E/R: “GHANA COCOA BOARD MUST FULFILL IT PART OF 65 YEARS AGREEMENT OR FACE OUR RATH” – AKYEM MPONUAHENE THREATENED
The Chief of Pankese Nana Dr. Boakye Darkwa who doubles as Akyem Kotoku Mponuahene and his elders threatened to take legal action against Ghana Cocoa Board for breaching an for the past 65 years between then traditional leaders Akyem Kotoku mponua and Ghana Cocoa Board.
According to Nana Dr. Boakye Darkwa in an exclusive interview with the media at the palace of Pankese in the Brim North district in eastern region, he said land was released to Ghana Cocoa Board with an agreement of offering jobs to the people of Pankese and Mponua catchment area and to help provide development to the people but not even a single developmental projects can be pointed which was initiated by Cocoa Board. Meanwhile, tons of Cocoa beans are being carried out from the area to Accra. In his submission, he disclosed that for the past 65 years which Ghana Cocoa Board was given some portion of land to grow Cocoa without paying anything, and even those few people who benefited by being employed has being laid off from work according to Nana Dr. Boakye Darkwa.
He was speaking at Pankese calling for peace and unit among the people of Pankese and Mponua Traditional Area after many years of chieftaincy dispute which he said has caused development to delay in the area.
Nana Dr. Boakye Darkwa added that recently, armed robbers has being tormenting the life’s of his people and he can count on five robbery cases which has come to his notice including some small scale miners being robbed. He also said Pankese, being the paramountcy of Mponua of Akyem Kotoku, they lack basic social arminities such as portable drinking water, public toilet, market, health facility, and police station. He used the opportunity to appeal to the new inspector general of police Mr. Dampare Akufu to help establish police station at Pankese to deal with all criminalities.
The media engaged some citizens present including the unit committee chairman Mr. Mark Agyarko which they called for unity and development.
Flashback: I’ll build Ghana from bottom-up – Akufo-Addo
Ahead of the 2016 presidential elections, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, promised electorates that he was going to adopt a bottom-up approach in his government when elected.
He noted that his plan was going to ensure that the national cake was distributed fairly. He again promised that no one will be left behind under his rule.
The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the policies and programmes outlined by him so far are indicative of the fact that a future NPP government will employ the “bottom-up” approach to national development.
The bottom-up approach, according to Nana Akufo-Addo, means that local actors will participate in decision-making, and in the selection of the priorities to be pursued in their communities. This, he noted, will achieve balanced national development, creating wealth and prosperity for all Ghanaians, without discrimination.
Pre. Nana Ado
“We are going to build our country from the bottom-up. That is why we’re talking ‘1-District-1-Factory’, ‘1-Village-1-Dam’. We’re building Ghana from the bottom-up, so that we can get everybody involved,” Akufo-Addo said at a mammoth rally in the Bunkpurugu constituency, in the Northern region.
At the same rally, the party’s vice presidential candidate, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, also unveiled the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), which seeks to draw US$275 million per year from the nation’s capital expenditure budget, out of which each of the 275 constituencies will receive the equivalent of US$1 million each per year, to tackle issues relating to infrastructural development and poverty eradication in rural and deprived communities across the country.
With thousands defying the rain to listen to Nana Akufo-Addo’s message of hope, the NPP flagbearer assured residents of Bunkpurugu and its environs of addressing the concerns put forward by the Paramount Chief, Alhaji Naba Abuba Nasimong.
The Bunkpurugu Chief, in his interaction with Nana Akufo-Addo, stated that their concerns were the construction of the deplorable roads leading to and within Bunkpurugu; the conversion of an inadequate clinic into a district hospital to serve more effectively the health needs of the peoples of the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo district; and a refurbishment of the rundown secondary schools in the area. He stressed that the needs outlined were for the improvement of the living conditions of his people and not for his own benefit.
