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Black Stars hold first training ahead of Mexico, USA friendlies 

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The Black Stars of Ghana held their first training session at the Charlotte FC training facility on Tuesday evening ahead of the much-anticipated friendlies against Mexico and USA respectively. 

The players were taken through an intense one-hour training session to get them gingered for the clash. 

Chris Hughton, Head Coach of the side had said the two games would play a part in shaping his men for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November.

19 players have so far reported to the Black Stars camp with the rest expected to join the team later today. 

According to the Ghana Football Association, Tariq Lamptey, Daniel Amartey, Alexander Djiku and Osman Bukari have pulled out of the two friendlies due to injuries.

The players in camp were Richard Ofori, Abdul Manaf Nurudeen, Lawrence Ati-Zigi, Alidu Seidu, Kingsley Schindler, Nicholas Opoku, Stephan Ambrosius, Gideon Mensah, Joseph Aidoo, Joseph Painstil and Salis Abdul Samed, Antoine Semenyo.

The rest were Ernest Nuamah, Ransford Konigsdorffer, Jordan Ayew, Elisha Owusu, Inaki Williams, Edmund Addo and Thomas Partey.

Ghana would take on Mexico at the Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, October 14, 2023.

Former President Kufuor congratulates Kurt Okraku on re-election

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Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has extended his heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku following his re-election as President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA). 

Mr. Okraku, was once been given the nod to lead the Association for a four-year period as a result of exploits made in his first term in office.

The former President said he was excited with the development of football in Ghana, which was as a result of the commitment and dedication shown by the newly elected GFA President

“I am very much aware of the energy you have brought into the Ghanaian game and wish to congratulate you on your re-election’’.

He said he was still of high hopes Mr. Kurt Okraku would put in more effort to put Ghana football at a better place. 

A delegation from the GFA paid a visit to the former President following the demise of his wife and former First Lady, Madam Theresa Kufuor.

Vice President promises continuous support to Kumasi children’s home 

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The Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has pledged his continuous support to the upkeep of the inmates of the Kumasi children’s home. 

     He said his passion was geared towards helping people, especially the vulnerable and that he was always elated anytime he was able to help the needy in society. 

    Dr Bawumia was speaking during an interaction with the inmates and staff of the Kumasi children’s home, where he celebrated his 60th birthday anniversary with the children. 

     The Vice President, who was accompanied by his wife Samira, donated food, and other items worth GHc 60,000.00 to support the upkeep of the children. 

     Among the items were 100 bags of rice, 50 bags of sugar, 50 packs of diapers, 50 packs of toilet rolls, 100 packs of powdered detergents, 10 boxes of tinned tomatoes, 200 cartons of milk, cooking oil and others. 

     Dr Bawumia pledged to donate a Costa bus to the home for social and educational trips of the inmates. 

     He said Allah had done enough for him and in acknowledging the goodness of Allah, he decided to support the children by donating the items and celebrating his birthday with them. 

    Madam Mabel Amponsah, Manageress of the home, described the occasion as unprecedented. 

     She thanked the Vice President for the gesture and said the children would continue to always pray for him and his family so that he could get the strength and happiness to continue to support the home. 

“Family, friends, and concubines government” is how the NPP serves Ghanaians, according to Frimpong-Boateng

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Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a former minister of environment, science, technology, and innovation, has expressed his concerns about the New Patriotic Party (NPP), charging that they have strayed from their commitment to national development and instead have delivered a government that is more like a “family, friends, and concubines government.”

NPP, HOW DID WE GET HERE? is the headline of an opinion piece by Professor Frimpong-Boateng. It was noted that a group within the NPP possesses considerable authority to the point that one of them is referred to as the “de facto Prime Minister” of the nation while holding no official political appointments or posts within the party structure.

He points out that these people are capable of securing powerful positions in society for their friends and allies, but they also have a tendency to treat others disrespectfully and make things difficult for them.

According to him, this stark departure from the traditional values of the NPP is worrying.

Frimpong Boateng further observed that Ghana is experiencing a form of governance characterized by the control of the media not through violence but through bribery and intimidation.

