Leader of the Republican Bloc for the Defence of the Constitution (BRDC), Crépin Mboli-Goumba, was detained at Bangui’s main airport as he attempted to leave the country, accompanied by his wife.
While his wife was released, Mr. Mboli-Goumba remains in custody, with the reason for his arrest undisclosed. Reports suggest they were heading to Douala, Cameroon, for medical reasons.
The arrest came amid tensions surrounding a property dispute involving Mr. Mboli-Goumba and the family of former president Andre Kolingba. Allegedly targeted by the judiciary, he had spoken out against a “legal mafia,” accusing Minister of State Arnaud Djoubaye Abazene of meddling in the dispute.
Known for his vocal criticism of President Faustin Archange Touadera’s government, Mr. Mboli-Goumba has also raised concerns about the presence of the Russian mercenary firm Wagner Group in CAR.
Despite the Ghana government’s Digital Ghana Agenda, several government agencies and departments continue to operate as if the winds of digitisation haven’t blown their way.
While many such government institutions continue to operate with absolutely no web presence at all, few others barely do, and even so, their websites are not fit for purpose.
The Digital Ghana Agenda seeks to digitise government services with up-to-date information, deploy a digital property addressing system, and institutionalise paperless port operations among others.
However, a search conducted by The Fourth Estate on the availability of information on the websites of randomly selected state institutions in Ghana revealed that some of the websites were poorly managed with dummy content and broken links among others.
The National Information Technology Agency (NITA), which is mandated to oversee the effective use of information and communications technology in government institutions, enjoins Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to “develop websites that contain informative and up-to-date content that is well-written, caters for the needs of a wide range of audiences, and is easily accessible.”
NITA also requires all MDAs/MMDAs to provide a minimum set of information such as policy documents, and legislative and sectorial documents to the public on their websites.
These are the bare minimum requirements, but most government agencies have failed to meet them, thereby frustrating the hundreds of people who visit their websites for current and quality information.
Broken links and dummy content
The website of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) lacked essential information, hindering users’ access to critical disaster-related data. Despite its pivotal role in disaster management, the website provided no statistics on disasters in Ghana although there was a tab named “datasets” on the website’s homepage.
A dataset is a collection of data, normally presented in a tabular format. Every column describes a particular variable.
On July 5, 2023, when The Fourth Estate visited the NADMO website, a click on the ‘datasets’ tab returned the user to the website’s home page. As of February 15, 2024, the situation was the same.
Similarly, the publication tab intended for reports led to a page titled “Our Yearly Activities“. On this page, three tabs World Civil Defence Day, World Humanitarian Day, and International Day for Disaster Reduction were displayed prominently. However, each of these tabs led to an error page, which simply said Not Found. The regional information tab on the NADMO website did not provide any significant data and is yet to capture the fact that Ghana now has 16 administrative regions – almost six years after the six new regions were created.
Screenshot of issues found on the NADMO website
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The website of the One District, One Factory (1D1F) Secretariat, is better than the NADMO website in terms of design. It offers a user-friendly interface, providing an overview of the total number of projects, factories, and registered companies. However, essential details such as a list of factories, their locations, and their operational status have not been provided. All the links that urge users to “see details” on the homepage only lead back to the homepage.
One would have expected the situation to be better with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation which oversees the country’s communication and digital infrastructure. When The Fourth Estate visited the ministry’s website, there was information that the ministry was running five projects: Girls-In-ICT, E-Transform, Digital Terrestrial Television, Eastern Corridor Fiber Optic Backbone, and Ghana Cares Obaatanpa Programme. For a long while, clicks on each of these project links led to pages with dummy content (placeholder text and/or images), which have nothing to do with projects.
Issues found on the Ministry of Communications’ website
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The website for the Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative provided statistics on school placement and enrollment. However, links concerning infrastructure projects, school feeding project extensions, and other essential information at the bottom of the homepage led to pages with dummy content, initially but now lead to error pages.
On February 15, 2024, The Fourth Estate found a revamped website for the Free SHS programme with an improved interface and design. However, there were lingering issues such as blank pages. (here, here and here).
Issues found on new Free SHS website
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Information accessibility and outdated information
In a data collection exercise, The Fourth Estate explored the Electoral Commission’s website seeking data on Ghana’s parliamentary and presidential election results from the past 12 years. However, only information on the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections was accessible as of February 15, 2024.
But on September 7, 2023, Thomas Mbomba’s details were absent from the homepage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. The team further gathered that Mavis Boadu had assumed the role of deputy minister in July, although this update was only reflected on the website later in September 2023.
The website of the National Road Safety Authority was inaccessible in August 2023 leading to a page with an inscription, “Sorry! If you are the owner of this website, please contact the hosting provider: webmaster@nsra.gov.gh.”
However, on January 25, 2024, the same website was found to be active. Nevertheless, some defects persisted. The “Geo View” tab within the “Statistics” menu, aimed to offer regional statistics on road accidents, only displayed a regional map of Ghana, without the specific regional statistics on road accidents.
Issues found on the new website of the National Road Safety Authority
Similar problems were encountered in accessing the petroleum downstream documents. Aside the Fiscal Provisions link which leads to a PDF document, the links under Laws, Regulations and Enabling Acts did not lead to any content. Another search for the website in January 2024 resulted in a security threat warning.
The National Commission for Civic Education made available well-organised annual reports, even providing access to reports dating back to the 1990s. However, reports from 2006 to 2010 were missing from the website. The most recent report accessible was from 2022.
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Annual reports on the NCCEs website
The Ghana National Fire Service’s website provides two links named “Acquiring Fire Certificates”, one within the fire safety tab at the top homepage and the other beneath the homepage. The first link led to a page with the inscription “file not found” whereas the second tab provided detailed steps on how to acquire a fire certificate.
Additionally, a link meant to provide information on types of fire extinguishers was unresponsive.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission is another state institution that had missing reports on its website. Annual reports from 2009 to 2015 were unavailable on the website. The latest annual report was from 2022.
Furthermore, a “Lodge a Complaint” link redirected users to a different website, justanswer.com, featuring content unrelated to Ghana’s legal authority.
Other attempts to access the same “Lodge a complaint” link led to various unrelated pages, including a Shutterstock page and another platform showcasing complaints from Nigeria and the US. In a follow-up visit, the same consumer complaint tab led to a form affiliated with the Judicial Service.
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Issues found on the lodge a complaint tab on the Judicial Service’s website
The former, hosted by NITA, only had content on scholarship notices while links such as events, technology, education, and community lacked information. Social media links on the website redirected users to Facebook and Twitter pages named Jegtheme unrelated to the secretariat.
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Issues found scholarship secretariat.gov.gh
The About Us page also lacked substantial information about the Secretariat and contained dummy text.
Similarly, a search for the Ministry of Trade and Industry website on August 25, 2023, led to https://moti.gov.gh/home, featuring an obsolete interface and content. Despite Alan Kyeremanten’s resignation as the sector minister on January 3, 2003, his name and image were displayed on the website’s homepage. Pages such as news and publications and the Deputy Minister of Trade had no content.
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Issues found on first Moti website
However, a follow-up search on September 4, 2023, revealed another website, https://moti.gov.gh/v2/, with more appealing features and current information.
It was apparent that the ministry had two websites – one with outdated information and the other with current information and more appealing features. The findings were the same when The Fourth Estate visited both websites in January and February 2024.
In response to The Fourth Estate’s findings, Mr Solomon Richardson, Director of Technical Services at NITA, explained that the existence of double websites could stem from the past practice of private entities hosting websites for institutions. Currently, NITA hosts approximately 90% of these websites, which use gov.gh in their domain names.
Updated Websites
The Bank of Ghana’s website stands out for being regularly updated with essential documents, reports and news. Its user-friendly interface makes the website easy to navigate.
Software Engineer Justice Selorm Bruce, in an interview with The Fourth Estate, bemoaned the frustrating experience encountered on the websites of numerous state institutions. According to him, it denies citizens their right to access crucial information.
He entreated state institutions to be more proactive in making information available and also in addressing technical hitches that hinder the accessibility of information.
NITA’s response
Mr Solomon Richardson, the Director of Technical Services at NITA, pointed out that the duty of updating websites falls under the purview of the communication and public affairs units within the various departments and agencies.
“The website is supposed to be owned by the communication or public relations unit. Every information over there [sic] is owned by the public relations and communication unit of whichever institution it is. Because that is your public station for the information you are communicating so they should be able to know that they have a problem,” he noted.
Regarding sanctions for state institutions whose websites violate NITA’s guidelines and standards, the agency said it is working on incorporating new sanctions in its Legislative Instrument currently undergoing stakeholder engagements.
The Fourth Estate contacted all the institutions with identified website issues through letters and emails in October 2023 but is yet to receive any response from them.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has asserted that drawing comparisons between the Akufo-Addo government and the Mahama government in terms of education is akin to comparing day and night.
During the debate following the State of the Nation Address on February 29, he highlighted that, apart from Kwame Nkrumah, no Ghanaian president or government has invested in education as significantly as the Akufo-Addo government.
He remarked, “With the exception of Kwame Nkrumah, no Ghanaian president or government has invested in education as much as the Akufo-Addo government. Certainly, in the fourth republic, no government has invested in education as much as the Akufo-Addo government, and certainly, a comparison between the Akufo-Addo government and the Mahama government when it comes to education is like day and night.”
President Akufo-Addo delivered his State of the Nation Address on February 27, 2024, providing updates on various sectors, including security, governance, education, health, infrastructure, and anti-corruption efforts.
The Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has underscored natural gas as a pivotal resource for fueling extensive industrialization in Africa and narrowing the poverty divide with the global community.
According to Dr. Opoku Prempeh, African governments must play a pivotal role in financing the development of natural gas resources to ensure their sustainability.
He advocated mobilizing funds through local financial institutions and collaborative efforts among African nations.
During the Gas Day session of the Nigeria International Energy Summit on February 29, the Energy Minister proposed leveraging the African Energy Bank, supported by Ghana and expected to be headquartered there.
This bank could secure competitive financing for accelerated natural gas projects, research and development infrastructure, and processing, transportation, and transformation of natural resources.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh highlighted Africa’s substantial gas reserves, led by Nigeria with over 200 trillion cubic feet, and others like Mozambique, Angola, Senegal, and Cameroon in the sub-Saharan region.
Ghana, actively exploring and developing its oil and gas resources sustainably, anticipates ongoing investment in natural gas infrastructure over the next decade.
The Energy Minister stressed the importance of adequate infrastructure for processing, storage, transportation, and transformation of natural gas resources to meet market demands.
He commended initiatives such as Dangote’s 650,000 barrels per day oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Nigeria, along with Ghana’s recent commissioning of a hundred barrels per day oil refinery.
Ongoing projects in Ghana, including the Tema LNG Terminal and the Tema City Gate and Gas Distribution Pipeline Network, contribute to expanding refining capacity.
Ghana envisions Nigeria as a primary supplier of affordable and reliable gas, complementing domestic sources and the West African Gas Pipeline.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh also highlighted the potential impact of the Nigeria to Morocco pipeline, stimulating gas patronage and expanding the gas market across the continent, especially in countries along the pipeline route.
“We can leverage the African Energy Bank which Ghana is supporting and whose headquarters Ghana expects to host, to raise competitive financing for the faster development of natural gas projects and the development of infrastructure for research and development, and for processing, transportation and transformation of our natural resources,” he said.
