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EC ready for voter registration exercise; targets 622,000 new voters  

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The Electoral Commission (EC) will begin registering new voters on the electoral roll on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in a major exercise ahead of the 2024 General Election. 

The exercise, which is in accordance with Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution, will take place at the 268 District Offices of the Commission across the country and will end on May 27, 2024. 

The 21-day exercise will commence at 0700 hours and close at 1800hours each day during the scheduled period. 

The EC says it will deploy mobile teams to register voters in 785 polling stations in “unwieldy areas” where voters may find it difficult to access the district offices of the Commission, in addition to 25 public universities that have resident students. 

The registration exercise would afford Ghanaians who have attained the voting age of 18 years since the last registration in September 2023 and others who are more than 18 years but could not register during the last registration exercise to do so. 

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, Mrs Jean Mensa, Chairperson, EC, said all logistics had been deployed for the registration exercise to commence smoothly across the country beginning Tuesday. 

She said the Commission aimed to register 622,000 new voters by the end of the operation, and that 3,277 regular and temporary electoral officers had been trained and deployed for the purpose. 

Mrs Mensa said the mobile teams that would be deployed to the “unwieldy areas” would spend two days at the selected polling stations and three days at the selected public universities. 

She said the Commission had published the movement plans of the mobile teams on its website and shared them with political parties to facilitate tracking and access. 

“We have effectively distributed all our materials to the regions and districts, and we are confident that there will be no short supply. 

“Additionally, our biometric voter registration kits as well as spare kits to serve as backups have been distributed to the regions and districts,” she said. 

The EC Chairperson said the ongoing power outages would not disrupt the registration exercise, adding that district officers had been tasked to rent generators to support their operations in the event of power cuts. 

Mrs Mensa said the Commission would adopt the existing Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2016 (C.I. 91) (1) as Amended, for the upcoming registration exercise. 

This means that eligible voters can use either the Ghana Card or the Ghana Passport to establish their identity as Ghanaians. 

In the absence of the two identification documents, applicants would be required to present two people who are already registered voters to vouch for their citizenship and age. 

Mrs Mensa cautioned interested parties against bussing minors to registration centres and served notice that the EC in collaboration with law enforcement agencies would act against offenders. 

Giving an update on the two temporal officers who were withdrawn from the last bye-election in Ejisu, the EC Chairperson said investigations were ongoing and assured that the Commission would follow the issue to the letter. 

“The two temporal officers will not be shielded should they be found guilty,” she said. 

Farmers fear losing source of livelihoods over Restriction on soyabean export

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More than 100,000 soyabean farmers in northen Ghana fear losing their source of livelihoods if the ban on export of the commodity is not reversed.

     Some of the farmers, who expressed worry about the situation, said the decision by the government to place a ban on the export of certain commodities such as rice, maize and soyabeans was having a negative impact on their livelihoods, especially soyabean farmers.

     They said such farmers, especially those into soyabean cultivation could not sell their produce after harvest while some had low sales, thereby recording losses and unable to continue farming.

     Alhaji Jibiliru Nankpa, a soybean farmer from Pluma, a village in the Sissala East Municipality of the Upper West Region, said apart from the 100,000 farmers, who were directly engaged in the production of soyabeans, many actors in the soyabean value chain were also at risk of losing their livelihoods if government did not reconsider its decision.

     Alhaji Nankpa was speaking during an Annual Planning and Review workshop of the Sustainable Soybean Production in Northern Ghana (SSPiNG) project held in Tamale.

     The three-day meeting was to review activities implemented under the project in 2023 and come out with strategies to improve implementation moving forward in 2024.

     It was attended by various stakeholders, including Deputy Directors from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, District and Municipal Heads of Department of Agriculture from 16 beneficiary districts and municipalities in northern Ghana, farmers, aggregators, Yara Ghana, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) as well as other value chain actors from the five regions of the north.

    The SSPiNG project seeks to sustainably increase the production of soybean to meet the rising demand in the country as well as enable rural households to raise their incomes and improve food security on sustainable basis.

     It is being implemented by IITA and Yara Ghana in partnership with the MoFA, Wageningen University and Research and Felleskjopet Rojaland Agder in Norway, and funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

     In August 2020, the government through a Legislative Instrument, temporarily banned the export of soyabean and maize grains as part of measures to ensure food security and increase local poultry and livestock production.

