is absurd to ask ordinary Ghanaians to get a tax clearance before obtaining driver’s licences, the guy is unemployed, so which tax do you want him to declare? We must all oppose because you can not squeeze tax out of people who are unemployed,” Kwame Governs Agbodza stated.
According to the Ghana Revenue Authority, a tax clearance certificate is issued by the Commissioner General to confirm a taxpayer has met all applicable tax obligations, i.e., filing of returns and payment of taxes, or has satisfactory arrangements for installment payments for arrears with the GRA at the date of issuance.
The Ghana Revenue Authority has now moved from issuing physical TCCs to Electronic Tax Clearance Certificates (E-TCC) to fasten the tax payment process.
In addition to being the richest Black person in the world, Dangote also has an 86 percent share in Dangote Cement, which is currently valued at $8.49 billion. His closely owned fertilizer plant, which has the ability to produce up to 2.8 million metric tonnes of urea annually, is responsible for an additional $5.15 billion of his wealth.
The recent decline in Dangote’s net worth can be attributed to the decline in the market value of his flagship company, Dangote Cement, Africa’s largest cement company.
The slump in the company’s shares comes after the cement manufacturer received shareholder approval to buy back up to 10 percent of its outstanding shares for N406 billion ($917 million).
The shareholders who participated in the voting at the company’s Extraordinary General Meeting in Lagos gave their unanimous approval, with many of them praising the process and describing it as beneficial to all parties involved.
Recently, Dangote has committed more than $700 million to expand the operation of his sugar company, Dangote Sugar Refinery, by increasing the refining capacity of one of its plants, DSR Numan, from 3,000 tonnes of cane per day (tcd) to 6,000 tcd, 9,800 tcd, and 15,000 tcd.
The leading billionaire announced that the investment will create at least 300,000 jobs in Nigeria as he continues to strategically invest in his sugar business in accordance with the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan requirements.
Despite the recent decline in his net worth, Dangote remains the richest man in Africa, a formidable force in the business world, and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. His diversified portfolio and unwavering dedication to success will likely continue to propel him to new heights.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has changed its mind on going on statewide strike beginning on December 27, 2022.
The union wanted to use the planned walkout to express its opposition to earlier government intentions to incorporate pension money in the debt exchange program.
The union has additionally advised the government against making any additional preparations in that direction.
However, following the government’s decision to exclude pension funds from the programme, the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, at a news conference, said the planned industrial action was effectively cancelled.
The appointment of 15 more justices to the Court of Appeal has been accepted by President Akufo-Addo.
The President received the recommendation from the Judicial Council.
In the Jubilee House‘s Banquet Hall on Wednesday, December 21, in the late afternoon, they will be sworn into office.
They are Justice Ackah Boafo, Justice Asare-Botwe, Justice Alex Owusu-Ofori, Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, Justice Jerome Noble-Nkrumah, Justice Mrs. Gifty Agyei Addo, Justice Samuel Obeng-Diawuo and Justice Mrs. Hafisata Amaleboba.
The rest are Justice Jennifer Abena Dadzie, Justice Charles Ekow Baiden, Justice Stephen Oppong, Mr Patrick Kwamina Baiden, Mr Christopher Archer, Prof. Mrs. Olivia Anku-Trede and Dr. Ernest Owusu-Depaah.
In comparison to the US dollar and the euro, the Ghanaian cedi keeps strengthening.
As of Monday, December 19, 2022, the cedi is trading for GHC8 to the dollar, according to checks at several forex bureaus.
The increase of currency flows from remittances and the mining industry, as well as the staff level agreement with the IMF for a US$3 billion package, are what the president of Ghana, Akufo-Addo, has credited to “the strengthening of the cedi.”
Spokesperson to Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr. Gideon Boako speaking to this, hinted that the dollar will drop further if government is able to go through with its gold-for-oil policy and complete the board approval of the IMF loan.
“I can confidently say that once government has reached the staff level agreement, the next thing is the board approval; once the board approval comes, the news and the impact of that will affect the currency and so there’s a likelihood that the dollar will drop further . . . there’s a huge expectation that between now and January to March, the dollar will fall again so if you’re a smart trader, you wouldn’t want to keep dollars for anything . . . ” he stated on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has pledged his government’s commitment to work with Ghanaians to resolve the country’s economic crisis.
Ghana’s recent economic crisis characterized by high debts, inflation, currency depreciation and externalities from the Russian-Ukraine war is adversely affecting Ghanaians.
A cross-section of Ghanaians, including some Members of Parliament, have called for the head of Finance Minister, Ken Offori-Atta, for the mismanagement of the economy and admonished government to take measures at restoring macro and micro stability.
But speaking at the Buluk festival celebrated in Sandema, in the Builsa North Municipal in the Upper East Region, President Nana Akufo-Addo, promised to assuage the plight of Ghanaians in these difficult times.
“My government stands strongly with you in these difficult times that we are all going through. But with courage and with vision and with unity amongst us all, we will come out of these difficulties and get our country back into a good place. That’s the firm promise that I’m making to you”.
He further donated an amount of GH¢50,000.00 to support activities of the festival.
Paramount Chief of the Buluk traditional area, Nab Azagsuk Azantilow II, commended government for its pro-poor policies that have greatly impacted the socio-economic development of the area.
Nab Azantilow II, appealed to government for infrastructural and logistics support for the Azantilow and Sandema senior high schools.
He also appealed for the construction of Agricultural and Nursing training colleges in Fumbisi and Sandema respectively to train professionals for the development of the area.
Nab Azantilow II, further made a passionate appeal to government to ensure the completion of the Navrongo-Chuchuliga-Sandema-Fumbisi road following the unfortunate demise of the contractor.
He commended government for the construction of a district hospital in Fumbisi under the agenda 111 projects and the award of the Chuchuliga-Sandema-Fumbisi-Wiesi road for bitumen surfacing.
