Mr John Kwabena Bless Oti, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nkwanta North constituency has urged sympathisers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to be vigilant at registration centres.
This, he said would prevent foreigners from participating in the limited voter registration exercise.
The MP cautioned individuals under 18-years against participating in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise and called on all eligible voters to take advantage of the registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC) to get registered.
He told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that registering and acquiring a voter ID card to vote in the December 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections was just a basic civic duty.
The MP said the youth held immense power in Ghana’s democracy and the ongoing limited voter registration exercise by the EC, was therefore an opportunity to start the process towards making their voices heard and shaping the future of the country.
Mr Oti reminded the youth of the need to use their votes responsibly to demand accountability from leaders, which could only happen when they get their names onto the voter register, to enable them to participate effectively in the decision-making process of electing a leader.
All is set for the Limited Voter Registration exercise to begin today in the Kadjebi District of the Oti Region.
When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the Kadjebi District Office of the Electoral Commission (EC) at 0720 hours on Tuesday, there were the District Electoral Officer, Mr Justice Odame-Frempong, his deputy, Mr Christian Bokode, some Voter Registration Officials, two Party Agents each from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) and two Police Officers were present.
There were also three functional Biometric Verification machines available for the registration of eligible voters.
Mr Emmanuel Klu, the Akan NDC Constituency Director of Elections was also present.
However, there were no registrants present as at the time of filling the story at 0758 hours.
The EC has commenced a nationwide Limited Voter Registration exercise effective from Tuesday, May 7 to Monday, May 27.
The exercise aimed to capture first-time voters and those who could not register in the previous registration exercise.
Kadjebi District is having the exercise in five hard-to-reach communities and its District Office, making a total of six Polling Stations.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, reaffirmed his commitment to uphold exemplary leadership characterized by integrity, firmness, and sincerity during his tenure on the golden stool.
He emphasized that since assuming this esteemed position, no one has attempted to sway his decisions with monetary influence due to his unwavering principles and impartiality in resolving palace matters.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu underscored the inherent wealth and spiritual integrity of the golden stool, making it invulnerable to attempts at bribery or manipulation.
Speaking at a thanksgiving service commemorating his 74th birthday at Saint Cyprian’s Anglican Church in Kumasi, he attributed his success not to his own wisdom but to his steadfast convictions, regal demeanor, resoluteness, humility, and reverence for God.
This event was part of the celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of his reign as the 16th occupant of the golden stool. Reflecting on his upbringing, he described it as typical of any local household, never foreseeing his eventual ascension to such a significant role in the Asante kingdom.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu also recounted a personal anecdote of being initially denied entry into Prempeh College by his uncle, Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh I, which led him to attend Sefwi-Wiawso Secondary School instead.
He remarked that his obedience to his uncle had yielded numerous blessings throughout his life, bringing about significant transformations for both himself and the Asante Kingdom. He firmly believes that demonstrating respect and obedience can open up positive pathways in personal growth.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu expressed gratitude to Ghanaians, particularly the people of Asanteman, for their unwavering trust and support during his reign, which has yielded many beneficial outcomes. He expressed optimism that, with divine assistance, many more accomplishments lie ahead in the years to come.
During the thanksgiving service, Right Reverend Dr. George Kotei Neequaye, Anglican Bishop of Tema Diocese, urged Ghanaian chiefs to emulate Otumfuo Osei Tutu’s leadership qualities and to actively position the chieftaincy institution for its role in national development. He offered prayers for continued divine guidance for the king to fulfill his aspirations for his people and Ghana as a whole.
The event was attended by notable figures including former President Kuffuor, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, former First Lady, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister for Energy, and Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyeremateng, Leader of the Movement for Change, among others such as Mr. Samuel Payne, Kumasi Mayor, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, former Minister for Agriculture, and many more.
The Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday warned the electorate and potential voters against double registration, as it commences the nationwide New Voter’s Registration Exercise.
Mr Guggisberg Asirifi-Young, the Bono Regional Director of the EC, said double registration remained a serious electoral offence which did not only disenfranchise offenders, but was punishable by law too.
The EC, the nation’s electoral management body had commenced a nationwide new Voter’s Registration exercise between May 7, and May 27, 2024, to pave way for people 18 years and above whose names had not been captured onto the voters register to do so.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Asirifi-Young said it was also an offence for anybody below 18 years to register.
He called on the youth who were 18 years and above, but had not registered to do so, because it was the only way they could become eligible to vote and exercise their constitutional or civil right in the Election 2024.
