Day: October 13, 2022

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA – The National Service Scheme (NSS) has released postings for those who enrolled to undertake mandatory national service for the 2022/2023 service year.

The prospective service personnel include the 2022 eligible Ghanaian graduates from accredited tertiary institutions in the country, who submitted their applications for postings.

This was contained in a press release from the Scheme.

The statement urged prospective national service personnel to log onto the Scheme’s website at http://www.nss.gov.gh to check their placements.

According to the statement, the printing of appointment letters by service personnel and endorsements by respective user agencies could only be done from Monday, October 17, 2022.

“However, validation and registration at all regional centres across the country would begin on Monday, October 24, 2022, and continue till Friday, December 30, 2022, to accommodate prospective service personnel who are yet to complete their academic programmes,” the statement added.

The statement urged all national service personnel to schedule appointments online and visit the validation centres on the scheduled date and time for validation with strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol guidelines to minimize excessive crowding at the validation centres.

It directed all prospective service personnel who had been duly posted, accepted by their user agencies and validated by the NSS to begin their national service on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.

“All national service personnel who have been deployed are hereby entreated to accept their postings as part of their civic obligations and contributions to national development,” the statement added.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA – The National Labour Commission (NLC) has asked Teacher Unions and Government to engage within one week on the terms of payment and other related matters and report back to it.

This is after the Commission heard the dispute over the intention of the University Teachers’ Association of Ghana, (UTAG), University Teachers’ Senior Staff Association, University of Ghana (SSA-UG), Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH) to embark on strike.

A statement issued by Mr Ofosu Asamoah, Executive Secretary, NLC, said the Commission specifically requested the parties to engage on Friday 14th October, 2022 and Monday 17th October, 2022.

It said a letter by UTAG dated 22nd September, 2022 notified the Commission of its intention to strike and a separate letter dated 30th September, 2022 from the UTAG National Secretariat, of the three other Tertiary Unions Association of Ghana to join the strike.

It said the complainants were led by the President of UTAG with representation from the other Teacher Unions whiles Government, the Respondent, was represented by officials from Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and Ministry of Finance.

The statement said the complainants said they had served notice to embark on strike due to the Government’s failure to implement some negotiated and agreed allowances, which were fuel, vehicle maintenance and off-campus allowances.

According to UTAG, it said, the Government had not heeded its call to have the allowances paid to their members, hence, the decision to embark on the strike.

The statement said Mr Benjamin Arthur, Chief Executive Officer, FWSC, speaking on behalf of Government stated that the fuel allowance had been worked on and that currently, there were ongoing discussions over the payment of the vehicle maintenance allowance and off-campus allowance.

It said he, therefore, prayed for time to continue with the engagement and report back to the Commission.

The statement said in reaction, the complainants reiterated that the issues had been negotiated and agreed upon, hence, sought clarification on the engagement the Government side was referring to, as according to them the issue was about implementation not negotiation.

The case is adjourned to 19th October, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.

Present at the hearing was the Chairman of Vice Chancellors’ Ghana (VCG).

 

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

 

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA- A total of 552, 276 candidates from 18,501 schools will on Monday, October 17, start this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

A statement issued by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Accra on Thursday said this year’s examination would be run for both school and private candidates at 2,023 centres throughout the country.

The statement said, “the entry figure is made up of 276,988 males and 275,288 females. The number of candidates that registered for this year’s BECE is 3.48 per cent less than the 2021 entry figure of 572,167.

In respect of the BECE for Private Candidates (PC), 1,132 candidates made up of 634 males and 498females entered the examination.”

According to the statement, the examination would be taken at 15 selected centres in the regional capitals.

It said the number of registered candidates for the 2022 BECE was 6.09 per cent higher than the 2021 figure of 1067.

The Council assured the public that all appropriate measures had been put in place to safeguard test security and the successful conduct of the examination.

 

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

 

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA- The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has asked this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates to be focused and cautious of activities of “examination social media racketeers.”

