Category: Politics

Alhaji Rashid Bawa, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has secured the first spot on Akan New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary primaries ballot paper.

Mr. Tassah Abubakar Safiwu, a Farm Manager got the second spot, while Alhaji Tanko Issifu Yakubu, a Business Consultant with the Volta Lake Transport Ltd occupied the third spot on the ballot paper.

Mr. Bashiru Sabitiou Yeziru, the Akan NPP Constituency Director of Research and Elections, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.

He said the balloting for the positioning on the ballot paper took place at Dambai, the Oti Regional capital on Tuesday, November 14 after the three aspirants were vetted.

The Director of Research and Elections said the election would be held on December 2 and that a total of 632 delegates were expected to vote during the Extraordinary Constituency Conference.

He called on the aspirants to be decorous in their campaigning as it was a family contest.

During the 2020 Parliamentary election in the Akan Constituency, the NPP Candidate, Alhaji Rashid Bawa polled 13,300 votes, representing 40.78 per cent as against 19,317 votes, representing 59.22 per cent garnered by Mr. Yao Gomado, the NDC Candidate.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some former Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration from the Volta Region have expressed surprise over the recent comments by Mr Seth Kwasi Agbi, District Chief Executive of South Tongu.

Mr Agbi, during a video interview, lamented the lack of funds for fuel for the distribution of some relief items meant for victims of the recent Akosombo Dam spillage in his District.

Mr James Gunu, the Volta Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a former DCE of Akatsi North, who led a team of some MDCEs to the South Tongu District Assembly on Tuesday, said they were alarmed about the development.

He said the statement made by the DCE was unfortunate and could demotivate those, who are giving relief items to victims of the flood disaster.

‘This is not a good image for Districts that have been affected by the floods,’ he said.

Mr Gunu further stated that the current state of managerial affairs at the various Municipal and Dist
rict Assemblies did not match what he called ‘progressive’ Metropolitan, Municipal, and District assemblies that the NDC had left for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He also argued that some of the items were consumables, and if the necessary steps were not taken immediately, ‘we may end up distributing expired products and could affect the beneficiary’s health status.’

The team also expressed willingness to take up the challenge in collaboration with the chiefs, assembly members, and others in distributing the items without any further delay.

Meanwhile, Mr. Seji Saji, the Deputy Director General of Technical and Reforms at NADMO has since refuted the claims by Mr Agbi, saying his comments did not reflect the reality on the ground.

Mr Gunu was accompanied by Mr Sylvester Tornyeava, former MCE for Keta, and Mr Claver Kofi Lawson, former MCE for Ketu North.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr John Saviour Eleblu, an aspiring parliamentary candidate on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party has expressed optimism of winning the seat for the party when given the nod

He said the constituency deserved a Member of Parliament (MP) with great vision and commitment to enhancing the development of the area and improving the lives of the people.

Dr Eleblu, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, told Ghana News Agency after successfully going through the vetting that he was ready to change the narrative of NPP in North Tongu.

He said he had concrete and right strategies in place to mobilise and register more members for the party in North Tongu to unseat the National Democratic Congress’ MP, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The Lecturer said the time had come for the people of Volta Region to see the light and hope in the NPP, emphasising that ‘NPP can be a driving force for development in the Volta region.’

Dr Eleblu said he was ready to serve the constituency with transformational lea
dership of service, transparency and integrity that would bring total transformation into the lives of the people.

The aspirant said North Tongu deserved an MP who would lobby for jobs and development projects for the area, and therefore appealed to the delegates to give him the nod come December 2, 2023.

He said the NDC, and its MP had not done anything to advance the development of North Tongu and the Volta Region, noting that the only party with interest to develop the region was NPP.

Dr Eleblu promised to create job opportunities for all within the constituency and support existing businesses to grow to enhance the living standards of the people.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Peace Council (NPC) and its key partners; Christian Council of Ghana, Office of the National Chief Imam and Catholic Bishops Conference of Ghana, have called for an end to the politics of religion.