Mr Asirifi-Young said the EC had no intention to extend the time for the registration exercise, saying eligible voters who failed to register would be unable to vote in the December 7, Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
Meanwhile, the registration exercise in the region was delayed for some hours due to some technical challenges, the GNA learnt, but Mr Asirifi-Young said the commission had been able to resolve the challenges.
He said the exercise was being conducted in all the District and Municipal Offices of the EC, with the creation of some designated centers to facilitate the processes and capture more people.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) to foster solutions to improve the recovery of gold from carbonaceous orebodies
The Carbonaceous orebodies are those that do not yield completely to the conventional processing methods and are therefore associated with low recoveries.
However, these orebodies abound in Ghana and pose a significant challenge to miners who encounter them.
To address this problem, the Chamber announced a research grant of US$219,318 to UMaT over a three-year period (2024 to 2026) to deal with the challenge.
“This is a great day in the annals of the mining industry and the Ghana Chamber of Mines. I think this ceremony is quite epochal,” Dr Sulemana Koney, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said.
“We are optimistic that this support would produce results that would address the perennial low recovery associated with carbonaceous orebodies. This would benefit Ghana’s mining industry and the larger global mining industry,” he added.
Dr. Koney said it took more than mining to generate and create value out of the whole mining process, adding that recoveries were key to the industry.
“We are talking about an orebody which is difficult to treat and for which reason if you apply the conventional methods of processing, you are getting about 55% in recovery. This is below par and effectively it will make the whole endeavour uneconomic,” he said.
Dr Koney said the partnership would ensure professors in UMAT were able to complete studies that would enable more recovery to support the country and industry.
“One of the goals of the Ghana Chamber of Mines is to look for solutions for problems in the mining industry across the board and therefore any time we have an opportunity to identify challenges within the mining industry and we believe that we have the capability to actually address them then naturally we would put our best foot forward to ensure that we deliver this,” he added.
Dr Koney said the partnership was not just about technology to help improve recoveries but to develop and harness the capabilities of three PhD. students plus other master’s programmes.
“So, it is not just that the outcome will be good for us. But alongside this is a whole capacity building we are creating within the mining space and within our country,” Dr Koney added.
Professor Richard Kwasi Amankwah, Vice-Chancellor UMaT, expressed appreciation for the unprecedented support from the Chamber to the University over the years in the areas of educational scholarships for brilliant but needy students and research grants for lecturers.
He said that out of the three types of gold ores, the alluvial and the free milling were easy to treat while the refractory was difficult.
“We have some ores in Takwa, so we call them the Takweian rocks. But the kind of ore that we have in there, some of them are very refractory and very difficult to treat.”
He cited an example of a mine in Bogoso, which had to close its pit because of a poor recovery rate of 44 per cent.
“Over the years, we’ve had several kinds of processes that have come up to treat these difficult to treat ores, but the environmental challenges associated with these methods caused them to go down.”
Professor Amankwah said these challenges led to several researches and work on carbonaceous orebodies, leading to discovery of the use of microbe to degrade carbonaceous orebodies.
He said the support to scale up the study not only for it to exist in test tubes, but possibly for it to become something that the minerals industry could adopt as maybe a plant operation in that level was a great move.
“So, this kind of support that we are getting today, to me, is a game-changer in the minerals industry,” Professor Amankwah said.
He said as part of the partnership two PhDs and three Master’s students would be trained on this project while more undergraduate students would benefit from the research.
Prof. Amankwah said the University would build, for the first time, a pilot gold processing plant in the university.
“So that after the project has been done, we will have a certain pilot plant in the university that can be used possibly for a five ton per day kind of operation, so that people who run through the metallurgy programmes in our university would have the hands-on information about how to run a processing plant even before they leave the university,” he said.
Professor Grace Ofori Sarpong, Dean School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Mines and Technology, was elated about the partnership and the impact it would have in the students.
She pledged to do her best to lead this team and to do this research, train the PhDs, and the Masters students, adding the undergraduates, we’ll have a lot to be under this funding.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has a long-standing relationship with UMaT. In 2019, it sets up a Tertiary Education Fund (TEF) to support teaching and learning in tertiary institutions.
The Fund committed over $2 million to the first beneficiary institution, UMaT, in its first phase, 2019 to 2023. The Chamber’s support to UMaT under TEF was renewed for another five years, and we plan to commit over $2 million over the period.
The University of Applied Management (UAM) Ghana Alumni Network has introduced a Speaker Series on Advanced Leadership aiming to foster professional growth and facilitate knowledge exchange among its members and the broader community.
