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Tag: President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

  • FLASHBACK: Why Akufo-Addo is ashamed to mention the word ‘corruption’ – Manasseh Azure Awuni explains

    The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, does not want to include the word “corruption” in his speeches due to his performance on the matter, according to investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.

    Manasseh noted that in none of the president’s addresses to the country in 2021, the word was used.

    And for the first time in 13 years, he added, “the president’s statement did not contain the words corruption, graft, or its analogues.”

    He added, “he [Akufo-Addo] is so guilty, and I think the word ‘corruption’ is now too heavy for him to mention, and that would be for anybody who has any sense of shame.”

    President Akufo-Addo has stopped mentioning the word ‘corruption’

    Manasseh said, it never featured in any of his SONA

    He assumed because the President is ashamed

     

    Manasseh Azure Awuni, an investigative journalist, has been explaining why President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is ashamed to mention ‘corruption’ in his speeches following an abysmal performance by his administration to fight the canker.

    Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express programme on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, Azure Awuni attributed the President’s failure to use the word ‘corruption’ in his speeches as a sign that he [Akufo-Addo] is feeling guilty.

    He said, in 2021 despite President Akufo-Addo giving two State of the Nation addresses, the word ‘corruption’ or any of its synonyms did not feature in his addresses.

    “And this was the first time in 13 years since the word corruption, graft or its synonyms failed to feature in the president’s statement,” Manasseh Azure Awuni said.

    He added, “he [Akufo-Addo] is so guilty and I think the word ‘corruption’ is now too heavy for him to mention and that would be for anybody who has any sense of shame.

    “You should be ashamed as a president to mention corruption or your fight against it if these are the realities on the ground.”

    The journalist made these remarks due to Ghana’s stagnated performance on the Corruption Perception Index, where Ghana managed to rake 43 points out of 100, just like it did the previous year.

    Transparency International report indicated that, “Ghana [has] failed to make progress in the fight against corruption in the year 2021 as the score of 43 is the same as the country’s 2020 score.”

    Ghana ranked 73 out of 180 countries/territories on the Index and 9th in Sub-Saharan Africa.

  • I need about GH¢2000 to fuel my car every 3 days – Sarkodie laments

    Sarkodie has opened up about how fuel price hikes is impacting his movement and his finances.

    The rapper in an interview on Joy FM’s Showbiz A to Z programme over the weekend told an audience that times are hard for him too despite his status.

    Asked about economic issues as pertains to recent times, he told host George Quaye: “I wouldn’t be able to have my hands on everything because at least thank God, we have moved from a certain stage where our problems may not necessarily be like the regular person on the street.”

    Specifically, on the fuel price hikes, he stated: “if myself I can have a level of hardship in certain things, it’s not hardship (per se) but it was a big shock, fuel prices is crazy. To fill my car now, I am hitting towards 2,000 cedis, which is serious.

    “You need about 2,000 cedis to be able to run around three days,” he lamented.

    Sarkodie, who is promoting his Jamz Album, recently told the media that he stood by his support for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his re-election bid in 2020 stressing that he had benefitted from the flagship Free SHS policy of the government.

    An economy in distress

    The economy is facing major headwinds that have been characterized by galloping inflation, consistent depreciation of the cedi and general high cost of living and of doing business.

    The government is hoping to reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for an economic support programme aimed at shoring up the economy and easing the burden on ordinary Ghanaians.

    President Akufo-Addo and his government have come under heavy scrutiny for failing to address the current economic challenges in the country.

    The prices of goods and services have been continuously rising all year round, with inflation currently at over 40 per cent.

    The Ghana cedi has been ranked the worst currency in the world among 148 currencies tracked by Bloomberg, overtaking Sri Lanka’s rupee, having depreciated by nearly 50 per cent so far in 2022.

  • Badly behaved leaders ‘magically’ expecting children to be better – Lydia Forson on Chiana SHS video

    Ghanaian actress, Lydia Forson, has shared her opinion regarding a viral video in which some students were captured using vulgar and unprintable words at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    In a 25-second video making rounds on social media, the group of girls who have been identified as second-year students of Chiana Senior High School in the Kassena Nankana West District were heard chastising the president in a manner that has been described as utterly ‘disrespectful’.

    The said video has since garnered backlashes from a large section of the public, including the Ghana Education Service, which has gone on to condemn the act and apologize to the president in a press statement spotted on social media.

    “Management of Ghana Education Service (GES) condemns this unfortunate act which is against every educational and moral principle in our society. We wish to also assure the general public that the outcome of the investigations will be more known as soon as it is concluded,” parts of the statement read.

    But Lydia Forson believes that the students’ conduct is as a result of learning all sorts of bad habits from prominent Ghanaian leaders over the period.

    In a long thread of Twitter posts, Lydia insisted that some government officials, including parliamentarians, have no moral right to chastise these students as they have been bad examples.

    “From radio, to television and even politicians fighting and stealing ballots in parliament, children are watching the adults in their lives behave poorly daily! How do we expect better, when we’re no better? We are failing these children.

    “We’re raising a generation of children who witness corruption, lack of accountability, and badly behaved leaders, and magically expect them to be better? We need to stop trying to hold children more accountable than the adults who’re supposed to set examples for them to emulate. A majority of people appalled by this video will be quiet about the adults these children are learning from. The sad thing is no one really cares about these children or wants better for them; it’s a talking point for politicians because of who they were insulting,” she wrote.

    To her, she said Ghanaian leaders are doing very little in terms of grooming young ones to take their place someday.

    “The sad thing is no one really cares about these children or wants better for them; it’s a talking point for politicians because of who they were insulting.

    “We expect so much from the “future leaders” of this country, but we’re doing very little to ensure they’re in a position to even lead. I’m always disgusted at how we berate young people in this country, like they shouldn’t have agency,” she added.

     

  • Closure of Twitter Africa office unfortunate – Akufo-Addo

    The shutdown of Twitter’s office in Africa has been referred to as unfortunate by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    He said that the closing of the bird app office in Africa was a part of a global restructuring under the new owner, Elon Musk, in an interview with media in the United States of America.

    He remarked, “I understand it is a component of a global restructuring of a company that is taking place under the new owner. It [Twitter Africa Office] was up not too long ago.”

    “I think that is very unfortunate that should take place. The more organisations like that have local outlets, the better for all of us,” President Akufo-Addo pointed out.

    Twitter on Thursday, November 10, 2022, laid off almost all its staff in Ghana which was home to its only office in Africa.

    This came after Elon Must bought the micro-blogging site at $44 billion.

    The Twitter Africa staff were sent messages which contained the details of their sacking after their inability to access their emails.

    According to reports, the mass firing followed news that Elon Musk had planned to eliminate nearly 75 percent of Twitter’s staff in an attempt to cut down its high debt.

     

  • Akufo-Addo avoided €20,000-an-hour luxury jets – Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been commended for avoiding his usual expensive luxury jets to fly commercially during his recent Ghana-Egypt-USA trip.

    According to Samuel Okudz Ablakwa, who has serially tracked presidential travels for the past two years, the president for the longest period avoided flying a €20,000-an-hour luxury jet.

    The North Tongu lawmaker indicated further that Akufo-Addo in his entire itinerary flew commercially until he arrived home on Friday, November 11, 2022, aboard British Airways.

    He is hopeful that since the country is seeking an IMF bailout, the president will continue flying commercially to save the Ghanaian taxpayer millions of cedis.

    “Since we started our unimpeachable tracking of President Akufo-Addo’s condemnable oligarchic travels some 2 years ago, this has been the longest period he’s avoided €20,000-an-hour luxury jets.

    “I can confirm that on his latest Ghana-Egypt-USA trip, the President flew commercial during his entire itinerary and returned Friday night (11/11/2022) aboard British Airways flight BA81 at 8:57 PM,” Samuel Okudzeto Ablakaw’s post on Sunday, November 13 read.

    “We all sincerely hope President Akufo-Addo will continue on this responsible path of saving the Ghanaian taxpayer millions of Cedis, especially when the IMF bailout arrives, he said.

    “We shall keep tracking, for God and Country. Ghana must be really broke,” Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stressed.

  • ‘Akufo-Addo’s ears are for decoration, he doesn’t hear’ – Sammy George 3 minutes

    Opposition Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has slammed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his refusal to sack Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    Speaking in a recent interview with Metro TV, lawmaker described the president as a stubborn person.

    “The president sits on his ears so he doesn’t hear when we talk. If the president hears and listens, forget NDC, his own party is telling him to change Ken Ofori-Atta. The president, he doesn’t hear. His ears are decoration. The ears on his head they are decorations, he doesn’t use them to hear. Something is in the president’s ear and we will take those things out on the 7th of December,” he said.

    “How can you be the president and the whole country is telling you to go in one direction, and you alone you say no? Why, is the country for you?” he questioned.

    Sam Nartey George was speaking on the sidelines of the NDC’s Greater Accra Regional Executives election.

    He further described President Akufo-Addo as an incompetent man with no knowledge on how to steer the affairs of the nation.

    “The man is clueless, the man is incompetent, the man is fed up. The man has absolutely no idea. Sack your cousin who is destroying the country that one too has become a fight. I mean he is more interested in flying private jets and speaking cockerel accent but when it comes to the real job, he has no idea,” he stated.

    President Akufo-Addo has been under pressure to sack his minister for finance amidst the nation’s rising inflation and economic hardship.

    Members of parliament from the president’s New Patriotic Party have become the latest group calling for the minister to be axed from the government.

    The minority in parliament made up of opposition members on Thursday, November 17, 2022, moved a motion for a vote of censure to be passed on the minister for finance.

    The speaker after admitting the motion and rejecting a preliminary objection to the motion by the majority side has referred the motion to an 8-member ad hoc committee to investigate the motion and make recommendations to the house.

    ‘Akufo-Addo’s ears are for decoration, he doesn’t hear’ – Sammy George

    Source: Ghanaweb 

  • Akufo-Addo is Ghana’s biggest problem not Ken Ofori Atta – Sammy Gyamfi

    The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is asking suffering Ghanaians to blame the myriad of economic hardships on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and not the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta.

    The National Communications Officer of NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, reminded Ghanaians to lay the blame on the president and not his debilitating finance minister while reacting to calls for the removal of the minister.

    He spoke on Accra 100.5 FM’s mid-day news on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.

    He explained that the finance minister is not the appropriate person to blame for the current economic hardships Ghanaians are experiencing under the watch of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) administration.

    “The financé minister could not have taken many of the decisions in running the country’s economy without the approval of the president,” he said.

    He was categorical to say that Ghana’s major problem is the president.

    He argued strongly that it is the president that had a social contract with the people of Ghana and not the finance minister.

    “It is the president who has breached the social contract he had with Ghanaians and not the finance minister,” he said.

    He was elated noting that all the president had erroneously said about the persona of former president John Dramani Mahama have turned out to play against him in government.

    “In 2016 at the time inflation was high during the NDC’s administration as compared to what is pertaining under the watch of the current president was low.

