Category: Politics

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reassigned the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Dr Stephen Amoah, as Deputy Minister of Finance.

A statement issued by Mr Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications, Office of the President, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said Dr Amoah, until his redesignation, was the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry.

He takes over from the late Mr John Kumah, who passed away on 7th March.

It said his appointment takes immediate effect.

The statement said following the reassignment of Dr Amoah as Deputy Minister of Finance, President Akufo-Addo had appointed, subject to parliamentary approval, Mr Kofi Ahenkorah Marfo, Member of Parliament for Achiase, as Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry.

It said President Akufo-Addo was hopeful that Parliament would, once again, on a bi-partisan basis, expedite the approval of his nominee, so he could join the Government forthwith, and assist in the delivery of his mandate fo
r his second term in office.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Tuesday welcomed Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto to Ghana at the Kotoka International Airport.

The Kenyan President is on a three-day State visit to Ghana to strengthen diplomatic, trade and commerce ties between Ghana and Kenya.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to host the Kenyan President at the Jubilee House, the seat of government, for bilateral talks.

‘I wish Mr. President a happy stay,’Dr Bawumia wrote on his Facebook page.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alan Kyerematen, the Founder of the Movement for Change and presidential hopeful for the 2024 elections, has called on Christians to vote for a leader akin to Christ’s characteristics to lead the nation.

He said it was important to elect a Christian leader, who embodied Christ-like qualities, to steer the nation towards transformation.

Mr Kyerematen made the call in a message at the Church of Pentecost, Dr Wyatt Assembly at Accra Newtown, during the Easter celebration.

He commended the Church for its significant contribution to the country and urged the faithful to utilise their collective influence to determine who became the nation’s next leader.

‘Leadership transcends party affiliations,’ he said, and positioned himself as a transformative candidate, promising a leadership reminiscent of Christ’s assurance to sinners.

Mr Kyerematen underscored the nation’s responsibility to elect a leader who would inspire hope and usher in positive change with over 70 per cent of the population identifying as Chri
stians.

He drew a biblical prophecy, particularly Ezekiel’s vision of God establishing His kingdom on earth and invoked divine guidance in the electoral process.

The presidential hopeful implored the faithful to pray for a leader after God’s own heart, emphasising the need for integrity, honesty, and servant leadership.

The former Minister of Trade and Industry appealed to the congregation to pray for him while urging them to support him, as he described himself as the chosen instrument for Ghana’s transformation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Builsa South Constituency, in the Upper East Region, Dr Clement Abasinaab Apaak, has assured his constituents of his unflinching effort to improve their livelihoods.

He noted that it was his responsibility to help them in various aspects so that they would acquire skills for decent jobs and work to earn income for their upkeep and maintain their family dignity.

‘I will never relent on my responsibilities,’ he told his Constituents at a ceremony at Fumbisi to present start-up kits to 113 youth, to enable them undergo training in various disciplines.

He said the gesture was a continuation of the support he had over the years offered to them, saying ‘By the grace of God, after 2025, I will do more because the thought of our sons and daughters in Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, carrying loads and are victims of abuse has to stop.’

Dr Apaak, who is seeking re-election, emphasised that he would continue to support the youth in the area who wanted to pursue formal education and t
hose with the interest to learn skilled training, to check the incidence of migration to urban centres.

‘I have always been very passionate about what I can do to help improve the lives of others, and that is what brought me into politics. Politics is not a bad social activity.

‘Politics is present in our daily lives, but the politics that is used for bad; to destroy, segregate, discriminate and underrate is what we don’t want. What we are doing here today is an indication of what politics should be about,’ the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, said.

Dr Apaak said his major concern was about his people, and how he could work to resolve their needs amid the economic challenges in the country.

He acknowledged that he was the hope of his Constituents who looked up to him as the MP for the area, saying despite the current economic challenges, he would continue to find ingenious ways to solve their challenges.

‘Although I don’t have much, when God grants me the mercy and the privilege
, I will do more, and that is exactly what I am doing today and will continue to do,’ he said.

