The Independent Ghana is reliably informed that Minister for Food and Agriculture Owusu Afriyie Akotohas resigned from his position.
Dr Afriyie Akoto reportedly tendered his resignation letter to the President later today, Tuesday, January 10.
The reasons for his resignation are not immediately known, but sources have revealed that the Minister wants to focus on his Presidential bid ahead of the 2024 elections.
The Minister according to source met President Akufo-Addo later today to hand over his resignation letter.
His decision comes days after Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen resigned from his position to focus on his presidential ambitions.
Dr Afriyie Akoto served as a Member of Parliament for the Kwadaso Constituency in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region for two terms.
In Parliament, he held the position of Deputy Ranking Member and subsequently the substantive Ranking Member for the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs until 2017 when he was appointed the Minister for Food and Agriculture.
In November 2022, in the midst of economic challenges and rising food prices, Dr Afriyie Akoto implemented the controversial Planting for Food and Jobs policy at the premises of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to sell cheaper foods to Ghanaians.
Profile of Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto
Honourable Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto graduated from the University of Ghana (Legon) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He obtained his M.Sc. and PhD degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Cambridge, England.
He worked as an Economist, Senior Economist, Principal Economist, and Chief Economic Advisor over a period of 18 years at the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in London, England. He has also worked as a consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations on Soft Commodities (Cocoa, Coffee, Sugar).
Between 1995 and 2007, he was the CEO of two international commodity companies, Goldcrest Commodities Limited and Plantation Resources Limited both based in Ghana.
In 2007 he was appointed the Chairman of the NPP manifesto committee and was the principal author of the Party’s Manifesto for the 2008 elections. He was subsequently elected as a member of parliament in 2008. He spent two terms as a Member of Parliament for Kwadaso Constituency in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. In Parliament, he held the position of Deputy Ranking Member and subsequently the substantive Ranking Member for the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs until 2017.
In 2017 he was appointed the Minister for Food and Agriculture.
In this role he has spearheaded the design and implementation of the Government of Ghana’s popular and transformational agricultural flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). Under the leadership of Hon. Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto Ghana has been transformed into the breadbasket of the West.
In 2019, Ghana was ranked fourth on the African continent by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) in its Global Food Security Index (GFSI). In that year (2019) the sector grew strongly by 4.7% followed by 7.4% at peak of the covid in 2020 and 8.4% in 2021 – the highest annual performance in the Fourth Republic. This sterling performance compares with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’s (CAADP) benchmark target of 6% growth of agriculture for the attainment of national food security
Maize production reached 3.4 million tonnes in 2021 from 1.7 million tonnes in 2016; and rice production nearly doubled to 1.2 million metric tonnes from 665,000 metric tonnes in 2016 under the PFJ.
Under his leadership an Act of Parliament established the Tree Crop Development Authority in 2020, to coordinate and promote the development of six tree crops – cashew, rubber, oil palm, coconut, mango and shea. At full development, these selected crops have the combined potential of generating an additional USD12 billion per annum to supplement the annual USD2 billion from cocoa.
He has also initiated a Bill in parliament for the establishment of the Grains Development Authority and has already prepared a memorandum for cabinet consideration of the Bill which will substantially increase loanable funds to agriculture and its value chains. Also in the pipeline are draft Cabinet memoranda for the establishment of the Horticultural Development Authority and Poultry Development Authority
He oversaw the re-launch of the National Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme through which a total farm area of 56,343 hectares has been fully treated across the cocoa growing regions as of 30th September 2022. As a result of the success of the programme, thousands of farmers who had abandoned their cocoa farms due to the devastating effect of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) have returned to their farms.
Since 2017, Hon. Dr. Akoto has directed substantial budgetary resources to the construction and rehabilitation of 12 irrigation schemes of which 6 are above 90% complete, five are between 45% to 70% level of completion and the Pwalugu dam is currently at a level of 5%. Together, these irrigation projects will make available 31,415 hectares of land for all year-round crop production when completed.
Through his initiative, measures taken by the Government to address major marketing problems in the agriculture sector include the construction of 80 warehouses of 1000 metric tonne capacity each for food storage and to reduce post-harvest losses.
In his bid to accelerate the process of agricultural modernization, he, instituted several bilateral arrangements that resulted in the importation of assorted agricultural machinery including tractors, power tillers, planters, threshers, combine harvesters and hand-held equipment for smallholder farmers at a total of over $100 million. These farm equipment and machinery are being sold at a subsidized rate of 40% to farmers and agro-processors.
Dr. Akoto has implemented the construction of three greenhouse training centres with an attached commercial unit at Dawhenya, Akumadan and Bawjiase for training youth in high-quality vegetable production. These vegetables are sold to high end shops such as Palace Mall, Shoprite, Starbites, KFC and Burger King in Tema, Accra and Kumasi.
For his transformational leadership, the Hon. Dr. Akoto has won several awards and appointments of recognition. In February 2019, AFRICAN SEEDS which is the intergovernmental Seed Agency of the African Union, conferred on him the title of SEED CHAMPION OF AFRICA.
In the same 2019, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Inter African Coffee Organisation (IACO), a pan-African organisation promoting the interest of coffee producers on the continent.
He is the immediate past Chairman of the ECOWAS Specialised Ministerial Technical Council for Agriculture (CTMS Agric) and, was unanimously appointed Chairman of the Steering Committee for the newly established Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative.
The President declared that Ghana’s economy is in crisis in a televised national address on October, 30, 2020 after rehashing the hardship of Ghanaians.
“For us, in Ghana, our reality is that our economy is in great difficulty. The budget drawn for the 2022 fiscal year has been thrown out of gear, disrupting our balance of payments and debt sustainability, and further exposing the structural weaknesses of our economy.
“We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time,” he added.
“But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedeviled our economy.
“I urge us all to see the decision to go to the International Monetary Fund in this light,” he stressed.
Read the President’s full Address Below
ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO, ON THE ECONOMY, ON SUNDAY, 30TH OCTOBER 2022.
Fellow Ghanaians, good evening.
Back in 2020, at the outbreak of the Corona virus pandemic, I started a regular conversation with you that came to be popularly known as Fellow Ghanaians.
It was a time of great fear of the unknown, and the entire world felt at risk. I came into your homes regularly to tell you what the experts were discovering about the virus, and what we should do.
Now that we have seen the worst of the COVID-19, I can tell you that there were moments during those times when I was distraught, there were moments when I was in despair about the apparent inadequacy of our health facilities, and there were moments when I wondered if the dire predictions made about dead bodies on our streets would truly happen.
But I knew that I owed it to all of us that, as your president, I had to hold my nerve, show leadership and take us out of the crisis. With your help and support, and the great mercies of the Almighty, we can say that we emerged from the ravages of the pandemic with one of the lowest mortality rates globally. In fact, Ghana’s handling of the pandemic won universal acclaim.
We could all see in real time the devastation that was being wreaked on economies during the pandemic, but I doubt that anyone imagined the extent of the damage. Our economy, here in Ghana, like many, many others around the globe, was thrown into turmoil.
When I said, at the height of the COVID pandemic, that we knew what to do to bring the economy back to life, but not how to bring people back to life, it was not said in jest. We had done it before, and we were on course to doing it again. Ghana’s economy grew by a remarkable 5.4% in 2021, signifying a strong recovery from the 0.5% growth recorded the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, in the last quarter of 2021, our economy grew at seven percent (7%), only for the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the first quarter of this year to aggravate the effects of COVID-19, and plunge the global economy into even greater turmoil from which it has not yet recovered.
The whole world has been taken aback by the speed with which inflation has eaten away people’s incomes. Economies, big and small, have experienced, over this year alone, the highest rise in cost of living over a generation; the highest rise in government borrowing in over fifty (50) years; the highest rise in inflation for forty (40) years; the steepest depreciation in their currencies to the US dollar over the last thirty (30) years; the fastest peak in interest rates for over twenty (20) years; and the greatest threat of unemployment in peace time; with over a hundred million people being pushed into extreme poverty.
Between the end of 2019 and now, inflation in Ghana has increased by five-fold, in Togo by sixteen-fold, by eleven-fold in Senegal, and by seven-fold in Cote d’Ivoire. In truth, however, the fact that there are petrol queues in France does not make it more tolerable that the trotro price from Kasoa to Circle has doubled in the past one year, nor does it make it any more tolerable that the price of cooking oil goes up every other week.
It is important to state that mentioning the increases in prices worldwide is not meant to belittle the scope of suffering here, but simply to help us put things into some perspective, and, hopefully, learn some useful lessons about how other people are coping.
Fellow Ghanaians, this is why I am back in your homes this evening to ask for your support, as we work together to get our economy back into good shape.
In April, after the Cabinet retreat of the first quarter, and recognising the deteriorating macroeconomy, my government announced a thirty percent (30%) cut in budgetted discretionary expenditures, and a thirty percent (30%) cut in salaries of the President, Vice President, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MMDCEs and political office holders, amongst other measures.
And, since July, when the Government took the difficult decision to go to the IMF to seek support, I have been speaking publicly at different fora on the subject of the economic difficulties we face, especially during my recent tours, so far, of nine (9) regions, and interacting directly with you, the Ghanaian people. It is also true that many of you have felt the need for me to come back to the Fellow Ghanaians format, that brings us all together.
For us, in Ghana, our reality is that our economy is in great difficulty. The budget drawn for the 2022 fiscal year has been thrown out of gear, disrupting our balance of payments and debt sustainability, and further exposing the structural weaknesses of our economy.
We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time. But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedeviled our economy.
I urge us all to see the decision to go to the International Monetary Fund in this light. We have gone to the Fund to repair, in the short term, our public finances, and restore our balance of payments, whilst we continue to work on the medium to long-term structural changes that are at the heart of our goal of constructing a resilient, robust Ghanaian economy, and building a Ghana Beyond Aid.
I am able to report to you, my fellow Ghanaians, that the negotiations to secure a strong IMF Programme, which will support the implementation of our Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth and additional funding to support the 2023 Budget and development programme, are at advanced stages, and are going well.
We are determined to secure these arrangements quickly to bring back confidence and relief to Ghanaians. We are working towards reaching a deal with the IMF by the end of the year. This will give further credence to the measures Government is taking to stabilize and grow the economy, as well as shore up our currency.
I know that the increasing cost of living is the number one concern for all of us. It is driven by fast escalating fuel prices at the pumps, which is caused by high crude oil prices on the world market and our depreciated currency. I know that this is putting intolerable pressure on families and businesses. I know that people are being driven to make choices they should not have to make, and I know that it has led to the devaluation of capital of traders and painfully accumulated savings. Furthermore, Government is working to secure reliable and regular sources of affordable petroleum products for the Ghanaian market. It is expected that this arrangement, when successful, coupled with a stable currency will halt the escalation of fuel prices and bring relief to us all.
I hear from the market queens also that another factor fueling the high prices is the high margins that some traders are slapping on goods, for fear of future higher costs. I say to our traders, we are all in this together. Please let us be measured in the margins we seek. I have great respect and admiration for the ingenuity and hard work of our traders, especially those that take on the distribution of foodstuffs around the country, and I would hesitate to join in calling them names. I do make a heartfelt appeal that we all keep an eye out for the greater good, and not try to make the utmost profits out of the current difficulties.
In language that every market woman and, indeed, every trader in our country understands, let me say that the basic problem we face is that we are not making as much money as we need to spend, and what little money we do make is going to pay for the debts we have contracted to fund the development projects we must have. Not enough of us are paying our taxes, not enough of us are producing to generate the revenues that we need.
Nevertheless, my ambitions for Ghana remain high. All our children should be educated and trained with skills that will enable us be competitive in the world. We need to close rapidly the infrastructure gap, we need to build a world-class healthcare system, and we need to build confidence in ourselves to make ours the happy and prosperous place it deserves to be.
I believe we can and we will find the means to achieve these goals, even if the immediate measures we have to take are painful.
At the just ended Cabinet Retreat at Peduase Lodge, my government agreed on the framework for the Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth and the IMF support for its implementation, as well as the work being done by the Ministry of Finance in preparation for the 2023 budget. At the Cabinet Retreat, we took some firm decisions that should put us on the path that will take our nation out of the current economic difficulties. Let me try and give you an outline of the main decisions without getting into the technical language that baffles many of us.
To restore and sustain debt sustainability, we plan to reduce our total public debt to GDP ratio to some fifty-five percent (55%) in present value terms by 2028, with the servicing of our external debt pegged at not more than eighteen percent (18%) of our annual revenue also by 2028.
