TIG Post

Tag: Government

  • Quit attempts to reinstate ‘obnoxious’ taxes – GUTA to govt

    Quit attempts to reinstate ‘obnoxious’ taxes – GUTA to govt

    Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has expressed dissatisfaction over government’s intentions to implement three additional taxes.

    According to GUTA, such taxes are obnoxious and will bring more burden on the business community which is already in distress.

    GUTA issued the statement on the back of reports of three new taxes currently before Parliament for consideration to help government shore up more revenue to salvage the ailing economy.

    The three new taxes are Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, Excise Duty and Excise Tax Stamp (Amendment) Bills as well as the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill.

    GUTA in a statement signed by its president, Dr. Joseph Obeng is worried that the taxes in question will have rippling and cascading effects on businesses, especially SMEs, and indicated that it will resist such efforts by the government.

    It also believes the move is a subtle way by the government to re-introduce what were widely considered as nuisances taxes scrapped in 2017.

    The Union urged the government to widen the tax net and review policies on tax exemptions, warehousing, and free zones in other to raise the needed revenue rather than burdening its members with taxes.

    Read GUTA’s full statement below;

    STOP THESE OBNOXIOUS TAXES: BUSINESSES ARE ALREADY OVERBURDENED WITH HIGH TAXES AND INTEREST RATE

    “The Government in 2017, realizing the importance of lessening the tax burden on businesses, removed what were deemed to be nuisance taxes.

    As of now, these nuisance taxes are creeping back in various forms and folds seriously suffocating businesses in the country to death.

    What is more worrying is that these taxes are being piled on a few recognizable business companies and individual business entities.

    Moreover, some of these taxes have rippling and cascading effects on businesses, especially SMEs, thereby militating against their growth and survival.

    Business Community in the country has done its best in terms of tax payment. Against all odds and the challenges in 2022, the government was able to exceed its revenue target. Therefore, if the government wants to increase its revenue base, the best way is to adopt innovative means to capture those businesses outside the tax net, review policies on tax exemptions, warehousing, free zones etc. to curtail the abuses, as well as prune down expenditure.

    The continuous attribution of the economic challenges of the country to the global phenomena of covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War can no longer be overstressed because the pandemic is now a new normal, with no end in sight for the Russia-Ukraine war. Besides that, businesses are the worst affected by the phenomena and deserve sympathy from the government.

    As inflation rate reduces, we expected that the monetary policy rate too will come down, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

    It is important to state that, currently, doing business in Ghana is extremely costly and suffocating. This makes us irrelevant in the scheme of affairs in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as cross-border trade within our sub-regional bloc.

    Our worst fear is that, if care is not taken to reduce the unbearable tax burden on businesses, it will collapse businesses, increase poverty, and create insecurity in the country.

    On this note, we wish to appeal to our Honourable Members of Parliament to, as a matter of urgency carefully and properly analyze this issue of taxes and do the needful to save this country from crisis.”

  • Government is devoted to upholding SDG’s expectations and norms – Cecilia Dapaah

    Government is devoted to upholding SDG’s expectations and norms – Cecilia Dapaah

    According to Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regarding access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services are a priority for the government.

    That, she said, could be achieved with the support of all stakeholders and development partners.

    Madam Dapaah said this in a debate organised by the United Nations at its annual Water Conference in New York, USA, from March 20-25, 2023, a statement issued by the Ministry and copied to the Ghana News Agency said on Monday.

    The conference was the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of International Decade for Action; Water for Sustainable Development – 2018-2028.

    The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in a message to the conference, said; “The UN 2023 Water Conference in March must result in a bold water action agenda that gives our world’s lifeblood the commitment it deserves.”

    The general debate of the conference was that; “Water is a dealmaker for the Sustainable Development Goals, and for the health and prosperity of people and the planet.”

    “But our progress on water related goals and targets remains alarmingly off track, jeopardising the entire sustainable development agenda.”

    Madam Dapaah said water was a fundamental part of all aspects of life and it was inextricably linked to the three pillars of sustainable development (economic viability, environmental protection, and social equity), which were integrated into sociocultural, economic and political values.

    “Water is crosscutting and supports the achievement of many SDGs through close linkages with climate, energy, cities, the environment, food security, poverty, gender equality and health, amongst others,” she said.

    “With climate change profoundly affecting our economies, societies and environment, water is indeed the biggest deal breaker to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

    The conference, co-hosted by the governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands, featured six plenary meetings and five multi-stakeholder interactive dialogues, as well as high-level special and side events.

    Participating governments and stakeholders made new commitments and pledged to work towards achieving SDG-Six and other water-related goals and targets.

  • NAGRAT urges govt to incorporate teacher unions in policy making process

    NAGRAT urges govt to incorporate teacher unions in policy making process

    The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has petitioned government to engage teacher unions in the creation of policy.

    The group explains that as an implementer of policies from the ministry, it is necessary to include its leaders for the intended purpose to be achieved.

    Speaking to Citi News, the Greater Accra General Secretary of NAGRAT, Peter Boateng, said this will prevent the opposition to reforms by teachers.

    “One of the issues we need to look at is the relationship between GES, the policy formulator and the teachers. It’s more or less a master-servant relationship, and it doesn’t promote acceptance of reforms. We think that at the conception stage of the policy, everybody is involved. Getting documents, and having meetings with them is always a problem.”

    “Nobody is willing to give information about what they are doing until they are done. When they are done, they call you for a meeting and do a PowerPoint presentation, and then they say they have consulted the unions,” Greater Accra General Secretary of NAGRAT stated.

  • Victims of rape and sexual assault “suffer from impact of judicial backlog

    Victims of rape and sexual assault “suffer from impact of judicial backlog

    An extensive and expanding backlog in the crown courts is having a “disastrous impact” on rape and sexual abuse victims, according to a recent study.

    Rape Crisis England & Wales’ Breaking Point report finds a “record high” backlog of 7,859 sexual offense cases and 1,851 adult rape cases.

    According to the charity, the prolonged wait is “devastating” to victims’ mental health and has even led to suicide in certain cases.
    Others have given up trying to get justice.

    According to a Freedom of Information Act request made to HM Courts and Tribunal Service, the number of vacated and ineffectual rape cases that were “therefore postponed” more than doubled between 2019–2020 and 2021–2022.

    It also showed the number of trials that were postponed at least once shot up by 133%.

    The number of cases with three or more previous trial dates has almost doubled and there were five times as many hearings that had been rescheduled six or more times, the charity said.

    There has also been a massive rise in the number of ineffective trials due to lack of prosecution counsel, it added.

    It said a breakdown of reasons for ineffective trial listings given to the Justice Select Committee showed 1,925 instances were due to the prosecution advocate failing to attend in the year to June 20, 2022 – an increase of 1,722 in two years.

    Rape Crisis England & Wales’ chief executive Jayne Butler said: ‘In Breaking Point, we shine a light on the disastrous impact that the increasing backlog in the crown courts is having on rape and sexual abuse victims and survivors.

    ‘The postponing and rescheduling of cases multiple times is devastating the mental wellbeing of victims and survivors: they are being harmed by the criminal justice system.

    ‘On top of lengthy police investigations lasting years, and long periods of hearing nothing, victims and survivors are facing their cases being rescheduled in the courts – often multiple times – or find that they have not been informed about key developments, such as changes to trial dates.’

    Ms Butler said the charity has long been calling for the set up of specialist sexual violence and abuse courts, where court staff and judiciary would have ‘trauma-informed training’.

    She continued: ‘We are also calling for rape and sexual abuse cases to be given ‘priority listing’, which would see them moved much more quickly through the system and give them a guaranteed court date, reducing the uncertainty that many victims and survivors have told us is causing them extreme stress and anxiety.’

    Meanwhile a Ministry of Justice spokesperson insisted the Government was delivering ‘real improvements to the response to rape’.

    They said: ‘In the last year alone the number of rape cases referred by the police to the CPS is up more than 50%, the number of suspects charged has increased by 54% and convictions are up by 65% compared to last year.

    ‘We know more needs to be done, particularly so that victims have confidence and feel supported, which is why we’ve quadrupled funding for victims’ services, enabled them to pre-record court evidence earlier and away from defendants, and launched a 24/7 helpline with Rape Crisis.’

    Ellie Reeves MP, Labour’s shadow justice minister said the Government had not done enough to tackle violence against women and girls.

    She added: ‘The number of CPS staff and courts has fallen since 2010, and the Government has left the system powerless to deal with the largest courts backlog on record.

    ‘Rape survivors are now denied justice for years, with a fraction of the number of rapists being punished.’

  • “Allow those who can pay school fees pay” – Prof Aryeetey calls for Free SHS review

    “Allow those who can pay school fees pay” – Prof Aryeetey calls for Free SHS review

    A former vice chancellor of the University of Ghana (UG), Professor Ernest Aryeetey, has urged the government to give Senior High Schools (SHSs) some autonomy in order to aid in enhancing the quality of education in the country.

    Such autonomy, he said, would give the schools the authority to mobilise funds to complement what the government provided for education, manage academic programmes and also help the schools protect their assets.

    Speaking at the 96th Founders’ Day of Achimota School in Accra last Saturday, Prof. Aryeetey, said Achimota School, for instance, had the potential to mobilise sufficient resources from parents and the private sector to help develop the school when given the autonomy to do so.

    “There are many other schools that could benefit from such an initiative, and that is why the Old Achimotans Association (OAA) has led the creation of an Alumni Council that brings together the leadership of about 40 schools to fight for such recognition for their schools,” he said.

    The 96th Founders’ Day was on the theme: “Achimota School and the Empowerment of Generations: The First 96 Years.”

    It was attended by many past and current students of the school, as well as foreign dignitaries.

    Some highlights of the event were cultural performances by the students depicting the major ethnic groups in the country and praises for the founders of the school — Dr James Kwegyir Aggrey, Dr Frederick Gordon Guggisberg and Reverend Alexander Garden Fraser.

    No elitism

    Prof. Aryeetey, himself an old student of Achimota School, was of the view that allowing schools, especially those regarded as top schools, to be independent or granting them some form of autonomy would not lead to elitism.

    Rather, he said, it would be an opportunity for the schools to be innovative and find means to develop individually to improve on their services to the country.

    For instance, he said, Achimota School was a model educational institution set up by the colonial government in 1927 with a governing council that was independent and autonomous, with a mandate to develop generations of leaders in all spheres.

    “The proposal for an autonomous SHS will not lead to elitism, if managed properly, just as the colonial government had planned. It will rather provide and raise leaders in all spheres of life who will transform this nation for the next century.

    “We recognise that Achimota School needs to be free to mobilise resources that are required for it to become effective in transforming lives and empowering generations,” he stressed.

    The suggestion by Prof. Aryeetey comes on the back of numerous calls by civil society organisations, notable personalities and interest groups for the government to stop the wholesale free SHS policy by allowing parents who can pay fees to pay.

    For example, in July last year, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) urged the government to review the free SHS policy to allow “rich parents” to pay fees.

    According to the Director of Research of the IEA, Dr John Kwakye, such a move could help lessen the fiscal pressure on the government in the wake of the economic challenges facing the country.

    “I am not against free SHS because human capital creates fiscal capital… but if some people can afford its payment, then let them pay, or we can even do cost-sharing,” he said.

    Challenges

    The Headmaster of Achimota School, Ebenezer Graham-Acquah, said the school had, throughout its 96 years of existence, produced men and women who were leaders in various fields and had contributed positively to national development.

    However, he said, the school faced certain challenges, such as lack of adequate infrastructure to cater for the needs of its numerous students.

    Another big challenge, he said, was the encroachment on its lands, adding that more than 100 acres of the school land had been encroached upon by people.

  • ASBO violators to clean up their messes while wearing jumpsuits

    ASBO violators to clean up their messes while wearing jumpsuits

    The government plans to stop anti-social behaviour “once and for all” by making offenders clean up their offences within 48 hours of the offence while wearing hi-viz jackets and jumpsuits.

    According to Rishi Sunak, his new strategy—which is expected to be unveiled on Monday—aims to dispense “instant justice” and make sure that communities can clearly observe attempts to remove vandalism and graffiti.

    According to Downing Street, additional penalties might include picking up trash, washing police vehicles, or performing unpaid work in stores.

    Officials said the UK Government’s anti-social action plan was about establishing a ‘zero-tolerance approach where offenders know they will face the full consequences of their actions’.

    Speaking ahead of the plan’s publication, the Prime Minister said: ‘For too long, people have put up with the scourge of anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods.

