The 2024 flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to stop the provision of free fuel and other benefits to government officials when he takes over Ghana’s presidency after the polls this December.
Speaking during an interaction with the EU [European Union] Ambassador to Ghana, the former President outlined cost-saving measures his administration would implement including cutting down incentives to government officials.
John Dramani Mahama
The NDC flagbearer explained that only government vehicles purposely used for official duties would be eligible for fuel provided by the state.
“We will discontinue the payment of utility bills, fuel, DSTV as conditions of service for top government officials, directors and the political class. We believe that people should take up paying their own electricity bills and water like every other Ghanaian does.”
“Unless you are using a government vehicle on government assignment you should buy your own fuel if you are using your own car. And so we are going to discontinue them. Our budget will be to support small businesses and use tax as incentives for job creation,” he said.
Mr Mahama also announced plans to introduce tax incentives for registered Ghanaian businesses.
The NDC flagbearer announced another plan to transition the country from cash payments to electronic payments such as Mobile Money in both the public and private sectors by 2028.
“We want to phase out cash as a form of all payments by 2028, and so for any payment that you have to do for any service that has to do with the public sector and some to do with the private sector, by 2028, we will no longer receive cash.”
“So in the hospital and other places, you would have to use your mobile money to pay. Only electronic forms of payments.”
Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover is asking Ghanaians to consider the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as their next president, asserting that he will be the best president the country has ever had.
He emphasised that Dr Bawumia, having never served as Vice president, represents the best choice for Ghana at this time.
Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover Dr.Mahamudu Bawumia
In an interview with Adom FM on the Burning Issue Show, Mr Glover stated, “We are advocating for Dr Bawumia because he has never been president before, but we have all seen the contributions of John Dramani Mahama (JDM). We need to give Bawumia a chance to show what he can achieve.”
“I believe that Bawumia will be one of the finest presidents we will ever have. The progress made by President Akufo Addo will be continued by Bawumia, taking our development to the next level,” he added.
Mr Glover highlighted the significant infrastructural development under the current administration, including roads and schools, attributing these achievements to effective use of resources. “When a capable person is in charge, they deserve recognition for their good work,” he said.
“I don’t mind if you criticize us, but if you think President Akufo-Addo’s efforts aren’t enough, then I take issue with that.”
EBENAGE HERBAL Production and Consult (EHPC) has launched a strategic training programme in Kumasi to equip its labour force with modern techniques necessary for enhancing the production of quality and evidence-based medicinal products for the general well-being of its customers.
The company, which manufactures leading herbal products including Hepa Plus, Pavi and Plasmox Mixture, considers periodic staff training as a conduit for providing them with relevant skills and cutting-edge scientific methods for quality products preparation.
Some scenes from the training workshop
Speaking at the launch of the four-month training programme last Thursday, Dr. Ebenezer Agyemang, founder of EHPC, expressed optimism to transform his outfit into the status of the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) at Mampong.
Felicia Agyemang,CEO
Over 100 participants were expected to benefit from the programme under the theme, “Optimising Efficiency and Quality in Herbal Medicine Production through Innovative Consultation Strategies”. It was attended by high-profile personalities from both academia and industry who commended EHPC for its great strides.
Dr. Ebenezer Agyemang, Founder speaking at the workshop
Ebenage Herbal Production and Consult organised the programme in partnership with the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF) and Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR).
It coincided with the 10th anniversary celebration of EHPC which, according to its CEO, Felicia Agyemang, marks a significant milestone as it embarks on a transformation initiative aimed at elevating the standards and efficiency of herbal medicine production in the country.
Head of Department, Herbal Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Isaac Kingsley Amponsah, who shared thoughts on ‘Building Career in Herbal Medicine, Bridging the Gap Between Industry and Academia’, commended Dr. Ebenezer Agyemang for making good of the training he was given.
