Ab TV GH

Category: Gossip

  • Don’t undermine Parliament oversight role

    Abtvgh / Parliament Role

    Since the country returned to democratic governance under the Fourth Republic, Parliament has often witnessed the governing political party winning majority seats in the House.

    This makes it easy for the governing party to have its way in the passage of bills and agreements, among others

    However, the 2020 parliamentary election results produced a hung Parliament – the governing party with 137 seats and the opposition also with 137 seats; and one Independent Member of Parliament (MP) who chose to do business with the governing side, giving the governing party a slight majority in the House.  

    With the hung Parliament, many people, including civil society organizations and development partners, believed that it was time for Parliament to flex its muscles by scrutinizing bills and contracts, exercising its oversight responsibility more forcefully and seeking to build consensus.

    It is worthy to note that the hung Parliament has witnessed instances where aspects of the budget had been rejected, with some members from the governing party side voting against their party position, particularly in the vetting of ministerial nominees and some oversight responsibilities.

    During a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V on August 7, 2023 by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin (see Wednesday, August 9, 2023 edition of the Daily Graphic), the outspoken chief deplored the “unserious” attitude and gestures of parliamentarians.

    He minced no words when he said: “We don’t joke in Parliament; we voted people to Parliament on our behalf for serious parliamentary business, not for people to go and laugh when serious issues are being tabled.”

    Nana Nketia’s point has been reinforced by the Director of Programmes and Policy Engagement of the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, who urged MPs to conduct the business of the House in ways that will benefit the citizens. 

    The Daily Graphic believes that the hung Parliament is an opportunity for parliamentarians from both sides of the House to work together and build consensus for the good of the country.

    We, therefore, agree with both leaders that our elected representatives must attach seriousness to the work they do in Parliament because the House is the embodiment of the sovereignty of the people of Ghana.

    Being the first of its kind under the Fourth Republic, there are bound to be challenges under the hung Parliament but with fortitude and determination, the Daily Graphic is convinced that Parliament can overcome any challenge that hinders the country’s democratic process.

    Ghanaians must begin to benefit from the work of Parliament in a manner that will make them rise up to defend the Constitution.

    We must also begin to see the various committees of Parliament, especially the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurance, hold ministers and other government appointees to account to deliver on their promises.

    The Public Accounts Committee must also be given some more teeth to bite where necessary.

    We must move away from the era of working along party lines and allow the national interest to supersede party positions.

    After all, our MPs are elected to serve the interests of their constituents.

  • FDA must crack the whip

    There is a common saying — we are what we eat. Food safety is paramount in the development of any country.

    That is why the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) was set up to ensure that the food we eat does not harm us.

    Recently, the FDA raised a health alert on the drying of flour on the pavements of roads.

    The flour, the main ingredient for ‘tuo zaafi’, a popular food in Ghana, is often dried along pavements of highways.

    This is often done at the mercy and vagaries of the weather, the dust generated by passers-by who use such pavement and other contaminants.

    Such flour is also exposed to animals and rodents that walk in and out, leaving in their trail, pathogens that eventually end up in the system of the consumers.

    The FDA explained that its surveillance team, as part of its monitoring, observed the practice and had to direct the millers and those who prepare the food to stop the practice.

    They were also made to immediately remove the flour from the pavement, especially along the Kanda Highway in Accra.

    It is a fact that this practice has existed not only in the urban areas, but even in the rural areas where food items are dried in the most unhygienic manner.

    At least, the Daily Graphic is happy that the FDA is taking steps to right those wrongs because it is better late than never.

    We share the concerns of the FDA against the practice because of the obvious health consequences it has on the final consumers of the product of the flour.

    We, however, wish to draw the attention of the FDA to the fact that the pavements are not used to dry only flour, but other food items.

    It is a common sight, particularly along highways, to see flour, cassava, pepper, maize, among others, spread on plastic mats and other materials in the open.