    ‘These are not minor crimes. They disrupt people’s daily lives, hold businesses back and erode the sense of safety and community that brings people together.

    ‘That’s why I’m bringing forward a new plan to crack down on this behaviour once and for all – so that everyone can feel proud of where they live.’

    Mr Sunak will announce an approach known as immediate justice to be piloted in 10 areas before a rollout across England and Wales next year.

    The plan is set to include new funding for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) to ensure those responsible for offences that blight communities are punished as soon as possible.

    The Prime Minister has set the target of having offenders who are slapped with community orders starting reparation work within 48 hours of being handed the punishment.

    Mr Sunak dedicated a portion of his new year speech, setting out his five pledges ahead of the next election, on his ambitions to tackle anti-social behaviour.

    He said that low-level offences made ‘life miserable for so many’ and argued the destructive form of behaviour could ‘be a gateway to more extreme crimes’.

    According to officials, Mr Sunak’s plan will see offenders having to wear jumpsuits or hi-vis jackets and work under supervision as part of efforts to give the public confidence that justice is being done.

    Where possible, low-level criminals will be tasked with cleaning up the mess they created.

    If their anti-social activity has already been removed or repaired, they will instead be assigned projects to assist their community in other ways.

    Ministers have pledged that victims and affected communities will get a say in deciding what type of punishment or consequences offenders should face, alongside input from local PCCs.

    The immediate justice pilots come in addition to an expansion of the so-called community payback scheme for more serious criminals.

    Currently, offenders are sentenced by courts to do unpaid work that directly benefits their local communities, such as cleaning up public places and removing graffiti.

    Under Mr Sunak’s pilot idea, teams of offenders will be rapidly deployed to clean up more urgent incidents of anti-social behaviour, with the Probation Service delivering the work alongside selected councils.

    According to Government figures, last year saw 1,500 offenders spend almost 10,000 hours on 300 community clean-up projects, with plans to double that this year.

    Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow justice secretary, said cuts to neighbourhood policing had allowed offenders to ‘get away without punishment’.

    He said: ‘Under 13 years of Conservative government, community sentences have plummeted by two-thirds.

    ‘And now they have finally realised how angry local people are, so once again following where Labour has led by trying to copy our plan on tough community payback.

    ‘It is embarrassing that all the Conservatives can come up with is a pilot in 10 areas – covering only a quarter of police forces. They are out of ideas and out of time.’

    In a plan revealed last month, Labour announced proposals to put 13,000 more neighbourhood police on Britain’s streets and introduce ‘clean-up squads’ for fly-tippers if it wins power at the next election.

    The party also said it wanted to establish community and victim payback boards to oversee strengthened community sentences.

  • Junior doctors call a four-day walkout after nurses accept a salary agreement

    Junior doctors call a four-day walkout after nurses accept a salary agreement

    The British Medical Association has confirmed that junior doctors will once again go on four days of strike action in the next month.

    After requesting a 35% wage hike, thousands of junior physicians went on strike earlier this month.

    Health Secretary Steve Barclay, who met with BMA leaders yesterday, claimed the wage claim is “unaffordable.”

    On April 11 and April 15, they will be on strike.

    A agreement supported by unions and offered to other NHS employees includes a 5% salary increase in April and a one-time payment of at least £1,655.

    This is in addition to the raise in wages they received last year of 4.75%.

    Nurses, ambulance staff, physios and other workers are being asked to vote on whether to accept that deal.

    Mandatory Credit: Photo by Loredana Sangiuliano/SOPA Images/Shutterstock (13825975z) A protestor holds a placard during the Budget Day Protest held in Central London. The Tories' budget day was held on 15 March and expected to see over 500,000 workers out on strike. Workers in the NEU, PCS, UCU, Aslef and BMA unions set to strike, including junior doctors in the British Medical Association. Budget Day Protest held in Central London, UK - 15 Mar 2023
    Steve Barclay said doctors are asking for an ‘unaffordable’ pay rise (Picture: Loredana Sangiuliano/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)
    LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Striking junior doctors at Homerton Hospital in Hackney hold a rally on March 14, 2023 in London, England. Junior doctors in the UK will strike over pay and conditions for 72 hours from 13 March. (Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty images)

    The three biggest health unions – the Royal College of Nursing, Unison and the GMB – have all recommended their members accept it.

    But the BMA has insisted only a 35% increase will do to make up for 15 years of below-inflation rises.

    Dr Robert Laurenson, who co-chairs the BMA’s junior doctor committee, said: ‘It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action.

    ‘The government has dragged its feet at every opportunity.

    ‘It has not presented any credible offer and is refusing to accept that there is any case for pay restoration, describing our central ask as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unreasonable’.

  • Approve the three new tax bills to revive the economy – Deputy Finance Minister to Parliament

    Approve the three new tax bills to revive the economy – Deputy Finance Minister to Parliament

    The deputy minister of finance, Ms. Abena Osei-Asare, has backed the new tax legislation that are being introduced to Parliament today, Thursday, March 23.

    She alleged that these bills are critical in order to help the government’s attempts to raise funds and to boost the faltering economy.

    Ms. Osei-Asare stated that the passing of these bills will also help the government provide aid to vulnerable individuals who have been severely impacted by Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war. 

    “This is to support the economy to get back on track and implement the agenda of supporting the vulnerable who have been hit hard by Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war,” she said in an interview on Citi FM. 

    “Inasmuch as we are raising revenue, we also need to look at the vulnerable who have been hit hard and these are the revenues that we believe that if we raise we can use some to support them.”

    She added that the bills are necessary for effective budget implementation and increasing Tax-to-GDP from less than 13% to the sub-Saharan average of 18%. 

    “As a country, we need to mobilise our own domestic revenue to pursue our own national development agenda and so these are some of the things we can do to raise revenue. As we speak if you compare the revenue we raise to our GDP we are still way below the West African target of below 16 to 18 per cent we are still doing 13 per cent and so there is more that we feel we can do.”

    Today, Parliament will vote on several bills related to income tax, excise duty, excise tax stamp, growth, and sustainability levy. 

    If approved, these bills will allow for the implementation of the $3 billion IMF Programme staff-level agreement. 

    The government has completed various measures to meet the criteria set by the IMF, such as tariff adjustments, publication of the Auditor-General’s report on Covid-19 spending, and onboarding of various funds on the Ghana integrated financial management information system. 

    The international and domestic bond markets are currently closed, which means the government must rely on Treasury Bills and concessional loans to finance its programmes. 

    She argued that it was therefore critical for Parliament to consider and approve fiscal measures to help the country recover from the current economic crisis.

  • France protests after Macron increases his support for pensioners

    France protests after Macron increases his support for pensioners

    On Thursday, as part of a national day of protests, French workers upset with President Emmanuel Macron and his proposal to raise the pension age blocked entry to a terminal at Paris’ main airport, forcing some travelers to get there on foot.

    Wildcat activities by small groups of protestors, who assembled with signs reading “No to the pension change,” stopped roads and access to schools at the Roissy-Charles De Gaulle airport and across the nation.

    Smoke was seen rising from smoldering debris heaps blocking traffic on a highway near Toulouse, in the southwest.
    According to BFM News footage, unions also stopped the train lines at the Gare de Lyon station in Paris.

    Opinion polls have long shown that a majority of voters were opposed to delaying retirement age by two years to 64.

    Voters were further angered by the government’s decision last week to push the pension changes through parliament without a vote, and by Macron’s defiant comments on Wednesday.

    The president broke weeks of silence on the new policy to say he would stand firm and the law would come into force by the end of they year, at one point comparing the protests to the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol.

    Macron’s comments “increased the anger,” Laurent Berger, the head of France’s biggest union, the moderate CFDT, told BFM TV.

    “He’s the one setting the country on fire,” Celine Verzeletti of the hardline CGT union, told France Inter.

    Electricity output was also cut on Thursday as unions raised pressure on the government to withdraw the law. Flight services will continue to be reduced at the weekend, France’s civil aviation authority said.

    Protests also targeted oil depots and blocked an LNG terminal in the northern city of Dunkirk.

    Ninth day of national strike and protest in France against the pension reform

    A protester, wearing a CGT labour union vest, holds red flares as he attends a demonstration during the ninth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government’s pension reform, in Nice, France, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

    ANGER

    Protests against the new law, which also accelerates a planned increase in the number of years one must work to draw a full pension, have drawn huge crowds in rallies organised by unions since January.

    Most protests have been peaceful, but anger has mounted since the government bypassed a vote in the lower house of parliament, where it does not have an absolute majority and was not sure to get enough support.

    Since then, the past seven nights have seen demonstrations in Paris and other cities with rubbish bins set ablaze and scuffles with police.

    The latest wave of protests represents the most serious challenge to the president’s authority since the “Yellow Vest” revolt four years ago.

    “It’s a good thing that people are still mobilising, and that people stand up for their beliefs,” 26-year old engineer Jean Walter said at the Paris Saint-Lazare train station, where many trains were cancelled.

    Macron said on Wednesday that he had tasked his prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, with finding more support for the government. He said he wanted to involve unions more on upcoming policy changes on issues including schools, health or the environment.

    Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt said the government was not in denial about the tensions but wanted to move on.

    “There are many subjects which make it possible to renew a dialogue,” he said, including how companies share their profits with workers.

  • Ghana’s credit ratings will increase if government reduces spending – Economist

    Ghana’s credit ratings will increase if government reduces spending – Economist

    An economist, Professor Lord Mensah, has argues that if government reduces spending and effectively restructures its debt, the country’s credit rating will improve.

    Fitch has raised Ghana’s Long-Term Local-Currency Issuer Default Rating from RD to CCC.

    The issue ratings on domestically issued local-currency bonds that have not yet matured have also been upgraded to ‘CCC’ from ‘D’.

    In response to this development, Professor Lord Mensah stated that the government must seek advice on how to improve the economy in order to have a positive outlook.

    “If government will listen and try as much as possible to reduce expenditure, that will improve, probably, the rate we find ourselves in. We can even do better. So, there is always room for improvement. Let’s see what comes out in the coming weeks when we get our external debts restructured and then get the IMF programme which could improve the ratings further.”

    Fitch typically does not assign Outlooks to sovereigns with a rating of ‘CCC+’ or below.

    According to Fitch, the upgrade of Ghana’s LC-denominated debt follows the completion, effective 21 February 2023, of the domestic debt exchange programme by the Republic of Ghana.

    Fitch viewed the debt exchange programme as a distressed debt exchange in a context of heightened fiscal pressures, with interest costs amounting to 54% of revenues in 1H22, and a lack of access to international capital markets.

    The issue ratings on local-currency notes issued domestically that had a maturity date of 6 February 2023 and for which the remaining due principal payments were made on 13 March 2023 have been withdrawn given the expiry of these notes.

    Meaningless upgrade

    But Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central and member of Parliament’s Accounts Committee, Isaac Adongo has discredited Fitch’s upgrade.

    The Bolgatanga Central lawmaker says there is nothing to celebrate about the upgrade because the reality on the ground is that of hardship and suffering visited on investors and pensioners through the government’s infamous domestic debt exchange programme.

    Speaking in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Mr. Adongo said that though Fitch thinks Ghana has made some gains with the domestic debt exchange programme, what the government has actually done is postpone the problem of default.

    “Fundamentally, there is nothing worthy to celebrate about the upgrade because what they have simply done is deny poor people and pensioners their monies and Fitch is celebrating that as a gain but to the people affected, they will not be happy and will not celebrate such a rating.”

  • Akufo-Addo has an unequaled track record in the field of education – Education Minister

    Akufo-Addo has an unequaled track record in the field of education – Education Minister

    The minister of education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has lauded the accomplishments of the President Akufo-Addo’s administration in the field of education.

    He claims that the Akufo-Addo administration has done the best job the nation has seen in the last 14 years in terms of educational progress.

    Speaking to the media in Accra, the minister said that the policies of Akufo-Addo have resulted in an unprecedented rate of transitioning of students to the various levels of education in the country.

    “The good people of Ghana know that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is moving full steam ahead in education transformation.

    “STEM schools are being oversubscribed, this is under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. If you look at enrolment in Senior High Schools, in 2015, 299,649 (students) were enrolled. In 2022, 465,000 students were enrolled in Senior High Schools.

    “Over and over again the accomplishment of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is unmatched… the records of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the last 14 years is unmatched,” he said.

    The minister added that people who want to contest the fact that Akufo-Addo’s government has been superior in the educational sector should check the records, which he said are sacred and do not lie.

