Monthly Archives: June 2024

News, Politics, Topstory

Mahama condemns arrest of NDC Parliametary candidate; demands immediate release before tension escalates

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Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama condemns arrest of NDC Parliametary candidate; demands immediate release before tension escalates

He writes ….

There is no justification for the decision by the Inspector General of Police George Dampare, on the orders of the National Security Advisor, Albert Kan Dapaah, to detain a Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency in Police custody.

This action, taken on the instructions of the National Security Secretariat, will needlessly raise the political temperature in the country and spark avoidable tension.

The Police Service and the IGP must not allow themselves to be used to hang the peace and stability of our nation months before crucial national elections.

I call on the IGP, the Peace Council, the government, and the people of Ghana to recognise that justice is not just a moral imperative but a crucial prerequisite for maintaining peace and stability in a nation.

We cannot allow the police service to be used to stifle opposition and intimidate innocent Ghanaians and political opponents in the run-up to the 2024 elections.

Clearly, the intention to detain her after she had already been granted bail is an attempt to intimidate the NDC Parliamentary candidate in her quest to unseat the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hawa Koomson, in the Awutu Senya East Constituency.

I urge the IGP to urgently reconsider his actions and release Naa Koryoo immediately for the sake of justice and the stability of our nation.

It is high time the police fulfilled their duty to serve and protect all citizens, irrespective of their political affiliations.

#JusticeForNaaKoryoo
#FreeNaaKoryooNow

News

Ambulance case: Court throws out Ato Forson’s motion for enquiry, mistrial and stay of proceedings

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The High Court in Accra has dismissed an application inviting it to halt trial and order an enquiry into the alleged conduct of the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame in the case in which the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and a businessman are standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss of €2.37 million to the state.

In a ruling Thursday [June 6, 2024], the court presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, who dismissed the application filed by the Minority leader and the businessman, said the court had no jurisdiction in a criminal matter, to order an enquiry into the conduct of the Attorney-General particularly when the it has called on the accused person to open their defence after the prosecution had closed its case.

Specifically, she dismissed the application on grounds that there was no legal basis in the country’s statutes to make such an order.

The court also ruled that no special circumstance had been established to order a stay of proceedings, and order a mistrial.

 

More soon

Busines, News

Damage to Tema-Mpakadan train pegged at $2.1m – Prosecution tells court

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State prosecutors have told an Accra High Court that evaluators from Poland have determined how much it will cost the state to repair the wrecked train after detailed assessment.

Four accused persons are standing trial for causing damage to a brand new train which was expected to ply the Tema-Mpakadan railway line.

In court on Thursday, the state withdrew an earlier charge sheet and replaced it with a new one.

In the new charge sheet laid before the court, the prosecution stated that the first accused on the day of the accident, bought some concrete blocks at Juapong in the Volta region and transported same to Abutia also in the Volta region.

After dispatching the blocks, the accused person and his colleagues decided to cross the railway as a shortcut. They, therefore, packed stones on that section of the railway to enable the truck to cross but unfortunately the truck got stuck.

Coincidentally, the Railway Authority was conducting a test run of the train on that same rail line at that moment, resulting in the impact.

That, according to the state, caused the damage to the train up to the tune of $2,138,466.66.

The four accused persons have been slapped with four counts including using a railway line in breach of the Railway Act; aiding in endangering persons in the train; using the railway line contrary to the Railway Act; unlawfully placing stones in the railway line contrary to the Railway Act; and causing unlawful damage.

They all pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

Despite a push by the state for the accused persons to be remanded to Nsawam prison, the Court has granted the four accused persons a 200.000 cedis bail with one surety to be justified.

The case has been adjourned to June 27.

Ghana will not bear the cost of repairing faulty train – Railways Minister

When the accident occurred, the Minister for Railways Development, John Peter Amewu, clarified that the responsibility of repairing the train involved in the accident during the test run will not be borne by the state per purchase agreement.

“The train has been sent to the maintenance yard in Tema, where Poland engineers have assessed the extent of damage. Plans are well underway to fix it,” Mr Amewu stated during an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express.

Responding to inquiries about who would cover the repair expenses, Mr Amewu highlighted that Ghana had not yet taken ownership of the train at the time of the incident.

“There was no transfer of ownership. Which means the supplier was still responsible for the train. We’ll get ownership when the government has made the full payment which we haven’t done yet,” he noted.