    It is a good step taken by the FDA to issue the instruction for the flour to be taken off the pavement but it went further to engage with the market women and millers.

    From the engagement, it was obvious that they are oblivious of the potential health hazards associated with the practice.

    After all, this is an age-old practice that they had  inherited.

    We commend the FDA for going further to engage other stakeholders such as the local authorities, including the assembly members and the law enforcement agencies, to work with the market women and millers to ensure compliance.  

    The Daily Graphic agrees with the FDA that food safety measures require collective efforts and we all ought to join in the fight to avoid any future outbreak of food-borne diseases.

    The FDA is not present everywhere.

    It is therefore our responsibility to alert the authority.

     We must all, as a nation, go beyond the ‘tuo zaafi’ flour to the canned food we buy in shops and supermarkets.

    The FDA, on countless occasions, has advised the public to check the expiry dates, particularly of food items.

    It has also appealed to the public to report issues of food-related illnesses.

    Last year, it was at the Mallam Atta Market that the FDA busted market women mixing palm oil with dangerous chemicals

    Early this year, it was Yellow Sisi Waakye and recently, the authority had the unpleasant duty of suspending the production and distribution of Anointed Family Water and Rena Aqua Sachet Water. 

    The surveillance unit of the authority is doing well and needs the support of all.

    Let us all help the authority to ensure that we are eating healthy food at all times.

    Truly, our collective effort is needed to ensure that we have a nation with healthy and productive people to spur growth and development.

     For, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.

  • Timely completion of La General Hospital necessary

    Abtvgh / GHS

    THE importance of an effective healthcare system to the well-being of the people cannot be overemphasised. That is why governments all over the world, especially in developing countries, put premium on providing the facilities closer to the people because a healthy people results in a wealthy nation.

    In Ghana, all our governments when accounting for their stewardship or enumerating their achievements have always captured the provision and improvement of health infrastructure and systems.

    Thus, when the government detected the structural defects of the La General Hospital in the Greater Accra Region, it decided to pull it down for a complete reconstruction of the hospital that will not only expand its capacity but will be fitted with state-of-the-art equipment.

    It was, therefore, with much excitement that the residents within the catchment area welcomed the sod-cutting ceremony by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in August 2020 for the La General Hospital Redevelopment Project after it was demolished in July 2020.

    However, due to financial challenges, the project stalled, with some residents and some National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament protesting on countless occasions, including asking the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, an urgent question in Parliament on the state of the project.

    Fortunately, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, after a visit to the site, has given assurance that funds had been secured for work to resume (See December 2, 2023 issue of the Daily Graphic).

    The good news from the visit was the assurance of the government’s commitment to release funds on time to ensure smooth execution and completion of the project on time.

    The Abtvgh joins the minister in urging the contactors to stay focused and expedite the completion of the project.

    We are aware of how critical the hospital is in providing the residents of La and surrounding areas with access to high quality health care. Aside from that, it will also help ease the congestion at some of the health centres within the national capital.

    We need to remind ourselves that apart from serving as an employment avenue for health professionals, it also provides employment opportunities for ancillary workers both in the formal and informal health sectors, such as maintenance and catering workers.

    Any government that is able to complete such projects would also be reducing the unemployment rate in the country.

    We must point out that these are some of the benefits we derive from democracy as the government responds to the cries of the people by seeking alternative local funding to complete the project.

    Although the 60-bed capacity hospital has been maintained, with the appropriate designs, the cost has been revised from €57 million to €50 million.

    We are happy that the contract sum of the project has reduced and it is a feather in the cap of those who helped in that regard.  The question remains whether taking a cue from the La General Hospital we can see how best the country can benefit from some of the low-cost or cost-cutting measures.

    Already, the government is executing its Agenda 111 hospital projects, and it will not be a bad idea to revisit the costs, and those of other uncompleted projects to ensure that the projects are completed on time.

