Equatorial Guinea‘s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, has explained why he is running for a sixth consecutive term in office.
According to an AFP report, the 80-year-old told a rally that his party had chosen him to run “because I am the symbol of peace that reigns in Equatorial Guinea.”
He has ruled the oil-rich Central African country for 43 years, the longest for a serving president.
His party launched their presidential campaign on Thursday with the vote expected to take place on November 20.
Obiang seized power in 1979 from President Francisco Macias Nguema, who was the leader at independence and whose rule prompted a mass exodus and thousands of deaths.
AFP adds that the country has 425,000 registered voters out of a population of around 1.4 million.
Lorry drivers in Brazil loyal to President Jair Bolsonaro have blocked roads across the country, after his poll defeat to leftist rival Lula.
Blockages were reported in all but two states, causing considerable disruption and affecting food supply chains.
With all the votes counted, Lula had 50.9% of the valid votes against Mr Bolsonaro‘s 49.1% in Sunday’s run-off.
The incumbent far-right president has neither conceded defeat nor challenged the results that divided the nation.
There are concerns that the outgoing president could complicate the two-month transition period before Lula (full name Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva), a former president, is due to be sworn in on 1 January 2023.
Pro-Bolsonaro lorry drivers started setting up roadblocks across the vast country soon after the election results were announced.
By Monday night, the federal highway police reported 342 such incidents, with the biggest protests going on in the country’s south. Some of the blockages were later cleared by police.
Many lorry drivers have benefited from lower diesel costs during the Bolsonaro administration.
Jair Bolsonaro is yet to publicly comment on the election results
Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes on Monday ordered the police to disperse the roadblocks immediately.
He warned that all those still blocking the roads on Tuesday would be each fined 100,000 Brazilian reals (£16,700: $19,300) per hour.
Mr Bolsonaro, 67, is said to have gone to sleep after he narrowly lost to his arch rival.
Combative statements from Mr Bolsonaro in the past – such as that “only God” could remove him from office – mean there is a tense wait for him to appear in public. Before the election, he had repeatedly cast unfounded doubts on the voting system.
In his victory speech soon after the results were made public, Lula, 77, touched on the political rift running through Brazil which further deepened during a bitterly fought and often acrimonious election campaign.
“This country needs peace and unity. This population doesn’t want to fight anymore,” he said, promising to govern for all Brazilians and not just for those who had voted for him.
Congratulations have poured in from across the world, including from the leaders of the UK, China, France, India and Russia. US President Biden said the win came “following free, fair and credible elections”.
It is a stunning comeback for Lula, a politician who could not run in the last presidential election in 2018 because he was in jail and banned from standing for office.
The President of any country usually moves around with a convoy for official, sometimes ceremonial occasions; albeit with varying number of vehicles that escort same.
In Ghana, President Akufo-Addo, like other presidents before him, are seen during many official and ceremonial events, being escorted by a number of vehicles, usually V8.
It was a similar sight when President Akufo-Addo was captured leaving the palace of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in his presidential vehicle, being escorted by a convoy.
This was after the President paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene at the Manhyia palace during his tour of the region earlier this month.
A set of black V8 vehicles lined up at the frontage of the Manhyia Palace and drove off one after the other after the President sat and was ready to move.
President Akufo-Addo, during his visit, touched on issues regarding illegal mining and how to deal with the canker.
Meanwhile, the president has been criticized on some occasions in the past, for using a long convoy when going on trips around the country.
Veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, popularly known as KKD, has called for the sacking of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to KKD, there is overwhelming evidence that points to the fact that there have been a lot of thieveries under his tenure.
For this reason, the broadcaster has called for the axe to fall on the head of the country’s chief financial officer.
Speaking in an interview on the JoyNews channel on Monday, October 31, 2022, and monitored by GhanaWeb, KKD explained that just like some 80 Members of Parliament calling for the minister to be sacked, it is the right decision.
He explained that things have gotten so bad that even MPs who will usually tread cautiously in their dealings with the president no longer care how hard they step on his foot.
“I saw someone who had used the brand of KFC, I don’t know why but about 22 people sent it to me… but if you think of it carefully, those MPs who stood up to speak have acted with courage; courage they got from their constituents. Because don’t forget this; because of the way our government is set up, nearly every MP whose government is in power, is angling for a ministerial position so they try as much as possible not to offend the president but I think they’ve gotten to a point where they think ‘even if this president gives me an appointment, I don’t want it’,” he said.
KKD added that it is time for Ken Ofori-Atta to be sacked as the Minister of Finance.
Likening him to an uncle who takes advantage of a very critical situation for his selfish interests, the veteran broadcaster asked that he is sacked.
He also explained that the actions and performance of the finance minister have brought disgrace to his clan, a clear indication of his greed.
“Ken must go! Ken must go because there has been too much thievery under him; thievery which we simply want to call, ‘Oh, it’s unethical’ but I’m telling if you live in a home where two children have sickle cell and one has (sic) and you have an uncle in the home that says things have gotten so bad, we need to go borrow money to perform a surgery for these children.
“And that uncle then goes to see somebody from whom he can borrow money; all he needs is a $100 million, and the person from whom he’s borrowing money, will also ensure that he makes $9.8 million, Ghanaians, will you trust that uncle? That uncle is Ken Ofori-Atta.
“You have embarrassed us, you have disgraced our fathers. Your father came to live a good life but you have disgraced us; you have disgraced the Akyem people and other tribes who have married into our clan because they include the Akyem, the Akuapem and the Nzema. You have disgraced us; you are greedy,” he said.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described former President John Mahama’s speech on the state of the economy as a desperate attempt to return to power.
The former President on Thursday, October 27, 2022, described current economic challenges as the worst Ghana has ever witnessed and recommended amongst other things a cut down in government expenditure as a measure to restore fiscal stability.
But the ruling party says the alternatives proffered are not relevant to the challenges faced by the country.
In an interview with Citi News, Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Haruna Mohammed, indicated that the recommendations are much ado about nothing.
“It is rather unfortunate that listening to His Excellency the former president, you do not hear any pointy alternatives. They are all lamentations and rhetorics, all desperate attempts to return to power. But then, as always has been, Ghana is a democratic state and accepts diverse opinions, so we will allow such views to pass through.”
Meanwhile, the party is urging Ghanaians to remain steadfast as government takes steps to address the teething challenges facing the economy.
“We have a working government and team and are tirelessly working towards economic recovery,” he added.
Ex-President John Dramani Mahama has stated that Ghana must return to the ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ policy implemented by its one-time military leader, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, in the 1970s.
According to the former president, even though General Acheampong had his faults, his ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ policy was largely successful because it led to the country producing virtually everything it eats.
The former president said that Ghana cannot continue to export food that it can produce because it is one of the main reasons for the Ghana Cedi’s continuous depreciation and the high inflation in the prices of food items.
Mahama, who made these remarks during the presentation of his ‘Building the Ghana We Want’ lecture, said that Ghana spends nearly $3 billion annually to import food it can produce locally which is very worrying.
“General Acheampong, despite the depraved corruption that swallowed him up in later years, was off to a good start in the early part of his regime. His “Operation Feed yourself” and “Operation feed your Industries” programmes yielded massive results during the period from 1972 through to 1976.
“We do enormous damage to our currency, the cedi, and our economy, when we spend billions of dollars on the importation of rice, sugar, tomato products, frozen fish, poultry, meat products and vegetable cooking oils.
“Yet we have more than the potential to produce here to feed ourselves and even export,” he said.