“There are people who claim to be stalwarts of the party; they have neither political appointments nor positions in the party structure. They appear to wield so much power that one of them is described as ‘de facto Prime Minister’ of the country. Apparently, they have what it takes to get their friends and favourites appointed to prominent and powerful positions in society. At the same time, they have the tendency to disrespect and make life difficult for Ghanaians. This is unlike the NPP we know. NPP, HOW DID WE GET HERE?”

“We are being served with a variation of “family, friends, and concubines government”, and control of the press not through violence but through bribery and intimidation. We are witnessing the weaponization of state institutions to silence transformative voices while allowing patronized corruption to flourish. Instead of development in freedom, we are witnessing unprecedented intimidation, economic retrogression, and suffering in silence. NPP, HOW DID WE GET HERE?”

“To make matters worse, the ‘NPP establishment’ is busy promoting a presidential candidate, who to my mind is the most vulnerable and has more baggage than all the aspirants. It is like shopping for a problem when they already have an answer.”

NPP apologizes to UTV and disavows any involvement in studio invasion

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According to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), neither it nor any of its members were involved in the invasion of UTV studios.

These people showed up in the studio to interrupt a live show in response to remarks made by one of the panelists.

16 people who are reportedly connected to the incident have already been detained by police.

In an interview with Citi News, the NPP’s director of communications, Richard Ahiagbah, stated that the party will work with the police to guarantee that those guilty are brought to justice.

“The party did not sanction anyone to go and disrupt the United Showbiz programme as was reported. We have moved swiftly to make an apology to them [UTV], and we are going to cooperate with the police to investigate the matter. We think that the attack is unacceptable, and it’s condemnable,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned the attack and called on the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to prosecute the attackers.

The GJA in a statement issued on Sunday said it was informed that about “30 hooligans attacked the studios of the Accra-based private television station, and although the Police arrested some of them, others managed to escape.”

GRA pursues additional companies that break Ghana’s tax rules

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With its ongoing VAT enforcement operation in the Greater Accra Region, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) claims to have discovered a number of companies that are breaking tax regulations.

The taskforce discovered through the VAT enforcement activity that many businesses had not registered with the authorities, while others that had registered either weren’t sending VAT invoices or were selectively issuing VAT invoices.

To drive non-tax compliant enterprises to fulfill their tax duties in accordance with the law, the GRA has declared that it will step up its enforcement efforts.

Head of the Accra Central Enforcement Unit of the GRA, Assistant Commissioner, Joseph Annan, speaking to journalists in Accra after one of the enforcement exercises, said: “What it means is that, we have to do a lot more compliance checks.

“Businesses operating in the country that have failed to register with the authority or comply with tax laws will be compelled to do the right thing,” he said.

Enforcement

The GRA has since June, this year, stepped up its tax compliance and enforcement efforts in a bid to meet its target of collecting GH¢106 billion for 2023, representing a year-on-year growth of 40 percent.

To meet this target, the authority had indicated some of the measures it would employ to include the full automation of its operations and deployment of technology in revenue collection.

The latest exercise is the VAT enforcement exercise, which saw the team visiting 10 companies within the La Nkwantanang and Adentan municipalities.

The taskforce also included personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service.

Invitation

All the managers of the various businesses visited were invited to assist the GRA with investigations pertaining to the non-issuance and selective issuance of VAT receipts as part of efforts to ensure voluntary compliance with tax laws.

Section 41 of the Value Added Tax Act mandates businesses to consistently issue VAT invoices to their patrons.

Failure to comply with the requirement of the law is tantamount to a violation of the law while customers who fail to obtain an invoice over transactions that attract VAT also violate the law.

Extended focus

Mr Annan said the authority had put in place a number of measures to ensure maximum compliance of all tax laws.

He said the taskforce had extended its focus beyond VAT enforcement to ensure complete tax compliance.

“For now, we are not limited to VAT because in order to achieve the target, we have to look at all tax types.

Taxation encompasses VAT, our scrutiny will encompass all applicable taxes for any given taxpayer we visit.

We are not limiting our exercise solely to VAT,” he said.

In line with this, he said the taskforce now conducted a comprehensive examination of the taxpayers to identify their eligibility for various tax categories.

“This is how we intend to enhance our tax collection efforts. It is not solely about VAT compliance. It’s about adhering to all tax categories,” he said.

He called for citizens’ support and collaboration to enable the GRA to meet its revenue collection target as “every taxpayer must contribute to build the nation.”

