The Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and his Deputy John Kumah must also leave office immediately, a member of the Peoples National Convention (PNC) Bernard Mornah has said.
In his view, Mr Ofori-Atta is not the answer to the economic challenges facing Ghanaians.
“Investors don’t have confidence in the economy because of Ofori-Atta,” he said on the Big Issue on TV3 with Berla Mundi on Tuesday November 15.
He added ” John Kumah said they will not go to the IMF but today we are at the IMF.”
He was contributing to a discussion on the sacking of the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen.
President Akufo-Addo has sacked Mr Adu Boahen.
“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has terminated the appointment of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, with immediate effect.
“After being made aware of the allegations levelled against the Minister in the exposé, ‘Galamsey Economy’, the President spoke to Mr. Adu Boahen, after which he took the decision to terminate his appointment, and also to refer the matter to the Special Prosecutor for further investigations.
“The President thanked Mr. Adu Boahen for his strong services to his government since his appointment in 2017, and wished him well in his future endeavours,” a statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin said on Monday November 14.
The programs Manager at Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mary Addah has lauded the President’s swift action to dismiss Charles Adu Boahen, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Boahen was dismissed after it emerged he allegedly said Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia could be paid $200,000 as an appearance fee for investors.
Speaking in an interview on Eyewitness News, Madam Mary praised the swiftness with which the dismissal letter was issued, saying it is a major tool for fighting speculations which is unhealthy for the fight against corruption.
“The president acting swiftly is critical to fighting corruption because some of these cases usually come up and not much action is taken and this fuels some of the speculation and perception around corruption in Government, so this is swift and expeditious enough, and it is good for the country.”
“Noticing that he is the appointing authority, he also has the power to disappoint, and he has done so, but then he also recognizes that some of the alleged instances and inferences made, could bother on criminality and pure corruption, so he has referred that to the [Office of the] Special Prosecutor whose Act [the Act establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor] gives him the power to investigate issues relating to corruption.”
Madam Addah however said relieving Adu Boahen of his post is not enough, but what is needed at this point to clear the perception of Ghanaians on corruption against the government is to proceed to investigate the allegations levelled against the Vice President.
“The Vice President, in addition to what is put out there, will also serve better if he calls for investigations into those allegations. That has something to do with his personal and professional credibility. It will allow everyone to know that the integrity he is speaking to is one he does not joke with, and he is not just speaking as a mantra, but it is something he lives by and would want everyone to attest to same.”
She also said it is difficult to uphold the Government as one that is committed to fighting corruption because of the various appointees that have been accused at one point or another of corruption but are still actively serving and authoring dismissal letters.
“The person who authored the termination letter was cited by his wife for some domestic infractions, and she made certain allegations about properties he has acquired within the shortest time period and others. In that case, civil society spoke to that issue and thought something should have been done other than the silence that went with it. Today, he is still in Government authoring letters to fire people, but we don’t know how far his own allegations went.”
“This is a President that promised us during his campaign that all you needed to do was to complain or make a complaint or present a case, and the investigation agencies will then take it up. He also promised that he will use Anas’ principle to confirm some of these issues, so it becomes worrying when we do not see that being followed through,” she added.
She also bemoaned the numerous instances of conflicts of interest situations perpetrated by some notable persons appointed by the Government.
Award-winning artiste, Sarkodie, has disclosed that sensational Ghanaian artiste, Black Sherif, reached out to him when he was almost done with his Jamz album.
Speaking on 3Music TV, he praised the artiste while tackling assumptions some Ghanaians have that he chases after new acts in order to stay relevant.
“Big shoutouts to my superstar Blacko. Blacko hit me up at the last minute of this project and said Landlord, I have to be on you Jamz, and I said great,” Sarkodie said.
According to Sarkodie, people who don’t get why he is ahead of his game tend to make up stories that make sense to them.
He also added that many of these artistes people claim he chases come to him for a feature.
“I should feel bad because people actually don’t make sense of why you are still here. Because that’s the only reason, there is no other reason. They want to find the logic behind why you can still be relevant after a long time.
“And the funny thing is most of these records that you hear me on, and you think I am jumping on somebody’s record? I never reach out to these people,” he added.
Sarkodie added that going after up-and-coming artistes is something he doesn’t do but wouldn’t mind working with them when he is called on.
The rapper released the Jamz album on November 11, 2022.
The move, the Ministry noted, is to sell foodstuff directly from the farmers in the rural areas to persons in the urban areas at a much cheaper rate.
However, some civil servants who partook in the sales have expressed their disappointment with the prices of the items.
On sale today was fresh plantains, which sold for between 10, 15 and 20 cedis per bunch.
The buyers said there was no difference between what is sold in the market.
Speaking to JoyNews at the Agric Ministry where the exercise was held, a civil servant who works at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources said: “To me, it’s a good initiative but since I heard it was a pilot, we are expecting that the next bunch that will come, the price will really go down a bit. Last week I bought one bunch for 15 in the market. It was reasonable, looking at the size. So I can’t see any big difference between what is here and what is in the market.”
She added: “My view is that maybe if you are coming from Amasaman, Pokuase to come to the Ministry, transportation is like 10 15 cedis, so I don’t see the point.”
Another noted that: I wanted some perishable goods but unfortunately they are saying they are not going to bring anything of that sort. It’s a very good exercise but with the plantain I saw, I was expecting the price to be down, I did some comparisons and I realized that the prices here are a bit high, so if they can bring it down a bit for us.”
The PFJ market is sponsored by the Ministry and is purposed to cushion persons from the increasing cost of food commodities in the capital.
Speaking at a meeting with farmers in Sefwi Wiaso in the Western North Region, last week sector Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said; “the ministry itself is going to take its own initiative.”
“We are going to link up with the farm gate so that we make all the arrangements to ensure that we put up kiosks on our compounds at the ministry, specifically for food from here [Sefwi Wiaso] and we are going to give it a lot of publicity,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Ghana is recognized as the nation with the biggest increases in food prices by the World Bank.
With a 122% increase in food prices, the nation has achieved the toughest achievement in sub-Saharan Africa.
Actress Juliet Ibrahim has bitterly lamented about Ghana’s economic crisis, which according to her, is getting out of hand.
The Liberian actress, who is based in Ghana, has declared the country as currently the most expensive in West Africa.
In a series of posts on Twitter, Juliet Ibrahim said it has gotten to the point where citizens have been hit with exorbitant fuel price increments, adding that it currently costs about $100, which is equivalent to GHC1,400, to fill a tank which lasts for just 5-7 days.
“Ghana is officially the most expensive West African country right now! No joke! Someone driving a car of 3.0 / 3.5 fills their fuel tank to use within 5-7 days with fuel worth 1300/1400 cedis.
Currently, $100 = 1,400 cedis. Even in USA, to fuel the same type of car can and will NEVER cost that much! Yet we are all going through the same economic crisis. $100 = 1400 cedis
1400 cedis = 72,000 Naira…Is there any Nigerian on my timeline that spends 72,000 Naira to fuel his car and use for a period of 5-7 days? Let’s have this discussion and make it make sense to me oo,” she stated.
Juliet, however, established that the only means by which the crisis can be eased a bit is for Ghanaians to resort to multiple streams of income.
“I pray we all can survive this and double up our hustle oo. Because looks like things aren’t going to go back to normal. This is the time to strategize and focus on multiple streams of income.”
Meanwhile, more and more Ghanaian celebrities have bemoaned the high cost of living in the country.
It is the case that some celebrities who campaigned for the ruling NPP during the 2020 general elections have expressed disappointment in the government over the country’s growing economic hardships.
Read the post below:
I pray we all can survive this and double up our hustle oo. Because looks like things aren’t going to go back to normal. This is the time to strategize and focus on multiple streams of income…
A majority of Ghanaians want the government to regulate natural resource extraction such as mining, oil drilling, and wood harvesting more tightly to reduce its negative impacts on the environment, according to an Afrobarometer survey.
In a press release, Afrobarometer said citizens are evenly divided in their views on whether local communities receive a fair share of revenues from nearby natural resource extraction activities, and fewer than half think that the benefits of natural resource extraction outweigh its costs, such as pollution.
Only about half of Ghanaians say ordinary citizens have a voice in decisions about natural resource extraction that takes place near their communities.
Other Key findings from the survey are:
Most Ghanaians (85%) want the government to regulate natural resource extraction more tightly in order to reduce its negative impacts on the environment (Figure 1).
Fewer than half (46%) of citizens think local communities receive a fair share of revenues from natural resource extraction; just as many (46%) think they don’t (Figure 2).
And only 39% say the benefits of natural resource extraction, such as jobs and revenue, outweigh negative impacts such as pollution.
Half (51%) of Ghanaians “agree” or “strongly agree” that ordinary citizens have a voice in decisions about natural resource extraction near their communities, while 40% disagree.
The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,369 adult Ghanaians in April 2022.
Most Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, the 18th Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has tasked Ghanaians to critique the government using the proper channels stressing that doing otherwise ultimately hurts the economy as it has the tendency of chasing away investors.
“There is a medium to raise concerns about issues not to dirty each other in the media. The more we say negative things about our country, the more prices will shoot up. Because there is no investor who will seriously take you seriously.
“It is this that someone wanted to say when he said sika mpɛ dede,” he added in reference to controversial comments President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made in his October 30 economic address to the nation.
The clergyman was speaking at an event to climax the Centenary celebration of the Asante presbytery in Kumasi over the weekend, where he observed that the economic difficulties Ghanaians were experiencing were not unique to Ghana.
But that over-politicization has become the norm, hence opposition parties are always acting in ways that shame the government so that they can boost their chances of winning power.
“Ghana has become very difficult. But I also know that the whole world has become very difficult. I know that things have become very difficult and in Ghana, many people are not educated to know that there is a serious world crisis.
“If you say it, many don’t believe because everything is politicized, so the opposition is interested in doing what will shame the ruling government so that he can be voted for. That kind of politics must be shunned, it is not nice. It doesn’t convince those of us who are educated,” he stressed.
What Akufo-Addo said about Ghana being in a crisis
Amid an economic downturn, calls for Akufo-Addo to resign has heightened with a November 5, 2022 protest dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ making the loudest call as activists and politicians marched in Accra to press home that demand.
The government is meanwhile, grappling with an economic crisis, which along with the galamsey scourge and corruption are the major drivers for the call on Akufo-Addo to resign along with his Vice President, Mahamadu Bawumia.
Akufo-Addo in his October 30 address on the economy blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causes for the country’s economic woes.
While admitting that the country was in crisis and rallying support for various government interventions to stem the tide, he said the situation was not peculiar to the country as many nations across the world were also experiencing difficulties.
“We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time.
“But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedevilled our economy,” he said.
But like before, President Akufo-Addo blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causative factors for the economic woes.
President Akufo-Addo has asked rich countries to allow heavily indebted poor African countries to swap their debts with climate interventions.
The President has been addressing the world at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27 in Egypt.
Ghana is currently facing crippling economic crisis fueled by huge debt.
The debt situation is proving to be a major stumbling block to getting an IMF deal in time.
Ghana is seeking a $3 billion bailout but the IMF has made it clear it will not lend to a country with unsustainable debt levels.