“In the next decade, we can expect to see continued investment in natural gas infrastructure such as pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, power plants and petrochemical establishments on the continent, which present a unique opportunity for Africa to take charge of its own destiny,” he added.
He continued: “As indicated earlier, infrastructure development is key in fulfilling the massive untapped potential the resource presents. There has to be adequate infrastructure for processing, storage, transportation and transformation of natural gas resources to meet the market demands. In this regard, the initiative of Dangote to build the 650,000 barrels per day oil refinery and a petrochemical complex here in Nigeria is laudable.
“In Ghana, we recently commissioned a hundred barrels per day oil refinery to increase our refining capacity and have plans in place to further increase our refining capacity in the near future. Other on-going projects include Tema LNG Terminal and the Tema City Gate and Gas Distribution Pipeline Network.”
“The execution of the Nigeria to Morocco pipeline will also stimulate the patronage of gas and expand the gas market on the Continent, especially in countries along the pipeline route,” he adds.
Notably, the debt owed to power producers has been successfully reduced to approximately $700 million, marking a substantial milestone in the ongoing negotiations.
Payments to IPPs have been in progress since 2023, following agreements with five Independent Power Producers in July of that year when the debt stood at $1.6 billion.
“We are targeting the end of March to conclude the restructuring. We have also been able to reduce the debt to $700 million, which we believe is a significant step in the negotiations,” some individuals close to the negotiation process told JOY Business.
The government had initiated payments after threats from some IPPs to disrupt power supply if outstanding debts were not settled.
As of February 28, 2024, term sheets have been exchanged with five independent power producers for further examination, with no reported objections to the proposed terms.
Additional information suggests that the government is actively working to involve two more independent power producers in the negotiation process for debt restructuring.
The government has also secured agreements with the Electricity Company of Ghana to receive payments, and the overall restructuring is anticipated to conclude by the end of March 2024 upon the signing of the agreement.
President Akufo-Addo has pledged to achieve nationwide electricity access in Ghana by the close of 2024, with 88.85% already connected.
The government aims to add 400 communities to the national grid through the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP) and other Turnkey Projects.
The President reports significant progress during his parliamentary address and emphasizes efforts to enhance power system reliability, including the relocation of the 250MW Ameri Plant.
“…I am happy to report that we are making admirable progress in the provision of electricity to all parts of the country,” he said.
Additionally, Ghana aims to transition 10% of its energy mix to renewables by 2030, with 3.2% currently sourced from solar energy.
Operational projects include a 4MW floating solar PV on the Bui Reservoir and a 15MW solar PV at Kaleo.
Ongoing initiatives involve a 100MW solar PV at Bui and the Mini-grid Electrification Programme in the Ada East District.
“the Authority is taking steps to relocate the remaining four (4) units before the end of the year,” the President added.
Looking forward, Ghana envisions 30% of electricity production from nuclear energy by 2070. The Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO), under the Office of the President, oversees the nuclear energy project.
President Akufo-Addo emphasized the commitment to providing clean, affordable electricity to support national industrialization and position Ghana as a net power exporter in the ECOWAS region through the West African Power Pool.
Guinea‘s military junta expressed its discontent to Russia’s ambassador following the Russian embassy’s caution about potential unrest in Conakry after the dissolution of the government by junta leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya.
The junta leader dissolved the government on Monday, ordering the closure of all borders without providing an explanation for the move. In response, Ambassador Alexey Popov apologized to the junta, citing a misunderstanding.
Col Doumbouya, who assumed power in a 2021 coup, not only dissolved the government but also directed the confiscation of passports from dismissed ministers and froze their bank accounts.
Reports from Guinean media revealed that the Russian embassy advised Russian nationals to be vigilant due to the potential for unrest in Conakry following Col Doumbouya’s decision.
In reaction, an official from the junta’s foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Popov to a meeting to address the matter. Mr Popov clarified that it was a misunderstanding, attributing it to a false translation published only in Russian for Russian citizens.
The junta accepted the apology, and Mr Popov asserted that the incident would not impact the relations between the two nations.
Guinea, like several other former French colonies in West Africa, has experienced coups in recent years. The juntas in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have turned towards Russia while displaying hostility towards France and the West African regional bloc, Ecowas.
Despite this trend, Col Doumbouya has aimed to maintain positive relations with all sides. He has committed to holding elections to reinstate democratic rule by the end of 2024.
The junta, however, imposed a ban on all demonstrations in 2022 and detained numerous opposition leaders and members of civil society groups.
Col Doumbouya came to power by overthrowing President Alpha Condé in September 2021, citing reasons such as rampant corruption, human rights violations, and economic mismanagement. President Condé, Guinea’s first democratically elected president, faced protests in 2019 when he changed the constitution to run for a third term after being re-elected in 2015.
In a collective expression of frustration and disappointment, a group identifying as the Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers (CUTT) has voiced concerns over the prolonged delay in their postings by the government.
The group, comprising individuals who have completed their four-year Bachelor of Education (B.ED) program, mandatory National Service, and licensure exams, expressed dismay at the lack of assurance regarding their employment timelines.
As pioneers of the four-year B.ED program in colleges of education, the group emphasized their commitment to positively transforming the country’s human resource through acquired skills, knowledge, and competencies.
However, they lamented being left in uncertainty without concrete information on when their postings would be executed.
“Having been the pioneers of the four-year Bachelor of Education (B.ED) programme in the colleges of education, completed our one-year mandatory National Service as well and successfully passed our licensure exams, it saddens our hearts, joy and pride that we, pioneers of a programme that seeks to positively transform the human resource(students) of our country through the requisite skills, knowledge and competencies that we have been equipped with, are being left to our fate and there is no news as to when exactly our postings will be done for us,” the group stated.
Despite successfully passing licensure exams and being issued licenses by the National Teaching Council (NTC) set to expire in 2025, the group remains unemployed. This discrepancy, according to them, is unfair, particularly considering their role as the first batch of teachers trained under the new B.ED program and the Common Core Program aimed at enhancing education quality.
The group posed critical questions about the realization of the successes or failures of the new B.ED program when its pioneers are left unemployed. They called on the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, and the Ghana Education Service to expedite the financial clearance process and open the recruitment portal by the first week of March.
Highlighting the urgency of the matter, the group emphasized the need to prevent the waste of the skills, knowledge, competencies, and resources invested in their training by the state.
“We, therefore, call on the Ministry of Finance to grant us financial clearance and the Ministry of Education as well as the Ghana Education Service to expedite actions by opening the portal for us to be recruited by the first week of March so that the skills, knowledge, competencies and the resources the state has invested in training us do not go in vain,” the statement concluded.
The introduction of the 4-year Bachelor of Education curriculum in colleges of education and their subsequent upgrade to fully-fledged universities in 2018 marked a significant shift in teacher training in Ghana.
The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry is urging the Ministry of Roads and Highways to release a minimum of GH¢2 billion to compensate road contractors for their completed projects.
While acknowledging the allocation of GH¢150 million to address potholes nationwide as a positive step, the Chamber emphasized that this amount falls significantly short of the GH¢15 billion owed to its members.
CEO Emmanuel Cheery expressed appreciation for the government’s effort but highlighted the inadequacy of the allocated funds to address the pothole situation, especially in Accra.
Cheery stated that the funds were insufficient, particularly as neglected potholes had transformed into manholes and gullies.
“In as much as we commend the government for releasing such an amount, we are pleading that the money should be increased in view of the nature of the work,” Mr Cheery said.
The Ministry of Roads and Highways had earlier announced the allocation of GH¢150 million for routine pothole patching activities on major roads during the dry season.
The aim is to reduce accident risks and extend the lifespan of the country’s road infrastructure.
“They are manholes and some of them are gullies.If they were to be these normal potholes that we see, they could be treated differently, but the current ones have been left unattended to for so long and so they have deteriorated into manholes and gullies,” the CEO emphasised.
Mr. Cheery expressed optimism that the minister-designate for Roads and Highways would address concerns and allocate additional funds for road construction. Additionally, he urged the government to clear its debt to contractors, which exceeds GH¢15 billion.
In answer to a question from the Sinn Féin TD for Donegal, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Mr. Varadkar said the government would soon be able to “promise more money for the A5 road. ”
“We didn’t fully cancel our promise, but we did cut it a lot because of the financial crisis here,” he said.
The government has disbursed GH¢150 million to contractors for the repair of potholes nationwide, as part of the first-quarter releases from the Ministry of Finance.
This was contained in a statement from the Ministry of Roads and Highways dated Thursday, February 15.
The release aims to facilitate the Ghana Highways Authority and the Department of Urban Roads in utilizing the dry season to address routine pothole patching on major roads that suffered deterioration in 2023 due to heavy rains.
The Ministry urged public cooperation as the government works towards enhancing the national road network.
“The government has released an amount of GH¢150 million for the engagement and payment to road contractors undertaking pothole patching across the country. The amount is part of the first quarter releases from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Roads and Highways,” the Ministry said.
It called on the public to cooperate with the Ministry as the government strives to improve the national road network.
“The intervention is to enable the Ghana Highways Authority a. the Department of Urban Roads to take advantage of the dry season to undertake routine pothole patching activities on some major roads which deteriorated last year due to heavy rains.”
“The Ministry Is hopeful that this timely intervention will result in smoother road surfaces, help reduce the risk of accidents and prolong the lifespan of our road infrastructure.”
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is set to unveil the ‘Tap & Go Transport Initiative’ on Monday, February 19, 2024.
Aligned with the government’s commitment to digitize the Ghanaian economy, this initiative seeks to formalize and streamline the informal transport sector through the implementation of proven and structured technology solutions.
The launch is scheduled for 9:00 am at the Metro Mass Transit Limited’s head office. A statement from the Metro Mass Transit Limited invites the media and informs the public about the transformative steps taken to revolutionize public transportation.
Below is the statement.
As part of Government’s commitment towards digitalizing the Ghanaian economy, an initiative which is being spearheaded by the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H. E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, there is going to be an official launching of the Tap & Go Transport Initiative on Monday, February 19, 2024, at exactly 9:00am at the Head Office of Metro Mass Transit Limited.
The project will be officially launched by the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H. E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
The Tap & Go Transport Initiative is aimed at helping to formalize the informal transport sector with the help of a well-structured and tested technology. This project will help to build a single system for the entire transport eco-system for all the various transport operators to enhance efficiency and bring about transport fare stability in Ghana.
We are by this statement inviting the media and duly informing the general public about the program.
Banking consultant Dr. Richmond Atuahene has urged the government to provide more affordable funds to private sector players to boost the country’s economy.
Emphasizing that this strategy would contribute to an improved Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and foster economic stability, Dr. Atuahene expressed concern over the risks associated with the government’s continued borrowing, particularly when the private sector lacks competitiveness.
During an Investment Dialogue on Citi TV, he cautioned against relying solely on government borrowing as it might not ensure the country’s economic recovery and could potentially escalate unemployment rates.
Dr. Atuahene urged a shift towards granting the private sector access to more affordable funds to drive economic growth, emphasizing that this approach would enhance GDP, economic stability, and overall prosperity.
“The governor said recently that credit in the private sector has declined in real terms by 10% because the government is just like a snake, this snake, I don’t know its name, it only swallows, swallows. He is taking money. What does he take the money for?”