  • Sanwo-Olu begins payment of 20% increment in workers’ salaries

    Sanwo-Olu begins payment of 20% increment in workers’ salaries

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has given his approval for the implementation of a 20% pay increment for state employees.

     This comes after a pledge he made during an interactive session with civil servants at the local government level on Monday, March 6, 2023, at the Adeyemi Bayero Auditorium within the Alausa Secretariat, in Ikeja.

    He approved that the payment process begin immediately through a circular dated MondayMarch 20 2023 and signed by the Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola.

    Commencing on January 1st, 2023, the new pay system will be in place, the arrears for January 2023 will be paid along with the payments for March 2023, while the arrears for February 2023 will be paid along with the salaries for April 2023.

  • Asiedu Nketiah lists ‘wasteful’ items govt spends taxpayers’ monies on

    The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is bewildered by “wasteful” spending by the government being run by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    While delivering the “True State of the Nation’s Address” on Monday, National Chairman of the Party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, listed a number of items the government spends a significant amount of taxpayers’ money on.

    Below is how much government allegedly spends and what it spends on:

    President’s operational enhancement expenditure – GHS59.4m

    Fuel Bills at the Presidency – GHS51.1m

    President Akufo-Addo’s regional tour last year – GHS16.9m

    Tyres and batteries for official vehicles at the Presidency – GHS15m

    A cabinet retreat outside Accra – GHS4.8m

    Payment for new vehicles – GHS6.5m

    Payment for networking and ICT equipment – GHS6.6m

    Independence Day celebration in the Central Region – GHS10.4m

    Telecommunications and data service from January to September – GHS20m

    Office furniture – GHS7m

    “Another reasons for Ghana’s economic collapse is the expenditure on the bloated size of government. Further evidence on the waste of taxes can be seen in the many needless political appointees at the Presidency in the midst of the worst economic crisis in living memory,” Mr Asiedu Nketiah added.

  • RMT union members vote to end strikes

    RMT union members vote to end strikes

    The RMT in Network Rail has reported that its members have chosen to accept a salary offer.

    Following a dispute over salary and working conditions, about 20,000 employees and the government have been at odds for months.

    The strikes in January disrupted thousands of commuters’ travel plans.

    Members voted 76 percent to 24 percent to approve the offer in a turnout of nearly 90 percent.

    Members of the RMT union and PCS (Public and Commercial Services) union demonstrating outside the UK Government Office at Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh, over pay and conditions. Picture date: Wednesday March 15, 2023. PA Photo. Hundreds of thousands of workers will stage a strike on Budget Day in what threatens to be the biggest walkout since the current wave of industrial action started last year. Members of several trade unions will take action, mounting hundreds of picket lines across the country amid continuing anger over issues including pay, jobs, pensions and conditions. Those striking on Wednesday include teachers, university lecturers, civil servants, junior doctors, London Underground drivers and BBC journalists. See PA story SCOTLAND RMT. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
    Around 20,000 members of the RMT have now voted to accept the offer (Picture: PA)
    Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) (sixth left blue jacket), joins union members on the picket line outside Euston station in London during a rail strike in a long-running dispute over jobs and pensions. Picture date: Saturday March 18, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story INDUSTRY Strikes Rail. Photo credit should read: Jeff Moore/PA Wire
    The last round of RMT strikes was in January.

    Members of other unions including Aslef (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) are still taking strike action.

    The new offer which was also improved with the new money was made following the most recent strike action in January and the threat of more action.

    Key features of the offer include an uplift on salaries of between 14.4 percent for the lowest paid grades to 9.2 percent for the highest paid.

    It also includes a total uplift on basic earnings between 15.2 percent for the lowest-paid grades to 10.3 percent for the highest-paid grades.

    There will also be increased backpay, and there will be a renewal of the no compulsory redundancy agreement until January 2025.

    Network Rail withdrew their previous because the offer was conditional on RMT accepting the company’s ‘modernising maintenance’ agenda, which the union will continue to scrutinize and challenge including on safety.

    There will also be discounted rail travel benefits.

    RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that when the union first declared the dispute with Network Rail a year ago in the Spring of 2022, RMT was told that Network Rail workers would only get two percent to three percent.

    Mr Lynch said today: ‘However, since then strike action and the inspiring solidarity and determination of members has secured new money and a new offer which has been clearly accepted by our members and that dispute is now over.

    ‘Our dispute with the Train Operating Companies remains firmly on and our members recent highly effective strike action across the fourteen train companies has shown their determination to secure a better deal. 

    ‘If the government now allows the train companies to make the right offer, we can then put that to our members but until then the strike action scheduled for March 30 and April 1 will take place. 

    ‘The ball is in the government’s court.’

  • How Gregory Rockson is enhancing health services in Africa

    How Gregory Rockson is enhancing health services in Africa

    A world where a mother has to choose between medications for her health or education for her child is an unjust world.” This quote on Gregory’s LinkedIn page is an insight into the mission of mPharma, an innovative technology-driven health inventory and retail pharmacy company operating in nine countries; Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, Gabon, Rwanda, Malawi, and Uganda.

    The company is building a community of pharmacies across Africa to provide easier and better quality healthcare service to the millions of people on the continent.

    Gregory Rockson is the co-founder and CEO of mPharma, its inventory management system is used in over 850 pharmacy stores in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, Gabon, Rwanda, Malawi, and Uganda.

    The company is working to improve access and affordability of high-quality drugs for patients across Africa. It has 155 hospital partners, 850 pharmacies and drug stores, and over 2 million patients. Its intervention in the healthcare industry has helped over 400,000 patients purchase high-quality medicine at a cheaper cost.

    mPharma was founded in 2013 by Gregory Rockson, Daniel Shoukimas, and James Finucorie as a pharmacy offering high-quality medical and pharmaceutical supplies in Ghana. Within a few years, the healthcare business has expanded to nine African countries, with its headquarters in Ghana, and is building a scalable drug inventory management using the Airbnb model to enable vendor-managed inventory for healthcare providers in Africa.

    Gregory and his co-founders are focused on building an Africa with good health by developing a tech system for medical practitioners and medical offices to leverage in solving challenges in the provision of good healthcare. mPharma’s objective is to connect patients, hospitals, and pharmacies; to enable doctors, hospitals, and patients to know the exact location and availability of medicines for better access.

    By increasing patients’ access to drugs at reduced costs while sustaining quality, mPharma is continually improving health interventions, bridging gaps in healthcare provision, and bringing vital services closer to communities through online and offline channels.

    The company launched ‘bloom,’ a flagship software product defined as the operating software for the modern African pharmacy. It extends beyond most hospital software used in easing workflows and capturing data, as well as tablets or computing. It is directly tied to mPharma’s core value proposition of vendor-managed, data-driven, diverse management, data management, and e-commerce services; and is an interface that enables pharmacies to connect to mPharma and offer value to their patients.

    In recent months, mPharma is strategically diversifying its assets and expanded operations with the acquisition of a 55% stake in Vine Pharmacy in Uganda, and a franchise agreement with Belayab Pharmaceuticals in Ethiopia. It acquired Halton’s pharmacy in Kenya and a majority stake in Nigeria’s HealthPlus.

    In July 2022, mPharma launched ‘Facility Insight,’ an optimized customer-centric product designed to aid clinical decision-making. The easy-to-use online platform generates real-time accurate data 24/7, including sales, profits, product reports, and other insights. The new system provides information to aid well-informed decision-making for pharmacy management.

    Gregory Rockson is a Ghanaian who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Government from both Westminster College and the University of Copenhagen. He studied Policy and International Affairs at Princeton University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Ghana.

    Aside from mPharma, he is the Executive Chairman of ‘Vine Pharmaceuticals,’ and also the Executive Chairman of Holtons Limited, and was named one of the 100 Most Influential Africans in 2020 and 2022 by the New African Magazine.

  • National cathedral can be constructed without a consensus – – Rev Klabi

    National cathedral can be constructed without a consensus – – Rev Klabi

    Several clergy have offered their personal opinions and suggestions on the best course of action that the government should take on the national cathedral debate as it continues to soar in the current state of the economy.

    Latest among them is a reverend minister of the Global Evangelical Church – Ghana, Rev. Calvin Klabi, who has indicated that, Ghana does not need a consensus to build the national cathedral.

    Speaking on the HardTruth show on Ahomka FM and Ocean 1TV, Rev. Klabi reiterated that, from the time of Ghana’s first president Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah through Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings to H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Ghana has never had a consensus in any of its projects; from the construction of the Tema motorway, to the building of the Akosombo Dam, the National Theater, Jubilee house, the University Medical Center and now to the National Cathedral.

    He, however, advised that the country needs a national policy or agenda that will drive it for a long time and which will seek to direct the policies of the successive government.

    Rev. Calvin Klabi encouraged government to give a listening ear to suggestions and comments from other stakeholders in ensuring that, the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian is championed at all times.

  • Gov’t has never abolished toll roads – Dennis Aboagye

    Gov’t has never abolished toll roads – Dennis Aboagye

    Dennis Aboagye, a member of the government communication team, has shockingly disclosed that road tolls were never stopped or canceled.

    The government in the 2022 budget abolished road tolls after it announced the introduction of the electronic transaction levy (E-Levy). Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta cited congestion and traffic jams at the toll booths as justification for the decision.

    A year after the tolls were abolished, the government commenced stakeholder engagements aimed at reintroducing tolls across the country.

    In a memo dated 10th March 2023 to the Roads and Highways Ministry, the Finance Minister sought their input on the proposed rates.

    But speaking on Citi TV/Citi FM news analysis programme, The Big Issue, Dennis Aboagye popularly known as Miracles said assertions that the tolls were cancelled by the government are wrong.

    “Government never cancelled road tolls, the government never said it has suspended road tolls it only said that tolls had been zero-rated.”

    He added that the decision to re-introduce the road tolls was a well-thought-out process following its cancellation last year.

    He, however, admitted that the decision to abolish the tolls could have been done in a better manner.

  • Numerous tattooed prisoners transferred to a prison in El Salvador “won’t ever return”

    Numerous tattooed prisoners transferred to a prison in El Salvador “won’t ever return”

    A vast, brand-new prison in El Salvador has been used to house thousands of tattooed suspects of being part of gangs; there, they will ‘never return.

    Since March of last year, more than 65,000 suspected gang members have been detained as a result of a government operation in the Central American nation.

    That happened when gang violence erupted, killing more than 60 people on the nation’s worst day since the civil war thirty years ago, including market patrons, bus passengers, and street sellers.

    To help the jail system, which is becoming increasingly overburdened, the 40,000-capacity Facility for the Confinement of Terrorists in Tecoluca, San Vicente, was constructed.

    The first 2,000 inmates were sent there last month at a time when nearly 2% of the adult population of El Salvador is in jail.

    A second group of 2,000 prisoners were moved today to the facility, where human rights group and lawmakers alike have said is 4,000 too many.

    The Center for the Confinement of Terrorism is designed to house the 10s of thousands of people arrested during government crackdowns (Picture: AFP)
    TECOLUCA, EL SALVADOR - MARCH 15: A second group of 2,000 detainees are moved to the mega-prison Terrorist Confinement Centre (CECOT)on March 15, 2023 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Since president Bukele announced a state of exception in March 2022, over 62,000 suspected gang members have been arrested. Human Rights organizations denounce abuses and due process violations. El Salvador has one of highest crime rates in Latin America. A first group of detainees had been moved to the prison on February 26. (Photo by Handout/Presidencia El Salvador via Getty Images )
    The country’s government has extended emergency powers to let the mass arrests continue (Picture: Getty Images South America)
    Prison agents guard gang members as they are processed after 2000 gang members were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center, according to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in this handout distributed to Reuters on March 15, 2023. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
    Guards have access to dining rooms and exercise facilities in the jail (Picture: Reuters)

    But El Salvador president Nayib Bukele boastfully shared photographs today of the lines upon lines of inmates sitting on the grey prison floor today.

    ‘This day, in a new operation, we moved the second batch of 2000 gangsters to the Terrorism Contention Centre (CECOT),’ he wrote on Facebook.

    ‘With this, there are now 4,000 gangsters inhabiting the world’s most criticised prison.’

    Footage and photographs show thousands of barefoot men being led through the cavernous jail lined by guards in balaclavas.

    They sit, seemingly endlessly, side-by-side in only white boxers. Their beds – stacked one on top of another – do not have mattresses.

    ‘This will be their new house, where they will live for decades, all mixed, unable to do any further harm to the population,’ Bukele, who campaigned on the promise of bringing law and order to El Salvador’s streets, said.