    “He then had the guts to ask the then-president to resign.

    “So, he should also do the honourable thing by resigning,” Mr Gyamfi stressed.

    He noted that the president is in control but not in charge because he is blinded by greed and selfish interest.

    The country is at a crossroads because of the failure of the president to assert his authority, he again said.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • ‘Did you borrow to support Ukraine?’ – Haruna Iddrisu asks Ofori-Atta

    The leader of the Minority Caucus of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has refuted assertions that the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic are the cause of the hardships in the country.

    According to Haruna Iddrisu, the only cause of Ghana’s economic challenges is Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta whose unbridled borrowing has led the country to this economic crisis.

    “We are told that he did well and that we are told that we should blame COVID and Ukraine. Did we borrow to support Ukraine? You didn’t borrow to support Ukraine.

    “And you want us to accept your reckless and irresponsible borrowing which has led us to where we are,” he said on the floor of Parliament while moving a vote of censure motion for the removal of Ofori-Atta.

    Haruna Iddrisu, who is the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, said that the finance minister has borrowed so much that the country must restructure its debts in order to survive.

    He intimated that Ghanaians should ignore the assurance given to them by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that they will not lose parts of their investment in government bonds and other investment portfolios because of the ongoing economic crisis.

    “You are in a ditch. Mr. Speaker the Ghanaian economy is a ditch. Accept it or not, we may have to restructure our debt in order to sustain this economy in the next two, three years.

    “I heard the president, Mr. Speaker, in the address to the nation say that there will be no haircut. There will be and there will be a barber of a sort, that barber may be ‘sika mpɛ dede’,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has referred a vote of censure motion filed by the Minority for the removal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to an 8-member ad hoc committee

    The committee is expected to make a determination on the removal of Ofori-Atta within 7 days.

    The speaker announced that the committee will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.

    Alban Bagbin added that the determination of Ofori-Atta’s removal will be made in consultation with the leadership of the House.

    The other Members of the committee from the minority caucus include the MP for North Tongu; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; MP for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.

    The committee members from the majority caucus are MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah; MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.

  • You’ll break the 8 for us to see – Countryman Songo to NPP

    Radio personality, Patrick Osei Agyemang known widely known as Countryman Songo has pooh-poohed the New Patriotic Party’s ‘break the 8’ agenda for the 2024 elections.

    Songo holds that the party will not be able to break the 8-year political cycle in the country due to some bad policies of the government.

    In a usual rant on his show, Songo fumed over certain developments in the country, particularly sports.

    He slammed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his infamous ‘sike mp3 dede rhetoric, claiming that the president is not perturbed because he is done with his term of office.

    “He is saying ‘sike mp3 dede’ because he knows he’s done with his 8 years. You claim you want to break the 8, do it and let’s see. They will break the eight for us to see. How can you sit in this country for people to fool us? They think we are foolish people so they don’t respect us” he said.

    Songo, like many Ghanaians is frustrated by the economic crisis which had led to a persistent rise in the prices of fuel and food commodities.

    Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta who is under pressure from both NPP and NDC MPs to resign has assured that measures are being instituted to revive the economy.

    Speaking at a meeting with the Association of Ghana Industries, Ken Ofori-Atta said Ghana remains the best destination to do business.

    “Let me assure you that you have a Finance Minister who has gone through all the pains and the aches, and nobody can really say we don’t understand what we are doing. The question is what resources do we have and how are we going to deploy them in the nation that we have and how do we stand firm in very difficult circumstances but being very confident?”

    “Let me assure you all that your best bet is still Ghana; we can do it, and we should do it,” the embattled Finance Minister said.

     

  • It feels good to be back – Watch Adwoa Safo’s first interview on her return to parliament

    The Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, expressed her delight at returning home and to parliament after being away from the jurisdiction for a long time.

    She explained that on her return, she received a good reception from her colleague MPs in parliament.

    Speaking to journalists after the close of Friday’s, November 11, 2022, proceedings in parliament, Sarah Adwoa Safo said that she was happy to be back.

    “I greet all my constituents. As their Member of Parliament, by the grace of God, I have finally returned to the Chamber… the reception has been good… I’m now back to continue my duties and today is the first day and I’m hoping that the subsequent weeks are going to be good.

    “It feels good to be back,” she said.

    The absence of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs from parliamentary work for nearly a year has been a source of contention and several controversies, with her colleagues on the same side of the House pushing for her seat to be declared vacant at one point.

    The MP had also earlier been summoned to appear before the Privileges Committee of Parliament for absenting herself from work for more than the period stated in the constitution, but she failed to show up.

    Also, in her absence, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo terminated her appointment as the Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.

  • ‘Did you borrow to support Ukraine?’ – Haruna Iddrisu asks Ofori-Atta

    The leader of the Minority Caucus of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has refuted assertions that the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic are the cause of the hardships in the country.

    According to Haruna Iddrisu, the only cause of Ghana’s economic challenges is Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta whose unbridled borrowing has led the country to this economic crisis.

    “We are told that he did well and that we are told that we should blame COVID and Ukraine. Did we borrow to support Ukraine? You didn’t borrow to support Ukraine.

    “And you want us to accept your reckless and irresponsible borrowing which has led us to where we are,” he said on the floor of Parliament while moving a vote of censure motion for the removal of Ofori-Atta.

    Haruna Iddrisu, who is the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, said that the finance minister has borrowed so much that the country must restructure its debts in order to survive.

    He intimated that Ghanaians should ignore the assurance given to them by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that they will not lose parts of their investment in government bonds and other investment portfolios because of the ongoing economic crisis.

    “You are in a ditch. Mr. Speaker the Ghanaian economy is a ditch. Accept it or not, we may have to restructure our debt in order to sustain this economy in the next two, three years.

    “I heard the president, Mr. Speaker, in the address to the nation say that there will be no haircut. There will be and there will be a barber of a sort, that barber may be ‘sika mpɛ dede’,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has referred a vote of censure motion filed by the Minority for the removal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to an 8-member ad hoc committee

    The committee is expected to make a determination on the removal of Ofori-Atta within 7 days.

    The speaker announced that the committee will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.

    Alban Bagbin added that the determination of Ofori-Atta’s removal will be made in consultation with the leadership of the House.

    The other Members of the committee from the minority caucus include the MP for North Tongu; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; MP for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.

    The committee members from the majority caucus are MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah; MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • I’m off Twitter, no new account will be created: Medikal

    Rapper Medikal has said categorically that he is off social media App Twitter and he will not be creating a new account.

    He disclosed this in what appears to be a Snapchat correspondence with social media notable Kalyjay.

    Earlier this week, the Medikal, alias MDK’s verified (blue tick) Twitter account of 320,000 followers was suspended.

    The specific reason is not known but it was observed that the ‘Stubborn Academy’ hitmaker prior to his suspension changed his account name to ‘Mr President’ and tweeted a picture of Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with the caption: #NewProfilePic.

    On Sunday, November 6, 2022, the new Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Elon Musk, announced via a tweet that “going forward” impersonation would not be tolerated on the App.

    “Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” he said.

    “Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning,” he added and revealed: “This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.”

    The richest person in the world, the South African billionaire also warned: “Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark.”

    Twitter recently announced it will be charging users a fee of $US7.99 per month to have the verification icon, aka blue tick.

    The move is apparently meant to shore up the social media giant’s flagging revenue generation.

  • We’re in this crisis because of Akufo-Addo’s stubbornness – Dr. Wereko Brobby

    A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, has berated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the current hardship in the country.

    According to him, Ghana’s economy is in this state because the president refuses to listen to sound advice.

    Dr Wereko Brobby, who made these remarks in a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, added that Akufo-Addo and his appointees are doing the same things he (Akufo-Addo) criticised the NDC government for when he was in opposition.

    “(The country) is in this current state because of stubbornness. Because from the beginning, we at Alliance for Change used to criticise the NDC for the size of their government, accusing them of squandering the country’s resources with the number of ministers they had appointed.

    “Now, this my brother (Akufo-Addo) comes to power, and the 85 ministers of Mahama we were complaining was too much, [he] increased it to 125. So, is this progress?

    “When we spoke about it, he said that the number of his ministers is insignificant but what matters is their output. This means that we criticised the NDC only to come and do worse than they did. This is why we are where we are today… If you decide not to take the advice on things we have spoken about, this is what happens. Today, inflation is over 40 percent, and it will be worse,” he said.

    Dr Wereko-Brobby added that the failure of the government to stabilise the nation’s currency and the prices of petroleum products is the cause of the hardships in the country.

    Source: Ghanaweb 

  • Kodua, others in parliament to ‘supervise’ NPP MPs conformity to ‘no vote of censure’ directive

    The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has been spotted in parliament as the house considers a motion by the Members of Parliament on the opposition side for the removal of Ken Ofori-Atta as the Minister of Finance.

    The National Democratic Congress MPs filed a motion in parliament on October 25, 2022, to be debated and voted on 14 days after its receipt by the Speaker of Parliament.

    Upon the maturity of the period, the house is considering the motion moved by the NDC MPs, and they have hoped that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs would support their call.

    This expectation is based on the fact that some weeks ago, some 80 NPP MPs took a historic stance when they called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately sack Ken Ofori-Atta over his poor performance.

    The MPs stated in their press conference that should the president fail to do this, they would begin boycotting government business in the house, including the reading of the 2023 budget statement and economic policy.

    This call has since been placed on hold after the president met with the NPP MPs and urged them to give the Minister of Finance time to complete some pressing government business, including his IMF request.

    But ahead of the hearing of the motion for a vote of censure against Ken Ofori-Atta, the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong, wrote a letter to its MPs, directing them to stay away from the vote.

    In the statement dated November 9, 2022, the national leadership said that “While the National Executive body acknowledges the prevailing socio-economic conditions in the country and the need for urgent remedial interventions, it is our utmost position that the demand of the NDC-led Minority Caucus is ill-intended and aimed at derailing government’s efforts at resolving current socio-economic upheavals.

    “The leadership acknowledges that the Minister for Finance is the leader of government’s negotiation team with the International Monetary Fund. Considering that negotiation with the IMF is nearly completed, the National Executive body of the Party strongly believes that the removal of the lead person spearheading the negotiation may adversely impact the progress made thus far.”

    On the day of the vote of censure, the NPP MPs, led by the MP for Effiduase-Asokore, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, stated in an interview that while they are bent on getting Ken Ofori-Atta out, they would not support the motion of the NDC MPs for a vote of censure against the minister.

    “We are here to reiterate that, however much you heard us speaking that based on the intervention of the president, we will have to see the minister of finance do his work, read budget, see through appropriation and then the president will act.

    “Over the days, we have heard the finance minister speaking and his speaking has influenced majority of us in the caucus, not only to state that we are back to the original position that we took, and that position is that the minister of finance must not be the one to read the budget, and must not be the one that would do the appropriation.