This innovative programme kicked off at the university’s Kwabenya campus with great enthusiasm and featured prominent industry leaders and experts sharing their insights and experiences on various aspects of effective leadership.
This included navigating leadership challenges in the 21st century, adapting leadership styles to modern changes and lessons learnt in leadership.
Addressing members, Mr. Francis Abudu Zimmaleh, President of the UAM Ghana Alumni Network, explained that the Speaker Series is designed to provide a platform for alumni and guests to engage in thought-provoking discussions, network, and learn from one another.
He said each session would delve into diverse topics, including strategic management, team building, communication, and adaptability in today’s dynamic business landscape.
He indicated that attendees could enhance their leadership skills and gain valuable perspectives that would contribute to their personal and professional development.
Prof. Christian Werner, President of European Open Education and a speaker at the maiden speaker series, addressed the topic “Advanced Leadership Skills for the 21st Century.”
During his talk, he highlighted the impact of globalisation and technology on modern-day leadership and emphasised that these factors have brought about significant changes, affecting both developed and developing countries.
He urged leaders to focus on developing their core skills, adaptability, and agility, as well as advocating the need for different frameworks due to internationalisation.
“Technology has led to a decrease in commodity prices, while globalisation poses threats to certain businesses, he said, adding that “it also creates opportunities.”
Leaders, according to Werner, must be prepared to face these changes by working with scenarios and embracing continuous learning.
“Emotional intelligence is a crucial leadership skill in the 21st century, as well as intercultural competency,” he added.
He further stated that speaking and writing English was not sufficient and that leaders must have a deep understanding of various cultures, as well as develop digital literacy, requiring leaders to work with IT and understand its implications.
Prof. Werner also emphasized the importance of embracing diversity and using an inclusive management approach, given the emergence of new cultures.
He said in today’s leadership, “It’s not just about thinking and discussing; it’s about doing and acting to effectively address topics and challenges.”
He encouraged leaders to adopt innovation, not only creating new ideas but also adapting existing ones to bring about change.
Prof. Martin Gyambrah, Principal of UAM Ghana, described the lecture series as a great honour, stating that transformation largely depends on leadership.
He said, “It’s a big issue when it comes to the creation of value for enterprises, for societies, and even for national institutions.”
“If we have systems working effectively, processes and establishments working to get to a maximum and optimal level, leadership is essential,” he added.
In today’s world, societies, enterprises, and nations face complex problems at the national and international levels, such as climate change, security, food sustainability, etc., which demand the attention of leaders.
On the corporate front, enterprises are pushing hard to ensure their survival and success, leading to various levels of leadership being pushed to their limits.
This requires critical thinking, quick decision-making, and the ability to navigate different markets and environments.
The UAM Ghana speaker series aims to provide valuable experiences for members to improve their respective institutions and enterprises.
The Leadership of the three teacher unions in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions have given the government a seven-day ultimatum to pay certain allowances of teachers or face their anger.
They are the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh).
At a news conference in Sunyani, the unions asked the government to pay for the Deprived Area, Extra Assessment, Book/Data/Online Teaching Support as well as Upward Adjustment of Continued Professional Development Allowances.
According to the unions, they were unhappy about what they described as the government’s lackadaisical attitude and failure to pay the allowances as contained in their Collective Bargaining Agreement by May 13, 2024.
Failure to do so, Mr Adobasom Ibrahim, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Secretary of GNAT, said the unions would have no other option to lay their tools down.
Flanked by Mr Augustine Akwowoki, and Mr William Owusu Acheaw, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Secretaries of the NAGRAT and CCT-Gh respectively, Mr Adobasom said the unions also demanded a comprehensive and satisfactory agreements that addressed the welfare, job security, and professional development of teachers.
“We have had enough of the indifference, complacency, and unfriendliness of the employer, and would thus not countenance this situation any longer,” he stated.
Mr Adobasom also called on the Ghana Education Service to design and implement a service scheme that spelt out “who is qualified or not to be a teacher, head-teacher or Director”.
“Our condition of service and scheme of service are critical documents that determine the terms and conditions of our employment”, he stated, and added however, that the “government’s delay in negotiating and finalizing these documents has created uncertainty, demotivation, and discontent among teachers.”
According to Adobasom, the teachers played an integral role in the quest to achieve the nation’s anticipated education objectives, saying the teacher shaped and determined the outcomes of the learning processes, and ensured in effect, the success of the educational system.
