The chiefs of Assin North have issued a warning to political leaders, urging them to exercise caution in their statements to prevent any potential disruption to the peace of the region before, during, and after the upcoming by-election.
Despite the diverse mix of tribes, religions, and ethnicities in the area, the traditional authorities emphasized that the community remained united and committed to preserving peace.
They affirmed their unwavering dedication to safeguarding the prevailing harmony and unity as the Tuesday, June 27 by-election approaches.
“For us, we have come a long way, and have a history of peaceful coexistence among ourselves despite the tribe, religion, and ethnic diversity which have always remain indivisible.
“It is this love for each other, underpinned by the biblical directive of love your neighbour as thyself, that today Assin is rated as the most peaceful place in the country, and we thank God for that,” Nana Yaw Owusu Aduomi, the Chief of Assin-Praso, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.
To him, the sustenance of unity and peace of the country over the years was a feat that was well deserved and should not be taken for granted.
“Let’s be careful with what we say and how we say it to ensure that it does not bring political instability, and unnecessary tension in a peaceful area because peace is the pinnacle for development,” he indicated.
The Chief’s upbeat about peace and use of intemperate language was borne out of the steady rise of political tension and apprehension due to high stakes in the by-election.
He said some recent pockets of ethnic sentiment and unsubstantiated contentions being peddled by some political actors could disturb the peace of the area and must stop.
He admitted the fact that there had not been political acrimony in the area, however, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) had deployed various schemes to win votes, resulting in high anxieties.
Reinforced by the hung parliament which had split NPP and NDC into almost equal, he said the two political parties, had a lot to fight for, hence the different maneuvering and tactics.
He wondered why leaders of political parties had for years agreed to be decorous in their public discourse but had failed to punish members for misguided statements to deter others.
“The politicians had sometimes defended those reckless statements as rebuttals, in the context that: “This person said that, and that person also went to say this.”
“Such positions only came to hurt the nation because “none of them is helpful.”
For the media, he charged them to be careful about the platforms they offered to political actors.
They must ensure that people who got onto their platforms did not abuse the public space with reckless statements that would jeopardize the peace of the area and the country at large.
Nonetheless, Nana Aduomi called on the government to redeem its promises to construct the Assin-Praso town roads and bring back the tollbooth in the community, which was relocated due to the road construction.
The High Court has adjourned the application for James Gyakye Quayson‘s case to vary the order of daily hearings until Wednesday, June 21, 2023.
This decision was made following a request by the prosecution for additional time to react to the affidavit presented in the application.
Quayson’s defense team is seeking to prevent the case from being heard on a daily basis, as they believe it would adversely affect the accused’s campaign efforts. Quayson is the parliamentary candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming Assin North by-election scheduled for June 27.
During the proceedings, Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah argued that the state had not had sufficient time to review the affidavit and therefore requested the hearing to be postponed to June 21.
The prosecution also urged the court to continue the cross-examination of its witness on the same day, citinewsroom.com.
However, the defense team, led by Tsatsu Tsikata, opposed the request and urged the court to hear the motion before proceeding with any further proceedings related to the substantive case.
In response, the judge decided to stay proceedings for Tuesday and adjourned the hearing of the motion to Wednesday. A decision on the next adjourned date for the substantive matter will be determined thereafter.
Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah expressed his thoughts to the media after Tuesday’s hearing, while members of the NDC, including parliamentarians and former ministers, remained confident of obtaining a variation to the court’s order.
Traders at the Sekondi market are bitterly lamenting over the dilapidated state of the market, causing huge financial losses to their businesses as it drives trading activities to Takoradi and other satellite markets.
The over 100-year-old Sekondi Market has seen very little renovation since it was constructed in the late 1920s, when the market was relocated from Sekondi European Town to its current location at Asafo Bongoasie.
The most pressing need of the traders at the Sekondi market is the re-roofing of the market.
At the time of the visit to the market, our Western Regional Correspondent observed that sections of the market sheds had been ripped off, exposing the women in the market to the scorching sun and the rain.
The situation, according to the traders, is rendering their business activities inside the market fruitless, and the hope of getting the problem fixed dwindles by the day since all the pleas to the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to come to their aid have fallen on deaf ears.
According to ports, the situation has remained like that for some years now but the traders, on their own accord, have been making contributions to rehabilitate sections close to their stores, all to no avail and are now facing the impact since the rains set in.
“I have lost more than seven pieces of cloth belonging to my customers which was given to me to sow for them, but as usual, we closed the shop one day and went home. That night it rained heavily, and when we returned to the market the following day, my shop flooded, destroying so many things in the shop. Why should that happen,” a seamstress in the market lamented.
As if that were not enough, all the ECG meters in the market are equally exposed to the rain, and for that matter, it is not safe to stay in the shop anytime it rains.
“I have not been able to work in the shop for three weeks now since it started raining, look at how my shop has flooded, and I cannot use the equipment I work with as a hairdresser because the electrical wires are in the rain,” she added.
The traders are therefore appealing to the government to come to their aid as a matter of urgency.
Meanwhile, an attempt by the NDC’s Parliamentary Candidate for Sekondi Constituency, Lawyer Blay Armah, to fix the dilapidated roofing of the market has been strongly contested by the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, arguing that plans are far advanced for the reconstruction of the Sekondi market, so allowing Lawyer Blay Armah to fix the situation would be a no for the assembly.
Corroborating this information, Lawyer Blay Armah told our correspondent that he consulted the Coordinating Director of the Assembly and informed him of his intention to fix the dilapidated roofing of the market for the traders, but he was not permitted to do so.
Adding the decision was born out of a passionate appeal the market women made to him.
“I have seen how the traders are suffering, and the rainy season has worsened the situation. Most of the traders can’t sell whenever it rains, so I went to see the situation and decided to fix the roofing for them. The administrator in the market asked me to speak to the Sekondi sub-metro director, but I rather followed it up with the Coordinating Director since the buck stops with him and then the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), but the Director told me nicely that I should forget it.”
According to him, the Coordinating Director was emphatic that the assembly has plans to fix the market in the future.
“He said they have sent estimates of the market to the Finance Ministry and that they have plans of redeveloping the market to a modern status, so even if they allow me to fix it, my investment will go to waste. But it is my money, and even if I fix it today and it is taken off tomorrow, I won’t be bothered. The traders are suffering, and the plan they are talking about did not start today. They have been promising to fix it over the years, but nothing has happened there and the traders are suffering. A temporal solution is needed for now,” he added.
The Public Relations Officer of STMA, John Last, also indicated that allowing any investment into the market would later go to waste since the assembly has earmarked the market for demolition and reconstruction right after the famous Takoradi market redevelopment.
“We have a programme dubbed the Sekondi-Takoradi Integrated Market Development, and we have already submitted the concept note and all proposals to the Finance Ministry through the Ministry of Local Government [Decentralization and Rural Development]. So, we already have a program for the market, it has been planned for demolition. The Coordinating Director told them the assembly will not encourage any investment that will later go to waste,” he indicated.
That notwithstanding, Lawyer Blay Armah believes he is being prevented from finding temporary solutions for the market women due to political reasons but until the assembly compromised on their stands and finds a temporary solution to the plight of the traders in the Sekondi market the problem lingers on.
Member of Parliament for the Ashaiman constituency in Greater Accra has condemned the ruling New Patriotic Party for the woes and misfortunes of the people under his jurisdiction.
The MP, Ernest Henry Norgbey explained that the poor road network in Ashaiman is a result of neglect by the ruling NPP government.
The politician added that steps taken to address this misfortune and build decent roads for the Ashaiman constituency have proven futile.
“The roads in Ashaiman are in a very terrible shape and the residents, commuters, motorists, everybody is complaining about the roads of Ashaiman. It’s just unfortunate that the NPP government is paying deaf ears to our plight.
“We have been asking series of questions about our roads and the reason why the government is not attending to them but all these questions we ask are falling on deaf ears,” the MP said during a media engagement.
Ernest Norgbey also lamented the large numbers of residents in Ashaiman and the need for facilities that could satisfy the growing number of the constituency’s population.
He further added that Ashaiman only sees development during the regimes of the NDC and yet, a majority of the residents cast their votes for the NPP.
“Ashaiman is a cosmopolitan community and all kinds of people live there and so the numbers are huge. We need the facilities. The facilities are not coming. It is only when NDC is in power that we see something about our roads.
“This government, even though they had about 41 to 45000 voters in Ashaiman, they still refuse to construct our roads and our roads in a very deplorable shape. Everybody is complaining about the roads in Ashaiman,” he added.
Some angry residents of Ashaiman on Monday, June 12, 2023, in a viral video were seen shouting and hooting at the DCE, Albert Okyere in a protest against the poor nature of their roads.
With countless promises from the government and some started road construction projects in Ashaiman, residents continue to bare bear the frustration that comes with using the dilapidated roads to ply their businesses.
The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has promised victory for the party in the Assin North by-election slated for Tuesday, June 27.
He said the imminent victory of the party would be a testament to the government’s abysmal economic performance and urged the people to retain Mr. James Gyakye Quayson as their Member of Parliament to accelerate development.
At a rally to canvass votes for the party at Assin-Bereku, he called on the people not to fall prey to NPP’s promises and vote-buying tricks.
“Our victory in 2024 starts from here and is ordained by God. I’m of the strong belief that God will make the NDC victorious in this by-election.
“God has given the authority to you the people of Assin North to end the economic impunity and leadership paralysis exhibited by the government,” he stated.
Mr. Mahama said the NDC was unperturbed by the vile political propaganda against Mr. Quayson to reduce the NDC’s minority in parliament as he could not be jailed when Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM 1, the Chief Executive Officer of defunct Menzgold, a gold dealership firm, was walking freely.
Later, at a similar rally in Assin-Gangan, they promised to complete all abandoned road construction and bridges linking key communities to ease commuting challenges associated with it.
“In the next NDC administration, we shall complete the Senchiame-Gangan-Basafi-Ningo road, which has been stalled for political reasons. We will also construct a bridge on the river to link the district to Twifo-Praso.
Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communication Director, said the government’s crippling performance in agriculture was yet another story of a government that had failed to honour its campaign promise to the people.
He said the NPP promised to modernize the sector to ensure that the standard of living for farmers improved greatly, adding that the situation was getting even worse.
“There are far-reaching implications for such a poor growth performance for both the economy and the citizenry”, he noted.
Mr Gyamfi observed that the agriculture sector continued to provide the greatest employment opportunities for the majority of the country’s workforce, attracting substantial part of foreign exchange earnings and must be given the attention to help alleviate poverty.
CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, has stated that hospitals refusing to accept NHIA cards would soon lose their accreditation.
In his view, it is important for hospitals to provide healthcare to all persons including people with NHIA cards.
According to Dr Okoe-Boye, the refusal of hospitals to accept NHIA cards contradicts the principles upon which the authority was established and undermines the goal of achieving universal healthcare coverage and leaves vulnerable individuals without proper medical assistance.
“Before the end of the year, some hospitals are going to be decredentialed by us, decredentialed means that they are going to lose their credentials. Any hospital that is decredentialed, I would not be surprised would go and bring Chiefs to come and beg because 80 per cent of all hospitals in Ghana, survive with NHIA so when we withdraw the license they cannot operate.
“The IGF of 80 per cent of all hospitals in Ghana, as for government hospitals it is 90 per cent, they survive only because Health Insurance continues to pay them every month,” Dr Okoe-Boye said when speaking to the media on Tuesday, June 20.
Dr. Okoe-Boye also expressed his frustration with the constant negative portrayal of the NHIA and its services.
He believes that such criticism only serves to tarnish the reputation of an institution that has made significant strides in improving healthcare access for all citizens.
The former Deputy Health Minister acknowledged that there is always room for improvement within any organization, including the NHIA, however, he believes that continuous bashing and negative portrayals hinder progress and do not contribute to the betterment of the healthcare system.
He called for a change in the narrative and encouraged stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue with the NHIA to address any concerns and improve the delivery of healthcare services.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) has assured its unwavering support for James Gyakye Quayson in his ongoing criminal trial and the upcoming Assin North by-election.
The NDC insists that Mr. Quayson is innocent and has broken no law, and that he is a victim of injustice perpetrated against him by the government.
Speaking in an interview, Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande, said that members of the party will be in court in large numbers to show their solidarity with Mr. Quayson.
Mr. Gbande said that while it is widely believed that the government is trying to influence the court in the criminal case against Mr. Quayson, the NDC and the people of Assin North are solidly behind him.
“People believe that government machinery is trying to influence the court to do injustice to Gyakye Quayson, but we don’t believe that he has done any criminality, or he has committed any crime. His lovers are going to be campaigning in his absence and then also see him through the court case. So you cannot pretend to feel what he is feeling, he is not in it alone, he is in it with the party and the party is solidly behind him and Ghanaians are solidly behind him and the people of Assin North are solidly behind him.”
The NDC’s parliamentary candidate for Assin North is expected in court on June 20 to face charges of deceiving a public official and perjury.
His lawyers had attempted to have the trial postponed until after the by-election, but this was unsuccessful.
His lawyers also requested that the proceedings be stayed as the accused is a candidate in the by-election scheduled for June 27, but this was denied.
The court has instead set June 20 for the state to continue with the testimony of its witnesses.
Meanwhile, Mr. Quayson’s counsel has applied to the High Court to review its order that he must appear in court every day for the hearing of his trial.
A flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Boakye Agyarko, has called upon the party to take appropriate measures against candidates in the flagbearership race who are disregarding the election rules.
Mr Agyarko emphasized the importance of upholding the rules and regulations for a fair and transparent electoral process.
Speaking on the matter, Mr Agyarko stated, “It is important that all [candidates] uphold the rules and regulations, without sounding like a fly in the jar, there have been many provocations, there has been many breaking the rules for which no sanctions have been applied. I have even raised the matter at the national council.
“So long as the rules are clear, so long as there is total fairness, so long as we are all tempered or measured, I believe that we would have a very peaceful contest. But please do not hold yourself aloof from the entire process.”
Responding to Agyarko’s plea, Evans Nimako, the Director of Elections of the NPP, urged him to report any instances of election rule violations by the aspirants to the appropriate committees.
Nimako assured Agyarko that the party would address the concerns once they are brought to their attention.
A delegation of New Patriotic Party national executives has visited some National Democratic Congress members who are receiving treatment at St Francis Hospital in Assin Fosu following a car accident over the weekend.
Richard Ahiagbah, the National Communications Director of the NPP, who led the delegation, described the incident as evidence of some common weaknesses faced by political parties in a Twitter post.
“We share a common weakness. These are NDC accident victims. We spent time with them at St. Francis Hospital in Assin Fosu today and provided support. Great commendations to Mr. Jay Hyde, NPP Deputy Youth Organizer & Mr. Alfred Thompson, NPP National Comms team, NPP…. God bless you, guys…” he tweeted.