    “We are here to tell you this morning that this will be very soon for you to see, the position of us and we are going to be positively defiant about that posture until that action is taken. However, we are not going to support the cause of the NDC in the chamber this morning.

    “The cause of the NDC is premised on falsehood, propaganda and reasons that are not justifiable. Their position might look like ours but is not the same,” he said.

    The presence of the NPP General Secretary in parliament is therefore believed to be a sort of ‘supervisory’ one to ensure that the NPP MPs go by the directive for them to stay away from the vote of censure to take out the embattled Ken Ofori-Atta.

    Source: Ghanaweb 

  • Ofori-Atta should not be the one to present 2023 budget – NPP MPs remind Akufo-Addo

    The over 80 New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament who demanded that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo relieve Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta have reiterated their decision.

    According to the MPs, they are not in agreement with President Akufo-Addo’s request for Ofori-Atta to read and see the 2023 budget through appropriation.

    The MP for Effiduase-Asokore, Nana Ayew Afriyie, who spoke on behalf of the over 80 NPPs at Parliament on Thursday (November 10), said that they have decided that Ofori-Atta should not be the one to read the budget or lead the subsequent process.

    “Over the days, we have heard the finance minister speaking and his speaking has influenced majority of us in the caucus, not only to state that we are back to the original position that we took, and that position is that the minister of finance must not be the one to read the budget, and must not be the one that would do the appropriation.

    “We are here to tell you this morning that our position will be very soon for you to see, and we will be positively defiant about that posture until action is taken,” he said.

    The MPs, however, stated that they will not support the vote of censure being spearheaded by the minority caucus of the House because they do not agree with the reasons the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs cited.

    Source: Ghanaweb 

  • Today in History: Effect of coronavirus on the economy may go beyond 100 years – Bokpin

    Professor Godfred Alufar Bokpin projected that the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world may last for over 100 years before recovery sets in.

    “The reality is that the long-term effect of COVID-19 may go beyond a century. Because the world has witnessed 15 pandemic events and all of them leave behind long-lasting effects.

    “But we are in a better position to shorten that based on the measures we put in place today,” he added.

    An economist, Professor Godfred Bokpin, has predicted that the impact of the coronavirus on economies around the world may take a period of 100 years before these economies can recover.

    He however, noted that some countries are likely to recuperate quickly due to the prudent measures they have instituted to deal with the ravages of the virus.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has put a severe strain on government budgets, manifesting in petroleum revenue shortfalls as a result of plunging crude oil prices, shortfalls in import duties, other tax revenues, and non-tax revenues.

    Speaking at the Ghana Economic Forum on Monday, November 9, Prof Bokpin said “The reality is that the long-term effect of COVID-19 may go beyond a century. Because the world has witnessed 15 pandemic events and all of them leave behind long-lasting effects.

    “But we are in a better position to shorten that based on the measures we put in place today.

    “Looking at a recovery that is broad-based with every aspect doing what is expected of them because it is very critical in ensuring that we are able to finance the growth strategy.”

    In Ghana, a number of measures have been taken to ensure that the effect of the pandemic on the economy does not prolong.

    For instance, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) is supporting the government with GH¢10 billion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison said on 15th May 2020 that “Today, under the Bank of Ghana’s Asset Purchase Programme, the Bank has purchased a Government of Ghana COVID-19 relief bond with a face value of GH¢5.5 billion at the Monetary Policy Rate with a 10-year tenor and a moratorium of two (2) years (principal and interest).”

    Dr Addison added, “The Bank stands ready to continue with its Asset Purchase Programme up to GH¢10 billion in line with the current estimates of the financing gap from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also launched a GH¢600 million Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) business support scheme intended to support small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

    The fund was intended to provide relief to SMEs across the country that has been negatively affected by the disease.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • 5 healthy choices that can safeguard your money in hard economic times

    It is evident that indeed Ghana is not in normal times just like President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said in 2020.

    The general cost of living in the country has become quite expensive as reports have indicated that the ability of Ghanaians to afford basic needs of life has become somewhat impossible.

    Inflation has risen to 40.4% according to the Ghana Statistical Service.

    The Ghana cedi has also depreciated by more than 60% in the last three months.

    In all these happenings it is very important as individuals to prioritize healthy life choices.

    Inasmuch as staying healthy increases productivity, it also ensures that less money is spent on healthcare as an individual and as a country.

    However, these tips do not ensure maximum protection from diseases and ailments, but they can ensure that one has some level of buffering against them.

    1. Adopt healthy eating styles

    Adopting healthy habits can go a long way to save you from unnecessary spending as well as help you to live a healthier life.

    Begin by eating home-cooked meals. With this, you can know how to apportion the right amounts of varieties of nutrients you may need.

    Even though food prices have more than doubled, making bulk food purchases can help reduce the amount of money spent on food.

    Another aspect of cooking at home gives you the opportunity to bond with your family if you have one, a healthy recipe for living happier even during a turbulent period.

    2. Drink a lot of water/Fast sometimes

    Drinking a lot of water (in the right amount) is one way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Water has great health benefits for every human.

    It can also ensure that even without food, one will remain energetic and healthy.

    Those who are not able to afford three square meals must make sure to drink enough water to stay healthy.

    3. Develop a good saving and reward culture

    Even though the country’s financial standing looks gloomy as speculations of ‘haircuts’ prevail, it is still very important to save part of your income. This puts your mind at ease as fears of uncertainty are reduced.

    Having enough financial buffers gives some level of confidence to work harder to secure a comfortable future.

    4. Buy only what you need

    It is also important to cut impulse spending and only buy things that are needed. One must always choose what is important in order to stay afloat in hard economic times.

    5. Fasting

    Apart from religious reasons, fasting has numerous psychological and physiological benefits. Fasting may prevent obesity and aid in weight loss for persons who are overweight.

    It also improves metabolism. Fasting can also help save as you may not need to buy food on the days you decide to fast.

     

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Ghana committed to increasing share of renewable energy – Akufo-Addo

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured the global community of Ghana’s full commitment to increasing the country’s share of renewable energy in the energy mix.

    Speaking at a high-level event on Sustainable Energy for All, organised by Bloomberg Philanthropies, on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, President Akufo-Addo stated that: “We will continue to increase the share of renewable energy in our electricity generation mix, as well as explore the options of hydrogen gas and other clean energy sources to meet our energy needs”.

    According to President Akufo-Addo, “Energy transition has become a global responsibility for us all, especially in view of the impact of climate change, and the global energy crisis brought forth by the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.

    With Ghana being a signatory to the Paris Agreement and other international conventions which require the country to reduce her carbon dioxide emission levels, he indicated that it has become imperative for Ghana to develop plans and strategies toward the creation of a net-zero energy sector while aggressively pursuing the nation’s economic development.

    “Our updated Nationally Determined Contributions, under the Paris Agreement, affirm the country’s resolve to address the impacts of climate change, and build a resilient economy for our people,” he stressed.

    President Akufo-Addo continued: “Ghana’s position on energy transition is to continue the responsible exploitation of our natural resources for our development and transition at our own pace. The Government of Ghana is mindful of the actions of the developed countries in relation to energy transition and their effect on us”.

    To this end, he told the gathering that it has, thus, become necessary for the Government of Ghana to develop an Energy Transition Framework that will guide the country as the entire world moves toward realising net zero

    The President also said that the Government of Ghana, being mindful of the implications of such a framework and its implementation on the entire economy, directed the committee to undertake extensive stakeholder consultations, in addition to expert input, to produce the National Energy Transition Framework to guide its transition to a net-zero economy by 2070 in a just and equitable manner, as well as minimise possible stranded assets and job losses in the oil and gas sector.

    The total cost of the transition is estimated at five hundred and sixty-one billion dollars (US$561.8 billion), the President added.

    Energy transition

    President Akufo-Addo also addressed the high-level meeting on ‘Just Energy Transition’, where he indicated that Ghana has developed a National Energy Transition Framework to provide the vision and guidance for Ghana’s energy transition.

    In preparing this framework, the President stated that all existing policies were considered, and the programmes that are being implemented are geared toward achieving Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions.

    “Wide stakeholder consultations were held to ensure that the energy transition issues in various parts of the country were captured and addressed in the framework. These included organised and non-organised labour, market women, academia, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), Development Partners (DPs) and the international community,” he said.

    He explained that the framework provides the optimal and sustainable pathway for fuel supply security, diversified energy mix and cost-efficient electricity generation, with an estimated generation tariff of less than US$4.5cents per kilowatt-hour to accelerate the socio-economic development of Ghana.

    “Ghana aims to achieve universal access by 2024. The Energy Transition Framework will meet future electricity demand of 380 Terawatt-hours, with a corresponding installed capacity of 83 Giga-Watts. Ghana’s diversified energy mix will include 21 Gigawatts of renewable energy installed capacity, which will provide the opportunity to enjoy a greater share in the renewable energy carbon credit market,” he added.

    The President continued: “The transition will mitigate 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide of Green House Gas emissions, minimising energy-related indoor air pollution and associated diseases. It is estimated that 48,218 premature deaths will be avoided annually due to the improvement in air quality, resulting from the impact of the transition”.

    According to President Akufo-Addo, “Energy transition has become a global responsibility

  • Akufo-Addo urges developed world to redeem $100 billion in climate finance

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the developed world to redeem a 13-year-old pledge to make available $100 billion annually to help developing countries fight the scourge of climate change.

    This is because climate adaptation costs are currently outstripping current international public finance flows.

    “We must, as a matter of urgency, mobilise and scale up adaptation finance inflows, to ensure that vulnerable countries are able to meet their adaptation needs,” he said on Tuesday when he delivered Ghana’s national statement at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

    “It is critical, in this regard, that the developed world makes good its long-delayed pledge to mobilise and make available $100 billion annually to the poorer countries to assist in the fight against climate change, and commit, as agreed at COP 26 in Glasgow, to doubling resources for adaptation.”

    The UN climate change conference, more commonly referred to as Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, or COP27, is the largest annual gathering on climate action.

    The 27th conference, which follows a year of climate-related disasters and broken temperature records, seeks renewed solidarity between countries to reduce global carbon emissions and deliver actions critical to tackling the climate emergency.

    President Akufo-Addo noted that extreme climate occurrences, such as severe precipitation and floods, prolonged drought and heat waves are happening all over the world, both in the developed and developing worlds.

    “Climate change is a global emergency, and Ghana calls on all Parties to act with equity and a sense of responsibility,” he said.

    Africa, for her part, the President stressed, must commit herself to resolve the issue of climate change by implementing ambitious measures within her reach.

    With Africa’s vast land, he stated that Africa has the greatest potential to help decarbonize the world by absorbing carbon dioxide through regenerative agriculture, that requires less fertilisers, and reforestation with strong biodiversity content.

    “My government is happy to announce that Ghana is about to launch projects in these areas, which will tackle, at the same time, climate change at global and domestic levels, and social issues, by providing people with dignified and sustainable jobs, and I am also happy to announce that Ghana has launched her Energy Transition Framework, and is co-Chair of the Forest Climate Leaders’ Partnership with the United States of America,” President Akufo-Addo said.