He added, “So Ghana is not going to bear the cost of repairing the train involved in the accident during the test ride.”

 

Source: Myjoyonline.com

News

Yvonne Nelson’s ‘Dumsor’ vigil slated for June 8

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The conveners of the much awaited protest against incessant power outages have chastised the Akufo-Addo administration for being economical with the real power situation in the country.

The conveners, actress Yvonne Nelson and Henry Osei Akoto believe the reluctance of the government to publish a load shedding time tabel to aid Ghanaians to plan their activities only mean the Akufo-Addo administration does not care about the plight of Ghanaians who are at the receiving end of the power cuts.

During the annual May Day celebration today (May 1, 2024) in Accra, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced that the recent challenges in electricity supply, known as “dumsor,” have been effectively resolved.

Addressing attendees, the President expressed optimism that the erratic power supply issues are now a thing of the past, thanks to successful resolutions of problems related to transformers and gas supply.

This is in sharp contrast of what Akufo-Addo had earlier said in previous speeches that there wasn’t dumsor in the country.

 

One month after the announcement, Ghanaians are still grappling with erratic power supply which is crippling businesses and affecting health care delivery.

Addressing a press conference about the power situation on Wednesday, June 5, Henry Osei Akoto, said their protest slated for Saturday will come off as planned, adding that they have a  clearance from the police to pour their frustrations out on the streets.

“We met with the police yesterday and agreed on security arrangements for the protest. We are by this press conference urging Ghanaians who are suffering from the erratic power supply to join us at the entrance of the University of Ghana at 2PM on Saturday to drum home our message that the government is being dishonest with the current power situation,” he told XYZ News.

Osei Akoto stated that although the Akufo-Addo government has declared that there is no intermittent power cuts popularly known as ‘dumsor’, the situation was different in the homes and work places of Ghanaians in many parts of the country.

“People are incurring losses at their work places due to dumsor yet the government keeps lying that the power crisis is over…We all know the government owes power producers and has no funds to settle the debts,” he added.

Also present at the press conference was Antwi Sylvestin Ronald, convener for United Voices for Change (UVC) who pledged the group’s support for the street protest on Saturday.

 

Source: Myxyzonline.com

 

News, Politics

Ambulance Case: Court advises Godfred Dame to stay away

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High court judge in the ambulance case, involving Hon. Ato Forson and Mr. Jakpa, has directed Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame to stay away from the trial on grounds of professional and prosecutorial misconduct.

This is after the court declined jurisdiction to order an enquiry and mistrial based on the prosecutorial misconduct of the Attorney General.

The court directed the Hon. Ato Forson to seek redress at the appropriate forum, the General Legal Council, if so minded.

The telephone recording between Mr. Jakpa and the Attorney-General has however been admitted into evidence despite protest from the Attorney-General that same was inadmissible.

This is the first time that an Attorney-General of Ghana had been directed by Court to recuse himself from a trial.

Ruling on applications filed by Mr. Jakpa is still being read.

Stay tuned for more.

Sammy Gyamfi Esq.

News, Politics

We are fed up with the neglect and disrespect – GPRTU cries to Mahama

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The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) says it has had enough of the neglect by government. They say, though their membership constitutes over 92% of commercial drivers, there is no deliberate policy yet, targeted at improving their work environment or protect their interest, despite the major role they play in national development.

They are particularly livid over the increasing number of sprinter unions, which they say is weakening their front in advancing their grieviances.

General Secretary of the GPRTU Godfred Abubire, who was speaking during an engagement with the NDC 2024 flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama said for example, government till date has not shown any appreciation towards them despite the painful sacrifices and losses they were compelled to incur during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were asked to load half full capacity when the lock down was implemented. We sacrificed, but when government was sharing ‘freebies’ and recognizing institutions, we were left out as though we never existed” he bemoaned.

Mr. Abubire also bemoaned the removal of their executive members from boards in the public transport sector such as the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA), the National Road Safety Authority, amongst others.

“We do not understand why there is no budgetary allocation to support GPRTU operations. Some of our bus terminals are not spacious and lack the requisite facilities such as restrooms, beddings etc. High interest rates and the increasing cost of doing business are affecting our survival and it will look like no one cares” he lamented.

The General Secretary of the GPRTU also cited persistent harassment by the Police, who have developed a penchant for extortions.