    The Abtvgh believes that executing such projects will speed up the pace of development in the country. We assure the minister of finance and the contractors that the Abtvgh will keep an eye on the project to ensure its successful completion and utilization.

    La General Hospital is a key infrastructure in the country’s healthcare delivery, and therefore, its availability and operation is very important to not just the people of La and its environs but to the nation as a whole.

  • JB Danquah murder: Jury abandons duties over unpaid allowances

    Abtvgh

    The jury in the murder case of the late Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North J.B Danquah has served notice of their absence from jury duties due to the non-payment of their allowances.

    The jurors claim they have not been paid their allowances since March 2022. This was contained in a letter addressed to the Judge presiding over the case.

    According to the Jury members, this has affected their ability to carry out their duties as they cannot continue to bear the cost of footing their transportation to attend the court hearings.

    This appears to be a challenge to the trial which has been ongoing since 2021 when the prosecution called its first witness as the Judge indicated that the court is unable to give any particular date by which the Jury will be brought to the proceedings.

    Meanwhile, the High Court in Accra has admitted to evidence caution statements by accused persons in the murder case of the late MP for Abuakwa North JB Danquah during interrogation.

    This follows a mini-trial as a result of an objection raised by lawyers for the accused persons, Daniel Asiedu and Vincent Dosso.

    The lawyers indicated that the caution statements which prosecution’s eight witnesses intended to tender during his testimony were not taken from the accused persons voluntarily.

    In line with the dictates of section 120(6) of the Evidence Act, a mini-trial was held in the absence of the Jury to determine whether or not the caution statements should be excluded from the evidence of the prosecution.

    The prosecution during the mini-trial called witnesses including the investigator who was cross-examined. But after consideration of the evidence made available during the mini-trial, the court ruled that the caution statements were made voluntarily and hence overruled the objection of the counsel of the accused person.

    Justice Lydia Osei Marfo in her ruling stated that the accused persons were not coerced by the Police, nor were they promised any favours before they voluntarily gave the caution charge statement.

  • Ghana Prisons Service commercialising projects laudable idea

    Abtvgh / gh police service/

    The Ghana Prisons Service has earnestly started implementing its goal of repositioning itself to reflect the current needs of the country.

    The announcement by its management at the annual Regional Commanders conference in Accra last Thursday that apart from its core mandate of ensuring safe custody and welfare of prisoners to maintain public safety, it had also taken concrete steps to become a major contributor to the nation’s food basket is pleasing.

    The service has also conceived the idea of commercialising and retooling all its workshops and taking agriculture to the next level.

    It is, among other activities, securing funding for its mechanised agriculture to contribute significantly to the food basket of the nation (Daily Graphic, Friday, April 14, 2023.)

    The Daily Graphic is urging the service to sustain those goals and vision, so that other government agencies will emulate the example.

    There have been many calls on metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), as well as other public institutions, to find innovative ways of getting internally generated funds (IGFs), as the prisons service wants to do.

    When that is meticulously carried out, it will enhance the service’s viability and contribution to the economy, since it is becoming clear that the government alone cannot continue to do everything.

    The global economy is gradually shrinking as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, both of which have implications for nations such as Ghana.

    According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook, the baseline forecast for growth was to fall from 3.4 per cent in 2022 to 2.8 per cent in 2023, before settling at 3.0 per cent in 2024.

    Advanced economies are expected to see an especially pronounced growth slowdown, from 2.7 per cent in 2022 to 1.3 per cent in 2023.

    In a possible alternative scenario, with further financial sector stress, global growth was expected to decline from about 2.5 per cent in 2023, with advanced economy growth falling below one per cent, the IMF World Economic Outlook further indicated.

    These projections have implications for the country and the earlier public institutions started becoming innovative, the better it would be for the institutions and the citizenry.

    It is for this reason that the paper thinks the decision by the prisons service to chart a new course to become more viable and contribute to enhancing food security in the country must be applauded.