The NPP flagbearer assured residents that “I commit myself that if God favours me in December, we’re going to do to all these things to bring up Bunkpurugu”.
With this year’s election being his third attempt at the Presidency, Nana Akufo-Addo appealed for the support of residents, stating that “I want your support so we can go into Jubilee House and bring prosperity to all parts of Ghana.
“Ghana is not a poor country. We are not a poor people. It is poor government that has brought us to where we are. We are looking to come to office to put in place policies that will bring about the revival of our nation, and, for that, we need your support so that in December this year, all of us will say to John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic, goodbye.”
Nana Akufo-Addo also visited the Nalerigu/Gambaga constituency, where he appealed for the support of the Nayiri, the great and highly respected King of Mamprugu, Naa Bohogu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga II, and also urged residents to elect Hajia Alima Mahama as their Member of Parliament, so as to help bring into fruition the NPP’s programme of development for the constituency.
Pre. Nana Ado
The NPP flagbearer’s final stop was at midnight, in the Walewale constituency, where he addressed residents of Kparigu, assuring them that his government will help establish a watermelon processing factory in the district, which, will amongst others, help create jobs and bring prosperity to the district.
“I am not one to make promises I know I cannot keep, all in the name of getting votes. I have too much love and respect for Ghanaians to make promises which I cannot fulfill. I will never do that,” he reassured.
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has delivered on his promise by largely reducing the hardships of Ghanaians especially, the youths.
He said although challenges still remain in the country owing to the pandemic, the government of Mr Akufo-Addo has through policies and programmes managed the sufferings in the country properly.
He said these in a Facebook post to mark the International Youth Day on Thursday, August 12.
He said “Yesterday, we marked the International Youth Day in Ghana and across the world. I would like to remind the youth of our dear country that the NPP promised to reduce the suffering Ghanaians were going through under the economic mismanagement of the NDC.”
“After four years in office, what is clear is that even though many Ghanaians are facing challenging times especially as a result of the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of the NPP under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has, through policies implemented, delivered largely on its promise of reducing the suffering of Ghanaians even though we have a lot more to do in that direction.”
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has begun administering the Johnson and Johnson vaccines.
The Manager of Expanded Programme on Immunization, Dr Kwame Amponsah Achiano in an interview on JoyNews’ AM Show Friday, said the exercise will begin in the Ashanti Region today, August 13, whilst that of Greater Accra Region will commence on Monday, August 16.
A total of 11 districts in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions have been selected by the Service for the vaccination exercise.
Clarifying, Dr Achiano said seven districts in the Greater Accra Region and four in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis have been chosen.
“You know, if you have 177, 600 vaccines to share, you have to be strategic. So, we are going to the most desired and impacted. It is not something we will spread across.
“If we spread across, it is not going to help. So we considered districts that are considered to be hotspots,” he told host Israel Laryea.
Asokwa, Kumasi Metropolitan, Kwadaso and Oforikrom are District Assemblies selected by GHS to receive the vaccines in the Ashanti Region.
In the Greater Accra Region; Ablekuma Central, Accra Metropolitan, Adentan, Ga South, OkaiKwei North, Tema Metro, and Kpone Katamanso have been selected.
Dr Achiano further added that people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine are exempted from this vaccination exercise.
Government took delivery of the 177, 600 doses of the vaccines on Saturday, August 7, as part of the first batch of the Africa Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
So far, 405,971 have been fully vaccinated by receiving both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, whilst 865,422 have received only the first dose.
Ghana has confirmed 109,022 cases of the virus, and currently has 6,765 cases with 892 deaths.
The Jean Mensah-led Electoral Commission has directed the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to table its proposed electoral reforms before the Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC) for dialogue.
The Commission said it is open to suggestions and feedback to enhance the country’s electoral process but insists IPAC is the appropriate forum for such suggestions.
The directive was after the EC took delivery of the NDC’s proposals.