A ghastly accident on Saturday resulted in the loss of life of a member of the NDC during a campaign tour in the orphan Assin North constituency.
According to multiple reports, the vehicle involved belonged to the Ashanti regional youth organizer of the NDC and was part of a convoy accompanying former President John Dramani Mahama, who was touring the constituency to garner support for his party’s candidate, James Gyakye Quayson.
The Electoral Commission has announced a by-election slated for June 27, 2023, for Assin North after a Supreme Court panel recently ruled Gyakye Quayson’s election as a member of parliament for the area unconstitutional, null, and void.
The court stated that Gyakye Quayson failed to renounce his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination as the NDC’s candidate in the 2020 parliamentary election.
However, the NDC has presented Gyakye Quayson as its candidate for the upcoming by-election, despite a pending criminal trial against him in a High Court.
The trial for the perjury charges pressed against James Gyakye Quayson will commence seven days before the by-election on June 20, 2023, while the court has scheduled to sit on the matter on a day-to-day basis.
New leaders have been elected by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency chairmen in the Greater Accra Region to guide the caucus for the next four years.
The ceremony, held on June 15, 2023, at the Best Western Plus Hotel, saw the NDC chairmen appointing six members to lead the association.
Benjamin Danso, the constituency chairman of Krowor, was chosen as the chairman of the Association, while Harry Otu Hesse, the constituency chairman of Ayawaso Central, became the vice chairman.
Gregory Quarshie, the constituency chairman of Okaikoi North, took on the role of Secretary, and Yussif Saeed, the Okaikoi South Constituency Chairman, was elected as the Convener. Mohammed Ramne (Alabi), the Ayawaso East constituency chairman, became the Deputy Convener, and Isaac Kportsu, the constituency chairman of Shai Osudoku, assumed the role of treasurer.
During the ceremony, the outgoing executives, Fiifi Taylor (former Okaikoi North constituency chairman) and William Olabode, officially handed over to the newly elected executives, urging them to work towards achieving the objectives of the caucus.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the constituency chairmen to discuss strategies for ensuring the victory of the NDC’s Presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, in the 2024 General Election. They also deliberated on ways to secure more parliamentary seats in the Greater Accra Region.
Given the upcoming by-election in the Assin North constituency, the NDC Greater Accra Chairmen agreed to visit the constituency and support the party’s parliamentary candidate in emerging victorious.
The NDC Greater Accra Chairmen expressed their unwavering loyalty to the party’s leadership at both the national and regional levels.
The meeting saw the participation of 24 constituency chairmen out of a total of 33 NDC chairmen in the Greater Accra Region.
Former constituency chairmen and outgoing executives were also present to witness the swearing-in of the new association executives.
As the New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepares for its highly anticipated presidential primaries, the governing party is expected to receive a significant financial boost with an estimated total of GHC 3.3 million in contributions from the presidential aspirants.
With the deadline for filing nominations fast approaching, all presidential aspirants are gearing up to submit their forms to the party’s leadership. Alongside their nomination forms, the aspirants are also expected to make a payment of GHC300,000 to the party.
Already, a total of 11 aspirants have picked nomination forms and have paid a non-refundable nomination fee of GHC50,000 as part of the requirements.
If all the aspirants submit their forms, the NPP will make a total of GHC3,300,000.
The NPP filing fee is GHC200,000 less than the NDC’s GHC 500,000 charged on the party aspirants.
So far two aspiring candidates, former Trades Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia have filed their nomination.
The NPP headquarters was abuzz with political activity today, June 16, 2023, as Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia filed his nomination for the upcoming presidential primary. A throng of party supporters accompanied the Vice President to file his nomination.
He seized the opportunity to address the gathering, highlighting why he is the best candidate to lead the NPP post he primaries and the nation after the 2024 general elections.
For 22 years, according to the Dr Bawumia, he has never erred the party or prioritised his personal ambitions over the betterment of citizens and the ruling party.
“From the President Kufuor era as Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, through our years in opposition and now in government. During this period, I have sacrificed for the party. I have defended the party in good and challenging times.
I have never wavered and I have a record of achievement and performance as Vice President of the Republic of Ghana,” he said.
He emphasised that through thick and thin “I have shown unflinching loyalty to our party and government.”
Some of the achievements of the Vice President include championing the country’s digital transformation such as mobile money interoperability between bank accounts and mobile wallets, digitisation of the national identity card and Universal QR Code payment system.
A private legal practitioner and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team, Abraham Amaliba, has advised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) members to select vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as the party’s flagbearer.
Speaking to the media he said this will make the chances of the NDC capturing power in 2024 easier.
The comments by Amaliba were on the back of data released by Global InfoAnalytics that suggests that the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has a higher chance of becoming the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with a 34.8% percentage.
To him, the Vice President is a damaged commodity who is no match for the NDC.
“I will not waste time, Dr Bawumia is already a damaged commodity. I know the establishments are interested in Dr Bawumia. Bring him in, vote for him and he will make our work very easy for us,” he said.
Lawyer Amaliba added that Ghanaianshave records of how Vice President, Dr Bawumia, swayed his way to power with the NPP.
Thus, he lacks credibility to be the country’s President.
“After all, Ghanaians have his voices, all the things he said before he came to power. Ghanaians have his vox pop, they will sit in their rooms and play those things and listen to whether this is a credible person they will want to become the president,” he noted.
He continued to say that as a party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), they are not perturbed by who wins the flagbearership of the NPP, they are prepared to win the elections come 2024.
“We in the NDC do not care who they bring in. The last time I sat here, I said the horse is weak, so it doesn’t matter which rider you bring in. Once the horse is weak, it cannot run, the NPP is weak.
“Ghanaians want to see the back of this government and they want to do that very fast,” he continued.
About 800 police officers have been deployed to supervise the incoming by-election in the Assin North constituency.
The Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, disclosed that the police have provided assurance regarding sufficient security measures on the ground to facilitate a smooth electoral process.
During an interview with the media, Dr. Quaicoe shared his recent interaction with the Regional Commander in Western North, who confirmed the deployment of no fewer than 800 police personnel. He explained that this substantial number of officers would be adequate to maintain law and order across all 99 polling stations.
To elaborate further, Dr. Quaicoe stated, “If we are bringing 800 personnel and the area has 99 polling stations, it means that, on average, each polling station may have eight police officers. We are hopeful that the security presence will be significantly strengthened, contributing to a peaceful election.”
Dr. Quaicoe emphasized that the primary objective of this arrangement was to ensure the safety and security of all voters. He expressed his determination that no individual should face any harm while exercising their democratic right. Additionally, he assured that the EC was actively engaging with various stakeholders to promote compliance with election laws and principles, aiming to prevent any violations.
“We are already in contact with them, discussing the peaceful conduct of the election, and we appeal to all stakeholders to fulfill their responsibilities and refrain from any actions that may contravene the law or lead to post-election issues. Such outcomes would not be beneficial to anyone,” Dr. Quaicoe added.
Moreover, the EC plans to hold a stakeholder engagement session for political parties ahead of the by-election, further facilitating a collaborative and transparent electoral process.
With the Assin North by-election scheduled for June 27, 2023, four parliamentary candidates have submitted their nomination forms to compete in the race. The balloting process has been completed, resulting in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku, securing the first slot.
The second slot was selected by Sefanu Bernice Enyonam, representing the Liberal Party of Ghana, while James Gyakye Quayson from the National Democratic Congress obtained the third position. Lastly, an independent candidate named Abaidoo Agartha is listed as the fourth candidate on the ballot sheet.
As the by-election draws near, all candidates have intensified their campaigns in various communities, seeking to garner support and rally voters to their cause.
A member of theNational Democratic Congress‘ (NDC) communication team, Margaret Ansei, has criticized the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative, stating that it has failed to produce any tangible results or make a significant impact on the country’s economy.
The NDC communicator expressed that there is no evidence of the mass food production the PFJ initiative is supposed to churn out in our markets.
Margaret Ansei also added that due to the lack of more production of goods or food, the money of many Ghanaians is chasing only a few goods in the markets, hence the extreme drop in quantities of goods that used to be bought and served with and at certain values.
Margaret Ansei was speaking on a TV3 Newday panel on June 15, 2023.
“Planting for Food and Jobs, yes, the slogan is there. It has the name but the effect; Nana are you feeling it?” she asked one of the panellists.
“At a point, the minister [former agric minister, Owusu Akoto Afriyie] led an initiative where the goods were being sold at the ministry. I don’t know how it ended because that couldn’t have solved the problem.
“If there is more production; the simple Economics that we were in maybe secondary school or university; demand and supply… If there is excess demand and the supply is limited, what happens? If plenty money is chasing few goods, what happens?” she quizzed.
She also added, “The economy is in my pocket asDr. Bawumia said and the tomato that I used to buy at 5 cedis, now if I want to buy tomatoes 10 cedis, they will count three pieces and put them in my hand.
“So, for the Planting for Food and Jobs, I think it’s one of their slogans but nothing for me.”
The Planting for Food and Jobs programme is a flagship agricultural campaign of the Akufo-Addo administration, with five implementation modules.
The first module of the PFJ (Crops), which was launched in 2017, aims to promote food security and immediate availability of selected food crops on the market and also provide jobs.
The other modules under the programme are Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD); Greenhouse Technology Villages (3 Villages); Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ) and Agricultural Mechanization Services (AMSECs).
Planting for foods and jobs is just a slogan by the NPP, the initiative has had no impact - Margaret Ansei#TV3NewDay pic.twitter.com/2sicuTj5BZ
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 15, 2023
A former Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has said that he disqualified the ousted Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, two times from contesting in the parliamentary primaries of the party.
According to him, he disqualified Gyakye Quayson from contesting in NDC primaries in 2012 and 2016 because he refused to renounce his Canadian citizenship.
Speaking in an interview on Peace FM, on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, monitored by GhanaWeb, Allotey Jacobs alleged the former MP was afraid of losing his Canadian citizenship in the event that he loses the primaries.
“I happened to be the chairman of the vetting committee when I wasn’t the regional chairman. I asked him (Gyakye Quayson) to present documents that showed he had renounced his Canadian citizenship but he could not.
“So, I disqualified him, this was in 2012. In 2016, I was the (regional) chairman and I wanted him to contest in Assin Central because he was afraid because of Kumpreko (Ken Agyapong). I once again asked him to present his documents but he could not,” he said in Twi.
He added that “He was afraid of what might happen to him if he renounces his Canadian citizenship and loses the primaries. In 2016 because he had people backing him, he contested in the primaries but he lost.”
Background:
The Supreme Court of Ghana, on May 17, 2023, ordered the Parliament of Ghana to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament (MP)
The apex court of the land ruled that Quayson was not qualified at the time he contested the election in 2020 in the Michael Ankomah Nimfah vs. James Gyakye Quayson case.
According to the court, the ousted Assin North MP failed to prove that he had renounced his Canadian citizenship when he filed his nomination to contest the 2020 general elections.
Parliament subsequently declared the Assin North seat vacant, leading to the Electoral Commission of Ghana announcing a by-election on May 27, 2023, to fill the seat.
To preserve the sanctity of theElectoral Commission (EC), the commission has issued a cautionary message to political parties, urging them to refrain from undermining its integrity.
He said this highlighting how essential the EC is to political parties in the organisation of internal and nationwide elections.
The Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr. Siribour Quaicoe, issued this warning to political parties speaking in an interview on Accra-based Joy FM’s 6 am news on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
He called on the political parties to desist from impugning the integrity of the EC and rather help build consensus in the country’s electoral processes.
Dr. Quaicoe was reacting to the main oppositionNational Democratic Congress‘s (NDC) claims that the EC was working to favour the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming by-election scheduled for Assin North Constituency in the Central Region on June 27, 2023.
He said this has always been the mode of operation of the political parties especially when in opposition.
He gave the assurance that the EC is made up of people with integrity who will not soil their integrity by favouring a particular political party in an election.
In a related development, the National Communication Officer for the opposition NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, accused the ruling NPP and the EC of plotting to insert the name of an unqualified candidate into the voters’ register for the Assin North constituency.
In a statement, the NDC’s Communication Officer claimed that the ruling party, in collaboration with the EC, plans to transfer and insert Charles Opoku’s name into the voters’ register, even though he is not a registered voter in the Assin North constituency.
He emphasised that the nomination form for the Assin North by-election requires candidates to be registered voters in that constituency.
Regulation 22 of the Public Elections Regulations 2020 (C.I 127) stipulates that voter transfers can only be made for ordinary citizens at least 42 days before a public election.
Gyamfi indicated that the Assin North by-election is less than 42 days away, and no Returning Officer has been appointed yet, so any transfer of voters to the constituency would be unlawful and vehemently opposed by the NDC.
“We are closely monitoring this situation and shall take every legitimate step to ensure that this illegal plot is not carried out by the Electoral Commission and their collaborators in the NPP,” Gyamfi stressed.
The Electoral Commission‘s insistence on laying the Constitutional Instrument (C.I) without incorporating alternative identity documents, besides the Ghana Card, has raised concerns among lawmakers.
A showdown is expected in Parliament if the EC proceeds to lay its proposed Constitutional Instrument (C. I) without amending it to add other identity documents apart from the Ghana Card as the sole identity document.
Speaking to JoyNews, the Director of Electoral Services of the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe insisted that they will not heed the unanimous decision of Parliament to amend the proposed C.I.
Last week, the Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, told journalists that both NPP and the NDC MPs will come together to kick against the proposed C. I if it is laid without the amendment proposed by Parliament.
Reacting to the recent comment by the EC on the C.I., the Minority Leader noted that “Dr Serebour Quaicoe’s statement is most unfortunate and reckless. It is important to recognise that the Parliament of Ghana is not just a rubber stamp. It is not some dumping ground where you can bring any C.I here and think that they would pass as you wanted.”
According to him, both sides of the House have a dissenting view on the matter hence “he wonders how the EC is going to usurp our legislative authority and have their C.I passed” adding that EC is “just setting a stage for a conflagration which is totally avoidable.”
Although he acknowledged the independence of the EC, Dr Forson insists the EC’s independence does not extend to how Parliament also conducts its business.
“The Electoral Commission is independent, but being independent does not mean you shouldn’t also respect the authority and independence of other arms of government. So what you do in that situation is to avoid a stalemate,” he advised.
The Electoral Commission in September last year, made a move to have the Ghana Card as the sole document for voter registration in the country.
The move agitated the minority group and they subsequently opposed the CI, saying it will disenfranchise voters. But the EC insisted that it will use the Ghana Card for voter registration.
According to the electoral management body, the Ghana Card is the most authentic means of identifying Ghanaians, hence the Commission’s decision to use it in compiling a new database of voters.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has refuted claims that the opposition NDC and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are similar.
In Mr Mahama’s view, the NDC cannot be reckless, contemptuous and wasteful as the NPP.