The four organisations in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said they had observed with great concern some insinuations and publications on electronic and social media platforms, seeking to inflame religious passion into the Elections 2024.

‘As the National Institution responsible for peace in the country, the NPC and our partners wish to remind all Ghanaians of the admirable manner by which we have lived together in peace, despite our religious, political and ethnic diversity,’ the statement said.

‘We have a duty as a people to continue to coexist and tolerate our diversity. Article 21(1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana recognises and protects the right of all persons to freely practice any religion, and to manifest such practice,’ it added.

It said besides, Artic
le 21(3) also provided for and protected the rights of all Ghanaians to freely form or join political parties and to participate in political activities subject to the qualifications and laws as deemed necessary in a free and democratic society, and consistent with the Constitution.

It said the NPC, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the National Chief Imam, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, respectfully request all individuals and groups, who were engaging in such insinuations and publications to refrain from such destructive mission and should immediately desist from such actions as they had the tendency to destroy the long cherished pluralistic friendly society.

The NPC and its partners further urged all Ghanaians to expose characters who had embarked on this slippery mission.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An aspiring Assembly member for Kedzikope, a suburb of Keta in the Keta Municipality of the Volta region, Mama Doris Deku-Nutakor, has outlined some plans for the development of the area.

The move, she said, would help mitigate the numerous challenges the Electoral Area was facing.

Madam Denu-Nutakor, in an engagement with the Ghana News Agency, stated that empowering women and children through skills training and strengthening support programmes that would focus on the welfare of communities would be her priority.

She promised to prioritise infrastructure projects, including road maintenance and expansion and improve connectivity at Kedzikope.

‘I will work closely with the Municipal authorities to address water and electricity challenges in the area,’ she said.

Madam Deku-Nutakor, who is a businesswoman and the current Unit Committee Chairperson of Kedzikope Electoral Area, said enhancing education opportunities by advocating for modernisation and improving educational facilities were some of her prior
ities.

She said she would help establish youth development programmes, workshops and mentorship opportunities, which would channel youth energy into creativity.

‘I will utilise my business acumen to attract investments and create job opportunities within our community.’

Madam Deku-Nutakor also pledged to advocate for the upgrading the healthcare facilities and services to ensure the wellbeing of every resident.

She remained optimistic that the electorates would give her the nod among other aspirants to lead for the next four years.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has indicated that the District Level election will come off on December 19 across the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Wednesday continued the vetting of aspirants vying to become the Party’s parliamentary candidates in its orphan constituencies in the Greater Accra region.

In the case of Adentan constituency, the Party’s vetting committee screened three aspirants seeking to become the NPP parliamentary candidate for the area.

Those vetted were Akosua Saa Manu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Youth Authority, Kwasi Obeng-

Fosu, Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Energy and Winfred Nartey Obimpeh, a Broadcaster.

The vetting took place at the NPP’s new Greater Accra Regional Office at Teshie.

The parliamentary primaries for orphan constituencies are scheduled for December 2, 2023.

The screening process was followed by balloting, with Kwasi Obeng-Fosu picking the first slot whiles Winfred Nartey Obimpeh and Akosua Saa Manu picked the second and third slots respectively.

The aspirants, after the screening, took turns to address the media and their teeming sup
porters and optimistic of their chances.

Earlier, the Party’s Vetting Committee, chaired by Mr Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of NPP, vetted aspirants from other orphan constituencies – Madina, Ashaiman, Ayawaso East, Ayawaso North, Sege, Ningo-Prampram, and Obom Domeabra.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The vetting of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) aspirants for parliamentary candidateship has begun in Ho, in the Volta Region.

The National Executive Committee of the Party set November 14 to 16, 2023 for vetting of the aspirants across the country.

A total of 14 aspirants from six constituencies are expected to go through the process on the first day.

The constituencies expected to be vetted on day one included Keta, Ketu South, Akatsi South, North Tongu, South Tongu and Central Tongu.