Nab Azantilow II, called on investors to invest massively in the area’s rice value chain to boost local rice supply, create jobs and reduce importation of rice.
As public opposition to the controversial National Cathedral‘s construction grows, President Nana Addo Danqua Akufo-Addo has reassessed his justification for why Ghanaians should support it.
This time, the president’s reason for building the national cathedral is no longer his personal gratitude to God for helping him win the 2016 elections to become president, as has been widely propagated by promoters of the edifice, but rather to thank God for sparing Ghana from the ravages of civil war, as have been witnessed by most of our neighbors in the subregion.
Speaking at the centenary celebration of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at the Black Star Square in Accra, on December 18, President Akufo-Addo said the cathedral, when built, will help Ghana thank God for “sparing us the ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all our neighbours and the outbreak of deadly mass epidemics, but also as a rallying point for the entire Christian community of Ghana, which represents seventy-plus percent of the population.”
This is a remarkable departure from what the president said at the launch of the project on December 29, 2018: “…the building of the National Cathedral is to serve as a gesture of thanksgiving to God for his blessings, favour, grace and mercies on our nation, and to give me an opportunity to redeem a pledge I made to Him before I became President.
“It will provide us with an avenue to call the nation to prayer, to worship, to celebrate, and to mourn. It will house a Bible Museum and will be an iconic infrastructure for national, regional and international pilgrimage and tourism. It will create jobs and serve as a catalyst for technology and skills transfer into our country,” President Akufo-Addo stressed.
Meanwhile, Parliament has put on hold its approval for the cathedral project pending explanations on how previous expenditures were disbursed.
According to Tamale Central MP, Murtala Mohammed, who spoke to Joy News on December 13, “What the Committee decided was that we cannot just approve this GH₵80 million; we must know how the other GH₵339 million was spent. What did it constitute?
“The GH₵80 million you want us to approve, how did it find space in the budget line of the Ministry of Tourism when the Minister and the directors could not speak to the questions we were asking? What constitutes the GH₵80 million, they should give us a breakdown.”
President Nana Addo Danqua Akufo-Addo’s government has insisted on building a befitting National Cathedral for the republic at a time when people are dealing with excruciating hardship amid rising costs of living, a weakened economy, and high debt-to-GDP exposure.
Many Ghanaians have spoken against the timing of the project, especially when the Finance Minister is at the IMF begging for 3 billion dollars to put the economy back on the path of recovery while announcing various levels of haircuts on investments and suspending the servicing of parts of the nation’s foreign debt.
In 2023, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta anticipates a significant economic recovery.
He is thus, pleading with Parliament to assist the government by approving the Appropriations Bill for the Fiscal Year 2023.
Giving an update on the economy, “We also urge Parliament to support in particular new revenue measures outlined in the 2023 budget which aim to improve revenue mobilization. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of 2022.”
“2023 must be our “comeback” year. A year in which we put in place stronger foundations that would allow us to change our country for the better and in a way that is enduring, inclusive and transformational,” he added.
Mr. Ofori-Atta pointed out that the ensuing years will focus on building an entrepreneurial and export driven economy.
He also added that Ghana cannot afford to lose this essential economic momentum as it moves toward stability, predictability, and prosperity.
Mr Ofori-Atta All Ghanaians were asked by him to cooperate with the administration and support the numerous initiatives being carried out to jump-start the country’s economic recovery in a decisive, audacious, and brave manner.
“Above all, I urge us all to maintain an unshakeable sense of optimism about Ghana in the days and years ahead. Indeed, “the LORD is the Lifter of our heads” (Psalm 3:4), as we all witness a new confidence in our currency and the prospects of the certainty of an IMF Board approval of our Staff Level Agreement”.
The Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has encouraged the Tertiary Students’ Confederacy of the New Patriotic Party (TESCON) to work hard and support the administration in order to make the NPP appealing to Ghanaians.
Dr. Prempeh made this charge when he addressed TESCON Executives and Members of Institutions in the Ashanti Region on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at the Ashanti regional TESCON Conference.
Dr. Prempeh, who is also Member of Parliament for Manhyia South in the Ashanti Region, said the NPP’s quest at winning a 3rd term bid, which has become known as “breaking the 8,” will not come on a silver platter but through hard work and determination.
He charged TESCON to lead the conversation on the achievements of the NPP as better managers of the Ghanaian economy even in the face of exogenous shocks.
“TESCONITES, we have a responsibility to lead the conversation on the NPP record especially in the 1st term of the Akufo-Addo administration before these ‘force majeures’ badly hit our economy. This intellectual exercise which is underpinned by incontrovertible facts and data will cement the NPP’s long held reputation as better managers of the Ghanaian economy than the NDC” he said.
Dr. Prempeh said the recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, resulting in the reduction of fuel prices and prices of other commodities was the result of deliberate policy measures the Akufo-Addo administration has been implementing.
He expressed the confidence that the Ghanaian economy will even see further strength in the coming days for the needed relief to be brought to Ghanaians.
“For our political opponents, the NDC, they have failed to mention one thing they would do differently in the unlikely event the come to power. All they are relying on is that the global challenges collapses Ghana’s economy, but by the grace of God, we will be out of the woods soon,” he added.
Dr. Prempeh also said that the power stability that Ghana is experiencing was also a result of prudent management of the energy sector.
“In the wake of these economic difficulties, by the grace of God and proper management, the lights are on and there is fuel availability,” he said to a tumultuous applause.
He said the NPP is the only political party in Ghana that has the blue-print for the prosperity and progress of the country and therefore asked the young NPP supporters not to despair.
“We will continue to support TESCON through the needed capacity building so that you can support the party win the 2024 elections just like in the years 2000, 2004, 2016 and 2020.
The minister, also known as ‘Napo’ urged TESCON to be proud of the achievements and record of the NPP and expressed optimism that the NPP will win the 2024 elections.
