You aren’t smarter than Ghanaians. We can glean your partiality. Your body language, line of questioning and recurring remarks consistently hint at personal biases against the IGP.
You don’t look like a credible chairman of any important committee. Rather, you look more like a defence counsel for the bitter police officers whose quest to be made IGPs so they can subvert the will of the people has been exposed.
It is not by force to chair this committee, especially when your work output is more of a disservice. If you don’t have any personal interest in this matter, then recuse yourself or get replaced by the Speaker, as your role is more of a nuisance, and annoying, particularly when you think we are unable to read in between the lines.
Yaw Gyampo A31, Prabiw PAV Ansah Street Saltpond & Suro Nipa House Behind Old Post Office Larteh-Akuapim
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Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has stated that Ghanaians should thank God for exposing the former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, as it has shed light on corrupt activities within the government.
He expressed excitement over the case, considering the significant amount of money involved and the lack of plausible explanations so far.
“In actual fact, the first thing we should be celebrating is the fact that God gave us such a case. You see how President Akufo-Addo has been denying that there is no corruption and God has handed us this case, we should be celebrating.”
“…I am excited because we have had a case where we have seen big money that so far is looking like there can’t be any plausible explanation. So, it brings excitement until she can displace the excitement…So let’s start celebrating,” he stated.
However, Prof Ransford Gyampo, a senior lecturer and political scientist at the University of Ghana, criticized President Akufo-Addo for making comments that could potentially interfere with the ongoing investigation into the scandal.
The President’s expression of hope for Madam Dapaah’s exoneration was seen as undermining the independence of the security agencies handling the investigation.
Former Gender Minister, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, also criticized President Akufo-Addo for the content of the letter accepting Ms. Dapaah’s resignation.
She demanded that the President disclose the source of the former Sanitation Minister’s wealth.
Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Prof Ransford Gyampo has called for the strengthing and prioritisation of the education systems in teacher training colleges instead of a licensure examination.
Speaking on Newsfile, on Saturday, he said he did not understand why the exams have been introduced when there were already existing problems in the training schools that need fixing to improve the quality of education and graduate teachers.
“I have been questioning the rationale for the introduction of the licensure exams, what did it seek to achieve? If for some reason we do not believe in the kind of training that is given at the various teacher centres, why don’t we strengthen these trainings, improve their infrastructure and ensure that they are able to deliver effectively on their mandate,” Prof Gyampo said.
He added that the licensure examination could be added to the exams students take in the training centres ensuring that once a teacher graduates, they already have the certification to be in a classroom.
“I do not see the essence of always being in the rush to create structures when problems that exist can be fixed,” he said.
This comes after the National Teaching Council revealed that about 83.5% of candidates failed the teachers licensure exams held in May 2023.
The NTC noted that out of the 7,728 teachers who participated in the re-sit exams, only 1,277 passed.
The assessment in numeracy, literacy and professional knowledge is to enable qualified teachers to get a professional license, while attracting young graduates with the required professional knowledge and skills to teach.
Following the failure, the Registrar of the National Teaching Council (NTC), Christian Addai-Poku, told JoyNews that the teachers who failed would be given a last chance to re-sit.
Meanwhile, addressing Prof Gyampo’s concern on Newsfile, Dr Addai-Poku indicated that the exams are serving as a check to ensure that unqualified individuals are not allowed in the classroom.
He added that students who failed the exams are distance and sandwich students of the various training colleges.
Dr Addai-Poku stated that he believes the students of these institutions are victims “because the institutions are supposed to train them and bring them out well refined and fit for purpose because you have admitted people for a programme, a professional programme.”
A Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Political Science Department has expressed disappointment with IMF’s conditionalities for Ghana regarding the $3 billion loan approval.
According to Prof. Ransford Yaw Gyampo, Ghana is a highly corrupt country and the institution has provided no substantial help to check the leakages and slippages.
Mr Gyampo thinks that an IMF that is no longer perturbed about curbing a country’s corruption cannot be taken seriously.
“Indeed, in the fight against corruption, the talk about the continuous implementation of a National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) that exists merely in name by the document, shows that the IMF perhaps is no longer a serious institution.”