Some party faithful are seen at the venue to offer support to their preferred candidates.

The process, as observed by the Ghana News Agency, has been smooth so far.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Fidelia Abla Awakoe, an aspirant of the New Patriotic Party’s Parliamentary candidacy in the Ketu South, says she can lead the party to unseat the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

She said the constituency needed someone with greater commitment to resurrect the interest of the people in the party to be faithful and accountable to win the seat.

Madam Awakoe, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, after successfully going through the vetting process expressed optimism of winning the race.

She said due to her cordial relationship with the grassroots, passion, zeal and commitment the people called her to lead them and knowing their faithfulness she yielded to the call.

The aspirant said when she got the nod as the parliamentary candidate, she would unite all party faithful, and resource them to champion the course of the party.

Madam Awakoe said the Ketu South Constituency needed the New Patriotic Party for positive transformation and accelerated development.

She said she would not relent on
her effort to propagate the good work of the party, adding that a collective effort was required for the party’s agenda of breaking the 8 to be actualised.

The aspirant said the NPP -led government had done a lot for the good people of the country and the evidence was there for all to see, so nothing would prevent the party from winning the 2024 election.

Madam Awakoe will be battling it against Mr Samuel Wisdom Doe Haligah, who passed through the vetting successfully on December 2, 2023.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ralph Poku-Adusei, a private legal practitioner, and Managing Partner at Trent Legal Amansie Chambers, says he will contest the Bekwai Constituency Parliamentary seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 2024 Polls.

The Bekwai Constituency seat is currently being held by Joseph Osei Owusu (Joe Wise), the first deputy Speaker of Parliament.

Osei Owusu has made known his decision not to contest the seat any longer after representing the constituency for sixteen (16) years, in four different Parliaments (2008 to 2024).

The National Executive Committee of the NPP, in a statement issued on Friday, 10 November 2023, has scheduled the date for the conduct of the Party’s Parliamentary Primaries in constituencies where the Party has sitting MPs.

The date for the conduct of the primaries is 20 January 2024. Nomination shall open on 20 and close on 22 December 2023.

The lawyer, with 13 years of practice, is credited with several socially impactful projects in the Bekwai municipal area, wh
ich have gone a long way to improve the living standards and social connectivity of the inhabitants of the constituency.

According to Lawyer Poku-Adusei, his vision for Amansie is to create a municipality free from poverty, where everyone would have access to the basic needs of life, chances for advancement, and the capacity to live honourably as espoused in seven key thematic areas.

The areas include Job creation, Poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement, Agriculture (commercial and mechanized), Infrastructure Development, Youth Employment, Education and Pensions.

Lawyer Poku-Adusei said he would prioritise education to break the cycle of poverty by improving access to high-quality education for all children in the Municipality, enhancing infrastructure, providing scholarships, and implementing programmes to improve educational outcomes.

According to him, he would lobby through government and the private sector (local and international) through advocacy and a well thought through plan to get sc
holarships, recruitment slots and corporate sponsorships to enhance education in the municipality.

He also proposed creating an enabling environment and providing resources for entrepreneurship, skill development, and job creation to create sustainable means of subsistence.

To enable people and families to escape poverty, the NPP Parliamentary aspirant said he would set up vocational training facilities, assist small local enterprises, and allow access to microfinance programmes, which he has already started.

Lawyer Poku-Adusei said he also appreciated the value of a strong social welfare system and easily available healthcare.

To guarantee the health of our community, he would work in conjunction with pertinent stakeholders to improve social protection programmes, build out healthcare infrastructure, and advocate for preventative healthcare practices.

Lawyer Opoku- Adusei said he intends to make healthcare accessible to his constituents by building CHIP compounds and other healthcare interventions to br
ing healthcare closer to the constituents, thereby reducing the pressure on the Bekwai Hospital.