Mahama proposed that the government must put measures in place to support large-scale commercial agricultural production to achieve food self-sufficiency because supporting small-scale farming is not enough.
A private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has said he was pleasantly surprised by the press conference held by some Members of Parliament on the side of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who called on President Akufo-Addo to sack his Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen.
He said this is an indication that the lawmakers are listening to concerns being raised by Ghanaians.
Mr Kpebu who earlier called for the impeachment of the President following the economic challenges, while speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday October 23, told Eric Mawuena Egbeta on the Mid day news on 3FM Tuesday October 25 that, “I was pleasantly surprised, that also means that they are listening.
“You see how on Saturday we spoke truth to power on Key Points and it resounded with Ghanaians, of course other people had made this call over and over, it means the Parliamentarians are listening , God bless them. That is the honour we were referring to on the Key Points.”
The Majority caucus in Parliament have threatened to boycott the presentation and debate on the 2023 budget statement if President Akufo-Addo does not remove Mr Ofori-Atta and Adu Boahen.
The NPP MPs believe that the prevailing economic situation in the country does not make it right for the two gentlemen to remain in office hence the President must ask them to go.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, October 25, a lawmaker for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah Kubi said “We are unhappy with the developments in the country, we consulted our constituents who also expressed same sentients.
“We want the President to remove Ken Ofori and Chares Adu Boahen.
“We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the President changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry without further delay.
“We want to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority Caucus here in Parliament will not participate in any business of Government by or, for the president by any other Minster.
“We hope that those of us in the back bench and members of the Majority caucus will abide by this prayer.
“We are saying that if our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing neither will we participate in the debate.
A Former Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Obiri Boahene, has berated the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, for insulting persons who have been criticising President Akufo-Addo over happenings in the county.
The Okyenhene said that persons who have been criticising the president over the current economic hardship are uncivilized villagers, witches, and wizards who have no sense of appreciation.
“We must appreciate the feat of the President and show him appreciation for what he has done for Ghana. We must defend and protect him.
“Those insulting the President are children of villagers. They are uncivilized. No well-nurtured person will insult an elderly. If you were raised in the Church, you will not insult an elder. If you are not a villager, then you may be a witch or wizard.
“Not all will like you. Even Jesus Christ was crucified. It won’t bother me if they speak with sincerity but when you speak with hate, witchcraft, and envy, you must be careful because one day, one day! one day! one day! One day! The truth will overcome evil lies and envy,” the chief said.
Reacting to this, Nana Obiri Boahene intimated that Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin’s comments were unfortunate.
The former NPP deputy general secretary added that the chief, rather than insulting the critics of the president, should have urged Akufo-Addo to listen to those with genuine concerns.
“Let me be very honest. Such a comment coming from a big chief is not in good taste. You are not some small chief, you are a big chief and you were not talking to your friend, you were talking in public and you uttered such words, it is not good.
“You don’t have to support the NDC or the NPP to make such comments. It was an opportunity for him to urge the president to listen to the cries of Ghanaians. You don’t just call people witches and wizards. It is not good,” he said in Twi in a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
An economist, Professor Godfred Bokpin, has called on the President, Akufo-Addo,to heed to the calls of the general public to downsize his government and sack the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, the President has to sacrifice his loyalty to his appointees for the common good of the country.
He noted that keeping the Finance Minister at post is counter-productive to the government’s fight to stabilize the fast depreciating cedi and the ailing economy as Ken Ofori-Atta’s leadership has been discounted by both external and internal investors.
He added that the Finance Ministry’s sit-and-wait posture with regards to the IMF programme without putting in place any measures to stall the cedi depreciation as well as other fiscal problems is enough proof that the Finance Minister has overstayed his welcome.
“Sometimes it matters that you sacrifice somebody so close because if the President will be mindful of what is happening even across the investor base home and abroad, you could see that they’re already discounting the leadership of the Finance Minister.
“So part of leadership is to pick that right signal where you will say that I’ve gotten to the stage where I need to trade-off loyalty, I need to trade-off personal interest for the common good. If this is what will do the trick, why not? Because it’s done everywhere. It’s done in times like these. And that will just be the starting point.
“What we are asking for is actually beyond just asking the Finance Minister to go. Ghana has gotten to the stage where an IMF supported programme is not enough and all that we’re doing now is just to wait for what will happen from the IMF negotiation.
“Come on, the IMF is not here to govern this country, so there are necessary governance reforms that we need to initiate and we must do that regardless of whether an IMF programme is in place or not because reforms are more effective when they’re bundled together and reinforce each other,” he said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.
Professor Bokpin added that the Akufo-Addo administration has no moral right to demand haircuts on investment returns from investors and the general public when it has failed to take action in the same regard.
He noted that downsizing government will save the country lots of resources which can then be injected back into the economy to build confidence.
“They have no moral right to ask Ghanaians to take a haircut, or investors to take a haircut when they have kept their hair on. It makes no sense. And we can do the permutations and say that look, we know Cote D’Ivoire took a decision to reduce the number of Ministers from 41 to 32, what is so special about Ghana?
“We can do that and free our space rather than loading the haircuts on ordinary people who perhaps did not contribute to the mess. That’s the point that we’re talking about. Look, and data exists to suggest that the size of government in Ghana is negatively affecting growth. That’s very clear.
“So some level of restructuring, and downsizing the government, and looking at it also across state owned enterprises. A lean government is the best response when you don’t have fiscal space,” he said.
Former President, John Dramani Mahama, has expressed concern about the state of Ghana’s economy and called on the citizenry and the media to “come on board” to salvage the situation.
He said the economy was in a “terrible” situation and urged government to “come clean on the state of the economy” and “rally the people” to fix it.
The former president made the call when some executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Accra on Friday, October 21, 2022.
The purpose of the visit was to among others, introduce the new executives to the former President and officially invite him to the 2022 GJA Media Awards scheduled for November 12, 2022.
Former President Mahama, who is also a communications expert, is a member of the GJA.
Ghana currently has an interbank exchange rate of GHS11.5 to US$1, inflation rate of 37.2 per cent, and a monetary policy rate of 24.5 per cent.
Mr Mahama urged the media to continue to play its “watchdog” role to build confidence and restore faith in the country’s democracy.
He urged the Government to take urgent steps to restore the economy and halt the rapid depreciation of the Cedi.
“The economy is in danger of crushing if we don’t get an IMF programme. How to even survive until that IMF Programme is going to be very difficult.
“In circumstance like this, what you do is to rally the country…We have come to the reality of the situation, and we all need to come on board and see how we can salvage it,” he said.
Mr Mahama commended the GJA for playing a “strong role” in broadening the media space since the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution, which, he said, had guaranteed the freedom of the press.
He expressed worry that Ghana dropped to 30 places in the latest World Press Freedom Index, describing the country’s performance as “poor”.
Mr Mahama asked the GJA to rise against any form of attack on journalists and defend its members from harassment in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution.
“One of your own, Ahmed Suale paid the ultimate prize and as at now, there seem not to be any movement in apprehending the people who assassinated him.
“I think that it is something that you (GJA) must not sleep on. Continue to fight to make sure that whoever was responsible for that murder is brought to book,” he said.
Mr Albert Dwumfour, President of GJA, commended the former President for his role in promoting press freedom during his tenure as President.
He said the vision of the new administration was to ensure the welfare of journalists through professional development, investing in human capital, and building capacities to meet emerging trends.
Mr Dwumfour said the Association would soon launch the “Journalists Support Fund” to provide legal services and other interventions to journalists attacked in line of duty.
“The Fund will put together a team of legal brains who will tell and see to the logical conclusion of such cases,” he said.