We are committed to improving the revenue collection effort, from the current tax-revenue to GDP ratio of thirteen (13%) to between eighteen and twenty percent (18-20%), to be competitive with our peers in the West Africa Region. The GRA is rolling out an extensive set of measures to support this enhanced revenue mobilisation. All of us must do our patriotic duty, and support the GRA in this exercise.
We are aiming to restore and sustain macroeconomic stability within the next three (3) to six (6) years, with a focus on ensuring debt sustainability to promote durable and inclusive growth while protecting the poor.
We have decided to review the reforms in the energy sector, capping of statutory funds, implementation of the exemptions Act and a new property rate regime. We have decided also to continue with the policy of thirty percent (30%) cut in the salaries of political office holders including the President, Vice President, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MMDCEs, and SOE appointees in 2023, just as we will continue with the thirty percent (30%) cut in discretionary expenditures of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
My fellow Ghanaians, the success of our efforts at diversifying the structure of the Ghanaian economy from an import-based one to a value-added exporting one is what will, in the long term, help strengthen our economy. We are making some progress with the 1D1F but our current situation requires that we take some more stringent measures to discourage the importation of goods that we can and do produce here.
To this end, we will review the standards required for imports into the country, prioritise the imports, as well as review the management of our foreign exchange reserves, in relation to imports of products such as rice, poultry, vegetable oil, tooth picks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water and ceramic tiles, and others which, with intensified government support and that of the banking sector, can be manufactured and produced in sufficient quantities in Ghana. Government will, in May 2023, that is six (6) months from now, review the situation. We must, as a matter of urgent national security, reduce our dependence on imported goods, and enhance our self-reliance, as demanded by our overarching goal of creating a Ghana Beyond Aid.
Much as we believe in free trade, we must work to ensure that the majority of goods in our shops and market places are those we produce and grow here in Ghana. That is why we have to support our farmers and domestic industries, including those created under the 1-District-1-Factory initiative, to help reduce our dependence on imports, and allow us the opportunity to export more and more of our products, and guarantee a stable currency that will present a high level of predictability for citizens and the business community. Exports, not imports, must be our mantra! Accra, after all, hosts the headquarters of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Fellow Ghanaians, as the French would say, l’argent n’aime pas le bruit, to wit, money does not like noise, sika mpɛ dede. Where there is chaos, where there is noise, where there is unrest, you will not find money. If you talk down your money, it will go down. If you allow some unidentifiable person to talk down your money, it will go down.
The recent turbulence on the financial markets was caused by low inflows of foreign exchange, and was made worse in the last two to three weeks, in particular, by the activities of speculators and the Black Market. An anonymous two-minute audio message on a WhatsApp platform predicting a so-called haircut on Government bonds sent all of us into banks and forex bureaus to dump our cedis, and, before we knew it, the cedi had depreciated further. All of us can play a part in helping to strengthen the cedi by having confidence in the currency, and avoiding speculation. Let us keep our cedi as the good store of value it is. To those who make it a habit of publishing falsehoods, which result in panic in the system, I say to them that the relevant state agencies will act against such persons.
Indeed, some steps have been taken to restore order in the forex markets and we are already beginning to see some calm returning. We will not relent until order is completely restored. The following actions have been taken thus far:
1) enhanced supervisory action by the Bank of Ghana in the forex bureau markets and the black market to flush out illegal operators, as well as ensuring that those permitted to operate legally abide by the market rules. Already some forex bureaus have had their licenses revoked, and this exercise will continue until complete order is restored in the sector;
2) Fresh inflows of dollars are providing liquidity to the foreign exchange market, and addressing the pipeline demand;
3) the Bank of Ghana has given its full commitment to the commercial banks to provide liquidity to ensure the wheels of the economy continue to run in a stabilized manner, till the IMF Programme kicks in and the financing assurances expected from other partners also come in;
4) Government is working with the Bank of Ghana and the oil producing and mining companies to introduce a new legal and regulatory framework to ensure that all foreign exchange earned from operations in Ghana are, initially, paid to banks domiciled in Ghana to help boost the domestic foreign exchange market; and
5) the Bank of Ghana will enhance its gold purchase programme.
I am confident that these immediate measures designed to change the structure of our balance of payment flows, sanitise the foreign exchange market to ensure that the banks and forex bureaus operate along international best practices, together with strengthened supervision, will go a long way to sanitize our foreign exchange market, and make it more resilient against external vulnerabilities going forward.
Over the course of this week, I have held several fruitful engagements with the Trades Union Congress and Organised Labour, the Ghana Employers’ Association, the Association of Ghana Industries, the Ghana Association of Banks, the Private Enterprise Federation, the Association of Forex Bureau Operators, the Association of Market Queens and Women, all of whom represent important stakeholders of the Ghanaian economy. They expressed their concerns and proposed solutions on how best to solve our problems. I have been encouraged by the enthusiasm of these interest groups to help Government address these challenges, and I intend to continue these engagements with other groups.
I also want to assure all Ghanaians that no individual or institutional investor, including pension funds, in Government treasury bills or instruments will lose their money, as a result of our ongoing IMF negotiations. There will be no “haircuts”, so I urge all of you to ignore the false rumours, just as, in the banking sector clean-up, Government ensured that the 4.6 million depositors affected by the exercise did not lose their deposits.
Anuanom, menim sɛɛ asetenamu ayɛ din. Nanso, ma obiaa empa aba, monkͻso enya gyidie ɛwͻ mabam mu. Nhyehyɛ yɛ aa ɛtumi maa Free SHS ɛni 1-District-1-Factory ɛbaa mu nu; nhyehyɛ yɛ aa ɛboaa ma yetumi pam corona yariɛ no efri oman ni mu; saa ɛnso na maban ɛ toto niemayie saa mereyi ama ahotͻ aba oman nimu, efri sɛɛ mewͻ gydie sɛɛ ɛko no yɛ Awurade Nyankopͻn ni ko.
Anyɛmimɛi, mile akɛ nibii ewa, shi nyɛ ka shia gbeye. Nyɛ yaanͻ ni nyɛ naa hemͻ kɛ yeli akɛ gbɛjianͻto ni hani free SHS ba min, gbɛjia nͻto ni hani 1-District-1-Factory ba min, gbɛjianͻto ni hani wͻ nyɛ wͻ shwe Corona hela kɛshi wͻ man nɛ min; nakai nͻͻ ni mi amlalo ba to gbɛjianͻ koni hejͻlɛ aba maa min, ejaakɛ, miyɛ hemͻ kɛ yeli ak3, ta, Nyͻnmͻ ta lɛ ni.
My government has always been cognisant of the importance of implementing policies and social interventions to relieve Ghanaians of hardships. It is for this reason that over the first five (5) years in office government reduced electricity tariffs cumulatively by 10.9%, we provided free water and electricity as well as reduced tariffs for the entire population during a whole year of the COVID-19 pandemic; we increased the share of the District Assemblies Common Fund to persons with disabilities by 50%; we exempted Kayayei from market tolls; we expanded the LEAP by one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) beneficiaries; we expanded School Feeding from 1.6 million children to 2.1 million children; we restored teacher and nursing training allowances; we absorbed the cost of BECE and WASSCE exam registrations for parents; no guarantor is now required to obtain student loans. The Ghanacard is sufficient; and we have implemented free TVET as well as free senior high school education.
It is obvious, fellow Ghanaians, that you have a government that cares. We are determined to restore stability to the economy, and provide relief. We are all in this together, and I am asking for your support to rescue Ghana from the throes of this economic crisis.
I have total confidence in our ability to work our way out of our current difficulties. We are not afraid of hard work. We will triumph, as we have triumphed many times before. Let us unite, and rally around our Republic, its institutions and its democratic values, and insist that, under God, we will emerge victorious from our current difficulties. For this too shall pass, as the Battle is the Lord’s.
I will be coming regularly to keep you updated about the measures your government is making to move our country forward, and tackle our economic challenges.
God bless us all and our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.
I thank you for your attention, and have a good evening.
After being in office for 38 days, Kwasi Kwarteng, the British-born politician of Ghanaian parentage was sacked by Prime Minister Liz Truss as the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The dismissal was after Kwarteng presented a mini-budget which resulted in financial turbulence and revolt from Conservative Party lawmakers.
While presenting the mini-budget on 23 September, an eye-watering £45 billion in tax cuts alongside an energy relief plan projected to cost £60 billion over the next six months was announced by Kwasi Kwarteng.
This, according to various media reportage was a huge departure from the fiscal policy of the Johnson government, which had planned tax rises to pay for health and social care and to manage the post-Covid deficit.
Kwarteng claimed his ambitious plans would drive growth and reduce inflation.
The financial markets disagreed: in the days after his announcement, lenders pulled mortgage packages, the pound hit a record low against the dollar, and the Bank of England started buying bonds at ‘an urgent pace’ to calm the markets and stop pension funds going bust.
In a high-risk strategy designed to revive Britain’s stagnant economy, the British of Ghanaian descent announced more than £400bn of extra borrowing over the coming years to fund the biggest giveaway since Tony Barber’s ill-fated 1972 budget.
The Guardian reported that the Conservative MP said tax cuts worth more than £55,000 annually to someone earning £1m a year were part of a new direction for the economy and were designed to help boost growth to 2.5% a year. Some Labour MPs described them as a “class war”.
The Treasury admitted there were no forecasts for the impact of the measures on growth and the gamble received a hostile reception not just from the markets and opposition politicians, but from economic think tanks and many Tory MPs, some of whom were aghast.
President Akufo-Addo has charged Member States of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to ensure that education remains a priority in the common development agenda of countries.
As the recently appointed Domestic Financing champion of the Global Partnership for Education, President Akufo-Addo sought the co-operation and support of UNESCO “to work towards developing sustainable homegrown financial solutions, so we can develop the educational system for the future we want in our various countries.”
Addressing the 215th Meeting of the Executive Board of UNESCO, on Monday, 10th October 2021, in Paris, France, the President noted that the world does not have the luxury to pick and choose which crises it wants to fix.
“At this moment, we cannot pick and choose between funding guns and education. We cannot pick and choose between the interests of the present generation and the future of our girls and boys. We cannot choose geopolitical concerns over preserving our cherished cultural heritages, lest we perish universally,” he said.
Due to global instability, however, President Akufo-Addo noted that, education has become one of many competing priorities of domestic budgets, with development aid to the education sector also seriously under pressure.
“Indeed, countries reduced their spending on education after the onset of the COVID-19, and, at the same time, direct aid to education by bilateral donors fell by some three hundred and fifty-nine million dollars ($359 million), which is not compatible with the objectives of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for financing sustainable development and the goals of the SDGs,” he said.
The President continued, “We are further informed that prospects for reaching funding target, through voluntary contributions, are uncertain as several long-term donors have already reduced significantly their voluntary contributions to UNESCO due to a change in development cooperation priorities, thereby significantly impacting our planned programme implementation.”
In spite of these challenges, President Akufo-Addo commended UNESCO for the lead role it played in ensuring the success of the Transforming Education Summit, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September this year.
Necessitated by the seminal “Futures of Education” report from UNESCO, the President indicated that the Transforming Education Summit, and, indeed, the pre-summit held here in Paris, have been extremely successful in getting the world to reflect deeply on the trajectory of educational systems, and how to addresses the challenges of our time.
Touching on Global Priority Africa Programme, which has been adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its 41st Session, President Akufo-Addo was delighted that UNESCO has made Africa a Global Priority, and was delighted to see UNESCO’s flagship programmes as being relevant to achieving the objectives of the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, i.e. “The Africa We Want”.
He also urged UNESCO’s Executive Board to help win the fight against Climate Change, especially as the planet is heading towards a dangerous tipping point as a result of climate change.
In furtherance of this, he commended UNESCO for the effort to strengthen the “Man and Biosphere Programme”, whose goal is to help protect nature and biodiversity loss globally, through the Biosphere Reserve Concept.
“I urge UNESCO Member States to strengthen measures, at their respective national levels, that recognise formally the contribution of Biosphere Reserves, and designate more biosphere reserves and geoparks as a sure way for solving the climate crisis”, he added.
In concluding, the President informed the Executive Board of the news that Accra has been named as the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2023, making Accra part of the prestigious World Book Capital Cities Network.
This, he stated, is an acknowledgement of the giant strides Ghana and Africa are making in developing Ghana’s book and creative arts industry.