The IMF team has already worked with the finance ministry to complete a debt sustainability analysis.
The IMF executive board is expected to base its final decision on the report which may include debt restructuring.
President Akufo-Addo took advantage of the COP27 stage to raise the issue with the rich world.
“I urge those who hold African debt to commit to debt for climate swap initiatives,” the President said.
The President did not hold back in dismissing the global financial architecture as not fit for purpose.
He said a “Radical restructuring of the global financial architecture as proposed by the African finance ministers to accommodate the demands of the developing world is of urgent necessity.
“It is evident that with these poly crisis that it is not fit for purpose.”
The President once again took on the rich world for failing to honor a pledge to release $100 billion to help developing countries deal with the impact of climate change.
He also announced that his government will soon be launching a number of climate interventions to create jobs for Ghanaians.
This he says will happen through the rollout of initiatives that will promote regenerative agriculture that requires less fertilizers and reforestation with strong biodiversity content.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has implored the striking teachers to return to work after a strike to demand the removal of the new Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr. Eric Nkansah.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the teachers were “ambushing the future of young Ghanaians who are supposed to be in school,” with an unjustified strike.
“I think it is most unfair to Dr. Nkansah to be receiving such attacks… I would want to appeal to the union leadership, especially because of the kids, to look again within.”
The three unions, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT) have been on strike since November 4, 2022.
They are upset with the appointment as they believe Dr. Nkansah does not have a teaching background.
The Deputy Majority Leader said their grievances were not serious enough to warrant the strike.
“So far nothing has been raised against him [Dr. Nkansah],” Mr. Afenyo-Markin said.
“They may be stretching their luck rather too far. We don’t need to break our shoulders over this matter.”
“They will have to, in all humility, accept the man, give him the chance and assess his competence from there,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin added.
He also felt the teachers should be happy with Dr. Nkansah’s diverse background, which comprises academia and banking.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has started engagements with the teachers to end the strike.
Their meetings have so far been unable to resolve the teachers’ concerns.
Economist, Professor Lord Mensah, has said the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta must resign for a new person to take over the management of the economy.
According to him, the Finance Minister is trying to dissociate the economic dynamics from its management adding that what Mr. Ofori-Atta is doing is not real and it doesn’t happen anywhere.
The Economist explained that economic management goes with economic dynamics.
“Obviously it has to do with management so if the entire population is calling for his head. It sends the signal that what is on the grounds is not good. So for him to say that we should focus on the IMF and possibly restore the economy it’s uncalled for.
“For me his understanding of the management and influence of economic dynamics, he should understand that the economy is not on autopilot, the economy must be managed. If at the end of the day those that are supposed to feel the impact of the economy are saying that things are not going well with them that he should resign, he has to. He is not the one to come and explain and tell us that we have to focus on how we can restore the economy,” Prof. Mensah told Starr News.
He further stated that a new hand can give Ghanaians breathing space.
“I think his resignation will bring about some confidence to the economy and as a result of that maybe the economy will head in the right direction. Trust me you cannot dissociate human thinking when it comes to economic dynamics from the real numbers that are on the ground. We are waiting for him to resign so that we can have breathing space. As we speak now his presence as a Finance Minister has brought about a whole lot of uncertainty in the economy.
“People cannot even plan, investors cannot even look ahead and look at the next moment. As we speak now there are so many things going on at the back side of the economy that we don’t even know.”
Kwabena Agyepong who served as Press Secretary to former president John Agyekum Kufuor between 2001 and 2006 has said he declined a ministerial appointment offered to him by his boss after serving for almost six years.
The decision to not accept the appointment, according to Kwabena Agyepong was informed by the quest to exit from the administration and focus on some other equally important activities.
“It was fine,” he said in response to whether or not it was a peaceful exit. “I just felt I had to leave politics, so, although the president called me and offered me a deputy ministerial position, I respectfully declined.”
Sharing his work experience with the former president, Mr. Agyepong told Deloris Frimpong Manso on The Delay Show that his boss was indeed a diplomat.
“Mr. Kufuor is a very quintessential diplomat and democrat. He worked with the IGP the previous government appointed for over six months when he assumed office. Persons who occupied some of the key positions experienced same. He did so just to get a smooth transition,” the former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) remarked.
Meanwhile, Agyepong has said he never acquired any property during his tenure as Press Secretary to Mr. Kufuor.
Establishing that the desire to do politics was borne out of passion, selflessness, and service to the country, Agyepong expressed optimism in becoming president of Ghana as he readies to contest in the NPP presidential primaries.
“Our budget is always in deficit; we need to cut our coat according to the size of cloth we have. We need to be truthful to Ghanaians for instance if we cannot construct new roads and put together a proper plan review. We like constructing new things without providing any form of maintenance for the old ones.
“The value system in this country has disappeared, it has collapsed. Those are the changes I believe it is time for a new dawn, a new dimension, and a new direction,” Mr. Agyepong said while underscoring the need to serve instead of amassing wealth to the detriment of the Ghanaian people.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has assured Ghanaians that the Akufo-Addo administration will tackle the economic challenges facing them.
He told Ghanaians that the challenges are also being felt in most countries around the world, not only Ghana
In a remark at the Hogbestosto Festival at Anlo in the Volta Region on Saturday November 5, he said “we all know we are facing global economic crisis which Togbe Sri III referred to.
“This is a crisis that is being felt all over the world and the cost of living accelerated across the globe.
“If you look at the cost of living as measured by the rate of inflation, between 2019 and now, the rate of inflation has increased by five-fold in Ghana, it has increased by sixteen-fold in Togo, it has increased by eleven-fold in Senegal, it has increased by seven-fold in Cote D’Ivoire and eight-fold in the United Kingdom.
“The increase in the cost of living has caused hardships not only in Ghana but many countries.
“In fact, the BBC noted about two weeks ago that so far, this year, in 93 countries we have had public protests against the increased cost of living. It is important to know however that amidst all of this turmoil we should put things in perspectives.”
He added “The government of Nana Akufo-Addo has over the last six years taken many steps to reposition and transform the economy.
“So whiles we have hardships today, which we are working very hard to alleviate, and In sha’Allah we will deal with it, let us not forget what we have been able to do in the last six years.
“Let me recall that our government in the last six years has created more jobs than any other government in the Fourth Republic, let me recall that we have constructed more roads than any other government in the Fourth Republic, Let me recall that we have built more interchanges than any other government in the Fourth Republic, we have built more airports than any other government in the Fourth Republic, more railways than any other government , we have built more classrooms than any other government in the Fourth Republic.”
A Chairman hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the Greater Accra Region, Mr. Joseph Ade-Coker has boldly stated that he can match his opponent in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) boot for boot to win massively in the next general elections in 2024.
He said the NDC needs a courageous person like him to lead the battle and amass votes for the party to be at the helm of affairs in the country.
Interacting with NDC delegates during his campaign tour, Mr. Ade Coker said, “I have demonstrated that l have the courage to fight the NPP, they should also watch the posture of the NPP, they have been telling us that they are going to break the eight-year jinx, …If that is the case, the NDC needs a very courageous, bold and articulate person to be able to lead them in the battle in the Greater Accra region, which always determines the winning votes of the NDC. They should vote for me, I have come to you with a message and with a plan.”
The incumbent Greater Accra regional Chairman of NDC said the calibre of regional executives the delegates will elect internally will determine the party’s chances in the 2024 general elections.
“The calibre of people you elect tomorrow will determine the success of the NDC going into the 2024 general elections. If you elect people who are not mature, competent, tried and tested, the results will be GIGO, Garbage in Garbage out,” he warned.
He further advised delegates to desist from being influenced by money and enticing goodies.
The NDC is expected to elect its regional executives on November 12-13, 2022, to steer the affairs of the party.
In the midst of economic hardships fueled by high inflation rates, some Ghanaians have dedicated today, November 5, 2022, to demonstrate in demand for better living conditions.
The organizers noted that this is to send a “strong message” to the government to act in order to relieve Ghanaians of the challenges they currently face.
They also called for the resignation of the leadership of the country.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Friday ahead of the demonstration, Nii Ayi Opare, Spokesperson of the Economic Fighters League and a member of the Organisers of the “Kume Preko” demo, charged protestors to engage in a peaceful exercise.
“Tomorrow’s demonstration is going to be a peaceful one and I want to place on record that, the youth of Ghana are law-abiding and peace-lovers. No one has to look far from the three main demonstrations under the ‘fix the country’ banner. All three that we’ve had were peaceful and without any incidents with the police or without.
“To those few elements who are planning to use this demonstration to cause trouble, to engage in any violent activity whatsoever, this is not the space for you, indeed, you will be routed out on your own and handed over directly to the State institutions to take proper action against you,” he said.
Protestors would converge at the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle at 0700hrs, and march through the 28th February Road to Farisco Junction and then through the Liberia Road to Independence Square.
Martin Kpebu, the Lead Organiser, also said, “It’s clear to you, I mean from the hardship we are all suffering daily, that this country is in an economic quagmire. We’re falling into a deep crater as a result of the reckless borrowing and other forms of misgovernance by President Akufo-Addo.”
“We are dying. Citizens are dying, citizens can’t afford food, citizens are starving all because of mal-governance by President Akufo-Addo,” he said.
The Minority in Parliament has served notice that it will move its vote of censure motion against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Thursday, November 10, 2022.
The Minority filed the vote on censure against the Minister on grounds of conflict of interest and financial recklessness leading to the current economic crisis.
Addressing the media, the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, said the group will not relent in its efforts to have the Finance Minister removed from office.
“The motion of censure is slated to be moved on Thursday, the 10th of November 2022, and the Minority Chip Whip, Mubarak Muntaka has sounded a note of caution to all Minority MPs that all 136 minority MPs must be in the chamber on Thursday, so any member who absents himself does so at his own risk.”
Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim added that the Finance Minister has been duly served and will be in the Chamber to defend himself.
The grounds the Minority cites for the vote of censure are:
Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages, particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang.
Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral:
Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution:
Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament 5. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world:
Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis;
Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which as occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
I can turn economy around
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is fighting to save his job and has called on Ghanaians to trust in his competence and ability to rescue Ghana’s ailing economy.
Speaking at a meeting with the Association of Ghana Industries, Mr. Ofori-Atta said Ghana remains the best destination to do business.
“Let me assure you that you have a Finance Minister who has gone through all the pains and the aches, and nobody can really say we don’t understand what we are doing. The question is what resources do we have and how are we going to deploy them in the nation that we have and how do we stand firm in very difficult circumstances but being very confident?”
“Let me assure you all that your best bet is still Ghana; we can do it, and we should do it,” the embattled Finance Minister said.
Three teacher unions have declared an industrial action effective November 4, over the failure of government to revoke the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as acting Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The unions made up of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduate Teachers and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana said Dr. Eric Nkansah is a banker with no teaching background, the reason for their rejection.
They announced the strike action at a press conference on Friday, November 4, 2022.