“We don’t deal with individual parties, and IPAC is designed to promote multi-party views, so IPAC is the right forum for such discussion.
“So we responded to their proposals and asked the party to bring it to IPAC,” it said.
The Commission further explained the decision to ask the NDC to table its suggestion before IPAC was arrived at during a top Management meeting over the suggestions.
But the EC also observed that some of the suggestions captured in the NDC’s proposal go beyond its mandate.
It argued that, “there are some of the issues which are constitutional matters and that would require constitutional amendments and execution from the executive arm of government.”
Some of the issues the Commission listed as not being part of their mandate include, among others.
1. Specially-designated courts should be appointed exclusively for electoral disputes and offences before, during and after registration of voters and elections.
2. Split the EC into two separate bodies, namely an Office for the Regulation of Political Parties (ORPP) and an Electoral Commission (EC) by amending the Political Parties Act, 2000, Act 574.
3. Provide for prior parliamentary approval for the appointment of EC members.
But the commission, says the suggestions which have a direct nexus on their operations would be looked at.
“The Electoral Commission always wants to be the best, and so we are for anything that would enhance the electoral process.
“When the NDC finally submits its electoral reforms to IPAC, we will look at the issues holistically and decide on them.”
The Commission added, “Regional collation centres in our own estimations were good, and that would have been continued-nevertheless if there’s an opportunity to improve, it would be available to do so.”
• French ambassador to Ghana was under fire last week for meeting an anti-LGBTQ+ MP
• She hosted MP Sam Nartey George on her TV program, Touch of France
• Pro-LGBTQ+ activists were unhappy that she hosted a homophobe
The French ambassador to Ghana, Anne Sophie Ave, has apologized to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) advocates for hosting Ningo Prampram Member of Parliament, Sam Nartey George, on a TV show last week.
Ambassador Ave was forced to delete social media postings she shared of her meeting with Sam Nartey George on the “Touch of France,” show.
It turned out that a number of pro-LGBTQ+ activists were dissatisfied that an ambassador will host a public figure who was promoting a law against what they say is a sexual orientation that France supports.
In the midst of the backlash, she locked her account and according to activists, went on a blocking spree of all persons who lambasted her for the incident. She has since unblocked her tweets and has also issued an apology for hosting the controversial MP.
Her August 9 apology via Twitter read in part: “The French embassy in Ghana and Touchoffrance.gh promote France and the actions of France in Ghana. Our guests are ppl with an experience of France, and of FR Ghana relations, to share.
“Hosting MP S George was based on these sole criteria. I understand this has created a perception that we offered a platform to anti-LGBTQIA+ ideas: this is not the case at all. However, some people have felt offended and I wish to apologise for that.”
Sam Nartey George has become the face of a new anti-LGBTQ+ bill which is currently before Parliament.
He recently had an altercation with the Australian ambassador to Ghana, Gregory Andrews, who he accuses of being a champion of the gay rights movement in Ghana despite his actions being against the Geneva Convention.
I heard His voice clearly – Late Justice Marful-Sau’s testimony of God’s existence
Late Justice Marful-Sau’s testimony
If there was one thing that became clear in the latter years of the late Supreme Court judge, Samuel Kofi Marful-Sau, then it was the fact that he believed in the existence of God.
This is evidenced by a writeup of the late justice on news.dennislawgh.com, titled, ‘As a judge, I have evidence that God is real,’ and sighted by GhanaWeb.
In this writeup, which are snippets of an earlier publication, Justice Marful-Sau spoke about some challenges of his early years.
“I am a judge of the Court of Appeal by the grace of God. When I look back on where I have come from, I have no doubt that it’s only the hand of God that has brought me this far.
“I was born out of sin because my parents were not married. My mother was still in school and she had to stop schooling and my father disowned the pregnancy. I grew up in a village, Assin Adubiase, in the Central Region and came to Accra when my uncle came for me,” he wrote.