According to him, the use of herbal medicines for the treatment of diseases is as old as man’s existence, and expressed delight at the progress made in the development of herbal medicines to the extent that there are conventional medicines that have come from herbal medicines.
This success, he noted, was achieved through the collaboration between research institutions, universities and the traditional medical knowledge holders, stressing that the best way to live healthy is to always use natural products as the body easily adapt to their mechanisms.
Prof. Amponsah observed that even though herbal medicine was in obscurity decades ago, through collaborative efforts, today, it can stand the test of time, especially in the face of the emergence of diseases some of which the world does not have an answer to.
According to him, Ghana is not only one of the best herbal medicine manufacturers in Africa, but also, currently it is leading in the integration of herbal medicine into mainstream conventional medical care.
In his remarks, Prof. Alex Asase, Executive Director, CPMR, noted that herbal medicine is not an inherited thing but part of Ghanaian culture which plays a pivotal role in its primary healthcare as well as for many developed countries.
He pointed out that Ghana, being at the centre of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFA), will benefit a lot from herbal medicine if it positions itself well.
The CPMR boss singled out quality as one of the major challenges facing herbal medicine manufacturers, stressing that, “Quality is important, efficacy is also important because we don’t want to just have herbal medicine as it used to be several centuries ago. We want to package it better. We want to make sure that the standards are very high.”
This, he said, is linked to adequate training to deliver good quality products that are efficacious, and commended the government through the Ministry of Health for promoting herbal medicine through various processes.
He also identified lack of raw materials and other substitutes as a challenge which he attributed to the extinction of the plant material that the herbalists have been using, thereby forcing them to use inferior materials.
“We need to go international, therefore, we have to improve on the quality of our products, and I am happy that at the end of this training we will be able to move at another level towards this agenda. Our team of dedicated facilitators for this training would be providing training in different areas that will help move towards this agenda,” he stated.
In brief comments, Professor Joshua Boateng, University of Greenwich, UK, threw a challenge to herbal medicine manufacturers to find a new microbial product that will break the cycle of antibiotic resistance, indicating that anyone who succeeds will likely win a Nobel Prize.
On his part, Samuel Amate, Project Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF), said the training would be practically done in order for the participants to get knowledge and skills to advance the standard of herbal medicine.
While appealing to the participants to be actively involved in the training, Mr. Amate projected that the participants will reduce waste and also enhance productivity at the end of the programme.
Ghana’s government will implement a fixed exchange rate regime for import duty payments for a maximum of six months, according to Movement for Change founder and leader Alan Kyerematen.
This measure will lower the high amount of imported inflation in the economy and will be incorporated into his first-year Economic Recovery Plan.
Additionally, Alan claimed that fixing the foreign exchange rate to determine import tariffs in local currency will greatly improve Ghana’s business environment’s predictability and stability as well as increase everyone’s economic prosperity.
Alan Kyerematen
On May 23, 2024, at the Coconut Groove Hotel in Accra, Mr. Kyerematen gave this policy proposal to members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) at a high-level meeting.
The former minister of trade and industry gave the AGI members his word that his government would support the private sector in Ghana with fiscal incentives and other means so that it could implement his Great Transformational Plan for the nation.
Mr. Kyerematen went on to describe his strategy for advancing ICT, commerce, industrial, and agriculture-based enterprise growth in Ghana. As the founding Managing Director of the EMPRETEC Foundation and the Regional Director for company Africa, Mr. Kyerematen has decades of experience in company development. During his tenure, he assisted in the establishment of hundreds of businesses in 13 Sub-Saharan African nations.
In addition, the Nelson Mandela government invited Alan and the other seven international consultants to help design a national enterprise development plan for the just independent South Africa.
In a similar vein, Dr. Prince Kofi Kludjeson, the head of AGI from 1999 to 2005, claimed that the EMPRETEC Foundation’s guidance in the 1990s was a major factor in the development of numerous blooming indigenous companies that are now doing business in Ghana.