Ghana’s economy is in a somewhat precarious state as a result of recent inflation, cedi depreciation, price increases, and debt.
While the president has come under fire for overseeing the work of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and keeping him in his job despite what many have called the administration’s obvious economic challenges, Ofori-Atta has been accused of mismanagement on his part.
Amidst all this, the daughter of the President, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo had something to say, she disagrees with naysayers who believe her father is underperforming.
When approached by JoyNews in an interview where she was asked her thoughts about her father’s performance so far, the CEO of the Creative Arts Agency had a simple response; ‘Stellar’.
“Stellar!” she said, adding, “I think a lot of people do not understand the backroom pressures and responsibilities that are needed and the tolls that it takes but this is a leader who has taken it on effortlessly, and has steered the shift that we all feel safe within these times of economic unrest. So for me, and I’m sure a lot of people will say that I am biased but a lot of people who know me understand my objectivity, and I feel that he is leading us on a safe and steady course,” she added.
President Akufo-Addo’srecent comment about Burkina Faso hiring Russian mercenaries has ignited foreign diplomatic concerns from the Minority in Parliament.
Speaking to reporters alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on, December 14, the president alleged that Burkina Faso had hired Russian mercenaries and offered Wagner a mine as payment.
“Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there,” Akufo-Addo said.
Displeased with his utterance, Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, asserted that Ghana may suffer at the hands of Russia should they take offence at the president’s comment.
“For those who listened to him, a former Foreign Affairs Minister, former Attorney General he simply failed to momentarily have impulse control and to ensure a balance between foreign policy and security the security of our state as he openly condemned Burkina Faso and mentioned the Wagner group of Russia.
“He cannot provide us with food, he should not let them bring guns on us as a country,” the Minority leader said.
Also, a member of the Minority Group, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, noted that “Ghana cannot afford to be seen as a meddlesome busybody in the ongoing contentious reassessment and reconfiguration of colonial ties with France and the forging of new relationships by some Francophone African nations.”
While delivering a speech at the just-ended NDC National Delegates Conferencelast week, Mr Iddrisu announced that his side on the Foreign Affairs Committee will ask for a detailed briefing to Parliament concerning the President’s remarks.
Following the president’s comments, Burkina Faso summoned the Ghanaian ambassador for explanations.
In a statement issued after the meeting with the ambassador, Burkina Faso’s foreign ministry said it had “expressed disapproval” about the statements made by the Ghanaian president.
“Ghana could have undertaken exchanges with the Burkinabe authorities on the security issue in order to have the right information,” it said.
In a Facebook post last weekend, the North Tongu legislator, Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa, revealed that Moscow is considering its own response.
The prospect of Wagner expanding its presence in Africa has troubled Western powers such as France and the US, who say the group exploits mineral resources and commits human rights abuses in countries where it operates, according to international tabloids.
President Akufo-Addohas called on traders and other industry players to reduce the prices of goods and services.
Speaking on Sunday during the Centenary Celebration of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the President asserted that adjusting prices of commodities is the best way to alleviate the already burned citizens as the cedi regains its strength against major international currencies.
“I add my voice to those of GUTA, GRTCC and others, to appeal to manufacturers, traders and transport operators, that with the height of the cedi’s recent depreciation and increased prices of goods and services, to reduce their prices of goods and services now that the cedi is regaining much of its strength. I believe this is not only a fair request but also a just one.”
In recent times, the two main drivers of the economy (the local currency and fuel prices) have seen tremendous adjustments in prices.
The Ghana cedi is currently trading at GH¢8 on the forex market, according to the Bank of Ghana.
It will be recalled that the Ghana cedi, which lost 45.1% of its value against the US dollar this year, was tagged by Bloomberg as the worst-performing currency in the world on October 17, 2022.
In a turn of event, the Ghana cedi witnessing an overwhelming appreciation in value against the dollar has been adjudged as the best performing currency against the US dollar by Bloomberg.
Also, a litre of petrol and diesel now sells at ¢13 and ¢16 respectively.
Commenting on the cedi appreciation, Akufo-Addo noted that the local currency is performing so well due to prudent financial decisions his government has implemented to salvage Ghana’s economy.
“Things are beginning to turn around, what seemed impossible yesterday is now becoming possible. Today the cedis is appreciating against the dollar and all major currencies and the prices of petroleum products are reducing at the pumps.The strengthening of the cedi has not happened by chance but the deliberate policies of the government in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana,” President Akufo-Addo stated.
The appreciation of the cedi against all major trade currencies, according to President Akufo-Addo, is the outcome of intentional policy changes made by the government in recent months.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “the strengthening of the cedi has not happened by chance, but through the implementation of deliberate policies by Government, in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana.”
These measures, he said, include “cedi liquidity tightening measures, resulting in the offloading of forex as a store of value by speculators; the improvement of forex flows from remittances and the mining sector; and the reaching of a staff level agreement with the IMF for a US$3 billion package.”
The President made this known on Sunday, December 18, 2022, when he delivered an address at the centenary celebration of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, held at the Black Star Square, Accra.
Addressing the congregation, which included the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, he stated that with appropriate policy, determination and hard work on the part of Government, things are beginning to turn around.
Whilst acknowledging that the country was by no means “out of the woods yet”, he assured that Government will continue to work hard to maintain and sustain the gains made.
“Indeed, in the weeks ahead, the Bank of Ghana will continue with the purchases of forex from the mining and oil sectors to enhance liquidity supply to the market; continue with the single, unified forex forward auction and some modest targeted bilateral support to critical imports; and the implementation of the gold for oil swap transaction, which will significantly remove forex pressures on the cedi,” Akufo-Addo said.
He added his voice to those of GUTA, GRTCC and others to appeal to manufacturers, traders and transport operators who, at the height of the cedi’s recent depreciation, increased prices of goods and services, to reduce their prices now that the cedi is re-gaining much of its strength.