“Let the private sector have cheaper funds to turn the economy. That is when the GDPs or you are talking about the economy, the stability, and everything will come. But you see if the government is borrowing and the private sector cannot compete then we are crowding out the business. And it is a very dangerous thing. There will be no recovery. And if the economy does not recover, unemployment will be very high. There will be no job creation…The reality is that there is so much unemployment and non-job creation in the country at the moment.”
In January 2024, the government exceeded its treasury bill target, borrowing GH¢22.06 billion, marking an increase of approximately 35.80% from the planned GH¢15.13 billion.
The majority of bids were dominated by the 91-day T-bill, as reported by Joy Business.
Analysts anticipate a continued upward trend in uptake for February 2024, with an estimated cash coupon payment of about GH¢4.3 billion on the new bonds.
However, yields are expected to decline in line with disinflation and a 100 basis points cut in the monetary policy rate.
During the previous week, investors showed significant interest in the treasury’s money market auction, with total bids reaching GH¢4.53 billion against a GH¢2.86 billion target, all of which were accepted.
Yields saw a decrease, with the 91-day and 182-day reaching 28.30% and 30.79%, respectively, while the 364-day yield closed at 31.40%.
Samuel Dubik Mahama outlined a number of reasons leading to the shortfalls in the ongoing high billing charges.
“I agree that there has been an increase in people’s bills, I am at fault. There are a number of reasons to blame such as a number of metres haven’t been read, some haven’t been registered into the system, we accept blame for everything.
Despite accepting blame, he points to recent government tariffs exceeding 70% as a significant factor contributing to the surge in electricity charges.
“We accept blame for the current spikes in billing our consumers, this is as a result of the current digital reform we are undertaking,” Samuel Dubik stated.
In an effort to address customer concerns, Dubik urged consumers to visit designated ECG offices for prompt resolution of billing challenges.
However, he emphasised that consumers should also take responsibility for their energy conservation practices, including checking home wiring and earthing, factors that impact electricity consumption and subsequent bills.
“The tariffs have gone up above 70 percent, hence the tariffs have a major role to play in these recent charges also the consumers’ energy conservation at home will also reflect how much you will pay, check the wiring, earthing and come over the office so we check the metre for you.”
While Samuel Dubik encouraged customers to download the ECG app for streamlined issue resolution, he reiterated the importance of consumers actively participating in the process.
“Download the app, click on the fix the bill on the top menu corner, send the metre reading, if it’s been a long time we have had a metre reading we can rectify it.”
By using the app, customers can submit metre readings and follow necessary instructions to rectify billing discrepancies, especially if there has been a prolonged absence of meter readings.
The Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress(NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has levied accusations against the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government, alleging the institutionalization of corruption.
Mr Gyamfi based his claims on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), emphasizing a significant deterioration in Ghana’s performance over the past seven years.
He pointed out that Ghana achieved its highest CPI score of 48 in 2014 under John Dramani Mahama’s leadership. Conversely, the lowest performance in the last decade was recorded in 2017 under Akufo-Addo, with a score of 40.
According to Mr Gyamfi, this downward trend signals a setback in the anti-corruption efforts, attributing the decline to the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government’s alleged endorsement and promotion of corrupt practices.
The stark contrast in CPI scores, as observed in the last seven years, leads Gyamfi to assert that the fight against corruption has been forfeited under the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government.
He claimed that corruption has been institutionalized and allowed to thrive unchecked.
“Never in the history of Ghana has any government enabled, facilitated, promoted and defended corruption like this government has done.
Below is Sammy Gyamfi’s full post
SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ. WRITES ON THE LATEST CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX:
Did you know, that Ghana’s best Corruption Perception Index performance was achieved in the year 2014, under the leadership of H.E John Dramani Mahama, when the country attained its highest CPI score: a score of 48?
Did you know that Ghana’s worst Corruption Perception Index performance in the last decade, was recorded in the year 2017, under the supervision of corrupt Akufo-Addo and Bawumia, when the country attained its lowest CPI score; a score of 40?
Did you know that John Mahama’s worst Corruption Perception Index performance was a score of 43, recorded in the year 2016? And that, this score remains Akufo-Addo and Bawumia’s best score under the CPI of Transparency International.
It is glaringly clear, from Ghana’s performance under the CPI in the last seven (7) years, that the fight against corruption has been lost by the corrupt and wasteful Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government, who have institutionalized corruption and made it a thriving free for all venture. Never in the history of Ghana has any government enabled, facilitated, promoted and defended corruption like this government has done.
From the BOSTGATE scandal to the PDS scandal, to the PPA Contracts for Sale scandal, to the “Galamsey” fraud scandal, to the Ameri Novation scandal, to the missing excavators scandal, to the missing fertilizers scandal, to the missing oil scandal, to the missing tricycles scandal, to the Sputnik V Vaccine scandal, to the COVID-19 funds “chop chop” scandal, to the Number 12 scandal, to the Appearance Fee scandal, to the Gold Mafia scandal, to the stolen rice scandal, to the latest stinky SML scandal; Jack Toronto and his younger brother and Mentee, have facilitated, perpetrated and promoted corruption, leading to unprecedented financial losses to the state.
Instead of protecting the public purse as they promised in opposition, they have brazenly desecrated the public purse, wasted meagre state resources on useless ventures and shielded co-perpetrators of corruption from accountability.
Instead of fighting corruption, they have turned around to fight corruption fighters with the might of the state, leading to the murder of an anti-corruption investigative journalist, Ahmed Suale, the unlawful ousting of the former Auditor General, Mr. Yao Domelevo, the resignation of the former Special Prosecutor, Martin A.B.K Amidu and the oppression of several journalists and critical voices.
Remember, that a vote for Bawumia is a third-term vote for corrupt Akufo-Addo and his greedy cabal of family and friends.
Don’t let your vote, aid them to escape from accountability. Rather let your vote, aid the state to hold them accountable.
A vote for H.E John Dramani Mahama (The Nation Builder) is the only way, we can hold these crooks accountable for the several crimes they have committed against our beloved nation.
Labour consultant Austin Gamey has issued a warning to the Labour Commission (NLC), highlighting the likelihood of increased industrial actions by various groups and unions in the coming days.
Gamey attributes this potential surge to the government‘s failure to address critical issues raised by unions, particularly in financial matters.
He warned that the National Labour Commission could be overwhelmed if these issues are not promptly addressed.
Gamey emphasizes the importance of the employer’s proactive and responsive approach to prevent discontent among unions, urging effective management of human resources to avoid further strikes.
“They will join and to handle it would be beyond description because the National Labour Commission will be overwhelmed, and the consequences are very dire,” he stated.
Gamey explained that with his years of experience in the field, it appears there is a simmering discontent among various unions regarding financial matters.
“Because of the work we do, our nose smells all these types of things… we are aware that many other unions are concerned about some indebtedness this way or the other,” he added.
Gamey advised that the employer, particularly its human resource management systems, should be proactive and responsive in dealing with the issues, so that the unions would not feel neglected and resort to strikes.
“So, it’s for the employer, especially its human resource management systems, to be activated to ensure that they are very frontal in dealing with the issues so that others do not say that they will have to wait and then cash in,” he stressed.
The country is currently witnessing a wave of strikes from the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana, Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU-TUC), and Ghana Association of University Administrators, who are demanding better conditions of service and payment of their allowances.
Nearly 400 people have died in Ethiopia’s Tigray and Amhara regions because of lack of food caused by drought, the government’s Federal Ombudsman Institute reported on Tuesday.
The comments go against what federal authorities said before, that they didn’t have confirmation of anyone dying from not having enough food in any part of the country.
People had died in different areas, but there wasn’t a complete record of all the deaths.
The institute found that millions of people were affected in the two areas and tens of thousands had already been forced to leave their homes.
In December, leaders in the war-torn Tigray region said a severe food shortage, like the one Ethiopia had in the 1980s, could happen soon if we don’t act fast.
The government said there is not going to be a famine in Ethiopia, but they recognized that a lack of rain is causing problems in some parts of the country.
A 29-year-old man, Efo Yao, has been discovered dead in a cocoa farm near New Edubiase in the Adansi South District of Ashanti Region, raising suspicions of a possible suicide.
The Assembly member for the Amudriese Electoral area, Alex Addea Boateng, confirmed the unfortunate event to the media .
According to Mr Boateng, the unemployed individual had lost GH¢1500 intended for safekeeping, potentially contributing to his decision to take his own life.
Boateng mentioned that they found the body hanging in the farm and promptly informed the police, who arrived to handle the situation.
Presently, the deceased’s body has been placed in the morgue at the New Edubiase government hospital for preservation.
University of Cape Coast (UCC) has taken a drastic action to shut down its hospital following a strike action embarked by its Senior Staff.
The Senior Staff Association of the Public Universities in Ghana (SSA-UoG) and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff (FUSSAG) on Wednesday 17 January 2024, declared an indefinite nationwide strike due to the alleged neglect of their welfare by the government.
The Association disclosed that the government has not fulfilled the payment of their two-tier pension and overtime allowances for an extended period.
The strike has resulted in the withdrawal of various services, including healthcare, administration, and security leading to the closure of the University’s hospital effective today.
According to the University’s Communication team, students, during this time are advised to seek care for minor conditions at their respective hall infirmaries.
Also, Severe conditions are to be referred to the school student’s clinic located near the Sam Jonah Library.
The Clinic, it said, would be working from eight in the morning to six in the evening every day excluding weekends.
The usual ongoing medical exam for fresh students has also been suspended until further notice.
Chief Executive Officer of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, has confirmed that the government has disbursed funds to settle the hospital’s GH¢4 million debt.
Dr. Ampomah disclosed that the funds were released in November of the previous year, addressing concerns raised by Pharmacist Kwame Sarpong Asiedu about the hospital’s alleged outstanding debt.
While Dr. Ampomah acknowledged the release of funds, he clarified that negotiations with creditors were ongoing for the debt settlement and the next supply of consumables.
“The MoH has since requested the Finance Ministry to settle the total indebtedness to the GH¢4 million and the good news is that the Minister for Finance has just approved the disbursement of GH¢4 million to support our patients in Korle Bu.”
“The discussion does not help if we put out erroneous information that seems to be the impression that some people are reneging on their responsibility or are callous [inaudible] this does not help the discussion. This money was released last year. The money has been credited to us,” the CEO said.
He emphasized the hospital’s commitment to securing better terms and exploring alternative options to reduce the cost of dialysis.
“That’s what we’re working on now. We’re working on firm guarantees to get our outstanding equipment and consumables shipped to the unit,” he explained.
“While we were having the discussion we talked about some of the contractual issues and we felt that looking at the contract and what has transpired so far, we also think that we can get better terms and we’re also looking at other options because this is a closed system, so we’re looking at other options to also bring down the cost of dialysis even further. So that is what is being explored at the moment but the unit is running,” he added.
Background:
Last year, the Korle Bu Renal Unit faced a four-month shutdown due to an accumulated debt of ₵4 million, resulting from the removal of tax and excise duty exemptions on medical consumables.