He urged local business owners to back Alan’s historic campaign for Ghanaian presidency, saying that they are enduring difficulties as a result of the current bad leadership.
“I have no doubt that 50% of the challenges of this Nation will be addressed under an Alan Kyerematen Presidency. That is who he is and what he has been doing throughout his business and political career” Dr. Kludjeson stated.
Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike, Hon. Saddique Boniface, Mrs. Augustina Cudjoe, Mr. Henry Asante, and Dr. Abu Sakara Foster were among the prominent members of the Movement for Change and ARC that accompanied Mr. Kyerematen.
In order to become Ghana’s first independent president and bring Ghana back to its former glory, he asked for the assistance of the country’s business community.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has taken a swipe at former President John Dramani Mahama during the 8th Ghana CEO Summit, asserting the Akufo-Addo administration’s significant achievements in advancing the country’s development agenda.
Dr Bawumia emphasised that the current government’s developmental projects are tangible and can be easily verified, contrasting them with what he termed the “guinea fowl” projects of Mr Mahama’s tenure.
Speaking at the summit on Monday, May 27, Dr Bawumia noted that projects under the Akufo-Addo administration were verifiable.
He insisted that these initiatives, unlike those of the previous administration, are real and can be tracked by the public.
John Dramani Mahama and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
This, he argued, demonstrates the current government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its development efforts.
Dr Bawumia participated in the summit via Zoom from Canada, where he reiterated the government’s dedication to sustainable development.
He noted that the strides made under the Akufo-Addo administration are not only visible but also have a lasting impact on the country’s infrastructure and economic growth.
These accomplishments, according to Bawumia, set a solid foundation for future progress.
In his address, the Vice President outlined the various projects undertaken by the current administration, including improvements in healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
The Vice President stressed that these projects have been executed with precision and are benefiting many communities across Ghana.
“There were no vehicles for some of the projects we have done. We have done over 200 projects in the area of zongo development across all the zongos in the country. You look at our investment in technical and vocational education, over six billion Ghana Cedis in the last 7 years.”
“The highest investment in TVET by any government in the fourth republic, and we’ve made technical and vocational education also free in that context. You see in terms of our development authority, there are 1,609 projects completed. And under the Northern Development Authority it has also completed over 304 projects so far and so we are not talking about Guinea fowl projects but real projects,” he said.
You’ll account for $12m pumped into non-existent Pwalugu dam – Minority to government
This comes at a time when the Minority in parliament has vowed to do everything possible to demand accountability for funds allocated to the planned construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam in the Upper East Region.
The project, for which sod was cut in 2019, was expected to consist of a hydro-solar hybrid system with 60 MW hydropower and 50 MW solar power and to be completed in the second half of 2024.
Addressing journalists at the site, Mr Jinapor indicated that approximately $12 million had already been invested in the project, with nothing to show for it. He said the contractor is nowhere to be found, and parts of the site have been turned into farming areas by locals.
“We will activate all the parliamentary processes to retrieve that amount of money, almost 200 million cedis that has been dashed to this contractor. Somebody must be held accountable. $12 million can do a lot in this country. So we’ll use every legitimate means, every legal means to retrieve the money and punish those who have caused this financial crime and financial loss to the state,” he said.
The British Council in Ghana is commemorating its 80th anniversary with celebrations focusing on its significant contributions to Ghana’s cultural and educational landscape.
To mark this significant milestone, the British Council Ghana has planned a series of events and initiatives in June, including but not limited to:
· Co-sponsoring the ‘unsung category’ in the upcoming Telecel Ghana Music Awards.
· Hosting a music summit to dialogue on the state of the local music industry, introduce the British Council So-Creative Learning platform, and musical performances.
· Holding a dissemination event to share insights from commissioned research on the contribution of UK Alumni to national development.
· Hosting Masterclass workshops on the music business for capacity building of music artists and industry players.
