Category: Key Issues

A communication team member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Edward Mortey has described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the biggest scam to ever hit Ghana.

According to him, the President and the ruling government are not being honest with the recently launched Agenda 111 Hospital Project.

Mr. Mortey argues that the President promised 88 hospitals last year but failed to deliver.

According to him, Ghanaians have no reasons to believe him when he comes back to promise new projects of putting up hospitals in the next 18 months.

Edward Mortey explained, “I’m making this commentary based on the fact that Akufo-Addo and the NPP, they told Ghanaians that in 18 months they were going to change the destiny of Ghana.

Edward Mortey insists that in the midst of all the failed promises, the Akufo-Addo government must come clean on the source of funding for the project.

He stressed that government must be honest on how much each hospital will cost under the Agenda 111 Hospitals Project.

Through the project, the government is aiming to bridge the infrastructure gap in the health sector.

By 2023, 88 new hospitals should be completed and handed over for use.

According to President Akufo-Addo, some 20,000 Ghanaians will gain employment under the Agenda 111 Hospitals Project.

 

Source: Modern Ghana

Accra, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has dismissed the petition initiated by the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), a civil society anti-corruption organization seeking to remove the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, from office. The President, upon the recommendations of the Council of State, determined that the application by ASEPA was unmeritorious and unwarranted and was devoid of any basis to remove the Chief Justice.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by him on Monday.

ASEPA had alleged in the July 13, 2021 petition seeking to invoke Article 146 of the Constitution for the removal of the Chief Justice that a private legal practitioner had accused the Chief Justice of demanding a bribe of USD5 million from his client to sway judgment in his favour in a case before the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice, subsequently, denied the allegation and asked the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service to thoroughly investigate into the matter.

President Akufo-Addo, following the receipt of the petition, referred the matter to the Council of State per of Article 122 (3) and 144 (2) of the Constitution and in line with a Supreme Court ruling that obliges him to consult the Council to decide whether a petition for the removal of a Chief Justice or a Justice of the Supreme Court had a prima facie case for an impeachment process to begin.

The Council of State, consequently, submitted its report to the President on Friday, August 20, 2021.

The report concluded that ASEPA’s petition for the removal of the Chief Justice on the grounds of “stated misbehavior” is “frivolous and vexatious”, “does not meet the prima facie standard envisaged under Article 146 (6) of the Constitution and thus, ought to be dismissed in limine”.

Thus, President Akufo-Addo said in the statement that the petition was not anchored on any allegation made directly or emanating from the petitioner itself.

“The petitioner relies on allegations made by a certain lawyer, Mr Kwasi Afrifa, in his response to a complaint of misconduct made against the Chief Justice based on what he alleges another person (his former client), told him,” he said.

The statement said the petitioner did not make any allegation of bribery or any form of misconduct against the Chief Justice, adding that petition was conjectural and speculative, providing nothing of substance to assist in proceedings for the removal of the Chief Justice.

“It is correct to say that the petitioner does not possess any personal knowledge of any of the matter that the petitioner advances as the foundation of the petition,” it said

“The petitioner fails to meet the threshold of proffering sufficiently strong evidence in support of his allegation for the opposing side to be called to answer to it.

“In actual fact, the petitioner fails to provide any evidence at all, in support of the spurious allegations made against the Chief Justice. It does not attempt to substantiate any of the claims in any form.

“To entertain further proceedings on third hand and fourth hand hearsay, as the petition is replete with, will violate legally acceptable standards of fairness and weaken the efficacy of the top echelon of the Judiciary,” he said.

The allegation against the Chief Justice arose from the case titled Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI vrs Ghana Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (now Vodafone Ghana Limited) and the Lands Commission.

Mr Afrifa, a lawyer, in a response to a petition filed against him by his client, Nana Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta IV, alleged that his client told him the Chief Justice had demanded a USD 5 million bribe to purportedly influence his case before the Supreme Court.

Nana Kwesi Atta, however, denied making the allegation against the Chief Justice.

The facts are that Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI, had a $16 million judgment against Ghana Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (now Vodafone Ghana Ltd.), from the High Court, Swedru.

This followed an admission by Lands Commission at the Swedru High Court that it had granted the disputed land to Vodafone Ghana Limited mistakenly, thinking it was state land duly acquired by Executive Instrument and compensation paid to Ogyeedom’s predecessor in title.