    More than 100 prisoners must share 80 beds in each cell (Picture: AFP)
    TECOLUCA, EL SALVADOR - MARCH 14: Inmates, part of a second group of 2,000 detainees, arrive at their shared cell at mega- prison Terrorist Confinement Centre (CECOT)on March 15, 2023 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Since president Bukele announced a state of exception in March 2022, over 62,000 suspected gang members have been arrested. Human Rights organizations denounce abuses and due process violations. El Salvador has one of highest crime rates in Latin America. A first group of detainees had been moved to the prison on February 26. (Photo by Handout/Presidencia El Salvador via Getty Images )
    One government minister described the men as a ‘cancer’ (Picture: Getty Images South America)

    Minister for Justice and Peace Gustavo Villatoro added: ‘They are never going to return to the communities, the neighbourhoods, the barrios, the cities of our beloved El Salvador.’

    Though, around 57,000 of those arrested are still awaiting formal charges or a trial. Only 3,500 people captured by the anti-crime dragnet have been released.

    Villatoro added: ‘We are eliminating this cancer from society.’

    The 2,000 men were transferred there as part of a security operation that started at dawn and involved 1,200 troops and three Air Force helicopters. 

    According to Public Works Minister Romeo Rodriguez, the Tecoluca prison is made of eight concrete buildings, each packed with 32 100sq m cells containing 80 bunk beds, two sinks and two toilets for between 100 inmates.

    The mega-prison also has dining rooms, exercise facilities and table tennis courts inside – for the guards, at least.

    The campus is 45 miles east of San Salvador, the country’s capital.

    President Nayib Bukele said the men have been taken to the ‘world’s most criticised prison’ (Picture: AFP)
    Gang members wait inside a bus at their arrival after 2000 gang members were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center, according to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in this handout distributed to Reuters on March 15, 2023. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
    Moving the prisoners involved more than 1,200 soldiers (Picture: Reuters)
    TECOLUCA, EL SALVADOR - MARCH 15: Aerial view of mega- prison Terrorist Confinement Centre (CECOT)on March 15, 2023 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Since president Bukele announced a state of exception in March 2022, over 62,000 suspected gang members have been arrested. Human Rights organizations denounce abuses and due process violations. El Salvador has one of highest crime rates in Latin America. A first group of detainees had been moved to the prison on February 26. (Photo by Handout/Presidencia El Salvador via Getty Images )
    The cavernous prison is by the capital (Picture: Getty Images South America)

    As it has done every month for nearly a year, El Salvador’s Congress today once again suspended some constitutional rights by extending its state of emergency.

    The emergency decree loosens conditions for arrest, restricts free assembly and allows the government to listen in on citizens’ communications.

    People no longer have to be told why they are being arrested, what rights they have or even be given access to a lawyer. 

    Bukele first requested emergency powers last March 27 after the explosion of gang activity.

    The policy is widely popular among Salvadorans, with hatred for gang violence running deep in the country and killings now at an all-time low.

    With an estimated 70,000 members in their ranks, gangs have controlled large swaths of the country for years, extorting and killing with impunity.

    But human rights groups have grown increasingly concerned by the government’s heavy-handed treatment of detainees.

    Gang members are cuffed as 2000 gang members were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center, according to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in this handout distributed to Reuters on March 15, 2023. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
    The first 2,000 inmates were transferred from the Izalco prison last month (Picture: Reuters)

    They say there have been many instances of prisoner abuse within the dilapidated and overcrowded prisons and even innocent people have been swept up in the raids.

    A data leak obtained by Human Rights Watch in January found evidence of violations of due process, little to no hope of justice and even dozens of deaths in custody.

    ‘The use of these broadly defined crimes opens the door to arbitrary arrests of people with no relevant connection to gangs and does little to ensure justice for
    violent gang abuses, such as killings and rape,’ the group said.

  • Conceiving “gold for oil scheme” kept me awake at night – Bawumia

    Conceiving “gold for oil scheme” kept me awake at night – Bawumia

    Vice-President, Mahamudu Bawumia has said that he had restless nights when the country’s bulk oil distribution businesses priced petrol at GHC19 to a dollar .

    According to Bawumia, the nightmare sparked the idea for the gold for oil initiative.

    The policy is designed to allow the government to pay for imported petroleum products with gold in direct barter arrangements, using gold purchased by the Bank of Ghana.

    The policy aims to help stabilise prices of fuel products, as well as reduce pressure on Ghana’s foreign exchange, because direct gold barters will be the modus for paying for imported oil, which will help guard against depleting the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

    “One moment which gave me a lot of sleepless nights personally was when at one point, the forward exchange rate of GHC19 to the dollar was used to price fuel at the pump,” Bawumia said at the commissioning of the head office of the  Bulk Oil Storage Transportation Company in Accra on Wednesday (15 March).

    “And therefore, we were faced with how much higher it could go. We were faced with a very critical situation because we didn’t have enough foreign exchange reserves to meet this persistent demand.

    “Today, you are seeing that in Kenya, they are facing significant shortage of foreign exchange reserves resulting in petroleum queues.

    “So, we had to think outside the box to prevent Ghana from going through that situation… and this is where the thinking for gold for oil came in,” Bawumia said.

  • Bleeding is permitted – Bawumia makes mockery of Gold-for-oil critics

    Bleeding is permitted – Bawumia makes mockery of Gold-for-oil critics

    On March 15, 2023, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who serves as the head of Ghana’s economic management team, took aim at those who have criticized the government’s gold-for-oil strategy.

    The vice president hailed the policy’s performance, saying that it is now in its third month of operation and that the country would continue to reap its benefits, which will eventually help stabilize the currency rate and fuel prices.

    “We have to understand, the prices of fuel will go up and will come down. But what we expect to see under the Gold-For-Oil Policy is more stability in the pricing and also savings in foreign exchange. There is more to come, this is the third month of the operation of the policy.

    “Some people said it will not work; Ghana does not have enough gold. How can you say that? We’ve been mining this gold for 200 years; they keep taking it out and it cannot work for us? It doesn’t make sense.

    “There are people who are very disappointed that it is working but bleeding is allowed. We have an impossibility mindset. They can keep to it, for us all things are possible by the grace of God.”

    According to the Vice President, the country will make an annual savings of some US$4.8 billion in foreign exchange when the policy is optimised to cover 100% of the country’s foreign imports by the end of the year as projected.

    “I’ve been told that next week we are likely to see a reduction in fuel prices and next week is actually not far. It is tomorrow. Tomorrow we will see the decline in prices that we expect. This is remarkable. Two and a half months ago you were at 23 cedis and today you are at 12 cedis per litre and falling. That is a good point.

    “But let me note that the most important aspect of the Gold-for-oil policy is not just the reduction in fuel prices. But the most important aspect is the savings in foreign exchange that the Bank of Ghana will make as a result of the lower demand for forex to import oil.

    “That saving is huge, we are currently importing about 50 to 60 per cent of oil under this policy, the goal is to move to 100% and that will be done this year,” the vice president stated while commissioning a new head office for the state-owned Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST).

    About the Gold-for-oil policy

    Last year, Dr. Bawumia announced a new government policy dubbed gold-for-oil. The policy, as explained by the government, is to allow the government to pay for imported oil products with gold, in a direct barter with gold purchased by the Central Bank.

    The policy despite its projected outcome has received heavy criticism.

    A flagbearer hopeful of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kennedy Ohene Agyapong in a recent radio interview, condemned the government’s Gold-for-Oil policy.

    Kennedy Agyapong advanced the view that instead of selling raw gold, government should pursue a path of refining the mineral and adding value to the mineral before selling it.

    Giving his thoughts on the gold-for-oil policy, Ken Agyapong said “Does it make sense to you to buy oil with gold? Why don’t you sell your gold, make the money and go and buy the oil?”

    The lawmaker also expressed his disappointment in party members who support and defend the policy. Adding that he didn’t go to school but there are simple things the government can do to purchase the oil.

    “I didn’t go to school but I know Economics. There are simple things that we can do. And I’m surprised, we say we have the men and we are hailing this? We are hailing gold for oil? Jesus Christ! We need to move, move,” he said.

  • Data on roads before Akufo-Addo assumed office available – Amoako-Attah

    Data on roads before Akufo-Addo assumed office available – Amoako-Attah

    According to sector minister Kwasi Amoako-Attah, the Ministry of Roads and Highways has records for every road built in Ghana, both before and after Akufo-Addo became president.

    He has therefore asked all persons doubting Mr Akufo-Addo’s comment that his administration has built more roads than any other government in the Fourth Republic to visit the Ministry for the data to do the analysis.

    He told Parliament on Wednesday, March 15 that Mr Akufo-Addo’s comment is factual, inconvertible and backed by data and further urged Parliament to set up a bipartisan committee, if need be, to interrogate the claim of the President.

    President Akufo-Addo in the address in Parliament on Wednesday, March 8, said that “Mr Speaker, I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the 4th Republic, and Mr. Speaker, the details of all these roads are attached in the annex to this message.”

    He added, “I have done so because, last year, when I made a similar pronouncement, I was met with howls and gasps of incredulity from the Minority benches, and so I thought it’s appropriate, this time, to present it as an annex to the statement, which will be part of Hansard.”

    But his comments were challenged by the Minority in Parliament.

    The Minority Chief Whip Kwame Agbodza said the President’s statement contained factual inaccuracies.

    He described President Nana Akufo-Addo’s comment as a ”barefaced lie.”

    In a statement, Mr Agbodza who is also the Ranking Member of the Roads and Highways Committee of Parliament said “the claim that the Akufo-Addo government has constructed more Interchanges between (2017 – 2022), than the NDC (2009 – 2016), is an unfortunate fabrication that should not be peddled by no less a person than President Akufo-Addo.

    “The attempt to expropriate for his government, the following projects, is most scandalizing and such dishonesty must be called out and condemned by all; Pokuase Interchange; Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 1; Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange Phase 1; Flowerpot
    5. Suhum Interchange

    “Funding for these projects was secured by the erstwhile Mahama/NDC administration, contracts signed and works ongoing before President Akufo-Addo and the NPP came into office in 2017. The Suhum Interchange project for instance was about 85% completed when the Mahama/NDC administration exited office in 2016. It is therefore disingenuous for the President to peddle such a confident lie and insist that this be recorded into the Hansard of Parliament as truth.”

    But Mr Amoako-Attah who is also lawmaker for Atiwa West said “The President stated categorically that this government has built more roads than any government in the history of the Fourth Republic. The details of all these roads are attached in the annex to his message.

    “These statements made by the president was factual, the statement was credible, the statement was dependable, the statement was incontestable, the statement was undisputed, the statement was incontrovertible and above all statement is verifiable by anybody who cares.

    “It is backed by empirical data which is available at the Ministry of Road and Highways. I challenge any member of this House or any member of this country. This House can set up an independent bipartisan committee to investigate the data.”

  • Government to pay outstanding bond payments in two days

    Government to pay outstanding bond payments in two days

    The government says it will pay outstanding coupons and principal on bonds that matured on February 6 and 13, 2023 in two days.

    The government said in a statement issued by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday that the processes to settle payments of the outstanding bonds commenced on Monday, March 13, 2023. 

    “Holders of the afore-listed bonds should therefore expect to receive their payments within the next 48 hours,” it said.

    The statement added that payment dates for subsequent maturities would be communicated in due course, as processing continued.

    The Finance Ministry on behalf of the government thanked all stakeholders for their forbearance during the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) and subsequent administrative processes.

    The government secured a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) with the IMF last year and launched the DDEP to assure the Fund of creditors’ confidence to meet its debt obligation.

    The DDEP is part of Ghana’s debt restructuring process, which is a prerequisite for the country’s $3 billion Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The DDEP officially closed on February 13, with the Government swapping a total of GHS83 billion worth of old bonds and subsequently announcing a similar process with its external creditors.

    While much information has not been provided on the progress of the external debt restructuring, the Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, said recently that the Fund was happy with the progress Ghana had made to present its SLA for the Fund’s review and approval

    .

  • Drivers threaten to halt operations if road tolls are not scrapped

    Drivers threaten to halt operations if road tolls are not scrapped

    The government’s decision to reinstate road tolls has drawn criticism from the Alliance of Drivers.

    This comes after the announcement of the rates for the proposed road tolls that would be implemented once again this year.

    Referring to a press conference they had in the past at Kasoa, in a statement issued on Tuesday, 14 March 2023, requesting that government scraps road tolls, the Alliance of Drivers, highlighted some of the key issues touched on, for suggesting scrapping of the road tolls, including the “dust and dirt on the roads, unnecessary congestion and traffic, high cost of fuel as a result of delay in traffic among others.”

