Former President, Jerry John Rawlings has rejected an offer by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to rename the University of Development Studies (UDS) after him.
A draft Public Universities Bill, 2019, which is yet to be tabled before Parliament for consideration has proposed renaming four universities after eminent Ghanaian personalities, including the naming of UDS after Mr. Rawlings who ruled Ghana from 1979 to January 7, 2001.
UDS was established by PNDCL 279 during the reign of Mr. Rawlings as Head of State of Ghana.
However, a statement signed by Kobina Andoh Amoakwa from the Communications Directorate of the Office of Mr. Rawlings and released in Accra, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, said much as the Founder of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) appreciates the honour done him by President Akufo-Addo, he would be glad if the University is not named after him.
The former President, according to the statement, has had a long-standing principle not to have national monuments and facilities named after him.
“When the proposal for the naming of the UDS was first brought to the former President’s attention by the Education Minister in 2017, he thanked the President and the government for the honour, but politely declined the offer because he had a long-standing principle not to have national monuments and facilities named after him.”
“Indeed in November 2015 when the then government of the day offered to name the Offshore Cape Three Points Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel after him he turned down the offer as well. The former President has since the publication of the details of the new bill to be tabled to Parliament written to the Minister of Education to reiterate his position and kindly requested that the re-naming of UDS after him be withdrawn from the Draft Bill to be submitted to Parliament”, the statement in part read.
The Management of the National Service Scheme (NSS) has released postings of Nine thousand and eighteen (9,018) nurses for the 2019/2020 service year to various health facilities in all the sixteen (16) regions across the country to undertake their mandatory one-year national service.
A statement signed by the Executive Director of the NSS, Mustapha Yusif, and released in Accra, Monday, is therefore requesting all eligible nurses who registered for the National Service to log onto the Secretariat’s website, www.nss.gov.gh to check their placements and then proceed to the various NSS Registration Centers to complete their registration processes.
The registration, according to the statement, starts from Thursday, April 4, 2019.
“It is important to note that the 2019/2020 service year for the eligible newly trained nurses starts on Monday, April 8, 2019”, the statement in part further read.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has officially written to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) inviting them for a meeting to discuss and explore ways of permanently disbanding the various vigilante groups associated with the two major political parties.
The letter dated March 15, 2019, and signed by the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, said the invitation is not only necessitated by the President’s call during the 2019 State of the Nation’s Address, but also, by the legitimate concerns expressed by overwhelming Ghanaians about political vigilante groups, and the need for the two political parties to do the needful in the interest of the nation.
To the NPP, the time for the said crucial meeting is now, calling on the NDC to avail themselves for the exercise in the course of the week and also urging them to look for a suitable venue convenient to them.
“You would recall that, since the President made this call, our National Chairman, Hon. Freddie Blay, has been engaging your good self in telephone conversation on the subject. We think that time is now rife for the parties to hold this crucial meeting, which the whole nation has been looking forward to”, the letter which was addressed to the National Chairman of the NDC in part read.
The NPP said they have also acceded to a request by the NDC to expand the scope of the engagement to include multiple stakeholders, noting that the “NPP avails itself for this consideration at the meeting, which will afford the two parties the opportunity to agree on the various stakeholders to be invited in the subsequent engagement”.
French multinational automobile manufacturer, Renault, is considering the establishment of an automobile assembly plant in Ghana, following in the footsteps of Volkswagen, Nissan and Sinotruk that will, this year, establish assembly plants in Ghana.
Vice President and Chairman of the Africa-Middle-East-India (AMI) Region at Renault, Fabrice Cambolive, made this known on Monday, 28th January, 2019, when he paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at Jubilee House, the seat of the nation’s Presidency.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Cambolive stated that “for us, we are now to see if our capacity to bring our products to this country are marching with your policy and, if it is okay, we will be delighted to do that.”