Dr Apaak urged the Constituents to vote massively for Mr John Dramani Mahama, the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and himself in the Election 2024.

Mr Jonathan Abdallah Salifu, the Regional Communications Officer of the NDC, said the MP had contributed significantly to public discourse on education, which was a fundamental component of nation building, and urged Constituents to retain him in Parliament.

He said there was clear economic hardship in the country and appealed to them to vote the NDC under the leadership of Mr Mahama back into power to enable them to implement the ’24-hour economy,’ where businesses and services would extend beyond the traditional eight-hour framework.

That, he said, would create more job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth and boost the economy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Pastor Joseph K. Ofori Agyemang, Madina Area Group Pastor, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, has called on political parties and their leadership to demonstrate a high level of tolerance to ensure peace in Ghana.

‘In the spirit of peace, politicians should understand that there is only one Ghana, and that elections are meant to choose leaders,’ he said.

‘It must not become an avenue for conflict and bloodshed, rather, comportment and civility must be the guiding principles in our campaign.’

Pastor Ofori Agyemang was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday at the end of the Ministry’s five-day Easter Retreat at Madina, on the theme: ‘All Sufficient Jesus.’

He stressed the need for Ghanaians to reflect on the extreme partisanship that had resulted in the polarization of the country and contribute to eschewing such tendencies in order not to compromise the peace.

‘As the country approaches the general election in December, all must resolve to eschew tendencies that could compromise the peace of t
he country before, during and after the elections.’

Pastor Ofori Agyeman urged stakeholders in the election process to remain fair and neutral.

‘The Electoral Commission must be manifestly seen to be a fair and neutral umpire in all the processes leading to, during and after the elections,’ he said.

He charged the security agencies to be professional and impartial to engender trust before, during and after the process.

He urged political parties and their followers to avoid intemperate and abusive languages in their electioneering since such may jeopardize the peace the nation yearns for.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) party, has taken legal action against prominent figures within the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).

This action follows the resurfacing of allegations dating back to December 2019, when a local newspaper, La Nouvelle, claimed that CPDM leaders held a clandestine meeting in Baham with the purported aim of sabotaging the 2020 elections by dissuading voters from supporting Kamto.

Through legal channels on April 1st, 2024, Maurice Kamto summoned CPDM Scribe, Jean Kuete, Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, and Luc Sindjoun to address these lingering accusations.

The summons demands clarification on several crucial points, shedding light on the alleged meeting and its attendees. Kamto’s first query seeks confirmation of whether the CPDM leaders were aware of La Nouvelle’s publication since December 2nd, 2019.

The second point presses the CPDM figures to confirm the occurrence of the clandestine gath
ering detailed by La Nouvelle. If confirmed, Kamto seeks insights into the meeting’s purpose and the identities of its participants.

Also, Kamto’s legal summons questions whether Professor Maurice Kamto indeed found himself at Professor Luc Sindjoun’s residence on the mentioned date, as reported by La Nouvelle, alongside the summoned CPDM leaders.

To Maurice Kamto, the failure of the CPDM leaders to refute the claims laid out by La Nouvelle suggests a tacit acknowledgment of the alleged meeting’s occurrence, enhancing further speculation and scrutiny.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Former President John Dramani Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has promised to revamp some strategic defunct industries in the country if voted into power come December 2024.

He said factories such as the Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO), would be revamped and reignited to make them more viable.

‘We will work to revamp and reignite strategic industries such as Volta Aluminum Company (VAlCo) because of the aluminum downstream sector while boosting the production of rice, sugar, tomato, fish, meat and meat products, vegetable oil and pharmaceutical products,’ he said.

‘Once local capacity in the production of these and many other products is boosted, we shall place restrictions on unbridled importation of these items,’ he added.

The former President gave the assurance when he met with leadership of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), in Accra, on Tuesday.

He was accompanied by the top brass of the Party, including the Running Mate for the 2024 elections, Professor Naana Ja
ne Opoku-Agyemang.

The meeting was to, among other things, seek the input of captains of industries into the preparation of the Party’s manifesto.

Mr Mahama said it was time Ghana shifted from the current import dependent economy to an export driven one.