“I believe this is not only a fair request, but also a just one, and I urge all of you to join me in this clarion call, so we can all have a more pleasant Christmas,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo thanked the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for the support it continues to give for the construction of the National Cathedral.
He stated that, upon completion, the National Cathedral will serve not only as the country’s collective thanksgiving “to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on our nation, sparing us the ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all our neighbours, and the outbreak of deadly mass epidemics, but also as a rallying point for the entire Christian Community of Ghana, which represents seventy plus percent (70+%) of the population.”
The President, therefore, urged the Ga Presbytery, and, indeed, all Christians, to continue to pray for Ghana’s peace and unity, so the nation can move forward in unity.
“I need the support of every Ghanaian, together with the prayers of the Church, to help me and my government carry out our mandate successfully. Pray for me so that Almighty God will continue to give me wisdom, strength, courage and compassion to enable me execute my duties as a good leader. With Him, all things are possible, as the Battle is the Lord’s, for this too shall pass”, President Akufo-Addo said.
Ex-President John Dramani Mahama has taken a swipe at the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo after he admonished African leaders to stop begging the West.
President Nana Addo urged the leaders to earn global respect and change poor perceptions about the African continent stressing “if we stop being beggars and spend African money inside the continent, Africa will not need to ask for respect from anyone, we will get the respect we deserve. If we make it prosperous as it should be, respect will follow”.
He made the remarks during the opening of the US-Africa Leaders‘ Summit in Washington DC.
“Africans are more resilient outside the continent than inside. We must bear in mind that to the outside world, [there’s] nothing like Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya, we are simply Africans. Our destiny as people depends on each other,” he added.
Delivering a speech at the NDC delegates conference, Mr. John Mahama mocked the President for preaching virtue but practicing vice.
“Our dear country, Ghana, that has been a poster boy of democracy, good governance and economic progress stands on the brink of bankruptcy and economic ruin. Yet, we have a President who enjoys sprouting the rhetoric of self-suspect and restrain from begging western nations for support and yet he has spent the last several weeks on the telephone with western leaders asking them to beg the IMF to grant Ghana the recently announced staff-level agreement for an extended credit facility. Our dear nation has never been so put to shame and come close to being a beggar nation as we are today”, he stated.
He further said “this NPP government has done the worst to erode the belief of Ghanaians in our democracy. Many Ghanaians see their situation as hopeless and are willing to take the hazards of dying in the Mediterranean sea or electrocution on a high tension transmission line in Kasoa”.
Mr. Mahama however urged Ghanaians not to lose hope.
“…countrymen and women, let us not despair; they say the darkest hour is before the dawn and they also say, in every adversity, we find opportunity and Bob Marley also say when one door is closed, another is opened. Ghana shall rise to a new dawn!”
Foreign ministry of Burkina Faso has noted that, it has summoned Ghana’s ambassador to protest allegations that the embattled Sahel nation has hired Russian mercenaries.
This comes after Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo alleged on Wednesday that Burkina Faso had hired the mercenaries during the us-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC.
“Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now enteredinto an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there,” Akufo-Addo said.
Speaking alongside United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Akufo-Addo also alleged that Burkina Faso had offered Wagner a mine as payment.
In a statement issued after its meeting with Ghana’s ambassador, Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had “expressed disapproval” about the statements made by the Ghanaian president.
“Ghana could have undertaken exchanges with the Burkinabe authorities on the security issue in order to have the right information,” it said.
However, it did not confirm or deny the allegations. In a separate message to Reuters, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, without elaborating: “In any case, Burkina has not called on Wagner.”
Burkina Faso also recalled its ambassador from Ghana for a meeting, the spokesperson said.
Authorities in Ouagadougou have not commented publicly on speculations of working with Wagner, a mercenary group that was hired in neighbouring Mali to help fight armed groups.
In a response on Thursday to Akufo-Addo’s remarks, Wagner did not directly address Ghana’s concerns. But the response, attributed to Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused Western governments and United Nations forces of carrying out some of the offences Wagner has been accused of in Africa.
The prospect of Wagner expanding its presence in Africa has troubled Western powers such as France and the US, who say the group exploits mineral resources and commits human rights abuses in countries where it operates.
Burkina Faso’s government spokesman did not answer calls and did not reply to a message requesting comment.
An official at Ghana’s foreign ministry said no one was immediately available for comment.
Burkina Faso is struggling to contain some of the same armed groups present in Mali and, like its neighbour, is ruled by a military government that came to power on promises to improve security.
Mali’s decision to employ Wagner forces last year alienated it from its regional and Western allies and was one of the reasons why French forces pulled out of the country.
Wagner forces have also fought in Libya, the Central African Republic and Mozambique.
The Government of Burkina Faso has reportedly recalled its ambassador to Ghana over President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s accusations that the country is hiring Russian mercenaries.
According to security analyst Adib Saani, who disclosed this to GhanaWeb, the Burkinabe government has also summoned Ghana’s ambassador to Burkina Faso to answer questions about President Akufo Addo‘s comments.
BBC Journalist Lalla Sy, who confirmed the move by the Burkinabe government, said that Burkina’s ambassador to Ghana was recalled for consultation over President Akufo-Addo’s accusations.
Lalla Sy, in a report on the BBC website, on December 16, 2022, said that Ghana’s ambassador to Burkina Faso was summoned for a meeting on Friday morning over the allegations Akufo-Addo made.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the US government to help deal with the threat of Russian mercenaries on Ghana’s border with Burkina Faso.
According to the president, Ghana’s security apparatus has noticed the activities of these Russian mercenaries along its borders in the north who have been contracted by the Burkinabe government.
Addressing officials of the US government, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, at a meeting in Washington, Akufo-Addo said that the Burkinabe government had contracted these mercenaries to help them fight Islamic militants in their country and is paying them by giving them a mining concession.