“The year-long programme to celebrate this honor done us by UNESCO will commence from 23rd April 2023, which is celebrated globally as the World Book and Copyright Day. I wish to use this opportunity to invite you all to join Ghana in this year-long celebrations,” the President added.
The slightest change in the price of crude oil has enormous effects on economies around the world.
Particularly for emerging economies like Ghana, when crude prices go up, the distress is felt almost across all aspects of the economy.
According to current estimates, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) controls about 80% of the world’s oil reserves, producing about 30% of the world’s consumption a day.
OPEC is made up of 23 countries but In 2016, when oil prices were particularly low, OPECjoined forces with 10 other oil producers to create OPEC.
This group of 23 oil-exporting countries meets regularly to decide how much crude oil should sell on the world market.
On October 5, 2022, members of OPEC agreed to cut production by two million barrels per day.
The cut which will take effect from November represents around 2% percent of the global oil supply and is more than initially anticipated.
According to Forbes, many oil & gas stocks have been trending lower since mid-2014, there are suggestions that as the world moves towards clean energy producers of fossil fuel will be affected in the long-term.
This many believe is one of the reasons OPEC is seeking to cut production to drive up the price of crude back up from the $90 per barrel it’s currently selling.
The US has criticized the move and is expected to increase its own production to help the situation, but Duncan Amoah of the Chamber of Petroleum consumers says this may not be enough and Ghanaians should brace themselves to pay higher rates at the pumps.
“Overall, prices are likely to bounce back over the US$100 region with these announcements. What that means for countries like Ghana is simply to get prepared to pay more for oil. Not only that, the persistent depreciation of the cedi together with OPEC is preparing to do will push us into tougher times.”
Mr. Amoah again suggested some decisions government can take to cushion consumers against the expected rise in petroleum products.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will today Wednesday, October 5 meet with the National House of Chiefs and various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) over the illegal small-scale mining, galamsey, menace.
The meeting will take place at Manhyia, in the Ashanti Regional capital. It is expected that the meeting will see the various stakeholders proffer solutions on how to deal with the galamsey menace which has become very topical in recent weeks due to the polluted nature of water bodies and general environmental degradation.
Many civil society organizations have expressed concerns over the heavy pollution of water bodies which has compelled the Ghana Water Company Limited to threaten to shut down operations in some mining communities.
Pressure group, Occupy Ghana, has urged President Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency in mining areas and to recommit to the fight against the illegal activity.
The President, it will be recalled placed his presidency on the line in 2017 over the galamsey menace. However, many hold the view that the fight has not been a success as a result of the state of water bodies as well as the face that some top officials have been found complicit in the fight.
Nana Akufo-Addo opines that he paid a political price for his fight as he lost votes and in some cases, NPP lawmakers also lost their seats in mining areas in the 2020 elections.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has had cause to speak on the matter when US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, paid a courtesy call on him.
He wondered why the country has failed to stop the menace of ‘galamsey’ even after the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had put his political career on the line to stop it.
Asantehene also questioned why the security apparatus in these ‘galamsey’ areas and the taskforce set up by the government have failed to stop the menace.
He intimated that small-scale mining was something that had been done for serveral years but never to the detriment of the environment.
“It has gotten to a point where people are now using equipment and all that. They do not care about the environment.
“But the question is who is in control of the security around the area. From the district level to the highest level. We are all talking about ‘galamsey’. The government set up this military cum police to stop galamsey. Why have we not been able to stop it? Why?” he asked.
The revered king further absolved traditional authorities from blame over the menace stating that the political class ought to rather be blamed.
But speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources (FRNR) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor insisted that traditional authorities as well local assembly members were complicit in the matter.
“I can say without a shred of equivocation no one can bring a chain saw to harvest rosewood in the forest or an excavator to mine in the bush, to work on river bodies in the community without the knowledge or passive approval somehow of the chief, elders, the assemblymen, opinion leaders and local authorities in the community,” he stated.
The treatment meted out to some employees of the regional health service who applied for the position of district directors of the health service in the most recent hiring process by the Ghana Health Service has been referred to as “unfair” by the Upper West Region National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament (GHS).
The eight applicants from the region who received the highest national score of 75.5% were all allegedly excluded for unjustified reasons, according to the complaint, and the procedure was not transparent.
The Secretary of the Upper West NDC Caucus in Parliament, Dr Sebastian N. Sandaare, made the call at a press conference in Parliament yesterday.
Discrimination
Dr Sandaare, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Daffiama-Bussie-Issa, said before November 2021 the GHS commenced internal recruitment to fill vacant district-director positions across the country.
It said the process, which involved an initial shortlisting of candidates, a written examinations and a face-to-face assessment interview, saw eight staff in the Upper West Region being shortlisted for the written exam and the subsequent assessment interview.
“It is worthy of note that all eight applicants were successful at the written exam. In fact, the highest national score of 77.5 per cent came from the region with a regional average score of 50.7 per cent,” he said.
“However, and curiously, in the next stage which consisted of the face-to-face interview, results of which were not made public, none of the applicants was deemed to be successful,” he said.
Dr Sandaare said the GHS went ahead to make appointments without any form of notification to the applicants, some of them were currently acting as district directors in the UWR, on the outcome of the interview.
Unjustified excuses
However, he said following a persistent request for the results of the interview and a justification for the failure to appoint anyone from the region, a letter dated August 26, 2022, from the office of the Director-General of the GHS indicated that six out of the eight applicants did not have the requisite knowledge and understanding of the management of district health directorates.
Per the letter, he said the other two applicants were disqualified because they had not served the required number of years to qualify them for the position.
“We consider the recruitment process as unjust, unfair, discriminatory and an abuse of the rights of the applicants,” he said.
Ensure regional balance
Given the treatment meted out to the applicants from the region, Dr Sandaare expressed worry that the conduct of the GHS could be “a big disincentive” to staff who had dedicated themselves to serve in one of the most deprived regions of the country”.
“It also communicates the unfortunate impression that the staff in the region are undeserving of such appointments and can thus negatively affect the staff turnover in a region that is already struggling with staffing deficit,” he said.
The country’s neighbours have blasted Friday’s alleged coup, calling it “inappropriate” for army rebels to take control when efforts were being made to impose civilian authority.
The removal of leader Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba was deemed “unconstitutional” by regional organization Ecowas.
Both times, the coups’ leaders said they had to step in because national security was so dire.
Burkina Faso controls as little as 60% of its territory, experts say, and Islamist violence is worsening.
Flanked by rebel soldiers in fatigues and black facemasks, an army captain announced on national TV on Friday evening that they were kicking out junta leader Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, dissolving the government and suspending the constitution.
Ibrahim Traoré said Lt Col Damiba’s inability to deal with an Islamist insurgency was to blame.
“Our people have suffered enough, and are still suffering”, he said.
He also announced that borders were closed indefinitely, a nightly curfew was now in place from 21:00 to 05:00, and all political activities were suspended.
“Faced with the deteriorating situation, we tried several times to get Damiba to refocus the transition on the security question,” said the statement signed by Traoré.
“Damiba’s actions gradually convinced us that his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do. We decided this day to removeDamiba,” it said.
Since the takeover, there has been no word on the whereabouts of the ousted leader.
Lt Col Damiba’s junta overthrew an elected government in January citing a failure to halt Islamist attacks, and he himself told citizens “we have more than what it takes to win this war.”
But his administration has also not been able to quell the jihadist violence. Analysts told the BBC recently that Islamist insurgents were encroaching on territory, and military leaders had failed in their attempts to bring the military under a single unit of command.
On Monday, 11 soldiers were killed when they were escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles in Djibo in the north of the country.
Earlier on Friday, Lt Col Damiba urged the population to remain calm after heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the capital.
A spokesman for the ousted government, Lionel Bilgo, told AFP news agency on Friday that the “crisis” was, in essence, an army pay dispute, and that Lt Col Damiba was taking part in negotiations.
But since Friday evening Lt Col Damiba’s whereabouts are unknown.France is a traditional ally, but French diplomatic sources have told RFI radio that Lt Col Damiba is not with them nor is he under their protection.
The United States said it was “deeply concerned” by events in Burkina Faso and encouraged its citizens to limit movements in the country.
“We call for a return to calm and restraint by all actors,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has condemned the move, stating it “reaffirms its unreserved opposition to any taking or maintaining of the power by unconstitutional means”.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS Image caption, Lt Col Damiba urged the population to remain calm after heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the capital on Friday
In January, Lt Col Damiba ousted President Roch Kaboré, saying that he had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence.
But many citizens do not feel any safer and there have been protests in different parts of the country this week.
Ghanaians are marking Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day today with a Statutory Public Holiday.
The Day is set aside to remember and honour Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who earlier was Prime Minister and Africa’s foremost champion of continental unity and liberation of the black race.
The Day will be commemorated with public lectures in celebration of the achievements and legacies of Dr Nkrumah.
The Government of late President John Evans Atta Mills initiated legislation in Parliament to declare September 21, a holiday in memory of Dr Nkrumah.
In September 2009, President John Atta Mills declared September 21st (the centenary of Kwame Nkrumah’s birth in 1909) to be Founder’s Day, a statutory holiday in Ghana.
In the past, the celebration of the Day was marked with some controversy.
The Founder’s Day versus Founders Day debate has been a longstanding one, and was brought to the limelight in 2017, starting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s speech delivered at Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary parade.
While some are of the view that Dr Nkrumah is the sole founder of Ghana, others think that there were many people who contributed to the founding of the modern state of Ghana, notably the other members of Big Six, six leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the leading political party in the British colony of the Gold Coast.
The other founding members of the UGCC, from which Nkrumah broke away to form the Convention People’s Party (CPP) are Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Edward Akufo-Addo, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, and William Ofori Atta.
It is argued that they also played pivotal roles in the independence struggle and ought to be celebrated alongside the first President
In 2017, after the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) had come to power through a general election, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, the Speaker of Parliament then, on August 4, in a public lecture, as part of Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations challenged the position of Dr Kwame Nkrumah as the Founder of modern Ghana, stoking further controversies on the celebration of Nkrumah as the sole founder of Ghana.
Later, President Akufo-Addo proposed legislation to designate August 4 as Founders Day, and the birthday of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, on September 21, originally observed as Founder’s Day, to be observed as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
According to the President, the decision was to acknowledge the “successive generations of Ghanaians who made vital contributions to the liberation of our country from imperialism and colonialism.”
President Akufo-Addo, in a statement, said: “It is entirely appropriate that we commemorate him for that role by designating his birthday as the permanent day of his remembrance.”
He issued an Executive Instrument to commemorate the celebration of Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day as a public holiday.
That position came under attack over what some said was a skewed account of Ghana’s history to suit his father, Edward Akufo-Addo and uncle, J.B. Danquah, who were critical components in Ghana’s fight for independence and the forebearers of the governing New Patriotic Party’s tradition.
Born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma to Kofi Ngonloma, a goldsmith and Elizabeth Nyaniba, a trader, at Nkroful, a town in the then Gold Coast, the British colony that was to become Ghana, Nkrumah lived, and breathed his last on April 27, 1972, in Bucharest, Romania.
He attended Achimota School and also trained as a teacher. He went to the United States in 1935 for advanced studies, receiving a B.A. from Lincoln University in 1939.
He also received an STB (Bachelor of Sacred Theology) in 1942, a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1942 and a Master of Arts in Philosophy the following year.
While lecturing in Political Science at Lincoln, Dr Nkrumah was elected President of the African Students Organisation of America and Canada.
He continued his schooling in England, where he helped to organise the Fifth Pan-African Congress in 1945.
He then founded the West African National Secretariat to work for the decolonisation of Africa. Nkrumah also served as Vice-President of the West African Students’ Union (WASU).
After twelve years abroad pursuing higher education, developing his political philosophy and organizing with other diasporian Pan-Africanists, Nkrumah returned to the Gold Coast to begin his political career as an advocate of national independence.
During his lifetime, Nkrumah was awarded honorary doctorates by Moscow State University, Cairo University, Jagielloniaan University in Krakow, Poland and Humboldt University in former East Germany.
He broke away from the United Gold Coast Convention on June 12, 1949 to form the Convention People’s Party (CPP).
The CPP achieved rapid success through its unprecedented appeal to the common voter.
He was made Chairman, with Komla Agbeli Gbedemah as Vice Chairman and Kojo Botsio as Secretary. Other members of the Central Committee included N.A. Welbeck, Kwesi Plange, Krobo Edusei, Dzenkle Dzewu and Ashie Nikoi.