The purpose of the visit was to introduce the new executives of the association, re-engage Mr Mahama as a member and invite him as a special guest for the upcoming GJA awards scheduled to take place at Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel on Saturday, 12 November 2022.
Speaking during the visit on Friday, 21 October 2022, the GJA acknowledged the former President’s support in the establishment of the media fund under his government, geared towards aiding and building the capacity of journalists.
President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour said: “Your support and promotion of press freedom is non-negotiable. You’ve been the guest of honour for our GJA awards when you were the president; this is how important you valued the Association.”
The former President commended the association for a peaceful election.
He noted that: “Many of us watchers of the media were getting a bit concerned with the delay in democratisation within the organisation and you being the watchdogs of our democracy if you yourselves could not get it right then there were a lot of concerns being expressed about it.
“But I’m happy that your election finally took place and an executive has been put in place.”
Mr Mahama further commended the Association for its role in broadening the media space in the country.
“The watchdog role of the media and they’re saying that the media shall be the watchdog of the people over government and so that is a role that you have had to effectively play. The GJA has played a very strong role in broadening the media space in order that journalists can operate and operate without fear of harassment.”
He called on the GJA, not to relent in its efforts to ensure justice for slain journalist, Ahmed Suale.
“For some time, there’s been concerns that the Association had become a bit docile in terms not only of safeguarding the media space but also in terms of defending its members when they come under attack from the work that they do.
“Of course one of your own, paid the ultimate price, Ahmed Suale and as of now there still doesn’t seem to be any movement in apprehending the people who assassinated him in such cold blood and I think that is something that you must not sleep on. You must continue to fight to make sure that whoever were responsible for that murder, you know, are brought to book.”
Prophet Kofi Oduro, General Overseer, Alabaster International Ministry, cannot comprehend why Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister who has failed miserably, will still be keeping his job.
According to him, if Ghana was his private company, he would have fired the under-fire minister and hired a different person who would deliver results.
In a viral video sighted by GhanaWeb, Prophet Oduro noted that the current government under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo does not like to hear the truth, but as a man of God, he has to tell the President and his ministers the truth.
“Wrong is wrong. When you are wrong, I need to look into your eyes and tell you that you are wrong. It doesn’t matter [who you are]; that is what is killing this nation, and it is killing churches…
“This is the time, Your Excellency, to make changes, and that changes must be to the honour and glory of God…our finance minister, even though he is a Christian, has failed miserably, and I am telling Your Excellency with all due respect, this is the time to make drastic changes. We cannot sit here when $1.00 is equal to GHC12.00,” Prophet Kofi Oduro said.
“You can do whatever you like; I came with a fresh grace to tell you something. Look! What I have observed is that the current government hates being told the truth, but I am telling, ‘you will take it’. If Ghana is my private company and somebody is not delivering; I fire them; I replace them; I hire somebody else and then we are working…why can’t a nation do that?” he quizzed.
The Cedi has recently been classified by Bloomberg as the worst-performing currency against the US Dollar.
Currently, the Cedi is trading at around GH¢13 – GH¢14 to a dollar at some forex bureaus. The depreciation rate is a contributory factor for the ongoing shop closures ordered by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).
Former President John Dramani Mahama has donated more than GH¢1.3 million to his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in support of the party’s upcoming internal constituency executive elections.
According to a statement issued by the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, the donation was made on Thursday, October 20, 2022.
The statement indicated that all the 138 constituency offices of the NDC are expected to get GH¢10,000 each from the donation to support their executive elections.
“The former President of the Republic of Ghana and NDC flag-bearer for the 2020 Presidential Election, H.E John Dramani Mahama has today donated an amount of GHS10,000 to each of the 138 orphan constituencies of the party (a total of GHS1,380,000) to support the conduct of constituency elections coming off this weekend,” parts of the statement read.
The NDC said that it is grateful to the former president for his continuous support of the party.
According to businessghana.com, 11, 825 candidates across the country have filed their nominations to compete for constituency executive positions in the party.
The election is slated for Saturday, October 22, 2022 and Sunday, October 23, 2022.
Read the full statement issued by the party below:
JOHN MAHAMA DONATES GHS1,380,000 TO SUPPORT NDC CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS.
20/10/22
The former President of the Republic of Ghana and NDC flag-bearer for the 2020 Presidential Election, H.E John Dramani Mahama has today donated an amount of GHS10,000 to each of the 138 orphan constituencies of the party (a total of GHS1,380,000) to support the conduct of constituency elections coming off this weekend.
The party is most grateful to His Excellency for his continuous support for the great NDC.
Sammy Gyamfi Esq.
National Communications Officer.
A Political Scientist Jonathan Asante Okyere has said President Akufo Addo’s statement that threats to vote against the NPP in the 2024 election does not frighten him, will surely affect the party’s electoral fortunes in the 2024 election.
The President in response to a question posed by his interviewer on a Kumasi-based radio station regarding what he made of threats by the people of Kwabre against the NPP in the 2024 election due to poor road infrastructure in the area, replied, “no problem. I am saying people make those kinds of threats; me they don’t frighten me.”
According to him, although he understands the masses may support a party with an expectation, he, however, does not see the need to threaten the government if it fails to deliver.
“If you decide to vote for the NDC in the general election, it is your choice and that is not my problem. No one will force you to vote for someone,” he stated.
He, however, admitted that he has been mandated with a responsibility to construct roads and will definitely execute it.
But commenting on the President’s pronouncement in an interview on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV, Political Science Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Jonathan Asante Okyere stated that the President was wrong in responding in such a manner.
“The President didn’t need to say that, these things are going to affect the electoral fortunes of the party, it’s obvious. The fact is that the economic quagmire the country finds itself in will not make the NPP retain power in 2024. It is even going to become more difficult for the party based on the fact that the President is disrespecting people who have stood solidly behind the NPP over the years.”
He added: “Is President Akufo-Addo doing this deliberately or out of frustration? Or it’s his arrogant nature that we already know about him that is now on full display publicly just because he’s had his two terms. If it is frustration, we can pardon him, but if it’s deliberate then he’s scuttling the chances of those NPP aspirants who want to lead the party to victory in 2024.”
Jonathan Asante Okyere urged the NPP National Council of Elders to speak to the President behind the scene on the need for him to be circumspect in his public political discourse so he does not cause more problems for the party going into the 2024 election.
We are two years away from Ghana’s next general elections but citizens are already debating who should be voted as Ghana’s next president.
This comes after hundreds of backlash against the sitting President, H.E Nana Addo, over the depreciation of the Ghanaian cedi and the rise of inflation which has imposed economic hardship on Ghanaians.
In a report by Bloomberg, the Ghana cedi is now the worst-performing currency in the world against the American Dollar. The giant economics news portal states that the cedi has lost 45.1% of its value against the US dollar since the year began.
Bloomberg tracked the currency of 148 countries and ranked Ghana’s currency as the worst. Ghana’s currency switched places with the Sri Lankan rupee, which is now the second worst performer with a 44.7% drop to the dollar this year.
Ghana is hard but Mahama is not an option 😭 let’s remember why we voted him out 🌚
Some social media users have taken to social media to express disappointment in the Nana Addo-Bawumia NPP-led government. Whilst others call for the return of John Mahama, others also believe the former president isn’t a better option for Ghana.
Mahama is not an option as well. If we choose NDC or NPP again we’ll still be here ranting some years later.
This has forced netizens to think outside the box, hence, John Dumelo’s name popping up as someone who could do for Ghana beyond.