A statement issued and signed by Mrs Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, Head, Public Affairs, National office WAEC in Accra, cautioned the candidates against engaging in collusion and other forms of examination malpractices, such as bringing mobile phones and other foreign materials into halls.

WAEC’s advice comes on the back of the commencement of this year’s BECE on Monday, October 17 to October 21, 2022.

The statement said a total number of 552,276 candidates from 18,501 schools would take the examination.

WAEC assured the public that all appropriate measures had been put in place to safeguard test security and the successful conduct of the examination.

It said the printing of questions had been done in compliance with the Council’s Security Regulations and it was going to ensure fortification of storage at depots.

According to the Council, it had additional depots for the storage of confidential materials close to some selected centres to prevent the late start of papers.

The Council said there was also the provision of a 24-hour guard for all storage depots by the Ghana Police Service and also assured of the presence of a security officer at each examination centre.

Additionally, the Council said it had deployed additional personnel for the monitoring and inspection of centres during the examination.

The Council also urged all examination officials (Supervisors, Invigilators, Distributors etc) to comply with the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the examination and refrain from being facilitators of malpractice.

WAEC said this year’s examination would be conducted for both school and private candidates at 2,023 centres throughout the country.

The statement said, “the entry figure is made up of 276,988 males and 275,288 females. The number of candidates that registered for this year’s BECE is 3.48 per cent less than the 2021 entry figure of 572,167.

“In respect of the BECE for Private Candidates (PC), 1,132 candidates made up of 634 males and 498 females entered for the examination.”

According to the statement, the examination would be taken at 15 selected centres in the regional capitals.

It said the number of registered candidates for this year’s BECE was 6.09 per cent higher than the 2021 figure of 1067.

 

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Tema, Oct. 13, GNA – Mr Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, the Member of Parliament for Tema West, Thursday encouraged this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates to focus on the examination with all seriousness.

“I want you all to face the examination with a can-do spirit, do not be afraid. Just remain calm and revise your study notes between now and during the examination period,” he said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema.

The BECE begins on Monday, October 17, and ends on Friday, October 21.

Mr Ahenkorah, in a goodwill message to the candidates, said: “I am very optimistic that success will surely crown your efforts.”

He reminded the students that the country’s future depended on them, hence the need to take their studies seriously.

He cautioned them against examination malpractices but to perform to the best of their ability to benefit from the Free Senior High School Policy.

 

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

 

A majority of Ghanaians say it is never justified for a man to physically discipline his wife, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

While most citizens say that violence against women and girls is uncommon in their communities, many also say women are likely to be criticized or harassed if they report gender-based violence to the authorities.

Overall, Ghanaians consider domestic violence to be a criminal matter requiring the involvement of law enforcement, rather than a private matter to be resolved within the family. Most believe that the police are likely to take cases of GBV seriously.

Key findings

1. More than three-fourths (78%) of Ghanaians say violence against women is “not very common” or “not at all common” in their community. One in five citizens (21%) disagree (Figure 1).

2. Most Ghanaians (85%) say it is “never” justified for a man to physically discipline his wife. About one in seven think it is “sometimes” (11%) or “always” (3%) justified (Figure 2).

3. More than four in 10 respondents consider it “somewhat likely” (24%) or “very likely” (18%) that a woman will be criticized or harassed if she reports gender-based

4. violence against the authorities. Only one-third (35%) say this is “very unlikely” (Figure 3). But almost nine out of 10 respondents (86%) believe that the police are likely to take cases of GBV seriously (Figure 4).

5. Almost two-thirds (64%) of Ghanaians say domestic violence should be treated as a criminal matter rather than as a private matter to be resolved within the family (Figure 5).

Afrobarometer surveys

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2022) are currently underway. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.

The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,400 adult Ghanaians in April 2022. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys were conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019. Respondents were asked: In this area, how common do you think it is for men to use violence against women and girls in the home or the community?

Figure 2: Is it justified for men to physically discipline their wives? | by gender | Ghana | 2022
Respondents were asked: For each of the following actions, please tell me whether you think it can always be justified, sometimes be justified, or never be justified: For a man to use physical discipline on his wife if she has done something he doesn’t like or thinks is wrong?

