Ab TV GH

Category: Art & Culture

  • We condole with Türkiye, Syria and pray for Atsu

    Abtvgh/ GFA/

    Life for millions in Türkiye and Syria changed forever last Monday, as two consecutive earthquakes sent shockwaves across hundreds of miles.

    Nine hours apart and with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, the quakes rocked Türkiye and Syria and were the region’s strongest in nearly a century.

    The death toll from the quakes is more than 22,000 as of yesterday, with many still missing and critically injured.

    The World Health Organisation put the number of people affected by the disaster at 23 million. At least 6,000 buildings collapsed, many with residents still inside them.

    Rescue efforts continue to be the top priority, with some 25,000 deployed in Türkiye and thousands more from overseas — but a bitter winter storm now threatens the lives of the survivors and of those still trapped under the rubble.

    Syria, ravaged by 12 years of war and terrorism, is the least prepared to deal with such a crisis. Its infrastructure is heavily depleted, and the country remains under Western sanctions. Thousands of those in the affected areas are already refugees or internally displaced people.

    With the dust of the catastrophe still settling, regional analysts are zoning in on the longer-term ripple effect that the catastrophe could have on Türkiye, a country whose 85 million-strong population was already mired in economic problems — and whose military, economy, and politics have a major impact far beyond its borders.

    The ABTVGH mourns with the governments and people of Turkey and Syria over the loss of lives and property.

    We are equally troubled by the inability of the rescuers to find the Ghana international soccer star, Christian Atsu. Mr Atsu joined Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor in September 2022 after spending nearly a decade at Chelsea and Newcastle United.

    The coach of Christian Atsu’s Turkish club, Hatayspor, said last Wednesday that the Ghana midfielder had not been found following the devastating earthquake in Türkiye. As the rescue effort is ongoing, we remain confident that the player will be found.

    For us, the response of the world holds valuable warnings and lessons that extend well beyond the two countries hit by the earthquakes. 

    The prompt help that Türkiye, in particular, has received from parts of the world shows that the international community can — if it decides to — put geopolitics aside to help a country in need. 

    Many Syrian victims of the earthquake were already refugees in their own country, living in makeshift homes. Parts of earthquake-hit Syria are controlled by rebel groups; yet the country’s government insists that all international aid must be routed through its agencies.

    While the Syrian government must work with aid groups to ensure that help reaches all parts of the country’s territory, regional players, such as Türkiye and Iran, and global powers — the US and Russia — must reflect too. 

    Meanwhile, the scenes of death and despair in Türkiye and Syria should also serve as an overdue reminder of the risks Ghana faces in ensuring that our buildings are regulated.

    While pleading for more aid for the victims of the earthquake, particularly in Syria, we urge our district assemblies to take a cue by ensuring that earthquake-prone zones within localities are properly mapped out so that construction does not take place there.

  • The matter of uncollected passports

    Abtvgh/ M.F.A/

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration last week announced that more than 30,000 uncollected passports are gathering dust at the various passport application centres across the country.

    At the Accra and the Kumasi Passport Application centres (PACs) alone, 30,000 passports, processed and issued in the names of individuals, are yet to be collected by the holders.

    That was in spite of text messages sent to the owners of the passports alerting them to visit the PACs for collection, according to the ministry.

    It has, therefore, called on applicants who applied for passports over the past years to collect them from their respective PACs.

    The Abtvgh supports the call by the ministry to applicants to collect their passports as soon as possible.

    We find the non-collection of passports worrying, in view of the fact that it costs far more to print passports than the fees charged individuals who need the passports.

    For us, the refusal by applicants to collect their passports from the designated points must not be treated lightly.

    The paper would want to push for some punitive action by way of penalties levied on the recalcitrant applicants to serve as a warning to them and all those who intend doing same.

    This practice must not be treated with kid gloves because of the financial impact on the economy, particularly at a time when every pesewa counts.

    We are aware that the ministry has asked individuals awaiting the issuance of their passports to call its Client Service Unit to confirm the status of their passports.

    This is refreshing, but these applicants must be urged to pick the passports once they are ready.

    The paper finds it refreshing that passport issuance in the country has seen significant improvement in recent years.

    The government, we are told, has made the process more efficient and streamlined, making it easier for citizens to obtain the necessary documents.

    This is especially important for those living in rural areas, who often face greater difficulty accessing government services.