Attempts to increase the cost of dialysis were met with public protest, prompting the government to promise debt settlement, full reopening of the Renal Unit, and inclusion of kidney dialysis treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
A group of 47 Ghanaian students, who were brought back from Sudan by the government due to a deadly conflict in May 2023, have submitted a petition to Parliament seeking support for their integration into tertiary institutions in Ghana.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration had evacuated these students, but despite assurances from the government about their integration into local universities, they have not yet experienced any progress.
Aisha Mustapha, a spokesperson for the group and a 5th-year medical student, expressed their concerns, stating that despite verbal assurances, the promised integration has not materialized.
The students are appealing for support as they find themselves at home while schools are in session.
Mustapha mentioned their efforts to engage with the Ministry of Education, where they were assured of integration into private universities.
However, the financial constraints faced by the students make this option unfeasible, as their original decision to study in Sudan was driven by the lack of funds for such private education in Ghana.
“We are appealing for integration because the government is yet to reach out to us. Even though there have been some verbal assurances since we arrived in Ghana, there has not been any meaningful progress yet, and schools are in session, and we are at home.”
“We have met the director for tertiary education at the Ministry of Education on two occasions, and he assured us of integration. He told us that they were going to integrate us into private universities, but we told him we could not afford it because if we had those funds, we would not have gone to Sudan in the first place.”
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is urging the cessation of the Accra redevelopment policy, asserting that it has overstayed its welcome and stands as one of Ghana’s most misused policies.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, Ablakwa argued that, while the policy had good intentions, it has been exploited by high-ranking officials in successive governments since 1999 to serve private interests.
This exploitation, according to him, has resulted in the displacement of numerous public and civil service officials, as well as government members holding sensitive positions, making way for private developers and their luxury apartments.
Quoting the opinion of then-Justice Adenyira in a related case, Ablakwa emphasized, “The Accra redevelopment scheme of residential properties policy…has not been wholly satisfactory and has raised a lot of negative comments and issues of morality from the populace.”
Ablakwa stressed that the policy, initially designed to provide housing for government and public officials, has lost its relevance and has become one of the most abused policies in the country’s history.
He cited instances where judges, public servants, civil servants, and healthcare professionals were displaced due to this policy.
Highlighting the lack of transparency in the sale and distribution of the land, Ablakwa called for a review of the policy to ensure clear guidelines, transparency, and accountability in the process.
“The implementation of this scheme has dislodged a lot of government and public officials from their homes to give way to luxury apartments which only a few Ghanaians can afford to rent or buy.
“I would stress that since these public lands were initially used to provide housing for government and other public officials; space should be made available to decently house these officials most of whom own sensitive positions and thus need adequate privacy and security.”
“This land redevelopment policy has totally outlived its usefulness, it’s been probably the most abused policy in our country’s history and it should not continue,” he said.
“Look, Kojo, I can give you a tall list, judges have not been excluded as victims of this policy, public servants, civil servants, doctors who should be close so that if there is an emergency, you need them close to Korle Bu or close to Ridge hospital, they can be in good proximity, so that they can save our lives they’ve all been dislodged because of this same policy in the name of redevelopment, in the name of in-filling.
“What happens is that the land is sold to people in private sector, sometimes under very dubious circumstances and luxury apartments are constructed as Mrs. Adenyira JSC stated in this judgement and then it leads to many public officials being dislodged,” he said.
“And you see it is important to stress that when you look at the implementation of this policy, we don’t have clear guidelines, there are no clear guidelines as to who benefits, how the land – if there is spare land – how it is auctioned, how it is sold, how you come to won titles.
“It is shrouded in secrecy, a lot of opacity, it’s done behind the scenes before you know you receive an eviction order leave as a public official or as a judge and there are so many harrowing stories. You know, they just evict them and all manner of persons take over,” he said.
The former Dean of the School of Law at the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Quashigah, remains unconvinced that the introduction of a party-based local government system would effectively address the challenges associated with the existing non-party-based local government structure in the country.
In his perspective, the current non-party-based local government system has proven ineffective in meeting the basic needs of the people, primarily due to the absence of robust state institutions.
He contended that empowering state institutions to function efficiently would enable the local government system to serve the collective interests of the citizenry.
Professor Quashigah expressed these views during a panel discussion on the theme “Local Government System, Election 2024, Security, and Peacebuilding” at the 75th Annual New Year School and Conference (ANYSC) held at the University of Ghana on January 9, 2024.
The overarching theme for the 2024 ANYSC was “Nurturing Resilience: Adopting Technology and Embracing Humanism for Sustainable Development.” This annual event, organized by the University of Ghana’s School of Continuing and Distance Education, College of Education, serves as a platform for national dialogue on developmental, social, and political issues, influencing policy, social cohesion, and growth.
IDEG, a partnering organization, collaborated with the university to organize the 75th ANYSC, bringing together academics, policymakers, business leaders, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss critical issues affecting Ghana and Africa.
Professor Quashigah argued that the mere introduction of a party-based local government system is not a cure-all for the numerous challenges facing the country’s local government. Instead, he proposed proportional representation in local-level elections and advocated for measures to prevent the capture of the state by a single political party.
Highlighting the need for reforms in the current local government system, Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, the Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), pointed out the sidelining of chiefs and the underrepresentation of women, who constitute over half of the Ghanaian population, at various government levels.
Journalists across the country express frustration over the lack of progress in the justice process for the late investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, five years after his tragic death.
Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, an investigative journalist with Tiger Eye P.I., was brutally murdered on the night of January 16, 2019, sending shockwaves through the Ghanaian journalistic community and beyond.
The United Press for Development Network (UPDN) released a statement on January 16, expressing anger at the perceived lack of advancement by the security forces in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“UPDN expresses deep disappointment and dismay at the lack of progress in bringing the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. We are particularly concerned about the apparent lack of urgency and commitment demonstrated by key authorities in resolving this case.”
UPDN specifically called on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to prioritize the investigation into Ahmed Suale’s murder.
The network described the absence of accountability for his murder as ‘disheartening,’ asserting that it poses a threat to press freedom.
“We call upon the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department, DCOP Faustina Agyeiwaa Kodua Andoh, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to prioritize the investigation into Ahmed Suale’s murder. It is disheartening to witness the lapse in accountability for such a grave violation of human rights and an attack on the cornerstone of democracy and freedom of the press,” UPDN stated.
UPDN issued a strong warning against any form of assault on journalists before, during, and after the upcoming December polls.
Read the statement by UPDN below
PRESS RELEASE
Five (5) Years On: Remembering the Tragic Murder of Investigative Journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela
ACCRA, GHANA TUESDAY JANUARY 16, 2024; Today marks the solemn occasion of the fifth anniversary of the brutal murder of Mr. Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, a dedicated member of Tiger Eye P.I. and a fearless investigative journalist. Ahmed Suale lost his life in a callous act of violence on the night of Wednesday, January 16, 2019, sending shockwaves throughout the journalistic community in Ghana and around the world.
Ahmed was shot twice in the chest and once in the neck by faceless assailants riding motorcycles, in what was a blatant attack on press freedom and the pursuit of truth. His untimely death occurred just months after the airing of the ground breaking investigative documentary “Number 12: When Greed and Corruption Become the Norm,” led by the celebrated undercover investigative journalist Mr. Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
United Press for Development Network (UPDN) stands in solidarity with the family, friends, and colleagues of Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela on this solemn occasion. We remember Ahmed not only for the fearless journalist he was but also for the impact his work has had on fostering transparency, accountability, and ethical journalism.
The tragic events of that fateful night serve as a stark reminder of the challenges journalists face in their pursuit of truth. The attack on Ahmed Suale echoes the broader threats against press freedom and the dangers faced by investigative journalists who strive to expose corruption and wrongdoing.
UPDN expresses deep disappointment and dismay at the lack of progress in bringing the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. We are particularly concerned about the apparent lack of urgency and commitment demonstrated by key authorities in resolving this case.
We call upon the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department, DCOP Faustina Agyeiwaa Kodua Andoh, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to prioritize the investigation into Ahmed Suale’s murder. It is disheartening to witness the lapse in accountability for such a grave violation of human rights and an attack on the cornerstone of democracy and freedom of the press.
Ghana, often hailed as the shining star of democratic values and free speech credentials in Africa, has seen a decline in its world press freedom ranking. This tragic incident and the subsequent lack of progress in ensuring justice serve as a stain on Ghana’s reputation as a beacon of democratic principles. Our current world press freedom ranking is a stark reminder of the urgency needed to address these challenges and restore faith in the nation’s commitment to press freedom.
As the 2024 Parliamentary and Presidential elections approach, UPDN issues a stern warning against any form of press assault and media brutality in Ghana. We firmly believe that when you touch one journalist, you touch all journalists. Our commitment to defending the rights and safety of journalists is unwavering, and we will not countenance any act that undermines the essential role of the media in a thriving democracy.
UPDN calls for immediate and transparent action to bring the perpetrators of Ahmed Suale’s murder to justice, reinforcing the values of democracy, free speech, and press freedom that Ghana has long championed on the African continent. We remember Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela with utmost respect and solidarity.
Rest in Peace Soldier
Rest in Perfect Peace Ahmed Hussein-Suale
God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.
Ghana is steadily solidifying its position through the government’s strategic integration of technology to achieve its goals and objectives, as highlighted by the Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.
In an interview with Peace FM, she emphasized that the government’s technological advancements might not be immediately apparent or widely discussed, but they bear significant importance, despite not receiving widespread recognition.
The minister emphasized the undeniable importance of technology in our ever-connected global landscape.
“The government has successfully realized its vision through the strategic incorporation of technology. I often mention that there is a subtle revolution taking place, which unfortunately goes unnoticed due to the absence of grand announcements.
“Technology has seamlessly woven itself into the fabric of human existence, becoming indispensable. Individuals now find it challenging to distance themselves from their mobile phones, a testament to their significance,” she added.
She highlighted that the government acknowledges the transformative capabilities of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
According to her, the government has established ambitious objectives, aspiring to position Ghana as an inclusive and progressive digital hub in Africa.
The aim is to ensure that every citizen is part of this digital transformation, leaving no one behind.
She added that the government is committed to improving infrastructure, connectivity, and network access in rural areas for the benefit of individuals in remote villages as such has embarked on a project.
The ongoing rural telephony project, she said is backed by allocated funds.
“The government remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing infrastructure, connectivity, and network accessibility in rural areas.
“Our ongoing rural telephony project is specifically designed to bring benefits to individuals in rural and remote villages. Adequate funds have been allocated for this initiative to ensure its successful implementation,” she added.
Additionally she stated that by the end of the year, approximately 2016 self-sites will be completed.
She revealed that presently, 1,500 sites have already been accomplished, with around 1,000 more in progress.
“By the year’s end, we anticipate completing around 2016 self-sites. Currently, 1500 sites have already been accomplished, and an additional 1000 are in progress. This initiative is geared towards extending network connectivity to areas currently without it,” the minister added.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has contended that the persisting issue of illegal mining in the country is a result of a lack of integrity in leadership that has spanned several years.
Mr Ablakwa argued that successive governments have lacked the necessary political will to effectively address the illegal mining menace, allowing galamsey activities to thrive.
During an appearance on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, he emphasized that the problem is rooted in the deliberate negligence of the situation by governments, leading to its current uncontrollable state.
“The galamsey matter let’s be honest, it is just a reflection of the lack of integrity in leadership, that’s it, that’s what it is, lack of integrity. So there’s no sincerity, there’s a lot of pretense, we don’t need a new law, we don’t need to know who to report to. There’s no inch of land, no space in our country that is not under political control,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa asserted that sincerity is lacking, and there has been a pretense in dealing with the issue.