He continued, “I have noticed a lot of values in the country, and they are very important to us. I hope that we will be able to concretize it in a really hard project, not a short-term project, but a long-term project, and if everything is matching, we will come back to you as soon as possible.”
On his part, President Akufo-Addo described the announcement as good news for the country.
He told the Renault Chairman that Ghana is the most ideal country in West Africa to establish an assembly base, and noted that all the economic indices which had gone haywire prior to his assumption of office are now pointing in the right direction.
Ghana, under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, is now the largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in West Africa.
“We are the second largest economy in West Africa. So, there are lots and lots of reasons why Ghana is a well-positioned place for you. We are looking upon ourselves as the gateway to West Africa, to a market of some 350 million people, which is scheduled to go up to 500 million people by the year 2030. So, we think that it will be a good place for you to make it”, the President added.
Already, global car manufacturing giants, Volkswagen, Sinotruk, and Nissan are expected to establish their assembly plants in Ghana this year.
About Renault
Renault is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899.The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches and autorail vehicles.
According to the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles, in 2016 Renault was the ninth biggest automaker in the world by production volume. By 2017, the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance had become the world’s biggest seller of light vehicles, bumping Volkswagen AG off the top spot.
Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, the Renault group is made up of the namesake Renault marque and subsidiaries, Alpine, Automobile Dacia from Romania, Renault Samsung Motors from South Korea, and AvtoVAZ from Russia.
Renault has a 43.4% controlling stake in Nissan of Japan, and a 1.55% stake in Daimler AG of Germany (since 2012, Renault manufactures engines for the Daimler’s Mercedes A-Class and B-Class cars).
Renault also owns subsidiaries RCI Banque (automotive financing), Renault Retail Group (automotive distribution) and Motrio (automotive parts). Renault has various joint ventures, including Oyak-Renault (Turkey), Renault Pars (Iran). The French government owns a 15% share of Renault.
The Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings, says he finds it very difficult to believe why some members of the umbrella family are still bent on tarnishing his image by peddling falsehood about him.
According to the former Ghanaian Head of State, he has no intention of instigating the formation of a new political party as reported by www.ghananewsonline.com.gh.
On Monday, January 21, 2019, www.ghananewsonline.com.gh reported that there are some top NPP officials including the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, certain persons close to the founder of the NDC, the founder of the NDC himself, were in talks towards the formation of a new political party ahead of the 2020 election.
The formation of the new political party, according to the online news portal, is part of President Akufo-Addo and “his NPP’s agenda to weaken the base of the NDC before the 2020 general elections”.
However, in a statement released by the Communications Directorate of the Office of the former Ghanaian Leader dated Wednesday, January 23, 2019, Mr. Rawlings said there is no iota of truth of that publication and urged the general public to treat the report with the utmost contempt that it deserves.
He suspects those behind the news report which has since gone viral on social media and some mainstream media, are the same few people who planted fabricated news stories in the media in the run up to the 2016 general elections with the intent of tarnishing his hard won reputation.
“The carefully crafted falsehood is unfortunately the creation of a small element within the NDC keen on manipulating the minds of party faithful. This is not the first time they have attempted this kind of political trickery and falsehood. In the run up to the 2016 elections the same devious elements planted such fabrications in the media. Unfortunately they have not learnt from the party’s humiliating loss and have sharpened their arsenal for yet more fairytales. We urge the media and social media managers to confirm such reports with this office before publication”, the statement in part read.
Below is the full statement:
PRESS RELEASE
January 23, 2019
RE: REPORTS OF FORMATION OF NEW PARTY
The attention of the office of former President Jerry John Rawlings, has been drawn to a story making the rounds on social media and some mainstream media, that he has instigated the formation of a new party; a breakaway from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The office urges the general public to treat the report with the utmost disregard and contempt.
The carefully crafted falsehood is unfortunately the creation of a small element within the NDC keen on manipulating the minds of party faithful.