Dr Nkrumah declared “positive action” on January 8, 1950 in front of a large CPP crowd at a public meeting in Accra. He travelled to Sekondi, Cape Coast and Takoradi to repeat it.
The colonial government declared a state of emergency which took effect from January 12, 1950 and prohibited the holding of processions, imposed curfews and disconnected public services in certain areas.
Dr Nkrumah was arrested on January 21, 1950, tried for inciting an illegal strike and sedition for an article in the Cape Coast Daily Mail and sentenced to three years imprisonment.
Mr Gbedemah kept the party running and was in constant touch with Dr Nkrumah who was held at the James Fort Prison from where messages were smuggled out on toilet paper to the party headquarters.
While in prison, Dr Nkrumah led the CPP to achieve a stunning victory in the February 1951 election.
He was freed to form a government, and he led the colony to independence in 1957.
A firm believer in African liberation, Nkrumah pursued a radical pan-African policy, playing a key role in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, now African Union, in 1963.
At home, he led a massive socio-economic development that saw the springing up of infrastructure across the country.
As time passed, he was accused of being a dictator and also of forming a one-party state in 1964, with himself as President for life, as well as actively promoting a cult of his own personality.
Overthrown by the military in 1966 with the help of Western backing, he spent his last years in exile, dying in Bucharest, Romania, on April 27, 1972. His legacy and dream of a “United States of Africa” still remains a goal among many.
Nkurmah imagined a united Africa. On March 6, 1957, after ten years of campaigning for Ghanaian independence, Nkrumah was elected President and Ghana gained independence from British rule.
An influential advocate of pan-Africanism, Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity, now African Union, and was its third Chairman; and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize, a prize mainly awarded to prominent Communists and supporters of the then Soviet Union who were not Soviet citizens from the Soviet Union, in 1962.
He became Prime Minister in 1952 and retained the position when Ghana declared independence from Britain in 1957. In 1960, Ghanaians approved a republican constitution and elected Nkrumah as President.
In 1960, Prime Minister Osagyefo Dr. Kwame was sworn into office as the first President of Ghana, and on July 1, 1960, the country was proclaimed a republic.
The Administration of Kwame, as he was affectionately called, was primarily socialist as well as nationalist.
It funded national industrial and energy projects, developed a strong national education system and promoted a pan-Africanist culture.
Under Nkrumah, Ghana played a leading role in African international relations during the decolonisation period.
In 1964, a constitutional amendment made Ghana a one-party state, with Nkrumah as president for life of both the nation and its party.
Nkrumah will always be remembered for the powerful speech he delivered on the day Ghana gained independence, March 6th 1957, proclaiming “Ghana will be free for ever” from British rule, to millions of Ghanaian gathered at the old polo grounds now hosting a mausoleum to his memory.
The speech was significant as it relinquished the British control over the Gold coast.
In February 1966, while Nkrumah on a state visit to Vietnam and China, his government was overthrown in a military coup, which brought the National Liberation Council, to power.
Under the supervision of international financial institutions, the military Junta privatised many of the country’s state corporations.
Nkrumah lived the rest of his life in Guinea, where he was named honorary co-president by President Sekou Toure.
Nkrumah was heavily influenced by African history, pan Africanist like Jamaican born Marcus Garvey, Dr Dubois and George Padmore as well as socialism.
He was not materialistic and a firm believer in the ability of the African to contribute meaningfully to human civilization.
The leadership of the Ghana Private Roads Transport Union(GPRTU) has indicated it will soon communicate to the public new transportation fares following the incessant increase in fuel prices.
The union says the continuous rise in the price of petroleum products is draining the finances of commercial vehicle owners.
The price of petrol per litre has crossed GH¢11 and diesel sells for over GH¢14 per litre at most pumps.
In a Citi News interview, Head of Communications at GPRTU, Abbas Moro stressed that members under the union are pushing for an increase in transport fares.
“We have sensitized the general public that whenever the prices of fuel go up 10 percent above the existing price, automatically we are supposed to increase fares. There are so many things to look out for including the current economic situation. So for where we are heading towards, we cannot keep sacrificing definitely when our leadership meets something positive must come out.â€
Transport fares went up by 20 percent in May.
As of May 9, 2022, when the new fares took effect, petrol and diesel were selling at a national average of GH¢9.41 and GH¢11.12, respectively.
On Friday, September 9, 2022, it emerged that Togbe Afede XIV,Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, rejected some gifts presented by Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP, Assin Central, as part of his contribution to the people of the Asogli State who are celebrating the annual Yam Festival.
In a graphic online reportage, some sub-chiefs and elders at the Asogli State Palace at Ho-Bankoe, in declining the MP’s gift made it clear to him that the Agbogbomefia was not ready to accept any homage whatsoever from him.
Like any other festival, Kennedy Agyapong, who was officially invited by the Asogli State Council to join in the celebration of the Te Za (Yam Festival), turned up with his entourage at the Asogli Palace at Ho-Bankoe to pay homage to the Chiefs and people of the Asogli State. The Paramount chief by then was sitting in State at the Asogli State Palace forecourt, but he was not allowed to do so.
Agyapong, who was then sitting close to the Volta Regional NPP Chairman, Kafui Woanya, was seen waving at a section of the audience who were at the durbar grounds and left the palace when his items were rejected by the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State.
A spokesperson of the palace explained to graphic online that, the decision to turn away the MP’s gift was based on “his gross lack of respect†for the Agbogbomefia.
“A few years ago, Kennedy Agyapong [had] referred to our Agbogbomefia as a corrupt person who used his position as the chairman of the National Investment Bank board to do fishy deals.
“We have also not forgotten the comment Kennedy Agyapong made some years ago about the Ewe and Ga people,†said the palace spokesperson.
Some sections of the media had reported that Kennedy Ohene Agyapong was chased out of Asogli State Palace but the palace spokesperson indicated that those reports were not factual.
He stated that Kennedy Agyapong “left without anyone running after him soon after we told him that his presence and homage were unsolicited.”
The Assin Central MP, graphic online report said, left the palace peacefully into a waiting vehicle after waving a section of the crowd.
Kennedy Agyapong’sgifts which included cartons of bottled water, were packed back into the vehicle that brought them to the palace.
This year’s yam festival of the Chiefs and people of Asogli State is being climaxed this weekend under the distinguished patronage of Togbe Afede XIV.
The festival started on August 6, 2022, and is expected to end on Sunday, September 11.
The one-month festival seeks to highlight unity, reconciliation, stocktaking and development and is also a platform for the annual reunion with the ancestors and the re-affirmation of allegiance by all chiefs and their subjects in the Asogli State to the Agbogbome Stool.
Charles IIIwill be formally proclaimed king at a historic ceremony at St James’s Palace on Saturday morning.
Flags lowered in mourning for the late Queen will fly full-mast after the Accession Council, which will be televised for the first time.
A wave of further proclamations will take place across the UK until Sunday, when flags will return to half-mast.
It comes after the King pledged to follow his “darling mama’s” life of service in an emotional first address.
He told the nation on Friday evening of his “profound sorrow” at the loss of his mother, praising her warmth, humour and “unerring ability always to see the best in people”.
The King promised to serve the nation with the same “unswerving devotion” as the late Queen had during her 70-year reign.
Charles became king the moment his mother died, but the Accession Council is held as soon as possible after death of a sovereign to make a formal proclamation of the successor.
At the council, which starts at 10:00 BST, the King will make a personal declaration about the death of the Queen and make an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland – because in Scotland there is a division of powers between church and state.
Among those attending will be Camilla, Charles’s wife of 17 years who now has the title of Queen Consort, and the King’s son, William, the new Prince of Wales.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
The King’s accession will be proclaimed in the City of London’s Royal Exchange, as his mother’s was more than 70 years ago
The first public proclamation is due to take place from the Friar Court balcony of St James’s Palace in London at 11:00, a moment that is usually accompanied by centuries-old pageantry, with trumpeters playing a fanfare and gun salutes fired in Hyde Park and at the Tower of London.
Although they are not part of the formal proclamation, the words “the Queen is dead, long live the King” are often added afterwards.
On Friday, Charles was met by cheers and shouts of “God save the King!” as he met people in the crowds who had gathered at Buckingham Palace.
Later, he gave his televised address, expressing a wish that Prince William and his wife Catherine would – as the new Prince and Princess of Wales – “continue to inspire and lead our national conversation”.
The Accession Council, a formal ceremony to proclaim Charles as king, will be held at 10:00 BST
From 11:00, flags will fly full mast and royal gun salutes will be fired
Further public proclamations take place from a balcony at St James’s Palace and the City of London
Senior members of government will swear an oath to King Charles III in the House of Commons
He expressed his “love for Harry and Meghan” and praised the “steadfast devotion to duty” of the Queen Consort.
The King acknowledged that his life had now changed, saying he would not be able to give “so much of my time and energies” to the charities and issues he had supported for decades as heir to the throne.
The 73-year-old monarch said he hoped that despite their sorrow at the Queen’s death, people in the UK and the Commonwealth “remember and draw strength from the light of her example”.
What happens at the Accession Council?
Historically, it is attended by all members of the Privy Council, a body of advisors to the sovereign that dates back to the time of the Norman kings. But with the membership standing at 700, mostly past and present politicians, only 200 are to be summoned.
They initially gather at St James’s Palace without the King. Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, appointed Lord President of the Privy Council by Prime Minister Liz Truss, will announce the death of the sovereign.
The clerk of the Council reads aloud the test of the Accession Proclamation, including Charles’ chosen title as king – which we know to be Charles III.
The proclamation is signed by a group including the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of York and the prime minister.
The Lord President calls for silence and reads the remaining items of business, dealing with the public proclamations and orders for the gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London.
The King enters for the second part of the council, attended only by privy counsellors and makes a personal declaration about the death of the Queen.
He takes an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland and signs two documents to record it, with the Queen Consort and the Prince of Wales among those witnessing his signature.
Privy counsellors will sign the proclamation as they leave.
Director of public relations of the Ghana Immigration Service, GIS, Supt Amoako-Atta, has disclosed that the Aisha Huang case is currently being handled by National Security.
He explained in an interview with Accra-based TV3 that the sensitivity of the matter was the reason why it had been taken over by National Security despite her interception by Immigration officers.
Aisha Huang is a Chinese national who became notorious for her involvement in illegal small-scale mining, galamsey, and was deported in 2018 after the state discontinued a case against her.
Asked what possible immigration charges Huang could face, he responded: “That is an illegal entry and currently as we speak, National Security is handling the issue because of how sensitive it is, and she was taken to court and a remand taken against her.
The GIS spokesman also denied that Huang had been in the country for more than three months as reported by some media outlets. “The information I have from our officers is not the three months that you are talking about.
“By mid-August and second September, she was intercepted by our officers… when it comes to the borders, we have not hidden the fact that our borders are porous especially in the subregion, and it is not peculiar to the West Africa subregion alone but across the world,†he added.
Aisha Huang arrested
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a licence and mining without a licence.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
How she re-entered the country without detection till her recent arrest has been the major question on the minds of many Ghanaians.
She had reportedly re-entered the jurisdiction through the eastern border with the name, Huang Fe.
Aisha Huang arrested in deported from Ghana in 2018
Ms. Huang, who was described as “untouchable†on some media platforms, was in 2017 charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
She was also charged with providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act; and also charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations).
Her deportation meant the state discontinued the trial against her.
Aisha Huang, a galamsey moguland Chinese national, avoided immigration officials and returned to Ghana to carry on illicit activities despite being controversially deported in 2018.
According to reports by Citi News in Accra, Huang returned to Ghana via Togo, the eastern land border, despite having last left by air.
It turned out that she also used a different identity on her return, even though the record is quiet on when she initially reentered and how frequently she has entered and exited the jurisdiction.
This was proven through documentation showing that Huang applied for and received the Ghana Card in February 2022 under the name “Huang En” after returning.
The Citi News report added that she always sneaked out of Ghana when she got intelligence about the possibility of an arrest.
Despite coming in through Aflao, Aisha made the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi her base from where she engaged in the business of selling mining materials. She was arrested with other accomplices at Ahodwo in Kumasi.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
How she re-entered the country without detection till her recent arrest has been the major question on the minds of many Ghanaians.
Aisha Huang arrested in deported from Ghana in 2018
Ms. Huang,who was described as “untouchable” on some media platforms, was in 2017 charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
She was also charged with providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act; and also charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations).