He also spoke about another daunting period in his life when his faith in God was activated, resulting in a miracle he never expected.
He described how he also escaped a bad association of friends, cementing his relationship with God.
“I joined a firm of lawyers and we were doing well. I got married to a very supportive wife who introduced me to Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship but unfortunately, I backslided. I joined a group of friends and we called ourselves ‘The Coppers’. We had a lot of fun in very ungodly ways.
“One day, however, God spoke to me. It was my birthday and God asked me what I was doing for him. I didn’t know God but I heard his voice clearly. I woke up, cried and prayed. I confessed my sins to God and promised to serve him. I cancelled all my plans with The Coppers for the day and this began a new chapter in my life.
“I started going to church with my wife at Ridge Church. My relationship with God grew. One day, our daughter was sick and something in me said to pray for her. So, I prayed for her. Much to my astonishment, she was healed. I was surprised and I must say that it spurred me on to study the Bible the more and grow in the Lord,” he wrote.
Other details of this testimony can be seen in the photos below
President Akufo-Addo has sacked Dr. Kofi Kodua Sarpong, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
The reason for the sack is unknown, however, some quarters believe it has to do with the proposed plans by the GNPC to own a stake in Aker Energy and AGM Petroleum Ghana blocks.
“Local Accountability Network” group in Techiman unhappy with Municipal Assembly projects after monitoring
As part of efforts to ensure that Public Offices are held accountable to their responsibilities, Civil Society Organizations like the Ghana Anti Corruption Coalition (GACC) in collaboration with Local Accountability Network (LANet) -Techiman since last year has been monitoring public contracts and projects in the health and education sectors undertaken by the Techiman Municipal Assembly.
Interacting with Project Coordinator Mr. Mustapha Yeboah who is also CEO of Center for Posterity Interest Organisation (COPIO) in Techiman during a meeting with Stakeholders to present their monitoring report for the 1st quarter (April –June 2021), he disclosed that ten (10) LANet members in Techiman were selected to engage the Municipal Procurement officer, interact and interview stakeholders, and visited the beneficiary communities to verify the projects.
“Local Accountability Network” group in Techiman unhappy with Municipal Assembly projects after monitoring
He revealed that though the Civil Society Organizations through their findings were unhappy with the performance of the Techiman Municipal Assembly in areas of public participation, efficiency, value for money and competition in public contracting, there is still room for improvement.
Mr. Mustapha Yeboah, Project Coordinator and CEO of COPIO
“Local Accountability Network” group in Techiman unhappy with Municipal Assembly projects after monitoring
For her part, the Project Officer Mrs. Faustina Djabatey said there is the need for an improvement in project supervision by the local authorities and pleaded with the Techiman Municipal assembly to consider the recommendations in the report in order to improve delivery of health and education infrastructure services.
The 1992 Constitution Must be Amended to Suit Ghanaians- Political Analyst
Mr. Samuel Boateng, a political analyst has described the Ghana 1992 republican constitution as a noncurrent one which needs to be amended to suit the constitutional demands of the citizens.
Mr. Samuel Boateng said that the authors of the 1992 constitution generated massive recognition for the political heads rather than the ordinary citizens in the course of developing the constitution which he said is affecting the demands of the people in the country.
He stressed that, a lot of articles in the 1992 constitution favours the leaders of the country’s political parties whiles the ordinary citizens suffers from the same constitution.
THE 1992 CONSTITUTION.dikoder.com
He further stated that, article 17 (1 & 2) of the 1992 constitution states that, All persons shall be equal before the law. A person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status hence the constitution must be favourable to all the peoples of the country.
He added that, the clause in the same constitution which gives president of the republic to move around within10years after his presidential term before he could be prosecuted against wrong doings is a great misinterpretation against the article 17 (1 and 2.)
He explained that, the article 17 of the constitution clearly means all individuals in the country must have same treatment and such must be respected.