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Attack on UTV: PRINPAG to expedite prosecution of 16 people detained

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The police should take swift action against the 16 people detained for breaking into the Accra-based UTV studio and arraign them before a court of competent jurisdiction to serve as a deterrence to others, according to the Private Newspapers and Internet News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG).

This call was made in response to an alleged NPP youth’s attack on the host and guests of the United Showbiz program.

PRINPAG referred to the incident as sad in a statement that was released on Sunday.

It inspired Ghanaian journalists to uphold their commitment to their work as the Fourth Estate of the nation and to their profession’s ethical standards without fear or favor.

The association stated that it “abhors these attacks on journalists and media houses in the country and we condemn the attack in no uncertain terms and without any reservation. We are concerned about the continued occurrence of such acts in a country that used to boast proudly of its rankings on global press freedom indexes.”

Furthermore, PRINPAG expressed concern that incidents like the one at UTV on Saturday night could undermine confidence and reverse progress made in achieving positive rankings in future press freedom indexes.

However, it found solace in the swift action by the police, stating, “It is however heart-warming to hear that, the police moved in swiftly to arrest 16 members of the thugs to avert a possible bloodbath.”

Read PRINPAG’s full statement below: 

Attention:
All Media Houses

Sunday, October 8, 2023

THE THUGGERY AND BARBARIC ATTACK ON UNITED TELEVISION (UTV) ON SATURDAY NIGHT UNFORTUNATE*

The Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), has noted with deep concern, the barbaric and uncivilized attack on United Television (UTV) by some thugs during the station’s United Showbiz programme on Saturday, October, 7, 2023. The thugs invaded and disrupted the prime time show while it was being aired live.

As an Association of media owners, we abhor these attacks on journalists and media houses in the country and we condemn the attack in no uncertain terms and without any reservation. We are concerned about the continued occurrence of such acts in a country that used to boast proudly of its rankings on global press freedom indexes.

It is important to note that, recently Ghana dropped two places – from 60th in 2022 to 62nd in 2023 in the annual Global Press Freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and a deliberate action to restore hope on the Ghanaian media landscape is urgently needed.

However, actions such as what occurred at UTV on Saturday night further enhances the deterioration of confidence and erodes all gains made in achieving a positive ranking in the years ahead.

It is however heartwarming to hear that, the police moved in swiftly to arrest 16 members of the thugs to avert a possible blood bath.

We at PRINPAG would like to take this opportunity to call on all stakeholders, especially the Police to expedite action on the 16 persons arrested and arraign them before a court of competent jurisdiction so as to serve as a deterrent to others.

We wish to further encourage journalists in the country not to be frightened or cowed by these incidents, rather, they should resolve to do their work as the Fourth Estate of the realm without fear or favor going by the ethics of their profession.

Long Live Press Freedom, Long Live PRINPAG.

Signed:

Jeorge Wilson Kingson
Ag. Executive Secretary
0244822034

Andrew Edwin Arthur
President
0244980088

Cecilia Dapaah requests an accelerated cash seizure case and an account freeze.

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Cecilia Dapaah, a former minister of sanitation, requests an expedited hearing on the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s appeal to validate the seizure of money discovered in her residence and the order to freeze her bank accounts.

She claims that the money’s confiscation and the blocking of her accounts have caused her difficulty, stress, and embarrassment, and continue to do so.

She stated this in a request to shorten the time allotted for the application hearing.

After the High Court rejected a related claim and directed the anti-corruption agency to unfreeze her bank accounts and give her the money that had been seized, the Office of the Special Prosecutor filed the current application.

Cecilia Dapaah disputes the use of aliases in the real estate industry.

The office, however, re-seized the money and re-froze the bank accounts moments after adhering to the court’s direction. After this, the application for confirmation was filed on September 11, and the case was scheduled to be heard on October 18.

But in her application for abridgement, Cecilia Dapaah indicated that every day’s delay in determining the motion would cause her further hardship.

She proposed that the case be heard on October 11.

Meanwhile, she has described as misleading the claims by the Office of the Special Prosecutor that she is involved in real estate business with aliases and that the bank accounts of her brother continue to transfer money to her even after his death.

These are contained in an affidavit in opposition to the application for the confirmation of the re-seized GH¢2.83 million and the re-frozen bank accounts of Cecilia Dapaah.