    President Akufo-Addo was happy at the announcement made by the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, on the operationalisation of the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST), to help vulnerable countries meet their long-term challenges.

    He also called for a radical restructuring of the global financial architecture, as proposed by the African Finance Ministers, to accommodate the demands of the developing world is of urgent necessity, saying, “It is evident that with these poly-crises that it is not fit for purpose. I also urge those who hold African debt to commit to debt-for-climate swap initiatives.”

    Whilst urging the world to take a better look at Africa as “a land of opportunities and growth”, despite the dire situation most of the continent found itself in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Akufo-Addo stated that “as far as adaptation to climate change is concerned, nothing can happen without Africa”.

    He stressed that Africa had a massive role to play in the scheme of things considering the continent’s “vast, arable land, vibrant youth who aspire only to take their rightful place on the global scene, and a deeply rooted sense of innovation.”

    “It is Ghana’s hope that we will leave this Summit with bold and concrete decisions that will help the world tackle its most pressing challenges, help us achieve our climate goals rapidly, and provide the needed development and prosperity for all the peoples of the world. No one will win if Africa loses”, the President said.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Minority calls for a probe into Kelvin Taylor’s allegation that gov’t is training mercenaries for 2024 election

    The minority caucus of Parliament has called for an independent investigation into allegations that the government is training mercenaries at the seat of government, the Flagstaff House.

    According to the minority, allegations by broadcaster Kelvin Taylor indicating that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government intends to use these mercenaries to influence the 2024 elections are very serious and should be investigated.

    James Agalga, the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee who made these remarks in Parliament on November 8, 2022, also called on the international community to intervene.

    “(There are allegations of) recruitment and training of mercenaries by government operatives based at the Jubilee House to cause chaos and mayhem in the country and blame the political position.

    “Due to the seriousness of the allegations made and coupled with the involvement of government-sponsored armed tugs in the disruption of the Ayawaso West Wagon Constituency bye-elections, we demand an urgent independent probe into the allegation made,” he said.

    James Agalga also alleged that the government is creating a security apparatus loyal to the NPP and not the state by recruiting its party members in various positions.

    Meanwhile, Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has dismissed the call for a probe by the minority caucus in Parliament concerning the alleged training of mercenaries at the Jubilee House as part of the government’s plans towards the 2024 elections.

    Nitiwul described the allegations, first published by US-based social commentator Kevin Taylor, as “rubbish”, stressing that the government had no such plans whatsoever.

    He told journalists in Parliament on November 8, just after a press conference by the minority, that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was committed to handing over to a duly elected president in 2025.

    “Let me state to you that this president will hand over to the duly elected president of Ghana on January 7 2025. The duly elected president will be chosen by the people of Ghana.

    “Nobody will interfere in the choice of the people of Ghana. Not from the military, not from the police, not from any politician,” Nitiwul stressed.

  • Ghana committed to increasing renewable energy share – Akufo-Addo

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured the global community of Ghana’s full commitment to increasing the country’s share of renewable energy in the energy mix.

    Speaking at a High-Level Event on Sustainable Energy for All, organised by Bloomberg Philanthropies, on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the Ghanaian leader stated that “we will continue to increase the share of renewable energy in our electricity generation mix, as well as explore the options of hydrogen gas and other clean energy sources to meet our energy needs”

    According to President Akufo-Addo, “Energy transition has become a global responsibility for us all, especially in view of the impact of climate change, and the global energy crisis brought forth by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

    With Ghana being a signatory to the Paris Agreement and other international conventions, which require the country to reduce her carbon dioxide emission levels, he indicated that it has become imperative for Ghana to develop plans and strategies toward the creation of a net-zero energy sector, whilst aggressively pursuing the nation’s economic development.

    “Our updated nationally determined contributions, under the Paris Agreement, affirm the country’s resolve to address the impacts of climate change and build a resilient economy for our people”, he stressed.

    President Akufo-Addo continued, “Ghana’s position on energy transition is to continue the responsible exploitation of our natural resources for our development and transition at our own pace. The government of Ghana is mindful of the actions of the developed countries in relation to the energy transition, and their effect on us.”

    To this end, he told the gathering that it has, thus, become necessary for the government of Ghana to develop an Energy Transition Framework that will guide the country, as the entire world moves towards realising net zero.

    The president also said that the government of Ghana, being mindful of the implications of such a framework and its implementation on the entire economy, directed the Committee to undertake extensive stakeholder consultations, in addition to expert input, to produce the National Energy Transition Framework to guide its transition to a net-zero economy by 2070 in a just and equitable manner, as well as minimise possible stranded assets and job losses in the oil and gas sector.

    The total cost of the transition is estimated at US$561.8 billion), the President added.

    Energy Transition

    President Akufo-Addo also addressed the High-Level Meeting on “Just Energy Transition”, where he indicated that Ghana has developed a National Energy Transition Framework to provide the vision and guidance for Ghana’s energy transition.

    In preparing this framework, the President stated that all existing policies were considered and the programmes that are being implemented towards achieving Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions.

    “Wide stakeholder consultations were held to ensure that the energy transition issues in various parts of the country were captured and addressed in the framework. These included organised and non-organised labour, market women, academia, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), Development Partners (DPs) and the international community,” he said.

    He explained that the Framework provides the optimal and sustainable pathway for fuel supply security, diversified energy mix and cost-efficient electricity generation, with an estimated generation tariff of less than US$4.5 cents per kilowatt hour to accelerate the socio-economic development of Ghana.

    “Ghana aims to achieve universal access by 2024. The Energy Transition Framework will meet the future electricity demand of 380 Terawatt-hours, with a corresponding installed capacity of 83 Giga-Watts. Ghana’s diversified energy mix will include 21 Gigawatts of renewable energy installed capacity, which will provide the opportunity to enjoy a greater share in the renewable energy carbon credit market,” he added.

    The president continued: “The transition will mitigate 200 million tons of carbon dioxide of Green House Gas emissions, minimising energy-related indoor air pollution and associated diseases. It is estimated that forty-eight thousand, two hundred and eighteen (48,218) premature deaths will be avoided annually due to the improvement in air quality, resulting from the impact of the transition.”

  • Sacking Ken Ofori-Atta will offer Ghanaians a ray of hope – Nana Ofori to Akufo-Addo

    National Chairman of the Progressive People’s Party, Nana Ofori Owusu has backed the NPP MPs’ call for the dismissal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of the State at the Finance Ministry.

    Over 100 members of the Majority Caucus in Parliament are said to be in alignment with the petition that Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta must go.

    The MPs complain that he is no longer competent in his capacity coupled with other claims that he has lost credibility to front the IMF deal.

    But some have also questioned how the resignation or dismissal of one or two people can turn the fortunes of the country’s economy around.

    Joining “Kokrokoo” panel discussion programme on Peace FM, Nana Ofori Owusu believed strongly that sacking Mr. Ofori-Atta will give Ghanaians hope for a better Ghana and revive their confidence in government.

    “It brings hope. If it won’t change anything, why then do we vote for one person to become President and it lifts up the hopes of many?” he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.

    He however expressed disappointment in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for refusing to heed calls to dismiss the Finance Minister.

    “I have been shocked that government, majority MPs in Parliament have risen up in a manner that has never happened before that they want this person sacked and yet the President, the Executive has become adamant that they won’t allow for this thing to happen. Do you know what is happening? The confidence in our nation continues to be eroded.

    “I was shocked that I couldn’t move. I was stiff in my chair when the people in power recognized that there is a person giving them severe headaches and we still said we won’t make a change. How is it that somebody who has lost credibility in his own party…and you say this person should go and sit in front of IMF, front the programme and put together a budget and when he is done with that (budget preparation); the same person is going to ensure its implementation over the same rot (that the party in power), that the 80 plus MPs tell us he is the problem?”, he exclaimed.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Ghana committed to increasing share of renewable energy – Akufo-Addo

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured the global community of Ghana’s full commitment to increasing the country’s share of renewable energy in the energy mix.

    Speaking at an event on Sustainable Energy for All, organised by Bloomberg Philanthropies, on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, President Akufo-Addo stated that, “we will continue to increase the share of renewable energy in our electricity generation mix, as well as explore the options of hydrogen gas and other clean energy sources to meet our energy needs”

    According to President Akufo-Addo, “Energy transition has become a global responsibility for us all, especially in view of the impact of climate change, and the global energy crisis brought forth by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

    With Ghana being a signatory to the Paris Agreement and other international conventions, which require the country to reduce her carbon dioxide emission levels, he indicated that it has become imperative for Ghana to develop plans and strategies toward the creation of a net-zero energy sector, whilst aggressively pursuing the nation’s economic development.

    “Our updated Nationally Determined Contributions, under the Paris Agreement, affirm the country’s resolve to address the impacts of climate change and build a resilient economy for our people”, he stressed.

    President Akufo-Addo continued, “Ghana’s position on energy transition is to continue the responsible exploitation of our natural resources for our development and transition at our own pace. The Government of Ghana is mindful of the actions of the developed countries in relation to energy transition, and their effect on us.”

    To this end, he told the gathering that it has thus, become necessary for the Government of Ghana to develop an Energy Transition Framework that will guide the country, as the entire world moves towards realizing net zero

    The President also said that the Government of Ghana, being mindful of the implications of such a framework and its implementation on the entire economy, directed the Committee to undertake extensive stakeholder consultations, in addition to expert input, to produce the National Energy Transition Framework to guide its transition to a net-zero economy by 2070 in a just and equitable manner, as well as minimise possible stranded assets and job losses in the oil and gas sector.

    The total cost of the transition is estimated at five hundred and sixty-one billion dollars (US$561.8 billion), the President added.

    Energy Transition

    President Akufo-Addo also addressed the High-Level Meeting on “Just Energy Transition”, where he indicated that Ghana has developed a National Energy Transition Framework to provide the vision and guidance for Ghana’s energy transition.

    In preparing this framework, the President stated that all existing policies were considered and the programmes that are being implemented towards achieving Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions.

    “Wide stakeholder consultations were held to ensure that the energy transition issues in various parts of the country were captured and addressed in the framework. These included organized and non-organized labour, market women, academia, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), Development Partners (DPs) and the international community,” he said.

    He explained that the Framework provides the optimal and sustainable pathway for fuel supply security, diversified energy mix and cost-efficient electricity generation, with an estimated generation tariff of less than US$4.5cents per kilowatt hour to accelerate the socio-economic development of Ghana.

    “Ghana aims to achieve universal access by 2024. The Energy Transition Framework will meet future electricity demand of 380 Terawatt-hours, with a corresponding installed capacity of 83 Giga-Watts. Ghana’s diversified energy mix will include 21 Gigawatts of renewable energy installed capacity, which will provide the opportunity to enjoy a greater share in the renewable energy carbon credit market,” he added.

