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President Mahama to embark on thank you tour in Western Region  

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Takoradi (W/R), Feb 3, GNA-President John Dramani Mahama will embark on a “Thank You Tour” to the Western Region on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. 

The visit, marked the second edition of the nationwide tour that began last week in the Volta region. 

This was contained in a press release issued by the Western Regional Communications Bureau of the National Democratic Congress, signed by the Regional Communications Officer Mr Richard Kirk-Mensah and copied to the Ghana News Agency. 

The release said during the visit, the President would be in Sekondi, the administrative capital of the region, to extend his heartfelt gratitude to Nananom, (traditional leaders), respected queen mothers, the Clergy, Imams, esteemed Zongo chiefs, heads of departments and party members at all levels. 

Two friends jailed ten years each, for stealing

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Akropong (Ash) Feb. 03, GNA – The Asante Akropong Circuit Court in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District, has sentenced two friends to 10 years imprisonment each, for conspiring, possessing firearms without authority, causing damage and stealing at Sokoban, a suburb of Kumasi.

Charles Antwi alias Kojo Fosu 49, a carpenter and Francis Abobi alias Seaman 41, a farmer, pleaded guilty and were convicted on their own plea.

Police detective Inspector, Mr Kwame Boakye Agyemang, prosecuting told the court presided over by Mrs Gloria Mensah Bonsu, that the complainant, Ama Boakyewaa Asomani, a teacher at Kumasi Suame-Anomangye, reported an incident of burglary at her residential apartment at Sokoban Ampabame by unknown persons.

He said on January 28, this year, at about 1900 hours, the complainant returned home and detected the damage of her door, and the theft of her 42 inches television set valued at GHS 7,800, a Samsung ‘A’ 52 series valued at GHS 3,500 and a CCTV hard drive.

She reported the incident to the Ashanti Regional Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) and its investigations led to the arrest of the two convicts at their hideout at Effiduase-Asamang in the Sekyere East District.

During a search on them, one cutlass, a pinch bar, a glass cutter, two pliers, two pistol guns, a cartridge and three smart phones were retrieved from them.

In their caution statement they admitted the offence and they were charged and brought before the court.

Egypt announces a plan to rebuild Gaza and rejects relocation.

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Egypt has a plan for rebuilding Gaza that does not include forcing Palestinians from their land, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Sunday.

“We have a definitive plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip that ensures no citizen is expelled from their homeland. Our vision is clear on this matter,” Abdelatty remarked.

Egypt has a plan for rebuilding Gaza that does not include forcing Palestinians from their land, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Sunday.He said these things at a joint news conference with Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the foreign minister of Djibouti, in Cairo. He also welcomed Ali Youssef Ahmed, the foreign minister of Sudan, and Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza.

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the foreign minister of Djibouti, said he supports the situation, saying that his country supports Egypt’s position on Gaza and applauds President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi’s attempts to bring about a truce.

He echoed Minister Badr Abdelatty’s remarks, emphasizing that the Arab position is unequivocal.

Youssouf asserted that a lasting resolution requires the establishment of a Palestinian state that coexists peacefully and securely alongside Israel, which is a fundamental and legitimate demand.

He firmly rejected any discussions regarding the deportation of Palestinians.

Abdelatty’s remarks indirectly addressed US President Donald Trump’s proposal that Egypt and Jordan should accommodate Palestinians from Gaza to “clean out the whole thing.”

Both Egypt and Jordan, along with other influential regional powers like Saudi Arabia, rejected Trump’s suggestion.

Abdelatty mentioned that Egypt is willing to host a reconstruction conference, emphasizing that rebuilding Gaza is a crucial step toward resolving the conflict through a two-state solution.

“We have a clear plan for reconstruction that does not involve relocating anyone from their land,” he stated. “This is the initial phase that will pave the way for a credible political process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state, helping to break the cycle of violence and aggression.”

“The only solution is to initiate a political process, in accordance with international resolutions,” Abdelatty added.

On Sunday morning, trucks were observed moving at the Rafah border crossing as the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel continued to progress.