To achieve that, the former President said the next NDC government would partner industries to draft and implement an industrial policy to help transform the economy in line with his vision of building the ‘Ghana We Want Together.’

Under the policy, he said government would provide the needed support for large scale agricultural production to achieve food self-sufficiency and provide the much-needed raw materials to feed industry.

He added that under the policy, the next NDC government, would also incentivise indigenous private sector to enable them to assume lead roles in every sector of the economy to reduce the huge repatriation of profit, adding that government would prioritise Ghanaian businesses in procurement in its budget spending.

Mr Mahama als
o promised to support all 16 regions to develop industries based on their comparative advantage and assured of government’s partnership with the private sector to set up industrial processing zones in the various regions, especially for crops such as palm, cashew, cotton, groundnuts, cocoa, soya, cassava and shea nut.

‘All these will be integrated within the 24-Hour Economy Policy,’ he said.

‘I am aware that many industries are producing far below their capacities due to constraints such as availability of raw materials, access to credit, high utility tariffs, high taxes, access to markets among others.’

Under the 24-hour Economy Policy, he said, government would work with the private sector to address challenges that constraint their production capacity, adding that, that would boost production for both domestic consumption and export and create jobs for the teeming youth.

‘We must achieve increased production in order that we can take advantage of the ETLS and the AfCFTA,’ the former President added.

M
r Mahama urged the current government to take responsibility for the current economic challenges such as the high taxes, irregular power supply and the high exchange rates and address them to bring relief to Ghanaians and businesses.

Dr Kwesi Ayim Darke, President of AGI, reiterated that the high cost of power, unstable power supply and high taxes were factors that made products uncompetitive both locally and externally.

To address the power situation, Dr Darke urged current and next governments to ensure full roll out of the country’s nuclear power plant to provide alternative and more stable power supply.

He also urged the next NDC government to scrutinise the country’s various bilateral trade treaties to ensure value for money.

Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, General Secretary of the NDC, said the next NDC government would be a listening one, which would pay attention to the plight of the ordinary person.

‘We believe we’ve got a leadership that listens, a leadership that shows humility, a leadership that is abl
e to take criticism on board, above all, a leadership that will not run away from taking responsibility,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

The Association of Advertising Managers of Cameroon (ARPC) has raised concerns over alleged violations of advertising laws by the Yaounde City Council.

According to a press release issued by the ARPC, banners in Yaoundé have been spotted, intimidating and pressuring advertisers to pay advertising display rights exclusively to accredited advertising agencies approved by the Yaounde City Council.

In response, the President of ARPC emphasized that such practices are both anti-competitive and illegal, lacking any legal basis within Cameroon’s current laws and regulations governing advertising.

Citing articles 10 and 5(2) of the law passed on December 29, 2006, the ARPC noted that advertisers have the freedom to choose their advertising agency, as long as it is duly approved by the Minister of Communication.

The ARPC highlights the violation of legality, pointing out that any accreditation or approvals issued by an authority other than the Minister of Communication are unlawful. Moreover, it references Law No. 98/013 of July 14, 1998, which prohibits practices aimed at restricting competition within the internal market, including those witnessed in this instance.

Going further, the President of the ARPC urged stakeholders within the advertising sub-sector to remain calm and resist misinformation or intimidation tactics.

The association says it has initiated contact with relevant authorities, including the Minister of Communication, the Minister of Local Development, and the National Competition Commission, to denounce what it perceives as ‘anti-competitive practices’.

The Yaounde City Council is however yet to officially react to the recent outburst by the said association.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Kenyan President William Ruto is expected in Accra on Tuesday for a three-day state visit to Ghana.

The visit would see the signing of bilateral agreements by the two nations, covering areas of mutual interest including agriculture, trade and investment, education and research.

Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, made this known on Tuesday in her address at the opening of the Ghana-Kenya Ministerial Session of the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation and Business Forum in Accra.

The Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation seeks to boost economic growth and technical cooperation between the two countries.

The Kenyan Delegation is led by Dr Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.

Source: Ghana News Agency