     Alhaji Nanpka said the ban on the export of soyabean grains was a counter-productive measure, which was affecting the incomes of farmers and discouraging them from further investment into the sector despite the huge economic potential.

     He said, ‘’Apart from low prices offered by the local processors, the local processors did not have the capacity to buy and yet the government prevented the people from exporting their produce to where they can get market.”

     He, however, said the inception of the SSPiNG project had brought some relief to farmers.

     ‘’Our biggest challenge in the farming system currently is how to access funds, and fertilizer but we are glad to have met SSPiNG and other partners supporting us with grants and other materials”, he said

     Alhaji Nankpa called on the government to lift the restriction on the export of soyabean grains to allow the sector to contribute significantly to restoring the economy and incomes of farmers.

     He said, “Our worry is that after the restriction, the local buyers are not reaching out to the farmers to buy and the few who can buy are buying and aggregating for export. So, today, if you go to most of the districts especially in northern sector, farmers, who invested massively in soyabean, cannot sell.”

     Professor Samuel Adjei-Nsiah, Coordinator of the SSPiNG project, said the production level of soyabean in Ghana was around 170,000 metric tonnes in 2020 but currently the country was making around 389,000 metric tonnes, which meant about 200,000 metric tonnes had been added to what was produced in 2020.

     He said, ‘’I can see that now we are self-sufficient in soyabean production and have the capacity to export but what we are lacking now is the internal capacity to absorb the majority of the grains that we produce. Now, we are exporting more of the raw grains and processing around 120,000 metric tonnes but we have to do more by processing 250,000 tonnes.”

     He added that “When we do that, we will add value to the grains that we produce and also be able to process enough for our poultry industry.”

     He said the project was currently working with about 150,000 smallholder farmers in the five regions of the north with improved technologies, and supply chain information on weather and market.

     Professor Adjei-Nsiah said this was done through demonstrations, community video shows and other knowledge products as well as the use of the Esoko digital platform to deploy weather, market price and agronomic advisory services to the smallholder farmers.

     Mr Kudjoe Agbenyega, Chief Finance Officer, YARA Ghana assured the farmers of the availability of fertilizer and other Yara products for the next farming season.

Ukraine arrests Russian spies plotting Zelenskiy’s assassination, SBU claims.

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ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 08: President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 08, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. President Zelensky in recent days has visited the Cech Republic Slovakia, Bulgaria and Turkey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Ukraine’s SBU State Security Service stated it has discovered Russian spies among the Ukrainian state guard trying to assassinate the president and other high government figures.

“Counterintelligence and SBU investigators thwarted the FSB’s (Russia’s security service) plans to eliminate the president of Ukraine and other representatives of the top military and political leadership” , the SBU stated on Telegram.

The United States demands answers from Tesla in the Autopilot recall inquiry.

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U.S. auto safety authorities are requesting specific answers and documentation from Tesla (TSLA.O), launching a fresh investigation into the automaker’s December recall of more than 2 million vehicles to install new Autopilot safety features.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced last month that it was conducting an investigation after receiving allegations of 20 incidents involving vehicles with Autopilot software upgrades issued as part of the Tesla recall. The letter from the government stated that it had detected “several concerns” about the recall, which opens a new tab.

Tesla said in December that its largest-ever recall, affecting 2.03 million U.S. vehicles – or almost all of its vehicles on U.S. roads – was to ensure drivers pay attention when using its advanced driver assistance system.

The NHTSA recall investigation covers models Y, X, S, 3 and Cybertruck vehicles in the U.S. equipped with Autopilot produced between the 2012 and 2024 model years.

Tesla, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has said repeatedly that Autopilot does not make vehicles self-driving and is intended for use with a fully attentive driver who is prepared to take over and has hands on the steering wheel.

NHTSA said it had sent Tesla an information request letter, which was made public on Tuesday, seeking details of the recall and documents by July 1.

NHTSA wants comparative data from Tesla on the performance of vehicles after receiving the recall including the number of hands on wheel warnings issued.

The agency said it had concerns after those 20 crashes as well as results from preliminary NHTSA tests of updated vehicles following Tesla’s five-part recall remedy.

One issue under investigation is Tesla’s recall allows drivers to set how they activate Autopilot by either allowing a single-pull or double-pull of the drive stalk.

NHTSA’s letter said the single-pull activation of Autopilot “is not the default setting on vehicles that received the remedy in the field” and testing “showed it was possible to make this change while driving.”