“We have been in power, and our record is there for all to see. We do not claim perfection, but we in the NDC can never be like the NPP. We simply cannot be and are not as reckless and contemptuous of the people of Ghana as the NPP has been. We have never been and will not be as wasteful, ostentatious, and as imprudent as the NPP has been.”
Speaking in an address at the NDC’s European Chapters Conference in Amsterdam, Holland over the weekend, Mr Mahama said the NDC has no intention of taking the mandate of Ghanaians for granted if the party wins the 2024 election.
“We have no intention of taking the mandate of the people of Ghana for granted. We know we are going against an incumbent government that has proven that it is prepared to shed the blood of its citizens to hang on to power, as they amply showed at the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election and the 2020 elections. And then there is an Electoral Commission whose neutrality in this electoral contest is questionable.
“Our work is therefore cut out for us. We must get off our marks immediately and convince Ghanaians that we are prepared to govern in addition to our superior record to that of the NPP.”
Below are details of the speech by Mr Mahama
General Secretary Fifi Kwetey,
Director of International Relations Alex Segbefia,
Chairpersons of our various NDC EU Chapters, Comrades,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
Let me first thank you all, both theChapterand Branch executives and members from our various EU countries, for making the sacrifice and time to gather here in Amsterdam for three days to discuss the future of our party, the NDC, and how we can contribute towards an emphatic victory in December 2024.
You have rescheduled this conference twice because of other competing events, including the just-ended May 13 Presidential Primaries. I appreciate your patience with me, especially because of your determination that I must be personally present with you.
We were close to rescheduling this session once more because of the impending Assin North by-election. But it is good we decided to come and push ahead with this event, as this is also a significant gathering for strategising towards victory in the polls of 2024.
Comrades, I bring you greetings from your compatriots in Ghana, whom I had the privilege, yet again, to visit and interact with across all 276 constituencies during the primaries.
That exercise has contributed to re-invigorating our executives and members at the grassroots. It allowed us to take our message to them and the people in their constituencies, reminding them that the National Democratic Congress remains the political party to trust when it comes to the total development and welfare of the citizens of Ghana.
It is, therefore, our duty to rededicate ourselves to work with absolute commitment in our branches to secure the maximum votes to guarantee an emphatic victory in 2024. I want to repeat that we must go to the polls on December 07, 2024, with our referee. That referee will be our DILIGENCE, PREPAREDNESS and WINNING the election EMPHATICALLY.
Our 2020 election comeback, raising the number of our seats from 106 to 137 and increasing our votes by almost 1.4 million, resulted from the dedication and hard work of all of us and the support of the people of Ghana.
Ghanaians have seen the difference and believe in our message, which in 2020 was conveyed in our People’s Manifesto.
Comrades, we did not become the majority party in Parliament. We were also not declared winners of the 2020 presidential elections because we left some loose ends untied in a bizarre election amidst the COVID restrictions and the economic meltdown. That is why in 2024, our win must be emphatic.
As leader and flagbearer, I offer my firm PLEDGE and assurance. I will work with the party’s leadership, represented here by the General Secretary, to build a formidable team and deploy strategies and mechanisms to ensure that we protect the votes of the teeming mass of Ghanaians. These Ghanaians are yearning to be freed from the shackles of poverty and hardship inflicted by the reckless Akufo Addo and Bawumia administrations. Most Ghanaians are ready to work with us to build the Ghana we all want together.
When I spoke at the commemoration of the 44th anniversary of the June 4th uprising in Hohoe on Sunday, I likened the 2024 elections to a peaceful and democratic revolution which will free our country and our people from the clutches of misrule from a mediocre, reckless, and incompetent government.
What we are gathered here to do is a declaration of intent by those of you in the diaspora to join the broad mass of Ghanaians in the collective push to dislodge this clueless administration through a peaceful, free, and fair election in 2024. This is an absolute national imperative, and we cannot and must not fail the people of Ghana.
It has been seven years of corruption, waste, arrogance, nepotism, abuse of office, human rights violations, and economic mismanagement. Seven years of reckless mismanagement of the economy has rendered our people broken and struggling to survive from one day to the next.
The Ghanaian economy is now classified among the worst managed in the world. We are currently in the same basket as the likes of Sri Lanka.
Ghana, our beloved country? Nkrumah’s Ghana?
Inflation is at record highs – impacting the prices of essential goods and services and escalating an already severe cost of living crisis. Our currency, the Ghana Cedi, has suffered one of its steepest declines in decades. This has earned the Cedi the depressing accolade, at one point, as the worst-performing currency in the world.
Businesses are stressed and being pushed to the brink, with quite a number left with no choice but to fold up or relocate to neighbouring countries. The Bank of Ghana has exacerbated the problem. It has blatantly breached its financial threshold, printing over 40 billion Ghana cedis to finance the government’s budget deficit.
In the last two years, we have suffered downgrade after downgrade to junk status by all the international credit rating agencies, and we have finally defaulted on our domestic and external debt repayment. The unilateral, insensitive debt restructuring programme has seen over GHS 80 billion lent by millions of Ghanaians to the government by purchasing bonds expropriated.
This has caused severe dislocation in the livelihoods of many pensioners and middle-class Ghanaian families. It has led to a depressing sight of aged pensioners picketing at the Ministry of Finance to demand their money. Local businesses, especially contractors and other government service providers are owed tens of billions of Ghana cedis, whose value continues to dwindle following the government’s inability or unwillingness to pay.
Government can also not meet all statutory payments, and many of the earmarked funds are in arrears. Even the most fundamental obligations, such as providing textbooks to primary schools or ensuring proper and consistent feeding of basic and senior high school students, have become daunting. The net effect of all these harrowing developments has been that Ghanaians are enduring economic suffering on an unprecedented scale.
I am certain that you are all too familiar with the precise narrative I have just rendered for those of you in the diaspora on whom millions of your relatives and compatriots back home depend for sustenance through remittances. All this would have been entirely avoidable if this government had heeded sound counsel from us in the opposition and other notable voices in civil society and academia and acted timeously.
The deliberate concealment of the actual situation through creative accounting and under-declaration of figures has combined with excessive and wasteful expenditure to hasten the inevitable catastrophe we are witnessing today.
Ultimately, too little was done too late, as our economy had so deteriorated that an IMF programme could only be secured by accepting the harshest conditionalities. To obtain an IMF programme, Ghanaians have paid a disproportionate price. Domestic bondholders have been given severe and painful haircuts and will be deprived of substantial interest due to them in 2023.
The consequences of these haircuts are grave for the financial sector. The financial health of Ghanaian banks has eroded and will undermine the financial sector’s performance with attendant job losses.
Insurance companies and pension funds invested in government bonds will also suffer, just as individuals who depend on pension payments for survival will suffer.
In addition to this already hostile economic environment, multiple taxes have been slapped on Ghanaians in the last two years alone. Over 23 other tax measures will make life even more unbearable for our people. Steep increases in the cost of utilities are increasing the burden on businesses and individuals.
Import duties and excise duties have shot through the roof. No wonder the Tema and Takoradi Ports have lost volumes while the Togo and Benin ports continue to be busy and receiving goods that should have come through our ports.
Ladies and gentlemen, one of the burning topics for discussion in Ghana today is the rate at which we are losing our (health) professionals, trained at great expense, to other countries.
I sympathise with the Ghanaian youth! Their feeling of despair and hopelessness is unprecedented in our history. They are now looking for the slightest opportunity to leave our shores in search of greener pastures.
The question we should ask ourselves is, how will we bring back HOPE in the Ghanaians in the face of their daily challenges? As the most viable alternative, we in the NDC have demonstrated the capacity to rise to the occasion by our record in government. In the past, we have reset our country’s trajectory and returned it to an appreciable state of health. We have a duty to our country to lead the charge for change again and bring relief to the long-suffering people of Ghana.
Comrades, it would be presumptuous to think that this will come quickly or that the abysmal depths to which the NPP has sunk governance guarantees us automatic victory at the polls. We must first earn the trust of the Ghanaian people.
A significant section of voters has grown sceptical and are weary of our democracy and its benefits because of unmet expectations and the spectacular failure of this government.
I urge you all to remember, through our actions and the policy platforms to canvass, demonstrate the difference between our service in government and the nightmarish example the NPP has set.
We have been in power, and our record is there for all to see. We do not claim perfection, but we in the NDC can never be like the NPP. We simply cannot be and are not as reckless and contemptuous of the people of Ghana as the NPP has been. We have never been and will not be as wasteful, ostentatious, and as imprudent as the NPP has been.
We have committed to operating a lean government that avoids the NPP’s extravagance and gets the job done more efficiently. Nothing in our historical record compares to the level of economic mismanagement that the NPP has superintended.
The NDC believes in substantive offerings, carefully considered, and curated to stand the test of time while comprehensively resolving some of our most complex problems.
We have no intention of taking the mandate of the people of Ghana for granted. We know we are going against an incumbent government that has proven that it is prepared to shed the blood of its citizens to hang on to power, as they amply showed at the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election and the 2020 elections. And then there is an Electoral Commission whose neutrality in this electoral contest is questionable.
Our work is therefore cut out for us. We must get off our marks immediately and convince Ghanaians that we are prepared to govern in addition to our superior record to that of the NPP.
The first step towards doing that is proving that we can manage our internal affairs, which is why this European Conference is significant. It offers a platform for sharing unique insights into better organisational strategies and innovative approaches to mobilising the people of Ghana for a resounding victory in 2024.
The NDC profoundly values your contributions towards the running of the party and the brilliant perspectives you bring to the table on essential governance matters. The party also acknowledges your concerns about participation in elections and governance.
Of particular concern to you have been the constitutional impediments to persons holding dual citizenship and their occupation of some government positions in Ghana. Only a few weeks ago, we suffered what we consider grave injustice when our Member of Parliament for Assin North was thrown out of Parliament by the Supreme Court on grounds we find entirely unsatisfactory.
I have previously indicated that one of the things I will do when elected President in 2024 would be to fast-track the clarification of the constitutional provision on allegiance that bars our dual citizens from holding some offices in Ghana. I call on Parliament to do the needful so that Ghana can benefit fully from the expertise that our citizens have garnered during their sojourn abroad.
Another matter which I know concerns you and on which I would like to offer some clarity concerning the NDC’s position is ROPAA. We in the NDC have not been opposed to ROPAA in principle. We have kicked against the potential for selective and inequitable implementation that lends itself to exploitation by the incumbent party and to the unfair detriment of opposition parties.
We have said that if ROPAA is ever to be implemented, it should be implemented for every Ghanaian living everywhere. As far as we are concerned, a Ghanaian living in Europe should not have a greater right to vote than one living in Asia or Africa.
We in the NDC will not countenance an attempt or conspiracy between the NPP and the Electoral Commission to implement a lopsided ROPAA favouring the NPP. When we see that a level playing field will be created for all Ghanaians anywhere on earth to have the right to vote, we will be more than willing to support such a move.
We continue to value your contributions to the development of Ghana even as life’s vicissitudes have ensured that you reside in far and distant lands to either ply your trade and earn a living or pursue some form of personal development.
I am confident that the deliberations, which started yesterday, will ultimately inure to the benefit of the NDC and provide further impetus to our preparations to salvage the fortunes of our country, which are presently in great peril. We back at home are doing our bit as well and strengthening the cooperation between the national and external branches of the party.
Comrades, our meeting today, June 10, coincides with the 33rd anniversary of the formation of our great party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Congratulations to the founding fathers and mothers of our party and to us all who continue to build and hold the party aloft across the almost 40,000 branches.
We acknowledge all our lost comrades in the struggle, and especially our Founder, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings (Rtd.), former President Professor John Evans Atta Mills and former Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur.
Later this month, the 29th, is the memorial of the late Amissah-Arthur, and we will be joining the family at an event to remember his work and contributions to building a Better Ghana.
On July 24th, we will celebrate the memory of the late Asomdwehene, as we always do, and I intend on that day as part of the commemoration to remind Ghanaians of his contribution to Ghana in various forms and how we can learn from him to step-up the development of the country, in the wake of the depths the NPP has sunk us.
Together with his family, the people of Keta and Anlo and the larger NDC family, we must, and I will host a gathering in November to celebrate the memory of our late Founder, Jerry Rawlings, in his native Keta.
I thank you for your kind attention.
I wish everyone a successful congress.
God bless the NDC, and God bless our homeland Ghana.
National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joseph Yammin, has expressed that Gyakye Quayson, the party’s parliamentary candidate for the Assin North by-election, is willing to make personal sacrifices for the betterment of his constituents.
According to him, Mr Quayson is even willing to lose his freedom should he be imprisoned after the polls.
Mr Yammin believes that the people of Assin North are prepared to vote for Quayson as they recognize his commitment to accelerating the progress of developmental projects in the region.
Gyakye Quayson
“We thank Gyakye Quayson for helping to speed up stalled projects after the 2020 elections. We are ready to vote for him in the upcoming by-election. If he is imprisoned after being re-elected, we believe another by-election will be organized, and that will help in the completion of the ongoing developmental projects,” said Yammin.
He emphasised that no one is more popular and appealing than the former MP of the constituency, hence the unwavering confidence of the NDC to retain the seat.
“We have a more popular and appealing candidate than any other parliamentary candidate in that area,” he told Obidehyie Ofori Amanfo, co-host of ‘Kuro Yi Mu Nsem’ show on Nhyira FM.
According to Mr. Yamin, the NDC does not have any major concerns about the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku, except for the fact that he is not a registered voter in the constituency and therefore should not be eligible to contest in the upcoming by-election.
Despite an ongoing criminal case against Charles Opoku, the NDC asserts that the former Assin North Member of Parliament can still participate in the by-election.
Abraham Amaliba, the NDC’s Director of Legal Affairs, emphasized in a recent interview on JoyFM that Charles Opoku has not been found guilty of any crime. However, it is worth noting that Charles Opoku was disqualified from Parliament by the Supreme Court due to his failure to renounce his dual citizenship status before contesting the 2020 parliamentary election.
Although some have questioned the party’s decision to retain Mr Quayson, Mr Amaliba says as long as he can be found innocent, the NDC is ready to take a “calculated risk.”
“Is there the possibility of him being acquitted and discharged, if the answer is yes, that will be a calculated risk to take. If we are talking about whether or not the law court will sentence him, it can also acquit him,” he said.
In 2022, James Gyakye Quayson was slapped with charges including forgery and perjury by the Attorney-General’s Office.
He is also accused of deceiving a public officer and knowingly making a false declaration.
The case was filed after the High Court in July, 2021 annulled the Assin North Parliamentary election results saying Mr. Quayson was not eligible to contest the polls.
In May 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision stating that Mr Quayson was not qualified at the time of filing his nomination forms.
It further held that the EC allowing him to contest when he had not shown evidence of renunciation of his citizenship of Canada is unconstitutional.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will commemorate its 31st anniversary with a flag raising ceremony in Ningo Gangan, Assin North Constituency.