“This is because it doesn’t appear there will ever be serious efforts at implementing the NACAP and an IMF that does not know this is bogus,” he said.
He also indicated that the current IMF has lost its boldness and courage unlike previous times and thinks that the IMF in recent times is just tactically encouraging African dependence on the West.
“Otherwise, how and why were very low-hanging serious recommendations that would help us quickly turn things around, overlooked? Is the IMF ignorant that we earn just about only 5% of royalties from our gold?
“Is the IMF not aware that we produce oil and yet earn only just about 13% of the oil revenues? Why didn’t they talk about taxing the extractive sector adequately to raise more revenue for ourselves?”
“Why were they silent on what we must do to stop illicit financial flows? Do they come from countries whose sizes of government are as bloated as ours? Were they coerced to keep quiet about the local and international calls on our government to downsize?” Mr. Gyampo quizzed.
He continued that if the conditionalities do not answer the above questions then they are mere propaganda and only aim at inflicting hardships on deprived people.
“To make Africans dependent on the West; and cover up for leadership incompetence and unwillingness to sacrifice,” he lamented.
He finally cautioned government that Labour would resist any unnecessary imposition of hardships on poor people without an evident show of sacrifice on the part of political leadership.
“The IMF must know that the Ghanaian is intelligent enough to know when a cycle of dependence is being perpetuated and we will soon resist.”
“If the IMF truly wants to help us, then they must be bold in telling us nothing but the truth so we can wiggle ourselves out of imposed and our self-inflicted hardship,” he said.
Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana has revived calls for the Council of State to be scrapped.
The discussion on the uselessness of the Council of State became rife especially when calls for the amendment or abolition of the 1992 Constitution became topical.
The Council of State was established by Articles 89 to 92 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana: “There shall be a Council of State to counsel the President in the performance of his functions.” But the Council’s advice is not binding on the President as he can choose to take or reject.
Meanwhile, huge sums of monies are being used to pay their allowances and ex-gratia without them having any impact on state affairs.
Adding his voice to the conversation Monday, March 20, 2023, Prof. Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana said the modus of constitution of the council itself is wrong.
According to him, the President should have no locus in determining who becomes a member of the Council of State.
Likening the institution to that of the chieftaincy in the traditional society, the Professor said chiefs were always born to the existence of a council which gave the latter the power to spite whenever the chief went wrong.
An attempt to get the striking public university workers union to rescind their decision could not be achieved at a meeting between the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the unions on Wednesday.
According to the Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Ransford Gyampo, it was revealed at the meeting that the Finance Ministry has a key role to play in addressing their concerns.
He added that the process may delay following the ongoing probe of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, following a motion of censure against the minister in Parliament.
Speaking to Citi News after the engagement, Prof. Gyampo disclosed that the meeting has been rescheduled to be held in the next ten days.
“We have brought this proposal to the National Labour Commission, and they have also sort of agreed that we should wait and go on with the discussion in the next 10 days.”
The other unions on strike are the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) and Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA).
The strike by the four unions in public universities is in its sixth week.
UTAG’s concerns, for example, are with the adjusted ex-pump rate of GHS10.99 being implemented to affect Vehicle Maintenance and Off-Campus Allowances.
The union has complained that the agreed Conditions of Service of University Workers by the Employer were not being adhered to.
A Professor of Political Science and a former Director of the Centre for European Studies of the University of Ghana, Prof Ransford Gyampo, has asked President Akufo-Addo to evaluate and consider reshuffling or dismissing Ministers under his regime who are under performing.
According to him, failure of the President to reshuffle or dismiss government officials who are under performing has largely contributed to what he described as a display of gross incompetence on the part of the Ministers.
He, thus, believes that reshuffling such officials will largely eradicate the high rate of incompetence displayed so far.
“Reshuffling ensures efficiency in government; it brings about productivity and accountability,” he said.
He added that a reshuffle will be a wake-up call on the Ministers to act.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo remains resolute on his decision to retain his appointees despite calls for the dismissal of some of them and a reshuffle of the Ministers.
He has on many occasions justified his decision, with a claim that there is no reason to reshuffle any Minister since they are all performing.