    President continued, “the transition will mitigate 200 million tons of carbon dioxide of Green House Gas emissions, minimising energy-related indoor air pollution and associated diseases. It is estimated that forty-eight thousand, two hundred and eighteen (48,218) premature deaths will be avoided annually due to the improvement in air quality, resulting from the impact of the transition.”

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • We’ll need funding to organize more protests – Kpebu addresses low numbers at demo

    Martin Kpebu, the lead convener of the November 5 ‘Kume preko Reloaded‘ protests has revealed that there will be more protests across the regions in the coming weeks.

    Kpebu led hundreds to march on the streets of Accra principally demanding the resignation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo citing mismanagement of the economy and general hardship.

    In an interview on Joy FM, November 7, Kpebu said the group he led was undertaking an assessment of how the protest went admitting that the number that attended the protest was not big enough.

    “We are still debriefing, it is quite a process. We’ll have other meetings to analyse but even before we were done with this one, we had received invitations from people in Kumasi, Takoradi, and even Tamale to come.

    “So we’ll need funding,” he told hosts on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show.

    In seeking to explain the low turnout, Kpebu stated on Akan-Speaking Asempa FM: “The numbers will improve because they saw that they were not attacked by the police and we also conducted ourselves well.”

    Kpebu speaks at protest

    Kpebu led hundreds of demonstrators who marched through the capital on Saturday demanding the immediate resignation of President Akufo-Addo over Ghana’s current economic woes.

    Addressing protesters during the march, he said: “We are dying; citizens are dying; citizens can’t afford food; citizens are starving all because of misgovernance by President Akufo-Addo.

    “It never happened that you have a president in office and every time that the country borrows, the president’s family becomes richer; how? This can’t continue.

    “We can’t borrow all the time and have Databank becoming richer all the time. Citizens have a duty as stated in Article 41 [of the Constitution] to ask the president to resign and this is not the first time that a president of Ghana is going to resign,” Martin Kpebu said.

  • Akufo-Addo leads Ghana’s climate negotiators to COP 27

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will lead Ghana’s delegation of climate negotiators to this year’s 27th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 27) in Egypt.

    COP 27, scheduled for November 7 to 18, would be hosted in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, and will provide the platform for climate activists and negotiators to discuss, propose actions and make decisions towards facilitating the implementation of the various Articles of the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact.

    At a Pre-COP media briefing organised by Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation in Accra, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, sector Minister, said Ghana’s team was ready to present the real needs of the African people at the conference.

    “Ghana will participate actively at the negotiations, and the Presidency implementation summit and also host a number of events at the Ghana Pavilion.

    “We will launch the Article six framework and sign some additional bilateral agreements with Sweden and Singapore. Other sectors will host events relating to their mandate, i.e., energy, forestry, transport, finance etc,” Dr Afriyie stated.

    He said Ghana, which host the Presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), would also demand as a moral right, funds from the developed world to address issues of loss and damage being experienced by Africa due to greenhouse emissions from the big polluters.

    He argued that Africa, which continues to feel the highest impact of the climate change phenomenon but contribute just less than five percent of such emissions needed to be helped to mitigate and adapt to such impacts.

    He said the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change report released in February this year, projected the likelihood of some 118 million vulnerable people in Africa being affected by the impact of climate change by the year 2030 if nothing is done to curb climate issues.

    “With regard to loss and damage, Ghana recognises the impact of loss and damage on women, youth, children and other vulnerable groups and calls for the integration of these groups.

    “Finance for loss and damage is key…We expect delivery of new climate finance under the New Collective Quantifies Goal on climate Finance… We will follow up with our CVF colleagues and push to ensure that is achieved.”

    Meanwhile, altogether, 322 Ghanaian activists from both state and non-state institutions have registered on the government’s portal to attend and participate in COP27.

    Dr Afriyie explained that of the total, participants from government institutions account for 226, while those from non-state actors are 72 and those belonging to the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) are 24.

    “Half of the number on the government platform are NGOs and partner institutions who decided to go through some institutions to be registered.

    Therefore, the actual government staff attending the COP is about 150…People attending this will be participating in diverse programming including negotiations, workshops, side events and bilateral meetings. Sponsorships is also form diverse sources.”

  • Government secures 12.8 million Euros to modernise TVET – President

    According to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the government has received 12.8 million euros from Austria to upgrade 10 Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) schools in Ghana.

    In order to strengthen the TVET sector, Planet One of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also invested an estimated 392 million Euros in NVTI infrastructure development.

    At a spectacular durbar in Sunyani on Saturday that served as the culmination of the 55th Anniversary celebration of the Sunyani Technical University, President Akufo-Addo made this statement in a speech that was delivered on his behalf by Mr. Michael Okyere Baafi, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.

    It was on the theme: “STU, 55 Years of Progress and Achievement in TVET Education: Mobilising Excellence for Leadership in Ghana’s Industrialisation Agenda”.

    The Government had, since 2007, created a strong foundation for TVET due to its importance to the nation’s socio-economic development, he said.

    The rehabilitation and upgrading of laboratories and workshops in technical universities and institutes remained one of the key projects undertaken by the government to uplift skills training in the country.

    The project, which cost some 199 million US dollars, was a collaboration between Ghana and its Chinese partners through the AVIC International Holding Corporation of China.

    This was to provide state-of-the-art equipment for 13 technical institutes and 10 technical universities to enhance skills training in these institutions.

    Professor Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, the Vice-Chancellor of the STU, expressed concern over the deplorable condition of access roads to the University and appealed to the Government to provide an asphaltic overlay on the four-kilometer-long campus road, in addition to the one-kilometer Waterloo section, which remained unpaved.

    He appealed for the construction of a pedestrian footbridge across the Sunyani-Kumasi Highway in front of the University to save students from the frequent knockdowns by motorists.

    Prof. Adinkrah-Appiah commended President Akufo-Addo for the support, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND), to complete the basement of the Science Park Project, but expressed regret over the yearly allocation for the only GETFUND project at the University, saying it was woefully inadequate.

    Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, said
    technical education remained crucial to the nation’s industrialization agenda, which sought to transform the economic structure from primary to secondary.

    “In view of this, the New Patriotic Party-led Government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that technical education is given the needed impetus to drive the transformation to industrialization and accelerated socio-economic development of the country,” she said.

    The STU started as the Sunyani Technical Institute (SUTECH) in 1967 to provide Middle School leavers the opportunity to undergo hands-on training in craft programmes.

    Those were intermediate block-laying and concreting carpentry and joinery, electrical installation, and motor vehicle mechanics.

    The institute was turned into a polytechnic in1997 and 19 years later, (2016), it was converted to the STU, with a new mandate to provide higher education and award its own degrees, diplomas, and other certificates.

    The courses include Engineering, Science and Technology, TVET, as well as Applied Arts and related disciplines as enshrined in the Technical Universities Act 2016 (ACT 922 as amended).

  • Economic crisis: Ghana not in a state of apocalypse – Former deputy AG

    Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, a former deputy attorney general, has urged Ghanaians to continue having faith in the government to ease their current financial difficulty.

    He said that, like other nations, Ghana was experiencing economic difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and other domestic issues.

    The former Member of Parliament for Tempane in the Upper East Region, however, issued a warning against making comments that would erode investor confidence and stated, “Let’s not give the image that we’re in a moment of Apocalypse.”

    “If we don’t take care, we’re going to continue to hammer certain points and create market distortions then the price increases would continue to be taken advantage of by traders and all of us will be in it,” Mr Kpemka said.

    He said this during a discussion on the current state of the economy on a local TV station on Saturday.

    He said he was confident that the President’s 12-points policy agenda outlined during his address on the economy on October 30, would make the economy “get back on its toes and take off to the land of glory”.

    The former Legislature, therefore, encouraged all Ghanaians to give their support to the President, and said: “I’ve not heard the president say that our cups are flowing with milk and honey”.

    “As a country, what we’re supposed to be doing now is to reflect on our past, reflect on our present and chart a good path in the future to rebuild our economy to become the buoyant one that we want it to be as it started in the past,” Mr Kpemka said.

    Dr Smart Sarpong, a Political Scientist, asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to “take complete responsibility [of the current economic difficulty] and help save the situation. ”

    He said it had become necessary for the President to make strategic changes in the team handling the economy, including Ministers, noting that such a move would “inspire some additional hope in the people”.

    Mr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, a Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, called for details of the economic policies and programme solutions the President outlined to be made public to inspire confidence.

    “The President addressed us to give us hope, but he may not be able to give us the details in that presentation. The expectation is that after the President’s presentation, his Ministers should be giving us detailed information about what the President meant, instead of telling us that it would be in the 2023 budget,” he said.

    President Akufo-Addo in his address last Sunday said the Government would among others, restore macroeconomic stability in about six months with a focus on debt sustainability to promote inclusive growth and protect the poor.

    That would be done through the country’s homegrown economic programme with support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan support, and a further 30 per cent cut in salaries of political office holders.

    The President also said there would be a review of the standards needed for imports into the country and ensure that enough local production of rice, poultry, vegetable oil, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water, and ceramic tiles was prioritised.

  • Bridget Otoo disassociates herself from birthday wish to Ken Ofori-Atta by TV station

    Broadcast journalist, Bridget Otoo, has reacted to a tweet shared by her employers, Metro TV, wishing the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, a happy birthday.

    Retweeting the post, she captioned it with a rhetorical question, asking the TV station, “You and who?”

    The original post by the station read, “All of us at #MetroTV wish Ken Ofori-Atta a happy birthday. Enjoy today Sir.”

    Bridget joins the tall list of celebrities fanning for the minister to be discharged of his duties for how poorly he has performed in his role as the chief financial employee of the government.

    The country has experience unprecedented economic downturns since the stated of the year, in what many have described as ‘the worst time in our economic history’.

    Aside from that, calls for the dismissal of the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Ken Ofori-Atta, have heightened in the last couple of weeks following the wobbling state of the economy.

    Although netizens have taken to social media to whine and call for the dismissal of the finance minister, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has mounted a spirited defence of his appointee, indicating that he needs three weeks for him to finalise the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.

     

     

  • Ghana cedi has depreciated by over 62% in 10 months – John Mahama

    The country’s current economic situation, which former president John Dramani Mahama feels has led to deteriorating living circumstances over a number of decades, has drawn his attention.

    He asserts that Ghana’s economy has been thrown into crisis after crisis over the last few years, with essentially no end in sight.

    The former president said that the Ghana cedi has experienced the highest-ever depreciation against the US dollar this year in a tweet posted on Friday, November 4, 2022.

    “In the last few years, our economy has lurched from crisis to crisis, ultimately resulting in the most debilitating living conditions in several decades,” John Mahama wrote.

    “Within a space of ten months, our currency has depreciated by over 62% against the US$, which is the highest in recent memory,” he added.

    The current economic challenges in Ghana have reached unprecedented levels as citizens, businesses, and residents have been grappling to make ends meet in rather turbulent times.