The party was founded on June 10, 1992 ahead of that year’s elections, a return to democratic rule in Ghana.
The party marked exactly three decades of its formation last year.
This year’s coincides with the electioneering campaign for the by-election inAssin North, the reason why the leadership of the party is taking the celebration to that constituency.
Already, party big wigs are in the Assin North Constituency, campaigning for James Gyakye Quayson to be re-elected as Member of Parliament (MP).
Mr Gyakye Quayson lost his seat after the courts ruled that he held a Canadian citizenship prior to filing his nomination for the December 2020 elections.
Members of the NDC have disagreed with the courts and found the ruling targeted at the opposition party.
Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, who led the caucus to the Central Region constituency, said victory in the June 27 by-election will not only be for Mr Gyakye Quayson but will also be for justice.
All NDC national executives bar the General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, who is out of jurisdiction, are expected to be at the venue for the ceremony.
The Minority in Parliament has revealed the intentions of the National Democratic Congress to conduct another SIM re-registration exercise should it win the 2024 elections.
The parliamentary caucus of the NDC has expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the current government’s re-registration exercise, citing flaws in the sole document used for the process, the Ghana card.
According to Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, the claim that the current government’s stance on the re-registration exercise is aimed at combating crime is false.
Speaking during a media briefing in Parliament on June 8, 2023, he argued that the Ghana card, which serves as the primary identification document for the re-registration, is fundamentally flawed. As a result, the NDC has the intention to undertake a proper re-registration of SIM cards in the future, eliminating the need for subscribers to queue at telecom offices.
“It is not true that they are using this to fight crime because the Ghana Card fundamentally is flawed. That is why we have served notice that the next NDC government will do a proper re-registration of SIM cards, which will not involve you having to go and queue in telecom offices,” citinewsroom.com quoted him as saying.
The current SIM re-registration exercise, which commenced on October 1, 2021, has led to the deactivation of approximately 9 million unregistered SIM cards by telecommunications firms in Ghana. The directive for the exercise came from the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ministry of Communications, with the aim of enhancing regulatory compliance and combating potential security threats.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has provided an update on the status of the SIM re-registration exercise. She announced that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are collaborating with the Bank of Ghana to facilitate the retrieval of funds for individuals who had their money locked in mobile money accounts due to deactivated SIM cards.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), convened a meeting with the party’s sitting Members of Parliament who were unsuccessful in their re-election bids during the parliamentary primary held on May 13, 2023.
The gathering was attended by key figures within the NDC, including Fifi Kwetey, the General Secretary of the party, the leadership of the Minority Caucus in Parliament, Julius Debrah, a former Chief of Staff, and Prof. Joshua Alabi, the Convener of the John Mahama 2024 Primary Campaign.
Also present were the 17 sitting MPs who lost their re-election bid and will not be contesting on the party’s ticket in the upcoming 2024 general election.
Among them were notable individuals such as Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, the MP for Sagnarigu, Mrs. Della Sowah, the MP for Kpando, Edward Bawa, the MP for Bongo, and Wisdom Gidisu, the MP for Krachi East.
Additional MPs in attendance included Angela Alorwu-Tay of Afadzato South, Kobena Mensah Woyome of South Tongu, Alex Adomako of Sekyere Afram Plains, Abeiku Crentsil of Ekumfi, and Albert Alasoka of Garu,Dr. Kwabena Donkor of Pru East.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide support, boost morale, and foster a sense of solidarity among the defeated MPs.
John Mahama’s presence aimed to convey his appreciation for their dedication and service to the party while reassuring them of their continued importance within the NDC’s ranks.
By acknowledging their contributions and offering encouragement, the meeting underscored the NDC’s commitment to maintaining a strong and united front as they prepare for 2024 elections.
President Akufo-Addohas emphasized the significance of enhancing the well-being and rehabilitation of prison inmates as a top priority for both his government and the Ghana Prison Service.
He said that the government and the Prison Service had put in place a number of measures to improve the conditions of prisoners, including improving healthcare, food security, education, and vocational training.
“The key stakeholders of the Prison Serviceare the inmates and in line with the mandate to ensure welfare, rehabilitation and reformation, this government and prison authority have put in place pragmatic interventions in healthcare, food security, education and service training to improve progressively their conditions,” he stated.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking at the graduation ceremony of intake 31 of the Prison Service, which consisted of 450 new prison officers, in Accra on Thursday.
He also said that the government was committed to improving the welfare of prison officers and urged the new officers to treat prisoners with respect as they discharged their duties.
“The Ghana Prison Service plays a vital role in the criminal justice system and security architecture of the country. As such, as prison officers, you will be called upon to serve in prison establishments all over the country. You must ensure utmost respect for the laws of the land and the lives of prisoners who are committed to your care,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo again asked the officers to be practical, innovative and ensure that they rose to the occasion when duty called.
The Electoral Commission of Ghana recently urged citizens to disregard what the commission deemed as “baseless and unfounded” allegations made by Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), regarding the upcoming by-election in Assin North.
Sammy Gyamfi had asserted that the Electoral Commission is relying solely on the 1992 constitution to determine the qualification of parliamentary candidates.
He argued that the provisions of CI 127, specifically the Nomination Form, should also be taken into consideration.
In a press release, the Commission refuted Gyamfi’s claims and emphasized its adherence to the constitutional guidelines in determining parliamentary candidates’ eligibility.
However, the response from the EC has sparked a reaction from Koku Anyidoho, former Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, who has expressed his displeasure with Gyamfi’s allegations.
Taking to social media, Anyidoho referred to him as a “demon” and accused him of intentionally tarnishing the party’s image.
In his social media post on June 7, 2023, Anyidoho shared the EC’s response stating, “So, when will my people stop this blatant and needless pouring of stench on the image of the Party? It is obvious that the ‘demons who crept into the Party…’ are on a mission to destroy the Party.
“How can a revolutionary party now be reduced to such rubble? I weep for NDC,” he questioned.
TheIntestate Succession Billwill be passed, according to the leadership of Parliament, before the House adjourns on August 3, 2023.
The leadership expressed regret that efforts by previous governments to pass the bill have been unsuccessful over the years.
The bill seeks to make changes to the current system, which would offer even greater protection to children when a parent dies without a will.
Speaking at a media briefing by the leadership of Parliament, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, expressed optimism about the passage of the bill at the second meeting of the third session.
“It has been with this house for close to 10 years, since former President J.A. Kuffuor’s time. It came on two occasions, it came to be withdrawn. Eventually, it didn’t come before the elections. Late President J. A. Mills took over and indicated to bring the Bill back. It came to Parliament and got withdrawn for some considerations. Former President John Mahama’s attention was drawn to it, and he indicated that he will present it to Parliament, and it didn’t suffice. In President Akufo-Addo’s regime, it came once, and it went off the radar.
“Now a decision has been taken that the Interstate Secession Bill should come to parliament for consideration for some approval. There are major stumbling blocks, which relate to how to handle the property of a deceased person who transitions an intestate,” he said.
He added that they are working on a formula for how the property of a deceased person will be shared among their family.
“We are working on some formula whether 50% should go to the surviving spouse plus children of about 75%. And what will go to surviving parents, we are considering not higher than 10% or 5%. And also look at the affairs of some stray bullets and so all, so all these should be put in our basket for our consideration. There were some back and forward movements. It should be possible to pass the Intestate Secession law,” he stated.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), according to Deputy National Secretary Mustapha Gbande, is committed to winning the upcoming Assin North by-election.
Speaking to the media on Monday, he stressed that it was crucial for the party to retain the seat.
According to him, losing the Assin North seat has the tendency to restructure Parliament thus “will loosen the natural checks and balances that have been placed on this government through a hung Parliament.”
For this reason, he believes the Assin North by-election to be a national interest-prone election and “we [NDC] are determined to defend the holding of the seat.”
Earlier, the Deputy National Secretary of the NDC indicated that plans are in place to ensure that they retain the seat.
Mustapha Gbande said preparations were already in place for campaigning and other activities in the constituency right after the Supreme Court order that led to the expunging of Mr James Gyakye Quayson’s name from parliament’s records.
“We in the NDC are prepared for this election. We began our preparation even as we were in Kumawu. We will do our review meetings and we will take over Assin North. We knew that we would go into a by-election and so the party has already put processes in place,” he said.
“There was a vigil held recently, and subsequently there are other activities that will start tomorrow to canvass and further reinforce our relationship with the constituents,” Mr Gbande added.
The Deputy General Secretary also noted that the party will not hold an internal election to elect a new candidate for the parliamentary race.
He stated that the party has decided to back Mr James Gyakye Quayson as the candidate to lead the party.
“He (Mr Quayson) is ready for the election. He has been to the constituency and you will see many more activities and his presence in the consistency. I am confident that he is going to win,” Mr Gbande said.
On their campaign, he added that “our focus is going to center on sensitising the people to understand that if you have a government that has not performed for six years, sharing GH¢100 and GH¢500 a day does not change destiny; and that clearly you are dealing with a group that is deceptive and does not follow the precedents of development and growth.”
The Assin North Constituency was created in 2012 when the Assin Central Constituency was split into two as Assin North and Assin Central. It was held by the NDC in 2012, taken by the NPP in 2016 and won by the NDC in 2020 again.
In the 2020 parliamentary election for instance, the votes margin between the NDC and the NPP was 3,305. This was in spite of the fact that Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential.
A by-election in Assin North has become necessary after parliament wrote to the Electoral Commission declaring the seat vacant.
This followed the Supreme Court ruling that the Electoral Commission acted unconstitutionally in allowing Mr Quayson to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship.
The apex court in their ruling ordered parliament to expunge James Gyakye Quayson from its records as a Member of Parliament.
The court in a unanimous decision ruled that Mr. Quayson was not qualified at the time of filing his nomination forms.
It further held that the EC allowing him to contest when he had not shown evidence of renunciation of his citizenship of Canada is unconstitutional.
It further declared that his election was unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect. His swearing-in was equally declared to be unconstitutional.
In a related development, the National Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said the opposition NDC will not retain the Assin North seat with sympathy votes.
Henry Nana Boakye explained that the dynamics in the area is beyond voting for a personality who was ousted from Parliament for engaging in illegality.
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has officially been approved by parliament as Ghana’s Chief Justice.
The decision came after the Appointments Committee of Parliament unanimously endorsed her candidacy following her vetting on May 26, 2023.
President Akufo-Addonominated Justice Torkornoo in April 2023 to succeed Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, who retired from the position on May 24.
During the debate on the committee’s report before her confirmation by the house, Governs Kwame Aybodza, the Minority Chief Whip, urged Justice Torkornoo to surpass the performance of her predecessor, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, as he left behind a legacy of miscarriages of justice.
The Minority had initially suspended its consensus approval of the Chief Justice nominee, pending the full judgment of the Supreme Court on the dual citizenship case involving James Gyakye Quayson, the former Member of Parliament for Assin North.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, June 6, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga said although the minority caucus disagrees with the ruling of the apex court, it will not withhold its approval of the Chief Justice nominee.
“Thankfully, the reasoning in the James Gyakye Quaysoncase has been delivered by the Supreme Court earlier than 7th June. This has afforded us the opportunity to review the reasoning. The nominee for the post of Chief Justice (Justice Gertrude Araba Essaba Torkornoo) told the whole world that she is a textualist in her preferred approach to interpreting the Constitution of Ghana 1992.”
Below is the full profile of Justice Torkornoo
Full name: JUSTICE GERTRUDE ARABA ESAABA SACKEY TORKORNOO
Supreme Court, Judicial Service of Ghana
Date of Birth – 11th September 1962.
Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo (Mrs ) joined the Judicial Service in 2004 as one of the first Justices of the Commercial Division of the High Court. She has been active in the core reform agenda and activities of the Judiciary and the Judicial Service of Ghana (JSG) since 2005.
The organs through which these reforms have been implemented have included the specialized divisions of the High Court, the Judicial Training Institute, administrative committees set up to ensure the implementation of the automation and digitalization of court work and administration of JSG, the streamlining of alternative dispute settlement mechanisms in justice delivery, and communication channels between the Judiciary and its stakeholders.
Leadership Profile
The leadership roles Justice Sackey Torkornoo has played in ensuring the achievement of judicial reforms include being vice chair of the E-Justice Oversight and Implementation Committee (E-Justice OC) from its inception in 2019 and chair of the E-Justice OC since August 2021.
She has served as a member of the faculty and Governing Board of the Judicial Training Institute, vice chair of the Internship and Clerkship Committee of the Judiciary since 2012, Supervising Judge of the Commercial Division of the High Court since 2013, member and chair of the E-Judgment Committee since 2010, member and chair of the Publications and Editorial Committee of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana since 2006, and member and chair of various ad-hoc committees needed for the smooth administration of the work of JSG.
Justice Sackey Torkornoo has served as a judicial leader in the development and oversight of several reform projects of the Judiciary involving the European Union, USAID, DFID, and collaborations with other African countries. She has also been a member of the Law Reform Commission since 2016.
E-JUSTICE Oversight and Implementation Committee
The leadership requirements of this Committee include liaising with all external stakeholders in the provision and sustainability of the infrastructure of the E-Justice, setting up and overseeing the activities of all staff, Judges and committees involved in managing the infrastructure, ensuring cultural change from the use of manual systems to operating in the virtual realm and planning for the progressive achievement of electronic justice delivery nationwide.
Currently, her work as chair of E-Justice includes ensuring the streamlining into efficiency, the use of the Ghana Case Tracking system commenced as part of the Security Governance Initiative implemented by the Judicial Service of Ghana, Ghana Police Service, Economic and Organised Crimes Office, Ghana Prisons Service, National Signals Bureau, and Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney General. This work is being supervised by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization.
The E-Justice Oversight Committee has also conducted a close examination of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules CI 47, the District Court Civil Procedure Rules CI 59, and the Criminal and Other Offences Act Act 29 to ensure that all rules that govern judicial proceedings allow for easy implementation of E-Justice. The outcomes of that work will be presented to both the Rules of Court Committee for statutory reforms, and to the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization for incorporation into the scope of works for the next phase of E-Justice deployment.
Supervision of the Commercial Division of High Court
As Supervising Judge of commercial courts since 2013, Justice Sackey Torkornoo has set the agenda for and chaired the meetings and programs of the Users Committee of the Commercial Courts. She has quietly ensured the sustenance of a keen culture of efficiency in the commercial division of the High Court nationwide through leadership initiatives such as ‘brown bag learning sessions’ for Judges of the court, consistent meetings with staff and leadership of the court, engagements with external service operators such as process servers, valuers, auctioneers and the Users Committee of the court and presentation of policy briefs to Chief Justices on needed reforms in commercial justice delivery as well as the administrative needs of the court.
Justice Sackey Torkornoo presided over the implementation of the Business Environment Engineering Project (BEEP) funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom.