This is not the first time they have attempted this kind of political trickery and falsehood. In the run up to the 2016 elections the same devious elements planted such fabrications in the media. Unfortunately they have not learnt from the party’s humiliating loss and have sharpened their arsenal for yet more fairytales.
We urge the media and social media managers to confirm such reports with this office before publication.
Series of murder cases recorded in the past 30 days including that of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an investigative journalists who was working with Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI, has provoked the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to descend on the government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
In a statement dated Friday, January 18, 2019, and signed by the General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the party said the series of murder cases recorded in the country and the security agencies failure to make any arrest and bring the perpetrators to book is a clear demonstration that the safety and security of the people have been compromised by the government.
“The current situation evokes a sort of lawlessness that demonstrates failure on the part of the Akufo-Addo government to live up to its most fundamental responsibility – guaranteeing the safety and security of Ghanaians”, the statement in part read.
It added “There is no doubt, in the wake of the recent gruesome killings that we are in an era of contract killings reminiscent of the final years of the previous NPP Administration. The impunity and nonchalance with which these murders have been carried out, point to an emboldening of the criminals behind them, which stems directly from the unacceptably weak response from government and security agencies”.
Don’t use Kennedy Agyepong as scapegoat
Touching on the gruesome murder of the Hussein-Suale, NDC cautioned that the security agencies should not to focus their attention solely on the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyepong, as a prime suspect and use him as a scapegoat.
The NDC which is the largest opposition political party in the country urged the security agencies to look beyond the Assin Central lawmaker and strive hard to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.
According to the party, while it agrees in principle Hon. Agyepong’s possible involvement in the murder of Hussein-Suale, it would be prudent for the security agencies to tread with caution.
“We have also noted public outcry and demand for the arrest of Kennedy Agyapong, MP for Assin Central. While taking a serious view of his outrageous call for the assault of the late journalist and agreeing in principle with his questioning for possible involvement in this crime, we caution against the mere scapegoating of Mr. Agyapong as a ruse to cover up a potentially more sinister plot behind this killing”, the statement in part noted.
The embattled CEO of gold dealership firm, Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah, aka NAM 1, is set to be trialed in the United Arab Emirates on February 2, 2019 to be determine whether he will be imprisoned or released to the Government of Ghana.
NAM 1 is currently being investigated by the Ghana Police Service and the Economic and Organized Crime Organization (EOCO) for allegedly defrauding customers of his company by false pretense.
He is reported to have breached a cooperation that existed between him the EOCO and travelled to the UAE to transact business.
However, he was arrested by the Persians and but behind bars with a court set to determine the finality or otherwise of his case on February 2, 2019.
A delegation made of a deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney-General and security agencies which travelled to the UAE with the hope of using diplomatic means to secure the release of NAM 1 to the Ghanaian Government has since returned home empty handed.
A joint statement released by the Police and the EOCO, Friday, said Nana Appiah Mensah will only be released to the Ghanaian authorities upon the final determination of the matter in the UAE.
“It is the understanding of the Ghanaian delegation that Mr. Appiah faces Misdemeanor charges in the UAE and will be made available to upon the final determination of his current matter in the UAE. His case is next due for court on February 2, 2019”, the statement in part read.
NAM 1, the statement added, has provided an extensive statement to the security agencies and the legal officers to assist in investigations into charges leveled against him in Ghana.
A US Congressman, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr, has written to the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, asking for a swift intervention of the American Government into the gruesome murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an investigative journalists who worked with Anas Aremeyaw Anas to expose widespread corruption in the Ghanaian football league.
In his letter dated January 18, 2019 , Mr. Johnson Jr, wants the American Government to assess the potential scope of U.S. diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligent support for the Government of Ghana’s investigation of Hussein-Suale’s death, including potential Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) support via the Office of the Legal Attachè at the U.S. Embassy in Accra.
He also wants the American Government to conduct an independent assessment of the murder and the quality and scope of the Ghanaian government’s investigation on the matter.