Addressing the media, President of GNAT, Rev. Isaac Owusu said,
“It is unacceptable for a banker to be appointed as a Director-General of the Ghana Education Service instead of an educationist at the same time when many teachers who did the same courses and related ones were rejected by GES because it is not related to education
“We stated that both the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should apologize to teachers for accepting the very qualifications they rejected when teachers presented them…We have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians on our intention to go on strike, having reached the November 4 deadline we gave the government. Consequently, we have decided to embark on strike from today, Friday, November 4, 2022. By this, we are informing the general public that we are withdrawing all our services in all the pre-tertiary institutions,” he added.
The economic hardship facing Ghanaians has worsened, especially with the recent increase in fuel prices.
Currently, at the fuel pumps, diesel is being sold for more than GH¢23 whilst the price of petrol is hovering around GH¢18.
The recent hikes have not affected only ordinary Ghanaians but also some Members of Parliament, MPs. This is despite the widely held notion that the state fuels their vehicles.
Kobina Tahir [K.T.] Hammond, the Adansi Asokwa NPP MP has been detailing how he nearly fought with a fuel attendant after he was told about recent hikes at the pump.
In a Joy News interview on Thursday, November 3, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, the MP lamented about the current hardship, especially the fuel price increment, and its effect on Ghanaians.
K.T. Hammond said, “a few days ago, I went to the garage, they pumped the fuel into the car and they came to give me the bill, it almost turned into a Third World War at the station. I asked why is he giving me this, and he said just yesterday price of super moved to what the price of diesel used to be.
“It is a particularly difficult situation and I do not envy the lot. Those who are really having to juggle.”
He added, “it is not a situation peculiar to only Ghana. We have heard about the situation in Sri Lanka. It is a redeeming situation for those of us in Ghana. At least, we are not in long queues. Oil-producing countries like Nigeria and others are all in queues, we are not.”
The MP, who is also a member of the Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament is of the view that the current price hikes is largely blamable on Oil Marketing Companies and Bulk Distribution Companies trying to make astronomical profits but he did not rule out the poor performance of the cedi as a factor.
He stressed that he is completely against removing taxes and other margins on the fuel price build-up because there are serious governmental efforts underway to ease the pressure in the system.
“It’s the OMC, the big ones and the BDCs. I have a problem and they better sort it out well. They got the dollar at whatever rate so somebody should pay for it…I am concerned that some OMCs are making unnecessary profits and I think we should be careful how they are also playing the market, we are in this together.
“President has travelled out of the country many times and sent out a delegation to make sure that in a very short time we would be able to flood the market with some petroleum products. I am not happy with the way the BDCs are going about this situation,” K.T. Hammond observed.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has said austerity measures are inevitable in efforts to stabilize the economy.
On the path to full recovery from Ghana’s economic crisis, the people are bound to face either IMF conditionality or home-grown tough decisions that will affect the domestic market, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey observed.
“The road back to robust growth, which Ghana and a number of African countries experienced successively in the years before COVID-19 struck, is currently a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. We have to either impose IMF-guided austerity, potentially leading to labour retrenchment and accompanying social instability, as witnessed in Argentina and elsewhere, or home-grown yet equally tough decisions to satisfy the markets and, hopefully, pave the way back to a functioning economy.
“The harsh sacrifices required, themselves, have become a source of instability and an invitation to malign actors,” she said in a statement on the sidelines as Ghana assumes Presidency of the United Nations Security Council.
Already, the Minority in Parliament has signaled an imminent debt restructuring billed to happen in the next 14-days that will possibly affect the investor community as part of the IMF negotiations.
President Akufo-Addo in an address on the economy on Sunday assured Ghanaians that no individual or institutional investor, including pension funds, in government treasury bills or instruments will lose their money, as a result of the ongoing IMF negotiations.
However, in reaction to the remarks by the President, the minority leader Haruna Iddrisu maintained that contrary to assurances by the President that there will be ‘No haircuts’, investors in government bonds and other pension funds will be adversely affected by the move.
Below is the Statement by the Foreign Affairs Minister:
We Are Running Out of Time
By Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Republic of Ghana.
I was told many years ago about a common refrain in newsrooms: “If it bleeds, it leads”. In other words, the bloodier an event, the more prominent its place in the newspaper or bulletin. I believe this axiom still holds true today. It explains why the catastrophic sights and sounds – the bleeding – in Ukraine is top of mind for the world. And justifiably so.
However, as Ghana assumes the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council in November, the world cannot afford to focus solely on events in Ukraine, its impact on the living conditions of people everywhere notwithstanding. We cannot forget that before the invasion of Ukraine, COVID-19 had exposed the lack of resilience of the economies in which the majority of the global population live. In fact, the war in Ukraine exacerbated the harsh effects of the downturn many countries were already experiencing, deepening poverty, unemployment and food insecurity.
We cannot forget either that the UN Security Council faced a leadership crisis in finding better ways to respond to threats to international peace and security, as the nature of those threats were, themselves, changing. Africa, for instance, has become the epicentre of terrorism. Meanwhile, in the countries where the UN maintains its signature peacekeeping missions, some of the host countries have chosen, instead, to engage third parties, sometimes in conflict with the operations of UN peacekeepers.
It is clear that the ways in which the Security Council approaches the mandate for international peace and security ought to change, if we are to have sustainable peace, which is a prerequisite for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. Right now we are running out of time in transforming the lives of people and saving our planet.
At the UN, Security Council reforms are often seen only in terms of expanding the permanent membership and power of veto to make the council more representative of all of the peoples of the world. Those reforms are important and necessary. But we believe that it is equally important to look at another area of reforms that would enable peace to serve the needs of ordinary people for resilience and a good quality of life.
In this we are inspired by the example of the second Secretary‐General of the UN, Dag Hammarskjold, who had an innovative approach to the possibilities of the UN and its Charter, and is credited with the introduction of peacekeeping. The bold act of adopting a General Assembly Resolution on 7 November, 1956, which launched the first peacekeeping operation in history, the UN Emergency Force in the Middle East (UNEF), at a time when it was urgently needed, should inspire us in our time to act equally boldly because circumstances have changed.
Like Hammarskjold, we must recognize that “the purposes of the Charter (are) fixed and binding, but the working methods of the Organization must be flexible and innovative”.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and I are calling on the Council to consider that time has come for another departure from the norm as Hammarskjöld did when UNEF was established.
As my country, Ghana, prepares to preside over two high level debates of the Council, we want to focus, like a laser beam, on the security gap and the need for a new and innovative template for success. That template should take into account the factors that make peace keeping operations almost permanent, and why individuals and communities become susceptible to radicalization and recruitment as terrorists, driving the new face of threats to international peace and security.
In the Sahel and coastal West Africa, the countries that were the most successful in reaching striking distance of the SDGs, especially on poverty reduction and education, now find themselves struggling, as poorer countries rather shoulder the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Climate Change and conflict in Europe. High fiscal deficits, escalating debt and downturns in economic activity are pushing us out of the bond markets at a time when inequality soars and unemployment and underemployment of millions is turning frustration into hopelessness. Increasingly, even some among the middle classes in Africa and other developing countries are beginning to lose faith in the democratic systems they fought so hard to establish.
The road back to robust growth, which Ghana and a number of African countries experienced successively in the years before COVID-19 struck, is currently a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. We have to either impose IMF-guided austerity, potentially leading to labour retrenchment and accompanying social instability, as witnessed in Argentina and elsewhere, or home-grown yet equally tough decisions to satisfy the markets and, hopefully, pave the way back to a functioning economy. The harsh sacrifices required, themselves, have become a source of instability and an invitation to malign actors.
In the Sahel, climate-induced insecurity, poverty, high illiteracy rates and education that neither teaches skills nor a culture of peace and non-violence (SDG Target 4.7), youth unemployment and the absence of the State in large swathes of territory have created the environment in which terrorists thrive and undermine the effectiveness of the kinetic military operations to root them out.
It is clear that the critical need to fill the security gap brought on by economic and other root causes of conflict should be a priority for the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been insistent on the need for funding the entire peace continuum, including increasing resources for programmatic financing, and for a mechanism for fighting terrorism in Africa.
The Council can no longer turn a blind eye to the accumulating evidence before us. That means ensuring that UN Security Council-mandated peace support missions or counter terrorism have a balanced approach to both the military and civil components, with as much resources devoted to building community resilience, access to good quality education and training, and mitigating climate impacts and reclaiming land and water bodies on which communities depend.
It means standing with other organs of the UN to advocate for a new model of development cooperation that reinforces the capacity of developing countries to deepen their development resilience. I know that these may not make for easy headlines but we must bring attention to, and act on, them as a matter of preventive urgency.
It is time for bold thinking and bolder action or we shall simply run out for time, leaving us with neither peace nor development – except bloodier headlines.
Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, has said that the president Akufo-Addo cannot single-handedly solve the challenges facing the country.
It is for this reason he believes all Ghanaians must get on board, performing their individual respective roles to ensure that together, the nation’s problems are resolved.
Speaking on Peace FM in an interview, the information minister sought to put the speech of the President to the nation on Sunday, October 30 in perspective.
Although he assured that pragmatic measures including the 12 major ones outlined by the President in his speech are being taken to ensure a turnaround in the economy, he noted that it’ll take a joint effort on the part of the President, government, stakeholders and the entire Ghanaian populace to achieve this.
“The problems we have, not only one person can solve them. If everybody leaves everything to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to handle, it will not work.
‘If everybody leaves things to government alone to handle, we all need to come on board.
… Whatever we do, if people sell and add a 100% profit to it, it won’t change much. We can’t use police to chase these traders. So we have to find a way to work together to bring some of these things under control,” he said.
According to Oppong-Nkrumah, there are arrangements for meetings between the president and some local producers, to ensure that local production is boosted and exports are reduced.
“The president will engage with local producers within the next week or two to bridge the bottlenecks that exist that are their products from getting on to the market,” he added.
To say ‘times are hard’ in Ghana now will only be stating the obvious, and for President Akufo-Addo to have confirmed the same only reaffirms the fact that the country is faced with very trying times.
From the crumbling Ghana cedi against foreign currencies like the United States dollar to the ever-rising prices of fuel, the soaring food prices and general standards of living, truly, the country is not in normal times.
In his words, President Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians that he will turn things around just as, he added, he has done before.
“For us in Ghana, our reality is that our economy is in great difficulty.
“We are in a crisis; I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time,” excerpts of his address to the nation on Sunday, October 30, 2022, read.
But while the president sought to indicate that there has never been a time in history where so many forces have come together to affect the country, there actually has been such a time before.
In fact, in that ‘such a time,’ when Ghana experienced one of its toughest economic downturns, it has emerged that there are some spooky similarities between those two years: 1983 and 2022.
It has emerged that the same calendar used in 1983 is the same calendar that is currently being used in the year 2022. For more clarity, if you look at the calendar of 1983 and 2022, it is the same thing.
Even more interesting is the fact that 1983 in Ghana was a time of a great food drought, while in 2022, the country is experiencing harsh economic difficulties.
A mere case of coincidence? Well, let’s look at the striking similarities between these two years that history appears to be repeating.
About the 1983 drought in Ghana:
The following description of what happened in 1983 was written by Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng and first published on GhanaWeb on May 13, 2013.
The year 1983 perhaps was the harshest year in Ghana’s modern history.