    The commercialisation of agriculture will ultimately help supplement the food intake of the inmates and make the service stand on its feet to be able to meet its needs without waiting on the government for support.

    The service, apart from its legal mandates set out by the 1992 Constitution and other statutory provisions, has a vision and mission to build a world-class service to attain sustainable public safety through excellence in corrections management and to undertake the safe custody, humane treatment, reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration of inmates to make them responsible, productive and law-abiding citizens to ensure public safety.

    It is gratifying to note that the service is taking deliberate steps to modernise its operations to make it financially viable.

    It is worthy to note that other goals set out by the service to reposition itself to contribute more meaningfully to the nation’s development are modernisation of its management practices and administrative structures, modernisation of staff recruitment, manpower planning and development, as well as work practices, and modernisation of the physical structures and operational equipment.

    The paper hopes that the bold step by the service will not be a nine day’s wonder, for, as the saying goes: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

    The prisons service has taken the first step and sustained efforts must be made to achieve the targets.

  • EC must add guarantor system

    Parliament last Friday rejected unanimously the Electoral Commission’s (EC’s) proposal to use the Ghana Card as the sole source of identification to register eligible voters onto the new continuous voters register.

    As an alternative, the House recommended to the EC to include the age-old guarantor system as part of the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulation, 2023, which is going through pre-laying processes, before it is laid before the House for consideration.

    In the wisdom of the House, using the Ghana Card alone might negatively impact the electoral roll, as it is likely to deny some qualified persons from registering and voting in the 2024 general election.

    “The EC should tarry slowly until every eligible voter is afforded the opportunity to register and procure the Ghana Card before the legislation of such a compulsion,” the MPs advised.

    The Daily Graphic wholly supports the view Parliament has espoused and the subsequent recommendations and considers them very commendable. For once, we are seeing a House speaking with one voice. This has not been the case, at least in this Parliament

    Since the inception of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, the country has seen MPs on both sides of the House at each other’s throat as they disagree on almost every issue, often letting their parties’ interests supercede those of the national. 

    For the Daily Graphic, the fact that legislators agreed unanimously on the thorny issue underscores the importance both sides of the House attach to matters regarding election management.

    Appearing before the Committee of the Whole on March 27, 2023, the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, had insisted that the plan to use the Ghana Card as the sole registration document would be cost effective, deal with the issue of the multiplicity of identification cards and documents and thus “purge the voters’ roll of foreigners and minors”.

    The Daily Graphic, just like many Ghanaians and some opinion leaders, find it a bit curious that the EC insisted on the use of the Ghana Card alone as a source document for registration onto the electoral roll.

    We think that the challenges with the issuance of the cards can prevent a good number of eligible voters from exercising their franchise.

    We support the House’s proposition that a person who applies for registration but cannot provide evidence of an identification card issued by the NIA because he or she has not been registered by the NIA or registered but has not been issued with the Ghana Card shall be required by the EC to produce a relative to give evidence of identification on oath, in accordance with the provisions of the Oath Act. 

    In a situation where a person applied for registration as a voter but had no relative to provide evidence of identification on oath, the EC shall require two persons registered with the NIA and issued with the national identification card to identify that person under oath, in accordance with the provisions of the Oath Act, the House said.

    Given the severe punishment one faced in vouching falsely for any person, the Daily Graphic strongly believes the guarantor system will discourage people from exploiting and abusing the system. Suffice it to say that the NIA itself uses the guarantor system for capturing people’s data.

    The paper again finds it curious that a document such as the passport has been excluded as source document for voter registration. For every country, the passport is one’s main identification document.

    Therefore, to help make Ghana’s electoral roll error-free, the Daily Graphic encourages the EC to heed Parliament’s recommendation, as that will go a long way to enhance the credibility of elections and the legitimacy of the elected.

    The EC must not give any political party, politicians, civil society organisations and Ghanaians in general the grounds to put question marks on electoral processes.