Further to that, Mr. Johnson Jr, wants the American Government to determine to place restrictions on the Assin Central lawmaker, Kennedy Agyepong, including a ban on travel to the U.S., a ban on access to the U. S. Banking System for Mr. Agyepong and his businesses, and any other appropriate and applicable sanctions.
Click on the the pdf file below to read the full letter Mr. Johnson Jr. wrote to Mike Pompeo:
Two Legislative Instruments (LIs) meant to empower the Office of the Special Prosecutor in the discharge of its duties have been laid before Parliament for consideration and approval.
They are Office of the Special Prosecutor Regulations, 2018 and Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018.
The two documents which are detailing of the framework of the law were laid on the floor of Parliament, Monday, on behalf of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General by the Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul.
The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, who has been in office for barely a year has been lamenting over the absence of a regulation detailing the framework of the law to back the operations of his office coupled with inadequate resources.
His frustrations led him to openly spoke about the challenges he is facing in executing his responsibilities at the National Audit Forum organized by the Ghana Audit Service in September 2018.
“I am saying this for the public to understand that we have set up an office. We have to organize that office, have the requisite personnel. It does not take one day. The law says 90 days after the assumption of office of the Special Prosecutor, pursuant legislation must be enacted, but as I speak today, I have no legislation so I use my common sense.”
“The law says I can coordinate with other organization so I coordinate with the Auditor-General, I coordinate with EOCO, I coordinate with other anti-corruption agencies so as to find a way by which we can begin to work towards the ultimate end. I have warned that if most of these are not done be the middle of this year, then this office many not be able to been to be doing its mandate, because by middle of next year, we are in an election year. If I arrest someone, you will turn out and look at it; which party does he hold the insurance card for?”
The Office of the Special Prosecutor, established by Act 2017 (Act 959) as a specialized agency, was set up to investigate specific cases of corruption involving public officers and politically exposed persons in the performance of their functions as well as persons in the private sector implicated in the commission of corruption, prosecute these offences on the authority of the Attorney-General and provide for related matters.
The two documents after having been laid were referred to the Subsidiary Legislative Committee by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye, for consideration and report to the plenary.
Hundreds of suspected criminals fleeing arrest in many West African nations have taken refuge in Ghana’s Northern Regional District of Bole Bamboi, a bustling illegal mining hub already suspected to be home to a dozen of banned Ivorian rebels loyal to deposed dictator, Lauren Gbagbo.
The disturbing report was observed from a brutal multinational military operation conducted last Friday between Ghana, Burkina Faso and Cote d’ Ivoire, in which over 300 suspects were rounded up within the borders of Ghana as compared to less than ten in her Eastern and Western neighbours.
The exercise, codenamed KOUDALGOU II, was conducted simultaneously along the borders of the three nations to combat cross-border crimes, such as smuggling, drug trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking, and illicit arms dealings.
It followed a multilateral security agreement among the Presidents of Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote D’ Ivoire, Togo and Benin, to allow their heads of intelligence and security agencies to engage themselves through regular security meetings, identify security threats along their common borders and institute measures to address same. The first of such operations codenamed KOUDANLGOU I was conducted among Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Ghana, in May 2018.
A section of the troops
In this second operation, armed troops from the three nations launched simultaneous incursions on some targeted far-flung districts and communities along their porous northern borders where regular internal security assignments have been minimal or in some cases totally impossible.
In Ghana, the Military, Police, Customs Division, Immigration Service, Narcotics Control, Forestry Commission, National Fire Service and Ambulance Service, carried out the operation supervised from a mini staging post in Bole, a small strategic town in the northern region, roughly 724kms with the border with Cote d’ Ivoire after the Black Volta. Heavy arsenals, including two armoured vehicles, were used in the operation.