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, is currently on a two-week leave to enable him to attend to some personal issues.
According to Dikoder.com sources, The Minister of Health started the leave last week due to the permission granted to him by the Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frema Osei- Opare.
Kwaku Agyeman-Manu
There have been rumours that Mr. Agyeman-Manu had resigned, sources have denied this, saying he had only taken leave.
This comes after several letters from the Health Ministry were made public following the release of the report by the Parliamentary Committee, which investigated the botched Sputnik V vaccine contract.
Agyeman-Manu must go
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Mr. Agyeman-Manu to resign following revelations in the report of the Parliamentary Committee that probed the Sputnik V vaccine contract.
• Elizabeth Akua Ohene has received a government appointment • She is now the board chair of SSNIT • She takes over from Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor
Madam Elizabeth Akua Ohene, a former journalist and minister of state under the John Agyekum Kufuor administration has been appointed as the chairperson of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) board of trustees.
According to an Asaase Radio report, Madam Ohene takes over from Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, who served as the board chairman of SSNIT between 2017 and January 2021.
Elizabeth Ohene once served as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s speechwriter, and pior to the December 2020 elections, she was also part of President Akufo-Addo’s campaign team.
Elizabeth Ohene in the course of her work at SSNIT, is expected to partner the management of SSNIT to pursue the vision of the Trust which is to be the model for the administration of Social Protection Schemes in Africa and beyond, “which would eventually lead to the provision of income security for workers in Ghana through excellent business practices.”
The report further indicated that, how to improve the core function of SSNIT which are to register employers and workers, collect contributions, manage records on members, invest the funds of the Scheme and process and pay benefits to eligible members and nominated dependants, would also certainly engage the efforts of the board chair and the management team of SSNIT.
Elizabeth Ohene joins a list of prominent personalities who have received appointments under Akufo-Addo’s presidency.
About SSNIT
SSNIT was established in 1972 under NRCD 127 to administer the National Social Security Scheme. Prior to 1972, the Scheme was administered jointly by the then Department of Pensions and the State Insurance Corporation. The Trust administered the Social Security Scheme as a Provident Fund Scheme until 1991 when it was converted to a Social Insurance Pension Scheme then governed by the PNDC law 247.
The scheme in Ghana was reformed by an Act of Parliament, Act 766 of 2008 and was implemented in January 2010 to replace all pension schemes in Ghana including Cap 30. In 2014, the National Pensions (Amendment) Act 883 was passed to amend portions of Act 766.
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is a statutory public Trust charged under the National Pensions Act, 2008 Act 766 with the administration of Ghana’s Basic National Social Security Scheme.
Its mandate is to cater for the First Tier of the Three-Tier Pension Scheme. The Trust is currently the largest non-bank financial institution in Ghana.
The primary responsibility of the Trust is to replace part of the lost income of workers in Ghana due to Old Age, Invalidity or Death of a member where dependents receive lump sum payment.
It is also responsible for the payment of Emigration benefits to a non-Ghanaian member who is leaving Ghana permanently.
The Pension Scheme as administered by SSNIT has an active membership of over 1.6 million as of January 2021 with over 226,000 pensioners who regularly receive their monthly pensions from SSNIT.
Miss Elizabeth Akua Ohene was born on 24th January 1945, and attended Mawuli School at Ho, between 1958 and 1964. She gained admission to the University of Ghana in 1964 and graduated with B. A. (Hon) English in 1967.
The former Minister of State, also attended the University of Indiana, Bloomington, Ind. U.S.A. where she obtained a Mass Communication Certificate. The US State Department sponsored her to undertake a course involving travel around the USA and had also work experience from newspapers in three States in 1971.
She was a Press Fellow from January to June 1983 at Wolfswon College, the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Miss Elizabeth Ohene’s professional experience between 1967 and 1982 in Graphic Corporation saw her as a Reporter, Staff Writer, Columnist, Leader Writer, and Acting Editor of the Daily Graphic and Mirror. She also had the opportunity to serve as a Member of a Board of Directors of the Corporation.