Her leadership directions in that project ignited and provided the Ministry of Trade and Industry with guidance on the introduction of Users Committees into other institutions that participated in the BEEP project. The BEEP project further influenced the active development of the Business Environment Reforms being streamlined into national institutions by the MOTI.
She serves as chair of the Technical Working Group on ‘Enforcing Contracts’ set up to steer change in the business law environment. Outcomes of the work of the BEEP project within the Judiciary included the design of necessary reforms in the monitoring and evaluation of data collection currently being implemented by the Judiciary, the design of necessary reforms in the post-judgment and execution part of justice delivery, and reforms in streamlining of ADR in commercial justice delivery in Circuit and High Courts that led to the passage of High Court (Civil Procedure) Amendment Rules 2020, CI 133.
Judicial Training
As part of the faculty of the Judicial Training Institute since 2005 and a board member of the JTI since 2018, Justice Sackey Torkornoo has actively participated in initiatives to enhance the learning of Judges through awareness of distinctions between judicial skills, the social context of judicial work and core black letter law. This work has included being a trainer of trainers, the development of a curriculum for teaching Judicial Ethics, a manual for training in Judicial Ethics, and the lacing of applications of ethical principles into the daily routines of Judges. Through being a constant trainer in Judicial Ethics, she has worked to motivate Judges to aspire to excellence through the development of research and writing skills, case and courtroom management, as well as the application of judicial ethics in their work and private lives.
Learning Resources
After assuming the chair of the Editorial Committee for the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana in 2009, Justice Sackey Torkornoo led the publication of an annual magazine for Judges, ensuring that issues pertinent to the development of competence in the judicial career and the discharge of the Judiciary’s constitutional mandate were brought to the fore in this magazine. She has also chaired the E-Judgment Committee responsible for developing electronic research resources for Judges since 2012 and has achieved the current creation of an e-judgment research resource with key-word search-ability properties for Judges.
In her work as vice chair of the Internship and Clerkship Program, Justice Sackey Torkornoo has actively participated in the smooth administration of the internship and clerkship program run jointly with law faculties, law firms, the Judiciary, the Ghana Bar Association and the Ghana School of Law since 2012.
Awards
In 2010, Justice Sackey Torkornoo became the first awardee of a scholarship by the International Association of Women Judges, after a global selection process. She undertook and excelled in an LLM in Intellectual Property, International Law and Internet Law at the Golden Gate University, San Francisco where her thesis on reforming Ghana’s Copyright Law relating to Folklore and Art was published as the lead article in the University’s Annual Survey on Comparative and International Law.
In 2015, she was awarded the Women of Excellence Award in Judicial Integrity under the auspices of Ministry for Gender, Child and Social Protection.
In 2016, she was made a Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Construction.
While not compromising on the quality of her courtroom work and judgment writing, Justice Sackey Torkornoo has become noted for excellence in administrative leadership, continuing study, teaching, writing, and the judicial ethics of competence, diligence and integrity. She has served under and worked closely with four Chief Justices namely Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah (decd), Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood (Rtd), Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo (Rtd) and Chief Justice Anin Yeboah.
She was promoted to the Court of Appeal in October 2012 and to the Supreme Court in December 2019.
CURRICULUM VITAE
JUDICIAL WORK
Dec 2019 – date: Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, with responsibility for constitutional cases, final appeals over chieftaincy cases, supervisory jurisdiction over superior courts, final appellate jurisdiction in the judicial hierarchy, and presidential election petitions. Panel member in the 2021 presidential election petition.
OCT 2012 – APRIL 2019: Justice of Court of Appeal, Ghana with responsibility for hearing and determining appeals from High Courts. Sat on the court of appeal panels in Kumasi (Oct 2015- July 2017), and Tamale (Oct 2017 to December 2019).
Averaging two judgments a month, she assisted with and wrote more than 180 well-researched appellate judgments on substantive law, legal philosophies, rules of procedure & equity, delivered with a focus on doing substantial justice and avoiding miscarriage of justice.
MAY 2004 – OCT 2012: Justice of High Court, Ghana and Judge / Neutral with responsibility for court-assisted mediation & negotiation in pre-trial settlement conferences.
During the period, she wrote more than 150 well-researched judgments delivered after the adjudication of commercial disputes; and more than 350 disputes were resolved and un-appealable decisions were recorded after mediated settlements.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT WORK IN JUDICIARY
Chair, E-Justice Committee – Leading the planning of automation of all levels of courts, procurement and incorporation of the use of electronic resources and software in the work of Judicial Service
Supervising Judge – With oversight responsibility for the smooth running of Commercial Divisions of High Courts since 2013.
Chair, ‘Enforcing Contracts’ Subgroup of the Business Regulatory Reform Program – A program for designing and implementing interventions to ensure efficient enforcement of contracts with funds from the World Bank and executed under the auspices of the Ministry for Trade and Industry.
Chair, The Business Environment Enablement Program – Multimillion pound sterling project for reforming commercial justice delivery implemented by the Judiciary with funds from DFID, United Kingdom between 2015 and 2020.
Chair, E-Judgment Committee – Planning and implementation of electronic library resources for the Judiciary and Judicial Officers since 2015.
Vice-Chair – Internship and Clerkship Program for the Judiciary.
Faculty Member – Judicial Training Institute – facilitating learning in Judicial Ethics, Judgment Writing, Case Management, Courtroom Communication, and Commercial Law.
Member – Governing Board of Judicial Training Institute – Responsible for planning and monitoring training programs and learning resources for the Judiciary and Judicial Service staff.
Member, Editorial Committee of Association of Magistrates & Judges of Ghana – Responsible for leading the publication of Journals, Newsletters & Magazines for the Judicial Service and the Judiciary.
Member – Committee responsible for the development of the Judicial Charter and other written resources for the Judiciary.
Chaired interview panels for the engagement of senior officers of the Judicial Service.
Chaired various committees for procurement of equipment and construction services for the Judicial Service.
PRE-JUDICIARY WORK EXPERIENCE
1997-2004 Managing Partner, Sozo Law Consult – Law Firm providing consultancy services for business ventures, project planning and supervision, advocacy in litigation, arbitration and negotiations;
Chief Executive of SLC Law Forum – A Publishing, Training & Research Support Service for Business Law (subsidiary of Sozo Law Consult). Organized several training programs in Commercial Law topics and legal skills such as negotiation of project contracts for the business community. Undertook consultancy services for the Business Law Division of the Ministry of Justice. Led the publication of A Handbook on Business Law, and the annual publication of Legislative Watch;
1994-1996 – Director, Fugar & Co, Accra Responsible for assisting with the management of the law firm and its project initiatives while continuing to work as solicitor and barrister
1987-1994 – Associate, Fugar & Co, Accra
Working as Solicitor engaged in the negotiation & drafting of commercial agreements, project documentation; company secretarial services; Barrister assisting with or leading litigation in all levels of courts
During this period, she also worked as:
External Solicitor for City of Tema – Giving legal advice on Administrative Law issues for the Tema Municipal Assembly; commencing and defending legal actions against TMA; leading the negotiation of development projects for the municipality.
Facilitator in Construction Law and Project Management Training Programs for the Ministry of Roads & Highways, Ghana Institute of Engineers, Ghana Institution of Architects, Ghana Institute of Construction.
Awards:
1989 – Received award from the International Bar Association for the top essay in a global essay competition on international law considerations in project contracts organized to assist with increasing knowledge of lawyers in construction and project contracts. The prize included cash and working in the Construction Law Department of Nabarro Nathanson, a top 20 law firm in London, UK
Academic Research, Articles, Publications
‘The Doctrine of Sovereignty in International relations v. The doctrine of Sanctity of Contracts – The case of renegotiating the Ghana Valco Agreement’.
International Business Lawyer Dec 1989
‘Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Minority Rights, Looking at the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through the lens of tribal groups in Ghana’.
Research Paper on International Human Rights submitted as part of an LLM Requirement; Golden Gate University 2011.
‘Nuremberg, Congo, and Libya, Has Might Remained Right Or Right has become Might; A Look at the International Commitment to peaceful resolution of Conflicts.
Research Paper on Peaceful Settlement of Disputes Between Nations submitted as part of an LLM Requirement; Golden Gate University 2011.
‘Fitting Square Pegs in Round Holes – The Vexed Question Of Harmonizing International Legal Regulation Of Traditional Cultural Expressions in Intellectual Property Law’
Research Paper presented at Fulbright Symposium on International Law Developments, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, 2011
Creating Capital from Culture, Rethinking the Provisions on Expressions of Folklore in Ghana’s Copyright Law
Volume XV111, Spring 2012; Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law, Golden Gate University School of Law
Considerations (Non-Considerations) of International Law in Domestic Decisions of the Superior Courts In Ghana
Judicial Journal, 2014
‘The Case for Prioritization of Commercial Justice Reforms in Africa: Lessons from Ghana’ –
Paper delivered at Conference on Administration of Commercial Justice in Africa – Arusha, TANZANIA, September 2007
‘A review of Remedies in Intellectual Property Cases under Civil Procedure Rules 2004 CI 47’ –
Presented at Conference on ‘Reviewing the Scope of Intellectual Property laws in Ghana’ – WIPO/Judicial Service of Ghana, June 2008
Judicial Ethics Training Manual (Chief Editor), 2009
‘Can we thrive in a virtual world’
Presented at ‘2022 Bench/Bar/Faculty Lectures in Ghana April 2022
Several articles on the tension between interest rates and debt sustainability, other commercial law subjects, judicial ethics and leadership published in the Judicial Journal (now The Bench) between 2009 and 2022
EDUCATION
2010-11 – LLM, Intellectual Property Law – Golden Gate University San Francisco, USA
2001 – P.G.Dip, International Law & Organizations for Development, Institute of Social Studies (now part of Erasmus University), The Hague, Netherlands
1986 – Professional Certificate in Law, Ghana School of Law
1984 – BA- Law & Sociology, University of Ghana
1980 – GCE A Level, Achimota School, Accra
1978 – GCE O Level, Wesley Girls’ High School, Cape Coast
Other Trainings and Presentations
2022 Technology and the Courts – Singapore
2022 Navigating Presidential Petitions, the Law and Remedies. (Seminar organized in preparation for the 2022 Kenyan elections) Mombasa, Kenya
2018 Ghana’s Strategic Plan In Combatting Pharmaceutical Crimes – West Africa Regional Training Center of US Embassy, Accra
2017 Trends in Intellectual Property Litigation – WIPO, Geneva
Commercial Justice and Legal Ethics – Law Society of Zimbabwe
2016 Managing Electoral Petitions -Judicial Training Institute, Ghana
2010 Auditing Systems of Justice Delivery – Malawi
2008 a. Diplomatic Immunity
Judicial Case Management – Judicial Training Institute, Ghana
2007 a. Judicial Ethics
Labor Law Access to Justice – Judicial Training Institute, Ghana
2007 Facilitating Judicial Education–National Judicial Inst, Canada in collaboration with Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Ottawa, Canada
Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights -Global Intellectual Property Academy, Virginia, USA
2006 a. Mining Law – Environmental Protection Agency
Electoral Laws – Judicial Training Institute
2005 a. Finance and Accounting for Judges – Judicial Training Institute
2005 b. Fighting Counterfeit Medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mediation and Arbitration, International Law Institute Washington
2004 a. Legal Integration in West & Central Africa – The OHADA module, Dakar, Senegal
Development of Commercial Courts- RIPA International, UK
2003 Program for Advanced Leadership, Haggai Institute, Hawaii
2000 Legal Issues in Structuring Public Private Partnership Projects – Institute of Public Private Partnerships, Washington, DC
1998 Alternative Dispute Resolution’; University of Ghana, LECIA
1997 ADR & Conflict Management; University of Ghana, LECIA
1995 International Construction Contracts; The Study Group, Oxford, UK
OTHER INTERESTS
Writing Poetry, Plays and Fiction, Evangelism
Books and Plays
Gertrude Torkornoo (Ed.) ‘Business in Ghana – A handbook on laws and regulations’ 1st Edition – 2000; 2nd Edition – 2003 (Published by SLC Law Forum)
Gertrude Torkornoo (Ed) ‘Legislative Watch’ (A research tool on the laws amended, reviewed and newly passed in Ghana) – From 1997 (Updated annually until 2002; now being developed as an electronic resource) (Published by SLC Law Forum)
Gertrude Torkornoo 2010, ‘The Child and the Rainbow’ – Anthology of Poetry printed by Combert Impressions
Gertrude Torkornoo 2010, ‘The Wise Still Hear the Birds’ – Anthology of Poetry printed by Combert Impressions
Plays – Blood & Roses (2016); The Richest King (2017); A Day For Rain (2018) (Written for Radio)
Memberships
2018 – present: Member, Governing Council, Central University 2016 – present: Member, Law Reform Commission of Ghana 2016 – present: Fellow, Ghana Institute of Construction 2010 – present: Member, International Association of Women Judges 2007 – present: Fellow, Commonwealth Judicial Educators Institute, Canada 2005 – present: Faculty member, Haggai Institute for Advanced Leadership, Singapore/Thailand and Hawaii, USA 2004 – present: Member, Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana 1992 – present: Executive Board Member, Aglow Fellowship International, Tema 1991 – Council Member, Theovision International
Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo is married to Mr. Francis Torkornoo, a Pharmacist, and has four daughters and three grandchildren.
Member of Parliament aspirant on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Assin North Constituency, James Gyakye Quayson, has vowed to reclaim the Assin North seat even if it takes his last breath.
He made this statement when he visited the Assin North constituency to campaign ahead of the by-election slated for June 27, 2023.
In a video posted by Accra-based TV3, the ousted MP was expressing his unwavering determination to continue to fight for the seat despite facing setbacks and being removed from office.
“I will fight for Assin North with my last breath. In every family, there is a Judas, as you are trying to pack things up others will be ready to destroy. But I know whoever is fighting something not for selfish gain but for the gains of the public, God crowns his efforts. The vision here is not a selfish vision. It is a vision for the whole Assin North community and its people. So, I know definitely we will achieve it,” he said.
The MP aspirant further called on his supporter and members of the National Democratic Congress to consolidate their efforts to capture ‘recapture’ the seat in the by-election.
“Let us all put our efforts together. And those saying that, once Joe Quayson steps foot here we will arrest him, among others. I came here from Accra nobody was able to stop me. I don’t fear anything, I only fear God. In the life I have lived, there is nothing that will done by will cause me to fear. As much as I have lived, I am no longer moved by anything done to me,” he added.
He continued to say that regardless of the disruption, he will still stand for the Assin North Constituency.
“Whatever they do, I will stand for Assin North” he declared.
The Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr Rahseed Draman, has made claims that the minority in Parliament is having a negative ripple effect as a result of its previous reshuffle in the minority leadership.
His claim was sighted by GhanaWeb in a 3news.com report.