Minority to Health Ministry: Apologize for not removing antiviral medications from ports

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The Minority in Parliament is requesting that the Ministry of Health (MoH) provide an unequivocal apology for their inability to clear donated antiviral medications at the ports.

The Minority called the Ministry of Health’s reason for the non-clearing unacceptable, claiming that the ministry had adequate time to compile the appropriate papers or get financial warrants for the quick clearance of the critical consumables upon their arrival.

The Minority also criticised the MoH’s two to three-month delay in securing additional funding for clearance, calling it “incompetence of the highest order.”

The Ministry of Health has denied reports that the delays in processing antiretroviral medications at ports were caused by a shortage of tax exemptions.

It said in a rejoinder on Saturday, October 7, 2023, that the high volumes of the drugs required extra resources and that it was working to secure the necessary funds to clear the drugs by Friday, October 13, 2023.

But the Minority said PLHIV cannot and should not be made to wait beyond October 13, 2023, for drugs that arrived in the country three months ago.

The Minority in a statement signed by Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, said “At this juncture, the least it can do is offer an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for its failure to perform the simple function of clearing donated goods for Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV).”

“As the Minority, we firmly believe that Ghana deserves better, and the excuses must cease.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM THE MINORITY

MINISTRY OF HEALTH’S RESPONSE TO THE DELAYS IN CLEARING HIV DRUGS AT GHANA’S PORTS INAPPROPRIATE AND HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE – MINORITY

The Minority in Parliament vehemently denounces the Ministry of Health’s response, or lack thereof, to the extended delay in clearing HIV antiretroviral drugs at Ghana’s ports. We consider the Ministry’s press statement issued on October 7, 2023, as highly inappropriate and a dereliction of its duty to safeguard the health and well-being of Ghanaians.

First and foremost, the Ministry’s press statement fails to offer any valid reasons for the prolonged delay in clearing the consignment of HIV antiretroviral drugs at the ports. The excuse citing the high volume of the consignment requiring additional funds for clearance is utterly untenable. Such consignments do not appear suddenly at ports of entry without prior notice to receiving agencies. The Ministry had ample time, spanning weeks if not months, to prepare the necessary documentation or secure funding warrants for the timely clearance of these essential consumables upon their arrival.

The Ministry’s statement comes across as an insult to our donor partners, implying that they irresponsibly failed to provide prior warning of a ‘high’ volume of support, thereby catching Ghanaian authorities off guard. This insinuation is highly reprehensible and an irresponsible attempt to jeopardize the generosity of our donors towards Ghana and its Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV).

It is also mind-boggling that the Ministry of Health would take two to three months, from the receipt of a shipping consignment in July to a press statement in October, to claim that it has finally taken measures to secure extra funds for clearance. This smacks of incompetence of the highest order. Even if we were to assume, though not conceding, that the Ministry only became aware of the volume of the consignment in July, what prevented it from taking these so-called ‘necessary steps’ in July itself, rather than waiting until October?

Moreover, extending the already three-month delay by another week is not only highly insensitive but also utterly irresponsible. PLHIV cannot and should not be made to wait beyond October 13, 2023, for drugs that arrived in the country three months ago. With the advancements in port operations, including 24-hour clearance of goods, there is no valid reason why these vital medical consumables cannot be cleared within 24 hours, should the government genuinely prioritize the health of PLHIV.

While the Ministry concluded its statement with mere rhetoric about its steadfast commitment to safeguarding the health of all citizens, it inconsiderately downplayed the impact of the current health crisis caused by the shortage of antiretroviral drugs. By stating that only 4% of PLHIV are affected by the shortage, the Ministry overlooks the fact that this 4% represents some 15,000 fellow Ghanaians—brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, and professionals from all walks of life. Their health concerns should not be ignored by an institution entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of all Ghanaians.

Furthermore, the Ministry’s press statement fails to address several critical issues. The Ministry claims to have applied for and obtained tax clearance waivers for the antiretroviral drugs at the ports. However, it is insufficient to merely claim to have received these waivers. The Ministry should, at the very least, provide evidence of receiving these waivers by specifying the date when these waivers were acquired.

We previously recommended, in our press statement, that the Ministry collaborates with the Ministry of Finance to automate tax waivers for medical consumables and equipment, thereby preventing delays caused by tax waiver issues. Regrettably, the Ministry has chosen to ignore this important recommendation.