The areas of the operation extended from Banda Nkwanta, Tinga, Wasipe, the Bui National Park, Plumbujara Park Reserve, to Tumu and Kpongu in nearby Upper West Region. All the areas were mining communities, some, situated in no man’s land between Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire, including desolated Dollar Power Town and Kui, where chilling stories have been heard about refractory elements terrorising Ghanaian citizens and local security agencies.
The Ivorians conducted theirs at communities in the impoverished Boukany Region – around Agnebililekrou, Tanda and its environs while the Burkinabes did theirs around communities sharing borders with Ghana at Sawla Tuna Kalba district.
In the course of the operations, the Ghanaian troops arrested over 300 suspects and seized more than 150 items, including 70 pieces of dynamites, locally made guns and a cache of ammunition.
Among the suspects, nearly more than half were foreign nationals from Nigeria, Niger, Cote d’ Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, with some having criminal records and or captured on the security wanted list in their home countries.
Over half a million of illegal structures were set ablaze but there was no report of any fatality, though the security said they had to fire multiple warning shots in most encounters as some of the suspects attempted fleeing when they raided the mining slums.
However, the outcome of the operations has elicited concerns from top intelligence officers who were part of the mission but not allowed to speak to the press. The officers are calling on Ghanaian authorities to begin steps to address a number of security lapses in the Bole Bamboi district, where the country shares its border in the north with Ivory Coast.
The officers are specifically calling for quick measures to fix what they have identified as mega network gap and bad road networks from the district capital to the border communities, especially communities over the Black Volta, such as Dollar Power town area.
The Minister of Interior and Security of Cote d’ Ivoire, Sidiki Diakite addressing journalists
That area covers about six mining villages and has been noted as a sanctuary for high crimes, including organised highway robbery, extortion rackets; drug trafficking and illegal gold and arms dealing. The zone is well known to Ghanaian security forces.
In 2005, rebels entered into a Ghanaian community of Sura and abducted a local chief of Bole after suspicion of gunrunning. In February 2016, unknown gunmen killed a military officer and wounded several others after ambushing a convoy of the then District Chief Executive, James Jarjah and his security committee members travelling to the area to settle a dispute. Since then, local security has isolated the communities and in the last elections, Ghana could not extend polling stations to the area due to security concerns which led to massive disenfranchisement.
A source with knowledge of the operation told Starr News that carrying out the KOUDANLGOU II operation in Tinga, Banda Nkwanta, Wasipe and other communities were easy because roads leading to those areas were good as well as communication networks.
But the operation turned into a dangerous expedition when they targeted the slums in the Dollar Power town Area.
According to the source, because of the dangerous nature of the area, the army brought their own logistics including canoes and set up a mini staging post in Bole, to allow the army some measure of self-sufficiency.
However, said the source, after the troops crossed the Black Volta with the canoes, they were disconnected from the staging area and they traveled for nearly 8hrs to the Dollar Power town Area without any form of communication to their superiors at the command post.
“The mission was very suicidal and our troops could have come under fire from the bad guys, because at that side of the country only the bad guys could make and receive calls with the mobile gadgets and they knew our guys were coming. That’s why in one of the villages, Dokokyina, all the occupants moved out before the operation team got there,” said the source.
“Our people (Government) should be serious and show some commitment. It could be that the bad guys have jammed with the communication network. So, quickly they must think of getting the roads done and improve the network situation, and also like Burkina Faso and Cote d’ Ivoire has done, Ghana should set up some barriers closer to the no man’s land zone between these countries.”
Speaking after the operation on Friday at a durbar held at Bouna, the capital of the Boukany Region in Cote d’ Ivoire Ghana’s National Security Minister, Albert Kan – Dapaah said the suspects were rounded up for committing “ various crimes”, adding that some of the foreigners were repatriated while those suspected to be “involved in much more serious crimes” had been handed over to the security in their homelands for further investigations.
Ghana’s National Security Minister, Albert Kan – Dapaah
He parried questions about whether there were suspected terrorists among those arrested in the operation. “We do have some people who are being arrested for what we suspect to be much more serious crimes and we will wait to know the investigations and establish exactly what’s that they were doing in those areas”.