Her deportation meant the state discontinued the trial against her.
One thousand, five hundred smallholder female farmers across the country will soon receive free fertilisers to boost their farm yields.
This is made possible by HJA Africa, a manufacturer of organic fertilizers, which will provide fertilizers worth 50,000 as part of its Corporate Social Responsibilities.
Chief Executive of HJA Africa, Henry Abraham, said the goal is to help millions of smallholder farmers find sustainable business models that will enable them to run their farms profitably.
“The best way to help the millions of smallholder farmers who struggle with low yields leading to low profits, is to offer sustainable business models that enable them to run their farm profitability, without having to find large sums upfront to invest in inputs, which will often be out of reach. Our partners will be working with us to give free Organic Farming Aid (OFA) fertilizers from our CSR Programme to selected women smallholder farmers, so these farmers can experience the huge benefits of OFA for themselves,†he told the media.
He added that the joint goal is to offer these farmers both immediate assistance and a path to considerably longer-term farming that will be significantly more profitable.
“It is a great honor to be able to share such encouraging news with all Ghanaian farmers today, especially during these trying timesâ€, he remarked.
The HJA Africa CSR Programme will provide free OFA to selected women smallholder farmers through a number of delivery partners including the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG); the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) and Mabel Akoto Kwudzo, CEO of Okata Farms and runner up of thee National Best Farmer Award in 2017 and presently working in the Oti Region.
The Programme is based on the huge value for money that OFA offers farmers.
Recent research by the CSIR Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) showed that a typical smallholder farmer growing 21â„2 acres of maize could invest just 55 cedis in OFA at planting, and increase their net profits at harvest by 2,000 cedis.
Agric expert, Edward Kareweh, lauded the initiative and urged other companies to take a cue by developing home-grown solutions to address challenges.
“These are people that have been working in the local environment and they are really in appreciation of the challenges that farmers face and have worked with farmers to develop a solution to address their challenges. These are enduring solutions. It is critical that we develop home-grown solutions which target our specific challenges, rather than always relying on foreign solutions that are generic and sometimes not very helpful when we apply them here,†he emphasized.
Mabel Akoto Kwudzo, one of the farmers who use OFA fertilizer, testified that she increased to 4.5 tonnes per hectare, from three tonnes of hectare, after using the organic fertilizer.
“I am an organic farmer. Before I was introduced to OFA fertilizer, we were not using anything to boost yield. We used to have pests and fungus attacking our farms, but when we were introduced to OFA and we started applying it, we increased yields.â€
The corpse of Municipal Chief Executive for Krachi East in the Oti Region, Francis Kofi Okesu, has been found in a hotel room inside Kumasi.
Police found his lifeless body in a supine position in bed naked with his left arm hanging beside the bed on Sunday.
A careful examination of the body by health professionalsfound no marks of violence, but traces of spermatozoa on his thigh.
There were little drops of spermatozoa from the penis suggesting possible engagement in sexual act shortly before his death.
Luv News checks reveal the MCE had checked into the hotel room at the late hours of Friday, September 2 with his driver who later left to lodge in a different hotel.
The deceased was however not seen the day after checking into the hotel and efforts to reach him proved futile.
Investigations established that driver of the deceased, Sylvester Attah could also not reach him on the scheduled day of return to Dambai which was on September 4.
An official complaint was lodged with the police by the Manager of the said hotel in Kumasi. Subsequently, the police had to break into the room only to find the body of Mr Okesu.
The Regional Crime Scene team of the police proceeded to the crime scene for investigations to commence.
Police sources say they have conducted a search of the room but have found nothing incriminating so far.
Meanwhile the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah and Municipal Chief Executive of Oforikrom, Abraham Antwi and other security operatives have been to the scene.
The body has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
BOST, the report said, eventually awarded the contract to Enginmac Co. Ltd at a cost of GH¢178,252.52.
“We noted that three (3) Companies, Unity Enginmac Co. Precious Engineering and Dass-B Electricals bided for the award of contract for the installation of LED bulbs and streetlights for BOST of which Enginmac Co was recommended by the evaluation team for the award of the contract to the tune of GH¢178,252.52.
“We noted further that, Unity Enginmac Co. Ltd and the two other alternative tenderers namely Precious Engineering and Dass-B Electricals who participated in the procurement were all owned by one person.
“We recommended that the contractor be invited to explain the ownership of the companies and tender documents submitted and admonish the evaluation team to do proper due diligence in the selection process as this lapse was identified in the previous year audit and cautioned,” page 16 of the report read.
The Auditor-General noted that “BOST continues to pay avoidable judgment debts in the forms of cost and interest amounting to GH¢9,169,884.48 and US$3,057,096.00 to three contractors for breach of contract and undue delays in the payment of legitimate contract sums.
“We recommended that should Management apply appropriate sanctions on all officers whose negligence have occasioned the loss. Additionally, we urged Management to heed to all contract terms and indulge in negotiations rather than lawsuit in resolving disagreements.”
Effective today, September 1, individuals below the age of 18 years will not be mandated to undertake pre-departure COVID-19 testing and testing upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has revealed.
The GACL revealed this in a statement dated August 31, when it revised its COVID-19 guidelines for individuals who fly in and out of Ghana through the KIA.
Previously, only children under 10 years were exempted from pre-departure COVID-19 PCR testing and COVID-19 testing at the Airport upon arrival, but the new guidelines have extended the range to 17 years and below.
Also, children between 10-17 years who are unvaccinated were initially to submit a 48 Hour negative PCR test prior to embarkation to Ghana, but this has been scrapped off by GACL in the latest guidelines.
The GACL did not provide any reasons for the move but UNICEF says reports so far indicate that there have been relatively few cases of COVID-19 reported among children.
Currently, fully vaccinated individuals will be exempted from pre-departure COVID-19 PCR testing from point of embarkation and upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Ghanaians and foreign residents (18 years and above) who fall under this condition will be made to provide evidence of full vaccination for a COVID-19 vaccine at the point of embarkation.
“All international passengers including those from the ECOWAS region, intending to fly to Ghana, will be required to be fully vaccinated. All International passengers including those from the ECOWAS region must complete a Port Health Declaration Form at https://www.ghs-hdf.org/hdf/ before embarkation of flight to Ghana,” the statement added.
According to the GACL, partially vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals will be required to present a negatuve 48hrs PCR test result to the airline before embarkation and upon arrival.
“Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated will undergo COVID-19 testing at the KIA upon arrival. Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated will undergo COVID-19 vaccination at KIA upon arrival.
At the point of embarkation, non-Ghanaians must provide evidence of full vaccination status to the Airline prior to embarkation.
“Airlines that board non-Ghanaians without evidence of full vaccination will be considered to have violated the COVID-19 guidelines for Ghana and shall be fined $3,500.00,” the statement added.
Travelling to Kotoka International Airport with fake or forged vaccination certificates shall be quarantined and returned to the point of embarkation at their own cost.
The GACL stressed that, “All Arriving passengers will undergo temperature screening, Yellow Fever Card verification and COVID-19 vaccination certificate verification as required.â€
The Auditor-General has revealed that the National Communications Authority (NCA) violated the Public Financial Management Act/Regulations requirements when it carried out some activities and services for various Telecommunication companies to enable them to operate within the Telecommunications space.
The NCA accrued a sum of GH¢11,033,925.50 for activities such as licenses for Numbering, 1% Annual Regulatory Fees, Microwave and other services.
This was revealed in the Auditor-General’s report on Ministries, Departments and other agencies for 2021.
To prevent a recurrence, the Auditor-General recommended to Management “to increase supervision and tighten controls in revenue management/accounting to avert the likelihood of the above anomaly repeating itself.”
Again, the report revealed that the NCA unlawfully granted vehicle loans to 20 employees to the tune of GH¢920,610.37, after sampling 20 Vehicle Loan Agreements.
This contravenes the Public Financial Management legislation requirements.Â
“We entreated Management to regularise the anomaly forthwith in order to minimise the risk of loss of public funds and further advised Management to provide explicit timelines for compliance with loan terms and conditions; we also urged Management to incorporate paragraphs 5.3.16 (e & f) of the NCA Human Resource Policy Manual into the standard loan agreement to forestall a repeat of the above,” the report added.
The Auditor Generalhas identified at least 19 former and present judges of the Superior Courtsfor purchasing vehicles in violation of Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (Regulation 158). (L.I. 2378).
According to this rule, the Principal Spending Officer of a covered entity must have the Minister’s prior written consent before transferring, exchanging, selling, donating, providing a contribution in kind, putting a vehicle into trust, or doing any other type of vehicle disposal.
Any sale, lease, or other activity referred to in Sub-regulation 1 that is made without the Minister’s express consent is void, according to Regulation 158.
“In the absence of approval from the Minister for Finance, we recommended that the auction should be nullified, and the vehicles recovered,†the report stated.
Workers across the country have started receiving the monthly 15 per centCost of Living Allowance (COLA) agreed upon between the government and Organised Labour.
The Accra Zoo administrators allegedly managed to lure the lions into their enclosure so that the police could transport the intruder’s body, according to the Forestry Commission.
The lions remain secure in their enclosure, the statement said.
“We wish to confirm that the lion, the lioness, and the two (2) cubs remain secured in their enclosure at the Accra Zoo. Forestry Commission wishes to assure the general public that no lion has escaped from the Accra Zoo,†part of the statement read.
There were reports particularly on social media that a lion has escaped the Accra Zoo. Some social media users who shared the news warned people to be cautious while using areas around GIMPA.
This means, all university halls will no longer be electing students as executives from the 2023/2024 academic year to manage hall activities.
The existing governance structure comprising Hall Councils, Hall Masters and Senior Tutors, would continue to operate in the management of the affairs of the Halls.
In addition, Hall Fellows will be appointed and assigned to floors/blocks of the Halls to exercise direct supervision over matters affecting students.
“In the meantime, Hall Week and SRC Week Celebrations have been SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY,” a statement dated August 26, 2022, signed and issued by the Registrar, A.K. Boateng at the end of an emergency Council meeting said.
The University Council had met among others, to discuss the Report of a Fact-Finding Committee, constituted by the Executive Committee of the University, following the recent disturbances arising from the Hall Week celebrations of the University Hall, commonly referred to as Katanga.
In addition to that, the council has recommended the dismissal of all students found to have been involved in last week’s hooliganism, which resulted in the destruction of property and injuries to some students.
At least 12 students sustained injuries from the August 18, 2022 clashes at the campus of the university in Kumasi and were treated at the hospital.
The police also counted 12 damaged vehicles as a result of the incident.
Some students, alleged to be part of the perpetrators have been arrested and arraigned.
After Friday’s emergency meeting, the University Council has also decided that “any student who participates in the organisation of ‘morale’ and/or “procession’ shall be SUMMARILY DISMISSED.”
“Any student/students who is/are caught to be harboring dismissed, rusticated, withdrawn student(s) and/alumnus/alumna in his/her room in any of the Halls of Residence on Campus, shall be sanctioned, appropriately.
“Students who indulge in any act which will warrant dismissal, will have their names and pictures widely published in the National Dailies and on the University Website;
“Students who are rusticated for various offences will have their names and pictures published internally for the attention of the University Community,” it added.
Below is a copy of a statement issued by Secretary to the Council and Registrar, A.K. Boateng
COUNCIL DECISIONS ON DISTURBANCES ARISING OUT OF UNIVERSITY HALL WEEK CELEBRATIONS
COUNCIL of the University at an EMERGENCY MEETING held on Friday, 26th August, 2022, among others, discussed the Report
of a Fact-Finding Committee, constituted by the Executive Committee of the University, following the recent disturbances arising from the Hall Week Celebrations of the University Hall, and decided as follows:
1. With effect from the 2023/2024 Academic Year, the Junior Common Room (JCR) System of Hall Management by students, is ABOLISHED.
This means, there would be no Students’ elections for hall executives.
The existing governance structure comprising Hall Councils, Hall Masters and Senior Tutors, would continue to operate in the management of the affairs of the Halls.
In addition, Hall Fellows will be appointed and assigned to floors/blocks of the Halls to exercise direct supervision over matters affecting students.
In the meantime, Hall Week and SRC Week Celebrations have been SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY.
2. Any student who participates in the organisation of ‘morale’ and/or “procession’ shall be SUMMARILY DISMISSED.
3. Any student/students who is/are caught to be harboring dismissed, rusticated, withdrawn student(s) and/alumnus/alumna in his/her room in any of the Halls of Residence on Campus, shall be sanctioned, appropriately.