Vodafone appealed the judgment to the Court of Appeal, but their appeal was dismissed and the Company (Vodafone) was ordered by the Court to make a payment of $4 million as part payment of the judgment debt pending the outcome of its appeal.

Vodafone filed an appeal to the Supreme Court following its dissatisfaction with the outcome in the Court of Appeal.

Pending the appeal at the Supreme Court, Vodafone discovered documents, including signed receipts from the archives, indicating that the land had been duly acquired under Executive Instrument No. 86 (E.I. 86) and compensation fully paid in 1969 by the Government of Ghana for the acquisition of the land to one Nana Obranu Gura II, Ogyeedom’s predecessor in title.

Vodafone then applied for leave to adduce the fresh evidence in the Supreme Court to support its appeal.

The Company also filed an application before the Supreme Court for a stay of the execution of the remainder of the judgment pending the determination of its appeal.

Following the two applications, the President of the panel of five justices of the Supreme Court, before whom, the application for stay of execution of the payment of the rest of the judgment debt to Ogyeedom was placed, wrote a formal memo to the Chief Justice for the enhancement of the panel.

The Chief Justice then presided over an enhanced panel of seven justices who went on to grant an order for stay of execution of Ogyeedom’s entire judgment.

The panel also made a consequential order that Ogyeedom should refund into court, the part payment of the judgment debt of $4 million that he had already received from Vodafone.

The application for the adduction of fresh evidence was also granted in favour of Vodafone by the Court, composed differently but still presided over by the Chief Justice.

Ogyeedom also then brought an application before the Supreme Court, asking for leave to lead fresh evidence to contradict the new evidence that Vodafone had been granted leave to adduce to demonstrate that the signatures of Nana Obranu Gura II, his predecessor in title, on the compensation receipts had been forged.

In the light of these two applications, the President of the panel of five justices of the Supreme Court, before whom, the application for stay of execution of the payment of the rest of the judgment debt to Ogyeedom was placed, wrote a formal memo to the Chief Justice for the enhancement of the panel.

By a majority of four to one, the Court granted the application in favour of Ogyeedom, with the Chief Justice being the only one dissenting, insisting that it was wrong to allow Ogyeedom to remake his case.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Yendi (N/R) Ya-Na Abukari II, the Overlord of Dagbon Kingdom has commended former President, John Dramani Mahama for the leadership he exhibited before, during and after the 7th December 2020 elections. He said his leadership showed the extent to which he valued the peace and progress of the country.

Ya-Na Abukari II gave the commendation when the former President called on him at the Gbewaa Palace as part of his thank you tour to the Northern Region.

He said the exceptional leadership he showed had rekindled the trust in Ghanaian politicians.

“A man’s true character is shown not in times of victory, but rather in times of decision to either build or destroy,” he said.

Ya-Na said Dagbon Kingdom formed an integral part of Ghana and had experienced successive governments and leadership and also commended his government’s contribution towards peace and reconciliation in Dagbon.

Ya-Na encouraged him and the minority in parliament to continue to offer constructive criticism to government to help ensure good governance and leadership.

The former President thanked Ya-Na for his friendship and advice given him since he was Yo-Na at Savelugu and congratulated him for his elevation to Ya-Na.

He said after the resolution of Dagbon chieftaincy, there had been little issues that could hinder Ya-Na’s authority and therefore needed resolution.

On peace, he indicated that it was a major factor for the development of every country and was encouraged that after eight elections held in Ghana there was still peace and thanked Ghanaians that.

The former President reminded Ghanaians on the Covid-19 pandemic and urged to continue adhering to the protocols.

He also encouraged them take the COVID-19 vaccines as it was harmless.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ho, The United Nkrumaist Front (UNF), is embarking on a series of unity talks across the country to place all Nkrumahist families under a single umbrella. It is believed this feat would give a political leverage to contest in future elections to capture political power from National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The UNF is a socio-political movement formed in August, 2013 in Sunyani on the ideologies and tradition of Nkrumah-Egala-Limann, and seeks to unite all Nkrumahist under one umbrella with the ideologies of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah as an identity to help move Ghana for reforms and change for all citizens and generations unborn.