“I think that beyond everything, there is a matter that I want to urge upon you. Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there.
“I believe a mine in southern Burkina has been allocated to them as a form of payment for their services. Prime minister of Burkina Faso in the last 10 days has been in Moscow. And to have them operating on our northern border is particularly distressing for us in Ghana,” he said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the US government to help deal with the threat of Russian mercenaries on Ghana’s border with Burkina Faso.
According to the president, Ghana’s security apparatus has noticed the activities of these Russian mercenaries along its borders in the north who have been contracted by the Burkinabe government.
Addressing officials of the US government, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, at a meeting in Washington, Akufo-Addo said that the Burkinabe government had contracted these mercenaries to help them fight Islamic militants in their country and is paying them by giving them a mining concession.
“I think that beyond everything, there is a matter that I want to urge upon you. Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there.
“I believe a mine in southern Burkina has been allocated to them as a form of payment for their services. Prime minister of Burkina Faso in the last 10 days has been in Moscow. And to have them operating on our northern border is particularly distressing for us in Ghana,” he said.
Akufo-Addo also stated that Ghana was against Russia’s occupation of Ukraine and the use of African countries as training grounds for foreign powers, particularly Russia.
“Apart from not accepting the idea of great powers once again making Africa their theater of operation, we have a particular position that you know about over the Ukraine war, where we have been very, very vocal and up front about condemning the invasion of Ukraine by Russia,” he said.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the government is still steadfastly devoted to the fight against corruption and would continue to offer the assistance and logistics required for the organizations responsible for crime prevention, detection, and prosecution.
The Akufo-Addo government has made a persistent, aggressive push in the fight against corruption by passing laws, tightening those that already exist, introducing greater digitalization in governance and the use of public funds, while increasing resources allocated to the fight. The Vice President made this statement on Monday, December 12, 2022, at the 2nd Annual District Auditors’ Conference.
“On assuming office, corruption was prevalent in many areas such as the DVLA, where one had to pay a bribe to ‘goro boys’ in order to get a drivers licence; same thing at the Passport Office; Customs and other officers were having a field day at the ports; it was difficult renewing ones NHIS, and for some reason, dockets kept getting ‘missing’ at the courts,”he said.
“There was inadequate funding for anti-corruption agencies; the Right to Information Law had not been passed; there was no legal backing for a beneficial assets register; and no law on Witness Protection.
“But since 2017, we have taken a number of far-reaching steps in the fight against corruption, including the implementation of a digitization agenda to disrupt corruption in the public sector.
“We have also passed a number of key laws, including the Witness Protection Act, 2018 (Act 959), the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2018 (Act 959), the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2019 (Act 989), and the Companies Act, 2019, (Act 992). Which provides a framework for enacting a beneficial ownership register,” Dr Bawumia explained.
“To further boost the fight against corruption, deficits in logistics and personnel of law enforcement agencies, especially the Ghana Police Service, and other accountability institutions, are being addressed,” he emphasized.
“For instance, since 2017, Government has increased budgetary allocations to all the accountability institutions of State, including Parliament of Ghana, the Judiciary, CHRAJ, EOCO, the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, the Auditor General, the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Ghana Police Service,” Dr Bawumia stated in Accra.
While commending the Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Board of the Audit Service and staff of the Service for the “very good work being done”, Vice President Bawumia reminded the District Auditors and their colleagues across the country that when corrupt activities such as financial improprieties such as misappropriation of funds, payroll fraud, and contract and procurement irregularities take place, the expectation of the taxpayers is that the public officials who commit these financial crimes would be sanctioned according to law.
One of the functions of the Auditor-General which can combat these financial malpractices is disallowance of any item of expenditure which is contrary to law and surcharge the amount of any expenditure disallowed.
“The public, and, in particular the Civil Society Organisations have expressed dissatisfaction that the Auditor-General has not performed this critical function effectively. I am informed that the District Auditors will use greater part of this conference to discuss this very important topical issue of disallowance and surcharge. I expect these discussions to produce outcomes to inform the processes for disallowances and surcharges.”
“Nevertheless, let me assure the Auditor-General and Members of the Audit Service Board that in the same spirit of cooperation, The Government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will continue to provide the necessary support to the Audit Service to ensure that it operates independently as the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana mandates.”
Former senator of the Federal Republic of NigeriaShehu Sani has responded to President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana’s recent counsel to African leaders not to beg from the west.
He said the Ghanaian president cannot call on African leaders to stop begging from the West while he is doing the same.
Sani juxtaposed Ghana’s current economic engagement with the IMF with the president’s call.
In a post on Twitter, Mr Sani referred to Ghana’s recent staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
“Ghana’s President is collecting IMF loan with the right hand and using the left hand to warn African Governments against begging the west for money,” the tweet read.
Ghana’s President is collecting IMF loan with the right hand and using the left hand to warn African Governments against begging the west for money.
Ghana on Tuesday (November 13) reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a $3 billion bailout loan, as the country faces a severe economic crisis.
On the same day of the agreement, President Akufo-Addo urged African leaders to stop begging. “If we stop being beggars and spend African money inside the continent, Africa will not need to ask for respect from anyone. We will get the respect we deserve. If we make it prosperous as it should be, respect will follow,” Akufo-Addo said.
Ghana’s President is collecting IMF loan with the right hand and using the left hand to warn African Governments against begging the west for money.
This was during the opening of the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC on Tuesday, December 13.
He admonished Africans living abroad to bring their expertise and wealthy knowledge on board to help shape the image of the continent. He believes that it will take unity of purpose to succeed in changing the narrative and enhancing Africa’s image.
Speaking at the 2nd Annual District Auditors’ Conference on Monday, December 12, 2022, the Vice President since assuming office in 2017, the Akufo-Addo government has made a sustained, aggressive push in the fight against corruption by enacting laws, tightening existing ones, and introducing greater digitalization in governance and the use of public funds while increasing resources allocated to the fight.