According to him, it appears that the current Minority leadership has not been fully embraced by the Minority caucus, necessitating additional efforts on their part.
Haruna Iddrisu, James Klutse Avedzi and Mohammed-Muntaka Mubarak as Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader and Minority Chief Whip, respectively, were removed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership and replaced with Dr Casiel Ato Forson, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah and Kwame Agbodza as leaders of the minority.
This change, according to the Executive Director, has resulted in agitation among the Minority caucus.
“It looks like the ghost of the reshuffle in the Minority bench is still haunting the caucus, and I am not (the only one) saying this. This has been said by people like Muntaka; said by the former Minority leader, and today when we listen to proceedings in Parliament, the Majority Leader jokingly took a jab at the Minority Leader [Dr Cassiel Ato Forson] and said you have not been confirmed yet,” he said.
Dr Rahseed Draman further explained that because the minority side has not fully accepted the new leadership, a lot of work needs to be done even as 17 of their members will not be returning to Parliament.
“The new leadership has not been fully accepted by the rank and file of the Minority caucus, so there is a lot of work that needs to be done for the leadership to endear themselves to the entire caucus, particularly given its dilemma that is facing them where they have 17 of their members that are likely not to come back,” he added.
The chairman of the Ayawaso-West-Wuogon constituency, Bismark Aborbi-Ayitey, has been suspended by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for inappropriate conduct.
Mr. Aborbi-Ayitey has been suspended from the party for a period of six months. The decision was made by the Greater Accra NDC, citing a violation of Article 48(8) and 49(c) of the Party’s Constitution as amended at the 9th Congress.
According to the Greater Regional Secretary of the NDC, Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, Mr. Aborbi-Ayitey’s suspension was a result of his engagement with the media on internal party matters.
This action is considered a breach of party protocols. As per the party’s disciplinary procedures outlined in article 48(1), Mr. Aborbi-Ayitey has been referred to the Regional Disciplinary Committee for further investigation.
The suspension implies that Mr.Aborbi-Ayitey will be barred from participating in party activities and holding any official position within the NDC for the duration of the six-month period.
Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has dragged a member of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Peter Appiahene, to the Supreme Court over his alleged affiliation with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The legislator contends that under Ghana’s constitution, a person is not qualified to be an EC member if that person is a “known sympathiser, a member or openly affiliates or identified with a registered political party in Ghana”.
President Akufo-Addo in March this year swore in three new members of the electoral management body including Dr Appiahene.
Three civil society organisations comprising the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), the Star-Ghana Foundation and the Civic Forum Initiative (CFI) held a news conference urging Dr Appiahene to resign.
The CSOs maintained this appointment is unconstitutional.
The South Dayi MP is asking the Apex Court to revoke the appointment.
“An order revoking the appointment of the Ist Defendant by the President of the Republic of Ghana as a member of the 2nd Defendant Commission.
“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Is Defendant from acting as or holding himself out as a member of the 2nd Defendant Commission pending the determination of the suit.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st Defendant from acting as or holding himself out as a member of the 2nd Defendant Commission.”
Kwasi Amankwaa, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate in the just-ended Kumawu Constituency by-election was a registered voter in a different constituency.
The Electoral Commission (EC) made the disclosure in a June 6 statement in response to repeated claims by the NDC’s National Communications director, Sammy Gyamfi, that the elections body was colluding with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to import a parliamentary aspirant into the Assin North register.
“For the information of the general public, the NDC Candidate for the recent By-Election Mr. Kwasi Amankwaa is not a registered voter in the Kumawu Constituency.
“He is a registered voter in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, yet he contested in the Kumawu By-Election because he hails from there. Why didn’t the NDC raise this issue ahead of the Kumawu Constituency By-Election?” the EC statement read.
On the repeated claims by Gyamfi, the EC stressed: “The fact still remains that the allegation by Sammy Gyamfi to the effect that the EC is working with the NPP to sneak an unregistered voter into the Assin North register is FALSE. It is untrue and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to prove this.”
Read the EC’s full statement
RE: ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED NPP PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRANT IN THE ASSIN NORTH BY-ELECTION
The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to another misleading statement by the National Communication Officer of the NDC.
The Commission in its previous response to the National Communication Officer, stated that per Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution, a person qualifies to contest as a candidate for a Parliamentary Election so long as he is a registered voter, at least 21 years of age, hails from or, is a resident, or has resided in the constituency for a total of five (5) years in the last ten (10) years preceding the election he/she seeks to contest. This is the position of the 1992 Constitution which is the fundamental law of Ghana.
The National Communication Officer of the NDC in his response makes the claim that the EC only relied on the 1992 Constitution to make the case that a person need not be a registered voter in the Constituency he/she intends to stand for election. He asserts that the EC should have also relied on the CI 127 and in particular the Nomination Form contained in CI 127 before arriving at the conclusion that a person need not be a registered voter in the same Constituency he/she intends to contest.
To buttress his point, he states that the phrase ‘of the same Constituency’, on the Parliamentary Nomination Form, implies that a candidate for parliamentary election must be a registered voter in the same Constituency he/she intends to contest and that the phrase ‘of the same Constituency’ on the Nomination Form should override the Constitution. This argument is flawed.
For the benefit of the public, the Nomination Form states as follows:
“We the undersigned registered voters in ………………… Constituency do hereby nominate…………. ‘of the same Constituency’ to stand for election as a Member of Parliament, and we hereby certify that to the best of our knowledge he/she is qualified to be elected as such.”
Clearly, as stated above, the Nomination Form only requires those nominating a candidate for a parliamentary election in a Constituency to be registered voters in the same Constituency, and not the candidate who is being nominated to contest. The candidate is only required to hail from or reside in the Constituency to qualify to contest in that Constituency. If one should interpret what is stated on the Parliamentary Nomination Form to imply that the candidate must also be a registered voter in the same Constituency, that would be absurd, unreasonable, illogical, and unconstitutional to borrow some of the words of Sammy Gyamfi.
Was Sammy Gyamfi not aware of this phrase, ‘of the same Constituency’ on the Nomination Form before allowing their candidate for the Kumawu By-Election who is NOT a registered voter in Kumawu to contest for the recent By- Election?
For the information of the general public, the NDC Candidate for the recent By-Election Mr. Kwasi Amankwaa is not a registered voter in the Kumawu Constituency. He is a registered voter in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, yet he contested in the Kumawu By-Election because he hails from there. Why didn’t the NDC raise this issue ahead of the Kumawu Constituency By-Election?
The fact still remains that the allegation by Sammy Gyamfi to the effect that the EC is working with the NPP to sneak an unregistered voter into the Assin North register is FALSE. It is untrue and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to prove this.
Over the years Sammy Gyamfi and his party have put out false claims aimed at maligning the integrity of the EC. This was evident in their petition to the Supreme Court after the 2020 Elections alleging that they had won the Elections. It is well known that they could not provide evidence in Court to support their allegations. This current allegation is no different. It is baseless and unfounded and a figment of the imagination of the National Communication Officer. We call on all well meaning Ghanaians to ignore it.
Ghana’s democracy has come of age and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to exercise maturity, decorum and truth in his discussions on the EC. We urge him to go out and campaign and leave the EC alone.
As a Commission we remain committed to conducting transparent, peaceful and credible elections. We will devote our time to fulfilling our constitutional mandate, having provided the public with the truth on this matter.
Koku Anyidoho, the former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has claimed that less than 48 hours after the death of former President John Evans Atta-Mills, president John Mahama asked him to vacate the presidency citing his inability to work with him.
Speaking in an interview with Atinka TV on June 1, 2023, Koku Anyidoho detailed a phone call he received a day after the passing of President Mills.
According to him, someone called him to inquire about his well-being but he didn’t trust the call due to his discerning spirit.
“Prof died on 24 July 2012, on the 26 of July in the morning around 6 am…so let’s say less than 48 hours I got a call from one of these people, the person asks Koku how are you? then I replied I’m fine but I didn’t trust the call…because God has given me some discerning spirit so when the call came in and I saw it, I knew it wasn’t genuine.”
Koku Anyidoho added that immediately after the first caller, another called in, informing him that a decision had been made during a meeting held on July 25, 2012, to dismiss him as the Director of Communications from the presidency.
He asserted that he was told by the caller that the newly appointed president had stated that he could not work with him “for obvious reasons.”
“So, five minutes after the call another person called, and he was like yesterday we were in a meeting, which is the 25th July and a decision has been taken that I must leave the presidency and that the new president (John Mahama) says that he can’t work with you for obvious reasons, so get ready and pack out of the presidency.
“Go and look for three or four state institutions so that you will be considered either CEO or deputy CEO because as for the presidency you are out, so he was like by the end of the day people will call you and tell you, so, I don’t want you to be shocked that is why I am telling you in advance, I said thank you,” he added.
He added that a few days later he visited a prominent individual within the party, who bluntly suggested that he should look for another job because his appointment has been terminated by the new president.
“…a couple of days later I drove to the home of one of the big men, by 7 am I was there, so the moment I sat down, then he was like, Koku you have to go and look for another job, are you going to go back to the bank …so I replied him that the bank that I left for more than ten years now, how I’m I going back to the bank.
“So, he mentioned the name of the president, saying that he has said he cannot work with me so I have to leave and go and look for something else to do,…when I left that man’s house and I didn’t commit suicide, it means that it is not in my DNA to commit suicide, I was shocked because I thought I was so close to Prof so if anybody will deny me, not him and all this happened before the burial of prof.”
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs say several polls have shown that the Judiciary is not in good shape and according to them, if this is not addressed urgently, it will greatly affect the country’s growing democracy.
As a result, they have urged Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to take the matter up immediately she is approved and sworn into office.
“The image of the judiciary is not in a good shape. Several opinion polls show that. We hope that Justice Gertrude, as a lady chief justice, will restore the dignity of the judiciary,” they said in a statement.
They have also expressed their approval of her as the next Chief Justice.
This is despite their strong disagreement with the Supreme Court’s recent judgment annulling the election of James Gyakye Quayson in Assin North.
Justice Torkornoo, who was part of the 7-member panel that decided the case, faced scrutiny from the Minority when she appeared before the Appointments Committee on May 26.
The Minority had initially insisted that no decision would be made on her nomination until the full reasoning of the judgment in the case was released.
Speaking on behalf of the Minority, Deputy Ranking Member of the Appointments Committee of Parliament and The Chief Whip on behalf, Governs Kwame Agbodza, MP, explained that despite their differences with Justice Torkornoo, they believe she possesses the qualifications necessary to serve as Chief Justice.
During a press conference on Tuesday, June 6, the NDC represented on the Appointments Committee said they had “reached a unanimous decision to approve the Chief Justice nominee.”
Businessman and politician, Kojo Bonsu, has revealed that he will jump at the opportunity to be John Dramani Mahama’s vice should it be offered.
The contender in the just-ended NDC presidential primaries stated that he is not perturbed about his loss in the primaries hence, will do anything and everything possible to see Mahama win the 2024 polls.
The former Mayor of Kumasi was speaking to Daniel Oduro on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV.
In the interview, the politician said that he will be glad to work with the flagbearer of the NDC, John Mahama if he believes that he is fit to be his running mate.
“His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has the prerogative and if he believes that Kojo Bonsu can do it, why not? We are united and I’m going to give him my all to support him well.
“So, when he chooses me as his vice, bingo! And we are going to work in tandem to make everything work very well,” the politician said.
Kojo Bonsu, however, added that, if no such opportunity arises, he will move to wherever National Democratic Congress believes his expertise is needed and do his very best.
Asked if he has any position he prefers should the NDC recapture power in 2024, Kojo Bonsu said he is ready to serve in whatever capacity and thus has no preferences.
“I wouldn’t want to choose any portfolio. The party knows me, the party knows what I can do. Wherever they put me and see that I have the expertise to do it, I would love to do it,” he added.
Kojo Bonsu contested John Dramani Mahama in the just-ended NDC presidential primaries with the latter polling over 98 percent of the votes cast to emerge as the party’s flagbearer.
The politician also served as a Mayor for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly under the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama’s administration from 2013 to 2016.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs on Parliament’s Appointments Committee have officially endorsed Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo as the nominee for Chief Justice, 12 days after her appearance before the committee for vetting.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, 6th June 2023, Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, announced on behalf of the Minority NDC that they find Justice Torkornoo fully qualified to assume the position of Chief Justice, despite concerns raised regarding her involvement in the Supreme Court’s ruling on James Gyakye Quayson’s dual citizenship case.
“We, the members of the Appointments Committee representing the National Democratic Congress, unanimously approve the nomination of Justice Torkornoo as Chief Justice,” he affirmed.
“Her impressive CV showcases her extensive experience, having served as a judge from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and eventually at the Supreme Court. We believe that capable women should be given the opportunity to hold key national positions. While we may have differing views on certain aspects of her jurisprudence, we acknowledge her qualifications for the esteemed role of Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana,” added the MP.
Following her vetting on 26th May, the NDC initially announced that they would withhold their decision until the Supreme Court releases its full ruling on James Gyakye Quayson’s dual citizenship case.
On Monday, June 5, the apex court provided the reasons behind its decision to uphold the Cape Coast High Court’s verdict to annul the 2020 Parliamentary elections in Assin North, hence directing Parliament to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson from its records.
Reasons for SC’s verdict
1. Upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 94(2))a) of the Constitution, 1992 of the Republic of Ghana the 1st Defendant was not qualified at the time of filing his nomination forms between 5th to 9 October 2020 to contest the 2020 Parliamentary elections for the Assin North Constituency as a Member of Parliament.
2. Upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution, 1992 the decision of the 2nd Defendant to permit the 1st Defendant to contest the Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency when the 1st Defendant had not shown evidence of the cancellation of his citizenship of Canada is an act that is inconsistent with and violates Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution, 1992 of the Republic of Ghana.
3. Upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution, 1992 of the Republic of Ghana the election of the 1st Defendant as Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency was unconstitutional.
4. Upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution, 1992 of the Republic of Ghana the swearing in of 1st defendant as Member of Parliament for the Assin North Constituency was unconstitutional, null and void and of no legal effect.
NDC MPs displeased with court’s verdict
According to Mr Ayariga, the Supreme Court failed to deal with the substantive matter – qualification to be a Member of Parliament and rather dealt with the eligibility or qualification of a person to contest as an MP.
“While the clear language of the constitution was dealing with qualification to be a Member of Parliament, the Supreme Court veered off and was dealing with eligibility or qualification of a person to contest as a Member of Parliament.”
“I am quoting the Supreme Court directly in their reason. They said ‘we are dealing with eligibility or qualification of a person to contest as a Member of Parliament’. When the Supreme Court talks about the qualification to be a Member of Parliament, it is after the contest that you get sworn-in to be a Member of Parliament,” Mr Ayariga said.