Palestinian health officials in Gaza reported that the long-closed Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened on Saturday, allowing thousands of Palestinians in urgent need of medical assistance to cross.

Israeli forces closed the Rafah crossing in early May after taking control during an offensive in the southern city. In response, Egypt closed its side of the crossing.

The reopening of the Rafah crossing marks a significant development that strengthens the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas earlier this month.

Israel decided to reopen the crossing following Hamas’s release of the last surviving female hostages in Gaza. Rafah is the only crossing for Gaza that does not connect to Israel.

The initial six-week truce outlines the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, and an increase in humanitarian aid to the severely affected area.

Next week, Israel and Hamas are expected to begin discussions on a second phase of the ceasefire, which aims to secure the release of the remaining hostages and extend the truce indefinitely.

If no agreement is reached, the conflict could resume in early March.

President Mahama to embark on thank you tour in Western Region

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President John Dramani Mahama will embark on a “Thank You Tour” to the Western Region on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. 

The visit, marked the second edition of the nationwide tour that began last week in the Volta region. 

This was contained in a press release issued by the Western Regional Communications Bureau of the National Democratic Congress, signed by the Regional Communications Officer Mr Richard Kirk-Mensah and copied to the Ghana News Agency. 

The release said during the visit, the President would be in Sekondi, the administrative capital of the region, to extend his heartfelt gratitude to Nananom, (traditional leaders), respected queen mothers, the Clergy, Imams, esteemed Zongo chiefs, heads of departments and party members at all levels. 

Mahama joins Sunday worship at Cedar Mountain Chapel of Assemblies of God

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President John Dramani Mahama attended Sunday worship at the Cedar Mountain Chapel of Assemblies of God, East Legon, Accra.

The President was received by Reverend Stephen Wengam, General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana.

Addressing the congregation, President Mahama expressed his desire for God to use him as an instrument to change the fortunes of the country.

“My prayer is, God use me as your instrument. It is you who brought me to this place. It is you who will let me serve your purpose. And the purpose is to serve my fellow Ghanaians and make sure that we’re able to turn the fortunes of this country around and make everybody’s life better,” he said.

President Mahama, who is a member of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, was unable to join the Cedar Mountain Chapel congregation on Sunday, January 26, for the Thanksgiving Service held in honour of the late Madam Deborah Wengam, mother of Rev Stephen Wengam, as he was travelling outside Ghana.

With regard to his political career, President Mahama recounted that when he was young, several times he wanted to do something else but not to be a doctor or a lawyer.

He said while other people might want to be Presidents, lawyers and doctors, he wanted to do the ordinary things.

“I mean, if you ask me what do you want to be in future? I didn’t say I want to be a doctor or a lawyer. At one time I wanted to be a fireman. Because I like their uniform and the red fire trucks they used to drive,” he said.

“Then another time I wanted to be a State Transport Company driver. Because you sit in the car from Tamale to Accra, the way he’s driving it, it looks nice.”

The President said God was behind his career path; saying “God has kept pushing me in the direction that he wants me to go. At every point, I have been reluctant to follow that trajectory. For instance, politics, I was reluctant to go into politics.”

He said his unwillingness to go into politics was because of what his late father, Mr Emmanuel Adama Mahama went through in politics following the overthrow of Ghana’s first President Dr Kwame Nkrumah – he was arrested and locked up for two years.

President Mahama said his father was so traumatised that he never wanted to have anything to do with politics and so he went into business and became a very successful commercial rice farmer in the north.

“And so because of the narrations that he had given about the trauma he suffered in prison and the setbacks he suffered as a result of his politics, my mind was, I will not be a politician. But God said, who are you to decide? I will do with you what I want. And the rest is history.”

The late Mr Emmanuel Adama Mahama was a Minister under Dr Nkrumah.

Reverend Wengam praised President Mahama and his wife Lordina for their encouragement and support while he was on a Divine mission to build the Cedar Mountain Chapel.

He said the Assemblies of God community both in Ghana and abroad took pride in having four Presidents including President Mahama whom he described as the church’s “First Fruit President”.

Rev Wengam led a team of Pastors to pray for the President.