Tesla has also made additional updates to reduce crashes including high speed captive turn lane collisions that are not part of the recall.

NHTSA said it “will assess the timing and driving factors behind these updates, their impacts on subject vehicle field performance, and Tesla’s basis for not including them”.

Last month, NHTSA said it found evidence that “Tesla’s weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities” and that this results in a “critical safety gap.”

NHTSA said during its Autopilot safety probe launched in August 2021 that it had identified at least 13 Tesla crashes involving at least one death and many more involving serious injuries in which “foreseeable driver misuse of the system played an apparent role.”

NHTSA noted Tesla’s December recall “allows a driver to readily reverse” the software update.

Man Utd urged to make ‘radical’ decision and remove Erik ten Hag before being ‘annihilated’ by Man City in FA Cup final, as Michael Owen says ex-England manager should replace the Dutchman.

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Michael Owen has advised Manchester United to remove Erik ten Hag immediately or risk being “annihilated” by Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Former United striker Owen feels that a dramatic change in the dugout is required to save the season following his former club’s humiliating 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday evening. He wants the board to get rid of Ten Hag as soon as possible because he believes the Dutch manager is incapable of managing a club of United’s size.

Speaking to Premier League Productions, Owen said: “I’ve said it for a long time that Ten Hag is not the right man for this job, I’ve been saying it for ages and ages. He cannot, simply cannot, manage the team next season. I almost wonder now, they’ve got a cup final and they’ve got a few important games that could mean European football next year or not. At some point you’ve got to make a decision, they’re going to get absolutely hammered by Manchester City [in the FA Cup final], they’re going to get annihilated, in fact, Arsenal will smash them to bits at Old Trafford, Newcastle will probably beat them and I wouldn’t even fancy them going to Brighton either.

“They might not get anything out of the rest of the season, playing like that. I just wonder, there’s just so much at stake, even if it’s only for four games, I wonder whether the board might just have to try to do something here and now and be quite radical about it. He cannot, simply cannot, manage this team next season. He’s not good enough. I’ve thought it for ages, and he’s just not good enough to manage Manchester United.”

Owen believes that Steve McClaren, Ten Hag’s assistant, would potentially do a better job than the current boss and backed him to take the reins for the final few games in the season.

“They’ve got to try something different. Anything. Yes,” he said. “We’ve played under Steve McClaren, he’s coached us, there’s no way that his fingerprints are anywhere near that team. Owen played under the guidance of McClaren when he was in charge of the England national team in 2006.

Paul Scholes, who was also part of that England squad, suggested that Ten Hag does not pay heed to his assistant while drawing up the tactics.

“It suggests to me he’s not touching that team. The manager [Ten Hag] must not be letting him touch that team, I don’t think,” the United legend said. “Everyone thinks we were a great team that attacked everyone and went at people, sometimes we played against better teams and Steve McClaren put better sessions on to make sure you stopped other teams, getting the distances right, getting your angles right, especially in centre midfield, across all midfield. And he has got no impression on that [Ten Hag] team whatsoever. He’s the best coach I ever had.”

Owen further added: “He’s a brilliant, brilliant coach. There’s no way on earth he’s got anything to do with coaching that team. It’s impossible. Because that team is absolutely clueless, right the way through it. There’s not one thing I think works in that team. I don’t rate anything about it. Steve McClaren is a top operator and I can only think he’s there and there are other people who are coaching the first team and he’s just a bystander.”

McClaren succeeded Sven-Goran Eriksson in the England dugout in 2006 after Luiz Felipe Scholari turned down the FA. The Three Lions won nine of the 18 matches during his spell but failed to qualify for Euro 2008 which forced the English FA to part ways with him.

Owen still remains confident in McClaren’s abilities and when asked if he would be happy to see the former England manager in their final four games, he said: “For four games, yeah… anything. They’re going to get smashed out of the ballpark by every team playing like that today. Manchester City are going to demoralise them at Wembley in front of millions of people, it’s just embarrassing how they’re playing, something’s got to change, I know it’s going to change in the summer but I think it’s got to change now. There’s European football next year, this is a trophy.”

United will face Arsenal next on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Celebrity ticket requests to witness Lionel Messi and Inter Miami go’really wild’ as A-list personalities seize possibilities equivalent to seeing ‘Michael Phelps swim or Usain Bolt run’

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Celebrity ticket demands to see Lionel Messi have gone “crazy,” according to Inter Miami’s general director, as A-list personalities swarm to MLS games.