“On assuming office, corruption was prevalent in many areas such as the DVLA, where one had to pay a bribe to ‘goro boys’ in order to get a drivers licence; same thing at the Passport Office; Customs and other officers were having a field day at the ports; it was difficult renewing ones NHIS, and for some reason, dockets kept getting ‘missing’ at the courts.
“There was inadequate funding for anti-corruption agencies; the Right to Information Law had not been passed; there was no legal backing for a beneficial assets register; and no law on Witness Protection.
“But since 2017, we have taken a number of far-reaching steps in the fight against corruption, including the implementation of a digitization agenda to disrupt corruption in the public sector.
“To further boost the fight against corruption, deficits in logistics and personnel of law enforcement agencies, especially the Ghana Police Service, and other accountability institutions, are being addressed,” he emphasized.
“For instance, since 2017, Government has increased budgetary allocations to all the accountability institutions of State, including Parliament of Ghana, the Judiciary, CHRAJ, EOCO, the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, the Auditor General, the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Ghana Police Service,” Dr Bawumia stated in Accra.
While commending the Auditor General, Mr Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Board of the Audit Service and staff of the Service for the “very good work being done”, Vice President Bawumia reminded the District Auditors and their colleagues across the country that when corrupt activities such as financial improprieties such as misappropriation of funds, payroll fraud, and contract and procurement irregularities take place, the expectation of the taxpayers is that the public officials who commit these financial crimes would be sanctioned according to law.
“One of the functions of the Auditor-General which can combat these financial malpractices is disallowance of any item of expenditure which is contrary to law and surcharge the amount of any expenditure disallowed.
“The public, and, in particular the Civil Society Organisations have expressed dissatisfaction that the Auditor-General has not performed this critical function effectively. I am informed that the District Auditors will use greater part of this conference to discuss this very important topical issue of disallowance and surcharge. I expect these discussions to produce outcomes to inform the processes for disallowances and surcharges.
“Nevertheless, let me assure the Auditor-General and Members of the Audit Service Board that in the same spirit of cooperation, The Government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will continue to provide the necessary support to the Audit Service to ensure that it operates independently as the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana mandates.”
President Akufo-Addo is joining other African leaders in Washington DC to attend the US-Africa Leaders Summit.
The Summit is part of efforts to foster unity between the United States and Africa.
Ghana is among countries the US President Joe Biden will be hosting in Washington, DC from December 13-15, 2022.
Additionally, the US-Africa Leaders Summit will provide participants and their countries with numerous opportunities to strengthen diaspora ties, promote education and foster youth leadership.
Speaking to the media, US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer stated that , “indeed Africa is just very important to the United States and the United States President and it is a wonderful opportunity to talk about issues of mutual concern, the climate, global security, democracy and of course economic progress, and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and preparation for any other pandemic that might come.”
Touching on what the Ghanaian leader might be up to at the conference, the ambassador revealed that, “there is a youth and diaspora summit, and President Akufo-Addo is going to play a big role in that.
“Again, the year of return and the role of diaspora in both countries, I think it is very important. There is a function on peace and security and West African Security will be important for that,”she added.
She further revealed that “on the second day, there’s a whole business day…and then there will be deals that feature in that and then the third day is the actual summit and again Ghana is very important. So I know President Akufo- Addo will have very important things to say.”
According to the US States Department, the Summit will demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to Africa.
It will also underscore the importance of US-Africa relations and increase cooperation on shared global priorities.
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has applauded the National Lottery Authority (NLA) for its sustained efforts at maintaining its institution as a national treasure over the past 60 years, and particularly, for the Authority’s sense of commitment to fulfilling its obligation embedded in the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722), to take care of the needy, the aged, orphans and the destitute.
The President was speaking at the Grand Durbar of NLA’s 60th Anniversary Celebration when he addressed the Management, Staff, leadership, and guests from the World Lottery Association and African Lotteries Association on Friday 9 December 2022, at the forecourt of the office complex of the NLA in Accra.
The NLA has over the years, supported communities, individuals, hospitals, schools, security services, leprosaria, mental institutions, youth, and sports organizations amongst others.
They have been beneficiaries of medical aid, medical outreaches, medical equipment like incubators, toilet facilities, mechanized boreholes across the country, refurbished schools, a smart lab, recreational centers, and several donations of cash, food items, and other supplies amongst many others through its Good Causes Foundation. The Foundation operates four pillars, namely, Education, Health, Youth and Sports Development, and Arts and Culture.
“Giving back to society through your Good Causes Foundation complements the efforts of government in the development of our country and it is worthy of emulation by others,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Elaborating further on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the NLA, President Akufo-Addo, urged the NLA to follow strictly, the high standards of the World Lottery Association (WLA) on CSR and Good Causes.
“Proceeds from lotteries the world over are known to support good causes in society. According to the World Lottery Association earnings have funded more than 1.5 million scholarships and grants.
“The WLA global data compendium has indicated that total revenues for WLA member lotteries amounted to 284 billion United States dollars in 2020, whiles in the same year, the total of funds returned to society came to 74.9 billion United States dollars” President Akufo-Addo stated.
These statistics, according to President Akufo-Addo, clearly define the focus of the global body, WLA, and that the NLA although doing well, should step up its efforts.
The President further emphasized the NLA should be up to the challenge as right here in Africa, Cote d’Ivoire has blazed the trail in line with the standards set by WLA and the NLA ought to be inspired by the Loterie Nationale de Cote d’Ivoire (LONACI) of Cote d’Ivoire.
Responsible Gaming
The President also charged the Board of Directors and the Management of NLA to ensure Responsible Gaming in the country and to endeavour to be transparent with all Ghanaians who patronize their games and services.
As a revenue, generating institution, President Akufo-Addo, says the NLA has a responsibility to continue to exercise the highest form of transparency and integrity in the conduct of its draws if the organization is to continue to enjoy the confidence the Ghanaian people have reposed in them.