Stephen Appiah pays surprise visit to West Ham star Kudus

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– Newly appointed Black Stars Management Committee Vice Chairman Stephen Appiah has paid a surprise visit to West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus.

Appiah, who is a former Black Stars captain, met with Mohammed Kudus, a key player for the Black Stars, at his base in London, United Kingdom.

It was Appiah’s first formal engagement since being named Vice Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee. 

Appiah, during his interaction with Kudus, expressed gratitude for his dedication and services to the nation.

The former Juventus star added that he and the other Management Committee members were there to support the Black Stars in their quest to qualify for their fifth World Cup.

Kudus, who has been a vital player for Black Stars coach Otto Addo, would be seeking to make a big stride towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup when they face Chad and Madagascar. 

The Black Stars would host Chad in Accra on March 19, before facing Madagascar three days after.

Energy Minister expresses concern over Africa’s significant energy deficit  

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Accra, Jan. 31, GNA- Mr. John Jinapor, Minister of Energy and Green Transition, has highlighted Africa’s critical energy deficit, with 600 million lacking electricity and 900 million without access to clean cooking solutions.  

He noted that the situation was particularly dire in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 48 percent of the population had electricity, contrary to near-universal access in Europe and North Africa.  

Speaking on the second day of the Africa Prosperity Dialogue (APD) in Accra, which focused on intra-continental trade, Mr. Jinapor noted that Africa’s low electricity consumption, significantly lower than that of developed nations, severely hindered economic growth and perpetuated poverty.  

“Africa consumes about 1.5 percent of what the United States consumes, and about 3 percent of what Europe consumes, highlighting the vast disparity. In sub-Saharan Africa, the data is worse,” he said.  

Mr. Jinapor said that sub-Saharan Africa’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, with 80 percent of energy sources being non-renewable compared to the global average of 60 percent, contributed to environmental challenges, and impeded sustainable development.   

He also mentioned that a significant obstacle to addressing this energy deficit was the high cost of energy-related investments.   

The minister explained that the continent needed an estimated $43 to $55 billion annually until 2040 to achieve universal energy access.   

However, current mobilisation only reached about $9 billion, leaving a substantial funding gap.   

Mr. Jinapor said governments alone cannot solve Africa’s energy crisis and called for strong public-private partnerships, involving the private sector, NGOs, and development organizations, to leverage the continent’s abundant energy resources, particularly renewable energy.   

He urged African Heads of State to prioritize such collaborations to ensure energy security and drive sustainable development across the continent.  

CDD launches “Democracy Dialogues” podcast

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Accra, Jan.31 GNA – The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD)-Ghana, a non-profit research and advocacy organization focused on democracy and governance, has launched its first podcast, “Democracy Dialogues,” in Accra.

The Think-Tank said that the podcast series aimed to provide a platform for in-depth discussions on specific issues.

Speaking at the launch, Madam Anna Bossman, a former Ambassador to France, commended CDD for initiating the podcast, which she said would offer valuable information to the public.

She highlighted the relevance of the podcast on affirmative action and gender issues and emphasized its potential to empower women.

Madam Bossman said that topics like democracy, good governance, anti-corruption, and human rights, which the CDD had chosen for its podcast series, were crucial issues for Ghanaians.

She said that Ghana’s first female Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, along with other female ministers and legislators, should serve as role models for young women, and urged Ghanaians to support them to succeed.

Dr. Kojo Asante, Director of Policy Engagement and Partnerships at CDD-Ghana, said he was delighted at the launch of the podcast, which would enable deeper discussions on emerging issues.

He noted that, with the evolving media landscape, people were increasingly consuming audio-visual content, and podcasts had become an important part of that trend.

Dr. Asante stated that, as a think-tank focused on democracy and governance, CDD-Ghana was optimistic the podcast would provide a platform to deepen discussions on issues such as first-time female Members of Parliament (MPs), their perspectives on the gender agenda, and how they plan to support affirmative action.

Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Chair of the CDD-Ghana Governing Board, said that the launch of the podcast would help bridge the gap between governance, democracy, sustainable development, and discussions with both experts and citizens on critical issues.