He argued that Article 94 does not focus on eligibility to contest elections but on becoming a Member of Parliament.
“This only takes place at the point of swearing in,” he added.
Article 94 – Qualifications And Eligibility
2) A person shall not be qualified to be a member of Parliament if he—
(a) owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana; or
(b) has been adjudged or otherwise declared
(i) bankrupt under any law in force in Ghana and has not been discharged; or
(ii) to be of unsound mind or is detained as a criminal lunatic under any law in force in Ghana; or
(c) has been convicted—
(i) for high crime under this Constitution or high treason or treason or for an offence involving the security of the State, fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude; or
(ii) for any other offence punishable by death or by a sentence of not less than ten years; or
(iii) for an offence relating to, or connected with election under a law in force in Ghana at any time; or
(d) has been found by the report of a commission or a committee of inquiry to be incompetent to hold public office or is a person in respect of whom a commission or committee of inquiry has found that while being a public officer he acquired assets unlawfully or defrauded the State or misused or abused his office, or willfully acted in a manner prejudicial to the interest of the State, and the findings have not been set aside on appeal or judicial review; or
(e) is under sentence of death or other sentence of imprisonment imposed on him by any court., or
(f) is not qualified to be registered as a voter under any law relating to public elections; or
(g) is otherwise disqualified by a law in force at the time of the coming into force of this Constitution, not being inconsistent with a provision of this Constitution.
(3) A person shall not be eligible to be a member of Parliament if he—
(a) is prohibited from standing election by a law in force in Ghana by reason of his holding or acting in an office the functions of which involve a responsibility for or are connected with the conduct of, an election or responsibility for the compilation or revision of an electoral register, or
(b) is a member of the Police Service, the Prisons Service, the Armed Forces, the Judicial Service, the Legal Service, the Civil Service, the Audit Service, the Parliamentary Service, the Statistical Service, the Fire Service, the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, the Immigration Service, or the Internal Revenue Service; or
(c) is a chief.
Assin North by-election
The Electoral Commission has announced June 27, 2023 for the Assin North by-election.
Nominations will be received at the Assin North District Office of the Commission from Monday the 12th of June 2023 to Wednesday, the 14th of June, 2023 between the hours of 9:00am to 2:00pm to 5:00pm on each day.
The filing fee for the election is GHS10,000.00.
Ahead of the by-election, Mr Gyakye Quayson has announced his decision to contest for the seat once again.
According to the National Democratic Congress’ Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi the people of Assin North will vote for James Gyakye Quayson to ensure justice is served.
Criminal charges against James Gyakye Quayson
Meanwhile, Mr Quayson could face a decade-long prison sentence if he is found guilty of perjury and other criminal charges brought against him by the Office of the Attorney General.
The charges include deceiving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by falsely claiming he did not hold dual citizenship to obtain a Ghanaian passport.
Mr Quayson is facing five counts, including deceit of a public officer, forgery of a passport or travel certificate, making a false statutory statement, perjury, and false declaration of office.
Perjury, a second-degree felony, carries a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment, and the prosecution is determined to prove his guilt.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, who is also the Presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has assured Ghanaians that their suffering under the current NPP administration will soon come to an end.
He has urged citizens to remain calm and consider voting for the NDC in the upcoming 2024 elections as a means to alleviate their hardships.
Addressing an audience at the 44th anniversary of the June 4th uprising in Hohoe, former President Mahama empathized with Ghanaians, acknowledging their struggle under the current government.
He stated that corruption, economic hardships, and insensitivity towards the people’s plight would be a thing of the past if the NDC is elected to power.
“We are responsible for organizing and letting our message of hope reach everyone across the length and breadth of our land,” stated former President Mahama.
“The dark days will last only for a moment more, and a new dawn is lurking on the horizon.
“And when that new dawn breaks, the governmental rot, the economic hardships, the insensitivity to the plight of the people, and the offensive corruption and waste of the people’s resources will be a thing of the past,” rainbowradioonline.com quoted him as saying.
Former President Mahama urged the Ghanaian people not to be misled by “hollow sloganeering” and “shallow populism” propagated by those who had made their lives difficult for years.
He further urged citizens not to be swayed into voting for the ruling NPP in the 2024 elections but rather to choose the NDC for a brighter future.
“Do not allow them to confuse you that you must vote for them in 2024,” he warned.
John Mahama previously served as President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016 before losing to Akufo-Addo in the 2016 presidential election.
He unsuccessfully ran against Akufo-Addo again in the 2020 election.
He has been re-elected as the flagbearer of the NDC and has expressed confidence that he can win in 2024 and bring about the changes he believes the country needs.
The Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Agbodza says although the NDC caucus in parliament is not completely against the appointment of Chief Justice nominee Gertrude Torkonoo, they are yet to come to a decision on her approval or otherwise.
Speaking on Newsnight on Joy FM, Mr Agbodza explained that their decision will be made known after a thorough study of the full Supreme Court judgement on Gyakye Quayson’s dual citizenship case.
“We are not fundamentally opposed to Justice Torkonoo’s appointment. We have very serious concerns about her position on some things. We robustly stated our position on certain parts of her actions and in actions in cases she ruled on. That is not to say we have anything personal against her.”
“We have served notice that we will consume the judgement (on the Gyakye Quayson case) and the minority leader will address the media, as to our position,” Mr Agbodza added.
This comes after the Supreme Court released the official document detailing why it declared as unconstitutional the election of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament for Assin North in the Central Region.
This is after a seven-member panel of the apex court ordered Parliament to expunge the name of Mr Quayson from its records.
Presiding Judge, Justice Jones Dotse on Wednesday, May 17, ruled that the Electoral Commission (EC) acted unconstitutionally in allowing him to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship.
The NDC MPs had initially hinted that they will not approve the justice until the Supreme Court released the full judgment on the case.
Following the release of the report, the Chairman of the Appointment Committee told JoyNews on Monday that the Minority had reached out to him stating their support for the Chief Justice nominee’s appointment.
Mr Joseph Osei Owusu had claimed that he had been asked to go ahead and amend the committee report on the appointment to approval by consensus instead of a majority decision.
However, Mr Agbodza denied making any such statement to Mr Osei Owusu, adding that NDC MPs have not yet received a copy of the report.
“At no point did the NDC state their position in support or against the candidature of Justice Torkonoo. As far as the NDC is concerned, we have not seen a report of the appointment committee on the chief justice nominee, so how can we change a report we have not sighted?” he quizzed.
He added that the Majority leader will address a conference on Tuesday, June 6, after the caucus is briefed on the judgement.
The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party has denied claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the governing party is conniving with the Electoral Commission to insert the name of one of its aspirants into the Assin North voters register ahead of the by-election.
Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, on JoyNews’ PM Express said the allegation was false since neither the party nor the aspirants have filed for his name in the voters register to be moved.
On Sunday, the NDC in a statement made the assertion that an NPP aspirant Charles Opoku is not a registered voter in the Assin North Constituency, adding that the “illegal” move will help the aspirant contest in the NPP parliamentary primaries to select a candidate for the Assin North by-election.
This, they stated, is against the requirement that a candidate in an election must be a registered voter of the said constituency.
However, citing portions of the 1992 constitution, Nana B said his comrades in the opposition were wrong.
“When I read the press statement I was surprised it was coming from a big opposition part because according to the 1992 constitution, you do not have to be a registered voter in the constituency you want to contest before you become eligible to contest. You have to be a registered voter and the man in question is a registered voter.
“He hails from that constituency, in fact, both candidates are from Assin Breku and they are far and above 21 years, they are all Ghanaians, they don’t hold dual citizenship with emphasis on dual citizenship,” he said on Monday.
Considering these, Nana B believed the NDC statement “lacked deep thinking”.
Similarly, the Electoral Commission has denied the allegation, explaining that a person does not need to be a registered voter in a particular constituency to enable him or her to contest elections in that constituency.
NPP delegates of Assin North will on Wednesday, June 7, head to the polls to decide between two candidates who would be the NPP representative in the upcoming by-election slated for June 27.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is challenging portions of the Supreme Court’s full judgement which formed the basis for the removal of James Gyakye Quayson’s name from the records of Parliament as the Member of Parliament for Assin North.
The Supreme Courton Monday released the official document detailing why it declared as unconstitutional the election of James Gyakye Quayson as MP for Assin North in the Central Region.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, Mr Abraham Amaliba described as ‘mind boggling’ the failure of the apex court to particularly address Section 21 D of the PNDC Law 284.
He explained that per that law, the court can only nullify the election of a person if he or she was not qualified at the time of an election, and not at the time of filing his or her nomination.
For this reason, he questioned why the Supreme Court determined in the case of Mr Quayson that his qualification is at the time of filing his nomination.
“So the question is why did the Supreme Court fail to address section 21 D?” he quizzed.
According to him, he expected the apex court to analyse that section of the law and deal with it “and then say that notwithstanding that, we think that the time for qualification is nomination.”
He said the court was not supposed to turn its back on section 21 D of the PNDC Law 284 unless it had a strong reason not to do so.
“In ex parte national lottery, this is what Justice Atuguba said ‘Courts are servants of the legislature and must give effect to the expert provision of the statutes unless there is a strong policy why that should not be done.”
Meanwhile, the NDC minority in parliament has served notice that it will study the full document to determine its line of action, especially regarding the expected approval or otherwise of the Chief Justice nominee, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo who was questioned on the apex court’s ruling on Gyakye Quayson when she appeared before parliament for vetting.
The communications officer for the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has stated that he is confident that Gyakye Quayson will emerge victorious at the Assin-North by-election despite Supreme Court’s ruling.
Mr. Quayson’s name was expunged from Parliament as the Member of Parliament for Assin North following a ruling by the Supreme Court in May 2023 because he had dual citizenship.
The Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Quayson was not qualified to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin North Constituency at the time he filed his nomination forms on October 9, 2020.
In a statement reacting to the Supreme Court’s full ruling which was released on Monday, Sammy Gyamfi said: “As a discerning and objective Ghanaian, judge for yourself if the Supreme Court’s decision to annul Hon. Quayson’s election is fair or not”.
“In all this, I am glad that the good people of Assin North, in whom sovereignty resides, will have the opportunity to do justice in this matter once and for all, on 27th June 2023. I have no doubt in my mind, having been on the ground and interacted with many of them the past few days, that they will not falter. And that, they will vote for Hon. James GyakyeQuayson. I have no doubt in my mind, that they will vote for justice and genuine development.”
The party maintained that Mr. Quayson’s attempt to renounce his Canadian citizenship was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read below Sammy Gyamfi’s write-up
SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ. WRITES ON THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ON THE ASSIN NORTH MATTER:
Folks, I have just read the 35-page judgment of the Supreme Court on the Assin North matter:
The following preliminary thoughts come to mind readily:
1. Section 20 (d) of the Representation of the People’s Act (PNDC Law 284) provides that a Parliamentary candidate must be qualified at the time of his ELECTION. Strangely, the Supreme Court of Ghana in their judgment says that, qualification must be at the time of NOMINATION (i.e at the time a candidate files or submits his/her nomination form to the EC).
2. The decision of the Supreme Court to annul Hon. Gyakye Quayson’s election is solely based on the fact that, at the time he submitted his nomination form to the EC on 9th October, 2020, he had not received his certificate of renunciation of his Canadian citizenship and that he received same on 26th November, 2020.
3. Even if we are to go by this strange position of the Supreme Court that qualification must be at the time of NOMINATION and not ELECTION, it is important to remind the Supreme Court that in the Nduom case, they held in effect, that the nomination period for an election, must extend beyond the submission of nomination forms and must include the period the EC uses to scrutinize submitted results, within which the EC is supposed to give candidates a hearing and an opportunity to rectify any anomalies on their nomination form. The nomination period therefore terminates after the EC has scrutinized submitted nomination forms, given candidates a hearing and an opportunity to rectify any anomalies on same and has reached a decision on the validity or otherwise of the nomination of the candidate.
3. In the case of the 2020 Assin North election involving Hon. James Gyakye Quayson, he submitted his nomination form to the EC on 9th October, 2020. However, during the scrutiny of his submitted nomination forms by the EC, a petition challenging the validity of his nomination from an NPP group calling themselves “Concerned Citizens of Assin North” was presented to the EC in Accra, whereupon Hon. Quayson was invited by the Director of Elections of the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoo to respond to the issues raised against him on 27th November, 2020. A day before he appeared before the EC at their Headquarters in Accra, that is on 26th November, 2020, Hon. Quayson received his certificate of renunciation of his Canadian citizenship. This is why after investigating the matter, the EC accepted his nomination as valid and cleared him to contest the election on 27th November, 2020 because he had already received his certificate of renunciation a day prior.
4. Note that the election was held on 7th December, 2020. Hon. Quayson applied to renounce his Canadian citizenship in December 2019. But for delays occasioned by COVID-19, he should have gotten his certificate of renunciation not later then June 2020. God being so good, he eventually received his certificate of renunciation on 26th November 2020 as conceded by the Supreme Court. This was 10 clear days before his election. Note that, Section 20(d) of PNDC Law 284 says that qualification must be at the time of ELECTION.
As a discerning and objective Ghanaian, judge for yourself if the Supreme Court’s decision to annul Hon. Quayson’s election is fair or not.
In all this, I am glad that the good people of Assin North in whom sovereignty resides, will have the opportunity to do JUSTICE in this matter once and for all, on 27th June 2023. I have no doubt in my mind, having been on the ground and interacted with many of them the past few days, that they will not falter. And that, they will vote for Hon. James Gyakye Quayson. I have no doubt in my mind, that they will vote for JUSTICE AND GENUINE DEVELOPMENT.
National Communication Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused President Akufo-Addo of orchestrating Domelevo’s removal over an alleged illegal payment made by Yaw Osafo Maafo to Kroll and Associates Limited, a UK firm.
“If Domelevo was still in office as Attorney General, Kroll will not have gone on that $1 billion… That Kroll matter was what precipitated the dismissal of Yao Domelevo.
“Because he had the courage to fight against corruption to the very doorstep of the president by indicting the president’s closest associate and senior minister, Osafo Maafo, for illegally paying $1 million,” he said.
Sammy Gyamfi also said that the Osafo Maafo only won a suit he filed against the former AG because he (Domelevo) was fired.
“What led to the court decision? It was after he indicted Osafo Maafo and Osafo Maafo went to the court and then before the court could pronounce on the matter, Domelevo was sacked.
“One day after he was sacked from Office and Mr Asiedu was asked to act on his behalf. Asiedu then writes a letter to the Supreme Court that he is satisfied with the work that Kroll has done,” he said.
Background:
Before President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo asked Domelevo to proceed on leave in 2020, he surcharged Yaw Osafo-Maafo for alleged financial infractions he had committed.
Domelevo claimed that the current Senior Advisor to the President, Osafo-Maafo, when he was Senior Minister, colluded with the Finance Ministry to pay UK firm, Kroll and Associates Limited, US$1 million for no evidence of work done.