4. Students who indulge in any act which will warrant dismissal, will have their names and pictures widely published in the National Dailies and on the University Website;
5. Students who are rusticated for various offences will have their names and pictures published internally for the attention of the University Community.
6. Council vehemently condemned the recent disturbances and supported the ongoing investigations by the Ghana Police Service and the University Authorities.
It was the decision of Council that any person/student found culpable should be dealt with according to the rules of the University and
those requiring further prosecution by the State should be handed over to the Police.
Council wishes to express its profound gratitude to the Ashanti Regional Minister, the Inspector-General of Police, the Regional Police Commander, and the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, for the professional role they played in helping to restore calm and tranquility on the University campus.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has asked persons trading in counterfeit adulterated agrochemical products to withdraw them within two weeks or face the full rigorous of the law.
A swoop conducted by the EPA in collaboration with security agencies in some parts of the country has led to the confiscation of some adulterated products as well as closure of some retail outlets.
Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, the Executive Director of EPA, at a maiden media briefing on frequently reported environmental concerns, including noise pollution, waste water disposal, indiscriminate burning, fake agro-chemicals, and measures being taken to address them, said traders in counterfeit agro products would not be tolerated .
 The prevalence of phony and illegal agrochemicals on the Ghanaian market is a source of worry to stakeholders in the agricultural sector, with CropLife Ghana warning that between 25 to 35 percent of imports into the country were fake or banned.
The Executive Director said the Agency in recent months had received many complaints on environmental issues, especially on noise and sub-standard agro-products, which a “carefulâ€â€¯investigation had proven to be true.
 “Indeed, there are substandard chemical products being sold on the market to unsuspected clients. We met with the leadership of dealers and importers of these products and we have agreed on specific activities to stop the canker,†he said.
 Mr Kokofu advised farmers to be vigilant, avoid buying low priced products and sourced from only listed licensed dealers to protect the health of consumers.
 Responding to a question on a testing laboratory, the Executive Director said the Agency had no laboratory at the ports to test agro-chemical products being imported into the country.
  To check influx from inland borders, he said, a collaborative initiative had begun with security agencies to train them on how to stop people who would make the attempt to smuggle such products.
 “It is wrong by law for agro-chemical products to come through any land borders into the country,†he said.
 Dr Samira Amellal, the Director-General of CropLife Africa Middle East, recently at a media engagement said illicit agro products posed harm to farmers, crops, and the environment as their contents were “unknown, untested and unregulated.â€
 “The negative impacts of counterfeit pesticides are many. For farmers, counterfeits can lead to loss of revenues due to decreases in crop yields or severe damage to crops. In low-income countries, this can worsen poverty and threaten food security for already vulnerable communities,â€â€¯she added.
 Ms. Esi Nerquaye-Tetteh, the Chief Programme Officer, Pollution Control at EPA, said complaints of noise pollution increased from 244 in 2019 to 271 in 2021.
 She said majority of the cases were recorded in the Greater Accra Region due to wrong siting of facilities, and high number of churches, mosques, restaurants, pub, and event centres.
 Ms Nerquaye-Tetteh said the Agency would work with relevant stakeholders to ensure proper siting of noise generating facilities, enhance compliance, conduct training and capacity building for Assemblies.
She urged the Assemblies to procure decibel meter, an instrument to enable them to assess noise or sound levels.
 She said excessive noise beyond a certain level of intensity and duration could adversely affect human health, including hearing loss, irritation, headache, increase in heart rate and high blood pressure, annoyance, decrease in employee productivity, among others.
President Akufo-Addo has extended the contract of service of the Deputy Director-General (Management Services) of the Ghana Education Service, Anthony Boateng for a year.
 A press statement dated August 19, 2022, signed by the Secretary to President Nana Bediatuo Asante, disclosed that the service extension will begin on August 17, 2022, and end on August 16, 2023.Â
“I am pleased to inform you that the President of the Republic has granted you a further one-year contract of service as Deputy Director-General (Management Services) of the Ghana Education Service, effective 17th August 2022 to 16th August 2023.â€
Mr. Anthony Boateng will continue to execute his mandate and assist in the development of the National Education Institute as approved by the cabinet.
The extension of the retirement service follows a request from the office of the Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum to the Office of the President.
This is the second time his appointment is being extended. On 2nd August 2021, the office of the President granted him a one-year extension.
Mr Boateng has served in various capacities until his current appointment as; Assistant Secretary at the GES Council Deputy Secretary, GES Council, Ag. Secretary, GES Council, Head of the Legal Unit of GES, Director for HRMD and Director for Special Education.
Beneficiaries of Nation Builders Corps (NABCo) programme, on Thursday, hit the streets of Accra to register their displeasure about the delay in the payment of their allowances.
According to the aggrieved protestors, government has failed to pay them for a period of 10 month.
The lack of remuneration, according to the NABCoamidst the current economic challenges has made life unbearable.
Demanding government to provide the necessary financial commitment promised them, the agitated group presented a presented a petition to the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Deputy Chief of Staff, Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman, received the petition on behalf of the Vice President.
“This government is indeed a listening government so these things that you have scripted shall be carefully considered at the highest levels and as soon as it is practicable, you would hear something tangible on the issues you have raised.â€
The NABCo program is expected to end in September this year, after it was extended by the Government.
The Akufo-Addo-led administration introduced NABCo in 2017 as part of measures to address graduate unemployment in the country.
The initiative was run under seven modules: Educate Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Digitize Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, and Civic Ghana.
It was reported that government invested approximately GH¢2.2 billion into the policy.
Unknown gunmen have shot and killed three people in the Upper East Regiontown of Bawkuon Tuesday afternoon, August 16, 2022.
The three victims, who were all men, were shot as they rode in a car from Bolga to Bawku.
According to reports, the incident took place at about 2:00 pm.
A family member (name withheld) of the victims who confirmed the incident to Graphic Online, noted that the three were shot on the highway near the Bawku Senior High School.
He gave their names as Muniyamimu Ashimu, 47; Fatawu Ibrahim, 37 and Mmam Abduali Ibrahim, 43.
One of them, the family member said, had a court case in Bolga and that they were returning home from the hearing that they were shot.
The police have confirmed the shooting incident but declined to give details.
According to him, the trading community suspect the Cedi depreciation is a plan by government to underestimate the worth of the currency.
Speaking on Peace FM’s Ade Akye Abia programme with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese on Monday, Dr Joseph Obeng said, the rise in value of the US Dollar will skyrocket the price of goods and services to be purchased before Christmas.
He noted that the amount of money needed for the purchase of goods will double hence, pushing businesses at a loss.
“We are beginning to suspect that depreciation of the cedi is a deliberate plan by government to devalue currency,” the GUTA President stated.
“We are now going to make our Christmas purchases so it means by November the Cedi may hit GH¢10. This means that businesses need GH¢1,000,000 to buy only 100,000 dollars,” he added.
Speaking in the same vein, Dr Joseph Obeng, disclosed that Ghanaian traders are poised to demonstrate against government over the free fall of the local currency against major trading currencies.
He stressed that traders fear their businesses will collapse if the Cedi keeps depreciating.
Meanwhile, the Cedi trading against the dollar at a buying price of GH¢9.55 pesewas and selling at GH¢9.77pesewas.
Against the Pounds Sterling, the Cedi is bought at GH¢11.35 and sold at GH¢11.70.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has revealed that over 200 wooden structures have been destroyed at Kofi Togo near Adjiringanor, a suburb of Accra, due to a fire outbreak.
The fire incident happened on Friday evening, August 12, 2022.
According to the Fire Service, no casualties have been recorded and the Service managed to save about 150 structures from being destroyed.
This was as result of the four fire appliances from Legon, Headquarters, Madina and Adenta fire stations used to fight the inferno.
Currently, it is unknown what may have caused the fire.
FIRE OUTBREAKS IN 2022
The Ghana National Fire Service has revealed that 20 fire outbreaks were recorded on a daily basis during the first half of the year.
In total, 3,678 fire outbreaks have been recorded, representing a 21.38% increase from 3030 fire cases recorded during the same period in 2021.
The Ashanti Region recorded the most cases (772), representing 19.63% of the total cases. With 690 cases, the Greater Accra Region ranked second. The Volta Region recorded the least figure with 16 cases.
Thirty-five lives have been lost so far this year to fire outbreaks, the National Fire Service said in a statement sighted by The Independent Ghana.
“I85 deaths were recorded through road traffic collision incidents as against 2022 for the same period in 2021. 17 lives also perished through other rescue missions (flooding, depths, and heights rescue) as against 14 for the same period in 2021,†the Service added.
The number of rescued cases also grew this year to 84 from 71 recorded in 2021.
According to the Service, the harmattan weather experienced from January to March played a role in the number of fire cases recorded as well as the non-adherence to fire safety precautions.
Causes of the fire outbreaks included “electrical faults which stem from circuit overload; arcing: short circuits; inferior cables; compromised or poorly done electrical installations; over-aged wires and earthing problems: Gas leakages; unattended cooking: unattended lit candles; mosquito coils: matches und poorly done hot works from welding and deliberate acts.â€
The Ghana National Gas Company is set to construct a 259km pipeline from Aboadze in the Western Region to Tema in the Greater Accra Region.
According to reports, the pipeline will be constructed within 2 years under a BOOT arrangement.
The 20-inch pipeline will have a maximum throughput of 320MMSCFD of lean gas at an inlet of 100 barg and discharge of 40 barg.
Communities earmarked as stations are Aboadze, Winneba, Cape Coast, Tema and Nsawam, where a mini-plant will be constructed.
Parliament is yet to receive the project documents and agreements for consideration and approval.
As Parliament awaits the documents, Majority Chief Whip and MP for Nsawam Adoagyir, Frank Annoh–Dompreh has said the project will help bring development into the country.
“As part of the project, eight distribution stations will be built, including one at Nsawam. The project will create employment for the locals,†he is quoted to have said.
Meanwhile, Ghana Gas, through government relations department, is engaging stakeholders in the communities that will feel the direct impact of the project.
A sum of GH¢1.074 million has been recovered by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) from Labianca Company Limited, owned by a member of the Council of State, Ms Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh.
The amount represents a shortfall in import duties the frozen foods company paid to the state.
In an investigative report, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online, the OSPaccused Ms Asomah-Hinneh of influence-peddling for allegedly using her position as a member of the Council of State and member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to get a favourable decision from the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), which led to a reduction in the tax liabilities of Labianca Limited.
Influence peddling
Influence-peddling or trading of influence is a form of corruption in which a person uses his or her position or political influence to gain unmerited
favours.
The OSP faulted a Deputy Commissioner of Customs in charge of Operations, Joseph Adu Kyei, for issuing what it described as unlawful customs
advance ruling which reduced the benchmark values of the frozen foods imported by Labianca Limited, thereby reducing the company’s tax obligations to the state, reports Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson.
“The OSP finds that there is strong evidence to suggest that Mr Kyei’s decision to issue a customs advance ruling for the applicant was procured
through influence peddling or trading of influence by Ms Asomah-Hinneh by employing her position as a member of the Council of State and member of the Board of Directors of the GPHA, the report, signed by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, stated.
The investigative report, dated August 3, 2022, is titled: “Report of Investigation into Alleged Commission of Corruption and Corruption Related Offences involving Labianca Group of Companies and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has inaugurated the Osman Nuhu Sharubutu Central Mosque and School Complex at Ablekuma-Joma in the Greater Accra Region for worship, teaching and learning of Islamic values to young ones.
This occurred on Friday, August 5, 2022.
The mosque and the school were constructed by His Eminence National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu as a place of worship and educating young Muslim children on Qu’ran recitation.
The ceremony attracted high profile personalities across the country and high-powered Muslim delegations from Nigeria and Senegal.
In an address, Vice President Bawumia said Sheikh Sharubutu had been a champion of community and national development, especially in education, and his latest charity works attested to his commitment to service and humanity.
“I am constantly humbled and inspired by Sheikh Sharubutu’s prolific and unstinting charitable works.
“May the Almighty Allah reward him,” he said.
Dr Bawumia noted that the National Chief Imam had been an iconic of tolerance and peace in Ghana and Africa whose charitable works had made a difference in the lives of many Muslims.
He lauded the Chief Imam for facilitating the construction of various school blocks at Shakura, Nima, Fadama and ongoing one at Tenkoran to promote education in Muslim Communities.