Kim Kardashian, LeBron James, Will Smith, and Serena Williams are among those who have attended the live Messi performance in Florida and around the United States, with more renowned guests expected to appear.

Messi is the biggest draw in American soccer, by some distance, and Xavier Asensi admits that famous faces are falling over themselves to take advantage of an opportunity to watch sporting greatness. He has told the EFE news agency when asked about interest shown by celebrities from outside of the soccer world: “The level of requests that come in is really crazy. Usain Bolt has come more than once, it was impressive. From LeBron James to everything that has happened here. He is fascinating and, at the same time, a source of pride. It is wonderful to be able to experience it first hand again.”

He added on why Messi is so appealing: “We are talking about the best player of all time. It’s like being able to say you’ve seen Tiger Woods play, or Michael Phelps swim, or Usain Bolt run, or watch Michael Jordan or Tom Brady. We are contemporaries of something that is happening here and now. Every weekend the United States has him playing in their professional league. We are talking about the greatest of all time who is active and playing.”

Messi’s magical performances this season have helped Inter Miami to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference, with six goal contributions recorded in his latest outing against the New York Red Bulls – with the history books being rewritten by the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Antony blasted for ’embarrassing’ conversation with Mason Mount and Andre Onana following ‘absolutely dreadful’ performance in Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

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Antony was instructed to “just get off the pitch” when speaking with Mason Mount and Andre Onana following Manchester United’s 4-0 loss against Crystal Palace.

Michael Olise scored twice, and Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell added goals to consign United to their worst Premier League defeat of the season. The Red Devils’ 4-0 loss at Selhurst Park was a big blow in their quest of European football next season, as they are now two points behind sixth-place Newcastle United with three games remaining.

After the dust had settled on the pitch, Antony was seen engrossed in discussion with Mount and Onana as he seemed unhappy with something that had transpired in the match. The Brazilian kept whispering to Mount, covering his mouth, which irked Carragher and the Liverpool legend lambasted the winger for the lack of professionalism after the defeat.

While working as a pundit with Sky Sports, Carragher said: “Just get off the pitch! Talking and whispering behind your hand, you have been absolutely awful. They are probably talking about one of the players, somebody else, the setup or the manager. Just get off the pitch. Shut up and get in, you’ve been beaten 4-0. Whispering and talking about other players. Honestly…embarrassing.”

The defeat extended United’s record of losses in a Premier League season to 13, surpassing their previous high of 12 losses set in the 2013-14 season under David Moyes.

As United aim to salvage their season and avoid a worst-ever Premier League finish, they face a daunting challenge ahead with Arsenal visiting Old Trafford on May 12. The title contenders will provide a stern test for United as they will leave no stone unturned to get maximum points and keep the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Paul Pogba was provided drugs he cites as the basis for failing the doping test by a United States-based wellness organisation run by a ‘celebrity health expert’ who has worked with P Diddy and Kendall Jenner.

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Paul Pogba allegedly received the tablets that resulted in his failing drug test and four-year suspension from a “health guru” who has worked with Kendall Jenner.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman tested positive for DHEA, a prohibited testosterone booster, during Juventus’ first game of the 2023-24 season. He has now been sanctioned with a lengthy suspension, while an appeal against that decision is being filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

According to the Daily Mail, it has been alleged that United States-based wellness company 10X Health Systems are responsible for the pills that saw Pogba fall foul of doping regulations. Gary Brecka and Carrie Carda find themselves at the centre of that storm – with 10X Health Systems featuring on the label of at least one of the bottles that has got Pogba in trouble.

The Mail claims there is photographic evidence of that, with the 31-year-old claiming to have taken a course of tablets that were prescribed to him to help address certain deficiencies in his body. Pogba claims that Carda administered the pills in questions following his initial consultation with Brecka, while Carda “prescribed” other medication.

Brecka, who has been billed as a “celebrity health guru”, has been pictured with David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past, while also working with a number of other high-profile clients that are said to include NFL and UFC stars, model and businesswoman Jenner and music producer P Diddy.

Erik ten Hag concedes Manchester United’s ‘lowest point of the season’ with the Crystal Palace defeat, but still maintains he’s the ideal guy to take the club forward.

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Erik ten Hag said that Manchester United had reached their “lowest point of the season” following their 4-0 loss against Crystal Palace, but pledged to “keep fighting”.