· Organising an awards night to recognise partners and staff for their contributions.
This was carried in a press release dated 28th May 2024 and signed by Susan Amu, Regional Head of Communications, British Council, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Under the theme, ’80 years of building connections understanding and trust; turning legacies and lessons into innovation and impact’ the anniversary celebrations aim to honour the organisation’s rich history and its impact on generations of Ghanaians.
Nii Doodo, Country Director of British Council Ghana, remarked: “As an organisation, we are very proud of our achievements as one of the organisations that have profoundly impacted the lives of young people in Ghana over the years. Through this anniversary, we seek to consolidate our gains, celebrate our successes, and continue the legacy of exposing young people to global opportunities.”
Background
Since 1944, the British Council has sought to develop and improve relations between the United Kingdom and Ghana through programmes that showcase its expertise in sectors such as pre-tertiary and higher education, TVET, Arts and culture, among many others.
Over the past 80 years, the British Council Ghana has achieved numerous milestones, including investments in developing Ghana’s human capital through scholarship initiatives, support for entrepreneurial efforts of young men and women, and fostering best teaching and learning practices between schools in the UK and Ghana.
Through its various projects, such as Blazing Trails, the Challenge, the Innovation for African University (IAU), So-Creative E-Learning, VET Toolbox and the Investment Climate Reform Facility, the British Council has supported thousands of young Ghanaians with skills and resources to succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavours.
Additionally, initiatives like the then DFID Global School Partnerships and Connecting Classrooms have facilitated cross-cultural exchange and collaboration between schools in Ghana and the UK.
As the British Council Ghana celebrates its 80th anniversary, it reaffirms its commitment to support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust, and nurturing the next generation of leaders and changemakers in Ghana.
Kumawood actor, Kwadwo Nkansah ‘Lilwin’ says he is thankful to God for surviving a gruesome car accident on Saturday en route to the premiere of ‘A Country Called Ghana’ movie in Kumasi.
The actor made his first statement on the accident at the movie premier hours after the accident had occurred.Lilwin was seen with a white bandage covering his forehead where he had gotten hurt.
Addressing the crowd, he noted that he had been advised to stay indoors.However, he could not ignore the efforts of the individuals including local chiefs who made it to the event and thus made his way to the event when he felt better.
Kwadwo Nkansah ‘Lilwin
Lilwin stated that it was only because of the grace of God that he survived the crash.He also expressed gratitude to everyone who supported him.
Lilwin and others sustained injuries in a head-on car crash hours before the premiere of his movie ‘A Country Called Ghana’.
The accident occurred on Saturday morning at Amakom, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region.
According to eyewitnesses, the actor was driving at top speed from the Amakom intersection to the WAEC area when he suddenly veered into the adjacent lane.
Eyewitnesses told JoyNews that the vehicle crashed head-on into a private family car carrying a father and his four-year-old child, leaving the child unresponsive from severe head injuries.
Lilwin and his two passengers also sustained head injuries. The impact of the collision left the two cars damaged.A third victim says her car lights were smashed by the speeding vehicle.Source:Myjoyonline.com
The attention of the management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has been drawn to a petition issued by one Kwame Adofo of the Holy Trinity Chambers in Kumasi, addressed to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, copied to the Chief of Staff, Jubilee House, and the Hon. Minister of Health and published in a section of the media.
In the petition under reference, the said Adofo, who until 31st December 2023, was the hospital’s lawyer, claimed that his request was based on the fact that Prof. Addai-Mensah has since his assumption of office in December, 2022, misappropriated funds and flouted the country’s procurement law on several occasions.
Prof.Addae Mensah
The management of the hospital wishes to state unequivocally that Mr Adofo’s petition is without merit and should, consequently, be dismissed outright as it is rigged with inaccuracies, misinterpretations and conjectures.
Management wants to place on record that Prof. Addai-Mensah has since his appointment performed with distinction and operated within his mandate and administrative powers to the admiration of the various stakeholders of the hospital.