The GPRTU appealed tot he former President to pay special attention to their needs if he wins the December 7, 2024 polls.

In response, Mr Mahama reiterated his commitment towards road infrastructure to open up the country, and introduce policies with an all-hands-on deck approach to improve road transport business.

“The GPRTU is the greatest body in the transport sector. We will reinstate your membership on those boards and ensure you have your voice back” he assured

“We will also dedicate a day to celebrate drivers. Best district driver, Best Regional driver and National Best driver” he added

News, Politics, Topstory

Mahama reiterates pledge to dualize major highways, institute Driver’s Day, Pensions Scheme for commercial drivers

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•The 2024 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama says the next NDC government will prioritize initiatives targeted at enhancing the commercial transport industry in Ghana.

This shall include a Pensions Scheme for commercial drivers, dualization of major highways to improve safety, a lorry terminal policy that shall see construction of such facilities to be operated on revenue sharing basis, re-introduction of road tolls to raise additional revenue for repairs and revamping of the Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, which shall be key in the operationalization of the 24-hr economy policy proposal.

“Road transport remains the biggest in the transport industry which includes aviation and marine. Unfortunately, we still have poor road network, which contributes to frequent breakdowns, discomfort and accidents. The next NDC government shall subsequently dualize major highways, small overhead bridges and bypasses to ease traffic” – he emphasized.

Mr Mahama, who was speaking during an engagement with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and other sister unions, noted with concern the neglect over the years, which among other has made the industry unattractive to investors.

He promised to introduce what he described as a special lorry terminal policy, which shall involve the construction of such facilities on revenue sharing basis to improve their working environment.

“Our plan is to engage Neoplan, a German automotive company to build an assembly plant in Ghana and sell in cedis for affordability.
“We shall also institute a Drivers Day, a special day to celebrate commercial drivers for their contribution towards national development. This shall include best driver awards at district, regional and national levels’ – former President Mahama assured.

News

IMANI files fresh suit over appointment of security heads; old suit struck out

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Lawyers of IMANI Ghana and Security expert Kwasi Aning have filed a new suit over the appointment of some heads of the security agencies in the country by the executive withdrawing an earlier one filed at the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court subsequently struck out the old one when the matter was called on Wednesday 5th June 2024.

This was after lawyers of the Plaintiffs- IMANI Ghana and security analysts Kwesi Aning told the Court that, they had filed a notice to discontinue the matter.

Before striking out the case, the Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo described as “really unacceptable” the manner in which the case was publicised and its subsequent withdrawal.

The panel of seven chaired by Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo wondered why such a widely publicised matter that has gained public interest would be withdrawn.

Paa Joe Akuamoah Boateng, Counsel representing the Plaintiffs explained that the withdrawal was to allow for the case to be refiled following new developments.

Background

In the writ filed in association with security analyst, Prof Kwesi Aning, the plaintiffs were asking the apex court to issue a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of the letter and spirit of Articles 200, 202(1), 202(2), 202(3), 205, 207(1), 207(2), 207(3), 190(1), 191,196, 199, and 269 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the President of the Republic of Ghana has no authority to terminate the appointment or removal from office heads of the agencies unless only upon proven stated misconduct or misbehaviour established against these office holders.

These offices included the office of the Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Service; Inspector General of Police; Director General of Prisons Service and Comptroller General of Immigration Service.

Again, the two were seeking a declaration that “The President of the Republic of Ghana upon assumption of Office does not have the power to make a fresh appoint to the office of the Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Service; Inspector General of Police; Director General of Prisons Service and Comptroller General of the Immigration Service unless the immediate holder of the office is deceased”.

The Plaintiffs also were seeking relief that the appointment of the heads of these uniformed security services by a new president who has been voted into power and sworn into office is unconstitutional.

Providing more details to back their case, the two argued that there are concerning trends where new governments compel the termination of the appointment of these heads while disregarding their constitutional rights.

“In some cases, these removals occur before the individual occupants of the office reach the statutory retirement age.

For instance in 2017, the then Director-General of the Prisons Service, Mr. Emmanuel Yao Adzator was asked to proceed on leave at the age of 54 and subsequently another was appointed in his stead,” the suit said.