United endured one of their worst defeats of the season at Selhurst Park, when Michael Olise stole the show with a spectacular two-goal performance. Olise’s brilliance, along with goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell, added to United’s anguish, as the 4-0 defeat dropped them to ninth position in the Premier League rankings and out of European qualifying. However, Ten Hag is not ready to lose up and has stated that he would do all in his power to turn the club’s fortunes around.

In the aftermath of the defeat, when Ten Hag was asked if he was the right man for the job, he responded affirmatively, stating: “Absolutely. The right players are there. We have a good squad. I will keep fighting. I prepared the team in the best way I could. It was not good enough, it was by far not good enough. I have to take the responsibility for that. But I will find energy and I will prepare them for Sunday’s game.”

When further pressed if he thought the defeat was the lowest point of the season so far, he stated: “Yes. It was very poor how we gave the goals away, especially when we prepared the team and the conceding of the first goal is very disappointing. How easy and the easy giveaways. That shouldn’t happen and certainly not in the circumstances we are in because we have problems but then we have to help each other out. It is very disappointing. Under-performing. Definitely the worst defeat.”

Although Ten Hag took responsibility for the defeat, the Dutch manager believes that the players should also take their fair share of the blame as they made “big mistakes” and did not follow “the plan and the script.”

“We should have done better,” he said. “We are aware as a team performance, we were not correct, making big mistakes and not following the plan and the script. And the rules we have. Of course also individual mistakes, but then we should cover each other which we didn’t do. We let each other down and then you get the worst defeat.

“This was the fourth defeat in 2024, so far, you have always seen a team that was following a script, we had a lot of wins and were hard to beat, and today we weren’t hard to beat. Yes, I am sure they had the right intention, they were eager from the start, but once we were playing we didn’t perform, individuals didn’t perform and as a team, we didn’t perform.”

The Red Devils will slump to their lowest-ever Premier League points tally under the watch of Ten Hag as they can only reach 63 – a point less than the 2013-14 campaign when they finished seventh.

United have three games left in the league campaign with the next one against title contenders Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday. In the final two matchdays, they will play against Newcastle United and Brighton on May 16 and 19, respectively. However, they still have an opportunity to lift silverware before wrapping up the season as they find themselves in the FA Cup final, pitted against Manchester City.

Real Estate Agency Council of Ghana Unveils State-of-the-Art Headquarters in Cantonments

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The Real Estate Agency Council of Ghana (REAC) has marked a significant milestone in its mission to regulate and elevate the standards of the real estate sector with the grand opening of its new head office in Cantonments. The unveiling ceremony, held last week, was attended by distinguished guests, including the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Hon. Frema Osei Opare, and the Minister for Works and Housing, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, underscoring the importance of this development.

The establishment of REAC was set into motion by the Real Estate Agency Act 2020 (Act 1047), which entrusts the council with the responsibility of licensing and overseeing the operations of real estate agents and brokers in Ghana. This legislation aims to create a framework that ensures professionalism, integrity, and accountability within the industry.

Kojo Addo-Kufuor, Executive Head of Mortgage Business at First National Bank Ghana, shared his enthusiasm for the inauguration of REAC’s new headquarters, emphasizing the council’s commitment to shaping the future of real estate regulation in the country. In a statement posted on his LinkedIn feed on May 5, 2024, Addo-Kufuor applauded the efforts of the council’s leadership, led by CEO Nana Otu Turkson, in laying the groundwork for a robust regulatory framework.

“Since assuming our roles in November 2021, my colleagues and I have dedicated ourselves to building the foundation for what I believe will be one of Ghana’s most influential government agencies,” remarked Addo-Kufuor.

The opening of the new headquarters represents a significant achievement for REAC, providing a centralized hub for its regulatory activities and signaling its commitment to enhancing transparency and professionalism in the real estate sector. Addo-Kufuor expressed gratitude to all individuals and organizations who contributed to the realization of this milestone, highlighting the collaborative effort that made it possible.

As REAC assumes its role as the guardian of standards and practices in the real estate industry, stakeholders can anticipate a more structured and accountable marketplace. By enforcing licensing requirements and ethical guidelines, the council aims to foster trust and confidence among consumers and investors, ultimately driving growth and development in the sector.

With its sleek and modern headquarters now operational, REAC is poised to lead the charge in shaping a brighter future for Ghana’s real estate landscape. As the council continues to refine its regulatory framework and expand its reach, it stands ready to play a pivotal role in driving sustainable progress and prosperity in the industry.

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