Those saying Mahama is not an option should remember that he pulled more than 6million votes on 2020 elections and addo D won by takashie… if Mahama is not an option let your father also stand and let’s vote for him erh or???
“It pains me John Dumelo isn’t an independent Candidate. Man lost the MP position twice and didn’t fold his arms, he went straight to farming. That’s a visionary person for me if not a leader. If he campaigned as independent and not NDC, the youth will root for him gradually,” Twitter influencer, @DonSarkcess tweeted.
It pains me John Dumelo isn’t an independent Candidate. Man lost the MP position twice and didn’t fold his arms, he went straight to farming. That’s a visionary person for me if not a leader.
If he campaigned as independent and not NDC, the youth will root for him gradually 👍
“Those rooting for John Dumelo please don’t worry NDC will present him after Mahama finishes his term. Between Him and Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa who do you think will be a perfect fit,” another Twitter said.
Does rooting for John Dumelo please don’t worry NDC will present him after Mahama finishes his term.
In the 2020 elections, the Ghanaian actor contested on the ticket of the NDC as an MP for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency. However, he lost the seat to the sitting MO, Hon Lydia Alhassan.
The top-ranked company was Zeepay Ghana Limited, followed by Multipro Private Limited in third, Amanex Co.Ltd. in seventh, and Express IDS Consult Agency Limited in eighth.
Other competitors in the top 20 include Nestle Ghana Limited, which is ranked 13th, Sage Distribution Limited, which is ranked 16th, Abosso Goldfields Limited, which is ranked 19th, and Benso Oil Palm Plantation Plc, which is ranked 20th.
In all, there were 43 newcomers on this year’s list of awardees who missed out on the 18th edition of the awards.
Companies whose ranking improved from previous edition included GBC Plc and Maphlix Trust Ghana Limited who both respectively moved from 16th to 10th and 27th to 6th position this year.
On the Other hand, Scancom Plc moved from the top position in previous edition to occupy the 5th position this year while GOIL Plc moved from 3rd position to 61st position in the 19th edition of the awards.
This year’s awards which was hosted by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) to promote good corporate governance and work ethics was held under the theme, “Ghana’s Private Sector, A Catalyst for Post-Pandemic Economic Transformation.”
Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Senior Presidential Advisor, who spoke on behalf of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as a Special Guest of Honour, commended the private sector for thriving amid economic hardship induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“It is important to recognise the difficulties our economy is facing. The depreciating cedi, the surging inflation, high interest rate and increasing utility tariff are taking a toll on businesses.
“Government is not oblivious of your challenges and is working hard to stem the tides of these macro-economic difficulties, ” he said.
Mr Osafo-Maafo said the private sector remained the biggest stakeholder and catalyst in turning around the fortunes of the country and for that matter the Government was focused on rebuilding the economy on the back of the private sector.
Mr Yofi Grant, Chief Executive Officer of GIPC said through initiatives such as the GIPC’s countrywide Regional Sensitization Tour (RST), organised with support from the World Bank, the Centre was reaching out to private businesses to capture investment opportunities across various sectors in the country.
“The private sector, the most important contributor to GDP and employment in the Ghanaian economy, has been resilient and indeed is the engine of Ghana’s post pandemic recovery.
“It behooves on us all, to accelerate that recovery with the innovations and the interventions that have been implemented thus far, ” he said.
Companies under the Club 100 Awards are divided into 13 categories across broad sectors of agriculture, industry, and services economy.
Those who applied to be ranked for the awards undergo an eligibility analysis, which required a company to be a limited liability company, privately owned with government interest not less than 50 percent or must be listed on the stock exchange market.
The company must also have a cumulative operating profit and should be tax compliant.
Qualified entities are then ranked based on size and profitability, growth, and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Mr Akufo-Addo announced this in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The Gulf of Guinea Commission is an organisation established to defend the common interests of Member States, and promote peace and socio-economic development based on the bases of dialogue, consensus, ties of friendship, solidarity and fraternity.
The President wrote “On Thursday, 13th October 2022, I held bilateral discussions with the President of the French Republic, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, which were centered on strengthening the ties of co-operation between our two nations.
“Earlier in the day, I was elected Chairperson of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, an organisation established to defend the common interests of Member States, and promote peace and socio-economic development based on the bases of dialogue, consensus, ties of friendship, solidarity and fraternity.
“I also addressed a Session of Asia Society France; and held a meeting with Catherine Colonna, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.”
In an interview on Daybreak Hitz on Thursday, the Sarki rapper said that the GTA admitted that it was inappropriate for them to use his material without seeking clearance from him or the music video director, David Nicol-Sey.
“They acknowledged that the right thing wasn’t done,” he referenced GTA on Hitz FM.
This comes after Kirani Ayat and Ghana Tourism Authority and the lawyers of both parties met behind closed doors to settle the issue amicably.
During subsequent meetings, the GTA proposed to work with Kirani Ayatand other artists in promoting Ghana through tourism.
When asked whether the GTA has agreed to reimburse him for infringing upon his intellectual property right, Kirani Ayat said: “There has to be compensation. It has come up in the discussion.”
Responding to the “how much are you looking at?” question posed by the host, Kirani Ayat said: “To be honest, it just has to be fair. That’s all. Once it’s fair, then that’s it.
“And I feel like we have an understanding so it will eventually work out either this week or the next so we can let the public know. People are so eager to find out how it is going to end because it is an important topic,” he told Andy Dosty.
Kirani Ayat also added that the issue has become popular on social media partly because a lot of artists have been trying to get support from the government but to no avail.
The rapper believes his copyright case with the GTA serves as a wake-up call to the relevant entities to do the right thing by working with artists to promote Ghana through arts and tourism.
Born Ayat Maqwam, his debut album, Aisha’s Sun is now out in all music stores.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has indicated that it came as a shock to him when the Auditor-General’s report revealed that some universities in Ghana are running unaccredited programmes.
He said the prestige of the country’s university system, the credibility and recognition of the certificates issued rest substantially on the time honoured and generally acknowledged quality assurance system.
The Vice President said it is therefore critical for the protection of the country’s higher education system.
He said this at the Fifth Investiture ceremony of the New Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, Professor Seidu Alhassan in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.
Dr. Bawumia said the country must have a zero tolerance for such lapses.
“As a country, we must have zero tolerance for such development. That is why I applauded the efforts of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) to ensure that there is strict adherence to the regulatory requirements of the education regulatory body’s Act 2020, Act 1023,” he said.
He charged all Vice Chancellor’s in Ghana to ensure they get all their courses accredited.
“So may I suggest to you Mr. Vice Chancellor that one of your immediate tasks should be to take inventory of your programs and make all ongoing and new ones accredited before you enroll students into them,” Dr. Bawumia said.
The Vice President also charged the leadership of the University for Development Studies (UDS) to realign their programs and research activities with the government priority agenda for creating a critical mass of impactful human capital.
He said as the Vice Chancellor assumes office, he expects the University to stay the cause it has carved a niche in and reinvent itself as a university that takes pride in its relevance.
He said the dual task for tertiary institutions is to achieve a gross tertiary enrollment ratio of forty percent overall and the proportion enrollment of science and technology programs relative to humanity ratio of 60:40 to 40 by the end of the year 2030.
“It is the expectation of government that the UDS will prioritise the role of programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines while re-accessing the relevance of others,” he noted.
Dr. Bawumia said the Ministry of Education is working to create a pipeline of well prepared students to feed into the tertiary system.
“The Free Senior High School policy, curriculum reforms, rolling out of specialised STEM senior High Schools and Technical Colleges are only but a few of these pipeline interventions,” he added.