    Ghana’s local currency has since been ranked by Bloomberg as the worst performing in the world against the US dollar, overtaking the Sri Lanka rupee.

    Bloomberg, at the time of the ranking, said the cedi had tumbled by about 50 percent to the US dollar.

    This has resulted in an upsurge in the cost of living, persistent fuel price hikes, job losses, worker agitations, and general frustration among the Ghanaian populace, which has been brewing for months.

    Although President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has formally admitted the country has been plunged into a crisis, hopes of securing an IMF support programme to restore macroeconomic stability have been put into question by economic experts.

     

  • ‘Ken Must Go’ now a Majority Caucus agenda – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

    Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader, has stated that the entire Majority Caucus in Parliament, now support calls for the dismissal of Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister.

    According to him, even though the issue started with over 90 NPP MPs who organised a press conference to demand the removal of the embattled minister else they boycott any government business in the House, the entire Majority Caucus now aligns with the position of the group.

    The Suame MP speaking at a news conference on Thursday, November 3, 2022, explained, “even though the issue started with the group of 80 plus, the caucus meeting aligned with the position of that group, so it is no longer the cause of the 80 plus MPs. It is the agenda for the entire caucus and we are having some discussions on that.”

    The Majority Leader who is also the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs had earlier stated on Accra-based Joy FM that there had been an attempt by a wealthy businessman to influence the MPs who organised the press conference to back down on their decision.

    “I’m told on authority that some businessman came here and tried to do something. I was told that he came here and tried to mediate in his own way what he thinks the problem is…he was repelled by the people and told he was told not to involve himself. So he went away,” Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told Joy News in an interview.

    “With particular reference to the attempted bribery, it’s come before me. We’ll investigate if it is true and if it is true, establish the motive of that person. Sometimes, these things come up.

    “You remember the issue of a minister who was nominated to appear before the vetting committee. There was an allegation that he had attempted to bribe some people or influence some people. Eventually, it turned out to be – I will not say falsehood – but an untruth,” he stated further.

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had already appealed to the NPP MPs to allow Ken Ofori-Atta to stay in office until the IMF negotiations and the 2023 Budget statement is presented.

    He made this appeal in a meeting with the MPs at the Jubilee House shortly after they held the October 25 press conference to demand the sacking of Mr. Ofori-Atta.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Economic crisis: ‘What I see coming is not looking good’ – Ken Thompson kneels on TV, begs Akufo-Addo

    As communities, businesses, and citizens have been struggling to make ends meet in somewhat unsettling times, the current economic troubles in Ghana have reached historic proportions.

    The local currency has lost almost 50% of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of this year, and the cost of living, fuel price increases, job losses, labor agitations, and general discontent among the Ghanaian population have been rising for months.

    Although President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has formally admitted the country has been plunged into a crisis, hopes of securing an IMF support programme to restore macroeconomic stability have been put into question by economic experts.

    Chief Executive Officer of Dalex Finance, Ken Thompson, has made a passionate appeal to President Akufo-Addo to fix the ailing economy which is facing distress on all levels.

    The Dalex Finance CEO speaking in an interview on Accra-based Citi TV’s ‘Face to Face’ segment on November 1 knelt, facing the camera, and cautioned the president over what he believes is a dire economic situation that will further hit Ghana.

    The 61-year-old finance expert said, “His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo If you’re watching, what I can see coming is not looking good…I can see poverty, job losses, business closures, prices of utilities going up”

    “Growing up, I lived through the crisis in the 1970s as I witnessed my parents come back from England. My mother at the time bought a new brand car which she eventually could not repair after the car was involved in an accident.”

    “I can remember how our room carpets became threadbare, our living room chairs and tables broken, and how we started wearing second-hand clothes due to the economic hardship…I have seen it all, but I am 61-years-old and I cannot do much about what is currently happening in Ghana but you [President Akufo-Addo] can and I am begging you to please take decisive action to move the country forward. Thank you, sir,” he concluded.

     

  • Ghanaian traders, businessmen are making life unbearable – Hassan Ayariga

    Hassan Ayariga, a lawmaker in Ghana, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to establish a standard to regulate the cost of food products on the market.

    The politician accuses some market vendors of intentionally raising prices while blaming the government in a Daily Graphic post on Facebook.

    The APC leader claimed that traders are making life difficult for citizens and blaming the dollar for it.

    “Prices of foodstuffs such as local bananas, pawpaw, coconut, salt, okro, cassava, kontomire, palm oil, koko, Fura and Wassa Wassa have gone up astronomically in the market.

    “Even when all these items are all grown in Ghana, those commodity’s prices have been doubled in the markets and we still blame the dollar. Ghanaian traders and businessmen are making life unbearable for fellow Ghanaians.

    “Government should institute a price guarantee and control system to control prices of goods and services in the system.”

  • Removing Ken Ofori-Atta will take about 2 months – Nana Akomea to critics

    The Intercity State Transport Corporation’s (STC) Managing Director, Nana Akomea, has defended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for standing by his decision to keep Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in office despite repeated calls for his ouster.

    Over 90 lawmakers from the government’s New Patriotic Party demanded Mr. Ofori-Atta’s dismissal last week, but the President stepped in and instructed them to wait until the Minister finished Ghana’s agreement with the IMF (IMF).

    However, some people have questioned the President’s decision asking in the unfortunate incident that the Finance Minister is incapacitated, will the President not find a suitable replacement?

    Responding to the calls for Ken Ofori-Atta‘s dismissal, Nana Akomea says, “if you decide to appoint a new Finance Minister, it will take another two months. From nomination, when you nominate, it has to be there for 21 days or something before Parliament can sit and so forth. Even if you speed up the process, it will still cover one month”.

    “Has the IMF complained that the Finance Minister is not doing well? If you remove him, it’s just aesthetics?”, he also asked.

    Nana Akomea made these comments during Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” discussion programme.

  • Price Hikes: Drivers, traders call for price control measures

    Some taxi drivers and small-time merchants in Accra have requested that the government implement a price control measure to manage the costs of goods and services.

    They said that in order to safeguard the weak and the destitute, the government needed to restrict pricing due to the country’s economic difficulties.

    In response to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s televised speech on the economy on Sunday, the drivers and traders told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that some wholesalers were unfairly taking advantage of the economic situation and that they feared things might get worse if the government did nothing to control prices.

    They said the Government must engage producers, manufacturers and importers in determining prices of goods and services and task the police and military to ensure compliance with agreed prices.

    “Some of our members who are wholesalers increase prices although their stocks are old, but as petty traders we are compelled to buy at those prices and it’s affecting our businesses, so the President and his government must send the military men into the shops to stop that…”

    The President in his televised address asked traders not to make utmost profits out of the current economic challenges.

    He said the Government was working to restore and sustain macroeconomic stability within the next three to six years with focus on ensuring debt sustainability to promote durable and inclusive growth while protecting the poor.

    The Ghanaian economy has for the past months faced difficult times due to high interest rate, depreciation of the Cedi against the United States Dollar (USD) and the continuous increase in fuel prices leading to increases in prices of goods on the market.

    Patrick Nyarko, a Petty Trader, said the daily increase in prices of goods was affecting their businesses badly but hopeful that the President would take a “strong” decision on pricing in the country “to give hope to the citizenry”.

    “For us retailers, our situation is worse. Some of our businesses have collapsed but I have some hope in the President’s speech and we pray that he does something to control the price for us.”

    Daniel Ofoe Zutovi, a Commercial Driver, said it was time the Government controlled prices and that the citizenry was looking up to him to fulfill his promise of restoring confidence in the economy.

    Mr Zutovi said: ” We are worried about the future of the younger generation, at least we are old people but if the economic hardship is not addressed, our younger generation will suffer in the near future, so the prices must be controlled.”

    “Everything is now expensive, even the price of Apketeshie (local gin) has gone up, we cannot make ourselves happy anymore, so the President must control the prices,” another Commercial Driver, Samuel Ofosu, said.

    Meanwhile, Mr. Clement Boateng, Vice President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), said price control would not be possible.

    He said price variation was the order in a liberalised market, so prices could not be controlled.

    The GUTA Vice President said it was true that some members
    of the Association were taking undue advantage of the situation and said the executive was engaging them.

  • Ofori-Atta releases 4 major statutory payments to MPs after ‘Ken Must Go’ protest

    It has come to light that four significant statutory payments have been made, days after a number of New Patriotic Party MPs publicly called for the resignation of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Minister of State at the Ministry Charles Adu Boahen.

    Charles Adomako-Mensah, NDC-MP for the Ashanti Region’s Afigya Kwabre North Constituency, verified the payments.

    He was answering a question by the host of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Randy Abbey on developments after their October 25 demand via a press conference at the precincts of Parliament.

    The four payments made so far are in respect of Common Fund (Quarters 1 and Two), MPs Moni Monitoring and Evaluation (Second quarter), Q1 and Q2 of District Common Fund as well as the Disability Relief Fund to districts.

    After confirming the payments individually, the MP added: “That is true, it is true. The payments were supposed to come and there were delays, and it has been paid. It is true.”

    Reacting to a shocked co-panellist in the person of Kwesi Pratt, the MP added: “Uncle Kwasi, these are statutory payments, there were delays fortunately they have been paid, thank God, they have been paid…they’ve been paid because they have to be paid.

    “I am not too sure if it was because of the demands …the fact that it was after but I am not too sure if it was because of the demands,” he stressed.

    “Oh Randy, delays in Common Fund payments are not something new,” Adomako-Mensah added.

    The demand for Ofori-Atta’s removal sent shockwaves in the polity with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hurriedly arranging a meeting with the disgruntled MPs.

    Their demand was premised on the tanking Ghanaian economy headed by the embattled minister but a deal was reached to allow Ofori-Atta to stay in office to conclude initial talks with the International Monetary Fund and also present the 2023 budget and oversee the passage of its appropriation.

  • Creative Arts Agency responsible for ‘under bridge’ decoration – Akufo-Addo’s daughter

    Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, one of the daughters of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has denied an alleged US$25 million payment to paint parts of Accra.

    According to her, the projects were privately conceived and funded, contrary to speculations that it was from a government contract.

    She described the persons behind the allegation as “shameless”

    In a response, Ms Akufo-Addo stated that the Creative Arts Agency, which she heads, solely conceived, managed, and financially undertook the projects through its own fundraising activities.

    “For the avoidance of any doubt, it is important to state that these projects were solely conceived, managed, and financially undertaken by The Creative Arts Agency, through its own fundraising activities.”

    “It is a complete fabrication being propagated by some shameless persons, and which, unfortunately, has been published by sections of the media.

    “This project was not embarked upon to make profit, and there have been no lucrative contracts awarded for it,” she said in a press statement issued on Wednesday.

    There have been allegations that Gyankroma Akufo-Addo had been paid US$25 million to paint parts of the capital city.

    In her denial, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo stressed “I have instructed my lawyer to seek redress in the law courts against persons and media houses that published these falsehoods with the sole intention of destroying my reputation.”