“As an institution tasked with revenue generation, I will implore you to ensure that you exercise the highest form of transparency and integrity in the conduct of your draws to uphold the confidence that the public continues to have in you.
“The onus to achieve this does not only lie in your ability to generate revenue for the government and give back to society but more importantly, in ensuring that the Ghanaians who play your lottery games receive a true reflection of the daily results published” Akufo-Addo added.
Enriching lives
The NLA’s ability to ensure responsible and transparent gaming according to President Akufo-Addo is the surest way for their “promise of enriching lives through games” to hold true meaning.
“I urge you also to implement stringent policies on responsible gaming, chiefly, to prevent minus and under-age persons from patronizing your games and to help sanitize the lottery and betting space.
“The Ghanaian people are expectant of reforms that will help you live up to your vision of becoming the organization of choice and blueprint print for lottery in Africa” President Akufo-Addo admonished.
In her remarks, she stated that WLA is ready to support all the efforts Ghana is currently making to stop illegal gaming activities in the country. According to Madam Paul, the WLA has two dominant objectives and they are giving back to good courses in the countries where they have representation by way of membership and fighting all forms of illegal gaming and lottery activities.
“Part of what the World Lottery Association does is to help set up standards that our members meet and certainly, one of the most important is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards which you (Ghana) are applying for and working towards.
“One of the things that are most threatening to lottery that gives back to good courses are those illegal folks who do nothing. They don’t pay any taxes, they don’t give any money to good causes and they don’t follow the same rules and standards that those of us who are government-sanctioned follow” the WLA President, Rebecca Paul said.
“We are working with all the lotteries across Africa, [including Ghana] on those two initiatives [CSR and responsible gaming] which are two of our most important and we are just elated to be here in Ghana” the WLA president added.
Renewed Commitment
The Board Chairman of NLA, His Eminence, Torgbui Francis Nnonyo, in his address, welcomed the charge of the President and indicated that the NLA will work hard to be a leader in the subregion.
“The Board of NLA, together with Management will ensure the growth of this organization, and we are even more determined to ensure that NLA’s flag flies high among its peers and lives up to its vision to become the organization of choice on the African continent”.
The Director-General of NLA, Mr.Samuel Awuku the Authority was more resolute than ever to take up the challenges that lie ahead.
“We are excited about this new phase and of what the future holds as we forge ahead in our journey. We believe there will be bigger hurdles to cross and while we acknowledge the work that lies ahead, we remain resolute with a renewed commitment to do much better for our cherished patrons.” Sammy Awuku stated.
He also commended the Management, Staff, and other stakeholders for contributing to the success story of NLA.
“As is typical of every great institution, it has not been all roses on our journey, but the NLA keeps innovating to bring out the best of the institution and its stakeholders. The dedicated service and tireless sacrifices borne by Management and Staff, our loyal Lotto Marketing Companies and Retailers as well as the policies and reforms, taken by successive Boards and Director-Generals have molded this foremost organization”.
President Akufo-Addo is expected to join his counterparts in Washington D.C. next week for the US-Africa Leaders Summit.
President of the United States, Joe Biden is hosting leaders from African countries starting December 13, 2022.
According to the US State Department, the Summit will demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to Africa. It will also underscore the importance of US-Africa relations and increased cooperation on shared global priorities.
Speaking on what, motivated this diplomatic gesture, US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer indicated on JoyNews’ Foreign Affairs that, “indeed Africa is just very important to the United States and the United States President and it is a wonderful opportunity to talk about issues of mutual concern, the climate, global security, democracy and of course economic progress, and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and preparation for any other pandemic that might come.”
Touching on what possibly the Ghanaian leader might be up to when he shows up for the conference, the Ambassador disclosed that, “there is a youth and diaspora summit, and President Akufo-Addo is going to play a big role in that. Again, the year of return and the role of diaspora in both countries, I think it is very important. There is a function on peace and security and West African Security will be important for that.”
“On the second day, there’s a whole business day…and then there will be deals that feature in that and then the third day is the actual summit and again Ghana is very important. So I know President Akufo- Addo will have very important things to say.”
The US- Africa Leaders Summit is also expected to provide ample opportunity for all participating leaders and their countries to amplify diaspora ties, while promoting education and youth leadership.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has cut-sod for the construction of a $137 million floating drydock facility for ship and rig repairs at the Takoradi Port, the biggest in West Africa.
The 13,500-ton lift capacity floating dry dock shipyard facility, capable of servicing ships of 200 metres is being developed by Prime Meridian Docks, a private Ghanaian company and is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2024.
President Akufo-Addo who also commissioned the Ibistek-GPHA’s completed Atlantic Services’ Multi-Purpose Container Terminal and the Dry Bulk Terminal which will increase Takoradi Port’s current cargo handling of 400 metric tons to 2,500 metric tons of cargo per hour, as well as cut-sod for the construction of a $98 million modern Oil and Gas terminal said the completed projects and the new ones to be constructed will transform the Takoradi port into a world-class port and boost regional and international trade.
“These interventions will enhance cargo handling capacity, maintenance and repair of ships and also meet the demands and rigorous of the oil and gas sector services sector within the Takoradi port enclave. I have no doubt that these projects will spear rapid economic growth and accelerate the development of our economy. I commend Prime Meridian Docks Group for this bold step as we seek to improve access to vessel repair services within the Western part of the country and across the West African Sub-region,“ he said.
Nana Akufo-Addo also praised Ibistek’s Atlantic Terminal Services, AFC, Equity and GPHA for their successful completion of the $147 million Multi-Purpose Container Terminal at the Takoradi Port to take care of export and import containers and conventional cargoes which operationalization is expected in February 2023.