He gave the assurance that government would continue to invest in the provision of appropriate infrastructure and the core personnel required for effective and efficient operations of the universities and other tertiary institutions.
“I am informed that the GETFUND has put together a plan to complete all ongoing infrastructure projects in tertiary institutions within 18 to 24 months,” he said.
He said investment in infrastructure through the educational system has been one of the very tangible interventions of the Nana Addo government and they intend to continue in spite of the current economic challenges.
The Vice Chancellor for UDS, Professor Seidu Alhassan said his aim is to provide effective leadership and a cordial environment that would further develop the University into a practical-oriented institution that is internationally recognised for academic excellence.
He said an excellent academic foundation has been laid already, hence the need to build on it.
Prof Seidu said the University’s academic planning must tap into the frontiers of knowledge that cut across, academic excellence and community service, especially in areas they have a comparative advantage.
He added that the overall goal is to strengthen existing programs and introduce innovative ones in line with current realities.
He said academic infrastructure will be enhanced, adding that the UDS strategic research plan will be actualised to guide research excellence.
In a speech read on behalf of the Overlord of Dagbon Yana Abukari by the Zangbalun Lana Naa, Dr. Jacob Mahama, said the UDS was created to address certain needs of the area and urged the new VC to be guided by the objective for which it was created.
He urged the University’s authorities to blend its academic work with the community in order to provide a constructive interaction between the two for the total development of Northern Ghana and Ghana as a whole.
The Yana said the role of the UDS in the development of the area is enormous, therefore he is ready to offer all the support they need to bring development to the area.
He thanked the VC and government for their assurance to transform the Yendi Campus of the UDS.
Former Member of Parliament for Tema East, Titus Nii Kwartei Glover, has blamed elements within the ruling New Patriotic Party for the government’s failure to defeat illegal mining.
According to the former MP, while some members of the party are embroiled in the galamsey menace, those appointed at the local level to fight the menace have failed to discharge their mandate.
“The difficulty is our own people in there. My own NPP people. Do you think I am afraid to talk about it? It is my own NPP people who are making the fight against galamsey difficult. It is a fact. The law says don’t mine on our river bodies.
“If the soldiers are sent in to drive away the galamseyers and they leave, the District Security Council led by the MCE what do they do? The Regional Security Council is also responsible for security at that level what do they do? So every time soldiers have to be moved from Accra to these areas to fight the menace? That is not good,” he said on Adom TV’s morning programme.
Rampant illegal mining activities have resulted in the degradation of several forest covers and the pollution of various water bodies.
This has resulted in a renewed public discussion on illegal mining activities.
Various calls have been made for the government to take drastic steps to curb the menace.
Last week, President Akufo-Addo met with members of the National House of Chiefs and MMDCEs in galamsey areas.
The meeting by the president was to fashion out some solutions to the galamsey issues.
Former Chief of Staff to the former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has opened up about his second love, aside from politics.
Speaking about how he made it well in life in the early 1990s, he said he chose to be a businessman over education, because as a Kwahu indigene, a man was then measured by the strength of his money.
Mr Debrah disclosed this in an interview with vlogger Kwahu Ambassador, sighted by GhanaWeb.
Having abandoned the idea of going to university after completing senior secondary school, Mr. Debrah mentioned that he was one of the finest young entrepreneurs in Okaishie, Accra, in the early 1990s.
As a young man, he owned a car, had enough money, and had built a house from his hard work at that time.
However, when his friends updated him about their lives – some being Managing Director in some companies – he felt the need to go back to school, despite having enough money then.
“In the 1990s, majority of the people thought the strength of a man then was solely money and not school. So I didn’t want to go the university. I stayed at Okaishie to work for sometime…At a point, you meet your friends and they tell you, I’m the managing director in some of the big companies.
“Even though I had built my house, bought a car and had money, I was not feeling enough. So I had to go back to the university. Until I came into politics, I was not known.
“I was only interested in business as a Kwahu indigene. At that point in time, in the early 1990s, I was one of the youngest entrepreneurs at Kinsway. At the time, Heritage Towers was not built. That place was then called Swanzy Arcade in Accra,” he told the vlogger.
The former Chief of Staff added that successful people like Sakyi Amankwaah, Kan Dapaah all started as entrepreneurs at Okaishie.
“We had people like Sakyi Amankwah, Kan Dapaah, A foreign affairs minister during former President Kuffour’s era ….Then I met late President Mills, the rest is history,” he reiterated.
He said, “we need more of our women to rise to positions of authority that will enable them influence policies, especially those that will affect the fortunes of other women.”
Mr Agyeman made the observation at the just ended biennial congress of the GTA Ladies Club.
The congress brought members across the regions to discuss ways to help the organization achieve its goals, empower each other and to exchange views and ideas aimed at improving the welfare of female staff.
He congratulated the Club for the commitment and efforts towards the successful operations of the GTA and urged them not to relent in their efforts to creating a more formidable force of the Authority.
Mrs. Doreen Fianko, Founder of the Club, said there were many conscious and unconscious biases around women, which hindered their progressive forward movement.
“This is the reason why women need to be empowered and allowed to redefine their gender roles and to make strategic life choices which will allow them more freedom to pursue their desired goals.”
Mrs. Emma Rachael Akua Oduro, Outgoing President of the Club, urged women in the Tourism, Arts, Culture and Hospitality industry in Ghana, to mentor and coach one another through support groups to meet up with the growing demands within the industry.
She said the club was formed over two decades ago to, among other things, improve the welfare of the female staff through the exchange of ideas, promote the image and advancement of members as well as to assist the management to achieve the basic objectives of the Authority and offer constructive suggestions and criticisms.
The Ladies’ Club has a membership of about 200 drawn from all the 16 regions of Ghana.
Some activities that took place during the congress include, leadership training programme, empowerment summit, a donation exercise, election and swearing in of new executives, tour and picnic.
The newly sworn in executives include Madam Francesca Quansah, President, Ms Abigail Kwayisi, Vice President, Madam Selase Tettevi, Organizer, Nana Yaa Boadu, Assistant Organizers, Madam Millicent Nweada, Public Relations Officer, Madam Ellen Gyeambea, Secretary, and Madam Dela Melchidek, Financial Secretary.
Speaking at the funeral ceremony of Nana Ampadu held this morning at the forecourt of the State House in Accra, he highlighted the musician’s contribution to the music industry and how he impacted his [Akufo-Addo’s] political life.
“Talk of the commencement and growth of highlife music, and one of the people whose names will be on [the lips of] most Ghanaians is Nana Kwame Ampadu. The outpouring of grief by many Ghanaians following the news of his death is in appreciation of the impact his music had on successive generations of Ghana”.
“He was one of Ghana’s musical icons and undoubtedly a legendary highlife artiste whose music transcended our national borders.”
The President spoke of how supportive the late Nana Ampadu was of his vision “for the transformation of Ghana.”
“He assisted me tremendously on the campaign trail in the run-up to the victory of my party, the NPP, and the elections of 2016, for which we remain eternally grateful.”
The President consoled the family and said the late highlife artiste will be “sorely missed by all who had the opportunity of knowing and meeting him.”
The final part of the funeral rites will be held tomorrow at Obo Kwahu in the Eastern Region, where his remains will be taken for interment.
Nana Kwame Ampadu passed on at the age of 76 on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, after he was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra.
He is known for songs like Ebe Te Yie, Agatha, Obra, Oman Bo Adwo, among others.
Former President, John Dramani Mahama has underscored the need for government to tackle the growing rate of youth unemployment in the country.