    Below is the full statement by Gyankoma Akufo-Addo:

    CREATIVE ARTS AGENCY

    In August 2018, Art for All was conceived. Its purpose was to beautify our capital city of Accra, to give a platform to our Ghanaian artists, to build art appreciation for its audience, and to serve as beautiful backdrops for videos, or photoshoots and be a tourist attraction.

    Each site had a six-week workshop process to identify themes, locations, and artists. Each site was paid for with funds largely from the private sector, sourced solely by the Creative Arts Agency. No contract to paint a succession of bridges or underpasses has either been conceived, has ever been offered, or has ever been accepted. Indeed, any tender or contract awarded for such a project would have been made public.

    For the avoidance of any doubt, it is important to state that these projects were solely conceived, managed, and financially undertaken by The Creative Arts Agency, through its own fundraising activities.

    Site 1, Ako Adjei, was funded by the private sector.

    Site 2, Tetteh Quarshie, was paid for by myself, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo.

    Site 3, was completed through the generosity of the creatively minded Ben Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas, who understands its social community importance.

    The paint used for each site, again, was provided by Coral Paints and its CEO, who understand the importance of pushing the visibility of Ghanaian artists. The absurdity of $25 million, or any amount for that matter, being awarded to myself to undertake this project is a disgusting narrative.

    It is a complete fabrication being propagated by some shameless persons, and which, unfortunately, has been published by sections of the media. This project was not embarked upon to make a profit, and there have been no lucrative contracts awarded for it.

    All efforts to undermine my credibility through the publication of these falsehoods and baseless lies will not wash. I have instructed my lawyer to seek redress in the law courts against persons and media houses that published these falsehoods with the sole intention of destroying my reputation.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

     

  • I wish Ken Ofori-Atta wouldn’t wait for Akufo-Addo to tell him to leave – Kwesi Pratt

    Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has revived the calls for the dismissal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    Over 90 members of the Majority Caucus in Parliament have reportedly signed a petition to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remove his Finance Minister and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen.

    The Members of Parliament threatened to boycott the presentation of the 2023 Budget and all government business which willl be laid before the Legislative House if the President refuses to sack the two appointees.

    Nonetheless, Mr. Ofori-Atta remains at post as the President, in an emergency meeting with aggrieved MPs, asked them to allow the Finance Minister to conclude the IMF deal.

    Contributing to Peace FM’s morning show “Kokrokoo”, Kwesi Pratt called on the Finance Minister to do the needful.

    “I wish Ken Ofori-Atta had resigned . . . I wish he wouldn’t wait for the President to tell him to leave before he does,” he emphasized.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Ghanaian traders, businessmen are making life unbearable – Hassan Ayariga

    Hassan Ayariga, a lawmaker in Ghana, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to establish a standard to regulate the cost of food products on the market.

    The politician accuses some market vendors of intentionally raising prices while blaming the government in a Daily Graphic post on Facebook.

    The APC leader claimed that traders are making life difficult for citizens and blaming the dollar for it.

    Read his full statement below:

    “Prices of foodstuffs such as local bananas, pawpaw, coconut, salt, okro, cassava, kontomire, palm oil, koko, Fura and Wassa Wassa have gone up astronomically in the market.

    “Even when all these items are all grown in Ghana, those commodity’s prices have been doubled in the markets and we still blame the dollar. Ghanaian traders and businessmen are making life unbearable for fellow Ghanaians.

    “Government should institute a price guarantee and control system to control prices of goods and services in the system.”

  • Akufo-Addo did not say he will sack Ofori-Atta, Adu Boahen – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu clarifies

    In a statement he signed, Suame MP and Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu clarified some of what President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pleaded with the Majority MPs to allow Ken Ofori-Atta to propose the 2023 budget and wrap up Ghana’s talks with the IMF.
    The appeal was made following a press conference called by the majority of MPs calling for the resignation of the finance minister.

    The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs claims that the president did not categorically state that he would fire Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen following the IMF negotiations and the reading and appropriation of the 2023 Budget when he met with Majority MPs.

    He explained in a Joy News interview monitored by GhanaWeb that, “the President did not say that. To quote his words, he said ‘let’s finish with this, the IMF and the budget thereafter, we should hold on until after these’.”

    Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu continued that the president’s statement could result in an ‘either or’ decision.

    “It could be. I mean, either of them is subject to interpretations that ‘okay hold on after the events then we come back and discuss,’ or ‘hold on after the event I will act.’

    “’I will act’ may not necessarily mean that ‘I will do that’. According to what the President told us, you hold on until…so it could be that ‘I’ll come back to consider it’ or ‘I’ll give in to your demands’.

    “The plea was – hold on until after these events, the IMF discussions and the budget. In fact, I even added when there appeared to be some unclarity about what happens after the presentation of the budget, I said no if the budget is presented by a person, you’d require that same person to shepherd the appropriations.

    “And that is how come for the avoidance of doubt I said let us include the appropriation so that there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that after the budget has been read then agitations will start again,” Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted.

    About 95 NPP MPs demanded the immediate dismissal of the Finance Minister.

    The MPs at a press conference stated that the continuous stay of Ken Ofori-Atta in office was delaying the IMF bailout the country is seeking due to the fact that the Minister has lost all credibility.

    They demanded the President to either remove him or face a boycott of his business in Parliament.

    The President, however, appealed to them for more time for the embattled Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to conclude negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before any talks of resignation.

  • Cement prices increase again?

    According to reports, cement is now selling for GHC 95, up from GHC 80 around two weeks ago.

    Ghanaian broadcaster Bridget Otoo complained that the impact on the country’s businesses’ ability to survive the price increase has grown intolerable.

    In a tweet, Bridget Otoo remarked that since August 2022, the product’s price has grown by more than 30 cedis.

    She called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take charge of the economy and reduce the hardships for Ghanaians.

    “Are you people not tired? How can you increase cement again to 95 cedis?
    @NAkufoAddo pretend to be in charge and let things work. Our businesses are collapsing! How can cement prices go up by more than 30 cedis since August? how?” she wrote.

    Manufacturers of the product had attributed the upward adjustment to the depreciation of the cedi.

    According to them, most of their raw materials are imported, therefore as the cedi falls, production cost increases as well.

  • Economic crisis: ‘What I see coming is not looking good’ – Ken Thompson kneels on TV, begs Akufo-Addo

    As communities, businesses, and citizens have been struggling to make ends meet in somewhat unsettling times, the current economic troubles in Ghana have reached historic proportions.

    The local currency has lost about 50% of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of this year, while the cost of living has increased, fuel prices have increased, there have been job losses, worker agitations, and general frustration among the Ghanaian population has been building for months.

    Although President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has officially acknowledged the country is in a crisis, economic experts have questioned the likelihood of obtaining an IMF support package to reestablish macroeconomic stability.

    Chief Executive Officer of Dalex Finance, Ken Thompson, has made a passionate appeal to President Akufo-Addo to fix the ailing economy which is facing distress on all levels.

    The Dalex Finance CEO speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi TV’s ‘Face to Face’ segment on November 1 knelt, facing the camera, and cautioned the president over what he believes is a dire economic situation that will further hit Ghana.

    The 61-year-old finance expert said, “His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo If you’re watching, what I can see coming is not looking good…I can see poverty, job losses, business closures, prices of utilities going up”

    “Growing up, I have lived through the crisis in the 1970s as I witnessed my parents come back from England. My mother at the time bought a new brand car of which she eventually could not repair after the car was involved in an accident.”

    “I can remember how our room carpets became threadbare, our living room chairs and tables broken and how we started wearing second-hand clothes due to the economic hardship..I have seen it all, but I am 61-year-old and I cannot do much about what is currently happening in Ghana but you [Akufo-Addo] can and I am begging you to please take decisive action to move the country forward. Thank you, sir,” he concluded.

  • Bridget Otoo goes after Nana Addo as price of cement hits GH¢95

    Broadcaster Bridget Otoo has brought to the attention of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the exorbitant price of a bag of cement selling at GH¢95.00 in the first week of November.

    According to Bridget who buys and sells cement, there has been an increase in price up to GH¢30.00 in the last three months.

    A host of Ghanaian businesses fear closing down amidst the current economic hardship that has witnessed a hike in price.

    Also, the lack of price control has led to overpricing by some manufacturers and distributors in our market space.

    The tweet sighted by GhanaWeb read: “Are you people not tired? How can you increase cement again to 95 cedis? @NAkufoAddo pretend to be in charge and let things work. Our businesses are collapsing! How can cement price go up by more than 30 cedis since August? how?”

    Meanwhile, Nana Addo has assured citizens that plans are underway to revive the economy.

    Speaking in his national address on Sunday, October 30, he referenced how the New Patriotic Party managed to properly handle the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana at a time when developed nations were struggling to contain it.

    “When I said, at the height of the COVID pandemic, that we knew what to do to bring the economy back to life, but not how to bring people back to life, it was not said in jest.”

    He further assured: “We had done it before, and we were on course to doing it again. Ghana’s economy grew by a remarkable 5.4% in 2021, signifying a strong recovery from the 0.5% growth recorded the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    Read the post below:

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • Sika mpɛ dede: Unconcerned Akufo-Addo insulted us – Efia Odo

    Andrea Owusu, alias Efia Odo, has accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of being unconcerned about the “emotional distress” of his citizens.

    The media personality, influencer and socialite said this in a tweet on Monday, 31 October 2022.

    She also argued that the president considers his critics noisemakers, claiming that when he said during his Sunday, 30 October 2022, television address that: “Money does not like noise,” he was implying his people’s “complaints and frustrations” are “noisy.”

    “He’s calling us noise makers so we should shut up and suffer. The president disregards our emotional distress each and every day. Our complaints and frustrations is noisy. Coming to tell us sika mp3 dede is an insult to us,” the social media influencer tweeted.

    Sunday night when Mr Akufo-Addo tweeted a part of his nation’s address: “Fellow Ghanaians, as the French would say, l’argent n’aime pas le bruit, to wit; ‘money does not like noise’, ‘[in Akan] sika mpɛ dede’. Where there is chaos, where there is noise, where there is unrest, you will not find money,” Efia was in the comments with the response: “You caused this chaos you greedy bofrot.”

    ‘Bofrot’ is a type of doughnut made and hawked on the streets of Ghana.

    Ghana is currently in an economic crisis admitted to by President Akufo-Addo who maintains it is as a result of the COVID pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

    On the rapid depreciation of the Ghana cedi, the president, in his address to the nation highlighted false speculations about the cedi and a 2-minute WhatsApp video which led citizens to do rampant panic withdrawals of cedi and subsequent conversion into dollars.

    With all that said, he assured, “It is obvious, fellow Ghanaians, that you have a government that cares. We are determined to restore stability to the economy, and provide relief. We are all in this together, and I am asking for your support to rescue Ghana from the throes of this economic crisis.”