    According to the group, the belief has been that the issues raised during their press conference also “influenced” government’s decision to scrap road tolls and “it has been better since.”

    The group is therefore questioning the “sudden reintroduction of road tolls and a marginal increase in the fares [tolls] as well.”

    The group wants government to explain to its members “the reason for this sudden diversion as the recent economic hardship is not even favourable for paying road toll.”

    It noted that if government fails to heed its call to scrap road tolls, it will urge its members to halt operations.

    “If the above suggestions are not adhered to by the government, we will urge all drivers and transport operators to put on hold all transport business.

    “We believe it can be done and be done well if proper consultation is done on these key, decisions as the negative impact it’s having on the ordinary Ghanaian is unbearable,” it projected.

    It urged: “Let’s all have the country at heart and work together to raise the name of this country high.”

    Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in a letter to the Minister for Roads and Highways proposed charges for the road tolls for confirmation by the latter.

    Road tolls were cancelled in 2022 following the introduction of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy).

    The road tolls were, however, re-introduced during the 2023 budget presentation on Thursday, 24 November 2022.

    The Finance Minister had said: “The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies characterised by the previous toll collection regime.”

  • Government will pay back unpaid bond payments in two days – Finance Ministry

    Government will pay back unpaid bond payments in two days – Finance Ministry

    The government has announced that it will settle the outstanding principal and coupon on the bonds that were due on February 6 and 13, 2023, in two days.

    The proceedings to settle payments for the outstanding bonds began on Monday, March 13, 2023, according to a statement from the government that was released by the finance ministry on Tuesday.

    “Holders of the afore-listed bonds should therefore expect to receive their payments within the next 48 hours,” it said.

    The statement added that payment dates for subsequent maturities would be communicated in due course, as processing continued.

    The Finance Ministry on behalf of the Government, thanked all stakeholders for their forbearance during the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) and subsequent administrative processes.

    The Government secured a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) with the IMF last year, and launched the DDEP to assure the Fund of creditors’ confidence to meet its debt obligation.

    The DDEP is part of Ghana’s debt restructuring process, which is a prerequisite for the country’s $3 billion Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The DDEP officially closed on February 13, with the Government  swapping a total of GHS83 billion worth of old bonds and subsequently announced a similar process with its external creditors.

    While much information has not been provided on the progress of the external debt restructuring, the Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, said recently that the Fund was happy with the progress Ghana had made to present its SLA for the Fund’s review and approval.

  • Road tolls less than GH 5 are not acceptable – Chair of Parliament’s Roads Committee

    Road tolls less than GH 5 are not acceptable – Chair of Parliament’s Roads Committee

    The head of the committee overseeing roads and highways in parliament, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, wants the price of road tolls to be set at GH5.

    He added that paying GH5 as toll will assist the government increase money for the country.

    He was speaking to journalists about the government’s proposed reintroduction of road tolls and said only that amount of money will be considered as the toll rate.

    “After suspending the road tolls for more than a year, why do we just add 50 pesewas to it? As the Roads Committee Chair, I will not support anything less than GH¢5. I am doing that based on the average road toll in the subregion and globally which is $1.”

  • Government begins payments on outstanding bonds

    Government begins payments on outstanding bonds

    Through the Ministry of Finance, the government of Ghana has begun procedures for paying off outstanding bonds.

    The initial order covers coupon and principal payments on bonds that matured on February 6, 2023, and February 13, 2023, according to a statement released by the Ministry on Tuesday afternoon.

    A statement issued by the Ministry Tuesday afternoon said the processes commenced on Monday, March 13, 2023 and that the initial instruction covers coupon and principal payments on bonds that matured on 6th February, 2023, and 13th February, 2023.

    “Holders of the afore-listed bonds should therefore expect to receive their payments within the next 48 hours,” it said, and explained that payment dates for subsequent maturities will be communicated in due course.

    “The Ministry of Finance takes this opportunity to thank all stakeholders for their forbearance during the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) and subsequent administrative processes.”

    The Coalition of Individual Bondholders on Tuesday issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the government to honour the bonds, just as the Pensioner bondholders also said they were worried over government’s silence in spite of the various promises to honour the payments. They were considering revisiting their picketing to press home their demands.

  • Blinken set to visit Ethiopia and Niger

    Blinken set to visit Ethiopia and Niger

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is travelling to Africa for a two-nation tour – the latest in a series of visits to the continent by top American officials.

    Security, a ravaging drought and the jihadist threat in the Sahel will be the focus of Mr Blinken’s visit to the two countries this week

    He will be in Ethiopia on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the peace deal signed between the government and rebel troops following a two-year bloody war.

    He will also meet humanitarian agencies in the country.

    Ethiopia is battling the aftermath of the fighting that displaced tens of thousands and the effects of the worst droughts in the Horn of Africa region in decades.

    Secretary Blinken will then visit Niger – the first by a US Secretary of State – and will help shore up efforts to counter the expansion of jihadist groups in the Sahel.

    His visit to Africa follows that of US First Lady Jill Biden, who last month visited Namibia and Kenya.

    Source: BBC

  • Putin’s adversary “poisoned in jail on the verge of death

    Putin’s adversary “poisoned in jail on the verge of death

    The infamous Putin foe and former president of Georgia claims he was poisoned while incarcerated and doesn’t have much time left to live.

    Mikheil Saakashvili, the pro-Western leader of Georgia at the time of Russia’s invasion in 2008, said that he has lost approximately half of his body weight recently.

    He recently moved from a guarded clinic to prison, where he has been detained since 2018 on charges of corruption and abuse of power.

    According to letters seen by Sky News, Mr Saakashvili wrote: ‘I was initially 120 kilograms, now I am 64, if I become less than 60 doctors predict multiple organ failure.’

    He added: ‘I am in bed all the time, my bones are disintegrating and it gives [me] excruciating pain.’

    Georgian Dream, the ruling party in Georgia, has consistently denied allegations that Mr Saakashvili was poisoned. 

    The government insists Mr Saakashvili’s weight loss is merely down to him not eating sufficiently, claiming he’s receiving adequate care in custody.

    However, an independent expert gave evidence at a recent hearing indicating the former president does indeed show signs of exposure to heavy metals while in prison.

    (FILES) In this file photo taken on March 19, 2021 former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili gestures as he speaks during a press conference, in Kiev. - The health of Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's jailed ex-president, is deteriorating due to drastic weight loss, his doctors said on February 18, 2023 following international calls for his release. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
    Mikheil Saakashvili claims he is being poisoned in prison.
    Mandatory Credit: Photo by APAImages/Shutterstock (13807367af) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, in Kyiv on March 10, 2023. Photo by PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE OFFICE\ apaimages Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, in Kyiv, Ukraine - 10 Mar 2023
    Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Georgian government of ‘slowly killing’ Saakashvili.

    Mr Saakashvili’s renewed claims of an ongoing attempt on his life come after mass protests in the capital of Tbilisi saw the government throw out a proposed law, which threatened to curtail civil society and press freedoms.

    Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Georgia’s relationship with the West has steadily deteriorated. Not least given the longstanding ties between the ruling party’s oligarch founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and powerful Russian business interests.

    Those ties have seen repeated calls for Ivanishvili to face sanctions, and have been held up as an obstacle to Georgia’s ongoing aspirations for European Union membership – something supported by roughly 85% of the country’s population. 

    Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Tbilisi last week to demonstrate against the government’s attempt to pass measures to crush dissent
    There were fears the proposed law on ‘foreign agents’ would have threatened press freedoms and civil society if passed.

    Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, has praised the Georgian government for not becoming ‘another irritant’ to the Kremlin by remaining largely neutral on the war in Ukraine.

    Though a widely unpopular figure in Georgia due to rampant corruption and human rights abuses during his tenure as president, Mr Saakashvili has increasingly become a flashpoint for mounting tensions.

    Last week, French president Emmanuel Macron called for Mr Saakashvili’s release and warned the accelerating deterioration of his health is being viewed as a ‘litmus test’ for Georgia’s goal of joining the bloc. 

    Georgia's former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili attends a news conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili - D1AETJWCWYAB
    Founder of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, is being called on to release his precessor from priosn.

    Mr Macron’s comments follow Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accusing the Georgian government of ‘slowly killing’ Mr Saakashvili, who has also served as a politician in Ukraine.

    In his correspondence with Sky News, Mr Saakashvili issued a message to those who demonstrated outside the Georgian parliament, writing: ‘Stay very vigilant, be ready to mobilise at short notice, because of the vengeful mood of the oligarch’s regime.’

  • You cannot collapse NPP – Maurice Ampaw to Kennedy Agyapong

    You cannot collapse NPP – Maurice Ampaw to Kennedy Agyapong

    A private practitioner, Lawyer Maurice Ampaw, has criticized Kennedy Agyapong, a candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer position, for threatening to collapse the party.

    He asserts that Kennedy Agyapong lacks the authority or constitutional right to initiate such action against the party.

    In an interview with Sompa FM (March 10), Kennedy Agyapong claimed that there was a plot by the government to collapse his companies, before sounding a word of caution that if the plot is pursued, he will reveal secrets that will collapse the NPP.

    “You are going there because Kwame Agyapong is a loudmouth. You want to collapse my companies because I want to contest. I’m being nice and charitable to the NPP but they shouldn’t dare me. Anybody who tries to kill my companies because I’m contesting for elections, I will kill the party.

    “The things I know and will say will kill the party. I’ve gone through a lot from January till date but I’ve been very nice. If you want to collapse my company because of one person then I will also kill the company. I’m not afraid of anyone,” he fumed.

    While appearing as a guest on Mmra Abrabo Mu nsem on Wontumi TV on March 13, 2023, Maurice Ampaw urged Kennedy Agyapong to become acquainted with the law in order to avoid exposing his ignorance to Ghanaians.

    “NPP is nobody’s property, Kennedy Agyapong listen to me, NPP is not for you. How dare you? That you will collapse the party…don’t let me come directly at you, you dare not.

    “You cannot… it is the party members who are afraid of you. NPP party is a public entity, I’m teaching you law today. NPP party is a political party and in law, a political party is a public institution, it is not owned…NPP is not owned by one person.

    “All Ghanaians have an interest in what goes on in NPP, and the same with NDC that’s why I can speak about the NDC, because both political parties, through your activities win power to govern us.

    “So, Ghanaians have an interest, and that’s why I can talk about NDC because whatever happens in NDC, one day they will win power. So, if we don’t have a say in what goes on in NDC, we will get bad leadership to control our resources.

    “That’s why I said Kennedy Agyapong, know the law, go and learn about the law because you can’t collapse the NPP party.”

    He also dared Kennedy Agyapong to reveal whatever secrets he claims to have against the party.

    “Whatever secret you have, come and say it. You’re loud Kennedy Agyapong, use that to scare the foot soldiers.

    “And those that are following Kennedy Agyapong, thinking that he is their saviour he can’t come and save anybody. He’s a populist.”

    Ampaw asked Agyapong to look and learn from fellow aspirants: “Look at the other presidential candidates, look at Alan Kyerematen, look at Bawumia, on a quiet note. They’re working, and Kennedy, he’s just making noise. For you, every day you’re accusing Nana Addo, what at all has Nana Addo done to you?” he asked.

  • Paediatric Society of Ghana urges govt to purchase more childhood vaccines

    Paediatric Society of Ghana urges govt to purchase more childhood vaccines

    The Paediatric Society of Ghana has urged government to purchase more childhood vaccines as the first consignment is inadequate.

    According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the first consignment of childhood vaccines, which included Oral polio, measles-rubella, and BCG vaccines, arrived over the weekend and will last for six weeks.

    Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of GHS, says by the time the consignment runs out, more would have arrived.

    But President of the Paediatric Society of Ghana, Dr. John Adabie Appiah, tells Citi News that it will take about six months to vaccinate all children who missed their vaccination.

    “We need to vaccinate a larger population and make sure that the population has herd immunity before we can relax and that will take not less than six months to get to that point so six weeks is woefully inadequate due to the vaccine shortage. There are over 800 cases of measles and this is terrible. The situation is going to get worse so more needs to be done. So, we hope that more vaccines will come in to cover the rest of the year.”

    The Ghana Health Service has announced that vaccinations for children will begin today, Monday, March 13. 2023.

    Following months of shortage, some childhood vaccines have arrived in the country.

    Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye urged all parents to vaccinate their children during a media interview.