He asserts the high rate of youth joblessness is a matter of national security concern that needs serious tackling.
“Government owe it as a responsibility to do all they can to secure the peace and safety of the nation but above all to reduce youth unemployment. This is necessary to ensure that the young people do not become easily recruitable to fill the ranks of the insurgence due to frustration and lack of opportunity”, says Mr. Mahama.
He was speaking as a special guest of honour at the 2022 Convocation at Liberty University in Michigan of the United States.
The former President while condemning the activities of Boko Haram in the sub-region revealed that the youth stand a chance of being recruited if opportunities are not created for them.
“Ghana is an Island of religious calmness in a sea of turbulence as almost all our surrounding neighbours have in recent times experienced some major form of insurgency, coup d’états or other conflicts including religious conflicts.”
“In all these acts, one thing is clear, leadership at all levels including the family, the school, the church, the government all have the responsibility to educate and inform the impress young members of our society about the imminent threats and dangers out there”, he emphasized.
Terrorist activities happening in Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali have become a major concern to the government, hence the need for stringent measures to ensure the safety of the citizenry.
Ghana’s security agencies have been put on high alert over threats of terrorism in the country.
The government said several efforts are underway to ensure that the country is protected from any form of attack following reports that terrorist groups are looking to expand southward, with countries such as Ghana in focus.
President Akufo-Addo has made a fervent appeal to members of the National House of Chiefs to eschew partisan political interests while collaborating with the government to end the menace of illegal mining.
The president made this request during his opening remark at a meeting with the National House of Chiefs to discuss the fight against galamsey.
“There are many requests I intend to make on you during our behind closed doors session of our meeting. But one of the most significant which I have to make now is to seek your assistance to take partisan political interests out of the fight against galamsey. It can only succeed if it is a truly national battle which no one seeks to exploit for political gain as we saw in our last election.
“The progress of our country depends on all of us; all citizens of Ghana, all fellow Ghanaians pulling together to defeat this existential threat to our future,” the president said during the meeting held on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.
The president noted the several initiatives adopted by his government to end the menace while emphasising the need for traditional leaders to collaborate with the government in the fight against illegal mining.
“We have tried many initiatives including that of the community mining scheme and the establishment of a new legal regime for dealing with the perpetrators of this phenomenon which has imposed severe sanctions on those Ghanaians and foreigners convicted of illegal mining, still we have not won the fight. It is obvious that if we are to win the fight you and I have to take the lead to collaborate closely to do so and that is why I am here today,” he said.
The meeting with the traditional leaders was convened at the request of the president to discuss ways to fight illegal mining, which has escalated in magnitude over the past years.
This is despite the promise made by the president at his inauguration in 2017 and the various campaigns launched by his government over the period.
The growing impact of galamsey is proving a threat to several water and forest bodies across the country.
This has led to calls on the government to adopt more radical efforts in the galamsey fight.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has on Sunday, October 2, made changes to her cabinet, dropping one and bringing in the former MP and minister Angelah Kairuki.
The reshuffle comes in five months after she made minor changes in cabinet in April this year.
In the new changes announced in statement by the Directorate of Presidential Communication Stergomena Tax has been appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs and East Africa Cooperation, replacing Liberata Mulamula.
Prior to the new appointment, Tax served as the Defence Minister, being the first woman on the docket.
Innocent Bashungwa who was the Minister of State in the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government has been moved to Defence ministry taking over from Stergomena Tax.
In another development, Samia has appointed Ms Angela Kairuki a member of parliament and will succeed Bashungwa at President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government.
The appointees will take the oaths of their respective offices on Monday, October 3, 2022 at State House Dar es Salaam.
The former president of Zambia, says he is prepared to go to jail if he was caught stealing while in office.
Mr. Lungu is dissatisfied that he has been under investigation for crimes allegedly committed while he was president, together with his former government officials and family members.
He was particularly displeasedthat state investigators on Thursday went to a piece of land that he owns to carry out investigations.
Mr Lungu has since appealed to his successor Hakainde Hichilema to start the process of removing his constitutional immunity from prosecution so that he can clear his name.
“He who alleges, must prove and we will defend ourselves,” he later told members of parliament and supporters from his Patriotic Front party who visited him.
“My urge is that may the president institute the lifting of my immunity by going to parliament to lay a case so that he can eventually prove what crimes I committed,” he said.
Mr Lungu, who last year lost power to Mr Hichilema, has previously denied many allegations of corruption during his time as president.
A former constituency chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in New Juaben North in the Eastern Region has questioned why the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is gloating over the booing of President Akufo-Addo by some fans at the Global Citizens Festival held in Accra on Saturday, 24 September 2022.
According to him, the “shameful” incident carried out by some NDC-motivated participants at the concert is not out of the law.
Mr. Kwadwo Boateng Agyemang spoke on Accra 100.5FM’s morning show, Ghana Yensom on Thursday, September 29, 2022, saying booing has not affected the performance of the president in government.
He noted that the president is more focused on delivering his mandate to Ghanaians.
He disclosed that the likes of former president J.J. Rawlings and former president John Dramani Mahama, among others, have all suffered boos.
“Did it affect their performance in government?” he questioned.
“All these individuals continued with their presidency after being booed so it is not out of place for president Nana Akufo-Addo to also be booed like his predecessors,” he argued.
“It is not out of the law for a president to be booed because former President George Walker Bush of the United States of America and Mr. Emmanuel Macron of France suffered it and it did not affect their presidency so what is the NDC’s noise all about”? he queried.
“Nana Addo has been booed and so what?” he stressed.
A former bodyguard of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, has recalled the days when he would accompany his boss to the beach in the dead of the night.
During those outings, Christian Blukoo said the former president would engage in some spiritual acts.
Always preoccupied with how to keep the president safe, the former bodyguard explained that he and other reliable guards at the Christiansborg Castle (Osu Castle) – the seat of government at the time- would be dutied to follow him.
“After I was successful, I was sent to Castle and then they confirmed me as a bodyguard to Nkrumah, and then they put me in protection because Nkrumah at times went out at night. When he was going, those who were smart at the Castle had to follow him because bodyguards will not be in the house at night,” he said.
Christian Blukoo explained further in an interview with JoyNews that although he could never speak about these things in the past due to the oath of secrecy, he feels safer now to talk about them. He described how on some of those days, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah would spend time on the beach behind the Independence Square, praying and engaging in other spiritual activities.
“They used it call it secrecy but now, I’m free to speak. At times, he used to go to the seaside at the Black Star Square to consult the spiritual (sic) and like we do here by praying, he also used to do that: he’ll go to the seaside and pray. There were certain other things that he would do,” he narrated.
The former bodyguard of the president also shared some deep details of some of the security operations he and others undertook for Kwame Nkrumah.
A former aide to late President John Evans Atta Mills, Koku Anyidoho, has called for prayers for President Akufo-Addo.
He believes the president and the nation as a whole needs divine intervention and it was thus important for Ghanaians to go on their knees and genuinely pray for the President and the nation.
In a tweet posted on Sunday, September 25, Anyidoho stressed that it was refreshing that the president himself was a prayerful person.
“I am more than convinced that we must go on our knees and genuinely pray for the President and Mother Ghana because we definitely need the divine intervention of God for Him to bless our Homeland Ghana.
“Thank God the President himself is on his knees praying,” he captioned the tweet which was accompanied by two photos. One of the president in kneeling position being prayed for by the clergy and another of himself in the same position.
Anyidoho, the Chief Executive Officer of the Atta-Mills Institute, AMI, is known to be a supporter of the president and the current government despite insisting that he remains a full member of the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC.