Infrastructure Development is on top of the agenda for Lawyer Ralph. To enhance the quality of life for residents of the Bekwai Municipality, he proposes to concentrate on infrastructure development.

‘This involves enhancing transportation infrastructure, maintaining a steady supply of water and energy, toilet facilities, and funding sustainable housing programmes,’ he added.

He proposed to drive both local and foreign investors to the constituency to put up recreational centres, shopping malls, manufacturing companies and tertiary institutions to boost economic activities and subsequently address the issue of Youth unemployment in the constituency.

Another area Lawyer Ralph Poku-Adusei intends to address is the issue of pensions to help people in the constituency who retire from active service with or without any form of pension.

He proposed to intensify pension education and encourage his constituents to co
ntribute either formally or informally to SSNIT. Further, he proposes to set up a cooperative society for the people to benefit from.

He alluded to the fact that caring for the aged, disabled, and vulnerable was a shared responsibility, and every effort must be put into making their lives worthwhile through value adding programs and interventions.

The interventions of Ralph Poku-Adusei in the Bekwai Constituency have been both in support of the NPP and the people of the municipality.

Among the interventions to the party are a donation of a sum of GHc 100,000.00 and 1,000 bags of rice to NPP Bekwai delegates for the 2023 Easter celebrations, provision of financial support for the aged (elderly) who have served the party in Bekwai but are inactive due to old age and poor health.

Lawyer Ralph has also provided financial support to Bekwai Constituency executives to embark on a ‘Thank You Tour’ after the party’s internal primaries in 2022. In the same year, he provided financial support to Muslim polling stati
on executives in the Bekwai Constituency during Eid Al-Adha to support their celebrations.

Other support interventions of Mr. Poku – Adusei are financial support to Bekwai Constituency delegates, at the National Delegate Conference held at Koforidua, presentation of GHc 205,200.00 to the Bekwai Constituency executives to be shared to Electoral Area Coordinators, Polling Station Executives as support for Christmas celebrations, GHc 30,000 to NPP Bekwai Constituency towards the building of the constituency office, among others.

He is a member of the Ghana Bar, the Bar of England and Wales, and the International Bar Association. Ralph’s alma maters include: The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, UK; Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Law, UK (formerly The College of Law of England and Wales, UK) Ghana School of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana among others.

Lawyer Opoku-Adusei is an entrepreneur with 15 years in business leadership, the founder and ch
airman of the Board of Directors of First Cedi Investment Ltd, a real estate development company in the Greater Accra Region.

Opoku- Adusei is also the proprietor of First Cedi Micro-Credit Enterprise, which provides lending services to the communities within and around the Bekwai municipality in the Ashanti Region.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has outlined the lowest point in the 2024 budget presentation.

Mr Gyamfi, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the Finance Minister, in his presentation of the 2024 budget, sought to celebrate Ghana’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) reaching the trillion-cedi mark.

‘The truth of the matter is that this increase in nominal GDP has come about as a result of the extremely high rate of inflation we have witnessed in recent times. It is not indicative of actual growth in production whatsoever,’ he said.

‘In a high inflation environment, as we’ve seen in the last couple of years, it is not surprising that nominal values will record big jumps. Hence, nominal GDP may indicate an increase whereas it is all fluke.’

He said what was most important was real GDP, which takes into account inflation.

Mr Gyamfi said the projected nominal GDP of GHS1 trillion therefore had no significant positi
ve bearing on the ever-worsening livelihoods of Ghanaians.

He said in fact, it means nothing for the ordinary Ghanaian whose economy was his pocket.

‘If nominal GDP is anything to go by, then Ken Ofori Atta must be reminded, that what he is touting as a great achievement is no news at all.’

He said Ghana’s nominal GDP stood at over 19 trillion cedis in 1999 before redenomination.

He said by 2006, Ghana’s nominal GDP had exceeded 100 trillion cedis.

Mr Gyamfi said again, the facts show, that the NDC government increased Ghana’s nominal GDP from 17.6 billion cedis in 2008 to 167 billion cedis in 2016 (pre-rebasing).