    “By Monday morning, there will be vaccine available for those who need it.  The doses that are available are enough for at least six weeks across the country. So, by Monday, we will start vaccinating all.”

    The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Saturday, March 11, 2023, took delivery of the first consignment of Measles vaccines, BCG vaccines and Oral Polio Vaccines.

    The Ministry of Information in a Facebook post said distribution to various regions and facilities is underway.

    The Information Ministry assured that more vaccines are expected in the country in the coming weeks from multiple sources.

    The Ghana Health Service has confirmed taking delivery of a consignment of childhood vaccines entreating caregivers to desist from rushing to hospitals for the vaccines.

    The GHS said the Ministry of Health has made adequate provisions for the supply of vaccines that will last for the rest of the year and beyond.

    The vaccines, according to GHS include BCG, OPV with accompanying devices such as needles, syringes and safety boxes.

  • Prices of NHS prescription drugs to increase by 30p to £9.65 next month

    Prices of NHS prescription drugs to increase by 30p to £9.65 next month

    The government has stated that the price of an NHS prescription would increase to £9.65 starting next month.

    Patients in England will have to pay an additional 30p starting on April 1 in order to pick up their medication from a pharmacy.

    After Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all eliminated the fees more than ten years ago, only England remains in the UK that charges for prescriptions.

    Prescription charges were frozen at £9.35 last April in order to help ‘ease cost of living pressures,’ marking the first time prices had not increased in 12 years.

    Pharmacist delivering medicine during the Covid 19 pandemic. She is sorting through prescriptions.
    England is the only country in the UK to still have prescription charges (Picture: Getty)

    But now the Department of Health and Social Care has announced prices will rise once again in line with inflation at a rate of 3.21 per cent.

    The cost of prepayment certificates, prescription wigs and surgical bras will also be increased in line with the inflation rate.

    The recently introduced HRT PPC- which gives women a sizable discount on their annual HRT costs- will also rise to £19.30, up from £18.70.

    There are some exemptions in place for patients in England, including for those aged 16-18 and in full-time education or patients once they turn 60.

    Most contraception drugs will also remain free.

    Patients receiving Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance are also still entitled to free prescriptions.

    Others entitled to free prescriptions include pregnant women and those who have had a baby within 12 months, people with physical disabilities and people on war pensions who hold a valid certificate.

    The news comes following a survey from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) last month which revealed that half of pharmacists had seen an increase in patients asking them which prescription they can ‘do without’ in the last six months due to the cost of living crisis.

    One in two pharmacists said they had also seen a rise in people not collecting their prescription.

    Meanwhile, two-thirds had  reported seeing an increase in requests for cheaper, over-the-counter substitutes for the medicine they had been prescribed.

    The last time prescription charges increased was in 2021, when they rose 20p from £9.15 to £9.35.

  • Govt triples salaries of soldiers, police officers

    Govt triples salaries of soldiers, police officers

    Salaries of soldiers and police officers have been tripled to raise their standard of living, according to the Ministry of Defence.

    As part of the discussion on the president’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul, stated that the government had throughout the years made sufficient investments in the nation’s security system.

    “Mr Speaker, for the Armed Forces in particular, the salaries of the armed forces have been more than tripled. It is the same thing with the police service and the same thing with the other security services because a hungry soldier is an angry soldier. That is why it is important that our security services are well taken care of.”

    First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei-Owusu has meantime encouraged Ghanaians to abstain from voting in any future hung parliaments.

    The Bekwai MP believes the situation has made the current legislature less efficient as compared to the seventh Parliament.

    He wants Ghanaians to vote massively for either the NPP or NDC in the 2024 general elections to give one political party an overwhelming majority in the House.

    “It is affecting governance generally. I am saying that next time Ghanaians should vote more. If they want the NPP to be the Majority, they should give them more votes. If you want NDC to be the majority give them more votes. This one is affecting governance very badly.

    “The seventh Parliament, probably because of the numbers, passed the highest number of laws since 1993, we passed over 100 laws. This Parliament is our third year, but I doubt we have passed even 10 laws. The level of cooperation that I saw is no longer there.”

  • Ashaiman military brutalities: Should other professionals also resort to vigilante justice? – Kwesi Pratt

    Ashaiman military brutalities: Should other professionals also resort to vigilante justice? – Kwesi Pratt

    The managing editor of Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jr., has expressed his views on the military’s actions on Tuesday in Ashaiman.

    Speaking to the media on March 8, he questioned the severity of the military’s presence and the penalty meted out to the residents of Ashaiman.

    Pratt argued that if every member of the public sector responded to the death of one of its members in the same manner as the military, Ghana would not be a somber nation.

    He added, “So if doctors are killed, should they put down their tools and take their syringes to the community and inject poison? What kind of lawless society are we building? This statement is in bad taste.”

    He pointed out that the military’s duties exclude investigations pertaining to murder cases; therefore, the government should bring the perpetrators to book instead.

    Pratt also noted that the press statement from the security agency justifying its actions is baseless. He asked, “When did the military begin to investigate murder? Is that the remit of the military?”

    On Saturday, March 4, 2023, some unknown individuals killed 21-year-old soldier Trooper Sherif Imoro in Asahaiman.

    Following this, there was a heavy military presence in the area, and videos circulating on social media showed some military men brutalizing some residents.

    In a press statement dated Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) said the operation was to apprehend some criminals and not to avenge.

    The security agency maintained that the military operation was sanctioned by the Military High Command.

  • Two military aircraft collide in midair

    Two military aircraft collide in midair

    Two pilots were killed in an Italian midair collision, which was captured on horrifying video.

    According to reports, two military aircraft collided while participating in a “pre-planned training flight” with four other aircraft.

    The pilots involved passed away right away.

    One jet came down in a field, and the other crashed into a car in a neighborhood close to Rome.

    Video of the wreckage, between Longarina and via delle Margherite, shows flames spreading through the street.

    One plane landed on a car in a residential area in Rome - sparking a huge fire (Picture: Twitter)
    One plane landed on a car in a residential area in Rome – sparking a huge fire

    The crash took place at 11.50am and is being investigated.

    RomaToday reports the planes were both U-208 military aircraft who were carrying out ‘manoeuvres in the sky above the suburbs of Rome.’

    A resident, Simone, told the publication: ‘I saw them crash before my eyes.

    ‘There were four planes. One lost its wing behind and started spinning on itself until it crashed and caught fire. It seemed they were doing formation tests.

    The wreckage of an Italian Air Force U-208 airplane is seen on the ground after collides on with another airplane in Guidonia, around 30 km south-est Rome during a training session, on March , 2023. - Two pilots from the Italian air force died. (Photo by MASSIMO PERCOSSI / ANSA / AFP) / ITALY OUT (Photo by MASSIMO PERCOSSI/ANSA/AFP via Getty Images)
    The second plane landed in a field in Guidonia
    The wreckage of an Italian Air Force U-208 airplane is seen on the ground after collides on with another airplane in Guidonia, around 30 km south-est Rome during a training session, on March , 2023. - Two pilots from the Italian air force died. (Photo by MASSIMO PERCOSSI / ANSA / AFP) / ITALY OUT (Photo by MASSIMO PERCOSSI/ANSA/AFP via Getty Images)
    Both pilots died instantly in the collision

    ‘It was over my head and I heard the engine stalling after a bang.’

    Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s newly elected Prime Minister who came to power in October, paid tribute to the pilots who lost their lives in the tragedy.

    She said in a statement: ‘The news of the death of the two air force pilots in the plane crash in Guidonia fills us with sadness. 

    ‘On behalf of the Government, I express my deepest condolences and my closeness to the families, colleagues of the 60th Wing and the entire Air Force corps. Our prayers go out to them.’

    Hundreds of firefighters and military personnel rushed to the scene of both planes.

    Rescue teams have been pictured assessing the damage.

    The U-208 ultralight aircraft can carry up to four passengers, plus the pilot, and have a top speed of up to 177 mph.

  • Mahama to go after NPP politicians in next government

    Mahama to go after NPP politicians in next government

    According to the former president of Ghana, John Mahama, the NDC will ensure that all NPP officials accused of engaging in shady business or misappropriating funds will face legal action under his tenure.

    Over 10 health centers provide services to the district’s population of roughly 90,000 people.

    According to him, the NDC will ready to deal with the canker aptly.

    “We are saddled with debt, and we have been downgraded by every rating agency, and inflation has gone off the roof, sending people into abject poverty and misery.”

    “It had never been my wish for political opponents to fail, but this NPP government has refused to listen to contrary views, leading to the roll-out of poorly thought-through programmes, which have taken a toll on the economy and the public purse.”

    The former President made this known when he addressed hundreds of NDC faithful, ward and branch executives at separate engagements at Dzodze and Aflao in the Ketu North and South constituencies, respectively, as part of his three-day campaign tour of the Volta Region.

    Mr Mahama said the government had been clueless and, in many ways, insensitive in the management of the economy leading to job losses, high unemployment rates and poverty.

    He said his vision was for Ghana to develop, irrespective of who or which government was in power.

    Former President Mahama is contesting the NDC’s flagbearership race with Dr Kwabena Duffuor, a former governor of the Bank of Ghana, Mr Kojo Bonsu, a former Mayor of Kumasi, and Mr Ernest Kwaku Krobea, a UK-based Ghanaian businessman.

    He urged all NDC faithful especially the delegates, who would be voting in the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries in May, this year, to do the needful by voting for the right individuals capable of delivering on their mandate and with everyone in unison.

    “So that together we can wrest power from the NPP and restore hope and dignity back to our people.” Mr Mahama is expected to tour other constituencies in the region, accompanied by some national, regional and constituency executives. 

    Earlier on Thursday, March 2, he launched his flagbearership campaign at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, on the theme: Building the Ghana that We Want Together.”

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • Jomoro MP reshapes 17-km road

    Jomoro MP reshapes 17-km road

    The Member of Parliament, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, has renovated a 17-kilometre road in the Jomoro District of the Western Region.

    The 17-kilometre road links these communities to towns and villages but the deplorable nature compelled most activities to ground to a halt.

    Due to the nature of the road, pupils had to trek on this 17-kilometre road to and from school, farm produce were stuck in the bushes since Okada, pragia (tri-cycle) and vehicles that were supposed to convey them refused due to the nature of the road.

    To solve this, MP for Jomoro toured and inspected these areas to ascertain the extent of the damage.

    The MP, after the tour, promised to do what she could to help put the road in good shape.

    The residents were full of praise for the MP when she promised to reshape the road for them.

    They explained that when the road is reshaped it will allow okaka and other vehicles to ply  the road to make their living a better one.

    The residents expressed gratitude to the MP for showing motherly love to them.

    They said they carry expectant mothers on the road to health center because no vehicle was able to ply the road but thanks to the MP, the road is now motorable for them.

    They explained that the former MP, Paul Essien, was there while campaigning with a promise of constructing the road for them, only for him to turn them down after they had given him their votes.

    They added that even though Madam Affo-Toffey’s government is not in power, she has been able to fix and reshape the road for them.

    Therefore, they pledged that nothing will prevent them from campaigning and voting for her to continue her stewardship.

    The residents were of the view that political parties do not belong to an individual neither are they individual property, therefore they will vote for whoever would help them and that is exactly what they are going to do for Madam Affo-Toffey come 2024.

    When asked what she would do to get the road tarred completely, the MP said such roads are beyond her capacity as an MP but she will channel it through the Roads Ministry to see what can be done.

    She explained that, already, she has started talking to the sector minister on some of the deplorable roads in her constituency so the road in question would be added to it.

  • Hajj fare: Suhuyini calls for review

    Hajj fare: Suhuyini calls for review

    The member of parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, is urging government to examine the price of transporting Ghanaian Hajj pilgrimages to Mecca.

    He explains that the charge as announced by the Ghana Hajj Board is the highest in the sub-region and will prevent some members of the Muslim community from honouring their religious obligations.

    Mr. Suhuyini says the new charges are astronomical, considering the economic plight that has bedeviled the country.

    “I am terribly disappointed at the fair that has been announced, it is simply unacceptable. Not only is it the highest in the sub-region so far, but how can we at this time, and in this economy peg the fair at GH¢ 75,000 in this economy.”

    “Some people think this is luxury, it is not, it is one of the 5 pillars of Islam which Muslims are mandated to observe.”

    The Ghana Hajj Board has announced that prospective pilgrims to Mecca this year will pay $6,500, which translates to GH₵7,500 each.

  • Accra’s persistent flooding costs Ghana $100 million – Researchers

    Accra’s persistent flooding costs Ghana $100 million – Researchers

    Environmental scientists and industry players estimate that Ghana loses roughly $100 million annually trying to control floods in Accra.