The last time both men met publicly was at the reopening of the refurbished Asomdwee Park – the burial place of late President Atta Mills.
The AMI had gotten government support for the renovation of the facility and the recommissioning was done on the 10th anniversary of Atta-Mills’ passing.
I am more than convinced that we must go on our knees and genuinely pray for the President and Mother Ghana because we definitely need the divine intervention of God for Him to bless our Homeland Ghana ???????? Thank God the President himself is on his knees praying ???????????? pic.twitter.com/sAv1kg2VqN
The government has been urged to review its strategy towards fighting illegal mining to make it regional and district-led.
An environmentalist, Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, who made the call, said the current top-bottom approach where an anti galamsey task force formed at the national level took charge of operations was not helping matters.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra last Friday, he said: “We have had Operation Vanguard, Operation Halt and Operation Halt II, all constituted at the top in Accra but the problem persists, which tells us that something is wrong in our strategy.”
Owning exercise
Explaining further, Nana Sarpong who is the President of Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, said making the anti-galamsey strategy regional/district-led would make the regional and district security councils which knew the terrain well to own the exercise in order to prosecute it effectively.
“The regions and districts are there already, they know all the areas and the people who engage in the illegal activities, so why do we send people from Accra to take charge of the operations?” he queried.
Nana Sarpong said the national task force would only have to come in to monitor how the regions and districts were performing.
“It is good that some of the regions and districts have already taken up the task, and have formed their own task forces, but they will need the full support in the form of resources from central government to undertake their activities,” he stated.
State of rivers
The environmentalist expressed concern about the state of some rivers affected by galamsey, and further said “ we have to take this fight seriously to prevent a major national disaster.
“As I speak to you now major rivers like Pra, Ankobra, Offin and Birim have been heavily polluted by illegal mining, and this calls for a major action to restore normalcy,” he said.
The environmentalist said the way the galamsey fight was being handled showed that a lot more efforts needed to be put in to achieve the desired results.
Cartels
He said it was time to expose the “big names” who were behind the illegal activities rather than putting all emphasis on the “small fishes.”
“For me, these are cartels who must be exposed , whether they are politicians or whatever, “ he said.
Excavators
Nana Sarpong said along the roads in the mining areas, excavators littered the roads, while no one questioned what they were meant for.
He suggested that excavators that were impounded for galamsey activities should be demobilised and the parts sold, and the money used for the development of the districts where they were impounded.
According to him, it’s of no use talking about the late former President’s strained relationship with a political party he founded with his sweat because the party and its current leadership pushed him out.
He was reacting to a recent interview by Elvis Afriyie Ankrah where he spoke about the late former President of Ghana and founder of the NDC.
Read His Statement Below
Okay, while I have great sympathy with Afriyie-Ankrah’s totally understandable commentary, I feel the need to call for caution and a smarter, more sophisticated approach to matters relating to chairman Rawlings.
Elvis and his likes should take a trip back and have a look through the Adabraka headquarters window. The view – at least as described by the lily-livered elements in the NDC leadership hasn’t changed, or? We were told Rawlings had outlived his relevance in the NDC, or? So, why would anyone even be bothered he cozied up to Akufo-Addo when indeed his own folks had no difficulty in attempting to ostracise him?
I think Afriyie-Ankrah needs to zone in on the weightier matters relating to the contest and provide a convincing narrative for all, that inspires even the non-believers and makes them want to be led by him in the event he wins the race.
Seth Acheampong, the Eastern Regional Minister, claims that the government is still committed to the fight against illegal mining in spite of the many failures experienced so far.
He believes that the determination to put a stop to all types of unlawful small-scale mining, often known as “galamsey,” is still on track and still within the bounds of the law.
“Commentators claim that using the whip to discipline people is highhanded, but our government is resolute and determined. We are not moaning and flinging our hands in despair”, he remarked on The Point of View on Citi TV.
He refuted criticism that the government has never been devoted to the struggle against the threat.
The Minister mentioned that government losing out in the last election is somehow proof that state actions are yielding results.
“The president, in putting his office on the line, the party suffered heavily in the 2020 election in areas that had illegal mining. They voted against us. That is the risk we took”.
Mr. Acheampong emphasized that, “as we face this issue humanly and squarely, unfortunately, it is being made a matter of politics and it’s so depressing when you try to put your life on the line. This administration is poised to be responsible”.
His declaration was amidst new measures such as the deployment of police and military personnel to arrest illegal miners across the country and the introduction of a community mining programme aimed at regulating small-scale mining in communities in an environmentally sustainable manner.
There have been complaints that the water bodies that were regaining their natural state at the height of the fight against galamsey are becoming polluted again due to the increasing activities of illegal miners in various parts of the country.
President Akufo-Addoagain made public statements on the development, saying that there is a need for an open discussion on the subject.
The government, through the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, subsequently held a two-day National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining that, among other things, urged the government to firmly enforce the country’s laws on mining.
Recently, the debate on whether the government is in control of the fight has been renewed following controversies surrounding the re-arrest of galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.
Some aggrievedcustomers of the defunct gold collectable company, Menzgold, have served notice to walk to the office of the presidentto intervene in the payment of their locked-up funds on Monday, 12 September 2022.
The walk according to the group will start from customs car park near Ministry, Accra to the Independence Square for press briefing and from there present a petition to the President at the Jubilee House.
The operations of Menzgold were shut down in September 2018 by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company’s operating license which had initially been granted in 2014 by the Minerals Commission of Ghana was primarily for gold trading and export.
However, as reports of a gold-investment scheme with high returns started to circulate, the Bank of Ghana begun to publish warnings which cautioned citizens to be wary of dealing with the firm and warned the firm against taking cash deposits.
Some customers were adamant while the company also called the bluff of the regulatory authorities.
Customers deposit at Menzgold have been locked out since the shutdown and can’t access their investments, leading to numerous demonstrations at its various branches to no avail.
A subdued response to a speech at a major policy conference on Friday indicated that all was not well. He admitted that his party, the governing African National Congress (ANC), was “at its weakest”, but the president himself is in the firing line.
Four years ago, he replaced corruption-tainted Jacob Zuma as president on the promise of being clean.
But now he has his own potentially explosive corruption scandal. Dubbed “farmgate”, the controversy surrounds an alleged cover-up of a robbery that took place at his private farm, Phala Phala, back in February 2020.
This is happening in a year when the ANC is set to pick its presidential candidate for the 2024 election and Mr Ramaphosa is under increasing scrutiny.
After dragging his feet, he finally responded to questions about the incident from the country’s top anti-corruption official, known as the Public Protector.
Kholeka Gcaleka had threatened to subpoena the president after he failed to meet an initial deadline for the answers to be delivered.
The robbery and the alleged aftermath was first brought to light in June by Arthur Fraser, the country’s former head of the State Security Agency.
The ex-spy chief, who is a close ally of Zuma, accused the president of kidnapping, bribery and acting unlawfully by allegedly authorising the pursuit of suspects who stole an estimated $4m (£3.2m) from his farm.
Mr Fraser further alleged that such a large amount of money, which was reportedly stuffed in cushions, could have been the proceeds from money laundering and corruption.
The theft was allegedly committed by Namibian nationals who conspired with a domestic worker on the farm.
‘No criminal conduct’
As the stolen cash was reportedly in foreign currency, it means that exchange control laws could also have been contravened.
In an initial response, the president said that there was “no basis for the claims of criminal conduct”.