We also expressed concerns about the widening funding gap in addressing Ghana’s National HIV/AIDS program and how the non-payment of counterpart funds is exacerbating this situation. The Ministry has remained conspicuously silent on this matter, providing no responses regarding its commitment to fulfilling its funding obligations moving forward.

In conclusion, the Ministry of Health must be proactive in addressing the health challenges of Ghanaians and residents and stop acting like a rudderless storm-tossed ship or a fire service responding only to emergencies.

At this juncture, the least it can do is offer an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for its failure to perform the simple function of clearing donated goods for PLHIV.

As the Minority, we firmly believe that Ghana deserves better, and the excuses must cease.

—Signed—
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh
(Ranking Member – Parliamentary Committee on Health)

Cecilia Dapaah disputes the use of aliases in the real estate industry.

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Former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah has referred to the Special Prosecutor’s office’s assertions that she is engaged in the real estate business under false names and that her brother’s bank accounts continue to send money to her even after his passing as false.

This are stated in an affidavit filed in opposition to the request for confirmation of Cecilia Dapaah’s re-seized GHC 2.83 million and re-frozen bank accounts.

The OSP submitted the application following the denial of a comparable application by a court order. The office of the special prosecutor provided a number of arguments to support its contention that the money taken from Cecilia Dapaah’s home and the money in her bank accounts are tainted assets in this latest application.

On the reasons for deeming the monies in her bank accounts as tainted property, the office of the Special prosecutor claimed that there were suspicious transactions with her accounts. One of them was that Cecilia Dapaah operated an undisclosed real estate company under the alias name of Nana Yaa Ode.

But Cecilia Dapaah explained that the supposed Nana Yaa Ode is rather her mother.

‘That I have an undisclosed and undeclared real estate business when I have no real estate business and Applicant has not provided a scintilla of evidence that I do. That I concealed my identity by using aliases to sell the property to third parties when Applicant’s own Exhibit OSP16 shows that I rather sold the property in a representative capacity for Nana Yaa Ode. Nana Yaa Ode also known as Nana Ode Nyarko was my mother (now deceased).’ Cecilia Dapaah explained in her affidavit.

The office of the Special Prosecutor further revealed that the Bank account of Cecilia Dapaah’s brother continues to make transactions into her accounts. But the sanitation minister in her affidavit indicated that there is no truth in that claim. She explained that the monies were from Cal bank in the name of his late brother which were used to receive funeral donations.

‘This account was opened with funeral donations collected by Cal Bank at my late brother’s funeral. The correct account name is conspicuously stated in the Applicant’s Exhibit OSP18 and the Applicant could easily have ascertained the mandate on the account from Cal Bank. The funds are transferred to me for payment of the school fees of my late brother’s children.’

On the reseized money, the office of the special prosecutor claimed that the former sanitation minister explained that part of the money was proceeds from a cosmetic company Demacare cosmetics she registered. The anti-corruption agency however raised an issue with the claim.

‘The first respondent also claimed in Exhibit “OSP5” that part of the discovered cash in cedis discovered by the OSP in said residence was proceeds from the sale of her Dermacare Cosmetics business in 2003, which she kept in her house. This heightened the suspicion of the authorized officers of the OSP since the discovered cedi currency notes are in the new cedi denominations introduced in July 2007 and they were not in existence in 2003 when the alleged sale of Demacare Cosmetics was purportedly completed in 2003.’ The office of the Special proscribed said in the application to the court.

But Cecilia Dapaah in her affidavit in opposition indicated that she did not claim to have registered Demacare Enterprise.’

‘I never mentioned registering any business called Dermacare Enterprise. I rather stated “Dermacare shop dealing in cosmetics, skincare, shoes, bags and other miscellaneous items” and that Dermacare was a sole proprietorship. Good faith investigation would have revealed that on 26th July 1994, I registered a business that was carried on at Dermacare Shop in Dzorwulu, Accra.’ Cecilia Dapaah deposed in her affidavit in opposition.

The NPP politician also denied claims by the office of the Special Prosecutor that part of the money was $590,000 dollars of the $1 million dollars allegedly stolen from her home for which 8 persons are facing criminal charges.

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