    They explain that government can avert this situation if it pays critical attention to plastic waste management in the country.

    According to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme, global plastic production has exceeded 9.2 billion tonnes since 1950.

    Speaking on the sidelines of a stakeholder discussion on how to address the plastic waste menace in Ghana, an initiative by Blue Skies Limited and the University of Northampton to find circular economic solutions to plastics, a researcher and a senior lecturer at the University of Northampton, Dr. Ebenezer Laryea called on the government to “spearhead a massive behavioural change drive to help reduce the use of plastics and their related pollution of the environment.”

  • Government must adhere to agreement terms and tenures – David Ampofo

    Government must adhere to agreement terms and tenures – David Ampofo

    The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Upstream Petroleum Chamber, David Ampofo, has urged with government to uphold the terms and durations of contracts with participants in the upstream petroleum sector.

    According to him, push by civil society organisations among others for government to review its agreements with the upstream players following their recording of large windfalls is premature and unbelievable.

    He said the government has a duty to attract new investment into the sector if it expects to generate more revenue; hence premature reviews of contracts might give the country a bad reputation in the investor community.

    “When I hear it I cannot believe it. You have to be in a position to do certain things. The market always dictates it. If really it is a matter of deciding that no this is what you want to do instead, go ahead. In the end, the market will tell you, either you get investors coming in and working on those new terms that you want or notice that nobody comes at all.

    “And remember, we’re dealing with an asset that is not there forever. You’re here with me and we’re going through an energy transition. The thing that worries me is the risk that if Ghana is not careful, it can end up with what we call stranded assets,” he said.

    He urged that government rather waits for the tenure of agreement to end before reviewing these contracts.

    “When the time comes by all means do that. I’m saying when you have agreements they’re time bound, they have provisions, respect that. If the time comes to review an agreement by all means review it. But you don’t just get up and say ‘I have agreement with you and now I feel suddenly I’m not so happy so I want to review it.’ If the agreement makes provision for that by all means you can do it,” he said.

  • NIA to issue more Ghana cards as govt clears GH¢100m debt

    NIA to issue more Ghana cards as govt clears GH¢100m debt

    As the government settles a debt owed to creditors in the amount of GH100,000,000, the National Identification Authority (NIA) plans to issue more Ghanaian identification cards.

    Printing of the cards was suspended following financial constraints faced by the NIA.

    In view of this, more than 3.5 million cards were locked up in a bonded warehouse.

    But appearing before Parliament on February 28, 2023, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta disclosed that an amount of GH¢20 million has been paid to CalBank following the initial payment of GH¢80 million.

    “I think that the main question was about the GH¢100 million to be transferred to CalBank IMS and as has been confirmed by the [Executive] Director for the NIA, we have indeed transferred the GH¢80 million and today with swift instructions the GH¢20 million has also been executed. That is the assurance we want to give that we will continue to work with the programme we have agreed with CalBank,” the Finance Minister noted.

    The Electoral Commission (EC) is proposing a new constitutional instrument through which it intends to make the Ghana card the sole identification document for voter registration.

    Requiring further clarification on the matter, Parliament summoned the officials of the Electoral Commission, NIA and the Minister of Finance.

    Also appearing before Parliament to brief MPs on the activity of the NIA, the Executive Director of the NIA, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, assured that the NIA is prepared to print all outstanding cards per the financial clearance by the Finance Ministry.

    He said they are now ready to print more cards to support the EC in executing the Constitutional Instrument (CI) if it’s approved by Parliament.

    “The number of cards not yet printed, i.e., persons who have registered, whose records are with NIA but whose cards have not yet been printed, stands at 541,529. This figure represents the financial difficulties we have had lately, beginning approximately in July/August of last year,” he said.

    However, Prof. Attafuah has assured Ghanaians that NIA can manage the technology to print more Ghana cards.

    “We have the capacity, we have over a thousand functional printers, and we have people who are trained, who are professionals who are sitting at home doing nothing and are anxious to work. We will call those people back to work. With 500 printers, we can print 50,000 cards a day,” he assured.

  • Curfew hours imposed on Kpatinga residents renewed

    Curfew hours imposed on Kpatinga residents renewed

    The Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, has extended the curfew hours in Kpatinga in the Northern Region and its surroundings.

    The curfew starts from 12:00 midnight to 4:00am effective Friday, February 24, 2023.

    Mr Dery said in a statement that the government continues to express its appreciation to the Chiefs, Elders, Opinion Leaders, Youth and people of the area to exercise restraint in the face of the challenges confronting them and to use non-violent means to channel their energies into ensuring peace.

    There is a total ban on all persons in the Kpatinga and surrounding areas from carrying arms, ammunition or any offensive weapon.

    Any person found with any arms or ammunition will be arrested and prosecuted, he said.

    Homes were torched and residents fled the Kpatinga in the Gushegu Municipality of the Northern Region after clashes between two persons holding themselves as the rightful claimants to the Kpatinga skin who have the right to enskin sub-chiefs.

  • You must meet certain conditions before we interact with China – German Ambassador to govt

    You must meet certain conditions before we interact with China – German Ambassador to govt

    The German ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, has stated that his government is eager to help Ghana communicate to its creditors outside of Germany, particularly China, but only if certain requirements are met.

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday, February 3, urged Germany to “encourage” China, an ad hoc member of the Paris Club, to support Ghana’s debt restructuring efforts.

    The President made the call when the visiting German Finance Minister, Christian Lindner called on him at the Jubilee House, Accra.

    In an interview with Joy News, Mr Krull said it is important that Ghana gets certain important measures in place before any help is extended from his government.

    “First of all, we insist that those measures that can be taken here in this country have to be taken. The second condition is that, yes, we are willing to take our share of responsibility as one of the major bilateral donors to Ghana.

    “Let me point to three elements. The biggest loss maker in Ghana is the energy sector. In this sector alone, each year, $1.5 billion in new debt is piled up. So if that is not solved, and you ask the IMF for $10 billion, you still will not solve the problem in the medium term.

    “So there has to be an answer in Ghana to the 50% technical and non-technical losses in the energy sector. If that is not resolved, I don’t see how we can help find a sustainable solution for the financial problems of the country.”

    Mr Krull added “the second part is on the other side of the budget and that is the revenues. Ghana has the lowest one of the lowest tax to GDP ratios, not even 13%. So we have been cooperating with the local authorities and setting up a very smart system of property tax collection. So I think that is an important way forward and this has to be done and processes and decision-making have to be faster to meet the goals, to be able to meet the targets that have been agreed with the IMF”.

    The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Thursday, disclosed that the government’s planned high-level meeting with Chinese creditors over Ghana’s debt restructuring has been postponed to late March 2023.

    According to him, this is due to the upcoming National People’s Congress of China which is scheduled for early March.

    However, bilateral talks will continue ahead of this important mission, Citi News sources have gathered.

    China and its agencies hold about $1.7 billion of Ghana’s $5.5 billion bilateral debt and the specialised nature of their lending windows means that Ghana cannot add them to the model used to negotiate with the G20 and the Paris Club members.

  • Peru offers $13,000 to families who lost loved ones during protest

    According to a decree that was published by the official newspaper “El Peruano” on Tuesday, the government of Peru is providing families who lost a relative during the country’s protests between December 8 and February 10 with almost $13,000 in financial assistance.

    According to the ruling, the injured will receive half of this amount, or $6,500 US dollars (25,000 nuevos soles), while each family will receive around $13,000 US dollars (50,000 nuevos soles).

    The directive also states that the payments are not regarded as reparations but rather as financial assistance for civilians and police officers.

    Amnesty International criticized the government for not taking responsibility for the deaths in a statement.

    “Economic assistance to the people killed and injured is a duty by the State due to the families’ patrimonial affectation but does not exempt (the state) of the responsibility to look for truth, justice, and reparation for the victims for the abuse of their human rights,” it wrote on Twitter.

    As CNN first reported, Peruvian families have demanded reparations for deaths and injuries around the protests since former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested in December. His removal from office sparked the demonstrations amid deep dissatisfaction over living conditions and inequality in the country.

    There has been at least 60 protest-related deaths, according to Peru’s Ombudsman’s office, including one police officer. Most of those deaths happened outside Lima. As of February 22, seven people died in Apurimac, ten in Ayacucho and twenty in Puno for example, according to the same organization.

    The government’s announcement comes after a preliminary report released by Amnesty International accused Peruvian authorities of acting with “a marked racist bias” in its crackdown on the protests last week.

    The human rights group also accused Peruvian security forces of using firearms with lethal ammunition “as one of their primary methods of dispersing demonstrations, even when there was no apparent risk to the lives of others” – a violation of international human rights standards.

    CNN reached out to the Ministry of Defense and Interior for comment on the Amnesty International report and the allegations of excessive use of force against protesters. The Ministry of Defense declined to comment and told CNN there is an ongoing investigation by Peru’s Prosecutor Office with which they are collaborating.

    A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry also declined to comment, highlighting the ongoing investigation by the prosecutor’s office.

  • Building hostel for kayayei in Accra will not solve the problem – GaDangme Council to Government

    Building hostel for kayayei in Accra will not solve the problem – GaDangme Council to Government

    The GaDangme Council has urged government to build technical and vocational training facilities in the northern region.

    This it said will help the youth, especially young women who migrate to the capital for menial jobs, develop business skills.

    That would be a better option for stemming the regular flow of teeming youths into the national capital for non-existent jobs, than a proposed construction of a hostel for kayayei (female head porters) in Accra.

    The Council has in a statement therefore, urged the government not to go ahead with the advertised construction of the hostel for the head porters but return the land earmarked for the hostel project to its owners, in line with constitutional provisions on land acquisition and usage by the State.

    The Council, in the statement signed by its president and former Attorney-General Ayikoi Otoo, and Registrar, Dr. Emmanuel Lamptey, also noted that “to construct hostels for Head Porters is to encourage more
    unskilled female youth to migrate southwards because accommodation would be assured.”

    “In our view, however, the safest solution to the challenges confronting those who migrate to cities particularly Accra, the capital, is the provision of vocational and technical skills
    within the Regions where they migrate from. When that is done, the migrants having acquired skills, can go into local industries applying their vocational and technical skills to run their
    small scale businesses instead of moving South for non existent jobs and becoming a burden on both central and local governments.”

    Return our lands as you did for Kumasi

    “Our immediate concern is that although the Constitution and other laws were used to either vest GaDangme lands in Government for its management and for compulsory acquisitions, yet the injunction that where the land is not used for the purpose for which it was acquired it should be returned to its original owners, is more honoured in its breach than the observance.

    “Again whilst vested lands can be devested and the land returned to its owners which we saw recently explicitly demonstrated when parts of Kumasi lands were devested and returned to the Asantehene, same has not happened to many vested lands in Accra. The land on which the Kaayayei hostel is to be constructed was originally compulsorily acquired by the Government of Ghana for development into a recreational area, which would have included stadium, restaurants, cafeteria, boating and yatch club, open air cinema, hotel and restaurant, boat hiring, botanical gardens, public swimming pool, birds aviary, public tennis courts, bamboo bush hut, children play grounds, sight-seeing terraces, paddle boat hiring, cricket oval, badminton courts, volley-ball and football pitches, net-ball, basket-ball and hockey pitches and boat racing etc.

    “A scheme known as Korle Lagoon Recreational Planning Scheme was developed to capture the above. Another project called the Accra Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project (KLERP) was approved and funds were sourced from Kuwait, aimed at improving the ecology of the Lagoon by eliminating the material inflows that are clogging the river basin through sanitation control. The project did not yield the expected dividends due to activities of those then residing at Sodom and Gomorrah. Eventually the land use was changed to a Market when Makola could no longer accommodate traders.

    “Today, with the commencement of the construction of hostels, it is ample testimony that the original purpose has been abandoned. That being the case, the Council is of a strong conviction that in accordance with the Constitution and laws, the land should be returned to the original owners. The injustice involved in what is happening is that the Ga lands are to be used to resettle non-indigenes whilst there are several homeless indigenes living on the streets fighting for space and accommodation at Bukom, James Town, Chorkor and generally along the coast with no room for expansion. Even with the Government Estates which provide accommodation, the beneficiaries have embarked on massive extensions thereby rendering it impossible for there to be open spaces for social gathering.

    “Therefore, since these indigenes also require land for construction and settlement, we propose that the land in question, be handed over to the Greater-Accra Regional Lands Commission to be held in trust and with the collaboration of the composite Ga, Gbese and Korle Stools and James Town Stool and the GaDangme Council for same to be parcelled out to deserving indigenes to use to provide accommodation for themselves.”