Mr Ramaphosa’s office confirmed that there was a robbery at his farm in Limpopo province “in which proceeds from the sale of game were stolen”, but disputed the figure given by Mr Fraser.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Former South African Presidents Thabo Mbkei (L) and Kgalema Motlanthe (R) shared a platform with Mr Ramaphosa at the ANC policy conference
Some of the questions posed by the Public Protector concerned whether the president violated the code of ethics and the constitution by concealing the break-in at his farm. She also wanted to know what steps the president took to ensure that the theft was thoroughly investigated.
The president has dismissed Mr Fraser’s allegations as a political smear campaign against him by those opposed to his anti-corruption agenda. He also believes that his political opponents inside the ANC do not want him to have a second term in office.
In a speech two weeks ago, Mr Ramaphosa said he had “pledged his full co-operation to the investigation” and he was happy to be held accountable.
In a veiled declaration of an internal war within the ANC, the president also said he “would not allow the [corruption] allegations to deter me from what needs to be done to rebuild our economy, and to deter me and discourage me from the work I have to do”. Mr Ramaphosa was cheered on by his supporters.
According to ANC rules, anyone charged with corruption or other crimes must step down while investigations take place.
Even though the president has not been formally charged with any crimes, supporters of Zuma want him to resign.
Last month, hundreds of them protested at the ANC’s headquarters, demanding his arrest and resignation.
Zuma, whose corruption trial is set to restart this month, enjoys the support of a left-wing ANC faction and his supporters are still smarting from his jailing last year for contempt of court for failing to attend a separate inquiry into corruption during his presidency. He served nearly two months of a 15-month sentence before being released on medical parole.
Their resignation demand was further driven home when some delegates later booed Mr Ramaphosa at a conference in KwaZulu-Natal province – a Zuma stronghold.
‘Damaging country’s image’
The opposition is also turning up the heat on the president.
Bantu Holomisa, the leader of the United Democratic Movement, wrote to the speaker of parliament demanding that the president be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation against him.
“The allegations have been greatly destructive of the country’s image and likely to affect investor confidence negatively, given that President Ramaphosa has acted as a champion of good governance,” Mr Holomisa said.
Even though President Ramaphosa does have questions to answer about the dollars stolen from his farm, Mr Fraser’s timing is widely seen as suspicious in light of the ANC’s leadership contest.
South Africans have grown accustomed to explosive scandals, conspiracies and mudslinging ahead of the brutal race for the ANC’s top position.
The spouses of the President and Vice President will from now onwards officially enjoy salaries from the government of Ghana.
This was after the government adopted a recommendation by an emolument committee which was approved by the seventh parliament.
The new arrangement will see the spouses of the first and second gentlemen officially being paid salaries which is a departure from the previous practice of paying them allowances.
Earlier reports had suggested President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had unilaterally decided to pay his wife Rebecca Akufo-Addo and the wife of his vice, Samira Bawumia, salaries but Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has clarified that the approval was done by the previous parliament.
“The President does approve salaries and benefits for the Executive. Under Article 71, the First Lady and Second Lady are not office holders so no one can determine their benefits under that article.
“However, a committee only recommended that an arrangement for the spouses be made formal and that received approval from Parliament,†he indicated. Oppong Nkrumah referenced some practices in the past where the allowances for the spouses of first and second ladies were increased by the executive arm of government.
“President Kufuor, in his wisdom, instituted this because of the bad situations of some spouses of some former Heads of States then. Presidents Mills and Mahama even increased the rates of these benefits during their time.
“The truth of the matter is that all surviving spouses of Heads of State, current and former, have always received salaries. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Faustina Acheampong, Fulera Liman etc have all been receiving salaries since President Kufuor’s time.
“What has happened now is that the arrangement has been made formal but that was done legally based on the recommendation by the Emoluments Committee,†the Information Minister emphasized.
Oppong-Nkrumah disclosed further that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2019 established a committee chaired by Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu to make proposals on allowances paid to wives of President and his vice.
The other members of the committee included Majority Leader and former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, the Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Dr Edward Kwapong, the current Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency, Dr Eric Oduro Osae, and a former Managing Director, Donewell Life Insurance Co. Ltd, Mrs Stella Segbawu,
The Information Minister stressed that the committee recommended the that the wives be paid and that was approved by the seventh parliament.
“That recommendation was then forwarded to the Seventh Parliament which then gave the approval and it is now to be implemented. It is, therefore, not true as it is being circulated that the President has approved of emoluments to the First Lady and Second Lady,†he added.
Guinea’s governing party nominated President Alpha Conde to stand for a third term, taking advantage of a new constitution to circumvent a two-term limit on presidential mandates.
Conde, 82, stopped short of formally accepting the nomination in a speech on Thursday. Talk of his running again has sparked widespread protests that have killed at least 30 people over the past year.
“Today you have all spoken, allies, parties and others – I take note,” Conde told party members.
He did not say when he would formally respond to the nomination.
Conde, a longtime opposition leader, came to power in a 2010 vote that raised hopes for democratic progress in Guinea after decades of authoritarian rule. He was re-elected in 2015.
But his efforts to stay in power have raised concerns that Guinea will go the way of other African countries whose rulers have refused to step down long after their mandates expired.
Conde’s supporters say the constitutional change, approved in a referendum in March that was boycotted by the opposition, acts as a reset button on the two-term limit.
Guinea is Africa’s largest producer of the main aluminium ore, bauxite. It also has significant reserves of iron ore, including the giant Simandou reserve, the largest known deposit of its kind with more than two billion tonnes of high-grade ore.
Robert Mugabe junior, the son of former late president Robert Mugabe, has taken to social media to show off his super-model girlfriend Hillary Makaya.
The young South African-based model popularly known as Hillzy was one of the award winners in 2016 taking home with her seven awards at the Miss Teen Heritage World in 2016.
The two made their relationship public known last weekend on Instagram. The lovebirds went on to celebrate Robert’s 27th birthday of Robert Jnr.
Robert is currently studying architecture in South Africa. He is the late president’s second child after Bona and the third child is Chatunga.
Robert and Chatunga are inseparable and popularly known for their champagne lifestyle. In 2017, the brothers got their mother, Grace, in trouble, even sparking a diplomatic controversy when she walked in a “party” and allegedly beat a model, Gabriella Engels with an electrical cord upon finding her in the boys’ rented apartment in Sandton, South Africa.
The wife of the prime minister of Lesotho has been formally charged in court with murdering his previous wife.
First Lady Maesaiah Thabane has not yet been asked to plead. She surrendered to police on Tuesday for questioning.
Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has also been questioned. His estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, was shot dead outside her home in the capital Maseru two days before his inauguration in 2017.
The couple were involved in bitter divorce proceedings at the time.
Maesaiah Thabane has also been charged with the attempted murder of Thato Sibolla – a family friend who had been travelling with the deceased at the time.
The case was postponed to 28 February and Mrs Thabane was remanded in police custody. She is expected to apply for bail.
What is the background of the case? The attack was originally blamed on unknown armed men, but recent court papers filed by the country’s police commissioner, Holomo Molibeli, raised further questions.
An arrest warrant was issued for 42-year-old Maesaiah Thabane on 10 January after she disappeared.
She was “picked from the border” with South Africa on Tuesday after an arrangement between her lawyers and police, police spokesman Mpiti Mopeli told AFP news agency.
Lipolelo Thabane, 58, had been living apart from her husband since 2012. One evening in June 2017 while returning home, she was ambushed, shot several times at close range and died on the side of a road.
The murder shocked the nation. Mr Thabane described it as a “senseless killing” in his inauguration speech.