    The paper has also learnt that the government has implemented a number of measures to simplify the passport application process.

    For instance, the introduction of e-passports has enabled citizens to apply for their documents online, negating the need to visit a physical office.

    This has made passport acquisition easier and much more convenient and accessible.

    Additionally, the government has increased the number of PACs throughout the country, providing citizens with more options.

    By way of security, the government has taken steps to ensure the safety and security of Ghanaian passport holders.

    The introduction of biometric passports has greatly enhanced security, making it more difficult for individuals to forge or tamper with their documents.

    Aside from that, it has also implemented an enhanced vetting process for passport applicants, requiring them to provide additional documents such as the Ghana Card.

    The government has also invested in technology, making it easier and safer for citizens to acquire passports.

    This is an important step towards promoting economic growth and development in Ghana.

    These developments are commendable and have helped in no small way to make passport application less cumbersome for citizens, without compromising the integrity of the document.

    It is against this background that we find the actions and inaction of applicants who are yet to collect their passports from the various PACs across the country most unfortunate.

    To this end, we urge all the applicants who are yet to collect their passports to do so without further delay to help make the investment by the government worthwhile.

  • Let’s support TVET

    That technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is the panacea for the mounting unemployment among the youth in the country is undisputable.

    This is because TVET allows students to gain practical experience in their chosen career paths, even before they graduate from school, which is its basic essence.

    It is in this respect that since 2017, the government has targeted TVET as a catalyst to accelerate its industrialisation agenda through skills acquisition.

    The Daily Graphic is happy that the government has, since then, invested heavily in the TVET space, retooling educational workshops, constructing modern TVET centres, bringing all skills training centres scattered among various ministries under the Ministry of Education and including 139 TVET schools, in addition to the already existing 47, in the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

    Additionally, the introduction of the TVET voucher project that gives free training and skills upgrade to master craftsmen and women, the My TVET campaign, which has resulted in increases in public pre-tertiary TVET institutions, as well as the establishment of the Ghana Skills Development Fund with a $60-million seed fund under the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project, are all laudable steps to make the TVET sector the leader in job creation.

    To properly situate the TVET sector as the vehicle for the transformation agenda, the government, through Parliament, passed the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023).

    Sections 42 and 43 of Act 1023 and sections 80, 81 and 84 of Act 1049 gave birth to the Commission of TVET (CTVET) as the regulatory body of all TVET activities in the educational space, both pre-tertiary and tertiary.

    Aside from the creation of the CTVET as the general umbrella covering all TVET activities, for the first time ever, there is now a TVET Service (TVETS) under the CTVET, which now manages all institutions offering technical and vocational courses in the pre-tertiary space.

    While commending the leadership role of the educational sector, led by Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, with Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah heading the CTVET, we urge the ministry, through the CTVET, to ensure that the remaining 23 out of the 32 modern TVET institutions in nine regions towards modernising the sector come on board.

    Thankfully, the construction of the first phase of nine is already progressing and we expect that the moment these projects are completed, the second phase will commence.

    The huge amount of $158 million that has been set aside for the construction of these modern centres must be effectively utilised, for which reason we call on the ministry to strictly monitor these projects to ensure value for money and also that they are completed within their stipulated dates.

    We are aware that the government has also invested a total of 123 million euros in upgrading and modernising all the erstwhile 34 National Vocational and Technical Institutes (NVTIs), their head office, together with the 10 regional offices, five apprenticeship offices across the country and the Opportunities Industrialisation Centre in Accra.

    All these are giant steps by the government to realise its vision of transforming the TVET sector as the true catalyst of growth and a critical success factor in its industrialisation agenda.

    However, we believe that all these investments will go waste if we are unable to attract the youth to be trained in these workshops and centres.

    It is in the light of this that the Daily Graphic adds its voice to those of the Minister of Education and the Director-General of the CTVET to parents to encourage their children to freely select technical and vocational institutions as their first choices during the selection of schools in the CSSPS.

    The good news is that all TVET institutions in the CSSPS are under the free senior high school (SHS) programme and students do not have to pay fees.

    Moreover, it is good that the CTVET is planning to organise zonal skills competitions, in addition to the National TVET Expo and Awards 2023.

    It should be possible for these skills competitions to grow to the level of becoming national events.