    Build vocational/technical schools in Northern Ghana, not hostel for kayayei in Accra – GaDangme Council to Government
    Build vocational/technical schools in Northern Ghana, not hostel for kayayei in Accra – GaDangme Council to Government
    Build vocational/technical schools in Northern Ghana, not hostel for kayayei in Accra – GaDangme Council to Government
    Build vocational/technical schools in Northern Ghana, not hostel for kayayei in Accra – GaDangme Council to Government

  • UK to face another one month fruits and vegetables shortages

    UK to face another one month fruits and vegetables shortages

    The Environment Secretary has warned that there may be a further month of shortages of some fruits and vegetables.

    Produce stores have recently been empty due to poor harvests in Africa and Europe, bad weather, and transportation issues.

    The number of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and peppers that customers can put in their baskets and carts is capped.

    One shopper who attempted to buy 100 cucumbers was turned away by shop staff.

    Therese Coffey today warned the Commons that disruption could last for weeks.

    She told MPs: ‘I am led to believe by my officials after discussion with industry and retailers, we anticipate the situation will last about another two to four weeks.

    ‘It is important that we try and make sure that we get alternative sourcing options. That is why the department has already been in discussion with the retailers.

    ‘It is why there will be further discussions led by ministers as well, so that we can try and get over this and try and avoid similar situations in the future.

    BURGESS HILL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Empty shelves are seen in the fruit and vegetable aisles of a Tesco supermarket on February 22, 2023 in Burgess Hill, United Kingdom. Supermarkets say bad weather in Spain and Morocco last year are to blame for the latest shortages in tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and other salad items across the UK, rationing them to customers. (Photo by Jane Sherwood/Getty Images)
    Empty shelves are seen in the fruit and vegetable aisles of a Tesco in Burgess Hill

    ‘Even if we cannot control the weather it is important that we try and make sure the supply continues to not be frustrated in quite the way it has been due to these unusual weather incidents.’

    Experts have told Metro.co.uk about the multitude of reasons behind the situation supermarkets are facing.

    Yesterday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer added that ‘food security is national security’ and that his party would commit to ‘buying, making and selling more in Britain’.

    But, in the Commons today, Ms Coffey took aim at the rival party’s stance.

    Britain's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Therese Coffey arrives at Number 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting in London on February 7, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
    Therese Coffey has warned disruption could last for a month

    She warned Labour to ‘be careful about making sure that we continue to have confidence in the food supply chain’ as shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon asked a question on the issue.

    Retailers warned on Tuesday of a shortage of tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables with some supermarkets restricting what their customers can buy.

    Bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe have left shelves bare of tomatoes and are hindering the supply of other fresh produce.

    Asda has introduced a customer limit of three on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries, and Morrisons said it would be introducing limits of two items per customer across tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers from Wednesday.

    The NFU president told delegates yesterday that ‘the clock is ticking’ for the Government to get inflation under control so farmers can produce food more reliably and protect the country’s food security.

    Minette Batters said: ‘It’s ticking for Government to start putting meaningful, tangible and effective meat on the bones of the commitments it has made.

    ‘Commitments to promote domestic food production, to properly incentivise sustainable and climate-friendly farming, to put farmers and growers at the heart of our trade policy, to guarantee our food security and to back British farming and British food.’

  • Government to add new buses to the Metro Mass fleet

    Government to add new buses to the Metro Mass fleet

    Government is set to augment the fleet of the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) with about 400 new set of buses, through the Ministry of Transport and management of the company.

    The Managing Director of the MMTL, Albert Adu Boahen, made this disclosure during an operational tour to the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Bono regional offices of the company.

    Mr Boahen said the move was part of measures to revamp its operations, and enhance public transportation system in the country. According to him, it will also help MMTL to operate at optimal level, improve on its profitability, and make transportation more dignifying and comfortable for the people of Ghana.

    He said the plan is to get 400 new buses, 100 of which are an arrangement reached with Belgium and Dutch governments that former President Kufuor partnered to bring the company.

    “Per the arrangement, within the next five years, the Dutch and Belgium governments agreed to supply the company with 500 VDL buses, and a supply of 100 intercity VDL buses was supposed to come each year for the Metro Mass Transit Limited. Last year, we were expected to receive the first consignment of 100 but due to COVID-19 and other external challenges, only 45 of the VDL buses were received and commissioned by the President on July 6, 2022,” he recounted.

    The Managing Director also indicated that the remaining 55 is expected to be received in April this year, noting “arrangements are far advanced by the Ministry and the Board to get an additional of 300 intercity Daewoo air conditioned buses”.

    The tour

    The operational tour, he explained, was aimed at interacting with the staff to appreciate the challenges in their respective regions as well as sharing his vision for the company for this year.

    Mr Boahene stressed the need to get his outfit’s old fleets replaced with new buses since no transport company could survive in business using old buses. Accordingly, he lauded Akufo-Addo government for assisting the company with some 144 new intercity Daewoo air-conditioned and VDL buses since assuming office in 2017.

    He also commended the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, and the Board for their continuous support in providing adequate number of new buses to support the company.

    The Managing Director encouraged the staff to change their attitude towards work in order to restore the confidence of the government and its cherished customers whilst expecting the arrival of the new buses.

    He expressed the hope that the government would continue to support MMTL as it embarks on aggressive fleet renewal programmes aimed at replacing the current old fleet.

    He also gave an assurance that workers of the company would reciprocate the kind gesture by working assiduously and conscientiously to maintain the great state asset for the good people of Ghana.

    Concerns

    Meanwhile, some branch managers and staff at the various branches highlighted a number of challenges facing their respective offices, which are primarily due to inadequate and aged buses.

    The workers expressed the hope that once the new buses are procured to support the operations, all the challenges will be nipped in the bud.

    The Finance Manager of the company, Emmanuel Obeng, made a presentation of the financial statement to reflect the country’s current financial position as a company.

    He admonished the workers to desist from all forms of financial malfeasance. He also urged them to accept and work with the various reforms introduced by Management such as the E-ticketing system, advance ticketing system and capital projects initiated, among other initiatives.

    These, he indicated, will go a long way in improving the growing concerns and quality of the business.

    For his part, the Head of Corporate Communications, George Krobea Asante, advised the workers to refrain from the attitude of sharing corporate information and putting classified information about the company into the public domain without authority.

    He therefore charged the workers to always resort to the company’s policy on information dissemination in order to safeguard the image of the company.

    Other scenes from the operation tour
  • DDEP: Government issues new bonds’ final principal amounts

    DDEP: Government issues new bonds’ final principal amounts

    The government has revealed the new bonds’ final principal amounts for the Domestic Debt Exchange Program (DDEP).

    The Finance Ministry in a statement disclosed that: ”In anticipation of the settlement of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) on 21St February 2023, the Government announces the aggregate principal amount of each series of New Bonds, which amounts, together with the corresponding ISINs, are set forth in Appendix A attached hereto and organized by the category of holders set forth in the Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum dated as of 3rd February 2023 (the “Exchange Memorandum”).

    The statement clarified that New Bonds will be credited to the holder’s securities account at the Central Securities Depository (CSD) from which their Eligible Bonds were tendered.

  • More layoffs ahead – Ofosu-Dorte warns

    More layoffs ahead – Ofosu-Dorte warns

    Executive Chairman of AB & David Law Company, David Ofosu-Dorte, has stated that Ghanaians shouldn’t have high expectations for an economic revival this year.

    Furthermore, given the ongoing debt restructuring, citizens should also be measured in their confidence in the financial sector rebound.

    That is not all. For David Ofosu-Dorte, he anticipates more lay-offs and downsizing by cash-strapped organizations.

    “I mean, a lot of organizations who will not have access to money to expand including those in the banking sector who have had the payments of their bonds deferred in the debt exchange will downsize. So expect a lot of lay-offs and tougher times”, he told Bernard Avle on the Point of View on Citi TV on Monday.

    The government exchanged existing bonds for new ones with a more flexible interest payment plan as part of ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary (IMF) Fund to secure $3 billion in economic support for Ghana.

    Following an economic downturn and difficulties in servicing its debt, the government implemented the domestic debt exchange programme to give itself more time to meet its fiscal obligations.

    The programme has faced stiff opposition from groups and individuals since its announcement.

    A staff-level agreement between Ghana and the IMF was achieved in December, opening the door for the $3 billion rescue.

    Before the Bretton Woods institution’s board would evaluate Ghana’s request, one of the requirements is the domestic debt restructuring scheme.

    Without the debt exchange programme, the government warns that the nation’s economy would collapse severely.

    David Ofosu-Dorte however believes the financial industry and the lives of Ghanaians do not seem to look good at the moment.

    “But this time, the tougher times will not be because of IMF conditionalities. It is the reality of the situation. The financial sector will suffer more because people will keep money outside the banks. People will keep money under the bed at home, in forex or in properties like real estate. Now, there is a trend of increasing purchases in safes and the price has even gone up so it means people are keeping their own money”, he stressed.

  • UG students detained over violence granted GH¢50k bail

    UG students detained over violence granted GH¢50k bail

    The University of Ghana has granted bail in the sum of GH $50,000 for the 18 students who were detained for allegedly causing disturbances on campus.

    The students were picked up last week by the Ghana Police Service following a clash on the University of Ghana campus on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

    The 18 were among aggrieved past and continuing students who stormed the University premises to protest Management’s new residential policy restricting continuing students from occupying the Commonwealth and Mensah Sarbah residential Halls to make way for level 100 and graduate students.

    Subsequently, the students were put before an Accra Circuit Court and remanded into custody for unlawful conduct.

    Appearing before Circuit Court 4 on February 20, the students were granted bail with two common sureties without justification.

    Counsel for 16 of the 18 students, Albert Quashigah speaking after the court proceedings said the defense was only in court today to seek bail for the students which was granted.

    “Our business today was only to apply for bail and the judge was generous and granted us the bail, and we are now taking steps to execute the bail that has been granted to us”.

    Though he was optimistic, he feared the processes of the court may delay the bail execution and have the students released by the end of day today.

    “This administrative process of the court can be a bit delayed, and we are hoping to execute the bail and have the students freed by the close of the day. It can take some time, but I am only hoping that we will be able to execute the bail to free these students, so they can return back to their studies,” Mr. Quashigah added.

  • All unclaimed matured coupons will be paid after February 21 – Finance Minister

    All unclaimed matured coupons will be paid after February 21 – Finance Minister

    A deadline for paying back outstanding bonds that the government defaulted on which also matured on February 6 has finally been provided by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

    According to him, all outstanding coupons will be paid after February 21.

    “Settlements will be made after Tuesday, February 21 and then we can begin to look at processing everybody’s [bonds],” Finance Minister assured the pensioner individual bondholders on Friday when they met to thank him for exempting them from the debt exchange programme.

    Explaining the reason for the delay in payment, he pointed out that the processing of coupon payments on bonds delayed due to the settlement period for the programme.

    He, however, reiterated that the government is working to ensure that every bondholder is paid their dividends upon maturity of their bonds and urged the bondholders to remain calm.

    “But let nobody have any inkling that anybody is going to be punished for whatever reason. All coupons will be attended to the same way in which the contracts were signed.

    “We are in a difficult situation that is why we are doing the debt exchange programme and so we hope that the percentage of bonds signed onto the programme will bring down our interest on debts and give us the fiscal space to honour whatever commitments we have with our bonds,” he said.

    This comes in the wake of Individual bondholders piling pressure on the Finance Ministry to pay the over GH¢4 billion in interest and principal on which the Ministry defaulted.

    The Individual Bondholder’s Forum dispatched a letter to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta demanding the payment of outstanding bonds that matured on February 6.

    The Individual Bondholders Association of Ghana has taken it a step further. A delegation from the association was at the Police Headquarters on Monday to serve a formal notice of an impending 5-day protest.

    The protest is expected to start from February 20 to 24.

    The Individual bondholders will be picketing at Black Star Square.

    Per the agreement, a group of about 30 or 50 individual bondholders will be escorted to the Finance Ministry to present a petition and back to the square.

    On his part, a private legal practitioner and convener, Martin Kpebu stated that government should not only honour its promise to bondholders but should also exempt individual bondholders from the Debt Exchange Programme.

    According to him, picketing for five days will galvanize more support for the cause of the group to push for an exemption.

    The exemption protest, he said is a cause for which individual bondholders must win at all costs.