He emphasized that there is no need for new laws or identifying whom to report to, as every part of the country is under political control.
Furthermore, he highlighted the exacerbation of the situation due to the active involvement of illegal miners in the country’s politics.
Mr Ablakwa called for stronger leadership to confront party members engaged in illegal mining activities.
“We all know the galamseyers, they’ve come to collect party cards, they’ve come for top positions, and leaders cannot tell them in the face that stop it, we’re going to arrest you, we’re going to prosecute you. So it’s failed leadership, no integrity. Let’s call it what it is,” he stated.
The association expressed disappointment over the delayed disbursement of arrears owed to trainee nurses and midwives.
Despite assurances of financial clearance granted to the Controller and Accountant General, only a fraction of the long-overdue two-year arrears has been settled, according to the association’s statement.
“The apparent shortfall in the disbursed amount has left us in a state of shock and disbelief, particularly in light of the commitment made during our recent high-level discussions with prominent stakeholders, including the esteemed Minister of Health,” the statement noted.
The Ghana Nurse Midwife Trainees Association therefore noted that it “finds it necessary to issue an ultimatum to the Ministry of Health. By December 8, we insist that the remaining five months’ arrears be expeditiously settled. This ultimatum underscores the urgency of rectifying the apparent discrepancy and honouring the commitment made during our collaborative discussions.”
In July, the group had called on the government to address the critical issue of their unpaid allowances, which had been overdue for several months.
The prolonged delay had exacerbated the hardships faced by the trainees, who relied on these allowances for their education and well-being.
Kenya’s Vice President Rigathi Gachagua said that the government won’t give money to help with the floods, even though the country is facing one of the worst floods in a long time.
The governor of Mombasa disagreed with Mr. Gachagua’s earlier statement that the government sent 10 billion Kenyan shillings to counties for flood response. This comes after Mombasa has been heavily affected by ongoing floods.
Flash floods last week killed at least 13 people in Mombasa and three nearby counties.
“We are surprised that governors are saying they still haven’t gotten money for El Nino from the national government. They won’t be getting that money,” Mr. Gachagua said on Wednesday.
“We want them to use money set aside for emergencies or move money around in their budget to help the people they are in charge of. ”
The Kenya Red Cross said that 71 people have died from the floods in the country.
The non-profit Oxfam says that the continuous heavy rains and flooding caused by El Niño have led to the deaths of 130 people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
Some Indian opposition leaders have blamed the public authority for attempting to hack into their telephones subsequent to getting advance notice messages from Apple.
Apple’s alarm said it accepted the beneficiary was “being focused on by state-supported aggressors”.
It didn’t indicate who the aggressors could be.
Government pastors excused the claims, with one referring to it as “horrendous legislative issues”.
Yet, he added that the public authority would “research to make quick work of these warnings”.
Up to this point, around twelve resistance lawmakers have affirmed that they received the message from Apple. The rundown has MPs including Shashi Tharoor and KC Venugopal from the Congress party, Mahua Moitra from the Trinamool Congress and Priyanka Chaturvedi from the Shiv Sena UBT.
“We are not terrified. You can do as much [phone] tapping as you need, I couldn’t care less. To take my telephone, I will give it to you,” Mr Gandhi said at a question and answer session.
A few columnists – including Siddharth Varadarajan, an establishing proofreader of information site The Wire – said they got the message as well.
Bureaucratic data innovation serve Ashwini Vaishnaw posted on X (previously Twitter) that the public authority has requested that Apple join its examination “with genuine, precise data on the supposed state supported assaults”.
On its help page for clients, that’s what apple says “state-supported assailants are very much financed and refined, and their assaults develop over the long run”, adding that they focus on a “tiny number of explicit people and their gadgets”.
It additionally says that it can’t give more insights regarding what prompts it to give these danger notices as “that might be useful to state-supported aggressors adjust their way of behaving to sidestep recognition later on”.
The BBC has not gotten reactions to questions messaged to Apple.
Innovation investigator Prasanto K Roy let the BBC know that organizations like Apple search for movement examples to recognize huge scope, co-ordinated malware assaults.
“In fact, it’s feasible to credit it to arising or starting from a specific country. They can likewise limit it down to known state-supported or state offices,” he said, adding that Apple would have zero desire to credit it to a particular entertainer.
On Tuesday, Indian legislators and columnists shared screen captures on X of the message they got from Apple, with some calling attention to that no individual from the overseeing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had affirmed getting the notice at this point.
“Amusing that main resistance got the reminder of reconnaissance, even the calculation was specific in its decision!” Ms Chaturvedi composed on X.
Yet, later in the day, BJP serve Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that his partner Piyush Goyal had additionally gotten the alarm.
“Apple needs to respond to various inquiries concerning these gadgets they guarantee are secure,” he told NDTV news channel.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha, who says he likewise got an alarm, associated it to the overall political race due the following year.
“It should likewise be put inside the more extensive assaults on the resistance who are confronting constant suppression by investigatory offices, politically inspired criminal cases and detainment,” he said.
BJP leaders expressed charges of the public authority’s contribution were “unjustifiable” and that it depended on Apple to explain what it implied by the notice.
“The resistance has no issue to take on the public authority and, consequently, they are depending on making these misleading claims,” said Amit Malviya, who cares for the BJP’s IT division.
Ms Chaturvedi delivered a letter addressed to State head Narendra Modi, encouraging him to explore “who, inside the ‘state’, is participated in endeavoring to get to my telephone”.
In 2019, WhatsApp said in a claim that Indian columnists and activists were among those designated by Pegasus, a reconnaissance programming made by Israeli firm NSO Gathering. NSO has said that it just works with government organizations.
In 2021, Indian site The Wire detailed that in excess of 300 numbers on a spilled data set of thousands of telephone numbers – recorded by government clients of NSO – had a place with Indians.
Furthermore, last year, a political tempest broke out after the New York Times detailed that India had obtained Pegasus from Israel as a component of a guard bargain in 2017.
Mr Modi’s administration has denied buying the spyware, which can contaminate cell phones without clients’ information and access practically the entirety of their information.
Director of Research at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Dr. John Kwakye, has expressed his concerns about the continued approval of what he characterizes as “colonial-type contracts” by the government in recent times.
Dr. Kwakye argues that such contracts primarily benefit foreign entities and the government itself. His comments come in response to the approval of the first lithium mining lease to Barari DV Ghana Ltd, a subsidiary of the Australia-based Atlantic Lithium.
In a tweet that was spotted by GhanaWeb Business, Dr. Kwakye called on the Ghanaian parliament to reject the agreement between the Government of Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Limited. He disputed the claim made by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, that the deal was favorable for the country.
“What do our leaders take us for. Why are they still signing colonial-type contracts that favour foreigners and themselves? Parliament must reject it,” he queried.
He further said, “The terms of this license are not as favourable as the Minister would want us to believe. Where is the local – refining component the President promised us? Parliament should reject it!”
The $250-Million Ewoyaa Project in Central Region Set to Commence Production by 2025″
The Ewoyaa project, with an estimated value of $250 million, is located in the Mfantseman Municipality within the Central Region. It is anticipated to commence production activities in 2025.
On October 19, 2023, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, officially signed a 15-year lease agreement with the company in Accra. This lease agreement encompasses an area of approximately 42.63 square kilometers.
Minister Jinapor clarified that the mining lease is in alignment with Ghana’s Green Minerals Policy. The terms of the lease involve an increase in royalty rates, rising from the standard 5 percent to 10 percent. Additionally, the state’s free carried interest has been raised from 10 percent to 13 percent.
Furthermore, the government, facilitated by the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), will acquire an additional 6 percent stake in the mining company and 3.06 percent in the holding company, which is listed on the Australian and London Stock exchanges.
It’s worth noting that on July 13, 2022, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, acting on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, presented a policy statement to Parliament outlining the development and management of green minerals. This policy aims to ensure that the exploitation of these resources benefits the people of Ghana.
Following its presentation to Parliament, the policy was submitted to Cabinet, where it underwent extensive deliberation and critique before receiving approval on July 27, 2023.
Some of the key components of this policy include higher royalty rates, increased Ghanaian participation in green mineral operations to a minimum of 30 percent, strengthened local content and local participation, including the listing on the Ghana Stock Exchange, and a focus on value addition and beneficiation.
In line with these policy directives, the government initiated negotiations with Atlantic Lithium for the Ewoyaa project.
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has recommended that the government declare a state of crisis in Ghana if it cannot fulfill the relief requirements of the flood victims affected by the Akosombo Dam spillage.
He suggests that by doing so, the international community would become aware of the situation and offer humanitarian assistance to the more than 26,000 citizens who have been impacted by the floods.
Mr. Nketiah made these remarks during a brief event where his party provided relief items to flood victims in 11 affected districts across the Volta and Eastern Regions.
“I am calling on the government, we have as a nation found reasons to go and donate to other countries that have found themselves in a crisis like this. We know the nature of our financial situation now. If we think that the required relief will be beyond us as Ghanaians, let us swallow our pride and then declare to the international community that Ghana is in crisis and whoever is our friend can come and help us”, he said.
However, he attributed the “calamitous flood” brought on by the leakage to the Volta River Authority’s officials’ incompetence, saying the flooding tragedy might have been prevented if the Authority had been watchful and exercised due vigilance.
“If we are doing our work well as scientists, we should know that when there is heavy rainfall and the water is entering the rivers flowing into the dam, we should know that within some one month, the effects should be calculated and preventive actions should be taken.”
This is not the first time the dam has been opened for water to spill. We must ask, how come that in all the previous years that we have had calls to spill water, the effects have not been this devastating?”, Mr. Nketia quizzed.
Nevertheless, he expressed his condolences to the affected residents and expressed gratitude that no lives had been lost since the spillage began on September 15, 2023, causing floods that submerged hundreds of homes along the lower Volta.
He urged institutions and individuals to provide assistance to the victims to help them get through these challenging times.
2,000 bags of rice, 500 cartons of cooking oil, 500 cartons of canned fish, 500 cartons of tomatoes, and 1000 packs of sachet water were among the supplies supplied by the NDC.
The victims in the districts of North Tongu, South Tongu, Central Tongu, Anlo, Keta, Ketu South, Kpando, North Dayi, South Dayi, Afadzato South, and Asugyaman will receive the GhC1.5 million worth of commodities.
Ghana’s sovereign dollar bonds experienced a significant decline on Tuesday following a government presentation of debt restructuring options that sought a reduction of 30 to 40 percent on the principal, disappointing investors.
Some of the bonds reached their lowest levels in three months, with the 2061 issue dropping as much as 2.9 cents on the dollar to 38.9 cents, according to Tradeweb data.
Subsequently, the bonds made a partial recovery but still remained between 1.5 cents and 2.5 cents lower on the dollar.
Ghana is currently engaged in discussions with both bilateral and commercial creditors to restructure its debts, amid the most severe economic crisis in a generation. The nation has been excluded from international capital markets due to escalating domestic debt costs.
In addition to the principal reduction, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta informed investors that the government aimed to limit the coupon to no more than 5 percent and the final maturity to no more than 20 years for the bonds to be issued as part of the restructuring of its $13 billion outstanding international notes.