The year 1983 did not start well. One of the harshest droughts was in progress. There had been little meaningful rain since 1981; that is, it has either rained little or the rain had come at the wrong place and time. The drought could not have come at the worst possible moment.
To understand the full import of what happened, a bit of history is in order. The most unsettled decade for this country has to be the 1970s, the years during which, for good or ill, the chickens of the Nkrumah overthrow in 1966 came home to roost.
Maybe the Progress Party government of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia could have succeeded in its policy of rural development, but we have no way of knowing because it lasted only 27 months. In the meantime, it managed to sell off state assets in a manner that foreshadowed other economic controversies, some would say disasters, in the following decades.
In January 1972, Colonel Kutu Acheampong and his close friends staged a military coup and took over the country. They did not appear to have any development strategy, but they managed to infuse a sense of purpose and urgency around their slogan of “Operation Feed Yourself” and a mild form of pan-Africanism and Nkrumaist orientation, later to be described as “domestication” by the late Dan Lartey who was one of their civilian advisers.
In 1975, Acheampong’s closest comrades in their National Redemption Council government were demoted to a second tier of government in a palace coup staged by the most senior officers in all branches of the military. They formed the Supreme Military Council, still with Acheampong as head but without the esprit de corps he enjoyed with his demoted friends, who quietly left the centre stage of government.
The SMC had no policies except staying in power through some of the most disastrous economic crises we have ever known. This article is not the place to go into the details of those policies and their consequences, except to remind us that almost all sections of society rose up against the government.
Trapped and with nowhere to go, the SMC tried one last trick; this was the “Union Government” (UNIGOV), an ill-defined coalition of civilians, soldiers and police officers. A botched referendum was the last straw, and yet another palace coup overthrew Acheampong in 1978 and replaced him with General F.W.K. Akuffo, who was generally acknowledged to be a first-class military officer but untested as a political leader. He is the man who used military discipline and precision to lead Ghana’s switch from driving on the left to the right in 1974 without a single accident on the day of the change.
However, his attempts, first to continue the UNIGOV scam under a different guise and then absolve the military of blame, did not sit well with soldiers and civilians.
On June 4 1979, a fortnight before the first general elections in a decade, a group of young soldiers overthrew the Akuffo government as they successfully released a certain Air force officer from custody at the Special Branch headquarters where he had been held since leading a failed insurrection on May 15 that year.
That young air force officer, of course, was Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, who needs no introduction in this discussion. On the last day of the year 1981, Rawlings, who had retired from the military, led another insurrection to overthrow the Limann-led Peoples National Party government, which had been in office since the Rawlings insurrectionist gave up power three months after their coup.
Flt Lt Rawlings announced at the beginning of his insurrectionary regime that it was a “revolution”, and the revolution’s first year saw the country economically destabilised partly by the revolutionaries’ own activities and by international pressure. Squeezed by international commercial lenders, Ghana’s credit dwindled and disappeared. Our credit was not a lot to start with; Nigeria had to bring in truckloads of gifts, including toilet rolls, to soften our difficulties during Christmas! Understandably, life got very difficult for most citizens of this country.
In the meantime, as the lack of raw materials shut local production of everything, we could make ourselves there was no money to import anything and yet warehouses had been emptied by revolutionaries pursuing social justice.
The revolutionaries had a point, even if it was excessively expressed. Ghana could not continue on the path, whichever it was, that had driven us that far. The nation needed restructuring, and whether a political revolution was the ideal way to perform this all-out change in those circumstances still needs to be debated in this country. There is a Japanese proverb that says, “although the sign reads, do not pluck these flowers from this garden, it is useless against the wind which does not read”. The drought did not read the revolutionary script and deepened as 1982 turned into 1983.
There had been little notice in the Ghanaian media that Nigeria had given a very strict and final ultimatum in 1982 to foreigners there to “regulate” their stay or be kicked out early in 1983. It is difficult not to conclude that Nigeria’s actions were in some way retaliation for Ghana’s own eviction of foreigners, mostly Nigerians, some fourteen years earlier.
More than one million Ghanaians had to pack bags and baggage and head home. They came into an empty country. Food was scarce and disappearing fast, and although our “returnees” came with some nicely painted bags known as “Ghana Must Go” and many stories of atrocities, none brought a morsel of food to add to the national stock.
Ghana at present:
The government of Ghana has routinely explained that recent economic headwinds are attributable largely to the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the banking sector clean-up.
The rippling effect has been an increase in the cost of living, high inflation rates and downgrades of the economy by rating agencies such as S&P and Fitch – a situation which has dealt a heavy blow to government’s ability to access the international capital market.
The Cedi has also been on a free fall compelling the Bank of Ghana to resort to hiking its monetary policy rate to deal with the situation.
The worsening economic situation compelled the government in July to initiate contact with International Monetary Fund for an economic support programme.
Ghana is targeting an amount of US$3 billion over three years from the Fund once an agreement on a programme is reached.
Government hopes to complete negotiations by the end of this year in order to receive the funds in the first quarter of 2023.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has warned Ghanaians of a possible war between China and Taiwan which he said has the possibility of having disastrous consequences on Ghana’s economy.
According to him, Ghanaians are not talking about the implication of this ensuing conflict but will say it is not affecting Ghana’s economy once it happens like some are doing for the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“There is a 3rd problem coming, and if we fail to pay attention to it, it hits us, and people will deny it is one of the reasons for the challenges in the country.
“Do you know that China has extended the tenure of office for Xi Jinping by an extra five years? Read Xi Jipin’s inaugural speech. Somethings we fail to pay attention to these things. Xi Jinping said that he would not rule out taking over Taiwan.
“The issues between China and Taiwan are no different from the issues of Russia and Ukraine – where one country thinks the other country is part of his territory and attempt to use false to annex it. If China attacks Taiwan can you imagine the consequences, especially at this time that crude oil costs $94 per barrel and is set to rise again due to OPEC cutting supply,” he said in Twi.
Oppong Nkrumah, who made these remarks in an Asempa interview monitored by GhanaWeb, said that the media in other countries are seriously discussing the implication of the potential war, but the media in Ghana are silent about it.
“If indeed China attacks Taiwan, what will be the implications? So, if we are not seeing the implication of the Russia-Ukraine war on our economy, what are we saying about the implication of a potential war between China and Ukraine?
“If you turn in to other (foreign) media houses, they are discussing the implications of this issue, but we are not, and if it hits us, we will be saying it is not affecting our economy,” he reiterated.
The information minister made these remarks while answering a question on calls by some Ghanaians for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to apologise to Ghanaians about the current hardships in the country.
He indicated that the president admitted that the country is facing an economic crisis, and calls for him to apologise for it are immaterial.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, has indicated the president’s posture during his address on Sunday, October 30, was that of a man who was very angry.
According to him, Akufo-Addo clearly indicated that he was not ready to solve the economic challenges that the country is currently facing.
Dr. Ato Forson noted in an interview on Joy News which was monitored by GhanaWeb that the president did a poor job of asking Ghanaians to rally behind him during these difficult times.
The Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam MP is of the view that the address of the president was long overdue.
“Unfortunately, the President waited too long to address the nation, and even when he decided to address the nation, his posturing alone wasn’t good enough. Watching the President, I saw someone who was angry, but I did not see someone who was ready to solve a problem. The body language is everything so I was more interested in his body language and I saw an angry man.
“Your people are in crisis, their livelihood is at stake. People are struggling to have three square meals a day; they’re looking up to you as the President. You don’t come threatening them because some of them are rumour mongering.
“You come obviously by talking to them in a way that they can buy your message. I think whoever wrote that speech if it’s himself, did a very poor job, if it’s another person, whoever did that job must go because actually, the people of Ghana were waiting for that master stroke but it did not come out as such,” Dr. Ato Forson stated while commenting on the address.
To him, the president’s address should have announced some immediate actions being taken to curb the fiscal issues, including some alleviation plans to help support the most vulnerable in society.
The MP noted such a statement of hope would have earned the support of Ghanaians instead of their ire and ridicule.
“Let me tell you something…if the President had come and had announced to the people of Ghana to say ‘yes, because of the crisis A, B, C and D, I’m relieving 40 of my ministers or 30 of my ministers’ it’s a big signal. It tells the people of Ghana that this man means business.
“It calms the nerves of everyone. Quantify it and say that I’m making savings of ABCD and I’m going to put these savings into, say LEAP to support the elderly. The people of Ghana want to see things like this,” Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson observed.
A veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD), has expressed disappointment in President Akufo-Addo’s use of the term, ‘l’argent n’aime pas du bruit,’ to wit, ‘money does not like noise,’ during his recent address to the nation.
According to the broadcaster, being a man of language, if the president wanted to appeal to the emotions of Ghanaians, he should have rather used the French phrase, ‘l’argent n’a pas d’odeur,’ to wit, ‘money has no odour.’
Speaking during an interview on JoyNews on Monday, October 31, 2022, and monitored by GhanaWeb, KKD explained that what President Akufo-Addo said is not factual.
“All of culture is embedded in language, and when he said it, I felt heartbroken because that was the statement to the populace who are speculating about where we are going and how the cedi is performing badly. He thinks if you talk down the money, then the money would go down. No! that’s not true,” he said.
He continued that if by the translation of what the president said in French, he meant that he has no problem with money, then he should have rather used a more appropriate one.
“If you talk down Joy FM, Joy FM will not come tumbling down so long as they have success criteria and are working assiduously to ensure that the success criteria is in place.
“You know, as a French scholar too, I think the better one he could have used is what is actually about his governance, which is ‘l’argent n’a pas d’odeur’: ‘sika nni panpan’, because if you look at in Kufuor’s regime, a man who was known to be corrupt, eventually was appointed by Nana Addo to become the head of the Public Procurement Authority, then it tells you that he has no problem with money, no matter the smell of it,” he said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and, particularly, the Minister of Finance, have come under a lot of recent pressure over the management of the economy, which has seen many indicators looking bad for the country.
For example, the Ghana cedi has fallen by approximately 50% against the US dollar in the last ten months.
This has been coupled with inflationary pressures which have seen Ghana record a rate of 37.2 percent in September 2022 – the highest in about 20 decades.
The current economic challenges have culminated in job losses, worker agitations, rising costs of living, and general frustration among the populace.
Chief Nixon Biney, the Deputy National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) continues to hold the position that an officer of the Ghana Police Service allegedly infiltrated the demonstration he staged with some Ghanaians against, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Friday, October 28, 2022.
It will be recalled that during the protest, Chief Biney who was the brain behind the demonstration, raised alarm over what he suspected to be a police officer who was planted among the demonstrators to mar the peaceful march.
The allegations of Chief Biney were vehemently rejected by the Deputy Chief of Staff Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman who scolded Chief Biney over the allegations.
“These officers have been here trying to protect life and property and also to ensure that this thing moves on as smoothly as possible. So, to accuse them of something they may not even be aware of is a bit unfair,” he said.
But in a post on his social media handle, the NDC Organizer hopeful vowed to expose the said police officer with evidence that validates his claim.
Chief Biney claimed that the police after their failed attempt to stop the demonstration resorted to other tactics to ‘frame’ him by infiltrating the protest one of their own.