    Surely, that is the way to go in order to attract junior high school students to develop interest in TVET institutions over the grammar schools.

    Let’s catch them young for an industrialised Ghana tomorrow.

  • Let’s support Ghana National Fire Service to succeed

    Let’s support Ghana National Fire Service to succeed

    Abtvgh / GNFS

    For longer than recorded history, fire has been a source of comfort but also a catastrophe for the human race.

    Early humans used fire to keep warm, cook food and frighten predators. Sitting around the fire also helped them to unite and strengthen family groups and consequently speeded up evolution.

    However, fire also posed great risks and challenges to early people, including the challenge of starting and controlling them, and grappling with the threat of burns and wildfires.

    Fire continues to be a basic everyday element of most people’s lives. This tendency of one of man’s best friends to turn into his worst enemy cannot be underplayed, as improper handling and use of fire has led to several accidents in homes, offices, schools and other public places, with very serious repercussions.

    Although it is the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) that is mandated to deal with fire outbreaks in the country, it is every citizen’s responsibility to ensure that fire is not even started at all.

    We all use fire for different purposes, such as cooking, welding, fabricating, preparing land for farming, even refining, moulding metals and burning unwanted materials.

    Fire is a good servant but a terrible master, the reason its usage is not left in the hands of children and why even adults ought to use it with utmost care to stop an outbreak from occurring.

    The Daily Graphic’s analysis of the fire statistics revealed that the loss and damage occurred from 59,933 reported incidents of fire outbreaks from 2013 to 2022.( See our front page lead story)

    The statistics further shows that 3,104 people died through fire-related incidents within the period, with 2,668 of such deaths occurring from road traffic crashes.

    The trend analysis also indicated that more than GH¢402 million worth of public and private property have been lost to fire outbreaks in the country in the past 10 years, the GNFS statistics revealed.

    The figure is less than the GH¢38.3 million worth of property that was salvaged by the GNFS within the same period.

    Though staggering, the situation may just be a tip of the iceberg as Mr Osafo-Affum said most fire outbreaks went unreported and, therefore, were not recorded by the service.

    Fortunately, as part of its mandate, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is working on a new regulatory regime that will make it mandatory for private residential accommodation owners to acquire a fire safety permit before they put up buildings.

    The permit regime will ensure that residential accommodation owners incorporate fire safety mechanisms into the structure to make them safer for habitation.

    The move is meant to reduce the rising incidence of domestic fires in the country. The current fire permit regime is limited to commercial property.

    We of the Daily Graphic are happy to know that GNFS has started engagement with key stakeholders and experts on the initiative. The processes have started with the consultation of the various key stakeholders and per the implementation plan, we understand the permit will be rolled out in the next two years.

    The Daily Graphic believes that the initiative by the GNFS to implement measures to curb domestic fire outbreaks is a step in the right direction, given that fire disasters were inimical to sustainable development.

    Apart from avoiding a situation where another layer of bureaucracy will compound the current permit acquisition situation, implementing a fire permit regime for all persons seeking to put up private accommodation may only be effective in the urban areas of the country since the GNFS does not have the men to police enforcement.

    We must all help the GNFS in the successful implementation of this noble initiative. After all, the success of GNFS is the success of all.

  • Capping the number of Supreme Court judges

    Capping the number of Supreme Court judges

    Abtvgh/ high court/

    The number of judges on the Supreme Court has become a topical issue and one that always comes up during discussions on the review of the 1992 Constitution.

    There are two schools of thought on the issue, with one calling for a cap or a limit on the number of judges that can be appointed to the country’s apex court and the other advocating that the status quo must remain.

    Article 128(1) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates a minimum of nine judges, apart from the Chief Justice, who must be on the Supreme Court, but places no ceiling on the number the President can appoint.

    Currently, there are 12 Justices of the apex court, including the Chief Justice, with four more approved by Parliament and set to be sworn into office soon.

    At a seminar on constitutional review, organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in October last year, both the Majority Leader and former Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and Haruna Iddrisu, respectively, strongly advocated a cap on the number of Justices of the Supreme Court.

    They respectively called for a cap of between 13 and 15 judges with the explanation that the current system was the bane of good and efficient governance.

    On the other hand, proponents supporting the status quo include some legal luminaries and notable personalities such as the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah; a former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, and a former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye.