Although specific details were still pending, Morgan Stanley, in a note to its clients, estimated a recovery value of $38 in contrast to the current average price of $44 for the bonds.
“In our view, this proposal is unlikely to be accepted by the bondholders as the ultimate recovery value would be extremely low compared to history,” Morgan Stanley’s Neville Z Mandimika said.
“However, it is important to note that this is only a first proposal and various revisions will likely be made, presumably with a higher recovery value,” Mandimika added.
Stuart Culverhouse at Tellimer estimated a recovery value of $31.5-$44 if past due interest is included following the presentation – a lower outcome than he had previously expected.
“We still think 30-40 per cent haircuts – and Greece-like 60-70 per cent haircuts in PV (present value) terms – sounds excessive and unjustified,” Culverhouse wrote in a note, calling Accra’s hopes for an agreement in principle by year-end “ambitious”.
Analysts have suggested that incorporating value recovery instruments (VRIs), which are structures tied to factors like GDP growth, into the debt restructuring process could enhance the prospects for bondholders.
Barclays has computed that factoring in past-due interest, in combination with a recovery instrument, could potentially result in a recovery value of $50.
Some experts have emphasized that substantial write-offs are crucial in order to have a meaningful impact on the debt restructuring efforts of these nations.
Ghana, along with Zambia and Ethiopia, is currently engaged in the process of restructuring their debt under the G20 Common Framework program. This program, launched in late 2020, is designed to assist impoverished nations grappling with overwhelming debt burdens but has faced widespread criticism for its slow progress.
“Ghana’s proposal is the first economically sustainable proposal put forth at the G20 Common Framework,” Kevin Gallagher, director of Boston University’s Global Development Policy Centre, said.
“If Ghana gets upward of 40 per cent haircut and invests in their Climate Prosperity Plan they can harness a real recovery,” he said.
The government has signed an agreement with Barari DV Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Atlantic Lithium Limited. This deal encompasses a 10 percent royalty rate and a 13 percent free carried interest.
The agreement grants Barari DV the initial mining lease for extracting lithium from the Ewoyaa area in the Mfantsiman municipality of the Central Region.
This lease spans 15 years and introduces updated terms designed to maximize the country’s benefits from this mineral resource.
These terms include an increased royalty rate, participation of the state and local entities, and value addition to the mined mineral.
The agreement follows the completion of prospecting and feasibility studies by the company, as well as a series of negotiations between the government and Barari DV.
The lease covers an area of approximately 42.63 square kilometers and provides the company with exclusive rights to mine and produce lithium and related minerals in compliance with the country’s mining laws.
Lithium, a vital component in the production of lithium-ion batteries, holds strategic importance in the country’s transition toward green energy.
According to Samuel Jinapor, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, the government deliberately adopted a unique approach to the exploitation and management of lithium, distinct from other minerals. This necessitated the establishment of a special policy for this mineral before granting any mining lease.
After extensive consultations, Cabinet approved a policy for the exploitation and management of green minerals, including lithium.
The mining lease granted to the company aligns with the policy endorsed by parliament.
This recent authorization to the company, which had been exploring the commercial viability of the mineral deposits, adheres to the country’s mining regulations and grants the company the first right of refusal.
“By the mining laws of our country, when a company undertakes exploration and discovers minerals in commercial quantities, the company is entitled to the first right of refusal. That is to say if the company wants to go into the mining, the company is entitled to be given a mining lease to mine,” Mr. Jinapor added.
The minister made these announcements during a ceremony in Accra to formalize the agreement. He highlighted that the terms of the agreement provide better value to the state. Notably, the royalty rate has been increased from the standard 5 percent to 10 percent, and the state’s free carried interest in the mining operation has risen from 10 percent to 13 percent.
Furthermore, the government, through the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), will acquire an additional 6 percent stake in the mining operation and a 3.06 percent stake in the company’s parent entity, which is listed on the Australian and London Stock Exchanges.
The company will also be required to list on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) to allow Ghanaian entities like pension funds and individuals to participate in this venture.
Additionally, the company will allocate one percent of its revenue to a Community Development Fund, which will be utilized for the development of communities affected by its operations. The company will also endeavor to establish a chemical plant for processing the lithium. In the event the company cannot establish a chemical plant, it will supply its lithium to any third-party chemical plant established in the country, fostering job creation and development in mining communities and across the nation.
The government recognizes the impact of mining on host communities and is dedicated to ensuring that these communities, as well as the people of Ghana (who are the legal owners of these minerals), reap the benefits.
Mr. Jinapor, therefore, urged the company to strictly adhere to the country’s mining laws and the agreement with the government, emphasizing the importance of responsible, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly mining practices.
Niel Herbert, the Executive Chairman of Atlantic Lithium Limited, expressed the significance of the Ewoyaa project for the company and assured their commitment to collaborating with the government to ensure the effective exploitation of the mineral for the benefit of all stakeholders. He also pledged the company’s dedication to complying with the country’s laws and ensuring a safe mining environment.
Founder and leader of the Alabaster International Ministry, Prophet Kofi Oduro, has criticized the Ministry of Roads and Highways for its approach to renovating the Tema Motorway.
In a viral video addressing his congregation, Prophet Oduro expressed astonishment at the ministry’s choice to repair the Tema Motorway, a concrete road, with asphalt.
He stated that this decision reflects a significant lack of competence within the ministry, as it is widely understood that materials used in road construction should also be used for repairs.
“… I spoke about the Tema Motorway last week and I’m going to do it again. Can you patch a concrete road with asphalt? Even if you are stupid, can’t you use the same material that was used for the construction of the road must be used to patch it?
“You have a whole institution for roads and highways. Where are the engineers? …. Concrete roads have expiry dates. When the expiry dates are due you need to strip the surface and do an overlay on it again,” he said.
The pastor accused government officials of being only interested in living lavishly.
“They only know how to bus houses for girls and boast because they have become successful because of cheap money,” he said.
A tribal king in Uganda has received a warm and celebratory welcome upon returning home, marking his return seven years after a police raid on his palace resulted in the deaths of numerous individuals.
The streets of Kasese were filled with joyful crowds as Charles Wesley Mumbere, the King of Rwenzururu, arrived.
In 2016, he faced accusations of leading a militia from his palace with the intention of establishing an independent state.
The Ugandan government reported that just over 100 individuals were killed during the police operation, but human rights organizations claim that the actual number of casualties was much higher.
King Mumbere and many others were charged with various offenses, including treason, murder, and terrorism. However, the case was dropped by prosecutors after they applied for amnesty.
The Rwenzururu kingdom, comprised of ethnic Bakonzo people, has a history of separatist aspirations and long-standing tensions with the Ugandan government.
Jamaludeen A. Abdullah, a member of the New Patriotic Party and a member of the Government communication team, has proposed that a sobriety test should be included as part of the apology process to verify that the Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Francis Xavier-Sosu, was not under the influence of any substances when he made his offensive remarks.
The OccupyBoG demonstration, organized by the National Democratic Party and its affiliate, the Minority in Parliament, occurred in Accra on Tuesday, with protesters gathering to voice their concerns regarding the GH₵60 billion loss incurred by the Bank of Ghana.
During the event, Francis Xavier Sosu attracted controversy for his comments directed at the country’s leadership.
In reaction to the viral video of his remarks, Xavier-Sosu released a public apology and acknowledged accountability for his actions, stating, “I take complete responsibility for those words, and I apologize for them.”
However, Mr. Jamaludeen A. Abdullah, representing the NPP on the GTV Breakfast show, raised doubts about the authenticity of the apology, remarking, ” “I believe he (Xavier-Sosu) should’ve submitted a sobriety test to show or prove to Ghanaians that he wasn’t under the influence of anything when he made those distasteful statements.”
Mr. Jamaludeen also voiced his disapproval of the National Democratic Party (NDC) for its language choices, specifically their description of the head of security at the Bank of Ghana as a “watchman,” which he deemed as disrespectful to the highly regarded security leader of such an important institution.
This request for a sobriety test by Mr. Jamaludeen introduces a fresh element into the ongoing controversy surrounding Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu’s comments during the OccupyBoG demonstration.
The Global Mercy Ship, the largest civilian hospital ship globally, is collaborating with the government to reduce deaths attributed to a lack of surgical care, especially among vulnerable populations.
Approximately five billion people worldwide lack access to safe and affordable surgical care, leading to at least 17 million deaths annually, with a significant impact on low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana.
Through this partnership between the Government of Ghana and the Global Mercy Ship, many vulnerable individuals will receive free medical and surgical services, including general surgery, reconstructive plastics surgery, ophthalmic surgery, women’s health surgery, maxillofacial surgery, ear-nose-throat surgeries, and pediatric orthopedic surgery.
The ship will remain in Ghana for about ten months, aiming to reduce the surgical backlog and provide surgical services to underserved populations, especially those in remote areas.
Additionally, patients in leprosariums with post-leprosy contractures who meet the surgery criteria will benefit from plastic surgeries.
An advanced team from Global Mercy Ships, led by Vice President-International Michelle Bullington, is already in the country and collaborating with officials from the Ghana Health Service.
During a meeting with Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the government expressed its support for this initiative, which also aims to enhance the capacity of medical and surgical specialists in Ghana.
At the end of the program, a 250-bed rehabilitative center will be handed over to the country to accommodate patients who receive surgical and medical services.
The Ghana Health Service has assured its full support for the program, emphasizing its potential to enhance healthcare delivery in the country. Director of Healthcare Promotions Dr. Dacosta Aboagye stated, “This is an important program we are proud to receive. The necessary steps are in place to ensure the country reaps full benefit.”
TheIMF expects Ghanaian authorities and the Official Creditor Committee to reach an agreement soon.
According to Julie Kozack, the IMF’s Director of Communications, it is critical for Ghana to complete debt restructuring talks with both domestic and external creditors.
“The next steps on debt restructuring are for the Official Creditor Committee to agree with the authorities on the specific modalities of debt relief and for the authorities to continue to engage with their external private creditors for relief on their external debt. These discussions are ongoing, and we hope that the OCC, the Official Creditor Committee, and the Ghanaian authorities will find an agreement soon. The government has recently finalized the restructuring of its domestic debt,” Julie Kozack said.
Over half of Ghana’s total debt, which includes Eurobond obligations, is attributed to external creditors, totaling approximately $52.3 billion. This underscores the vital need for the country to ensure the sustainability of its debt.
Despite being formed in May 2023, the creditor committee has not yet reached definitive decisions regarding the extent of debt reductions (haircuts) to be offered to Ghana.
Meanwhile, an IMF delegation is presently in Ghana, evaluating the nation’s economic performance. They are also preparing a report that will determine Ghana’s eligibility for the next installment of the $3 billion loan.
Ghana’s debt owed to external creditors makes up more than half of the country’s total debts, including Eurobond holders.
External debts add up to about $52.3 billion of the country’s total debts, making it a necessary requirement for the country to make its debts sustainable.
The creditor committee, which was formed in May 2023, is however yet to reach concrete conclusions on how much haircuts to give Ghana.
However, an IMF team is currently in Ghana to assess the country’s performance and also to present a report to qualify the country for the next tranche of the $3 billion loan.
The United States government teeters on the verge of another shutdown as Congress appears set to miss the Saturday midnight deadline to allocate funds for federal agencies.