“It was in the spirit of ensuring that the voices of the suffering masses are heard by Dr. Bawumi, our self-acclaimed economic messiah and our vice president that I took the bold decision to peacefully picket at his office, which is also my right as a citizen of our beloved Ghana.
“I, as a responsible citizen, took the path of law and order by informing the police as stipulated by the constitution and laws of Ghana of the intention to embark on the protest.
“After several meetings which ended with mutual agreement on the manner in which the protest will be conducted, the Police acting in bad faith applied to the court to seek an injunction to restrain me from holding the protest. Strangely enough, the police fix which was filed on Wednesday 26th Oct, to be heard on 27th Oct, just a day before the scheduled protest. Fortunately, wisdom prevailed and the court rejected the application for injunction however, made orders to vary the venue of the protest and other related issues.
“I complied with the orders of the court and ensured that there were 19 other protesters who accompanied me to march to the DVLA office on the Switchback Road where the representative of the vice met me to receive the petition however, the Ghana Police decided to frame me up by using an outmoded police intelligence gathering style by infiltrating my peaceful action with a fool of a police officer. When they were exposed, they denied it by lying that this fool of a police officer was not from the Ghana Police Service but there are a lot to share soon,” he stated on social media.
On Friday, Chief Biney led hundreds of Ghanaians to walk from Kawukudi Park to the DVLA head office in Accra to register their anger over what they believe to be poor handling of the economy by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
The demonstrators held the view that the Dr Bawumia who was head of the Economic Management Team has failed at his job.
A Presidential Staffer, Dennis Miracles Aboagye has said it is not Akufo-Addo’s job to apologise to Ghanaians for the current economic crisis the country is facing.
According to him, the duty of the president is to take Ghanaians out of the economic crisis the country is facing rather than apologise.
His comment comes on the back of calls by some Ghanaians on social media who have raised concerns over Akufo-Addo’s failure to apologise to Ghanaians for the current economic crisis including IMF bailout after he vehemently spoke against it.
After his address on the economy on October 30, some social media users including ace broadcaster, Nana Aba Anamoah, raised questions after the address on Twitter with the caption “No apology. No acceptance of responsibility. Nothing, absolutely nothing!”
Speaking on the Big Issue on TV3, the host quizzed why the president did not apologise to Ghanaians after Ghana went to IMF, Miracles Aboagye responded “apology for what?”
He continued “I need to clarify this, when as speak I speak as a Ghanaian, when I say the people and you also say the people whose words are you taking? Is it not all of us. The president’s job is not to come to us and come and be crying and apologising to us. The president job is to find a way out of the situation for us”.
Government says its appointees will still have the 30 percent slash in salaries as part of austerity measures to mitigate the country’s current anti-growth economy.
President Akufo-Addo said the decision to still hold on with the policy was agreed on at the just ended Cabinet Retreat at Peduase Lodge.
He made this known on Sunday, October 30, 2022, while updating Ghanaians on the state of the economy.
“We have decided also to continue with the policy of 30% cut in the salaries of political office holders including the President, Vice President, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MMDCEs, and SOE appointees in 2023.”
Additionally, government is also continuing with the 30% cut in discretionary expenditures of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Earlier this year, the President announced a slash in his salary by 30% with immediate effect following the outset of economic difficulties.
While announcing a 50% cut on fuel for government machinery, he said his ministers were not exempt from the salary cut.
The President’s decision according to him was to send a signal to citizens about the need to sacrifice as the country goes to the International Monetary Fund for support.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has said he has always had the notion that President Akufo-Addo is empty ever since he, Asiedu Nketia, was a member of parliament.
According to him, due to Akufo-Addo’s arrogance, he failed to learn from former President John Dramani Mahama’s address which had solutions and proposals.
In a Facebook post, he indicated that President Akufo-Addo’s address on Ghana’s economy on October 30 was “nothing beyond the smoke”.
“I have always insisted that President Akufo-Addo is empty. I formed this opinion many years ago as an NDC Parliamentarian. He was representing the NPP in Parliament. Listen critically to him, and you will know he is full of smoke. Nothing beyond the smoke.
“President Mahama set the right tone in his brilliant address with solutions and proposals at the UPSA for Akufo-Addo to learn from. But arrogance and lack of capacity deprived him of the opportunity to drink from his predecessor’s fountain of wisdom,” he said.
He urged Ghanaians to join the NDC to vote against the NPP in 2024.
“But there’s hope! We have elections 2024 to win to rescue Ghana from this incompetent and clueless NPP government that is determined to use foul means, including violence, to steal the outcome of the elections,” he stated on Facebook.
With video snippets teased from as far back as when Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, stood at the Polo Grounds in Accra to declare the country’s independence in 1957, to many others by past presidents, the sitting government has produced what many people believe is a shot in the foot.
Posted on Twitter by the official account of President Akufo-Addo, the 2 minutes 19 seconds video explores portions of speeches made by past Heads of State, as well as a voice narrative message calling on Ghanaians to rally around the president to solve the current economic hardships.
This is coming only hours after the president addressed the country through a recorded televised video on the current economic challenges.
In his address of October 30, 2022, President Akufo-Addo admitted the fact that the country is facing difficult times, while outlining some 12 measures the government intends to explore in dealing with the situation.
The measures are restoring macroeconomic stability through ab IMF-supported program, tackling cost of living by working to stabilize prices of petroleum products through new supply arrangements, encourage traders to tone down profiteering which is contributing to inflationary pressures, restore debt sustainability by reducing debt to GDP ration to 55% by 2028, and improve national resources and liquidity by raising revenues from 13% to 18%-20% of GDP.
The rest are to pursue inclusive growth while protecting the poor, energy sector reforms to reduce the risk of the sector to the budget, reduce budget rigidities by capping statutory funds, continue with efforts to reduce central government expenditure through budget cuts of 30%, start the process of discouraging importation of rice, poultry, vegetable oil, fruit juices, etc; tackle currency speculation to limit volatilities to the cedi, ensure no haircuts to treasury bill holders in the debt restructuring strategy.
In what appears to have been a re-affirmation or a continuation of the president’s address, the new video reminded Ghanaians that the country has been at its worst before.
“We have travelled down this path before, where we joined forces. When we came together as one people with a common destiny, we rose. In the early 1980s, there was famine, our people were sent back from Nigeria. Food was scarce and there were queues and we survived because we stuck together.
“In the 200s, we went HIPC and struggled but again, we stuck together and rose together,” the video said.
It went on to restate the global economic challenges that have contributed to the current economic challenges being faced in Ghana, calling on Ghanaians to once again come together.
“Due to a combination of global economic challenges: COVID-19, the Russian evasion of Ukraine, and supply chain challenges, we are in a difficult situation. Once again, the forces are pulling us together. Let’s unite around our common challenges and rise together,” it added.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians that he would, as he has done before, turn things around for the country.
Watch the president’s video below:
Fellow Ghanaians, as the French would say, l’argent n’aime pas le bruit, to wit, money does not like noise, sika mpɛ dede. Where there is chaos, where there is noise, where there is unrest, you will not find money. #HopeForGhanaEconomy#ResolvingTogetherpic.twitter.com/Ep5XoMbccp
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described former President John Mahama’s speech on the state of the economy as a desperate attempt to return to power.
The former President on Thursday, October 27, 2022, described current economic challenges as the worst Ghana has ever witnessed and recommended amongst other things a cut down in government expenditure as a measure to restore fiscal stability.
But the ruling party says the alternatives proffered are not relevant to the challenges faced by the country.
In an interview with Citi News, Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Haruna Mohammed, indicated that the recommendations are much ado about nothing.
“It is rather unfortunate that listening to His Excellency the former president, you do not hear any pointy alternatives. They are all lamentations and rhetorics, all desperate attempts to return to power. But then, as always has been, Ghana is a democratic state and accepts diverse opinions, so we will allow such views to pass through.”
Meanwhile, the party is urging Ghanaians to remain steadfast as government takes steps to address the teething challenges facing the economy.
“We have a working government and team and are tirelessly working towards economic recovery,” he added.
The Coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance wants the government to immediately take stern measures in solving the current economic challenges facing the country.
This comes after several complaints by the citizenry and several civil societies about the high prices of goods and services, the depreciation of the cedi against the dollar, and calls for the resignation of the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta are clear indicators that the country is battling economic mishaps.
Outlining some measures including the resignation of the Finance Minister, and the reshuffling of ministers and their deputies, the Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development and a member of the coalition, Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante said government must find ways to cut down on expenditure to revive the economy and gain public trust.
“This crisis offers us a rare opportunity to take bold and courageous steps that will not only restore confidence and repair the strained relationship between state citizens and government, but also help charge a pathway forward through the crisis. We think there are specific morale-boosting actions that should signal readiness, which includes subjecting its leadership to accountability, cutting expenditures, plugging leakages in government spending, and tackling corruption in this regard.”
“We fully endorse the call by many citizens, the majority of NPP MPs, and many well-meaning Ghanaians, who have asked for the disposal of the Finance Minister and his deputies.”
“The President should urgently take morale-boosting measures by reshuffling his ministers. Given what has transpired over the last year, it is evident that they have not been excellent, contrary to the President’s assessment”.
The coalition also known as the Citizens Coalition indicated that the government has lost the trust of bringing back the economy despite the current negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, thus fighting in gaining back the trust should be their focus instead of the current political gimmicks.
“There is a broken trust between the government and its citizens. That trust has to be rebuilt. And one of the actions that have to be rebuilt really needs to be with the finance minister. The finance minister has to be held accountable. It is a trust-building measure.”
“So whatever the government is going to do for us citizens to think that they are acting with credibility, they are serious about going forward, it has to be something that is substantial and definite and that’s why everybody says the Finance Minister. He is in charge of the economy, so he must be held accountable. I’m sure the other capable people can continue with the work”.
President Akufo-Addo says he is much aware of the difficulties Ghanaians are facing in the face of the current economic challenges.
Nana Akufo-Addo says government is working to mitigate the plight of the citizenry.
“I have seen the difficulties that our currency has been having. I have seen the difficulties and dramatic rise of price levels, significant rise in the cost of living and difficulties generally, in the manner the economy is rising”, he said.
Speaking to journalists at the Jubilee House, Nana Akufo-Addo said he will need the support of all.
“We have to understand that, all sectors and actors of the economy either on the side of management, labour and workers have to find a way of balancing the various considerations so that we can all progress and continue hopefully in building a stronger economy.”
Ghana’s economic indicators keep worsening.
The Ghana cedi for instance has seen a huge depreciation as it has lost close to 50 percent of its value since the beginning of the year.
Bloomberg has also rated the currency the worst-performing worldwide after considering a basket of 148 currencies worldwide.
Ghana’s inflation for September 2022 stands at 37.2 percent while Producer Price Inflation for the same month has risen to 45.5 percent putting majority of Ghanaians in a tight situation because their purchasing power keeps reducing amidst poor salaries.
Prices of food items are high, coupled with the increasing cost of transportation.
On the labour front, workers are demanding better working conditions. Manufacturers are also adopting ways to cut down on operations in the wake of these economic difficulties.
There are ongoing discussions between the government of Ghana and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a US$ 3 million bailout to salvage the economic downturn.
The President and his cabinet have begun a retreat to deliberate on the economy as government’s negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) nears completion.