    At a similar IEA event late last year, the Chief Justice and Justice Akuffo said limiting the number of judges could negatively affect the efficient administration of justice due to the scope of work of the Supreme Court under the 1992 Constitution.

    They argued that the number of judges at the SC could only be capped if access to the court was limited.

    Sharing similar sentiments, Prof. Oquaye said the capping of the judges must be followed by other amendments to the Constitution.

    According to him, putting a limit on the number of justices of the Supreme Court, without amending the constitutional provision on the automatic right of appeal to the apex court, would be counter-productive. Such a situation, he said, would mean the Supreme Court would be inundated with so many cases without the manpower to adequately deal with those cases.

    The conversation on the capping of Supreme Court judges is an important national discourse that could help improve the administration of justice and promote judicial independence.

    Those against the capping have a strong case, especially regarding the manpower the court needs to deal with the myriad of cases that come before the court.

    Under the 1992 Constitution, the Supreme Court has about 10 jurisdictions. It is the court solely vested with the power to interpret and enforce the Constitution.

    This jurisdiction can be activated by any Ghanaian. It has supervisory jurisdiction to ensure that other courts act fairly and in consonance with procedure and it is the final court of appeal, which is as of right in criminal and civil cases.

    The Supreme Court also has original jurisdiction over Presidential Election petitions, is the final appellate court in chieftaincy matters and determines the quantum of compensation that should be paid to an individual wrongfully incarcerated.

    Obviously, the workload on the highest court of the land is enormous and any wholesome capping on the judges could be counterproductive.

    However, we must be mindful of the fact that our democracy is still growing and there is a high propensity for abuse by the Executive arm of government due to the lack of ceiling and the packing of the court with its favourites.

    We have a Constitution that has made the Executive President so powerful and almost a monarch with unchallenged powers as said by the Majority Leader at the IEA event. Checks and balances, although essential features of the Constitution, sometimes exist only in print and can be relegated to the background for a President to have his way. The Executive and the Legislature have basically become political institutions with partisan considerations taking premium over national interest.

    The Judiciary is one institution that is supposed to be thoroughly independent to be able to stand up to protect the Constitution and ensure that rule of law prevails. Allowing a system that does not restrict the number of justices a President can lawfully appoint to the highest court of the land is not only inimical to our progress as a nation, but can eventually weaken the Judiciary, the custodian of our democracy.

    The Daily Graphic therefore calls for a review of the 1992 Constitution to fill this gap in our Constitution.

    The cap m­­­ust, however, be followed by other amendments that will either reduce the mandate of the Supreme Court or ensure that access to the court is somehow restricted in a manner that would not defeat the Constitution, the hopes and aspirations of the people.

  • National Cathedral to cost over GH¢1bn not $400M – Ablakwa alleges

    National Cathedral to cost over GH¢1bn not $400M – Ablakwa alleges

    Abtvgh

    The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says the National Cathedral project will cost over GH¢1 billion and not the $400 million earlier projected by the government.

    The legislator explained that the cost of compensations, demolition, tax waivers, consultancy, coupled with other stuff needed for the construction of the National Cathedral is estimated to cost GH¢1 billion.

    Speaking to Abtvgh, Mr. Ablakwa bemoaned the waste of taxpayers’ money on the project.

    “The taxes are being misused, GH₵339,003,064.86 million cash withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund, but that is not all. My estimation is that billions will be used, because the cost of compensation, demolition, contracts escalations and all the tax waivers have not been added. So what’s going on here? The project will cost over GH₵1 billion and not the budgeted $400 million by the government,” the legislator emphasised.

    The MP for North Tongu pointed out that the government paid a whopping GH₵28.2 million to American consultant Cary Summers to coordinate the Bible Museum and the Biblical gardens for some artifacts for the Cathedral.

    This, Mr. Ablakwa asked if the country is wealthy enough to dole out this huge sum of money to Cary Summers.

    “In the latest revelation I made, GH₵28.2 million has been paid to one Cary Summers who is an American consultant. What’s the correlation with the Cathedral? Did Jesus Christ pass through the United States, because of this consultancy from the US, for the National Cathedral, we just hand over GH₵28.2 million to him. Can you believe that? Jesus Christ! Are we [Ghanaians] that wealthy that we don’t know what to do with our money? Are we under some curse?” Mr. Ablakwa asked.