His transformative drive within the short time that he has been at post has not only helped to improve the operations of the hospital but also elevated its image through the enhancement of quality clinical care delivery, infrastructure upgrading and improved staff welfare among others, on a scale unmatched in the recent history of the hospital.
What is quite perplexing is that Mr. Adofo started making some of the unfounded allegations against the new CEO on social media, his privileged access to hospital management notwithstanding, whiles still under contract with the hospital in his capacity as the hospital’s lawyer.
It is on account of this that the hospital was compelled to report his conduct to the General Legal Council and also caused its new lawyers to institute a separate action against him at the High Court in Kumasi. Both cases are still pending but in direct response to the allegations raised in his petition, management will like to state as follows;
The Chief Executive has not withdrawn any Ghc 300,000.00 which he has not been able to account to the Board of the hospital. Cogent submissions had been made by him to the Board on how the money was used in furtherance of the operations of the hospital at a meeting held on 26th October, 2023.
It is instructive to note that similar executive engagements in furtherance of the hospital operations had been undertaken by previous CEOs without any issues being raised.
Mr. Adofo’s claim that the CEO was involved in procurement breaches could not have been farthest from the truth. Yes, one Prince Ankomah Kissi, the accountant of one of the 15 departments at the hospital, was detected to have registered a company, Prinky Star Enterprise, that was supplying maintenance materials to the hospital. The detection was made by hospital management itself and not any other person.
Given that he was not in any way involved in the procurement processes of the hospital, be it directly or indirectly, he was given a formal warning to desist from such acts in the future and his company was blacklisted and delisted from the hospital’s list of suppliers as part of the sanctions against him. Payments made to the company was only in respect of items already supplied and used for various maintenance works at the hospital. All the records show that the company fairly and competitively got the orders it won and there was nothing whatsoever untoward in the processes leading to the award of the contracts before it was blacklisted.
It must also be placed on record that bids are submitted by, and orders for the supply ofgoods and services are awarded to companies and not their owners and so it is not possible for the CEO to know the persons behind the hundreds of awards he signs on regular basis. With a procurement budget of around Gh₵ 100m per annum, the contract awarded to Prinky Stars was quite insignificant and any allegation to the effect that the CEO was conniving with him to fleece the hospital could best be described as a conjecture.
It must also be stressed that similar incidents that happened before his assumption of office was handled in virtually the same manner and one wonders why meanings are being read into the Prinky Star case. There has not been any violation of the country’s Procurement Act as far as the case under reference is concerned and any claim to the contrary is only a misinterpretation of the law.
The fact that during the tenure of the current CEO, the hospital had maintained it maturitystatus by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and won a number of national and international awards in procurement best practices are a testament of his management’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the hospital’s procurement credentials.
It is not for nothing that for instance the hospital won the Gold Award in Excellence in Procurement and Supply Chain (Healthcare category) at the 2023 Africa Procurement and Supply Chain Awards.
Mr. Adofo’s claim that the CEO is using the name of the Asantehene to raise funds under the Heal Komfo Anokye Project and has failed to render accounts to the KATH Board is one of the most confounding false claims in his petition. The KATH Board had at all material times been briefed about the project right from the conceptualization stage to the commencement of execution at its monthly meetings.
The Asantehene himself launched the fundraising campaign at the hospital on 10th November, 2023, and has since led the drive to mobilise funds for the project. The Otumfuo’s Hiahene is the representative of the Asantehene on the Heal Komfo Anokye Project (HeKAP) team mandated by the Manhyia Palace oversee the project.
The membership of the team also include one member of the KATH Board. Neither the KATH Board nor Manhyia Palace has so far raised any issue about the accountability of the project funds and it is, therefore, incredulous that Mr Adofo is making such a claim.