In 1986, she solely founded the Talking Drum Publications and until 1986, she was the Publisher/Editor of the publications, a weekly news magazine on West African Affairs. She also worked for BBC World Service, London, UK.
Madam Ohene had worked with the BBC as a Producer of Radio Programmes, then successively became a Presenter, Senior Producer on World Service and British Domestic Radio, Researcher and Columnist on the Focus on African Magazine and Deputy Editor in the African Service for English Daily Programmes, and in charge of the operational budget.
Miss Elizabeth Ohene also edited the award-winning of Focus on Africa Programme. She also reported regularly for the BBC from various parts of Africa and was the resident correspondent in South Africa from 1993 to 1994 during the transition from apartheid to the first democratic elections.
The former Minister has conducted a lot of training programmes for journalists for the BBC in South Africa, Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. She also ran a network of more than 150 stringers located in all parts of Africa for the BBC Africa Service and also supervised their editorial work and kept their equipment and training needs to be updated.
Miss Ohene’s professional activities include being a member of the International Women Media Foundation which actively promotes women’s competency and leadership in the media. The foundation has established an Africa Women’s Media Centre in Dakar, Senegal, where courses are run for African women in the Media according to their needs.
To date, the Minister has been a Board member of the International Commission of Investigative Journalists which coordinates major investigations of stories around the world. Since 1997, she has served as a Member of the CNN Africa Journalist of the Year Competition.
WASA AMENFI EAST MCE ASSAULTED ASONA FM JOURNALIST WHEN DOING A LIVE RADIO REPORT OVER ALLEGED GALAMSEY ISSUE
The MCE for Wasa Amenfi East Municipal,Hon Ama Appiah has assaulted a journalist of Asona Fm,a local radio station based in Wasa Akropong in the Amenfi East Municipal of the Western Region. Aseda Louisa,a young female journalist, who was assigned to cover a demonstration organised by Wasa Nkakaa community against the traditional leaders of Wasa Akropong over land which they believed had been sold by the Nananom of Wasa Akropong to chinise, Nationals for mining activities, was assaulted while her phone was also forcely seized by the MCE when doing a live radio report.
I was not part of the Fix the country demonstration- Maame Akua Donkor urged
I was not part of the Fix the country demonstration- Maame Akua Donkor urged
Founder and leader of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) Maame Akua Donkor said, there is a rumor circulating on social media that, she was part of the Fix the country demonstration.
SEE ALSO: Supreme Court Judge Marful-Sau dies Speaking to Maame Akua Donkor on Edubiaseman fm this morning, she said Nana Addo is doing his best as a Government and what else should the government fix.
She pleaded with all media houses to reject any false information.
Some concern residents in Ahenbronoso a community in Techiman municipal has lauded the Member of Parliament for Techiman south and deputy local and decentralization minister Hon Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah coming to. their aid to rehabilitate their toilet for the residents.
According to these concerned citizens in Ahenbronoso, their toilet was in its deplorable stage and also serves as a death trap the users and the MP was informed by the NPP party coordinator chconcernedand some concerned youth for MIKAM in the Ahenbronoso electoral renovated he has renovate it and it is now in a good shape for the residents to use.
The chairman for the Ahenbronoso youth for MIKAM Mr. Korsah Maxwell has lauded Hon Martin for the good initiative taken to come their aide to help them out of the dangers they were going through with the only toilet that serving the community.
He further called on Hon Martin to come to their again to help the community to get a beeping site because the beenrrent one has to be relocated and it has caused a lot of challenges to the community.
Some of the community members expressed their joy to the media and poured out some blessings into the life of Hon Martin and later called him to provide them with dumping be because the residents struggling.
presidential elections, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, promised electorates that he was going to adopt a bottom-up approach in his government when elected.
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