The Vice President pledged the Government’s commitment towards promoting access and inclusive education for all Ghanaians of school-going age to serve as a foundation for national growth and development.
Vice President Bawumia donated an amount of GHc100,000 to the National Chief Imam towards his charity works and build more schools and mosques across the country.
Sheikh Sharubutu, who spoke through his Spokesperson, said development could only take place on the foundation of knowledge and urged government to remain steadfast in investing in the children’s education for a brighter future.
Beneficiaries of students loanwho have defaulted in the repayment of their loans for over 10-year will from September this year be prosecuted.
The Chief Executive Officer of the SLTF, Nana Kwaku Agyei Yeboah, who made this known to the Daily Graphic last Monday in an interview, said the Trust was compelled to resort to legal action as several reminders to the affected persons had been ignored and it was part of the efforts to meet its set recovery target of GH¢ 70 million, for this year.
“We consistently keep reminding people through their guarantors, text messages and other communication -emails, etc. as well as publish names and faces on our platforms and in the dailies.
“They have simply ignored all those and so we are resorting to the final action by sending the recalcitrant borrowers to court, prosecute them to get the money back.
“This month is the final grace period, if they still refuse to do the needful from all the reminders and prompts, September is prosecution time to recover the loans,†he emphasised.
Act, prosecution
The Students Loan Trust FundAct, 820 (2011) prescribes various steps that the SLTF must take in the recovery of loans.
Among the prescribed steps are consistently sending reminders through emails, text messaging and also through their guarantors as well as the publication of pictures and details of defaulting borrowers in the national media.
Over the years, the fund has deployed many of the prescribed measures in loan recovery, but was yet to drag anyone to court for defaulting in repayment.
Mr Yeboah said since prosecution was one of the measures, the  SLTF had, therefore, resolved, in accordance with its Act, “ to begin prosecution of defaulters†to ensure that the scheme was sustained.
He explained that prosecution would specifically target only those who had refused to make any efforts to have an agreed repayment plan, particularly, beneficiaries whose repayment period of 10 years had elapsed.
Sensitisation month
Mr Yeboah indicated that the SLTF had set aside the month of August as recovery month to sensitise people to the repayment of their loans.
“The SLTF sets aside one month in each year to educate the general public, particularly, beneficiaries of the loan scheme on the importance of loan repayment to the sustainability of the fund.
“The month is also used to disseminate information on the various repayment platforms available to borrowers. This year, the Recovery Month has been slated for August,†he said.
No guarantor
The SLTF CEO said with the introduction of the free senior high school programme and opportunity for more to continue to the tertiary level, the fund had seen an increase in the number of loan applications, which made recovery of due loans even more critical.
Also with the implementation of the “No guarantor†policy, “there has been an even greater increase in loan applications and SLTF offices across the country have been processing large volumes of applications. We therefore, need to recover the loans so that others can benefit.”
“Over the past few years, the fund has put in place a number of strategies to recover loans, including the introduction of several electronic payment platforms to afford convenience to borrowers in repaying their loans.“
On the significance of the repayment of the loans, Mr Yeboah said there was the need to run a fund that was solvent to justify the existence of the trust fund and “that depends on our ability to recover loans given to borrowers to keep it in operationâ€.
“Though we get other sources of funding from the GETFund, telecommunications tax and even the Government of Ghana, we also need to do our recovery.
“Repayment is thus very critical to our very survival. We need to get the money that we have given out to be able to support other students who will require that kind of support,†he emphasised.
Recovery
Mr Yeboah said the SLTF, this year, opened two new regional offices, one in Accra and the other in Kumasi, to focus exclusively on loan recovery.
He explained that the trust fund recovered loans given to students all-year-round and using the month of August to educate people on repayment did not mean that only August was being used to recover loans taken by borrowers.
“Recovery of loans is an all-year-round activity, but a month is set aside for an aggressive campaign and sensitisation during when we go out there to remind people of repayment.
“We do this because sometimes, people tend to forget, and may not even remember the payment points.
“For some time now, we have carried out the exercise in August, so this year we are going round again with an intensified educational campaign to get defaulters to pay back loans they had taken,†he explained.
Credit history
The SLTF CEOÂ maintained that apart from recovery of the loans to enable other students to benefit, the loan repayment would also help borrowers to build their credit history which was very important as the country became digitised.
The trust fund, he said, would report to the credit bureau all payments that would be made and that it would also inform the banks, and added that “as you are paying and we are reporting, you are getting good credit history.â€
He said the trust fund was not demanding the upfront payment of all the money people owed it, and that people who were hard up could visit it to discuss and agree on a convenient repayment plan.
Should information from Daily Graphic be anything to go by, this will be the first review of utility tariffs since 2017.
Daily Graphic reported that the new tariffs will not be across the board, which means the rates will depend on the reasons and proofs adduced by the utilities and the verification the commission has done.
This comes after the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) had carried out nationwide consultations on proposals it received from the utility companies.
It is said that the tariffs to be announced would exclude taxes and levies already imposed by the state.
The report also revealed that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), such as food joints and salons, would be protected from paying “punitive†tariffs.
The proposal from the power distributor, submitted to the PURC, wanted the adjustment to cover the period 2019 and 2022.
The company also proposed an average increase of 7.6% in tariff over the next four years to cover Distribution Service Charges (DSC).
On its part, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) also demanded a 334% increase in tariff. The GWCL in its proposal said over the years, the approved tariffs have not been fully cost-reflective.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) has also proposed 37%, with the Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo) proposing 48%
Other proposals were 38% from the only private power distributor, Enclave Power, and 113% increase over the existing tariffs of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo).
Meanwhile, after receiving the proposals from the utility companies, the PURC conducted a survey in which 851 respondents across all 16 regions completed the questionnaire.
The survey indicated that 44% of respondents thought the current electricity tariffs were not proportionate with quality of service received from the electricity utilities.
They based their reason on the frequent voltage fluctuation and poor customer service delivery among other reasons.
On electricity tariffs, 42% of the respondents rated prevailing tariffs as fair, while 55% rated them as high.
Again, half of the respondents indicated that current water tariffs were not justified, given the poor service delivery in the form of frequent water supply interruptions.
Consequently, 41% of respondents rated prevailing water tariffs as fair, while 57% rated them as high.
President Akufo-Addo has appointed the Member of Parliament for Walewale, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, as the new Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Lariba Zuweira Abudu is currently the Deputy Minister for Gender.
Her appointment, announced by the Presidency in a statement sighted by The Independent Ghana on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, is in “accordance with Article 78 of the 1992 Constitution.”
Lariba Zuweira Abudu becoming the substantive Gender Minister is subject to the approval of Parliament.
This follows the termination of the appointment of the Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo.
President Akufo-Addo on Thursday, July 28, 2022, relieved Sarah Adwoa Safo of her duties as the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection in accordance with Article 81(a) of the constitution.
Meanwhile, to fill the role of Deputy Gender Minister, the President has also nominated the Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, Francisca Oteng Mensah, for Parliamentary approval.
This is also pursuant to Article 79 of the Constitution.
Francisca Oteng Mensah was appointed as the chairperson of the National Youth Authority in December 2017.
The two nominees would have to face the Appointments Committee of Parliament chaired by First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, in order to serve the roles provided them.
According to President Akufo-Addo, he is “hopeful that Parliament will expedite the approval of his nominees for this important Ministry,” to see to the effective delivery of his mandate for his second term in office.
Lariba Zuweira Abudu would take over from Caretaker Minister, Cecilia Dapaah, who is the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, should she be recommended to the House by the Appointments Committee, and subsequently, Parliamentary approval.
Profile of Lariba Zuweira Abudu
Lariba Zuweira Abudu worked at the Northern Development Authority as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Social Development.
She obtained her first degree (Special Education) in 2004 and later pursued her Masters in Leaders and Development in 2015.
She is a member of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee and Roads and Transport Committee in Parliament.
Businessman, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom has issued an open letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Among other things, he touched on government’s ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda which he believes to be fading away and does not find expression in formal presentations such as the budget and speeches delivered by the president.
“To begin with, I support this vision for Ghana because it will promote self-reliance that would lead to greater prosperity of our citizens. I am a supporter of “Ghana Beyond Aid†without reservations,” Dr Nduom said.
“My concern is that this vision may become a mere slogan,” he opined.
Ghana Beyond Aid: My Recommendations To Walk the Talk
“Ghana Beyond Aid†is a vision put forth by your Administration. You have articulated this forcefully and pushed it in presentations to Ghanaian citizens. You have also stood your ground on this with foreign leaders particularly those from the western divide of global governance. Many have hailed it and bought into it as a very necessary agenda.
Recently though, the vision seems to be fading and does not find expression in formal presentations such as the budget and your own speeches at home and abroad. It is time to light some fire under this vision and make it real.
To begin with, I support this vision for Ghana because it will promote self-reliance that would lead to greater prosperity of our citizens.
I am a supporter of “Ghana Beyond Aid†without reservations.
My concern is that this vision may become a mere slogan. Over the years, Ghanaians have heard “the private sector is the engine of growth†with no fuel to make the engine move for the benefit of the people. They have been presented with “Zero Tolerance for Corruption†and “Probity, Accountability, Transparency†and yet corruption is seen by citizens as the main barrier to their well-being. Many leaders, in business and politics have put out their versions of “Ghana First†visions yet there is no common agenda to work with to make it come alive.
When the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong championed the Ghanaian ownership of the commanding heights of the economy, it spawned concrete actions that are still delivering benefits to the state and its people. “Operation Feed Yourself†was and remains a popular policy from the Acheampong era.
Given where we are, the following are actions I highly recommend for you to consider implementing to push the “Ghana Beyond Aid†vision.
All infrastructure contracts signed by the state must have a minimum 25% of value go to an indigenous Ghanaian and his/her enterprise.
All Cocoa roads and projects funded by COCOBODmust be given to indigenous Ghanaians and their companies.
Ban completely, the importation of chocolate, soft drinks, fruit juices, fruits, poultry, and meats.
Ban the importation of rice and sugar.
Immediately ban the serving of any imported food or drink at all state functions.
School feeding programmes must only use locally produced food and drinks.
Take firm steps to ensure indigenous Ghanaian control (ownership) of the financial sector – banking, insurance, investment, pension, and others at all levels.
All professional services agreements – architectural, technology, financial etc., must have at least 25% indigenous Ghanaian participation.
All new and renewed concessions for gold, bauxite, oil and gas, diamond, timber must have a minimum of 25% indigenous Ghana ownership.
The digitalization agenda must be placed firmly, 100% in the hands of indigenous Ghanaians and their companies.
Give full rights and recognition to Ghanaians who by necessity have become citizens of other countries – to vote, be employed by the state and compete for elective offices.
Will this hurt? Initially, yes. But eventually, we will be a better country, one whose citizens can aspire to prosperity with confidence.
I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the recommendations further.
Presented, Your Excellency, for your consideration.
The Mobile Money Agents Associationhas said the two months extension announced by the government is not enough time to guarantee that all Ghanaians would re-register their SIM cards.
According to the association, the challenge for many registrants is their inability to access their Ghana Cards.
In an interview with Citi News, the Secretary of the Mobile Money Agents Association, Evans Otumfuor, said until problems facing the National Identification Authority are dealt with, the extension would have little impact.
“Looking at the exigencies that government wants us to regularise our credentials with the Ghana Card, we were thinking that at least, within a space of six months, it should be enough for us to get quite a good number of people.â€
The government had initially set July 31 as the deadline for all persons to re-register their SIM cards with their Ghana Cards.
Persons who had failed to comply with the directive would have had their SIM cards deactivated.
The regulations are to help law enforcement agencies to identify SIM card owners, track criminals who use phones for illegal activities, curb phone theft, hate text messaging, mobile fraud activities, and SIM Box fraud.
Statistics from the National Communication Authority (NCA) show that as of Thursday, July 21, 2022, 16,969,034 individuals had registered for the Ghana Card, with about 16,535,623 cards printed, while 15,395,607 had linked their Ghana Card to their SIM cards.
To boost the registration process, the government has put in place a self-service registration application, which will be made available on both Android and IOS platforms this week.
MTN Ghana has said its offices would be opened for business to attend to numerous customers who are yet to register their SIM cards on Saturday and Sunday.
According to the telecommunication giant, customers should take advantage of over 6,735 community registration points created to have their biometric data captured and register their SIM cards as the deadline draws near.