The President for the past days engaged relevant stakeholders on how best torevive the economy.
Meanwhile, Nana Akufo-Addo will on Sunday, October 30, 2022, address the nation on the current economic situation in the country.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said the cedi appreciation is due to the calls for the removal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, since the minority filed a motion to have Ken Ofori-Atta removed, Ghanaians have regained confidence that action has been taken to curb the economic crisis.
“Because of this motion, you know what has happened to the state of our Cedi. Just because people are given confidence that action is being taken, the Cedi gained some value, and parliament should be commended. It climbed from about 16 to a dollar to around 13, which is a serious gain for this country, and it’s because there is some confidence being given to the people that action is being taken to rectify the wrongs. Please let’s play our role properly and effectively, and at the end of the day, we’ll all benefit,” he told MPs on Thursday.
On October 27, the speaker of parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin admitted the minority’s Censure Motion filed against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
This comes after Members of Parliament on the Minority side signed their signatories to a motion for a vote of censure on Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, filed on Monday.
The Minority cites the overall mismanagement of the economy and ethical concerns, among others.
The motion was filed a day before Parliament resumed recess.
The admission of the motion is contained in the Order Paper of Parliament, issued on Thursday, October 27, 2022.
The House is expected to organize “a secret vote” to censure the Minister. This is scheduled for November 10, 2022.
The Member of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs demanding the dismissal of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has said that had it not been for the Coronavirus and the Russia-Ukraine war, the minister would have been one of the most glorified ministers in the sub-region.
In the view of the MP, who is the Chairman of the Health Committee of Parliament, Ken Ofori-Atta has performed wonderfully, insisting that the growth of the economy and the direction of the economy was on the right trajectory before the global disasters.
He, however, said that in spite of the wonderful work the finance minister has done on the economy, Ghanaians are going through difficult times, the reason for which there is a push for his dismissal.
Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye also likened Ghanaians to the Israelites of the biblical times, when they rejected God any time they went through difficulties.
He added that although the MPs acknowledge Ken Ofori-Atta’s sterling performance, they are only acting upon the instruction of their constituents.
“We represent the people and we must act upon their demand. But for COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War, I am sure Ken would have been one of the most glorified ministers in Africa because the growth of the economy and the direction of the economy was on the right trajectory.
“Working with people is difficult because when things are going well, they won’t complain, but the moment things get difficult, they forget all the good works you have done for them. It’s just like how ungrateful the Israelites were to God in spite of all the things God did for them. In difficult times, they rejected God even to the extent of worshiping idols.
“So, the only way to satisfy our constituents is to act upon their demand of getting Ken Ofori-Atta sacked. They won’t listen to anything you tell them,” he told the Morning show host of Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV, Kwesi Parker-Wilson, in an interview.
He also added that if there are signs of economic recovery, they (the MPs) will abandon the call for the dismissal of the finance minister.
“Yes, we acceded to the president’s appeal so if after the 3 weeks, the economy is doing well, and everyone is talking about it we won’t push through with demand for his dismissal,” he added.
A comprehensive report that looked at equity and governance as far as the distribution of Coronavirus vaccines are concerned in Ghana has been launched.
Titled “Monitoring Compliance of Ghana’s National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) and Citizens’ COVID-19 Vaccination Experience,” the SEND GHANA report assessed compliance of Ghana’s National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) and the equitable uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines.
With a focus on how health workers and teachers in particular adhered to the protocols set out for the vaccination of Ghanaians, the report found that many people were satisfied with the processes and had little complains.
Speaking to the media right after the report was launched in Accra, the Deputy Country Director of SEND GHANA, Dr. Emmanuel Ayifah, explained that the challenges from the global impacts of the novel Coronavirus influenced this report.
“All of us know that 2020 was a bad year globally because of COVID, and Ghana as a country put in place certain measures to contain the spread of the virus. One key thing that was done, of course, was vaccination.
“So, what SEND GHANA, in partnership with PTF did, was to monitor the COVID vaccinations. We have what is called the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP), which is protocol that has to be followed, and so we sought to monitor to see to what extent health personnel at vaccination centers were actually following NDVP.
“Another was also to assess citizens who have gone to vaccinate, their experiences as to how the vaccination went; whether they were satisfied or otherwise, and once we did that, we also had to focus on certain specific groups: health workers and teachers,” he said.
He also explained that it had been established, from the report, that many beneficiaries of the vaccination in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions (where the findings were done), were averagely satisfied with the professionalism of health workers.
“You remember that during the COVID, health workers and teachers were prioritized in terms of vaccination. So, we wanted to also find out to what extent the vaccination did well. What we established, in terms of the findings and some key recommendations, was that generally, citizens we interviewed during the exit interview session, were very satisfied as far as COVID vaccination was concerned,” he added.
Dr. Emmanuel Ayifah further said that from the findings in this report, SEND GHANA has recommended to the Ghana Health Service to employ the use of a messaging strategy that aims at protecting people’s families and friends.
He said that with such a strategy, more people, like they did during the vaccination for the COVID-19, would be willing to participate.
The SEND GHANA report was done with funding support from the Partnership for Transparency Fund (TFP).
The report also looked at an assessment of citizens experiences, opinions and motivations for vaccinations; vaccination uptake among prioritized groups using data from COVID-19 vaccination database; the adherence to vaccination safety protocols; the distribution of cold chain and logistics; as well as the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among health workers and teachers.
The report also focused on eight districts in the Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions (four for each) and involved exit interviews from a total of 677 people between the ages of 20 and 60 plus years.
Calls for the sack or the resignation of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, have been relentless over the past few weeks, with even Members of Parliament (MPs) of his own party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), joining the calls.
One of the names that have come up as a possible replacement for Ken Ofori Atta should President Akufo-Addo heed the calls for his sack or should he resign from his post, is Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah.
Even though Dr. Assibey-Yeboah has been an ardent critic of the Akufo-Addo government, some Ghanaians including broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere have said that he (Assibey-Yeboah) is considered as the favourite among the rank and file of the NPP to replace Ken Ofori-Atta.
Dr. Assibey-Yeboah has, on a number of occasions, criticised the implementation of a number of policies of the Akufo-Addo government, including the Free Senior High School and the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy). Prior to Ghana returning to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah warned of harsh economic conditions and therefore called on the government to resort to the Fund at an earlier time ahead of its July 1, 2022 decision.
Who is Dr. Assibey-Yeboah?
Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah is a Ghanaian politician and member of the 6th and 7th Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana (from 2013 to 2021), representing the New Juaben South Constituency in the Eastern Region on the ticket of NPP.
He is a Christian and was born on March 2, 1974. He comes from Obo-Kwahu, a town in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region of Ghana.
During his term as an MP, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah served as the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament. During his tenure as chair, he led many engagements toward sound economic indicators of government and was noted for demanding accountability from the government. He was also a member of the Sports Committee of the 6th Parliament.
Before venturing into politics, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah was a lecturer between 2009 and 2010 at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), a senior economist at the Bank of Ghana between 2011 and 2012 and a lecturer at the Ghana Technology University College from 2011 to 2012.
He had also previously worked as a lecturer at the University of Tennessee and as an adjunct faculty at Milligan College – both in the United States of America. He was also a board member of the ADB Bank Ghana from August 2018 – 2021.
He is a member of the American Economic Association.
Educational background of Dr Assibey-Yeboah
The former MP attended Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Legon and the Ghana Secondary School, Koforidua, where he obtained his GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level, respectively.
Dr. Assibey-Yeboah holds a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Economics degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He also holds an MS (Agricultural and Resource Economics) from the University of Delaware, USA.
He also holds an MA and a PhD, both in Economics from the University of Tennessee, USA specialising in International Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics and Econometrics.
Some of his research work has been published in reputable journals, including the Economic Record, the International Journal for Finance and Economics, the Journal for International Trade and Economic Development, and The North American Journal of Economics and Finance.
The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Ghana, Amer Al Alawi, has refuted reports that Ghana and 19 other African Countries have been barred by his government from entering Dubai.
According to him, reports of the ban are mere rumours because his office has not received any official communication on it yet.
“There is nothing official regarding the rumours in the news. There is no official statement from my government or the other governments.
“So, our daily work routine is the same, it hasn’t changed. Until we find or receive an announcement or an official statement, we can’t talk about it.
“There is nothing. Maybe there is something under process but I can’t assure you,” Amer Al Alawi told the media on the side-lines of a tree planting event to symbolise 50 years of diplomatic ties between the UAE and Ghana.
The ambassador added that the UAE has rather made the process for applying for visas more flexible to make Dubai and other parts of the UAE easily accessible to Ghanaians and other nationals.
His comments come after reports indicated that the UAE had banned nationals of Ghana and 19 other African countries from entering its capital city, Dubai, effective Monday, October 24, 2022.
“The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a visa ban on nationalities from 20 African countries seeking to visit Dubai.
“Countries affected include Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, and Comoros. The ban takes immediate effect,” parts of a Facebook post shared by DW Africa on Monday read.
DW Africa stated that one of the reasons for the ban was that most nationals from the 20 countries always fail to leave Dubai after their visas have expired.
Former Managing Director of Stanbic Bank, Naa Alhassan Andani has called for the consumption of locally produced foods.
He further explained to be able to produce sufficient foods locally, the government needs to put in place the right infrastructure in the agric sector.
The infrastructure he said, should include storage facilities and water systems to ensure year-long farming
“solid infrastructure, storage system, water system, all of it have to be there. when I talk about infrastructure, I am not just talking about physical but scientific and market infrastructure,” he said.
He further indicated that “let us consume what we produce, that is number defender.”
He further observed that the agric sector of the Ghanaian economy and other parts of Africa has been exposed by global happenings.
He indicated that Ghanaians consume more than they produce locally. This means a lot more foreign exchange earnings are required to bring in additional food supplies to feed the people.
When the exchange rate is affected, he said, it means food supply is heavily affected thereby creating difficulties for Ghanaians.
“This event could not be happening at a better time and I hope our panelists will elevate the conversation to the level of state and to the level of global coordination.
“Agriculture is probably one gifted industry to Ghana, to Africa, not all of Africa, Ghana, When the fundamentals are weak the exchange rate will expose you.
“On this one in agriculture the fundamentals are that everything we consume in this country, we consume more of our agricultural product in this country than we produce. Therefore for the surplus that you consume you have to bring from outside.
“What do you need? You need foreign exchange and when the foreign exchange is not there the fundamentals will expose you. So I think today’s Ghana and the world economy has exposed us in terms of the way we are organized in our agricultural sector.”
Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah is currently topping trends on social media platform; Twitter, after he broke the silence on the cedi depreciation.
This comes after many Ghanaians took to social media to react to the high cost of living and the lack of government effort to curb the cedi depreciation.
On the Interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana on October 24, 2022, the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 12.5244 and a selling price of 12.5370.
However, on October 24, the information minister revealed that the government is engaged is in a series of consultations with relevant stakeholders in the financial sector to solve the issue of the cedi depreciation.
Aside from that, the Economic Management Team, chaired by Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, will also hold a series of meetings with other stakeholders, Asaaseradio.com adds.