They are, therefore, demanding a consequential order to restrain or prevent the President of the Republic from dismissing or removing or attempting to dismiss or remove the appointment of persons occupying the offices of the Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Service; Inspector General of Police; Director-General of Prisons Service, Comptroller General of Immigration Service unless only in cases of proven and stated misconduct or misbehaviour established against such persons or upon retirement or resignation or death or incapacity to perform the functions of the office because of infirmity of body and mind.

 

Source: Citinewsroom

News, Topstory

Ghanaian businesses have lost over 56% of their working capital in 6 months – GUTA

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The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has expressed concerns about the decline of the working capital of businesses in Ghana in recent times.

According to Charles Kusi Appiah Kubi, the Head of the Business and Economic Bureau at GUTA,  businesses have experienced a drastic reduction in their working capital in just six months due to the deteriorating economic climate.

He emphasized that the capital lost is more than 56 percent while blaming the severe financial challenges confronting the business community in the country for a few years now..

Mr Kubi who was concerned about the development indicated that the rapid depreciation of the Cedi has been a significant factor contributing to the capital depletion which is experienced in most business.

“Within six months, businesses have lost over 56% of their working capital without doing any other business. It is not that they ran into a bad deal, but it is because of the current economic situation,” said Kubi on Accra-based Joy FM. “So the first thing that affects us when the Cedi depreciates is capital depletion.”

He also noted that the weakening currency also shoots up the cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) values at the ports.

These are all costs, he believed, would drive up the price of the product or commodity that the businesses are trading in.

“As businesses, there is a limit to the costs we can absorb. Beyond that limit, it must be passed to the consumer,”he noted.

However, with the local market also struggling with skyrocketing inflation, Mr Kubi noted the economy has become stagnant since consumers are cutting back on spending and businesses are experiencing a sharp decline in sales.

“The moment inflation goes that high, the purchasing power of the consumer also starts diminishing. So as a business, we’d pass on the cost, but the consumer doesn’t have the purchasing power to absorb the extra cost so they are not buying. So right now there is economic stagnation.”

He noted that this situation has left a financial strain extending to businesses’ ability to meet their financial obligations.

“Right now there is economic stagnation. This is when people are no longer buying, and as a business, when you are not making sales, how do we then retire our loans?” he questioned.

 

Source: Myxyzonline.com

Busines, News

COPEC blames fuel price increases on adjustment in UPPF margin

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The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) has expressed disappointment in the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) for increasing the Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF) margin.

According to the chamber, the decision has led to a cascading effect on fuel prices at the pumps, burdening the public.

The NPA in a circular directed the various industry players to increase the margin by GH₵0.05 on every litre of fuel in the Price Build Up for petroleum products from June 1, 2024.  Petrol and diesel prices went up at some service station to GH₵14.84 a litre on Tuesday June 4, 2024.

Reacting to the development, the Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, said consumers are already overburdened by the high prices of petroleum products at the pumps due to the cedi depreciation.

“These things simply continue to add onto the pressure that fuel prices continue to face in the country. It is quite unfortunate that we continue to add on at a time that we should be thinking of reducing prices for our people. Prices simply would end up going up because we have done an increase in some of the margins just a few days ago, not good enough”, he said.

Mr. Amoah pointed out that fuel prices should have gone down since crude oil prices on the world market have witnessed a significant decline in recent times.

He argued that the decision to increase the margin is bad since it erodes the gains that consumers should have enjoyed.

“Indeed fuel prices should have declined in the last window and this window. The cedi’s performance has been largely blamed for the prices still being where they are and very high. UPPF used to be around 45 pesewas a litre but unfortunately we’ve had to increase it and increase it. Currently we’ve also adjusted it to now 90 pesewas a litre”, he lamented.

Criticizing the government, Dr. Amoah said the duty of policy makers is not to pass on cost to consumers, burdening the public with fuel price increases.

Prices go up

Some oil marketing companies have already started increasing prices of petroleum products at the pumps.

Shell is selling a litre of petrol and diesel at GH₵14.84.

Market leader GOIL is however selling a litre of petrol for GH₵14.60, from its old price of GH₵14.55. Diesel is going for GH₵14.75, up from the previous price of GH₵14.70. GOIL’s price is lower compared to Shell.

Persons close to GOIL have told JOYBUSINESS that the adjustment is due to the GH₵0.05 increase in the Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF) margin. The National Petroleum Authority has directed industry players to increase the margin from June 1, 2024.

Some oil marketing companies have explained that prices at the pumps would have remained unchanged if the UPPF margin had not gone up.