However, the acting Auditor-General(A-G), Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, a day after Daniel Domelevo began his 167 days ‘forced’ leave, cleared Osafo-Maafo of any wrongdoing.
For a better future for Ghana, John Mahama has implored leaders to take inspiration from the events of June 4.
In a Facebook post on Sunday June 4, 2023, the former President stated that it is regrettable that the fight for justice and accountability resulted in the loss of lives.
“Forty-four years ago today, our nation was gripped by a conflagration- triggered by a fight for justice and accountability. Regrettably, lives were lost.
“We honour the memory of all who were involved in the catastrophic events of June 4, 1979. Their sacrifices paved the way for the democracy and constitutional governance we enjoy today,” M. Mahama stated.
He continued: “June 4 birthed the principles of probity and accountability. The events of that uprising must spur those of us in positions of leadership today to work selflessly and tirelessly towards a brighter future forGhana and uphold the legacy of those who came before us.
“Let us commemorate this important day with utmost respect and gratitude.”
Zanetor Rawlings, the daughter of former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has asked the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to cleanse itself of any lingering “demons” to secure victory in the upcoming 2024 elections.
Delivering a passionate address at a church in Cape Coast on June 3 to mark the commencement of the 44th-anniversary commemoration of the June 4 Revolution, Zanetor Rawlings, who is a lawmaker, emphasized the need for the NDC, which she described as the product of the revolution, to undergo a thorough self-examination.
She stressed that the party must rid itself of any negative influences that may have crept in unnoticed over time.
“If the NDC is to rescue this country come 2024, then we must clear ourselves from any demon that entered while we were not paying attention,” Zanetor Rawlings declared, urging her party members to reflect on their actions and align themselves with the principles of the June 4 Uprising.
The June 4 Revolution, also known as the June 4th Uprising, was sparked by the arrest and trial of Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and other junior military officers by the leadership of the Supreme Military Council II (SMC II). The former president and his colleagues were charged with mutiny following a failed coup attempt on May 15, 1979.
In his defence during the trial, Jerry John Rawlings cited various reasons for the unsuccessful coup. He highlighted the denial of salaries to junior military officers, rampant corruption among Supreme Military Council officials, poor governance, economic hardships, and general frustration among the populace. Additionally, he pointed out the prevalence of indiscipline within the Ghana Army as a significant contributing factor to the uprising.
Zanetor Rawlings’ call for the NDC to rid itself of any demons echoes the spirit of the June 4 Revolution, which sought to address these issues and bring about positive change in the party.
The Electoral Commission(EC) has denied allegations made by the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi,about a supposed collusion between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Commission.
The claims suggest an attempt to include the name of an unqualified NPP parliamentary candidate in the Assin North voters’ register.
The EC in a statement categorically denied these claims and asserted that it has not received any such request from the NPP to transfer any person’s vote.
According to the EC, Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution states that a person does not need to be a registered voter in a specific constituency to be eligible to contest an election there. Simply being a Ghanaian, 21 years or older, of sound mind, and a registered voter is sufficient.
However, if a person wishes to contest in a constituency where they do not hail from, they must be ordinarily resident there or have resided there for at least five years out of the previous ten years.
Sammy Gyamfi in a statement on Sunday said: “The National Democratic Congress has become aware of a plot by the ruling New Patriotic Party, acting in cahoots with their collaborators in the Electoral Commission to transfer and insert the name of one Charles Opoku, into the Voters Register of the Assin North constituency. This illegal move is to aid the said Charles Opoku to contest in the NPP Parliamentary primaries to select a candidate for the upcoming Assin North by-election”.
“Our unimpeachable sources have revealed that contrary to the clear requirement on the nomination form for the Assin North by-election, which demands that a candidate in the election must be a registered voter in Assin North, the said Charles Opoku is not a registered voter in the Assin North Constituency”.
But the Electoral Commission insisted that the allegations are baseless and aimed at maligning the integrity of the EC.
The EC emphasized that being a registered voter in a constituency is not a prerequisite for contesting elections there.
It reiterated its commitment to transparency, fairness, and integrity in all its operations. It asserted that the current Commission has been the most transparent and accountable, carrying out its duties in accordance with the Constitution.
The EC further criticized the NDC for continuously making unsubstantiated allegations against state institutions like them, which only serve to weaken and undermine Ghana’s democracy.
The Electoral Commission urged Ghanaians to trust in their ability to conduct credible elections and assured them that they will continue to uphold transparency and deliver fair and impartial electoral processes.
Below is the full statement by the EC
RE: NPP AND THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION IN A PLOT TO ILLEGALLY INSERT THE NAME OF AN UNQUALIFIED NPP PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE INTO THE ASSIN NORTH VOTERS’ REGISTER
The Electoral Commission’s attention has been drawn to a misleading press statement attributed to the National Communications Officer of the NDC alleging collaboration between the NPP and the EC for the purpose of transferring the vote of one Charles Opoku to the Assin North Constituency to enable him to contest the upcoming by-election in the said constituency.
We wish to state that this is not true.
For the records, the EC has not received any such request from the NPP to transfer the votes of any person. This allegation is false and a figment of the author’s imagination. As usual, it is aimed at maligning the integrity of the Electoral Commission.
Per Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution, a person does not need to be a registered voter in a particular constituency to enable him/ her to contest an election in that constituency.
Per the Constitution, simply hailing from a constituency entitles a person to contest an election in that constituency so long as the person is
A Ghanaian
Twenty-one years and above
Of sound mind
And a registered voter
In the event that a person who wishes to contest in a particular constituency does not hail from that constituency, that person will be eligible to contest if he/she is ordinarily resident in that constituency or has been a resident there for a total period of not less than five years out of the ten years immediately preceding the election for which he/she stands.
We make this point to buttress the fact that a person who hails from a constituency per the Constitution need not be a registered voter in the constituency he /she wishes to contest in. Simply hailing from there is enough.
As such there is no reason to engage in transfers as alleged by the NDC Communications Officer.
It is a well-known fact that the current Commission has been the most transparent and accountable in its operations. The Commission has carried out its mandate in strict consonance with the Constitution.
To date, the NDC has not proved a single allegation they have made against the EC.
The continuous maligning of state institutions such as the EC by the NDC only weakens and undermines our democracy.
The EC will continue to uphold transparency, fairness, and integrity in all its operations. We urge the good people of Ghana to trust us to continue to deliver credible elections.
Aggrieved supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Manso Nkwanta Constituency in the Ashanti region have threatened to defect to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) if the party fails to address disputes arising from party parliamentary primary.
The party after the primary declared Sammy Adjei as Parliamentary Candidate elect to lead the party in the constituency into election 2024.
However, some aggrieved supporters at a news conference in Pakyi number 2 describe the election of Sammy Adjei as fraudulent.
The aggrieved supporters of the party are therefore calling on the regional executives of the party to address all issues raised from the party’s Parliamentary primary or they join the governing NPP.
National Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has cast doubt on the possibility of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to secure the Assin North seat by sympathy votes.
Henry Nana Boakye explained that the dynamics in the area is beyond voting for a personality who was ousted from Parliament for engaging in illegality.
Ahead of the Assin North bye-election on June 27, the NDC is confident of winning the seat after its deposed Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson, declared his intention to contest again.
This is a big gamble by the opposition party as its candidate is also facing criminal charges in court. If found guilty, Mr Quayson could face 10 years in prison in hard labour.
But Nana Boakye on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Friday said the NDC is engaging in emotional blackmail by retaining Mr Quayson as its candidate.
Unfortunately, he said the people at Assin North are very discerning and will not fall for the antics of the opposition.
He said: “94 percent of the people at Assin North are educated and will not vote because of sympathy. They deserve better.”
The NPP National Organiser said they have done all ground works and will bring on board a competent candidate to contest the election.
He charged voters at Assin North to look beyond theatrics and vote massively for NPP to continue the developments in the area.
In a rebuttal, National Organiser of the NDC, Joseph Yamin, said they have already won the bye-election.
He said the people of Assin North appreciate the good works of Mr Quayson and will vote massively for him.
The NDC National Organiser stated that the roads being contracted in the area are not enough to buy the votes of the people.
Mr Yamin predicted a landslide victory for the NDC at the end of the bye-election.
The biggest opposition party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected calls from concerned delegates in Ketu North to conduct a re-run of elections in the constituency.
The party leadership was responding to calls from NDC delegates who expressed their discontentment with a winner being declared without re-run despite a tie of votes during the party’s primaries.
The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande, stated that the party delivered a conclusive ruling in the presence of the two contenders and the party chairman.
In a citinewsroom.com report, Mustapha added the party has moved on and is preparing the parliamentary candidate to win the Ketu North seat. Adding that calls for re-elections are only reconciliation efforts as the party is even aware of such a petition.
“The National Chairman of the party was present, and the parties involved in the disputed primary were there with their lawyers. We then delivered a conclusive ruling on the matter, and Edem Agbana was declared the legitimately elected parliamentary candidate for Ketu North. As a result, any other issue will be considered a reconciliation effort because we are not even aware of any petition of this nature, and no such matter has been brought to our office. The party has moved on, and we are now preparing the elected candidate to win the seat,” Gbande said.
The parliamentary candidate for Ketu North, Edem Agbana, was declared winner in the May 13 NDC primaries after tying votes with his contender, John Adanu.
They tied with 360 votes each following the discovery of three unstamped ballots.
A leading member of the opposition National Democratic Congress in the Ashanti Region, Joshua Fugah, has issued a stern warning to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the upcoming parliamentary by-election in the Assin North Constituency.
According to Fugah, with the Assin North vote, the NDC will not give room for any acts of vote buying, as witnessed in the recent by-election in the Kumawu Constituency.
“What we want to tell the NPP is that what they did in Kumawu will not be allowed to repeat itself in Assin North. Our regional chairman for the Central Region has held a press conference and informed the NPP that the things they did in Kumawu will not be allowed to happen again.
“Some of these include the wanton sharing of money in broad daylight. Every V8 that went into the town was filled with cash. But amidst all that, the people of Kumawu showed the NPP that they cannot be bought with money. However, there are some people whose minds can change if you give them money. Considering the current economic hardship, a hundred or two hundred cedis can change someone’s mind, and those are the things we will not allow to happen in Assin North,” he stated during a peace discussion on Peace FM.
The NPP emerged victorious in a by-election held for the Kumawu Constituency following the demise of the Member of Parliament for the area, Philip Basoah.
Despite suffering defeat, the NDC maintains that it performed well in the election held in the NPP’s stronghold but argues that the election was marred by vote buying on the part of the NPP.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled a by-election for the Assin North Constituency after the Supreme Court ruled that the election of James Gyakye Quayson as MP for the area in the 2020 election was unconstitutional, null, and void.
According to the court, Gyakye Quayson, at the time of filing his nomination to contest in 2020, had not renounced his Canadian citizenship.
Meanwhile, the NDC, ahead of the June 27, 2023, by-election, has indicated that it will maintain Gyakye Quayson as its candidate despite an ongoing criminal case against him.
In order to protect the ocean’s ability to regenerate,President Akufo-Addohas called on African countries to enhance their domestically defined contributions and adaptation strategies.
This would ensure that the ocean continues to deliver substantial economic, environmental, and social value for the continents’ development.
The President made the call when he opened the National Blue Economy Summit (NBES) in Accra on Wednesday.
The summit is on the theme “Our Ocean’s Health, Our Prosperity, Our Planet’s Security.” It brought together blue economy experts to brainstorm and drive policy on the marine ecosystem.
The objective of the two-day summit is to reverse marine pollution and enhance the management and restoration of the marine and coastal ecosystem of the nation.
It also aims to mobilise transformative ocean action to achieve the United Nations(UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Blue economy refers to the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods and jobs.
President Akufo-Addo explained that the health of the planet and the health of the peoples of the world are linked to the health of oceans, which are now under pressure from unsustainable fishing practices, pollution, marine debris, habitat loss, ocean acidification and climate change.
He told the gathering that the ocean, the lifeblood of the planet, generated half of the world’s oxygen supply, drove the global economy through transport trade, and provided food and sustenance, mineral resources, energy, employment, and livelihoods, as well as cultural recreation value for billions of people around the world.
“The consequences of neglecting the ocean are dire not just for the millions of people who depend on it for their livelihoods, but also for the health of our planet.
“There is therefore the need to preserve and protect the ocean and all its resources…We need to take decisive actions now to safeguard the ocean’s capacity to regenerate and continue to deliver substantial economic, environmental and social value for our development.”
President Akufo-Addo noted that in Ghana’s instance, its coastal exclusive economic zone stretches 218,00 square kilometres, and is home to over 7.5 million people.
Sadly, Ghana’s coastal and marine resources face significant threats in the form of biodiversity loss, pollution, ocean dumping, overfishing, illegal and unreported and unregulated fishing, piracy, and trafficking.
Those threats, the President said, “are avoidable” and the inability to deal with them held consequences for the livelihoods of many people, affecting food security prospects, critical infrastructure, important ecosystems and the security and stability of the entire African region.
“Like many other coastal African countries, the blue economy provides us with food, employment, and income. For instance, some 10 per cent of Ghana’s workforce is employed in the fishing sector which also accounts for 4.5 per cent of the country’s GDP.
“Additionally, 70 per cent of Ghana’s trade is carried by sea through the ports of Tema and Takoradi. We are well positioned to benefit from the ocean resources if sustainably managed,” he said.
The President thus proposed a five-point agenda for urgent action at the country and continental levels to protect the ocean, the planet, and the wellbeing of all.
He said the continent must prioritise sustainable management of its oceans by establishing and enforcing robust regulations to prevent overfishing and promote responsible fishing practices.
“We must collaborate closely with our international partners as well to establish marine protected areas, safeguarding critical habitats and promoting biodiversity conservation.”
Secondly, the President suggested that Africa deepens strategic partnerships and build a progressive coalition led by the private sector, academia, civil society organisations and community leaders, for enhanced ocean health and the accelerated development of communities.
He said the Continent must be deliberate in ensuring greater and smarter investments into ocean action.
President Akufo-Addo also urged investment in research and technological advancements and innovation to navigate the challenges to the blue economy to pave the way for a brighter future.
He also called for international cooperation, the sharing of data and research findings and collaboration on joint projects.
“We must recognize the interconnectivity of our global community and the need for international collaboration. The challenges facing the ocean transcend borders and no single nation can tackle them alone…We can leverage the collective wisdom and expertise of nations worldwide.
“Together, we can drive innovation, develop sustainable solutions, and address the pressing issues that threaten the ocean. The ocean is the life source of our planet, a healthy ocean, human wellbeing, and sustainable ocean management are inseparably interconnected,” he stressed.
He urged participants at the summit to, as a matter of urgency, propose policies that would help Ghana and the rest of the African continent protect its oceans and marine life.