    However, the National Cathedral Secretariat in a statement said “with regard to the amount paid to the consulting firm, Messrs Sir David Adjaye and Associates in relation to the Cathedral project, release made by the Ministry is in the total amount of GH¢113,040,564.86”.

    Read a portion of the National Secretariat’s statement

  • National Cathedral Secretariat denies paying US consultant GH¢28m

    National Cathedral Secretariat denies paying US consultant GH¢28m

    Abtvgh

    The National Cathedral Secretariat has denied making payments to the tune of GH¢28 million to Cary Summers, an American consultancy firm as charges to allegedly organize a fundraiser in the United States for the National Cathedral project.

    The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had accused the Secretariat of seeking the services of the firm that specializes in organizing Christian fundraisers to help it raise money to complete the project which subsequently led to the alleged payments.

    The Secretariat was also accused of paying the architect for the project, Sir David Adjaye thirty-four percent of the total contract sum.

    “The Akufo-Addo Govt & Cathedral Secretariat gave out a colossal GHS28.2million of taxpayer funds to Mr. Cary Summers, an American consultant & CEO of the Nehemiah Group who’s raised less than GHS800k in 3 years,” he posted on his Twitter handle.

    More shocking revelations on the scandalous Cathedral project. The Akufo-Addo Govt & Cathedral Secretariat gave out a colossal GHS28.2million of taxpayer funds to Mr. Cary Summers, an American consultant & CEO of the Nehemiah Group who’s raised less than GHS800k in 3 years.

    But the Secretariat in a six-point press release denied all the allegations.

    To the accusation of paying Cary Summers GH¢28 million as consultancy fees, the Secretariat explained that: “there is no contract for Cary Summers, but rather the Nehemiah group—of which Cary Summers, the founding President of the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC, and one of the world’s leading experts on religious theme parks, is the CEO. And this contract is for a set of consultancy services, the most important being the coordination of work on the National Cathedral’s Bible Museum of Africa, and the Biblical Gardens of Africa. As we have indicated, the integration of the Bible Museum –the largest in the world when completed – and the Biblical Gardens are aimed at transforming Ghana into a hub for international pilgrimage and tourism.”

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    “The work of the National Cathedral’s Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens involves some of the leading global firms, who between them have worked on some of the major museums in the world. They include: Kubik Maltbie; PRD; Cortina Productions; JMC. The payments to the Nehemiah group, therefore, is not to Cary Summers to organize a fundraiser, but to these world-class firms for their work on the Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens.”

    The Secretariat said there is neither anything sinister nor hidden about the said contract which is breeding the rumours because “the National Cathedral Secretariat submitted a copy of the report of the completed Concept Design of the Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens to Parliament on December 15, 2022. And we indicated to Parliament that the full concept design report, and all related documentation, is available upon request to the Secretariat.”

    The release added that despite these rumours and many others, “the Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remain focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability.”

    Read the full release below:

    But the Secretariat in a six-point press release denied all the allegations.

    To the accusation of paying Cary Summers GH¢28 million as consultancy fees, the Secretariat explained that: “there is no contract for Cary Summers, but rather the Nehemiah group—of which Cary Summers, the founding President of the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC, and one of the world’s leading experts on religious theme parks, is the CEO. And this contract is for a set of consultancy services, the most important being the coordination of work on the National Cathedral’s Bible Museum of Africa, and the Biblical Gardens of Africa. As we have indicated, the integration of the Bible Museum –the largest in the world when completed – and the Biblical Gardens are aimed at transforming Ghana into a hub for international pilgrimage and tourism.”

    “The work of the National Cathedral’s Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens involves some of the leading global firms, who between them have worked on some of the major museums in the world. They include: Kubik Maltbie; PRD; Cortina Productions; JMC. The payments to the Nehemiah group, therefore, is not to Cary Summers to organize a fundraiser, but to these world-class firms for their work on the Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens.”

    The Secretariat said there is neither anything sinister nor hidden about the said contract which is breeding the rumours because “the National Cathedral Secretariat submitted a copy of the report of the completed Concept Design of the Bible Museum and Biblical Gardens to Parliament on December 15, 2022. And we indicated to Parliament that the full concept design report, and all related documentation, is available upon request to the Secretariat.”

    The release added that despite these rumours and many others, “the Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remain focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability.”

    Read the full release