She said the CDD intended to draw from both local and regional perspectives on topics such as constitutional reforms, anti-corruption, security, electoral reforms, human rights, and public service delivery.

RISE-Ghana inaugurates inter-sectoral committee to champion post-election accountability   

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Bolgatanga, Jan 31, GNA – The Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment-Ghana (RISE-Ghana), a local human rights and sustainable development non-governmental organisation (NGO), has inaugurated an intersectoral committee to champion post-election accountability and improved service delivery in the Upper East Region.   

The 15-member committee, including individuals from civil society organisations, media, youth, and excluded groups, drawn from the Bolgatanga central, Nabdam, and Bongo constituencies, are to use party manifestos as the entry point to demand accountability and quality of services.   

The inauguration of the committee follows a series of dialogues and debates organised by RISE-Ghana among parliamentary candidates in the various constituencies in the lead-up to the 2024 general elections, where various promises were made by the parliamentary candidates.  

It formed part of an activity, dubbed “Inter-sectoral Mechanism for Promoting Post-Election Party Manifesto and Government Accountability, Inclusive Elections, and Quality Service Delivery Formed and Institutionalised,” being led by STAR-Ghana under its Democracy and Inclusive Project.   

The project is being funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom.   

Mr Ahmed Awal Kariama, Executive Director of RISE-Ghana, addressing members of the committee, noted that promises made by political parties were a social contract, and it was important the committee tracked the various promises and demand accountability.   

He emphasised that the work of the committee would be centred at the local level to track various promises made by the elected Members of Parliament and provide constructive feedback to them and demand accountability on what they promised.   

Professor David Millar, President of the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies (MITDS) while addressing the committee members on strategies they could employ to succeed said it was important that citizens participated in the development process and the initiative was in the right direction to hold leaders responsible for their pronouncements.  

He noted that political parties may not be able to fulfil all promises made and urged the committee members to consider the critical issues in their constituencies that were promised by the elected leaders of the day and demand accountability.   

IPPs urges PURC to optimise electricity tariff for power sector sustainability  

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Keta (VR) Jan. 31, GNA – Dr Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Independent Power Producers (IPPs), has advised the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to mount a strategy to optimise electricity tariff to sustain the power sector.  

He said the policy proposal would present an actionable strategy for reforming electricity tariff determination in Ghana, to ensure the financial independence of the Electricity Company of Ghana and long-term sustainability of the power sector.  

Dr Apetorgbor, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on the issues of power crisis and sustainability, recommended that the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT), indexing tariffs to exchange rates, enforcing operational efficiency, and optimising natural gas utilisation among others should be welcomed.  

“The power sector faces several challenges, and we must ensure affordable electricity for consumers while maintaining financial sustainability across the value chain,” he stated.  

He said the ECG’s inability to meet its financial obligations to generators, transmission companies and suppliers, was due to non-cost reflection tariff approved by the PURC, high operational inefficiencies and energy losses.   

He said exposure to current depreciation without mitigation mechanisms and unfavourable fiscal policies like VAT on electricity and supplies to ECG should be addressed, saying, the proposal was aimed to improved financial stability across the electricity supply values chain.   

“The cumulative impact of these challenges threatens the sustainability of Ghana’s power sector. Experiences from countries like Nigeria, where poor tariff structure led to the collapse of privatised utilities and Kenya which achieved substantial reductions in losses through operational reforms ought to be learnt,” he said.  

Dr Apetorgbor also proposed that Ghana’s surplus generation capacity should be monetised through regional exports and provide an additional revenue in foreign current to export electricity through the West African Power Pool (WAPP).  

He said the partnership with WAPP would expand regional trade and upgrade transmission infrastructure to facilitate cross-border electricity flow to strengthen bilateral agreements with neighboring countries.   

He said that “increase foreign exchange revenue for the electricity sector and reduced reliance on domestic consumers for revenue generation would further create a stronger economic bond nearby countries.”  

Dr Apetorgbor said the proposal recommended critical policy interventions to ensure the financial independence and sustainability of Ghana’s electricity sector and PURC’s leadership should implement the measures to drive long-term benefits for all stakeholders from domestic consumers as well as international investors.  

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