This potential fourth shutdown in the past decade could have far-reaching consequences, impacting various aspects of daily life such as air travel, access to national parks, and the issuance of marriage licenses.
A majority of government employees would face unpaid furloughs, and essential nutrition programs would come to a halt.
The looming shutdown stems from a conservative rebellion within the US House of Representatives. With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House and Democrats maintaining a single-seat edge in the Senate, bipartisan support is essential to pass spending bills that would keep the government operational and send them to President Joe Biden for approval.
What happens in a US government shutdown?
However, a dissident faction of conservative legislators on the right has disrupted negotiations in the House, the lower house of Congress. They are demanding substantial spending cuts, including the cessation of US funding for the war in Ukraine.
Former President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed this group, and their stance has derailed Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s attempts to guide the necessary legislation through the House to resolve the deadlock.
Although the Speaker could theoretically seek votes from Democrats to pass a spending bill, this action would probably provoke an attempt by the dissident faction to remove him from his influential leadership position.
Kevin McCarthy’s job on the line as shutdown looms
Mr McCarthy has also refused to take up a short-term funding bill making its way through the Senate. The bill, which includes $6bn (£4.9bn) for Ukraine and $6bn for disaster aid, is a last-ditch effort to avert a lengthy shutdown and appears to have strong bipartisan support in the upper chamber.
On Friday, House Republicans’ short-term funding measure, which included strict border policies championed by the hardliners, was rejected by as many as 21 members of the party and failed to pass.
In a closed-door meeting, Mr McCarthy said that Republicans would have to opt for the House bill or the Senate’s version, or risk being blamed for a shutdown.
But the rebel lawmakers asserted they would not budge for anything less than a long-term spending bill with their priorities addressed.
“This take it or leave it or I’ll blame you won’t work on us,” South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a moderate who voted against the House bill on Friday, wrote on X.
“I’m in this for the long run and have no problem taking on DC to do it.”
Image caption,Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz (centre) has publicly threatened to oust Kevin McCarthy (right) as Speaker
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, slammed Mr McCarthy for bringing up “truly radical” proposal that could not make it through both chambers.
“The Speaker needs to abandon his doomed mission of trying to please [Republican] extremists,” he said.
The White House backed Mr Schumer’s calls for the House to get behind his spending bill.
“The path forward to fund the government has been laid out by the Senate with bipartisan support – House Republicans just need to take it,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement on Friday.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said: “The failure of House Republicans to act responsibly would hurt American families and cause economic headwinds that could undermine the progress we’re making.”
Ms Yellen warned that “key government functions”, including loans to farmers and small businesses, food and workplace safety inspections, and major infrastructure improvements would all be affected.
Shutdowns take place when Congress is unable to approve the roughly 30% of the federal budget it must approve before the start of each fiscal year on 1 October.
This means that, on Monday, hundreds of thousands of federal workers except those deemed “essential” will be at home without pay. Many of these employees live paycheque to paycheque, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.
More than 1.4 million active-duty members of the military and tens of thousands of air traffic controllers will be among those working, without pay.
It is a troubling development for any federal workers holding student loan debt. Loan repayments for over 40 million people will restart on Sunday after being paused since the start of the pandemic.
Image caption,Federal workers stood in lines for food during the 2018-19 government shutdown, which lasted 34 days
The shutdown will also have an immediate impact on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which provides grocery assistance to seven million pregnant women and new mothers.
A prolonged shutdown could also affect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a grocery benefit known as “food stamps” that serves 40 million low-income Americans, and hinder the implementation of a new programme to serve free breakfast and lunch to students in high-need school districts.
Museums, national parks, research facilities and communities health centres with federal government oversight or funding are likely to suspend operations for the period of the shutdown.
Additionally, the government agency at the helm of relief and recovery from natural disasters is currently scrambling to conserve cash in the event a shutdown collides with an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.
Budget disputes that cause this kind of disruption do not occur anywhere else in the world and has been criticised as an example of Washington’s growing dysfunction and partisan divides.
The last government shutdown, under Mr Trump in 2019, lasted a record 34 days.
It erased $11bn in economic output, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and federal workers were seen standing in line at food banks.
The Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), representing property developers, is calling on the government to reconsider its strategy for affordable housing projects involving its members.
GREDA pointed out that the government’s direct involvement in the development of affordable housing projects has, over the years, resulted in a lack of substantial progress in delivering such housing.
They expressed concern that when the government does engage private developers, it often chooses foreign partners over local developers.
To ensure that the state-sponsored affordable housing initiative fulfills its commitment to providing quality and affordable housing for low-income workers, Sammy Amegayibor, the Executive Secretary of GREDA, emphasized the need for the government to transition into a facilitator role rather than competing with private developers.
“Government’s role in affordable housing must be the facilitation. GREDA believes that government must strongly remove itself from direct involvement in the delivery of housing and facilitate the private sector by fixing the land acquisition bottlenecks, access to funding and basic infrastructure, among others.
“State organisations are either confused or not consulting properly. Most of the time we only get to hear in the news that government has secured foreign partners without any consultation with local players; and when they decide to consult GREDA after the engagement, nothing we suggest is taken into consideration.
“Local players like Lakeside Estate and the other big brands have proven several times that they are capable of delivering 5,000 to 20,000 housing units with state-of-the-art facilities within a short period of time. So, it’s beyond imagination why government is still ignoring us the local developers,” he said.
He went on to emphasize that when comparing the quality of projects undertaken by local developers and their pricing with what the government produces, it becomes evident that the government has not successfully delivered a single affordable housing project.
Consequently, he is urging the government to collaborate with local developers and adopt a facilitative role. This could involve granting tax incentives, offering input incentives, providing land, or meeting other essential requirements that would enable private developers to carry out the main infrastructure development projects at affordable rates for the general public.
These remarks were made during the launch of the Lakeside Hills housing project, a new lifestyle community developed by Lakeside Estate, which aims to provide over 5,000 homes in multiple phases.
The first phase of the Lakeside Hills project will encompass 200 homes, specifically four-bedroom, multi-story houses.
The project is envisioned as a comprehensive community that will encompass social and community experiences, including shopping, recreation, work, and leisure activities.
Dr. Prince Joseph Ayiku, the Managing Director of Lakeside Estate, explained that the project’s concept is to redefine housing and accommodation by offering more luxurious living options at reasonable prices.
“We are faced with a big task of how to create a development with elegance and green environment capable of satisfying the necessary elements of a luxurious family home,” he said.
The complex includes a cutting-edge sports facility created with clients’ health and fitness in mind. It has lawn tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, as well as a football pitch and a green space for children’s amusement.
Past state affordable housing projects
GREDA pointed out that the tradition of the government offering housing units to citizens and state employees is not a recent occurrence. It noted that prior to the Fourth Republic, preceding administrations had undertaken similar affordable housing initiatives, including developments in areas like Dansoman, Adenta, and the Sakumono Estate, which was initiated during the tenure of the first President of the Fourth Republic, Jerry John Rawlings.
He emphasized that all these earlier developments were executed by local entities. However, current governments have encountered challenges in this regard due to their preference for involving foreign partners.
Mr. Amegayibor stressed that subsequent administrations in the Fourth Republic have lacked the same level of commitment, with a focus on symbolic ground-breaking ceremonies and ceremonial launches taking precedence over substantive progress.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced its intention to expand its tax compliance measures to generate the necessary revenue for development. To identify tax infractions by companies or customers, the GRA has utilized a test-purchase approach.
Companies that fail to comply with these measures may be subject to a fine of GHC50,000 or face prosecution. In addition to these measures, the GRA will extend its tax operations to cover Personal Tax Income, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax, Tax Stamps, and Affixed Stamps on products.
Customers are expected to adhere to Section 41 of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, which mandates them to issue tax invoices consistently.
The GRA taskforce recently conducted an operation to enforce tax compliance, resulting in the invitation of eight shop operators and the arrest of two hotel managers. The establishments visited during the operation include Golden Key Hotel, Royal Cockpit Hotel, Kingsbridge Hotel, Floresent Boutique, Look & Pick Company Limited, Safcal Lodge, Adez Mart, Kidis B Mother Care, Mandamond, and Les Fam Company Limited, all located in the Ayawaso West Municipality.
Some of these businesses were found to be non-compliant with the Commissioner’s tax invoice requirements, while others were not registered for VAT.
Joseph Annan, Area Enforcement Manager of GRA in charge of Accra Central, emphasized that failing to issue VAT when registered with the Authority constitutes a violation of tax laws. The two individuals arrested during the operation will undergo assessment for a pre-emptive fine of GHC50,000 at the Customs Office Division of GRA in Accra, while eight shop owners were invited to the GRA head office.
Annan noted that these shop owners had clearly violated VAT regulations, and the Authority had expanded its scope by including general tax compliance tests.
Political Scientist Dr Amoako Baah has pronounced doom on on the current government, the National Democratic Party (NPP), saying it will soon hit the rocks.
He expressed his view that the party is presently under the control of individuals whom he considers corrupt and “rascals” who do not genuinely work towards the party’s advancement.
He pointed to President Akufo Addo as being the driving force behind this situation.
In a time of media engagement, Mr Baah expressed, “the party is in the wrong hands. You cannot correct if from within. The party must die and its going to die. You watch it and see. Its going to die. it will be divided in into two. The Kumasi people will have the bigger power. The other one will die. Then we will get raid of all the rascal running the party down. Raskles!”
Alan Kyerematen’s departure from the NPP has initiated discussions about his prospects as an independent candidate and the NPP losing a dedicated member.
While a section of Ghanaians believe that Alan is going to succeed as an independent candidate of the new Movement for Change party, his supports also see the the NPP crashing entirely in no time.
It has been claimed that the drones purchased by the government to monitor galamsey activities in the country have become a white elephant.
According to a tweet by Ghana Mu Nsemsem and seen by GhanaWeb Business, the 200 drones, valued at $3 million, were non-functional.
“In a response to the severe bird flu outbreak in South Africa, Namibia has suspended all imports of live poultry and poultry products from its neighboring country.
The decision comes as a result of the rapid and alarming spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in various regions of South Africa.
It said, “The government of Ghana in 2020 purchased 200 drones to supervise galamsey activities nationwide at a cost of $3million.”
“However, reports indicate that all of these drones are currently non-functional and this is the state of River Ankobra as we captured just yesterday. #OccupyJulorbiHouse,” it added.
Additionally, a video depicted the milky brown transformation of River Ankobra, a consequence of galamsey operations.
In an endeavor to combat illegal mining, often referred to as ‘galamsey,’ the government procured over 200 drones capable of capturing real-time images in districts where this practice is prevalent.
The deployment of drones formed a crucial component of the government’s comprehensive strategy to crack down on illegal miners, whose actions have wrought havoc on the nation’s land and water resources.
Security personnel and other individuals responsible for operating these devices at the district level underwent training at the George Grant University of Mines and Technology as part of this initiative.
Read the tweet below;
The government of Ghana in 2020 purchased 200 drones to supervise galamsey activities nationwide at a cost of $3million.
However, reports indicate that all of these drones are currently non-functional and this is the state of River Ankobra as we captured just yesterday.… pic.twitter.com/S8roHC3Vxw
Suella Braverman will likely inquire today if the rules for refugees established after World War Two still apply today.