He noted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government must stop majoring in minors and focus on important economic factors that significantly impact the livelihoods of Ghanaians; adding that ‘suffering Ghanaians deserve better’!

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has applauded the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer-elect, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, for emerging victorious in the Party’s presidential primaries. The Vice-President’s election on Saturday, he said, marked a new dawn in the Party’s development cause, and called for unity of purpose in the quest for victory in the 2024 General Election. ‘The Party needs all and sundry on board, including the losing aspirants to ensure sustainable growth, peace and harmony,’ he advised, in an address at a handing-over ceremony in Accra. Alhaji Dr. Bawumia garnered 118, 210 votes in the primaries, representing 61.47 per cent of the total ballots cast. He was followed by Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, 71,996 votes, representing 37.41 per cent, while Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, placed third with 1,459 votes, representing 0.76 per cent. Francis Addai-Nimoh polled 731 votes, representing 0.41 per cent, in an election supervised by the Electoral Commission. More than 200, 000 delegates participated in the polls. Alhaji Dr Bawumia’s election sets the stage for seemingly tough polls in next year’s General Election – coming up against an ostensibly formidable former President John Dramani Mahama of the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The two parties have in the course of Ghana’s democratic journey under the Fourth Republican Constitution, been given the mandate to govern at different times. However, none has been able to go past eight years since 1992, a jinx the NPP says it is determined to break. President Nana Akufo-Addo described next year’s election as one which would present its own difficulties and complexes. Consequently, the ruling Party was not being complacent as it stepped up efforts to achieve its mission. Alhaji Dr. Bawumia (October 07, 1963), campaigned to be given the nod as the flagbearer, saying with his economic background he could work to fix Ghana’s economic woes. His election comes at a time when the country is facing a challenging economic and social situation amid an increasingly difficult global environment. According to the World Bank’s April 2023 Africa Pulse Report, the country’s economy has been struggling with high levels of public debt and elevated inflation, fueled by a sharp weakening of the Cedi. Alhaji Dr Bawumia contested as running mate to the NPP candidate in the 2008 elections and current President Nana Akufo-Addo. As an Economist and Banker, Dr Bawumia has had a prestigious career, which includes, serving as the Deputy Governor of Ghana’s Central Bank from 2006 to 2008 and the Resident Representative of the African Development Bank in Zimbabwe in 2011. He chairs the Government’s Economic Management Team, which is broadly responsible for shaping the government’s policies and guiding their implementation. He is also at the forefront of a broad and inclusive development strategy in Ghana, involving, among others, the leveraging of digitised government services to transform the delivery of public services and digitalising the economy, with an overall objective of building the country’s digital economy to achieve its objectives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Voting is ongoing nationwide to elect a presidential candidate for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). However, in the Sunyani East Constituency of the Bono Region, the election has been put on hold after a high court in Sunyani set aside the constituency album following an injunction filed by some aggrieved party members. Visits by the GNA to some polling stations saw delegates in queues waiting for their turn to cast their ballot in calm atmosphere. Four candidates – Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Dr Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, a former Minister for Food and Agriculture, and Francis Addai-Nimoh, a former MP for Mampong, are vying for the NPP flagbearer slot. Over 203,000 delegates, mainly executives of the NPP at the local and national levels, are participating in the poll to select a presidential candidate for the Party. The delegates, who make up the electoral college are: Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, ministers and their deputies, foundation members of the NPP, members of the Party’s National Council and patrons and council of elders. The rest are regional party officers, constituency officers, constituency patrons, constituency elders, electoral area coordinators, polling station executives, overseas branches and members of TESCON, the tertiary students’ wing of the Party. Though Dr Bawumia is considered the favourite, Kennedy Agyapong is expected to compete strongly, after he shockingly emerged second during the Party’s super delegates conference ahead of former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen. The contestants have signed an undertaking not to resign from the Party if they lose the primaries.

Source: Ghana News Agency