Chief Sales and Distribution Officer of MTN Ghana, Shaibu Haruna, said registration agents are in markets, lorry parks and other strategic locations to help customers who need to register their SIM cards.
“We are encouraging all customers to comply with the SIM registration deadline of 31st July 2022. We have expanded our agent network across the country to ensure that every customer with a valid National ID Card can conveniently register,” he said.
“Just look out for a registration agent near you and reach out for registration. For customers who are yet to link their Ghana cards to their SIM cards, we encourage you to do so using *404# to make the process smoother for you,” he continued.
Mr Haruna added that MTN has provided a web portal to enable a lot more customers to register their SIM cards with ease aside from numerous physical registration points.
“The MTN SIM registration web portal is a channel that can be used to expedite the registration, especially for customers with multiple SIM cards. We are urging our customers to take advantage of this portal to fast-track their registrations https://simregistrationportal.mtn.com.gh,†he said.
The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has announced the mandatory registration of all SIM cards in Ghana will not be extended.
But the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George has entreated the Ministry to extend the deadline as most Ghanaians are yet to require their Ghana card, the sole identification for the ongoing registration exercise.
Meanwhile, MTN is offering 1GB data or 60 minutes of airtime as an incentive for customers to register before the 31st of July deadline.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced that three confirmed cases of the Marburg Virus Disease have been recorded in the country with two persons dying from the illness.
All three cases are related; a father, mother and son.
The GHS release comes a day after the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a tweet said Ghana had recorded four cases and three deaths.
Two more people with #Marburg identified in #Ghana, family of the first case. One has unfortunately died. Outbreak total now 4 cases and 3 deaths. Extensive field investigation underway, @WHO is on the ground supporting health authorities. More on Marburg: https://t.co/qezGYUqeIP
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 27, 2022
However, the GHSsaid repeat test results received from Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) on one of the suspected cases had confirmed that it was a false positive.
“The Ghana Health Service on Sunday, 24 July, 2022 reported four cases of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) following test results from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR),” the release said.
“The second case, a 51-year-old male with a known chronic disease and not linked to the first case was, however, awaiting re-testing. Repeat test results received from NMIMR on 28 July 2022 were negative for MVD, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to three (3)”.
Cases
The Ghana Health Service in a press release issued on July 28, 2022, said the father, a 26-year-old male, got ill on June 22, 2022, and later bled from the nose and moth and was admitted to a hospital in the Ashanti Region on June 26, 2022 and died 28 hours after admission.
Similarly, the son, a one-year two-month-old got ill and was admitted on July 17, 2022. He died on the third day of admission.
The mother, a 24-year-old female is alive and well and has since Tuesday, July 26, 2022, been in a government-designated isolation centre, and is being managed with full implementation of strict infection prevention and control measures.
The GHS said initially 118 contacts were identified and followed up including the two who later tested positive (Case 2 and Case 3).
The statement added that the remaining 116 contacts have completed the mandatory 21-day follow-up and are all well.
“Sixteen (16) contacts, including healthcare workers, have been randomly tested and are all negative. A new set of 81 contacts for Case 2 and Case 3 are currently under follow up. Efforts are ongoing to identify additional contacts if any,” the statement said.
“It is noteworthy that Ghana, in collaboration with Partners, has demonstrated capacity to respond to public health emergencies. Our resilient health system has been responsible for the early detection of and prompt response to outbreaks including the current MVD. A number of healthcare workers were recently trained on the management of viral haemorrhagic fevers across the country even before the first MVD was detected”.
One person has been shot dead in a clash between the youths of Ofoase Zongo and Brenase in the Eastern Region.
Four others have also sustained gun shot wounds from the incident.
According to sources, the clash was a result of growing tension between residents of the two towns. The tension developed after some youth of Ofoase Zongo reportedly brutalised a young man from Brenase. The young man is alleged to have beaten a member of the Zongo community and caused damage to his motorbike.
The father of the victim and one other who went to the community upon hearing the incident were also attacked and handed over to the Police.
The series of events agitated the Brenase youth, however, their attempt to retaliate was foiled by the intervention of the Police.
On Wednesday, Brenase youth reportedly ambushed the Ofoase Zongo youth and allegedly opened fire on them leading to the casualty.
A resident who narrated the incident to Starr News said the youth of Brenase received intelligence that the Zongo youth of Ofoase have mobilised themselves in trucks and vehicles with weapons in an attempt to invade Brenase community.
Thus, they also mobilised and armed themselves on the streets to ambush their attackers.
A joint security team of armed Police and Military has since been deployed to the two communities.
According to the Akyemansa District Police Commander, Superintendent George Bawah the “situation is currently under control.â€
He also revealed that four injured persons are responding to treatment.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Unit Committee, Yaw Akowia says despite the heavy presence of security personnel, the simmering feud is still palpable between the communities.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the particular section that will be affected is the Akasanoma to Nsawam route.
The road will be blocked from midnight of Friday , July 29, 2022 through to Sunday midnight, July 31 2022.
The Ministry indicated that the closure is to aide the contractor, QG KONSTRUKTION AB, fix some damaged areas on the stretch.
The Road Ministry, however, urged commuters and motorists to bare with the new development and abide with all traffic management measures that will be put in place at vantage points of the road.
Wife of late President Prof. John Evans Atta Millshas given an account of how her husband was humiliated despite his selflessness for the country.
Ernestina Naadu Mills said her love for the former President became even stronger because he stood firm to his core values and never gave in to any manipulation.
According to her, “…Fiifi was often battered and bruised on the battlefield of politics but he held firm to his personal values of truth, simplicity, honesty and abiding respect for all. These were the qualities I loved about him..â€
Mrs. Mills revealed that to her husband, serving at the highest echelons of government was an opportunity to help change the character of Ghana politics for the better.
So it is her belief that posterity will judge him well for his sacrifice for his country.
She has, however, bemoaned that it has been ten years of solitude since the death of the late President who was her friend, husband and confidante.
This revelation is contained in a speech read by Mrs Naadu Mills at the 10th Anniversary Commemorative Lecture on the theme “The Man John Evans Atta Mills-Ten Years Onâ€. The Lecture was held at the Accra International Conference Centre on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is presenting Government’s Mid-Year Review of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy for the 2022 fiscal year.
The minister is expected to address economic issues, including the measures and policies the government has implemented in various sectors, in order to deal with the current economic crisis that the country is currently experiencing.
The government’s decision to apply for an IMF bailout, the E-failure Levy’s to generate the anticipated revenue, and other problems with revenue performance for the first half of the year are likely to be discussed.
The Mid-Year Budget Review is in accordance with Public Financial Management Act of 2016 and Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution (Act 921).
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa has explained that government is not reviewing the Free Senior High School Policy.
According to him, any decision to review the policy will emanate from the President.
In a statement dated July 22, 2022, he stated that, “The GES is a government agency and does not formulate or initiate review of policies.â€
On Thursday, July 21, Prof. Opoku-Amankwa in an answer to a question posed by Raymond Acquah on JoyNews Upfront said the GES is reviewing the policy to determine how much parents can pay
However, in the statement issued today, the Director-General said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the GES is not undertaking any review of the FSHS. Any such review of the FSHS Policy is the sole prerogative of the President and the government. As an Agency, the GES implements government policies and programmes in pre-tertiary education.â€
Prof. Opoku-Amankwa stressed that “His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his recent speech at UHAS, assured all students, potential students, parents and the entire country that the Free SHS will not be affected by the IMF programme.â€
He therefore expressed the resolve of the GES to implement the vision of President Akufo-Addo. “It is the commitment of GES under my leadership to ensure that the vision of President Akufo-Addo of providing accessible, equitable and quality Free SHS education is fully implemented to the benefit of the good people of Ghana,†he stated.
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) will from August 1, 2022 declare a nationwide strike over fuel allowance, Starr News sources within the association have revealed.
This follows the failure of Government to respect an agreement for an upward review of fuel allowance for doctors every 6 months.
According to Starr News sources, all efforts by the doctors to get government deliver on the agreement have been unsuccessful.
The doctorscurrently receive GHC6.05 pesewas for fuel per a month. They contend current economic conditions make the fuel allowance woefully inadequate.
More than 15.7 million eligible citizens have received their Ghana Cardssince the registration exercise started in 2019, the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, has disclosed.
Prof. Agyemang Attafuah, giving a breakdown of the total number of registered cards, stated that 16,969,034 persons have registered for the Ghana Card, with about 16,535,623 cards printed.
He further indicated that out of the 16,969,034 printed cards, 808,493 Ghanaians have not been issued with their Ghana Cards.
The NIA boss stated that the non-issuance of the Ghana Card is not a deliberate attempt to frustrate the Ghanaian people.
Prof. Attafuah ascribed double-registration, change of vital data as the cause of non-issued Ghana Cards.
He disclosed that, “there are people who have double-registered. That is potentially a criminal offence. Those ones are being individually investigated. There are those whose cards have gone into adjudication, not because of double registration but because they have sought to change their vital data in the custody of the authority, such as bio-data. For such people, the system arrests their application, and it joins a queue.â€
The NIA boss touted that until the outstanding issues are rectified, some Ghanaians can not receive their cards.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Card is the sole identification document being used for the SIM card re-registration exercise nationwide. The exercise which commenced on October 1, 2021, is expected to end July 31, 2022.
Earlier, the Government extended the deadline for the registration of SIM from March, 31st 2022 to 31st July 2022 due to the low number of SIM card registration recorded.
Government has insisted on not extending the deadline, therefore, citizens who fail to comply with the directive before the deadline will have their SIM cards deactivated.
A latest survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Servicewith other stakeholders in the fight against corruption has ranked the Ghana Police Service as the most corrupt institution among 23 other institutions sampled.
This was revealed in research dubbed; corruption in Ghana, Peoples Experiences and View.
The aim of the survey is to unearth corrupt institutions and make available data that will guide the formulation of policies that will look at nipping corruption in the bud.
The survey indicated that more than 17.4 million bribes were paid in 2021 with police officers topping the list of officials who take bribes at 53.2%.
The Ghana Immigration Service Officersand GRA customs officers come next, at 37.4% and 33.6% respectively, while elected government representatives are at the bottom of the list at 2.9%.
According to the survey, people with the highest level of (tertiary) education were 1.6 times more likely to have paid a bribe than people with no formal education.
Also, ten out of the 16 administrative regions recorded a prevalence of bribery higher than the national average.
There are, however, sizable variations across the 16 regions of the country.
The prevalence of bribery in the Bono East, Savannah and Volta regions, for example, is substantially lower than the national rate, at 11.8, 14.5 and 19.1 per cent, respectively.
Also in the Western North, Ahafo and North East regions, bribery is substantially higher, at 53.4, 47.0 and 41.9 per cent, respectively.
The Coastal Development Authority (CODA) has denied tampering with the tomb of the former President, John Evans Atta Mills.
The brother of the late President, Samuel Atta Mills had accused both CODA and an aide to former President, Samuel Koku Anyidoho of tampering with the tomb without recourse to the family.
However, CODA rejected this claim in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer of CODA, Jerry Ahmed.
“We wish to state that the grave was not opened and therefore no desecration of the body of the former President, H.E John Evans Atta Mills, has taken place.â€
The statement said CODA has only been undertaking some renovation works at the burial grounds of the late Professor Atta Mills.
“The Coastal Development Authority, acting upon a directive from the President Akufo-Addo, prioritized the renovation of the burial grounds of the late Professor Atta Mills, former president of the republic.The Authority liaised with relevant state institutions in charge of state monuments before embarking on the renovation works.â€
It gave the assurance that the project will be commissioned after completion.
John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 to 2012.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has assured the public of a reduction in the prices of fuel in the coming months locally.
This is based on anticipation of the drop in the price of crude oil on the international market.
Already, the Chamber for Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) has hinted of a six percent drop in prices at the pumps in the coming days.
Currently, diesel is almost GH¢15 per litre while petrol sells for over GH¢11 per litre at the pumps. Some filling stations over the weekend recorded some marginal price drops.
Speaking to Citi News, the Chief Executive Officer of NPA, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was optimistic that fuel prices will drop.
â€We have enough fuel in the country to meet the demands. There should be no concern regarding the supply of diesel, especially.â€
After a rampant increase in the price of fuel at the pumps, consumers seem pleased with the recent drop in prices at some fuel stations and are hopeful of further reductions in the coming months.
This comes as some Oil Marketing Companies across the country reduced their prices by up to 60p per litre over the weekend.