    It is true that the country’s democracy has attained a high degree of maturity after 30 years in the Fourth Republic, but that does not mean we should be complacent and close our eyes and ears to those good suggestions and constructive inputs into the CI

    This is important for the CI to garner the bi-partisan support it deserves, as well as the goodwill of every Ghanaian.

  • Decriminalising suicide – New dawn for mental health

    Abtvgh

    Last Tuesday, Ghana took a significant step and joined the group of countries that have decriminalised suicide attempt.

    Until Parliament’s amendment of sections of the Criminal Offences Act on suicide, Ghana was among the 20 countries which still punished people for attempted suicide.

    The repeal of the act followed a Private Member’s Bill, sponsored by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akim Central, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, who is also the Chairman of the Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Committee of Parliament, and the Ranking Member on the committee and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.

    Suicide remains a major public health problem worldwide and the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 700,000 people worldwide die due to suicide every year.

    Also, for every suicide, there are many more people who attempt it.

    In the past, the act was considered a criminal offence to serve as a deterrent to people from trying to take their lives.

    History also reveals that the major religions of the world have classified suicide as a sin or being against the tenets of the religions.

    Therefore, most countries with a dominant religion have incorporated this moral stance into their initially unwritten and subsequently written laws.

    It is instructive to note that statistics available show that criminalising suicide has not achieved its objective and advocates have always maintained that attempted suicide is a public health issue and not an offence, for which reason the survivor should be considered a patient and provided with treatment and not sent to prison.

    According to statistics from Ghana’s Mental Health Authority (MHA), in 2018, the number of people who attempted suicide was 797.

    That rose to 880 in 2019 and 902 in 2021, while the number who died by suicide went up from 69 in 2020 to 86 in 2021.

    There are many cases that are not reported because of stigma and fear of community backlash and legal repercussions.  

    On the contrary, a WHO report and data show that the legal status on suicide around the world in the last 50 years has changed significantly.

    The WHO report (2014) shows that decriminalisation has had some positive effects in countries, including a decline in suicide rates after its decriminalisation, as people with such tendencies have been able to access medical help.

    Thus at the World Health Assembly in 2019, all health ministers agreed that decriminalising suicide was an effective way to reduce deaths by suicide when they approved the WHO Mental Health Action Plan for 2021-2030.

    This is why the Daily Graphic welcomes the bold decision by Parliament to amend the Criminal Offences Act after years of advocacy by the major stakeholders, especially mental health professionals in Ghana.

    With attempted suicide no longer a criminal offence, it is the expectation that people who are battling mental health conditions will be encouraged to seek the right medical help and also receive the necessary support from close relations and friends.

    More so, it will help reduce the stigma, as suicide survivors and their families eventually become victims of stigmatisation, and with the right interventions and help, the country can achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2015-2030.

    The Daily Graphic commends the Psychiatric Association of Ghana (PAG) for its relentless effort at leading a sustained campaign for suicide to be decriminalised and, indeed, all other stakeholders who supported the campaign.

    With the new dawn here, the Daily Graphic would also like to call on the health authorities to provide an efficient health delivery system for mental health and make it more accessible to encourage people to seek the required help they need. 

  • Akwaaba, Vice-President Harris

    We welcome the Vice-President of the United States of America (USA), Kamala Harris, into our midst.

    We do not take for granted the fact that she chose Ghana as her first port of call in her week-long first-ever three-nation African tour since taking office.

    Her decision to visit Ghana on her maiden trip to Africa buttresses the fact that Ghana and the USA have a very cordial relationship spanning many years.

    Indeed, although Vice-President Kamala’s visit is the first by the first African-American and first Asian-American vice-president in the history of the US, it adds to the tall list of high-profile visits from the USA to Ghana since the country gained independence in 1957.

    All the visits have further cemented the relationship between the USA and Ghana which started with a trip to the USA on July 23, 1958 by the then Prime Minister of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who also visited Washington, DC on March 8, 1961 as President and was met at the Washington International Airport by US President John F. Kennedy.