This consultation will end with a cabinet retreat, after which the president will address the nation with steps taken to solve the current economic hardship.
Following these revelations, the information minister has topped Twitter trends as many have expressed mixed reactions to this development.
Pharuk FK posted “I’m certain that Kojo Oppong Nkrumah in his private moments will have regrets being the minister of information now. The most difficult job in Ghana now is attempting to defend this government.”
Another user said “The hardest job on earth today is being an information minister to Akufo Addo’s government. Man will say shit then they’ll ask you to come and clarify. I pity Oppong Nkrumah. His credibility gone all in the name of being a minister.”
Here are some of the tweets:
Oppong Nkrumah and the NPP are waiting for cocoa Syndicate loan to stabilise the cedi for 2 weeks max! This loan is a great canker! Oppong Nkrumah is gradually becoming a clown in the face of Ghanaians. He will realise it when he is out of power! @NAkufoAddo
The hardest job on earth today is being an information minister to Akufo Addo’s government. Man will say shit then they’ll ask you to come and clarify. I pity Oppong Nkrumah. His credibility gone all in the name of being a minister.
So wait ooh, Does this mean Ghana as a country don’t have any gold reserve? Other countries that don’t even produce gold do have reserves. If we had a reserve,I think it would have helped us a lot as a country in times like this. ???????? The NPP NDC Len Ofori Atta Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
I can’t believe this. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Joy FM, rattled like a Parrot on the deficiencies of the NDC/JDM. It was bcs he said he cld defend the incompetence of Akufo Addo, that was why Hamid was removed & he given the position. How can he be tired now? What a shame. https://t.co/S61kW6X9Sp
Abraham Odoom, a former deputy local government minister has said the country needs to depoliticise food production.
Odoom said the country will suffer greatly if it messes up its food economy.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (25 October) he said, “For me, if there is one thing that should be depoliticised, it is food production … we mess up our food economy, we will all suffer for it.“
He added, “Food security for me has an essential basis in producing what you eat and eating that which you produce. If we can ensure this, it will benefit us for generations.”
“Ghana must start doing something unusual if we want to kick start a renaissance in terms of our taste for foreign goods adding that “Nigeria is a typical example … They eat their rice above all else”.
He said the country needs to be innovative and revisit the School Feeding Programme.
“School Feeding is something that we need to revisit … We can use the School Feeding Programme to re-engineer the local economy for our farmers. The biggest issue we face is a lack of innovation.”
“Change our mindset”
The former deputy minister said the current global challenges present a good opportunity for Ghanaians to appreciate and consume local food products.
“The mind is the greatest asset that we have … When the mindset of the people towards their own products changes then drastic gains will be made.”
“We talk about [changing our] taste on end to no avail. But this current global crisis has brought to the fore the need to have a national conversation on changing our taste to conform with what we have,” he added.
Odoom said policymakers need to take every opportunity they are proffered with to focus on local food production.
“This crisis presents an opportunity for Ghanaians to change our taste in the face of global food inflation,” he said.
There have been several arguments and refutations throughout the years regarding the practicality of this and its applicability to the nation’s present political climate.
Despite this, there have been mavericks and unusual traditional leaders who have broken the law in order to pursue their own “things.”
“I think it’s high time we as a people tone down on unnecessary speculations. Government admits times are hard, and it’s not only in Ghana. It’s a global phenomenon. Not a single country across the world is spared. So let’s tone down a bit. We’re not doing our economy any good by speculating. The panic reaction to the exchange rate is as a result of our usual ‘noise making’ which in the long run will do us no good.”
Sounding hopeful, he added that a country’s economic performance could influence the exchange rate, regardless, there’s hope.
“I want to assure Ghanaians that all is not lost. Just as there’s a rise, there could be a fall in the exchange rate. But for now, let us tone down. It’s a sure way to get our economy back in shape, he stressed.
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana says a review of government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) is long overdue.
The Agric Minister recently revealed that government has so far spent GH¢2.6 billion on the program and touted the success of the program.
But that claim has been challenged as food inflation continues to soar, while government figures indicate 6.4 million Ghanaians are food insecure.
Speaking to Citi News, Head of Programmes and Advocacy for the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Charles Nyaba believes the Finance Ministry finds the Planting for Food and Jobs unsustainable hence the need for a review.
“The intentions the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has for the Planting for Food and Jobs were not implemented by the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry did not release money for them.”
“Per our conversations with the policymakers in the Ministries, it suggests that the Planting for Food and Jobs is not sustainable, the budget does not support that. So it has to be reviewed in a way that the Ministry of Finance does not pump more money into it. We do not think it is the way to go.”
“We think there could have been a better way of going about it. We could have considered better ways of improving the implementation of the programme. This is the time we need to invest in the Agricultural sector.”
Charles Nyaba has also been explaining to Citi News how the current economic situation is affecting farmers.
“When you take 2021 for instance, we were getting to plough an acre for something between GH¢120 to GH¢150. This year it is going for GH¢250 to GH¢300. These increases have affected us badly.”
A member of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project, Rev. Joyce Aryee, is optimistic Ghana’s economic crisis will not stop donations to the project.
At a press conference to announce a call centre for Ghanaians to seek answers on the project such as how to make donations, a member of the board of trustees, Rev. Aryee, said she did not expect the economic hardship to persist in the long term.
“Human beings are so resilient. I am 76. I have lived through worse economic times in our country, therefore, I know economic times are as transient as the seasons of life.”
“God has a way of touching our lives in ways that sometimes we don’t understand. We are still going to church, aren’t we? And we are still making donations, aren’t we? But times are difficult and that’s what gives me hope that, never mind how difficult times are, some people will willingly support,” she added.
She further indicated that the call centre is expected to improve the relationship between the public and the cathedral.
Construction work on the National Cathedral was suspended because of a lack of funds.
The $450 million project was envisioned by the government in March 2017 as a physical embodiment of national unity, harmony, and spirituality.
It remains unclear how much has been pumped into the project from donations and government support.
As of June 2022, various church denominations had contributed GH¢2.21 million towards the construction.
President Akufo-Addo says he is hopeful the outcome of the International Monetary Fund ( IMF) negotiations would tackle the high cost of living in the country.
He admitted the cost of living was high but was optimistic that the package of measures which would accompany the IMF programme would address the economic issues successfully and reduce the hardship on Ghanaians.
“Yes we are going through difficulties but at the same time we trying to do well in other areas, the fundamentals of government policy is working. We have about 120 One District, One Factory completed and 300 of them in the pipeline,” he said.
President, Akufo- Addo made these statements at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region on Friday when he spoke to the media as part of his three-day tour of the Eastern Region.
Speaking on concerns made by some persons to review the free Senior High School (SHS) policy, the President said he was a bit skeptical about it.
He argued “I have to confess my attitude when I hear the word review I hesitate because, first people who spoke about the review are people who opposed the policy in the first place and so if someone who did not want the policy comes to tell us that we should review it then my understanding is that he is to review the policy to reverse it.”
According to the President, the two fundamental thrust of the policy which was to expand access that has been dramatically achieved.
“The other was to include quality outcomes of education and I must say The outcomes of the free SHS graduates are a major improvement on the free SHS data that we have whether it is mathematics or integrated science, english across the board.”
President Akufo-Addo added that each of these areas of study has seen a significant increase in the results of the students.
President Akufo-Addo said reviewing these two thrusst of the policy and the improvement made will somehow be compromised, adding the country cannot tamper with the two fundamentals.
He said “as a country, we have ensured that nobody in the country, no matter their social origin and financial background should be denied access to good quality secondary education and added that for the past five years, the implementation of the policy has been established.”
He indicated that so far, his government have been able to financially sustain the free SHS policy and would continue to sustain it.
The President later attended an official opening of the NPP National Executives and directors Training and Orientation Conference at Rock City in the Abetifi Constituency.
He then proceeded to Nkawkaw to inspect the construction of the Nkawkaw-Abirem- Ofoase -Akim Oda road Project.
President Akufo Addo later paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Ofoase, inspected the construction of the Ofoase-Ayirebi Agenda 111 hospital project and departed to Akyem Asuboa in the Asene Manso Akroso constituency to inspect a similar project.
The company behind the “Remember Me” political advertisement of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2020, which has become a subject of recent conversations, has come out to refute claims that they deceived and paid their actors only GH₵300.
According to Riverblade Intuition, there appears to be an intentional plot by one of the models, Nicholas Teye, a former beneficiary of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCo), to misrepresent the facts of the matter.
He claimed that Nicholas and 31 others, most of whom were not lucky enough to have had their pictures selected, each received GH₵500 as well as transportation of GH₵50 each.
He added that the total amount paid to all of them came to GH₵17,050.
He also refuted the claim that the actors had not been given the full details of what they were in for.
“First of all, a simulated design of the billboard adverts was shown to him repeatedly during the photoshoot to get his expression and acting. Also, the intended purpose for his photos was expressly stated in the release form he signed before the shoot began,” Roman Boakye Gyinae, the Creative Chief and Director of Strategy at Riverblade Intuition, said, a report by mynewsgh.com stated.
Earlier, GhanaWeb reported that Nicholas Teye had claimed that he was only paid GH₵300 for the photos he took.
He added that his life is currently under threat because his face was splashed on the billboards without his knowledge.
Speaking to TV3 in an interview, Nicholas stated that people blame him for the current economic hardship facing Ghanaians, as they believe that he also campaigned for the governing party.
The SHS teacher stated that he has had to even disguise himself by wearing a nose mask and a cap whenever he wants to go out of his home, for fear of being noticed and attacked.
“My major challenge is the threat. So, any time I have to go out, I have to put on a nose mask and sometimes a cap.
“Sometimes, I will be in the room, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday without going out because I am afraid if I step out, I don’t know what will happen to me. The moment they see you [sic] they are angry and they want to beat you because you are part of the reasons why they are suffering. Sometimes they will call you and threaten you.
“Sometimes my wife will tell me where I am going, if I have the money, I should take Uber,” Teye narrated.
Riverblade Intuition also explained that the advertisements under the “Remember Me” campaign for the NPP had more than 85million impaction online, influencing voter decisions through the use of emotive themes.
Film Producer and Founder of Pidgen Music, Panji Marc Owooh Anoff, popularly known as Panji Anoff has described Nigeria’s rise in showbiz to their level of support and appreciation of talents as compared to Ghanaians.
“Nigerians are more appreciative of talents than Ghanaians,” Panji asserted.
Speaking on Showbiz A-Z with George Quaye, Panji further opined that it will take a long time for Ghana to reach the level of Nigeria and South Africa when it comes to the reach of Afrobeats.
“Nigerians and South Africans are going to lead the Afrobeats charge because they have the structures and the population”, he enunciated.
The London-born Ghanaian was quick to add that afrobeat is the music genre which can take African sound to the global stage.
“Afrobeats is our biggest window of opportunity to get unto the world stage,” he concluded.
Panji also responded to questions about the evolution of Ghanaian music.
Television show host, Kwaku Sintim-Misa, popularly known as KSM has urged Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to as a matter of urgency resign for another financial manager to take over the affairs of the economy.
He averred that President Akufo-Addo has refused to sack Ofori-Atta despite calls by a section of Ghanaians for him to be fired.