Figure 3: Will a woman be criticized, harassed, or shamed for reporting GBV? | by gender | Ghana | 2022
Respondents were asked: If a woman in your community goes to the police to report being a victim of gender-based violence, for example, to report a rape or report being physically abused by her husband, how likely or unlikely is it that the following things might occur: She will be criticized, harassed, or shamed by others in the community?

Figure 4: Do police take GBV cases seriously? | Ghana | 2022Respondents were asked: If a woman in your community goes to the police to report being a victim of gender-based violence, for example, to report a rape or report being physically abused by her husband, how likely or unlikely is it that the following things might occur: Her case will be taken seriously by the police?

Figure 5: Is domestic violence a criminal or private matter? Respondents were asked: Which of the following statements is closest to your view? Statement 1: Domestic violence is a private matter that needs to be handled and resolved within the family.

Statement 2: Domestic violence is a criminal matter whose full resolution requires the involvement of law enforcement agencies.
(% who “agree” or “strongly agree” with each statement)

 

 

Source: Ghana Web

 

 

Ghana’s focal point at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Ing. Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor set the gold standard at this year’s ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) by leading the agreements to perennial controversial issues two days before the end of the conference.

The ongoing PP-22 conference in Bucharest started on September 26 and is due to end on October 15. But two days ahead of the finish date, Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor, who is revered for his renowned experience and endearing personality, led delegates to achieve that unusual feat.

A statement from the ITU recalled that at the last conference in 2018, delegates sat for many nights and weekends, yet it took close to 20 hours on the final day of the conference for agreements to be reached. But this year Kwame has led the world to achieve that two clear days ahead of the final.

According to the statement, the ITU PP-22 Conference, which is hosting nearly 4,000 delegates from 193 countries with the aim of a greening conference, worked from 8 am to 9 pm daily except for Sundays.

Kwame chaired the Working Group of the Plenary, which negotiated 89 proposals from countries and resulted in approving two (2) new Resolutions and updating twenty-one (21) Resolutions.

The first new resolution agreed upon was on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and telecommunications/ICTs, and the other was the Role of telecommunications/ICTs in mitigating global pandemics.

There were no changes to the resolution OTTs and another resolution on ITU’s role with regard to international public policy issues relating to the risk of illicit use of information and communication technologies.
Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor has been Ghana’s Focal person to the ITU and Councillor to the ITU Council.

For the first time in Ghana’s relations with the ITU, Ghana was re-elected to the ITU Council for 2023 to 2026 and elected Rev. Ing Edmund Yirenkyi-Fianko to the ITU Radio Regulations Board.

 

 

Source: Ghana Web

 

The Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu Amoah has revealed that tax revenue performance for September 2022 was GHS7,457,097M as against a target of GHS7,128,061M.

This, according to him shows a positive deviation of 4.6% which represents 29.8% of its year-to-date performance.

Speaking during an interaction with the media in Accra, he said, Customs revenue also grew nominally by 29.8% for the same period.

“Customs particularly for this September did very well and exceeded even the stretch target by 246 million,” he disclosed.

The Commissioner General said the Authority is implementing a number of tax policy initiatives to boost revenue generation this year.

“We have introduced the GRA Taxpayers portal, which is basically a portal that allows you to log in to see your own tax activity. Again we have also introduced electronic VAT invoicing and it connects to the invoicing system of the merchant. And as the merchant trade, we see every invoice and details of purchase. We have introduced a new excise stamp tax authenticator which is also an app that allows you to use your phone to test whether what it is on the bottle is genuine or not.”

As part of measures to improve revenue for the state, he said the Authority will be piloting an e-auction module on the Integrated Customs Management System.
The GRA boss said, “our target is that from 15th October we are loading some of the items available for auction on this system as a pilot phase and every citizen is free to go there to look at the vehicles and decide if they are interested.”

He said in order to achieve its revenue target for the year 2022, GRA is adopting strategies to ensure that all loopholes are sealed with the rollout of rigorous enforcement and compliance measures.

 

 

Source: Ghana Web