“However, the government has consistently demonstrated a lack of commitment and urgency in addressing our concerns, despite our tireless efforts and good faith,” he said.
A private businessman with passion for the development of football at the grassroots, has singlehandedly sponsored the just ended colts league in the Obuasi East District.
Mr. Peter Armah Kpolly who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Big Peiro Company, a tailing construction firm, provided funds and other logistics including jerseys, footballs and public address system for all the 120 matches played during the U-13, U-15, U-17 leagues.
Football in Obuasi has taken a nosedive in recent years despite producing numerous talents who have represented the nation at various levels.
Notable among them were former Black Stars captain John Mensah, Jonathan Mensah, Mubarak Wakaso, Shaibu Yakubu and Abdul Issah Rahman, among others.
The downward trend of football in Obuasi, according to connoisseurs of the game, has been aggravated by the ban imposed on Ashanti Gold Football Club which had for many years been the mainstay of football in the mining town.
Speaking during the finals of the colts league in Obuasi, Mr. Kpolly said he was motivated by the pool of football talents in Obuasi who needed to be unearthed to reach their potentials.
He said Obuasi had a rich history of producing football talents and called on relevant authorities and individuals to invest in the sport.
“I want to throw a challenge to business owners to turn our attention to grass root football which serves as a breeding ground for football talents. Investing in football would give hope to the youth who would want to harness their God- given talent,” the businessman stated.
Mr. Abdul Kadiri Issah, Chairman of the Obuasi East District Football Association, applauded Mr. Kpolly for sponsoring this year’s edition of the Obuasi East colts league.
He said the goal of the Association was to bring back the love of colts football and nurture young talented players in Obuasi East so that in the next five to ten years some of them would be part of the various national teams.
The Association is also adopting the ‘catch them young’ refereeing policy of the Ghana Football Association as part of a broad strategy to develop football in the district.
The leadership of the three teacher unions in the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government, demanding the payment of specific teacher allowances, or they will express their discontent.
These unions comprise the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh).
During a press conference in Sunyani, the unions called on the government to fulfill payments for the Deprived Area, Extra Assessment, Book/Data/Online Teaching Support, and Upward Adjustment of Continued Professional Development Allowances.
They expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s perceived lack of urgency and failure to honor the allowances outlined in their Collective Bargaining Agreement by May 13, 2024.
Mr. Adobasom Ibrahim, the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regional Secretary of GNAT, warned that if the government fails to meet their demands, the unions will have no choice but to go on strike.
Joined by Mr. Augustine Akwowoki and Mr. William Owusu Acheaw, the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regional Secretaries of NAGRAT and CCT-Gh respectively, Mr. Adobasom emphasized that the unions are also seeking comprehensive and satisfactory agreements that address the welfare, job security, and professional development of teachers.
“We have reached a tipping point with the employer’s indifference, complacency, and lack of cooperation,” he asserted.
Mr. Adobasom urged the Ghana Education Service to establish and implement a service scheme that clearly outlines the qualifications for teachers, head-teachers, or Directors.
“Our terms of service and scheme of service are pivotal documents that define our employment conditions,” he emphasized. However, he lamented that the government’s procrastination in negotiating and finalizing these documents has led to uncertainty, demotivation, and discontent among teachers.
Adobasom highlighted the indispensable role of teachers in realizing the country’s educational goals, emphasizing that teachers significantly influence and determine the outcomes of the learning process, thus ensuring the success of the educational system.
“Nevertheless, despite our dedicated efforts and goodwill, the government has shown a consistent lack of dedication and urgency in addressing our concerns,” he remarked.
Organisers of the Accra Inter-City Homowo Marathon has announced the registration code for the 2024 edition of the race.
This follows the renewal of relationship between the organisers, Medivents Consult and TXT Ghana Limited.
A statement from the organisers Medivents Consult and signed by Mr. Michael Atitsogbui – Events Coordinator, said participants would dial *380*21# to register for the event.
It said, the decision to use short code for registration was to make the process more convenient and easier for participants.
It noted that, participants would be required to pay GHC70.00 for the 21-kiometer category and GHC50.00 for both 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer categories.
The third edition of the Accra Inter-City Homowo Marathon would be held on Saturday, August 3, as part of the activities making the annual homowo festival.
The race would commence at the Accra Sports Stadium and end at the Bukom Boxing Arena.
Over 2000 athletes are expected to take part in this year’s event.
The event is an initiative of Medivents Consult and supported by the Ga Traditional Council (GTC).