Mr Michael Nketiah, Secretary of the Front, addressing some members of the Front at a conference in Ho, in the Volta region, said the tradition’s inability to be a strong alternative in the country’s political governance and gain political power was due to its “fragmentation,” thus the move to unite all members of Nkrumahist fraternity.

He said it was time for all faithful of the Nkrumah-Egala-Limaan tradition to rise up and embrace the call for unity to protect the tradition against extinction, forestall Nkrumah’s legacies from being wiped away and also prevent the country from becoming a two-party state.

The secretary said the Front was not leaving any stone unturned in its journey to unite all members, saying the cohesion was paramount in reviving the tradition and gaining political power to continue with Nkrumah’s ideas.

“The United Nkrumahist Front is poised to fight and restore the true legacies of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah for this dear nation of ours through re-engineering of his time-tested pioneering policies for holistic development of the citizenry in tandem with physical transformation of the state at large, he said.

Mr Nketiah said the Front believed in the ideas of Dr Nkrumah, and would therefore, take every necessary measure to actualise those ideas for the citizens to achieve their potentials through quality education with science, creative arts, technology and patriotism as the foundation.

They would also ensure efficient utilisation of the country’s natural resources to benefit all to obtain economic freedom, provide access to quality healthcare and undertake industrialisation through mechanised agriculture to create more jobs to deal with the current unemployment situation which has become a national security threat.

He said the country would have dealt with the COVID-19 situation without relying on the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for assistance if Nkrumah’s vision of making the country become self-sufficient with less import and less dependence on donor aid, value addition to its produce and natural resources, patronage of locally made goods were to be followed.

Mr Nii Adjetey Sowah, National Administrator, Convention People’s Party, (CPP) underscored the importance of the conference to sensitise members on the need to unite to win the confidence of the electorates, who held the mandate to give them the political power they were yearning for.

He described the theme; “Uniting without verity is no better than conspiracy” as appropriate and called on members of the various political groups to endeavour to conform to the elements of truth and democratic principles.

Mr Sowah said uniting all splinter Nkrumahist parties could be seen in a more positive light as essential to the practical workings of representative democracy, and also enabled the united party to have the ability to aggregate demands to facilitate compromise among diverse groups.

He called on the National Executive Council of the various parties to ratify every necessary decision to enable them forge ahead, noting that in many new and emerging democracies, society was moving from a period of domination by one political party or group.

Mr Sowah said many of the old assumptions and practices of the former political systems had to be discarded if a democratic system was to grow, adding that building democratic institutions and developing democratic practices required dynamic processes.

The Administrator said, with parties in the Nkrumahist tradition, the road to democracy would be shaped by a number of political, social and historical factors, and therefore, called on all members to play their role to ensure the objective of the Front was successfully achieved.

“The legacy of authoritarianism in political parties, and in the overall organisation of society, makes it imperative that a new democratic ethic must be the guiding light that informs and inspires party leaders, dedicated to bringing about a democratic change”, he said.

Other speakers at the meeting also stressed the need for all Nkrumahist groups to be united to serve as a strong alternative force in the country’s political sphere and to win political power.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana (“CARE” GHANA), has advocated the adoption of a Mix Electoral Management Model to free the Electoral Commission (EC) from the ponderous load impeding the commission’s performance.

A statement issued by Mr David Kumi Addo, the Executive Director, “CARE” Ghana, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the mix model demands for the segmentation of electoral management functions and powers between two independent Elections Management Bodies (EMBs).

It said that would divulge some electoral management functions from the EC to allow the commission concentrate on its core statutory functions to lessen the burden.

It noted that the over reliance on the EC accounts for the commission’s inability to execute all its statutory functions to the admiration of its stakeholders and the public.

“Adopting the Mix Electoral Management Model will establish visible professionalism, eradicate public suspicion, fraudulent activities and the lack of trust.

“Election management is a complex task implemented in a politically charged atmosphere, hence, the call for reforms to ensure that, all aspects of any electoral contest meet global standards and follows the fundamental guiding principles of elections.

“Our proposed reform requires that, one EMB will be responsible for policy decisions concerning electoral processes, boundary delimitation and political parties’ regulation and the other EMB responsible for conducting and implementing the electoral policies.”

The statement said this would ensure internal party democratization and visible presence of all registered political parties in two-thirds of the 260 districts in Ghana.

“It will also give political parties, civil society organizations, voters, donors, the media and other stakeholders the confidence in the effectiveness and service-mindedness of Ghana’s electoral managers,” it stated.