The Managing Director of Prime Meridian Docks, Stanley Raja Korshi Ahorlu, a Ghanaian company that is developing the floating dry dock facility for ship and rig repairs at the Takoradi Port gave the specifics of the project upon completion.
“The Project comprises civil works and the procurement of a floating dry dock. The civil works involve the dredging of a pocket for the floating dock and the turning basin to -14 m char-datum and -11 m Char-datum respectively, the construction of a jetty of 200 meters, a fitting-out quay facility that provides up to 400 metres of berthing space, and the development of some 18,000 square meters of lay-down area and land-based workshop facility. Upon completion, it will have a 13,500-ton lift capacity floating dry dock and be capable of servicing ships of 200 metres-LOA”, he said.
While justifying the essence of the floating Drydock project in collaboration with GPHA, Mr. Ahorlu said it will create over 200 local jobs.
“The whole idea is to create an infrastructure that currently does exist on the West African Coast and maintain and repair vessels that are working within the region. At every point in time, you have about 7,000 vessels that are clustered at one point that will be needing repair and maintenance services. Presently most of these are going outside of the region simply because they are not obtaining price competitiveness and quality standards in places in Las Palmas and in South Africa. So our solution to the market is to create something proximate to where these vessels are working, and we are doing this in collaboration with GPHA which we are grateful for. We expect it to take on revenue of about $40 million annually and we expect the creation of 200 permanent and 300 casual jobs“, he added.
Also speaking at the commissioning and sod-cutting event, the Director of General of GPHA, Michael Luguji said the projects form part of the GPHA’s expansion master plan started in 2012 to turn the port into an international port which makes the Takoradi port competitive.
“We are happy to be in a highly competitive environment where we have the latest state-of-the-art facilities. Currently, we have oil in Ghana but across the sub-region, we don’t have state-of-the-art modern ship repair and wreckage repair facilities, so this Prime Meridian Dock facility is going to help the Port of Takoradi to be most attractive in terms of ship repairs and wreck repairs. The oil and gas services terminal is within GPHA’s vision to position Takoradi Port as the oil and gas services hub, and indeed that facility that will be completed in the next 18 months will appropriately position this port in this regard. We want to specifically acknowledge our private sector partners, thus IBisTek, AFC, Equity, Prime Meridian Docks and the various banks that supported us to raise funds to develop these projects. They are KBC of Belgium, GCB, ECOBank and GT bank“.
On his part, the Minister of Transport, Kweku Ofori Asiamah said the projects are strategic for the transport industry.
He, thus, has admonished chiefs and landowners to desist from the unlawful acts of selling illicitly acquired lands and selling the same piece of land more than once.
Speaking during the maiden edition of the National Land Conference held in Accra, on December 7, 2022, the President lamented over the country’s lands, which have been seized by clans, skins, stools, and families, emphasising that the situation has stunted development.
Proposing a solution to the menace, he called for a new land administration model to be developed.
“Unfortunately, in our urban areas, the customary lands system has been the bane of most of our problems such as the double sale of lands, wrongful sale of lands by people without capacity, multiple claims to lands by different stools, skins, clans or families among others. We must take a critical look at our land administration and develop a model that works for us,” the President said during the maiden edition of the National Land Conference in Accra, on December 7, 2022.
He further touched on the issue of land guards, who have been a nuisance on many lands, and expressed optimism that the implementation of the new Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) will eradicate the trend of land guards harassing landowners.
“But laws, in themselves, do not resolve problems. It is their application and effective implementation that yield the requisite results. That is why this conference, which brings together diverse people from different sectors to deliberate on the nexus between land and socio-economic development, is so crucial”.
“Fortunately, the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), provides a strong foundation for fashioning out a workable and efficient land administration. The Act has far-reaching provisions which, if implemented, will go a long way to build the effective land administration we desire,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.
The President argued that if land paperwork must be processed manually, the nation cannot provide effective land administration, and he asked the Lands Commission to move quickly on the digitization of the land.
“We cannot deliver an efficient land administration if documents on land have to be processed manually. We must, therefore, expedite action on the digitisation process, and ensure that the Commission goes fully digital. As you go into technical discussions, it is my hope that this will be key on your agenda”.
He further noted that the Land Act, “addresses the challenges associated with boundary demarcation, and clarifies rights and interests in land, and persons with capacity to alienate land.
“It provides stringent jail terms for various offences related to lands, such as landguardism, falsification of records and fraudulent transactions in land administration”.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced plans by government to put a ceiling on tons of manganese and bauxites that will be mined and exported.
Nana Akufo-Addo said the move has become necessary following plans to place value on raw materials, especially minerals.
Speaking at the commissioning of a new state-of-the-art Dry Bulk Terminal and the Atlantic Terminal Services Multipurpose Container Terminal, as well as the Prime Meridian Dock Company’s Floating Dry-dock at the Takoradi Harbour in the Western Region, Nana Akufo-Addo said more of such expansions works will be taking place.
“As part of strategies to promote value-added products and sustainable mining, government has put a 5-million ton limit on the quantities of manganese to be mined in its raw form. We also intend an annual volume limit on the export of raw bauxite, as part of the integrated aluminium development projects,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He explained that the Floating Dry-Dock and Ship Maintenance facility, which is being introduced in partnership with a wholly-owned Ghanaian company, Prime Meridian Dock Limited (PMD) is estimated at US$137 million.
He added that the project which is being financed by Prime Meridian Docks Limited is meant to carry out maintenance works on vessels which, otherwise, would have had to call at Las Palmas, Carina, and other ship repair facilities in other countries for maintenance works.
The initiative he stressed, “will enhance cargo handling capacity, maintenance and repairs of ships, and also meet the demands of the rigours of the oil and gas service sector within the Takoradi Port enclave.”
The President indicated that the Dry Bulk Terminal, which will be completed at a total cost of US$85.0 million has been equipped with modern ship loaders and eco-hoppers for the safety of both workers and members of the Port community.