    Since then, Ghanaian presidents, including Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, John Evans Atta Mills, John Mahama and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, have all received and had interactions with and/or visited US Presidents in Washington, DC.

    The visit by Vice-President Harris and her spouse is, therefore, not surprising because of the decades of friendship between the peoples of Ghana and the USA, which has resulted in many partnerships and cooperation centred on security, governance, education, agriculture, health and many other areas.

    Be that as it may, the visit by Ms Harris has come at an opportune time when Ghana finds itself in economic distress, while the security situation in the West African sub-region is not getting any better.

    The economic challenge has resulted in hot debates in the past few months over a Domestic Debt Exchange Programme the government has introduced as a way of cushioning the country.

    Ghana has also gone to the International Monetary Fund for a $3-billion deal, which for now appears illusive as talks get prolonged over one issue or another.

    We have also commenced talks with the Chinese government for external debt forgiveness to enable us to secure the expected $3-billion cushion from the IMF.

    All these and more are the reasons we believe the visit by the US Vice-President must go beyond mere rhetoric, as has been the case with some high-level engagements.

    Ghana has also gone to the Paris Club to find succor for its economic crisis and the Daily Graphic finds it refreshing that already Vice-President Harris, in her first interaction since arriving here, has pledged that the US will intervene on Ghana’s behalf.

    She also announced that the US would continue to push all bilateral creditors to provide meaningful debt reduction for countries that need it, which is heartwarming.

    Speaking to the security issue in the sub-region, Ms Harris said the US would commit $100 million to combat terrorism in some coastal West African countries, which is also very welcome news.

    Nonetheless, we reiterate the fact that all issues that will be discussed during her three-day visit, be they bilateral, on security or any form of cooperation, should be backed by steps to actualise decisions taken.

  • Bringing order to Nkrumah Circle

    Abtvgh Ghana / A.M.A.

  • Auto Show, Thursday, 23rd November, 2023

    MOG announces “2023 new wine” concert

    Themed, “The coming glory”, MOG’s flagship annual programme will take place on 19 March at the Oil Dome of the Royalhouse Chapel International, Accra

    Abtvgh / MOG

    Award-winning gospel musician and songwriter, Pastor Nana Yaw Boakye also known as MOG Music has announced the 2023 New Wine Concert.

    Themed, “The coming glory”, MOG’s flagship annual programme will take place on 19 March at the Oil Dome of the Royalhouse Chapel International, Accra.

    The much-anticipated event which would be held in-person has lined up gospel artistes including Ohema Mercy, Uncle Ato, Piesie Esther, Kofi Owusu Preprah and Ella Duncan Williams.

    Also ministering will be Keepers Music and Liberty Voices Choir. The 2023 edition will see the ministration of new singles on the Koinonia album Phase 2 and great worship songs from the guest artistes.

    Speaking about the concert, the VGMA two-time male vocalist of the year, MOG said the 2023 event presents an array of local artistes who are prepared to usher God’s children into his presence.

    He said the Phase 2 of the ‘Koinonia’ album will take gospel music lovers to another level as the Christian community worldwide comes together to worship God.

    According to MOG Music, activities have been outlined to garner support for the event. “I can assure you that lives are going to be touched and there will be testimonies.

    Under the patronage of the Most Rev Sam Korankye Ankrah, founder and Apostle General of Royalhouse Chapel International, the concert will be live telecasted on TV platforms including Powerline TV as well as social media handles of MOG Music.

    Patrons of this year’s event would have to get their tickets ready for the life transforming event.

    Tickets are going for as low as GHC40 (single) for the gallery stand and GHC 70 for double. The standard regular ticket is going for GHC 80 and GHC 150 for double. The special VIP tickets are going for GHC 200.

    “Patrons should expect a night of the manifestation of the power of God through song ministrations including hymns,” a statement from the singer said.