What he has refused or failed to acknowledge is that the project is an intervention by the Asantehene, not the hospital, to comprehensively restore the 70-year “Gee” blocks for the very first time in the history of the hospital. It is being implemented by an entity separate from the hospital.
Just like a number of projects at the hospital being funded or executed by external entities, the accounts of such projects are separate from that of the hospital and their signatories are not restricted to officials of the hospital. The donations being made by philanthropists towards the Heal Komfo Anokye Project do not constitute a traditional source of revenue arising out of the tariffs set by the state or Parliament.
Even the hospital’s own Endowment Fund launched in December, 2018, had one of its signatories being its chairman who was a private businessman. It is, therefore, surprising that as the person who was the hospital’s lawyer from 2018 to 2023, he would claim that the same arrangement for the Heal Komfo Anokye Project constitute a violation of the country’s Public Financial Management Act.
Another falsehood perpetuated by Mr Adofo is the claim that the CEO made a private trip to Dubai but turned around to claim per diem from the hospital.
It is instructive to note that the said trip was an international medical equipment fair attended by other officials from the country’s health sector including those from the office of the Presidential Adviser on Health and the University of Ghana Medical Centre.
How could a participation in such an international event attended by other health officials in the country be deemed to be private?
The CEO duly informed the KATH Board at its meeting held on 25th January, 2024, before his trip and also gave a report on the outcome of his participation in the event when he returned.
The only “sin” of Prof. Addai-Mensah was that as humble and cost-conscious as he is, he had a sponsorship for an economy air ticket and, therefore, did not ask for one from the hospital hence the false assumption that he had embarked on a private trip.
The issue about the alleged attempt by the CEO to cause the withdrawal of the moneymeant for the P for R Network of Practice project is a clear case of lack of knowledge about the management of such projects at the hospital.
Historically, Project Coordinators are allowed to write for the release of funds meant for the execution of their projects after which they are enjoined to submit reports with all the necessary attachments indicating their activities and how the funds released to them were used.
Coordinators for previous and current projects have always used this process and there is nothing strange about the hospital’s lead for the P for R Network of Practice project using same.In concluding, the management of the hospital wishes to reiterate that Prof. Addai-Mensah has more than delivered to expectation.
His conduct has been exemplary, bold, visionary and above board. He is, therefore, more than ready and prepared for any probe into his stewardship of the hospital which, without any shred of doubt, can be said to have been sterling so far signed on behalf of management board.
The Paramount Chief of Prang, the district capital of Pru West in the Bono East Region, Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III, has made a passionate appeal to President Akufo-Addo through the Deputy Minister of Roads, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Stephen Jallulah, to fix the Pru River bridge at Prang which has started deteriorating.
Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III
The state of the bridge
According to him, the bridge serves important purposes not only for drivers and passengers who use it to link Yeji direction but also for local farmers who have to cross it to their various farms.
In an interview, Nana Kwadwo Nyarko indicated that his unique leadership style often draws people close to him, and it was through this that an informant revealed to him the current nature of the Pru River bridge.
“I know our President is a listening one and I trust him as well as my own ‘son’, Stephen Jallulah; they will surely come to my aid as far as the fixing of this bridge is concerned,” he said.
The paramount chief recalled that when the Nyomoase bridge caved in, the President responded to the appeal from him and his people and fixed the problem in the twinkling of an eye.
He stressed the need for the government to urgently fix the minor maintenance on the bridge than to wait for it to cave in and spend huge sums of money on it later.
According to him, the country needs financial resources to embark on numerous projects, hence there is the need to avoid unnecessary cost due to negligence.
He cautioned, “If the Pru River bridge is closed, the only alternative for those coming from Yeji direction is to pass through Prang through Abease to Kintampo, then through Techiman to Kumasi which is too long and this would automatically increase the transport fares.”
He further appealed to President Akufo-Addo that even if the problem cannot be fixed, at least he should direct his men to do maintenance works on the bridge to help prevent any future disaster.