The person in charge of home affairs is scheduled to talk in front of a US group called the American Enterprise Institute, which has conservative views. They will be visiting Washington DC for this event.
She will say that some parts of the United Nations Refugee Convention from 1951 are ‘crazy’, and she will also caution that a system where all gay people or lesbian who are scared of discrimination can receive protection is not able to continue.
The convention, along with a 1967 Protocol, explains what a “refugee” is and sets rules for how they should be treated to make sure they are protected.
Labour accused Ms. Braverman of wanting to blame others because she has stopped trying to improve the British asylum system.
In Washington DC, the government official in charge of homeland security will explain that the current system allows for people who want to escape danger in their home countries and people who want to find better jobs to be considered together.
She will say: ‘The convention was made to help people who had to leave their home because they were being treated badly. This was after the very terrible things that happened during World War Two and the Holocaust. At first, it focused on helping people in Europe. ‘
It was a really amazing accomplishment for its time. But after more than 70 years, we currently exist in a totally new era.
When the Refugee Convention was agreed upon, it provided safety for around two million people in Europe.
According to a study by Nick Timothy and Karl Williams for the Centre for Policy Studies, at least 780 million people now have the theoretical right to move to a different country. Ms Braverman will state: “I want to make it clear that in many parts of the world, being gay or being a lesbian can be really challenging. ” If people are being treated badly, it is fair that we provide them a safe place to stay.
However, we won’t be able to continue supporting the asylum system if being gay or a lesbian and being afraid of discrimination in your home country is all it takes to be granted protection.
‘The current situation, where people can travel through many safe countries and live in them for a long time while choosing where they want to seek asylum, is ridiculous and cannot continue. ‘ There are plans to stop small boat migration to the UK, but they haven’t started yet. Flights from Rwanda for processing haven’t started yet, and the Bibby Stockholm barge is still empty.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that the plans in Rwanda go against the rules outlined in the 1951 convention.
Yvette Cooper, who is in charge of home security, said that a lot of people in Britain want to have strict border control and a well-run system for helping refugees who have fled persecution and conflict, like the Afghan interpreters who helped our military.
‘With the Tories in power, we have a broken asylum system that is not strong or just. ’
From the end of 2017 to 2022, the nominal value of the nation’s financial sector assets nearly doubled, with significant growth of 94.96 percent.
This period was characterized by various events such as sector clean-ups, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), and the recapitalization of sector institutions.
This information is detailed in the Ghana Financial Stability Review, titled ‘Managing financial stability risks in the midst of a difficult macroeconomic environment and Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.’ The report was released by the regulatory bodies overseeing the sector, using audited and prudential data from 2022 through the first half of 2023.
According to the report, which was published by the Financial Stability Council comprising the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), and National Insurance Commission (NIC), the metric increased from GH¢160 billion at the end of 2017 to GH¢312.69 billion at the close of the previous year. The 2022 figure represented a 20.07 percent increase from the GH¢260.43 billion recorded at the end of December 2021, with growth observed across various sectors.
In 2022, the insurance, banking, and pensions sectors notably saw increases of 22.3 percent, 21.7 percent, and 19.9 percent, respectively. However, the securities sector was an exception, with its total assets decreasing by 2.7 percent year-on-year.
Additionally, there was a noticeable decrease in the sector’s assets-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio, which declined to 51.2 percent at the end of December 2022, down from 56.4 percent in 2021. This decline in the assets-to-GDP ratio was primarily attributed to mark-to-market losses in government bond holdings resulting from the DDEP, which contributed to relatively lower growth in the financial system’s total assets for the year 2022.
Banking industry
The banking industry, often considered the cornerstone of the financial sector, concluded 2017 with total assets amounting to GH¢110.72 billion. By the end of 2022, this figure had surged to GH¢238.72 billion, primarily driven by an increase in deposits.
Throughout this period, the industry maintained an average year-on-year asset growth rate of 15 percent. It also consistently held an average share of 41.3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounted for an average of 74.6 percent of the total assets within the entire sector. As of the end of 2022, its share of the sector’s assets had risen to 76.5 percent.
Securities Industry
The securities sector, as measured by assets under management (AUM), experienced fluctuations during the period under review. AUM (excluding pension funds) faced declines in 2018 and 2019 due to the revocation of licenses by some firms. However, it rebounded, registering a growth of 77.44 percent in 2021, reaching GH¢14.77 billion.
Nonetheless, in December 2022, the sector reported a dip of 2.71 percent in AUM, attributed to factors such as mark-to-market losses.
When including pension funds, the total AUM reached GH₵49.5 billion by the end of 2022. However, the AUM-to-GDP ratio (excluding pension funds) remained modest at 2.4 percent for the end of 2022. The securities sector’s share of the financial system’s assets stood at 4.6 percent in 2022.
Insurance Sector
The insurance sector demonstrated consistent growth throughout the years, with total assets reaching GH¢12.24 billion by December 2022, up from GH¢4.65 billion in 2017.
During the period under review, the sector’s assets averaged two percent of GDP. Its share of the financial sector increased steadily, growing from 2.9 percent in 2017 to 3.9 percent by the end of the previous year.
In 2022, the insurance industry witnessed a 25 percent growth in gross premiums, reaching GH¢6.56 billion. This growth was attributed to the NIC’s digital initiatives and the upcoming Motor Insurance Database and Marine and Aviation Insurance Database (MAID). The Minimum Capital Requirement (MCR) increase by the regulator was also expected to strengthen the industry and boost the insurance penetration rate, which had remained at 1 percent over the past half-decade.
Retention ratios slightly decreased in the non-life and life sectors but remained within reinsurance guidelines. Non-life decreased from 70 percent to 68 percent, while life was at 88 percent.
Pensions Industry
The pension sector’s share of assets steadily increased over the review period, primarily driven by significant growth in private pension funds. Total assets grew from GH¢20.77 billion in 2017 to GH¢46.61 billion by the end of the previous year.
As of December 2022, the industry’s assets-to-GDP ratio stood at 7.6 percent and accounted for 14.9 percent of the financial system’s assets.
In 2022, the pensions industry’s AUM for the 3-Tier Pension Scheme at end-December 2022 was GH¢46.6 billion, compared to GH₵39.6 billion in 2021, marking a 17.7 percent increase (compared to 18 percent in 2021). This growth was attributed to increased contributions due to efforts to hold defaulting employers accountable and higher enrollment.
Total private pension funds increased by 23.1 percent in 2022 compared to 27 percent in 2021, reaching GH¢34.5 billion at the end of 2022. The slower growth in private pension funds was influenced by a negative return on investments, with a significant focus on government securities, accounting for 86 percent of investments.
Interconnectedness
The regulators emphasized their close attention to the financial system’s interconnectedness to identify systemic distress.
“A key characteristic of a developed financial system is the level of interconnectedness within and across the financial system’s various sectors, as it enhances the flow of funds in an economy. Also, interconnectedness of financial institutions provides means of diversifying risk and sharing technological infrastructures among financial agents… financial sector regulators have intensified the monitoring of interlinkages in the financial system to provide insights on the degree of concentration and sources of distress that can be of contagion effect,” a portion of the report read.
Yesterday, the United States emphasized the importance of digitizing government services in Nigeria as a crucial measure to combat corruption in the country.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Wally Adeyemo, made this appeal during a press briefing in Lagos to conclude his three-day visit to Nigeria.
Adeyemo also highlighted that maintaining a stable Naira is essential for Nigeria’s economic growth and for attracting foreign investment into the country.
Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Ernest Addison, has declared that the economy’s outlook is favorable, with macroeconomic indicators showing signs of improvement.
“We are quite confident about the outlook of the economy, as just last week we had a new reading of inflation, and this is the first time we have stayed on the disinflation path with inflation declining by three percentage points,” he said.
The Governor made these remarks during the 47th meeting of the Committee of Governors of Central Banks of the West African Monetary Zone and the 62nd Ordinary meeting of the Committee of Governors of Central Banks of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
This program was a part of the 2023 Mid-Year Statutory Meetings hosted by the Government of Ghana under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana, which included the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), and West African Monetary Agency (WAMA).
Notably, inflation decreased from 43.1 percent in July to 40.1 percent in August, following its peak at 54.1 percent in December of the previous year.
Dr. Addison, who delivered the keynote address, highlighted that in 2022, Ghana faced an economic crisis, prompting the government to seek an Extended Credit Facility of $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to restore macroeconomic and debt sustainability.
He further emphasized that the government is currently prioritizing the implementation of measures aimed at reestablishing macroeconomic stability and fostering inclusive economic growth.
“There are important lessons to be learnt from the ECF IMF programme which we will share with our colleagues in these meetings,” Dr Addison stated.
He mentioned that the meeting served as a platform to evaluate the progress of the member states within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in their pursuit of a unified currency.
Dr. Addison emphasized that the program, of greater significance, offered a chance to reassess the roles of monetary institutions like WAIFEM, WAMI, and WAMA in the roadmap leading to the launch of the ECO currency next year. It also provided an opportunity to delve into other economic and monetary developments within the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ).
“The question facing us at this meeting is what we shall do differently after 36 years since the inception of the ECOWAS Monetary Co-operation and 23 years since the second WAMZ was instituted,” he stressed, saying, “And this leaves next year a critical year in the lead up to the launch of the ECO under the roadmap in line with the new macroeconomic convergence,” he said.
Dr. Olorunsola Olowofeso, the Director-General of WAMI, noted that macroeconomic vulnerabilities had escalated within the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ).
These vulnerabilities were prompted by factors such as high inflation rates, an expanded fiscal deficit, increased debt burdens, currency depreciation, and restrictive financial conditions.
“Recent political instability had added to the woes of pre-existing insecurity challenges in ECOWAS, exposing the fragile recovery of the WAMZ economies to the risk of reversal of macroeconomic gains and creating an environment of uncertainty,” he stated.
Renowned economist Dr. Ishmeal Yamson has criticized the government for ignoring all warning indicators before the Ghanaian economy collapsed in 2022.
According to his opinion, the administration was fully aware of the effects of its excessive borrowing policies and how they would affect the economy.
Speaking at a public lecture to celebrate Academic City University College’s fifth anniversary, the administration must accept responsibility for its errors in order to get the economy back on track.
“I don’t think anybody can ever say that they were not aware of the issues facing the country and the likely consequences. So, what they [central government] should have done, is simply understand the implications of these issues clearly and with honesty determine what they can do to change the course of what they were doing,” he is quoted by myjoyonline.com
“I think the biggest risks was that they [central government] refused to accept that things were not going in the right direction, even when the signs were all over the place. So, I think that is something we have to do differently going forward”, the economist pointed out.
In the meantime, the government has recently reopened the invitation for the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), which was initially introduced in February 2023.
This reopening took place on September 13, 2023, allowing individuals who hold domestic bonds and notes but were unable to participate in the earlier exercise to now take part.
The Finance Ministry specified that this time around, the government is extending the invitation to holders of domestic notes and bonds issued by the Republic of Ghana E.S.L.A. Plc and Daakye Trust Plc.
These bondholders are encouraged to submit their eligible bonds in exchange for a new package of tranches.
Furthermore, it’s important to note that this invitation is exclusively open to registered holders of eligible bonds who are not Pension Funds.
The government initially introduced the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme in December 2022 as part of the conditions stipulated by the IMF to secure a $3 billion bailout package and restore macroeconomic stability.