Kan-Dapaah lauded the outcome of the operation, with a call for more cooperation to promote peace and security in the subregion.
“These days the nature of the crimes we are seeing are transnational and it’s important for us, that countries in the subregion see themselves as one country when it comes to fighting crime. We did learn from the first operation, that a lot could be achieved if we work together. This second operation that we have had, has also assured us that that best way to fight transnational crime in the subregion is for us to work together, we are beginning to know ourselves better, we are beginning to have much better confidence in each other, and we are excited about the prospects in fighting crime in the future”.
The Minister of Interior and Security of Cote d’ Ivoire, Sidiki Diakite congratulated the coalition troops for the operation and said the operation means countries in the subregion would make greater gains if they work together.
He said the challenges and recommendations will be documented and addressed to enhance the next operation. He offered solidarity message on behalf of other nations to Burkina Faso and added that what was happening in that country, with regards to the growing terrorist attacks, was indications that security threats in the subregion are “very real and close”.
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 5th November, 2018, launched the Ghana Commodity Exchange, a platform for buying and selling listed agricultural commodities.
Speaking at the event, President Akufo-Addo noted that the Ghana Commodity Exchange, the first in West Africa, is going to be one of the key drivers of realising his government’s vision of becoming the agricultural hub of West Africa.
Even though Ghanaians farmers are responsible for feeding a nation of some twenty-nine million (29,000,000) people, the President stated that they are amongst a class of workers in the country with no guaranteed incomes for their labour and efforts.
“On their own, some of them have to deal with commodity price volatilities, and many possess little to no knowledge of the true value of their produce. Even worse is the fact that most transactions in the agricultural sector are conducted by word of mouth or handshake agreements. Most often, there are no formal contractual agreements in place, resulting in trade disputes which undermine our marketing system,” he said.
The President noted that agro-industry players also have major concerns, with varied qualities of the same commodity often mixed together and sold, with a clear disregard for accuracy in weight, and also the non-existence of a national system for the weighing and standardizing of the quality and quantity of commodities.
These challenges, he stressed, have given rise to the employment of costly solutions and alternatives in dealing with them.
They include engaging out-grower schemes to tie producers to delivering outputs or extending considerable amounts of input financing, and investing in networks of collection centres where buyers are compelled to inspect produce themselves physically in order for them to be assured of what they are purchasing.
With agricultural super-powers employing better ways to address these problems and satisfy both the producer and the buyer, President Akufo-Addo noted that the time has now come for Africa to focus on creating formal market institutions.
“The Ghana Commodity Exchange, the platform for buying and selling listed commodities, will, thus, become the first of its kind in West Africa, and one of only three operating on the African continent,” he added.
The President indicated that a decision has been made for the Exchange, as a start, to trade in agricultural commodities, specifically with food security crops, with additional commodities set to be traded at the Exchange.
“Government will make sure that the Ghana Commodity Exchange delivers on its mandate, and promotes high productivity, price stability, increased exports, and reduced imports of commodities. The Exchange, in light of the emerging regional and continental free trade area can position Ghana as the premier West African global trading hub,” he added.
With an estimated one million farmers, in the next 18 months set to be integrated into the Ghana Commodity Exchange and Warehouse Receipt System, President Akufo-Addo stressed that Ghanaian farmers will gain access to secured storage for their harvest and good warehousing management practices, substantially reducing their post-harvest losses, and improving their take home sales; affordable short-term loans using their commodities as sole collateral, as well as managing borrowers’ credit and default risks; and daily real time market and price information directly via text messaging.
He, thus, urged all Ghanaians to get involved to make this a success.
“To our traditional rulers here, I encourage you to help with the sensitization drive to improve the lives of your peoples; to our farmers, be part of the knowledge sharing within your communities so everyone benefits. Buy and sell through the Ghana Commodity Exchange,” he added.