It said the 2020 election petition was the second election dispute experienced in Ghana’s democratic process, and if continued the chances were that Ghana’s democracy might be soiled.

It said therefore, amendment to article 43(1) and political parties Act 2000, Act 574 to divide electoral functions and powers between two independent election management bodies is a panacea to Ghana’s electoral challenges.

Adding that it would require that, each EMB ensured the legitimacy and credibility of the processes for which it was responsible and establish integrity in Ghana’s electoral system.

The statement said this would also promote the general approval of election results and halt electoral disputes.

It informed that in countries such as Jamaica and Romania for instance, two bodies were responsible for managing elections, both of which were independent of the executive and were considered independent EMBs.

It said one of the bodies focused on policy decisions and the other responsible for conducting and implementing electoral policies.

“This ensures that all election participants are treated equally, fairly and even-handedly, without giving advantage to any interest group or political party.”

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has agreed to suspend its strike, following an emergency meeting with the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

This is contained in a Memorandum of Agreement between the government and the UTAG, copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

 

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, signed for the government while Professor Charles Ofosu Marfo, National President of UTAG, signed on behalf of the Association.

 

UTAG and the government in the Memorandum agreed to begin negotiations on the matter from Monday, August 23, 2021.

 

It also agreed that the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, in conjunction with the National Labour Commission, would take steps to discontinue all legal processes against UTAG while UTAG would also take steps to suspend the ongoing strike action.

 

The statement said the government acknowledged the need to improve the working conditions of University teachers and would treat the agreement with all the seriousness it deserved.

 

NLC secured the court injunction against UTAG’ s strike on August 2, arguing that the law barred UTAG from proceeding on the industrial action when negotiations were underway.

 

UTAG is demanding the implementation of a 2012 Single Spine package, which put entry-level lecturers on a salary of $2,084.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Tema,- Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, has congratulated Mr Hakainde Hichilema on his election as President-Elect of Zambia following the successful conduct of Elections held on August 12, 2021.

The AU Chairperson also commended outgoing President Edgar Lungu for his tenure and demonstration of strong leadership and statesmanship through his gracious acceptance of the outcome of the elections.

AU Commission statement made available to the Ghana News Agency in Tema on Tuesday also acknowledged the role of the Electoral Commission of Zambia and all national stakeholders for their collective efforts in the exemplary conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections.

In this regard, the Chairperson expressed gratitude to Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, former President of Sierra Leone, for his leadership of the African Union Election Observation Mission to Zambia.

The Chairperson reiterated the continued support of the African Union Commission to the Republic of Zambia in its journey to deepen the country’s democratic and participative governance credentials.

In its final tally, the Zambian Electoral Commission declared the Opposition Leader as the winner of the last Thursday, August 12, 2021 election. Mr Hichilema had 2,810,777 votes while the incumbent President Mr Lungu had 1,814,201. There were seven million registered voters.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ho,- Mr. Dan Botwe, Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development has said individuals should be held accountable for public disservice and not always the government.

He said the central government had been placed at the receiving end of all public angst, leaving the real perpetrators to persist at denying the needs of the public.

The Minister said this in Ho when he met with the leadership of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) and the Ho Municipal Assembly as part of a working Visit to the Volta Region.

He said public participation in local government would help keep the Assemblies up to task, and therefore urged all to familiarize with the Local Government Act, which provided prominent stakeholder roles for the public.

“The public must be made aware of the people in charge of the respective positions,” Mr. Botwe said while calling for wrongdoers to be named and shamed.

“People should be held responsible. They are the cause of suffering yet the blame ends up on the government for no reason, while culprits are shielded,” he said.

The Minister said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has committed to deepening decentralisation, and that his government would “together ensure that we all follow the Law and that the public are sensitised”.

He asked the Assemblies to educate the people to facilitate the decentralisation agenda, noting that stakeholder participation and public advocacy remained crucial.

“Assemblies must create awareness on local level decentralisation and grassroots participation. It is important that as we lead the people, we also educate them to understand the sets of relationships that exist between us.

“We should seek their understanding and support, so they would further our drive for development,” Mr. Botwe said, and re-echoed the Ministry’s commitment to working with the Regional Coordinating Councils towards that end.

Source: Ghana News Agency