KSM in a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb opined that it’s about time a competent financial manager takes charge to stabilize the wobbling economy.
“Advice to Ken Ofori-Atta. Bra Ken, it is obvious the President cannot and will not fire you. Please do him and GH a favour and respectfully resign for a competent financial manager to take charge. I am sure that the financial markets will react positively to the news,” his tweet read.
It would be recalled that Bloomberg on Thursday, October 20, 2022, reported that Ghana’s local currency – the cedi – depreciated in value by 9.6%.
This, the news portal said, makes the total loss of the cedi in 2022 almost 52%, the highest recorded in 22 years.
The free fall of the cedi now places the currency at the 148 position of worst-performing currencies in the world.
Meanwhile, Ghana is targeting an amount of $3 billion over a three-year period from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) once an agreement on a programme is reached.
The new amount requested as a loan is double the government’s initial target of $1.5 billion.
The IMF programme is aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability and safeguarding debt sustainability among many others.
Bra Ken, it is OBVIOUS the President CANNOT and WILL NOT fire you. PLEASE do him and GH a favor and respectfully resign for a COMPETENT FINANCIAL MANGER to take charge. I am sure that the financial markets will react POSITIVELY to the news. ????????
Ghanaians have vented their frustration on the government, accusing the authorities of being incompetent, as a result of the country’s crippling economic situation.
In a video sighted by GhanaWeb, some residents can be heard booing the president and his entourage as they drive on a stretch riddled with potholes in a town reported to be Akyem Akroso, in the Eastern Region.
The president received boos due to the appalling condition of the area’s roads, according to a Twitter user going by the name @PrinceHenry_PHK.
Skyrocketing fuel prices, ever-increasing food market prices, bad roads, and a high cost of living among other factors have driven Ghanaians to resort to booing the president at any given chance.
The first time was at the Global Citizen Festival, an international event held at Ghana’s Independence Square, where he was jeered as he took the platform to make his speech.
The incident drew a lot of criticism, with some chastising the youth and labelling them impolite for engaging in such behavior on an international platform.
A few days ago, while the president toured the Ashanti region to commission some projects, several market women and men also booed at him and his entourage as they drove through Adum.
The number of times Ghanaians have publicly shown their anger with the current administration in recent weeks now stands at three following the most recent booing episode in the Eastern region.
The Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has served notice to persons who are yet to complete their SIM registration process to do so before October 30.
According to her, some Ghanaians have been able to complete the first stage of the registration but are yet to complete the process with their biometric details.
These persons she noted, should take advantage of the SIM self-registration app to complete the process or risk having their SIM cards blocked.
In a release sighted by GhanaWeb on October 21, 2022, she said: It is however disconcerting that almost 10 million people who have linked their SIM Cards to their Ghana Cards (i.e. completed Stage 1 registration) have not completed their Stage 2 registration.
“There is no excuse for this since these individuals have their Ghana Cards, have started the process, and had ample opportunity to fully register their SIM Cards, including through the use of the self-registration app which is the first of its kind in the world,” she added.
Read the full release below:
PRESS STATEMENT ON SIM REGISTRATION EXERCISE
I commend the millions of Ghanaians and non-Ghanaian residents in Ghana who have diligently registered their SIM Cards in accordance with the SIM Registration directives since the process commenced on 1st October 2021.
The primary objective of the SIM Registration exercise, as we have continually emphasized, is to protect us all against fraud, promote our collective security and advance our transformational digital agenda.
Mobile phones and SIM-enabled devices have become essential livelihood tools and underpin many digital innovations we find indispensable, but despite the immense benefits of modern digital technology, there are also significant risks, some of which we are seeking to mitigate through the SIM registration exercise.
We must ensure a safe digital ecosystem for us all. Government has no intention of just inconveniencing or overburdening citizens or depriving them of the use of their SIM Card enabled devices.
The good news is that despite the challenges that this exercise has encountered, including challenges with the acquisition of Ghana Cards, we have chalked significant successes we should be proud of. Between 1st October 2021 and 4th October 2022;
• 28,959,006 SIM Cards have been linked to Ghana Cards (Stage 1 registration); representing 67.28% of the 42,749,662 total SIM cards issued nationally
• 18,930,664 SIM Cards have been fully registered (Completed both Stages 1 and 2) – representing 44.28% of the total SIM cards issued. This equates to 69.64% of all Stage 1 registrations.
• 13,720,687 unique Counts of Ghana Cards have been used so far for the registration exercise
While we have not yet achieved our target, by every measurable yardstick and against the challenges that we have as a developing economy, this is quite an achievement. 14 million Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians can sleep safely, comforted by the fact that their 18.8 million SIM Cards are safe and secure. We have made good progress, and this is a collective gain that we must celebrate.
It is however disconcerting that almost 10 million people who have linked their SIM Cards to their Ghana Cards (i.e. completed Stage 1 registration) have not completed their Stage 2 registration. There is no excuse for this since these individuals have their Ghana Cards, have started the process and had ample opportunity to fully register their SIM Cards, including through the use of the self registration app which is the first of its kind in the world.
There may be some who are opposed to the SIM Card registration exercise for either ideological, philosophical, or political reasons. Let me just remind them that they may be exercising their right to opt-out of this exercise but all actions have consequences. All unregistered SIMs will be deactivated. Regulation 1(b) of the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Regulations, 2011 (L.I 2006) states that “A network operator or service provider shall not activate a Subscriber Identity Module for a subscriber unless the subscriber complies with the directives given by the Authority under the Act and the National Communications Authority Act, 2008, (Act 769) on the registration of Subscriber Identity Module.”
This imposes a legal obligation on all Network Operators to activate ONLY SIMs registered in the manner prescribed by the NCA on their network. Any SIM which is not duly registered in accordance with NCA directives cannot be activated on any network in Ghana.
The Authority, NCA, therefore, has the power to issue DIRECTIVES detailing the entire procedure for SIM registration and to impose penalties/sanctions for noncompliance with the Directives.
As a responsible government, we will ensure that they enforce the law to the letter.
We also acknowledge that some of our citizens have had difficulties obtaining Ghana Cards to enable them undertake their SIM registration, although 1.3 million Ghanaians have also been issued their Ghana cards but have not collected them. This is regrettable and we will continue to engage the National Identification Authority to expedite the process.
At the end of July 2022, I announced a two-month extension of the deadline for registration to 30 September 2022. Following consultation with the industry, I hereby announce the following:
1. All SIM Cards that have been linked to Ghana Cards (i.e. completed Stage 1 registration), but have not completed their Stage 2 registration will be blocked from the end of October. This is not an extension of the deadline but a temporary moratorium to encourage these individuals to complete the process. If they have any peculiar challenges, they should contact the NCA.
These good people have the Ghana card, have started the process, and will be encouraged to complete it with this gentle reminder. All other unregistered SIMs will also be blocked progressively.
2. The NCA is in discussions with the NIA on registered amputees and other categories of persons and will make an announcement shortly on arrangements made to accommodate them. The provision made earlier for SIMs active outside Ghana and diplomats still stands.
3. All data-only SIMs including those issued by Surfline, Busy Internet, Telesol, and any institution such as ECG, have up to the end of November to complete registration.
4. Some people have registered more than ten (10) SIM Cards for personal use and the database has identified it and will clean it up. They should, as a matter of urgency, delink the unwanted SIM Cards immediately because any excess SIM Cards over the individual limit of 10 SIMs per person will be removed from the database and blocked.
This will also address issues of pre-registered SIMS. Let me remind all SIM card vendors that it is an offense to pre-register and sell SIM cards. The NCA has been directed to conduct mystery shopping and enforce the law against those miscreants. If found guilty, they could be imprisoned for up to 5 years.
Let me conclude by stating that the government is fully committed to ensuring that we have a safe digital ecosystem underpinning our collective cybersecurity. A successful SIM Card registration exercise is an essential part of this goal and I therefore appeal to us all to put our national interest first and do the right thing for this country.
As we celebrate our successes on the SIM Card registration, the government will continue to uphold its commitment to protect all citizens. We encourage all of us to live up to our obligations to each other and to the state. We need your cooperation to ensure that this essential SIM Card registration exercise succeeds.
Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has urged Ghanaians not to panic over the high depreciation of the Cedi.
The woes of the Ghana Cedi continue to deepen as the currency has depreciated further about GHC14.50 to 1$ less than a day after reaching GHC13.5 to 1$ on October 20.
This is equivalent to about 13% depreciation in only four days of this week.
But Ken Ofori Atta believes the economy will bounce back soon and the Cedi stabilized following measures being put in place by the government.
“…It is a bit perplexing but as you know, typically we go to market at the beginning of the year and get our 2 billion, this we were not able to do. We were able to get our 750 from AfroExim and in the summer – August or so things stabilized a bit. Then we moved on traditionally as we do with the ASL (Annual Syndicated Loan) of COCOBOD and that came in very strongly. So it’s a bit perplexing to see where it’s going.”
“Of course, typically in October, people are importing for Christmas, and maybe there’s a rush for that. But my expectation is that once we also conclude with the Fund, that will lead to the Fund’s disbursement early next year. With the support we are getting from countries like Germany, France etcetera, we are confident that we’ll get the resources needed. So we really will want people not to panic or be rushing for that pressure on the currency. I think it is unnecessary and we are in good shape,” Mr Ofori Atta said in an interview in Washington.
Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has criticised the Akufo-Addo administration for engaging retirees in the public sector while qualified young persons are being overlooked.
For Mr Ablakwa, Ghana should not have such a high number of retirees in the public sector in the face of high youth unemployment made worse by the current economic crisis.
“A country facing record high unemployment as captured by the 2021 Population and Housing Census of 13.4% and 32.8% for those aged 15-24 which is further aggravated by the current debilitating economic crisis should not be keeping so many retirees on contract in the public service.
So far, I have counted hundreds of these retirees who have been engaged on multiple post-retirement contracts by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government when they should be home enjoying their pensions instead of denying many qualified young Ghanaians employment opportunities,” he stated.
He pointed out that in the Civil and Local Government Services alone, there are over 60 retirees on contract, while the number is high in other sectors. This, he stressed, is a barrier to persons interested in working in the public sector, stifles career progression and lowers morale among serving public sector workers.
“There are as many as 63 retirees on contract within the Civil and Local Government Services as of today, and even more than this number under other public sector categories.
Apart from serving as a blockade to prospective young Ghanaians with public sector ambitions, the phenomenon is stifling career progression and lowering morale in Ghana’s public sector,” he noted.
Ablakwa added that some of the contracts of these retirees are unconstitutional, asking that the president terminate the contracts of all the retirees.
“…Equally troubling — some of those contracts we are reviewing are palpably unconstitutional.
President Akufo-Addo must immediately terminate all these contracts, ensure he thanks our retirees for their dedicated service and endeavour to honour them with a befitting send-off and urgently fill the vacancies to be created through a transparent, credible and meritorious recruitment process for our suffering youth — as we demand that this time he eschews his reckless penchant for Family/Friends/Akonta shenanigans,” he concluded.
Several other persons, notably journalist Johnnie Hughes have complained about the issue of the engagement of retirees when younger qualified persons abound.