    Source;ghanaweb.com

  • Government will reduce public debt to 55% by 2028 – Akufo-Addo

    By 2028, Ghana’s public debt as a percentage of GDP is expected to be reduced to 55%, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    The intended six-year plan is to ensure that the nation restores and maintains a manageable level of debt.

    According to data from the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Ghana’s debt climbed to GHS402.4 billion as of August 2022 from GHS291 billion (76 percent of GDP) in 2020 and GHS351.8 billion (80.1 percent of GDP) by the end of 2021.

    In his address on the economy on Sunday evening, President Akufo-Addo said the budget for the 2022 fiscal year had been thrown out of gear, disrupting the balance of payments and debt sustainability.

    He explained that “the basic problem we face is that we are not making as much money as we need to spend, and what little money we do make is going to pay for the debts we have contracted to fund the development projects we must have.”

    “To restore and sustain debt sustainability, we plan to reduce our total public debt to GDP ratio to some 55 per cent in present value terms by 2028, with the servicing of our external debt pegged at not more than 18 per cent of our annual revenue also by 2028,” the President said.

    He said he was confident that with a united front and support for the Government’s macroeconomic measures to the current economic challenges, “we will emerge victorious from our current difficulties.”

    Among others, he said the Government would continue to cut the salaries of political office holders and discretionary expenditures of Ministries, Departments and by 30 per cent in 2023.

    “We are committed to improving the revenue collection effort, from the current tax-revenue to GDP ratio of 13 per cent to between 18-20 per cent, to be competitive with our peers in the West Africa Region,” President Akufo-Addo assured.

    He also said the Government would review the standards needed for imports into the country in six months and review the management of foreign exchange reserves to support economic growth.

    He said the Government, through the support of the banking sector, would intensify the manufacturing of products such as rice, poultry, vegetable oil, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water and ceramic tiles to reduce its importation.

    President Akufo-Addo encouraged traders to ensure that goods in shops and marketplaces were produced and manufactured in Ghana.

    “That is why we have to support our farmers and domestic industries, including those created under the 1-District-1-Factory initiative, to help reduce our dependence on imports, allow us the opportunity to export more and more of our products and guarantee a stable currency that will present a high level of predictability for citizens and the business community,” he said.

    “I have total confidence in our ability to work our way out of our current difficulties. We are not afraid of hard work. We will triumph, as we have triumphed many times before,” the President added.

  • Government will reduce public debt to 55% – Akufo-Addo

    By 2028, Ghana’s public debt as a percentage of GDP is expected to be reduced to 55%, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    The intended six-year plan is to ensure that the nation restores and maintains a manageable level of debt.

    According to data from the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Ghana’s debt climbed to GHS402.4 billion as of August 2022 from GHS291 billion (76 percent of GDP) in 2020 and GHS351.8 billion (80.1 percent of GDP) by the end of 2021.

    In his address on the economy on Sunday evening, President Akufo-Addo said the budget for the 2022 fiscal year had been thrown out of gear, disrupting the balance of payments and debt sustainability.

    He explained that “the basic problem we face is that we are not making as much money as we need to spend, and what little money we do make is going to pay for the debts we have contracted to fund the development projects we must have.”

    “To restore and sustain debt sustainability, we plan to reduce our total public debt to GDP ratio to some 55 per cent in present value terms by 2028, with the servicing of our external debt pegged at not more than 18 per cent of our annual revenue also by 2028,” the President said.

    He said he was confident that with a united front and support for the Government’s macroeconomic measures to the current economic challenges, “we will emerge victorious from our current difficulties.”

    Among others, he said the Government would continue to cut the salaries of political office holders and discretionary expenditures of Ministries, Departments and by 30 per cent in 2023.

    “We are committed to improving the revenue collection effort, from the current tax-revenue to GDP ratio of 13 per cent to between 18-20 per cent, to be competitive with our peers in the West Africa Region,” President Akufo-Addo assured.

    He also said the Government would review the standards needed for imports into the country in six months and review the management of foreign exchange reserves to support economic growth.

    He said the Government, through the support of the banking sector, would intensify the manufacturing of products such as rice, poultry, vegetable oil, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water and ceramic tiles to reduce its importation.

    President Akufo-Addo encouraged traders to ensure that goods in shops and marketplaces were produced and manufactured in Ghana.

    “That is why we have to support our farmers and domestic industries, including those created under the 1-District-1-Factory initiative, to help reduce our dependence on imports, allow us the opportunity to export more and more of our products and guarantee a stable currency that will present a high level of predictability for citizens and the business community,” he said.

    “I have total confidence in our ability to work our way out of our current difficulties. We are not afraid of hard work. We will triumph, as we have triumphed many times before,” the President added.

  • You should have apologised over hardships – Ablakwa to Akufo-Addo

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been ordered by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to apologize to Ghanaians for the country’s current economic problems.

    The MP blamed the president for the current situation of the economy in an interview with Accra’s Asempa FM, which GhanaWeb was listening to.

    “After taking office and proclaiming that I support large government, I appointed the most ministers in the history of this nation, I was fiscally irresponsible, I went on a borrowing binge where some of my appointees stood to benefit, I had conflicts of interest in that borrowing, and now the World Bank tells us that the debt to GDP ratio by the end of this year will be 104%.

    “The President should have apologised to the people of Ghana for what we have been put through,” Ablakwa stated.

    Commenting on the President’s admission to the country’s current economic crisis, the member of the foreign affairs committee in Parliament noted “it is the first time the President is acknowledging the level of the mess that we find ourselves in.”

    Ghana’s economy is currently under pressure, which has resulted in an increase in the cost of living as well as what some have described as ‘galloping inflation.’

    The country’s currency is also depreciating against the US dollar and other major trading currencies around the world.

    The government hope in securing an IMF bailout to help boost the economy.

  • ‘Akufo-Addo goofed’ – Ato Forson insists there will be ‘haircuts’ on investments

    In order to stop the current economic crisis, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, MP, Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, has stressed that Ghana’s debt restructuring will involve some “haircuts” for the nation.

    He holds a different opinion from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who in his speech to the nation on Sunday, October 30, unequivocally affirmed that investors’ cash in various public projects would not be lost.

    As the administration works to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, the president underlined that measures would be made to safeguard citizens’ investments (IMF).

    “I also want to assure all Ghanaians that no individual or institutional investor, including pension funds, in government treasury bills or instruments will lose their money, as a result of our ongoing IMF negotiations. There will be no ‘haircuts’ so I urge all of you to ignore the false rumours, just as, in the banking sector cleanup, government ensured that the 4.6 million depositors affected by the exercise did not lose their deposits,” President Akufo-Addo said.

    But speaking on Accra-based Joy FM, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, indicated that there would definitely be a ‘haircut’ as Ghana awaits a bailout from the IMF.

    “I don’t know the basis the President made that statement and if you run the maths, it doesn’t add up and I will be surprised that Ghana will get an IMF programme without a haircut.

    “I can say on authority that there would be some form of a haircut. Clearly, someone is not briefing the President properly or probably the writing did not come out well. ‘The President goofed’, he shouldn’t have said it in a categorical manner because what it has done is that, it has sent additional uncertainties to the market clearly indicating that someone is not on top of his job.

    “I do not know how our debt will be sustainable by the year 2028 brings to over 100 per cent…clearly indicating that we are to [remove] 50 per cent of debt without a debt restructuring, it is impossible,” Dr. Ato Forson explained.

  • Fuel prices increase again as OMCs sell petrol at GH¢17.99, diesel GH¢23.49

    Petroleum product buyers can anticipate paying extra at different gas pumps around the nation.

    The increase, which will take effect on November 1, 2022, comes after the second pricing window, which began on October 31, in which petroleum product prices were also modified.

    According to investigations by GhanaWeb Business, some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are charging GH17.99 per liter for gasoline and GH23.49 for diesel.

    As of Wednesday, October 26 2022, certain OMCs were charging GH13.99 for gasoline and GH15.99 for diesel.

    Although there has been a stable price regime of crude oil being sold on the world market, the persistent depreciation of the cedi against the US Dollar has been attributed to the recent hikes.

    The significant hike in the price of petroleum has sparked renewed concerns for consumers amid soaring inflation rates which have culminated in the rising cost of living in the country.

    Meanwhile, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) have commenced their decision to increase transport fares for commuters by 19 percent effective Saturday 29, 2022.

    This comes after the Union held extensive engagements with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and other transport operators across the country.

  • Enforce investment laws to control excess influence of foreign imports – GUTA

    The government’s move to examine the criteria needed for imports into the nation has been praised by the Ghana Union of Traders Association.

    In a speech to the nation on October 30, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stated that the government would revisit the criteria needed in May 2023 as part of measures to lessen the effect of foreign exchange on imports and put more of a focus on domestic production for exports.

    Reacting to the development in an interview with GhanaWeb Business, GUTA president Dr. Joseph Obeng said government must critically look at addressing the structural challenges in the country’s import regime.

    “Apart from pruning down on excess importation, we suggest that government must begin to look at stringent enforcement of Ghana’s investment laws to control the excess influence of foreign imports into Ghana’s direction and that is even an easier option government must take.”

    “Using these investment laws can go a long way to containing the excessive influence of imported products by foreigners and so we [GUTA] are for government’s call to review the standards required for imports which is aimed at structurally transforming the Ghanaian economy,” he explained.

    He further cited the Services, Communication, Mining and other sectors within the economy which he believes have been gaining a lot of resources and in turn repatriating funds out of the country due to foreign dominance.

    “Most certainly we need our investment laws to tackle some of these issues because all the gains made from these sectors of our economy go outside the shores of Ghana and I can’t be so.”

    The GUTA president also suggested the introduction of a Retention Law which seeks to ensure 30 percent of gains made from foreign companies are retained in the country, while 70 percent is used to purchase forex which is transferred outside.

    “It should not be difficult for us to amend our laws to ensure these requirements are enforced,” Dr Obeng concluded.

  • Standards required for imports to be reviewed in May 2023 – Akufo-Addo

    The requirements needed for imports entering Ghana will be reviewed in May 2023, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    He claims that the decision aims to promote domestic export manufacturing while minimizing the effect of foreign exchange on imports.

    President Akufo-Addo stated in a speech to the nation on the economy on October 30 that the administration will also examine how Ghana’s foreign exchange reserves are managed with regard to product imports.

    He explained the decision comes on the back of the high rate of importation which has been a contributing factor to the cedi’s decline and Ghana’s current economic woes.

    “We must a matter of urgent national security, reduce our dependence on imported goods and enhance our self-reliance, as demanded by our overarching goal of creating a Ghana Beyond Aid.”

    “Products such as rice, poultry, vegetable oil, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water and ceramic tiles, and others which, with intensified government support and that of the banking sector, can be manufactured and produced in sufficient quantities in Ghana.” he added.

    “Government will, in May 2023, that is six months from now, review the situation,” he disclosed.

    Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has hinted that Ghana could be securing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund by the end of December this year.