 

News, Politics

Concerning the GN Bank Case: A Call for Balanced Perspective, Not Mockery or Mistreatment

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Ever since Dr. Nduom’s companies, including GN Bank, were collapsed under the Nana Akufo-Addo government, whenever Dr. Nduom speaks about the injustice done to him regarding the revocation of GN Bank’s license or tries to complain or call for the restoration of GN Bank, we have had people within the government coming after him. Shockingly, even some people, especially NDC sympathizers, come to laugh at him and mock him for suffering under this government because they believe he supported them in opposition.

They go so far as to say that the God of Mahama is the one punishing Dr. Nduom because he vehemently campaigned against former president Mahama for his loss. Some NDC sympathizers even believe that Dr. Nduom worked for or with President Nana Addo for the NPP to win power in 2016, and as a result, if Nduom is suffering under this NPP government, he should keep quiet and suffer, and has no right to complain because he was one of them. They seem not to care because it is Nduom who is suffering, and they believe he deserves what he is going through.

It is not fair to wish Nduom to suffer simply because he campaigned against Mahama in 2016. What has happened to Nduom can happen to anyone, be it in power now or in opposition, and we all have to speak against such mistreatment meted out to Nduom unfairly.

Here are the facts:

Nduom does not hate Mahama nor campaigned against him because he was in bed with Nana Addo’s NPP. The fact is, he was also a presidential candidate in the 2016 elections and was campaigning for himself to become the president of Ghana. He believed he was in a better position to lead the country than any of the other candidates. In the process, he was found speaking against Mahama and some of his policies that he felt were not helping Ghanaians. Anything he said about Mahama was in light of also projecting himself as a better candidate at the time, which also went a long way to make the Mahama government popular. Isn’t this an expected natural outcome of any campaign against the ruling party? Probably, the NPP and Nana Addo might be the indirect beneficiaries of Dr. Nduom’s campaign in terms of electoral fortunes. The PPP and Nduom did not intend to directly campaign to benefit the NPP in any way. They wanted to win and believed it was possible.

Now, to the people who believe Dr. Nduom’s campaign benefited Nana Addo and the NPP, shouldn’t they rather spend their energies on asking the right questions about why Nana Addo and the NPP that supposedly benefited from Dr. Nduom’s campaign are the ones rather destroying his companies instead of helping him? Shouldn’t we all be concerned that a supposed ally like Nana Addo and his cronies are the ones being wicked towards Nduom? Does Nduom really deserve that from the people in the ruling government? Have they been fair to him if that’s how some of you feel? If there’s anything to say about the GN Bank case, shouldn’t it be directed to the doorstep of Nana Addo for having caused this mess for Nduom and many other Ghanaians alike? Instead of mocking Nduom, why not speak against the wickedness of some few people within the government and the bad governance?

If we all knew what the future held for us in the past, there are certain mistakes that we would have avoided. You think if Nduom knew Nana Addo’s government would have caused him this harm, he would have done things that supposedly supported Nana Addo’s agenda? Nobody knows tomorrow, so we should all tread cautiously. Despite our political differences, we shouldn’t condone injustice, wickedness, and obvious abuse of power. We all deserve a fair hearing. If you can’t speak to support the plight of Nduom, don’t mock him or gloat, because it can happen to you too.

Change is the only constant thing in life. As human beings, we are all prone to change our minds at some point in time if deemed fit.

In any case, the Ghanaians who were employed by GN are the ones who were affected by the collapse of the company. Mocking Dr. Nduom only serves to rub salt into the wounds of the several Ghanaians who were rendered jobless.

Mocking Dr. Nduom also mocks the millions of dollars wasted to collapse his and other businesses, rather than using that same amount or less to prop them up.

#BringBackGNBank #PipiroScribes

News, Politics

EC reverses decision not to allow agents at registration centres

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The Electoral Commission has rescinded its decision not to allow agents of political parties to observe the ongoing Vote Transfer exercise.

The Commission said this followed concerns expressed by some stakeholders.

“Following internal discussions and in consideration of the concerns of some stakeholders, the Commission has decided to revert to its decision made at IPAC. The Commission has directed its Officers at the Districts to allow Agents of Political Parties to OBSERVE the Transfer of Votes Exercise with effect from tomorrow Wednesday, 5th June, 2024,” portions of a press release dated June 4 read.

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